Wat Thung Si Meuang

It’s doubtful that you’ll come to the Isaan city of Ubon intentionally, unless you have relatives here, or you’ll be traveling to Laos through the Chong Mek border station, as I was.  If you do happen to be here, you’ll find a pleasant, clean city with several interesting places worth stopping to see. How did I come to spend a few hours here? I was in transit to a nearby temple, and flew through Ubon. My return flight was delayed 4 hours. At the Air Asia ticket window, the attendant informs me that the flight’s been delayed to 3 pm, no other carriers available.  I’ve got 5 hours dead time in Ubon.  There’s a museum in Ubon, but not a cab to be seen, so I walk over to the Air Asia counter again, and ask how I can get a cab. The friendly ticket agent says “that’s OK, I’ll take you”, and unbelievably, she takes me to the museum!  It turns out that Khun Sirithip is the station manager, and was giving me great customer service to make up for my inconvenience.  She mentioned that her station got a nasty complaint from a farang last month, which of course caused the whole team to lose some face.  I told her I’d be happy to write a complimentary email to her boss, and I’d blog about it, too, as she took the extra step to provide exceptional hospitality and service. 

Ubon Ratchathani Top 3: 

Ubon Ratchathani National Museum
Khuanthani Road near Chayangkhul Road
Tel: (045) 255-071
Open Wed-Sun 9 am – 4 pm
GPS: N15°13.645’ E104°51.460’ (go around to north entrance)
Here, in the lovely old city hall, is the home to a nice collection of prehistoric items, sculptures from the Dvaravati and Angkor cultures, and a number of ethnographic items and textiles.

Wat Thung Si Meuang
Thanon Luang
GPS: N15°13.797’  E104°51.683’
The focal point of this wat is the beautiful old library, built on stilts and sitting in a pond to prevent ground termites.  Inside the tiny library are 150 year-old jataka murals.

Wat Phra That Nong
Off Chayangkhul Road, 3 km north of downtown
From the main road, turn left at GPS N15°15.755’  E104°50.728’
Wat is at GPS N15°15.779’  E104°50.420’
Our choice for the best in Ubon, this beautiful wat is derived from the Mahabodhi stupa in Bodhgaya, Bihar, India.  This pyramidal structure hosts a number of exceptional bas reliefs, in a beautiful village-like setting.