A WALK THROUGH THE PARKFlowers at Phae Taem

UBON ROCKSThailand’s Grand Canyon

Papaya salad at Pattaya Noi

SOM TUM ATSIRINDHORN THE SOUL

OF ISAANA hilltop Buddhist temple

overlooking Sirindhorn Dam

INSIGHTFULINTERESTINGINTERACTIVE

Enjoy this Click-n-Read issuepacked with reasons to visit northeastern-most Thailand

UBON VIDEOBangkok to Ubon in four minutes

Ubon. The soul of Isaan

JANUARY 2015 Issue 1, Vol. 1

Field of flowers at Phae Taem. Best time to visit is October- November.

Go Ubon is a publication of The Essential Group produced for Go Ubon - the travel experts in Ubon Ratchathani province, northeast Thailand, and is published quarterly.

Go Ubon is an interactive digital magazine for the adventurous traveller, inspired by the team behind Go Ubon, an organization tasked with scouring Ubon Ratchathani in search of unusual, interesting and inspirational travel experiences.

We’ve combined our unrivalled first-hand knowledge of Ubon with leading-edge interactive technology to create a ground-breaking guide to Ubon, the soul of Isaan.

Whether you’re looking for a weekend with the crowds at lively local markets or a life-changing adventure, our aim is provide you with the inspiration to make it happen. Let’s go Ubon!

NEXT ISSUE: Stylish stays in Ubon

Top 10 tasteful treats from Ubon streets

Khong Chiam Market

Real Thai Coffee: Isaan-style

Email us at info@goubon.com

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Nichari Jeerapairotekun

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A WALK THROUGH THE PARK

With the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently launching “Dream Destinations 2015” tourism marketing campaign, it inspired us to visit Ubon. TAT recommends a visit to Phae Taem in October. Taking a weekend in early December we were excited to see if we would still be able to see the magical field of wild flowers or whether we had missed the season. So my sister and I packed our bags and flew to Ubon. We had Phae Taem top of our list of ‘Must visits”. Not for the prehistoric rock paintings dating to at least 1000 BC, or the popular climb to the top of the cliff to get a bird’s-eye view across the Mekong into Laos. Our own dream destination was the field of flowers.

The biggest draw for most to Phae Taem is the 500-metre walk from the park entrance and main car park to the base of a cliff where 300 prehistoric rock paintings can be viewed. But we have visited the park a couple of times and we knew exactly where we were heading, to the field of wild flora.

The trail starts with an easy walk down a well paved path, through lush green forest. After a 300 metre walk, the path branches to Soi Sawan (“Heaven’s Necklace”) waterfall or the field of flowers. We veered right and headed to the enchanting meadow. The trail is broken by a small stream where we carefully had to step on several stones to cross without getting our feet wet.

Passing through lush forest, the trail opens up to an enchanting meadow and other-worldly sandstone terrain. Crossing another, and slightly larger stream, made easy thanks to a small elevated concrete walkway, we arrived at our dream destination.

We dropped down on our knees to take close-up photos of the gorgeous wild flowers, as if to worship at nature’s altar.

Located about 25 kilometres up the Mekong from Khong Chiam, the northeastern-most town in Thailand, is a long cliff named Pha Taem, the centrepiece of awesome but unheralded Pha Taem National Park.

It was amazing to see the flowers survive on a rocky plateau, some of which were bog plants which require year-round moisture. As we continued our walk we saw the field was weeping with water, probably seeping from underground springs. To be atop of a rocky plateau in full bloom in December, in Isaan, during the dry season was something quite extraordinary. Our visit to Ubon, the soul of Isaan, had only just started by was complete as we had been rewarded by something so simple, nature giving us a magical memory of a meadow in full bloom at our dream destination.

- Nichari 7.12.2014

How to get here From Khong Chiam town drive on the highway “Khong Chiam - Khemarat” (on the routes 2134 and then turn right to 2112) for about 15 km. There right turn road (to the east) and a 5 km drive to the park headquarters at Nong Phue Noi village (Huay Pai sub-district).

Contact address Pha Taem National Park P.O. Box 5, Tambol Huay Pai, Khong Chiam district, Ubon Ratchathani Province 34220

UBON ROCKSSam Phan Bok, Thailand’s Grand Canyon is located at Songkon Village in Pho Sai district of Ubon Ratchathani. This amazing natural wonder can only be visited during the dry season of December to May, as the canyon itself is under the Mekong River. When the rains come, the Mekong rises and covers this entire area. The canyon resembles a mountain sprouting out intothe Mekong. Spectacular views can be seen here of both the canyon and the Mekong River.

Known as the grand canyon of Thailand, Sam Phan Bok is one of the most mystical of wonders in northeastern Thailand. The “Three Thousand

Holes” are situated alongside the Mekong River, its strong currents running their course over the area’s mountainous terrain for

thousands of years, creating intriguing rock formations.

At Sam Phan Bok you will find over 3000 holes, big and small scattered all over the place.

