JANUARY 2015 Issue 1, Vol.

A WALK
THROUGH
THE
PARK
Flowers at Phae Taem

INSIGHTFUL
INTERESTING
INTERACTIVE
Enjoy this Click-n-Read issue

packed with reasons to visit

northeastern-most Thailand

UBON
ROCKS
Thailands Grand Canyon

UBON
VIDEO
Bangkok to Ubon in four minutes

SOM TUM AT
SIRINDHORN
Papaya salad at Pattaya Noi

THE SOUL
OF
ISAAN
A hilltop Buddhist temple

overlooking Sirindhorn Dam

Ubon. The soul of Isaan

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.
Weve combined our unrivalled first-hand knowledge of Ubon
with leading-edge interactive technology to create a groundbreaking guide to Ubon, the soul of Isaan.
Whether youre 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. Lets go Ubon!

NEXT ISSUE:
Stylish stays in Ubon
Top 10 tasteful treats from Ubon streets
Khong Chiam Market
Real Thai Coffee: Isaan-style
The Essential Group
EDITOR Athikom AJ Jeerapairotekun
RESEARCH Nichari Jeerapairotekun
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Go Ubon team
PUBLISHER

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A WALK THROUGH THE PARK

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.
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 birds-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 (Heavens 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 natures altar.

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 ROCKS
Sam Phan Bok, Thailands 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 into
the 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 areas 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. Thats 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 when
visiting 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 - Thailands 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. Download 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 didnt 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. Theres 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,
well 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 its best.

The dark area on this image is

part of the 288 square kilometres
of water surface at Sirindhorn

SOM TUM
AT SIRINDHORN
Mention 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 Thailands
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 tamoriginates 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. Its 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

View from the hilltop temple

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.

THAI flies daily to Ubon, smooth as silk.

For more information and offers please contact your travel agents
and THAI sales offices or visit www.thaiairways.com

Amazing Thailand
Surprisingly Isaan
Naturally Ubon
goubon.com