Ubon Ratchathani

I think I have visited the city of Ubon Ratchathani a number of times in the past but have only blogged about it this one time.

I think that was the only time I really did sight seeing in the city and the other times was just passing through on my way some where else. This trip I have my motorbike so have the freedom to see sites outside of the city that I didn't visit on previous trips. I first needed to get the bike serviced since I was putting on the kilometers on this trip. Once that was done it was off to play tourist.

Wat Sa Prasan Suk (วัดสระประสานสุข) or Wat Ban Na Muang (วัดบ้านนาเมือง) was my first stop.

I really enjoyed the recreation of the Royal Barge since I had recently been to see the prosession dress rehearsal.

I am also thought the stone boat in the pound was attractive.

I also throwing in a flower picture because I thought it was pretty.

My next site was Wat Phra That Nong Bua (วัดพระธาตุหนองบัว).

From what I have read this temple is in a style that is more common in Inda than Thailand. It has a large Chedi built around a older and smaller Chedi on the inside.

While in Ubon I also rode out to the Luang Pu Cha Pagoda (เจดีย์อัฐิหลวงปู่ชา).

I found one of the highlights of Ubon Ratchathani was just sitting next to the Mun river. I find a lot of the time in Thailand it's too hot to enjoy being out without at least a fan. My time in Ubon was cooler than usual so I really enjoyed it.

I saw all the sites I had planned to visit in Udon so I spent my last day sitting in my hotel watching it rain and being grateful that I was staying dry.

More Khmer Ruins

After a day of fun watching the buffalo races I rode down to Pattaya and spent 5 days of eating and drinking too much.

I enjoy going back to visit the city I use to live in but I'm happy I'm not living there any longer.

I had a long ride from Pattaya to a hotel I stayed in after visiting Prsat Sdok Kok Thom back in 2022.

I find it a bit surprising that I am still visiting Khmer Ruins in Thailand that I have not visited before now. This day was full of ruins that were new to me.

My first stop that didn't involve filling up the bike or myself was Prasat Ta Muan (ปราสาทตาเมือน).

This group of 3 ruins I have had marked on my map for some time but never took the time on a previous trip to see them.

Prasat Ta Muan Tot was the second ruins in this group but was not marked on google maps but don't think i would have missed it since it was only a few meters off the road.

Prasat Ta Muen Thom the third stop in this group was a strange place to visit. From google maps it is in Cambodia but luckily there is no immigration to deal with. I don't have a reentry permit for my current stay in Thailand so leaving the country would cause me visa headaches.

The ruins had both Cambodian and Thai soldier on the site. I could not tell which were which but a couple of the Thai soldier told they were Thai and pointed at another group and said they were Cambodian.

There have been conflicts in the past over these ruins on the border with both sides claiming them but currently everything is peaceful. Prasat Preah Vihear is the temple that has been the center of a lot of these conflicts and somewhere I would like to visit but I'm not sure if there is currently access from Thailand so will not visit it on this trip.

Prasat Phum Pon (ปราสาทภูมิโปน) was my next stop. Prasat Phum Pon is considered to be the oldest Khmer art archaeological site in Thailand.

Prasat Yai Ngao (ปราสาทยายเหงา) was my final Khmer ruin of the day. I found it to be a pretty place for a ruin along a river or stream with a farmer grazing his buffalos.

Buffalo Races 2024

I rode my m motorbike from Bangkok to the city of Chonburi to attend the buffalo races for my 3rd year in a row.

I had a bit of a hard time finding the date for this year's event and was surprised it was in the middle of the week. Not sure if one of these was the reason it was not crowded but I think I enjoyed it more because of a small crowd.

Following is the short I posted while at the event and will post a follow up compilation video when I return home near the end of November.

Royal Barge Procession Full Dress Rehearsal

The King will have his 72nd birthday on the 28th of October. The Royal Barge Procession is to celebrate his 6th cycle and will take place on the 27th. I just learned a cycle is 12 years.

I decided to go to the first full dress rehearsal thinking it would have less people attending and easier to find a place to watch.

I cut and pasted the following from the Thailand Tourist Authority or TAT webpage.

"The royal procession by water will comprise 52 barges, including four major royal barges – the Suphannahong, the Narai Song Suban, the Anantanakkharat, and the Anekkachatphutchong.

There will be 2,200 oarsmen to row the ceremonial barges along the Chao Phraya River, from the Wasukri Pier to Wat Arun, in a 1.2-kilometre-long and 90-metre-wide formation."

I got to the place I planned to watch the procession and there was a lot of free seating and they were pulling some of the barges up the river full of the rowers to the starting location.

I decided I had a bit of time before the procession was scheduled to start so I went to get something to eat at a near by place. I got something to eat and drink and then the sky opened up and poured down rain.

I seat under a tarp staring at a clock hoping the rain would stop or let up before the procession started. While I was sitting there a big monitor lizard walked right through the area until the lady that cooked my lunch ran it off.

The rain slowed down a couple minutes before the scheduled start so I went back over to the seating and got a front row seat and the raining stopped as the procession started.

It was strange seeing what is usually a busy river with no boats prior to the start of the procession.

I took a number of video clips and upload the following short while watching the procession. I am not happy with the short but posting it because I plan to be away from my PC for close to a month so will not get a chance to create a compilation video.



I was a little worried that going to see this would be a bit of a waste of time and effort but I really enjoyed it and was very happy I made the effort. This is only the second time in this King's reign and the first was at his inauguration in 2019.