Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [399]
Return to beginning of chapter
Orientation & Information
Most of the activity in Ubon takes place to the north of Mae Nam Mun and east of the main north–south thoroughfare, Th Chayangkun/Th Uparat. Ubon’s historic heart is down by the river, below Th Si Narong. Although there aren’t many old wooden shophouses left, Th Yutthaphan has several fine examples. The train station is south of the river in Warin Chamrap.
EMERGENCY & MEDICAL SERVICES
Tourist police (0 4524 5505; Th Suriyat) A block behind the regular police station.
Ubonrak Thonburi Hospital (0 4526 0285; Th Phalorangrit) Has a 24-hour casualty department.
INTERNET ACCESS
Ubon isn’t exactly flush with internet cafes, but you don’t have to look too hard to find them.
Blink (105-107 Th Yutthaphan; internet per hr 15B; 9am-10pm) Around the corner from TAT.
MONEY
Banks that are open normal business hours are found around the city centre and along Th Chayangkun. The following are open later and change both cash and travellers cheques.
Krung Thai Bank (Th Ratchathani; 10am-7pm) Inside Ying Charoen Park shopping centre.
Siam Commercial Bank (Tesco-Lotus, Th Chayangkun; 10.30am-8pm) At Tesco-Lotus department store.
POST
Main post office (Th Luang; 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat, Sun & holidays)
TOURIST INFORMATION
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT; 0 4524 3770; www.tatubon.org; 264/1 Th Kheuan Thani; 8.30am-4.30pm) Has helpful staff.
TRAVEL AGENCIES
Sakda Travel World (0 4525 4333; www.sakdatour.com; Th Phalorangrit; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat) Sells plane tickets, hires out cars and leads tours.
Sights & Activities
UBON NATIONAL MUSEUM
Don’t miss the informative Ubon National Museum (0 4525 5071; Th Kheuan Thani; admission 100B; 9am-4pm Wed-Sun). Occupying the former city hall, this is the spot to swot up on background information before venturing out into the wider province. And there’s plenty on show, from Buddhist ordination-precinct stones from the Dvaravati period and a 2500-year-old Dong Son bronze drum to Ubon textiles and betel-nut sets. The museum’s most prized possession is a 9th-century Ardhanarisvara, a composite statue combining Shiva and his consort Uma into one being; one of just two ever found in Thailand.
The museum is on the edge of Thung Si Meuang Park, the centrepiece of which is a huge concrete replica of an elaborate votive candle representing Ubon’s annual Candle Parade (see Click here).
GOLDEN JUBILEE ART & CULTURAL CENTRE
There is a museum (0 4535 2000; Th Jaeng Sanit; admission free; 8.30am-4.30pm) in the lower level of this striking contemporary Isan-design tower at Rajabhat University. It’s more scattershot than the National Museum, but there are some interesting cultural displays, particularly of houses and handicrafts. There’s also a whole lot of wax sculpture.
WAT THUNG SI MEUANG
Wat Thung Si Meuang (Th Luang; daylight hr) was built during the reign of Rama III (1824–51) and has a classic hr rai (Tripitaka hall) in excellent shape. Like many hr rai, it rests on tall, angled stilts in the middle of a small pond, surrounded by water, to protect the precious scriptures (written on palm-leaf paper) from termites. It’s kept open, so you can look around inside. Alongside it, the interior of the little bòht is painted with 200-year-old murals depicting the life and culture of the day.
Wat Si Ubon Rattanaram
The bòht at Wat Si Ubon Rattanaram (Th Uparat; daylight hr) resembles Bangkok’s Wat Benchamabophit, but it’s the 7cm-tall Topaz Buddha inside that most people come to see. Phra Kaew Butsarakham was reportedly brought here from Vientiane at Ubon’s founding and is the city’s holiest possession. It sits behind glass high up the back wall, all but out of sight. There are sometimes binoculars available to get a closer look, and the image directly in front of the largest Buddha is a copy.
The temple has turned a beautiful old wooden sh·lah (open-sided, covered meeting hall or resting place, often spelt sala) into a museum (admission free; 9am-4pm) of