Ubon Ratchathani for Digital Nomads

Ubon Ratchathani is considered one of Isaan's 'big four' cities, even though it's noticeably smaller than the other three (Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen and Udon Thani). It's located in the east of the country, about 50km from the Laos border.

That puts it way off the usual tourist trail, meaning it has very few foreign visitors, and has had very little foreign influence. It therefore also hasn't suffered the spike in prices that more touristy parts of the country have, and as I'll get to below, you can find a hot meal here for 15 baht. It's also the final stop of the Ubon Ratchathani branch of the North Eastern Train Line, meaning you can get a train here from Bangkok for just 205 baht, so it's an ideal spot for a digital nomad on a budget. At least one who likes isolation.

It has the friendliest immigration office I've ever been to, which is a reflection of most of the people in this city. It's a calm, happy place. Just don't expect a vibrant nightlife. Craft beer or a game of pool is about as exciting as it gets.

I can't help but feel something's missing.

Who is Ubon Ratchathani suitable for?

I've been approached by multiple people in Ubon and asked if I've come here to ordain as a monk. That's a common reason why some foreigners end up here. I've always felt a bit sheepish having to respond that nope, I'm just here to wander around for a bit really.

Once AI has robbed me of my career and job prospects, becoming a monk is definitely one of the options at the top of my list, and Ubon might just be the place to do it.

If you're not planning on that either then Ubon is a pretty uneventful city. The nightlife here is very dry - this is not a place to come if you want to party. It's a nice city to wander around and to relax in. There are many coffee shops here, but you won't find that there's too much "to do". If you're someone that needs to be busy and to be sociable all the time, Ubon is not for you. If you want to relax and just exist for a bit, you'll feel right at home.

How affordable is Ubon Ratchathani?

Ubon is cheap, even by Isaan standards. My first room here cost me just 550 baht per night. A small bottle of Leo in the one foreigner-aimed bar in town is just 65 baht (all the time, not just at happy hour), and there's a local 'jay' restaurant where meals start at 15 baht (rice with one choice from the buffet). If you're on a tight budget, you can live very, very cheaply in Ubon.

Is it easy to get by with English in Ubon Ratchathani?

You will find some people that speak English and you can always get by, but I'm definitely thankful that I can speak Thai when I'm in Ubon. It's certainly not like the touristy parts of Thailand where everything is made for English speakers.

What is the layout of Ubon Ratchathani?

Ubon's layout is weird. The airport is in the middle of the city, with the entrance in what you'd basically consider the city centre. I've never encountered such a convenient airport. Yet for some reason the railway station is way off to the south of the city across the river, and the bus terminal is way off in the north.

You'll also find that there's no reliable online resource for bus times, you just have to go to the bus terminal in person to ask, at which point having the bus station so far from the city centre is a pain in the arse.

I walked up there once, during my first stay. On my second I couldn't be bothered and just took the train instead.

Ubon Ratchathani Bus Terminal

Is Ubon Ratchathani safe?

Yes, it's a very, very passive, very, very friendly city. Not really any safety concerns here. Some dogs will bark at you, particularly if you're walking around at night, but nothing worse than that.

How is the Internet in Ubon Ratchathani?

In both of my stays in Ubon the Internet has been more than fast enough for video calls and anything else you're likely to need it for.

Where to buy tea in Ubon Ratchathani

You'll find local Thai tea for sale in the store at Utthayan Bunniyom typically priced at 22 baht for 20 tea bags.

Going to immigration in Ubon Ratchathani

In my many years in Thailand I've had to deal with immigration offices all over the country, and during my first stay in Ubon I was here when I had to do my 90-day report, so I wandered down to the Ubon Ratchathani Immigration Office.

Not only is the location here pretty convenient, being walking distance from the city centre, but I've never been to an immigration office where the immigration officials are so relaxed and helpful.

In other provinces they seem to make it their mission to be as unhelpful and as short-tempered as possible. I've literally had my documents thrown back at me before because they weren't correct. Here they were really calm, really helpful, they were smiling the whole time. It's the exact opposite of what you expect when going to immigration in Thailand.

If you do have an upcoming 90-day report or visa extension, then timing it for when you're in Ubon isn't the worst idea. It's rare to leave an immigration office in Thailand in a good mood.

