You can get there by bus or truck from Ubon main bus terminal or at WarinChamrap in front of the market. One way will cost you 40 baht or less and normally the trip is less than one hour.

You can also drive there by car or motorcycle. I know one guy who frequently rides his bicycle to take care of his business at Immigration.

As we expats know and maybe many travelers too, visa  matters are serious and can often times make for big headaches. I have read and heard many horror stories when it came time to get a visa or an extension. We expect difficulties but that is just part of the price we pay for living where we choose to live.

The staff at the Immigration and Customs Offices often times have our futures in their hand. They can make our life simple and easy or very difficult.

I have lived in Ubon Ratchathani for over 8 years now and have made many trips to Phiboon for visa’s and extensions. During all that time I have not once had a bad experience. There have been times when I didn’t have all the paperword required but at the end of the day I left with what I went there for, permission to stay in Thailand for a while longer.

The officers who work there have always given the impression they were looking to help and get you the visa. Not once have I experienced or witnessed an episode in which everything was in order but the visa was denied.

When I was working as a teacher there was one instance the university had forgotten to provide one document. One of the staff members made a phone call and the document was faxed and everybody was happy.

There have been a few times my status changed. I was not sure what I needed to do, but a phone call or short visit to the Immigration office and I had all the answers.  Never once was any information I received later discovered to be faulty.

One time I was a guinea pig for a new policy and procedure to get the visa I was applying for. The officer took longer than usual but he was learning and took the time to explain what he was doing and why.

I hope all who have experienced terror at Immigration in the past will have better experiences in the future. As for me, an expat living here in Ubon Ratchathani, I am quite satisfied with the service I have received at the Ubon Ratchathani Immigration and Customs office in Phiboon Mangsahan.

This post is dedicated to the stall with a big thank you and much appreciation.

To all expats and travellers needing extensions, happy visa trails to you.

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Ubon Ratchathani Immigration Good Service

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Ubon Traveller Assistance

This morning I got up and shaved, a rare occurance. I had a meet and greet scheduled at the Ubon International Airport. The morning Thai Airways Internation flight, TG020, arriving from Bangkok at 07:05. The man I was meeting recognized me immediately. He was friendly and gracious.

The man I met is named Frank. He runs a travel agency out of London. He is married to a Thai lady from the neighboring province of Amnat Charoen. They live together with their children in London.

Frank contacted me through my website WeLoveUbon. He needed some advice to help with a smooth day trip to Ubon. He had two missions to complete during his hours here. He needed to visit a school in Yasothon, to coordinate some humanitarian work. He also needed to visit an ailing member of his wife’s family in a village in Amnat.

The assistance our visiting Brit needed was a rental car with driver and an interpreter/translator. A short five minute phone call to Chow Wattana, a local Ubon car rental service, and the arrangements for a car were completed. Within two days my wife had found one of her students from nearby Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat University who was on summer break following his junior year as an English major.

Frank was thrilled to get what he needed. The student, Neung, was thrilled and excited. He got to practise and improve his English skills plus make some extra cash to supplement his salary as a waiter at a local restaurant. I was happy too. It was a good way to start the day.

Another Ubon Expat Blogger

A shout out to MeMock, another Ubon expat blogger. He contacted me and brought it to my attention that he also has a blog, Life in Rural Thailand, and also made Matt’s list. Why not show MeMock some expat community support and head over to his blog.

Ubon Ratchathani House For Rent

I came across this classified for a house for rent here in Ubon. It is very affordable and appears to be in a great location. I called the number on the ad and talked to the owner. He is in Khon Kaen now but has family here that can show the house. I did confirm that the house is still available. His English is sufficient to provide the needed details. If you are in the market for a house visiting his ad and making a phone call might save you a lot of time and energy searching for a nice place to live. If you are interested just click on over to the ad Ubon House for Rent.

P.S. The owner of the house for rent just called me and said he has 8 rai of land with a pond on the road from Ubon to Srisaket. It is near the new Srisaket Tesco Lotus. He would like to rent the land and says it is perfect for a business such as a garden restaurant. If you are interested his contact information is available on the classified ad for the rent house.

Looking for an Ubon local

My blog is included over at Expat-Blog. Occasionally I receive comments and questions through my listing on their site. I was asked for information about any contractors in Ubon who can build a quality affordable house on the owners land. Today I found a comment in the form of a question. Somebody named Becky asked if anybody knows a local Thai name Suwangjit Nudaeng. I don’t know Becky nor the person she is looking for. I also do not know why she is seeking this person. To be on the safe side if anybody knows Suwangjit I would recommend just telling her someone named Becky is looking for her and leave it up to them if want to contact.

That’s all folks. That’s the way it is, Thursday March 19, 2009 from Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, The Heart and Soul of Isaan.

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Ubon Ratchathani News March 19, 2009

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There is a relatively small expat community living here in Ubon. I have noticed, lately, the foreign population, though small and scattered is growing. You will find assorted reasons for moving to Isaan, retirement, relationships, teaching, lifestyle, weather, food, cost of living just to name a few.

Within the social ranks of expats residing here there are several who have taking up blogging. It is a great vehicle for sharing information, expeiences and insights about life and times here in Ubon. I am one of those emigrants. For me, right now, it is more or less a hobby with a goal to be helpful to travelers and residents of Ubon.

Today I was taking a journey through Technorati, sort of a blog hall of fame. I was curious and did a search for Ubon and a few hundred results came back. Most were commercial type blogs promoting hotels for a fee. One entry caught my eye, it’s title is, “Top 100 Thailand Blogs“. My curiousity got the best of me and I immediately clicked the link to go view the post.

