On the way to Ubon the day before the candle festival was scheduled, we passed through Roi Et on route 23, and I was aware of a tall Buddha statue near the city centre. After asking directions once we arrived in Roi Et we were guided to Wat Burapapiram in the north east part of the city.
The statue is said to stand some 60m high and I am happy to accept that as a true figure. You certainly have to push your head back a long way to see the top of it when standing in front of it. As this was also a 'big' Buddha day, the temple grounds were packed with Thai's who were visiting to get blessings and hopefully granted some good fortune in the near future. |
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Just to the east of the temple grounds is the city moat, very much like that at Chiang Mai, and the locals buy small fish and put them in the moat for good luck. An odd thing to do, but the Thai people are incredibly superstitious and take these things very seriously. The moat must be teeming with fish, especially as fishing is not permitted.
On to Ubon Ratchathani
You will find all the big supermarket chain stores that you will find everywhere else in Thailand - Tesco, Big C, Makro, Global etc but very little in the form of recreation as we know it. The nightlife is practically non-existent for the visiting westerner although there are two expat owned restaurants and a number of massage parlours on or adjacent to the
We found the Wrong Way Cafe at 49/4-5 Phadang Road in passing on our way to the evening candle parade but we did not drop in to have a look. The other establishment is N-Joy Cafe on the Phalochai Road .
at 49/4-5 Phadang Road
Wrong Way Cafe
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N-Joy Cafe
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We booked a hotel about 4 weeks prior to our arrival as I knew there was no chance of just arriving during the festival and finding somewhere to stay. We were working on a bit of a budget so looked for something cheap and cheerful. What we found could not have been much better for a 2 star hotel - the name is Fundee 1 Mansion. At 500 baht a night you just cannot go wrong at it is a great location. Just off the Chayang Kun Road, the Fundee Mansion is directly opposite a retail park the is home to Big C, a 7/11, McDonalds, the Pizza Company, three covered bazzaars and a host of other independent shops.
It is about 4km north of the city centre and set back from the busy main road. There is a small shop opposite the entrance to the hotel where you can buy drinks, cigarettes, snacks, and toiletries etc. I was led to believe that a Songthaew bus (number 8) takes this route south to the city centre but I never saw one so cannot confirm. You are as well getting a taxi though as it costs no more than 40 baht to get to the city centre from here and it takes about 10 minutes. |
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