Being sociable in Ubon Ratchathani

Wrong Way Cafe is the only foreigner-aimed bar in town. It's quite a fun place with a pool table, and beers start at 65 baht for a small bottle of Leo, so you can sit here and drink all night without spending much. The atmosphere isn't going to blow you away though, so you have to drink enough and you won't notice.

Another option is drinking your way through Ubon's craft beer scene. Sadly Heisenberg's, my favourite craft beer bar from my first stay, had closed down by my second, but Ubon Tap Taste House Craft Beer & Foods is another option.

You'll also find a line of restaurants/bars along the west bank of the Huai Wang Nong lake (start at the 7-11 and walk north). I came here for a walk on my first night in Ubon and thought that some of them looked a good place for a night out, but I never ended up making it there for a drink, but perhaps something to try if you're feeling adventurous.

Outside of going and sitting in bars, I found little in Ubon for meeting new people, but there was a poster above the urinal in Wrong Way Cafe advertising the Ubon Hash House Harriers which seems to be a running (drinking) club that meet on the first Saturday of every month, so if you happen to be in Ubon then, give them a look.

Wrong Way Cafe

Where to run in Ubon Ratchathani

During my first stay in Ubon Ratchathani, Huai Wang Nong lake was going through a big refurbishment, and they'd drained most of the water from the lake and dug-up all the ground around it. As such, less than half of the lake was actually safely runnable, but even just what was available was decent enough.

The roads and pavements that had been built didn't yet have any markings on them, but the pavements were really wide and the roads had barely any vehicles. Running as far as you could in both directions got you to over 4km, so apart from having to turn around and re-trace your steps, this was a good place for a run.

Once the construction work on the lake is complete and you can go all the way around, it'll be amazing for running. I'd guess a circuit will be about 8km. Although it didn't look like they'll be finished any time soon. As it wasn't near to where I was staying on my second stay in Ubon, I didn't make it back to check on their progress.

Thung Sri Mueang is a small park in the city centre, allegedly open 24 hours per day, that has a jogging track going around the outside, although you can equally just run on the pavement outside of the park.

Nong Bua Public Park is a way out of the city centre, on the way up to the bus station (my walk to the bus station was when I discovered it). If you're staying in this part of town or if you have your own transportation, it includes a jogging track.

I didn't explore it too much, but from the parts of it I walked, the riverside looked like it'd be viable for running as well.

Huai Wang Nong lake and the surrounding roads are going through some quite extensive reconstruction. Even at this point though, the parts of it they've constructed are sufficient for running. You have wide pavements and very few vehicles on the road.

Where to get vegan food in Ubon Ratchathani

By far my favourite vegan-friendly restaurant in Ubon is Grow Up Eatery and Farm, now in a new location from where they were when I first came to Ubon.

It's a health-focussed meat-serving restaurant, but their bilingual menu includes a vegan section of four main dishes, a vegan kale soup, smoothie bowls and smoothies made with oat milk.

The only other place that I'd recommend in Ubon is Utthayan Bunniyom. It's a little vegan complex that includes a restaurant, a juice bar, a shop and a market.

As I was told by someone who works here, the idea was conceived by some local monks to provide food at below cost so that everyone can eat well. The 'jay' restaurant food is made from vegetables grown at their local farm/commune (I couldn't quite tell which with the language barrier) a little outside of town. It's then sold as rice with one choice from the buffet for 15 baht, rice with two choices for 20 baht, or rice with three choices for 25 baht. One of the cheapest meals you'll find anywhere in Thailand.

Given that, you can't really complain about having to do your own washing up once you've finished eating - especially as everyone working here is a volunteer. The store here is also well worth a visit, especially if you get through as many nuts, seeds and teas as I do.

Unfortunately the whole complex was closed during my second stay in Ubon because of a Buddhist holiday, so beware that it's not a place that's reliably open.

During my first stay in Ubon I ate at Baan Khao Hom several times. It's a family-run Indian restaurant with a vegetarian section on the menu. I only came here once during my second stay though, because I found the older Indian woman who served me to be such a bitch that I just didn't want to come back.