The author of the post is Lost Boy (Matt) and the blog is WhatIsMatt. Matt had compiled a list of the Top 100 Thailand Blogs. It conists of Blogs in English and a couple of French ones whose topics related to Thailand. I have no idea the criteria he used to make his determination but I am sure it took quite a bit of time and effort.

I was somewhat surprised but seriously honored to find two blogs originating in Ubon made the list and a third that has ties to Ubon. The first belongs to an Aussie Ubon Expat, Jason, his blog is all about him living his life, Isaan Style. He features, insights, editorials, experiences, reviews, news and life in Isaan. The blog is centered in Ubon but also spreads to all of Isaan and other places around Thailand. Congratulations Jason.

The second blog belongs to yours truly. I was very happy to see my work listed on Matt’s blog. Since you are reading this you already know what this blog is about. My intent is to offer current relevant information for travelers, expats and locals of Ubon. I also use it to support the main static website, WeLoveUbon .

The third site gets an honorable mention. Vern, who lived here for a time and left part of his heart here, and his blog ThaiPulse. He focuses on topics and issues of interest foreigners living in Thailand as well as past and present travelers. Vern feels a connection to our adopted home and I get the feeling he would love to return someday to call it home, too.

I spent a lot of time exploring Ubon, looking for new and as of yet undiscovered places to experience. I often have to revisit known locations to update myself on changes. This blog post I found was originally published last year, which means I am late acknowledging the list. It is updated so is current. I want to thank Matt for compiling the data and including some homegrown Ubon expat blogs.

There are many other blogs dealing with Ubon. Some by expats and many by locals. A lot of the sites are more or less personal journals about day to day life or a special period of life. I have seen a number of blogs that hightlight local tourist attractions that have been visited by the author. Ubon is a big place and there is always room for more blogs and bloggers. I encourage you to give it a try.

Ubon Ratchathani is a great place for living, traveling and blogging. Hope to see you soon in our Isaan home in Thailand.

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Ubon Expat Bloggers Make Top 100 Thailand Blogs

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You will find the cost of living in Ubon quite a bit lower than in high traffic tourists areas such as Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, and Chiang Mai. If you are concerned about being isolated no need to worry, Ubon is serviced by numerous trains and buses and 3 flights a day between here and Bangkok. Living here you are somewhat removed from all the chaos and turmoil that seems to dominate the news lately. Many expats who call Ubon home are fulfilled and happy.

John, a British expat, settled down here in the heart of Isaan. He, his wife and daughter bought a nice house on the outskirts of Ubon city. They were happy and enjoying life in their new home. As time went on some other family members came to join the small household. Though they still loved their home it seemed to be shrinking.

An opportunity to buy a bigger house to fit the family was presented and they decided to go for it. The new home was close by so it was decided to keep the smaller place and rent it out for a while. But now John has decided to offer his first home in Ubon for sale. If you are residing in Ubon or thinking about living in Ubon this might be just the deal for you.

The home is located in a small community just outside of the city limits. It is a short 10-15 minute trip to town for shopping and enjoying local restaurants. The neighborhood is mostly quiet and peaceful. Good location for just a couple or a family of 3 or 4.

You can make it your new home for less than the cost of most new cars. It’s not new but several improvements have been made that enhances the value and your living experience. John has listed his Ubon home for sale at Thaivisa. It is worth your time to check out this home if you want to buy a house in Ubon Ratchathani and join the Isaan and Ubon expat community here.

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Ubon Expat Home Sale

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There is normally a special meal prepared on special days such as Christmas, Valentines Day and other Thai and western holidays. The Christmas Dinner and the Barbequed Ribs Dinner were particularly memorable.

I read that Richard had recently altered to menu significantly and also included breakfast meals, which can be ordered anytime during the open hours. Wrong Way Cafe’s hours are Monday to Saturday 11:00 to 24:00 and Sunday 11:00 to 22:00. If you want to check out the new and improved menu you can go to Wrong Way’s New Menu.

I decided to have lunch and see who was hanging out there. I was greeted by Richard and a group of out-of-town expats. An American and Brit from Nong Khai, an American from Udon Thani, an American from Pattaya and another Brit from Khon Kaen. They were here in Ubon to join the Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival 2007. In total, I think they had more than 100 years experience in Isaan and I enjoyed listening to their stories. They had gotten rooms at the mansion behind Wrong Way for 650 Baht per night and had plans to go play gold this morning. No idea how their games went yet. The rest of their time here in Ubon will be spent experiencing the festival and interacting at Wrong Way Cafe.

I sipped a very cold Tiger beer while listening to the “war stories”, learning some things I didn’t know about Thailand, Isaan and Ubon. My hunger got the best of me so I decided to try the sausage rolls and the Texas chili con carne. Both were excellent. I had wanted to 10 Inch Hot Dog, which I dubbed the “Aerosmith Hot Dog” from the Aerosmith hit song “Big 10 Inch Record”, but it wasn’t available. I got filled up and satisfied by the meal I did order. I hadn’t had any good Texas chili in a long, long time, so it was a pleasant surprise to find it on Wrong Way’s new menu.

Wrong Way is located at 49/4-5 Phadaeng Rd. You can get there during daylght hours on Line 10 or Line 11 or anytime by tuk tuk. If you need to contact them their number is 045-245291.

Special Candle Festival Dinner:

As I was leaving Richard informed me about a special dinner they would be having on July 29, 2007 around 18:00. He had procured a large smoked ham in Nong Khai last week and it would be the feature of the dinner on Saturday. If you are in Ubon then I am sure Richard and Ting would love to have you stop by, enjoy a good dinner and meet you.

Thai Phrase of The Post:

Can I see a menu, please?

khaw mehnoo noi khrap (male)
khaw mehnoo noi kha (female)

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Lunch At Wrong Way Cafe Ubon Ratchathani

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