Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 766

Wat Thung Si Muang , 200m east of the
central hung Si Muang Park along
hanon Sri Narong, is noteworthy for its
well-preserved teak library - raised on
stilts over an artificial pond to keep
book-devouring insects at bay - and its
murals in the bot, to the left of the
library, which display lively scenes of
nineteenth-century life. he Ubon
Ratchathani National Museum (Wed-
Sun 9am-4pm; B100), south from the
park across hanon Sri Narong, has
decent displays on the region's geology,
history and folk crafts.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By plane Ubon Airport is just north of the town centre,
with frequent flights to and from Bangkok; a metered taxi
to the centre costs about B60.
By bus The main long-distance bus terminal is about 3km
north of Ubon city centre on Th Chayangkun, from where
songthaews #2 and #3 run into town.
Destinations Bangkok (hourly; 10hr); Chiang Mai (6 daily;
17hr); Chong Mek (17 daily; 1hr); Khon Kaen (at least
hourly; 4-6hr); Khorat (hourly; 5-7hr); Mukdahan (every
30min; 3hr); Pakse, Laos (2 daily; 3hr); Rayong (10 daily;
13hr); Surin (hourly; 3hr).
By train The train station is in Warinchamrab, south
across the Mun River. Songthaew #2 (B10) runs from the
train station across the river into central Ubon; a taxi costs
around B60.
Destinations

INTO CAMBODIA: CHONG
CHOM O'SMACH
A/c minibuses (every 30min; 1hr 30min)
travel to the Chong Chom border pass ,
70km south of Surin, mostly to service
the casino on the Cambodian side.
Cambodian visas are issued on arrival at
the Chong Chom-O'Smach checkpoint
(daily 6am-10pm; US$20, although you
may be asked for B1000), from where you
can get taxis to Siem Reap,150km from
the border crossing (reckon on B1500
per car).

10

fine guesthouse. It's also an excellent
place to buy silk, either from the women
around the Tannasarn-Krungsrinai
intersection, or from one of the town's
silk shops.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By bus Buses stop one block east of the train station.
Destinations Bangkok (at least hourly; 8-11hr), Khon
Kaen (hourly; 4hr-5hr 30min) and Khorat (at least hourly;
4-5hr).
By train Trains from Bangkok (7 daily) and Ubon (11
daily) pull in at the northern edge of town.
Tourist information The TAT o ce is just east of the
centre at 355/3-6 Th Tessaban 1 (daily 8.30am-4.30pm;
T 044 514447-8, E [e-mail]).

Ayutthaya (7 daily; 7hr-10hr 40min);
Bangkok (7 daily; 8hr 30min-12hr 15min); Khorat (9 daily;
3hr 45min-6hr); Surin (11 daily; 1hr 50min-2hr 40min).
Tourist information The TAT o ce is on Th Khuenthani
(daily 8.30am-4.30pm; T 045 243770-1, E tatubon
@tat.or.th).

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
For fiery Isaan food, you can't beat Surin's lively night
market, which occupies the eastern end of Th Krungsrinai.
Pirom's Guest House 55-326 Soi Arunee, Th Thung Poh,
about 1.5km northwest of the train station T 089 355
4140. Quiet, laidback and super-clean guesthouse run by
Pirom, a knowledgeable ex-social worker and his friendly
wife Aree; they also serve food. Their fascinating tours give
tourists an unusual glimpse into rural northeastern life;
most itinerarie s featu re the Ban Ta Klang elephant trainers'
village. Double B200

INTO LAOS: CHONG MEK
Ninety-nine kilometres east of Ubon,
Highway 217 hits the Lao border at
Chong Mek , site of a Thai-Lao market,
and one of the legal border crossings
for foreigners.
There are a/c minibuses roughly hourly
to Chong Mek from the main bus
terminal, but the fastest and easiest way
to get across is to take the a/c bus all the
way to Pakse, the main town on the other
side of the border (2 daily, currently 9am &
3pm; 4hr); the bus will wait at Vongtao, on
the Lao side of the border, while you get a
visa on arrival for Laos (see p.345).

UBON RATCHATHANI
Almost always referred to simply as Ubon,
UBON RATCHATHANI , 168km east of
Surin, is hailand's fifth-largest city, but
only really worth stopping at en route to
the Lao border. If you're here in early July,
though, drop by for the Ubon Candle
Festival , when huge beeswax sculptures
are paraded through the streets.