The extensive rock covers a 10-square kilometre area. It is believed that the severe erosions were created from the strong whirlpools. This resulted in countless holes over the surface of this massive rock. That’s why the villagers call it “Samphanbok”. “Sam phan” means three thousand and “Bok” means holes. From August to October, during the wet monsoon flood season this rock is under the water,but in the dry season, it will appear above the water. The eroded strange-shaped rocks create a stunning natural sculpture and another must-visit place whenvisiting Ubon, the soul of Isaan.

Best time to visit is December to May, during the dry months when the rock erosions are exposed.

Best time to visit Samphan Bok - Thailand’s Grand Canyon - is during late-November to early May.

AirAsia, Nok Air and THAI Airways fly daily from Bangkok to Ubon.

Image courtesy of de.best-wallpaper.net. Dowload wallpaper photo here

A friend and regular visitor to Ubon, David Barrett, Executive Director Events at Amari Watergate Bangkok and Amari Pattaya, recently visited his small farm at Sirindhorn Dam. During his return flight from Ubon to Bangkok he was equipped with his compact SONY camera and, as luck would have it, sitting at a window seat, he captured the one hour 10-minute flight aboard AirAsia. With the magic of editing, the UBP-BKK flight has been condensed into four minutes. If you didn’t click the interactive button on the cover of this microzine, click the circular icon above and view the flight, broadcast on YouTube.

Go Ubon would like to thank David for sharing the video link with us. There’s an awful lot to love about Ubon. If you have a video of your visit to this amazing province, that lasts less than four minutes and is published on YouTube, share the link with us and if we include your video in our next issue, we’ll send you a round-trip ticket between Bangkok and Ubon aboard AirAsia on a choice of specific dates and flights.

Please email YouTube video links to info@goubon.com

Opposite: Pattaya Noi at Sirindhorn Dam on Highway 217. The white road on this Google Earth image is where waterfront restaurants, perched on stilts above Sirindhorn Reservoir, serve the tastiest som tam salad and BBQ fish, freshly caught from the reservoir. This is Ubon dining at it’s best.

Dark area is water at Sirindhorn Dam reservoiur

SOM TUM AT SIRINDHORNMention “Pattaya Noi” to most people and they think of the sprawling beach-city resort on the Gulf of Thailand with streets of neon lit go-go bars. Few know of Pattaya Noi in the far north east of Thailand’s Isaan country. On the road to Chong Mek border town on highway 217, around 65 kilometres from Ubon Ratchathani, or 5 kilometres from Sirindhorn Dam, is a waterfront playground, known locally as Pattaya Noi. No sea in sight, but there are waterside restaurants on stilts perched over the edge of Sirindhorn reservoir.

Sirindhorn Dam is a great place to try Thai green papaya salad, known as Som Tam in Thai. One of the most commonly available and consumed dishes in Thailand. Som tam originates in the northeastern part of the country (Isaan) and Pattaya Noi was the perfect setting to enjoy this dish while enjoying the spectacular views across the reservoir and distant mountains of Laos on the horizon.

Som tam is a staple dish in Ubon dining. It’s fresh, easy to prepare and just tastes so wonderful. There are many different variations of this famous Thai salad, some including fermented fish sauce, crab or salted preserved egg, but for the classic sweet, sour and spicy version, we ordered our Som tam Thai while at Pattaya Noi. The dish can be made as spicy or mild to your taste. Be careful to mention how spicy or mild you want yours. We asked ours to be authentically local. It was so spicy that we joked saying the papaya was added as a condiment to crushed chillies. Ubon folk love their som tam spicy.

HILLTOP TEMPLE Wat Phu Prao temple sits on a hilltop overlooking Sirindhorn Dam in Ubon. Recently receiving rave reviews on social media for its panoramic views and the interesting glow-in-the-dark mural on the back wall, Wat Pru Phrao is becoming a “must visit” on itineraries of those staying at Sirindhorn, Khong Chiang and Chong Mek districts. Information on the temple is scarce, but Go Ubon researchers found that the temple (wat) was founded by a monk from Champansak in Laos; the venerable Luangpoo Boonmak Thitipanyo, a forest monk who came to stay on that hill to practice meditation around 1954-1973 The temple has been visited by and

housed many highly revered senior Buddhist monks, along with many other monks, novices, and devout Buddhists. About fifty years ago, Luangpoo Boonmak requested ownership of this piece of land on Phu Prao (Prao Mountain) and the government authority in Piboonmangsaharn District granted him his wish during a land survey conducted by the district officers and the Royal Thai Army officials, before the construction of Sirindhorn Dam in 1971. The temple was built and named Wat Sirindhorn Wararam (or Wat Phu Prao, after the name of the mountain). In the beginning, there was only a wooden sala, simply built, just big enough to cater for people who came to visit to make merit, pray and practice meditation. After the master monk passed away in 1982, the temple became neglected. Later on, another well-respected monk took charge of rebuilding the temple until he passed away on 21 July 2006. Renovation continued until 2013. Today, the once forgotten and remotely located temple is attracting acclaim from visitors who seek the serenity and spectacular views from the hilltop.

View from the hilltop temple

THAI flies daily to Ubon, smooth as silk.

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