Ubon Ratchathani Line 3, A leisurely Ride

Sadly to say the experience of conducting research on Line 3 here in Ubon Ratchathani was rather uneventful. This pink colored songtaew also used to be a full-sized public bus but was upgraded in the interest of public safety at the same time as 2 Line.

I caught the songtaew at the entrance door to Tesco Lotus. The southbound route drives through the Lotus parking lot after 10:00 in the morning. Before that they stay on Chayangkun Road. I rode it to it's southern terminal/starting point on Highway 2178 (Kantaralak Road) across from Ban Go School.

It stops and begins there in Ban Go and heads north to Ban Don Klang on Soi Techno across from Ratchathani University, formerly known only as Techno.

As I said the ride was rather uneventful, yes I like a good adventure, so I spent my time gathering info, watching people, and enjoying the trip. From beginning to end the journey took a bit more than an hour. I got off on Soi Techno to stretch and wait for a songtaew to take me back to Lotus.


It was around 12:30 and my stomach suddenly alerted me to the fact that it hungry and needed some lunch. Phad Thai immediately came to mind so I was off in search of a shop that offered Phad Thai. Being near a school there is an abundance of cheap food shops so I easily found what I was looking for. In no time at all I had consumed my meal and paid my 20 Baht. A small price to pay for a filling, good-tasting lunch. Amazing Thailand.

Line 3 Route South to North:

• Highway 2178 in Ban Go


• Through Warin around the market


• Upparat Road


• Phrom Rat Road (south to north)/Phrom Thep Road (north to south)


• Khuan Thani Road


• Luang Road


• Phichit Rangsan Road


• Thepyothi Road


• Sapphasit Road


• Upparat Road


• Chayangkun Road


• Highway 231


• Highway 212


• Soi Techno

Line 3 Highlights South to North:

• Warin Market/Bus Terminal


• Samchai Coffee Warin


• Nakon Chai Air Terminal


• Ubon Buri Resort (must walk from Upparat Road to resort)


• Big Market


• Sri Isan Hotel


• Main Post Office


• Wat Tung Sri Muang


• Risotto Restaurant


• Sapphasit Apartments


• Sapphasit Hospital


• Police Station


• Sincere Restaurant


• Intro Pub Indo China Restaurant (Vietnamese)


• Cozy Restaurant


• Swing Party House


• Robinsons


• Racha Hotel


• Regent Palace Hotel


• Pathumrat Hotel


• Thai Airways


• Rajabhat


• Ubon International Hotel


• Ubon Sports School


• Tesco Lotus


• Nong Bua Market


• Northeastern Polytechnic College


• Rajavej Hospital


• Labor Office


• Big C


• Makro


• Bus Terminal


• Ban Don Klang


• Ratchathani University

Ubon Ratchathani Indian Restaurant

One of the good things about living in Thailand is the authentic Thai cuisine. I love Thai food but every now and then I enjoy a bit of variety.



There is a restaurant in Ubon Ratchathani that specializes in Indian cuisine. The name is Ali Restaurant. It is the namesake of the owner, Ali. It has been around for awhile. I first ate there about 5 years ago. It was in a different location then and when I went back it appeared it had closed. Oh contraire, Ali had only moved to a more convenient location. I just recently saw it again.



If Ali is there when you go, he will come to greet you at your table and talk with you in English.


Ali's does not have a large menu but it is sufficient. I, for one, am not well acquainted with Indian food so I have to ask for a description of items. You can get masala, tandori, kerai, kabab and of course curry. There is also a selection of Thai dishes available.



I went with chicken kabab and vegetable curry. The pieces of the kabab resembled small burgers. They were savory and came with a dipping sauce that added to their flavor. The consistency of the vegetable curry was somewhere between a paste and a thick gravy. It came with what Ali called bread. The bread, to me, resembled Mexican tortillas.

I enjoyed the meal. It was good, filling and not expensive at all. Is it good Indian food? I don't know because besides Ali's shop the only other place I have had Indian food was in Seoul, Korea.




Recently, I had been watching "No Reservations" on Discovery Channel. Anthony Boudain was in Mumbai sampling the Indian street food. One of the items he tried was mashed potatoes, mixed with herbs and spices, encased in a bread shell and fried. Out of curiosity I asked Ali about it. He informed me it is called samosa and he can make it for me if I want to try it. Why not? It is an interesting snack, good flavor but a bit heavy.



If you are in the mood for a change of pace for lunch or dinner you might want to stop by Ali's. If you head south on Upparat Road to Khuan Thani Road turn left. Continue east on Khuan Thani Road past the museum, past Ubon Hotel, past Ratchathani Hotel, past TAT, and past the Chinese School you will see it on the right hand side. It is small so keep sharp eye out for it. The address is 177 Khuan Thani Road. You can call them at 086-871-5852.