( *+* ) UBON RATCHATHANI ( *+* )

Ubon, located 629 km from Bangkok, is one of the

country's largest provincial capitals. The area was

settled by people of mainly Lao extraction in the late

18th century, and as such the local population

have a strong affinity with their cousins on the

other side of the Mekong. Links with Laos are being

strengthened again, and the increasingly busy

border crossing at Chong Mek is developing into a

centre for Lao and Vietnamese goods and handicrafts.


Ubon ,lies on the banks of the Mun river and,

considering its size, is a very laid-back town.

The province's main attractions can be

found by following the Mun river down

to its confluence with the Mekong river,

known as "the Two-Coloured River". Here, boats

can be hired for trips along the river and sometimes

over to Lao village. Nearby, the Pha Taem National Park

has some beautiful scenery and a cliff with paintings

believed to be around 3,000 years old.