Ubon Ratchathani

[Guest fountainhall]

Has anyone any advice on places to go in Ubon? Will be going for the Candle Festival this week-end and am totally new to the city.

[Guest ReneThai]

There is a sauna , but the website isnot very informative

 

http://www.relaxingsauna.com

 

 

http://gaythailand.startbewijs.nl

 

Rene

[Guest fountainhall]

Just for interest, I found Relaxing Sauna and Spa but it is rather like the proverbial needle in the haystack. I rang the phone number on the website – 045 242 249 – and thankfully there is someone with limited English. This established that it is in Prommarat Road Soi 1, quite close to the river. That’s the easy part. Having walked 20 minutes from my hotel armed with just a basic map all in Thai (almost the only one hotels give out - although on departure I did find a bilingual map for 150 Baht at the airport which would have made things so much easier!), I found Soi 2 and assumed Soi 1 would be relatively close. Then I found Soi 3 and so backtracked going down endless little trails for the next 30 minutes. With just basic Thai, I asked over 6 people for Soi 1 – and none had a clue! Finally turning back, I eventually found it in which must be a logical position – a small, unmarked concrete path between Soi 2 and 3! There is a sign for the sauna on a house wall, but you will only notice it if you are walking in one direction (east). So keep looking around you when you see concrete paths.

 

To get that far, it’s best to ask your hotel to point out 2 temples on your map – Wat Klang and Wat Tai Ong Tue. Both are on Prommarat and the sauna is roughly between them (slightly closer to Wat Klang). Soi 1 goes down towards the river (away from the main town) and Rainbow is about 50 metres on the right. It’s an old Thai house with two wings separated by a little garden. Upstairs from the changing room (with the tiniest lockers I have ever encountered!) is a small gym area and a reading room with a computer. The other wing is much more attractive with a bar, sauna and steam room, several sitting out areas, a video room, 2 dark rooms and a few cabins. Most of the action was in the dark room behind the video room.

 

The setting is lovely, much like the House of Male in Chiang Mai, but with no restaurant. Entrance is 99 Baht and drinks are only 40 Baht. One problem is that it is all very dark, so move slowly until you get the hang of the place or you’ll hit something sticking out from a floor or a wall. Another is that foreigners rarely visit except during the Candle Festival, and whilst there’s a natural curiosity, you may only find a few guys interested in going to a cabin with you. But that dark room can be hot and busy!

 

Although Rainbow officially opens at 6:00 pm, there’s no point going much before 9:00 when most of the locals arrive. The 2 nights I went, there must have been about 40 guys by 10.30. Yet another problem is that part of town is all but dead at night and there is no late public transport. So before you set out for your visit, work out how you are going to return, especially if you are staying some distance away. Hopefully you’ll find a guy prepared to give you a lift home.

 

The Candle Festival itself is stunning. It’s not so much about candles, more about massive wax sculptures mounted on floats which are driven in a huge 4-hour parade around the centre of town. Each temple contributes one or more floats which must take weeks to decorate. Even better, visit some of the striking temples the day before and see the final preparations in progress. It’s a really unique attraction. But if you do decide to go, make sure of your hotel and flights at least 6 months in advance. They all get solidly booked very quickly.

[Gaybutton]

Sometimes there is a much simpler way to get to where you're trying to go. I don't know if this would have applied in your case, but in general if you have a mobile phone, a phone number for your destination, and there are taxis available, then all you need to do is call the number for your destination and have the venue give the address information to the taxi driver.

 

Even if you don't have a mobile phone, if you're starting from your hotel, have the hotel call, get the directions, and have them either write out the information for a taxi driver or have someone accompany you to the taxi and explain where you're going.

[Guest fountainhall]

Good point, Gaybutton. There are no taxis as such in Ubon but tuk-tuks were outside the hotel. I was staying in one of the top hotels and did ask the hotel to mark Wat Klang on their basic map. It resulted in a lot of 'ohhing' and 'ahhing' before one of the managers decided he knew where it was and marked it for me. Of course, it was in the wrong place! Being a fairly intrepid traveller, I quite like the challenge of finding places. In future, if I have less time, I'll take your excellent advice.