Introduction to Ubon Ratchathani and the Candle Festival

Hello again from Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. This is the heart of Isan or Esan, however you choose to spell it. Isan is the Northeastern region of Thailand. Here in Ubon Ratchathani there is the most famous Candle Festival in Thailand. It is held here every year in July. During that time it is hard to find a hotel room. Many visitors and tourists must go to neighboring provinces to get lodging. What is a Candle Festival? Well originally it was just Buddhist monks in certain temples building large candles, now it has expanded and many institutions also participate. The large wax candles are mounted on trailers or vehicles, much like the floats in the Rose Parade New Years Day in Los Angeles. There is a big parade of all the candles, and four days or more of festivities at Tung Sri Muang, the local park. There is lots of good Thai Isan food, cold beer, Thai handicrafts for sale, games to play and of course many lovely Thai girls. If you have a chance to come visit Ubon Ratchathani for the Candle Festival you definitely should come. Other places of interest in Ubon are Phra Taem, an archeological site, Khong Jiam, where the Mekong and Moon Rivers meet and it is called The Two-Colored rivers. There are many nice places here and good people. Welcome to Ubon, I am proud to call it home now. p.s. In Ubon at Khong Jiam is where you can first see the sun come up in Thailand.