Khong Chiam to Ubon Ratchathani
The final run into Ubon was straightforward and uneventful. We passed villages, including one which specialised in making gongs and drums for temples. The 2222 became rural road no. 4005 and that led straight into town to our hotel, the Phadaeng Mansion.
We had noodles for lunch at a cafe next to the hotel. It was very popular with locals. When there was a lull, the owner/chef poured himself a large whiskey on ice. He sat at the counter, counting his takings over and over, meticulously arranging the banknotes. He had a gold watch, gold bracelet and a gold necklace. He kept a close eye on the staff. Guess business is doing just fine!
We took the bicycles out for a short spin to see the town which apparently has the greatest concentration of Buddhist wats in Thailand. The Moon River runs through the town.
In the evening, it seemed appropriate that we should eat at the Indochine. Had an excellent meal of banana blossom salad with sesame rice crackers, nem, fried tofu, and the pièce de résistance was the fried fish with herbs, a crispy concoction of fresh river fish with chilli and kaffir lime leaves. We passed on the Vietnamese Tomato Cataract, whatever that dish was. The restaurant is in a lovely wooden house with a staircase bannister which was well-polished through years of use. There was a singer accompanied on a piano, which gave an atmosphere of Saigon in the 1920's. There was an antique shop on the first level, with furniture, lacquer boxes, pots, rattan suitcases etc. After dinner, we spoke to the owner. His mother was Vietnamese and his father Chinese. The restaurant has been opened for 41 years. Unfortunately, we did not have our camera with us to record the evening.
Total distance: 82km
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| All-white Wat Tham Khu Ha, Khong Chiam |
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| Birds' nests on tree |
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| Playing with gongs |
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| Busy noodle shop on Phadaeng Road |
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