Despite telling her I was vegan, she pushily tried to upsell everything on the menu to me, including non-vegan items, and when I declined she'd roll her eyes and look fed-up that I wasn't folding to her pressure of ordering things I didn't want to eat. I found it a very unenjoyable meal and did not return.

The stir-fried plant-based crispy pork with noodles at Grow Up Eatery and Farm will cost you 105 baht.

Where I stayed

The Outside Inn

11 Suriyat Road

Even though one of the reasons that I chose to stay here, was the ultimately not very vegan-friendly on-site vegan-friendly restaurant, I still tried my best to enjoy my stay. The room was pretty large, especially for the price, with plenty of space in the room to exercise. The bed was comfortable, and while the room wasn't brimming with facilities, it had the essentials - a fridge, a kettle, a desk with a chair, and a fast, reliable wifi connection (210mbps download speed, 215mbps upload). They have a water cooler in the communal area that you're encouraged to use (I think they regretted saying that to me seeing as I drink the water of an elephant), although the bottles for it were empty for about a week of my stay. The location here is pretty good. The nearest 7-11 is about a six minute walk, Huai Wang Nong lake is about 12 minutes on foot, and the town centre is an easy walk too.

Given all I've just said, you might wonder what I could have to complain about, but if you know me then you know I value one thing above all else: Daylight. I never close my curtains as I like to rise with the sun each day, and the more natural light that gets into my room, the happier I am. And my room here was just too dark for my liking.

The Inn has two floors of rooms, and I was regrettably on the ground floor. Even though the restaurant garden was right outside my window, I still slept with the curtains open on the assumption that no one would peer in. But a combination of the small window and the trees outside blocking the sunlight meant that the room was just dingy. All the time.

There were two ceiling lights in the room, but the bulb in one of them was so weak that you couldn't even tell if it was on. So essentially there was one light trying to illuminate this large, dark room, and it just didn't cut it. Even in the middle of the day I felt like I was living in a cave, and by the end of my stay I was completely over it. Perhaps had I been in one of the upper floor rooms things would have been different.

Even if you're not someone that needs a lot of daylight, a small number of other things temper my willingness to recommend staying here. Firstly was the amount of bugs that continually found their way into the room. That's not really something I feel I can complain about, because if you want to stay somewhere like this where there are trees outside your window, then bugs are going to be a consequence, but there did seem to be a regular supply of centipede-type things that found their way into the room. The shower in particular was an ecosystem unto itself. Some nights the inn would play loud music that reached into the room. It wasn't every night, and I actually quite liked their choice in music, so it didn't bother me too much, but if I was trying to code or if I was studying Thai, then I was thankful that I have a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

Three days after I arrived, I went out for the day and by the time I came back, someone had come into the room and changed the bin. Ok, I thought, they'll come in every few days to change the bin, I'm happy with that. I don't need the room made-up every day. Yet a week later no one had been into the room again. I went to the reception to ask the girl there if someone could change the bin, because it was overflowing by now. "Oh, I'm sorry. The owner's not here today" was the response.

Does the owner need to be here to supervise someone changing a bin bag? I'll do it myself if you just give me a bin bag and tell me where to put the full one.

I assumed that the message would get relayed to the owner once she got back, but as I was working the next couple of days I didn't bother asking again and just gave up. It meant that for the last eleven days of my stay, the quite small bin in my room didn't get changed once. And I eat a lot of fruit, which meant it was overflowing with rotting fruit peels, which probably helps explain all the bugs. But after not being given fresh towels or a spare roll of toilet paper or having the two tiny bottles of shampoo I was provided with replenished, on my fourteenth and final night here, new towels, toilet paper and shampoo were left outside my room. It was just weird.

In this part of the world where tourism is pretty scant, you can't expect too much from the place you're staying. In that sense, Outside Inn could be worse. Being close to the lake is a big plus. But I think that the next time I'm in Ubon, I'll look for a more standard hotel. Somewhere with white walls and big windows and lots of beautiful daylight, even if it means paying three times the price. The vegan items on the restaurant menu that lured me to stay here no longer exist, and the room on its own just isn't that great.

Don't let this picture fool you, my camera works wonders in dimly-lit environments. Apart from daylight, the room has everything you need. There's a kettle and a fridge, and I moved that bedside table next to the fridge so I had a table to store my nuts, seeds and equipment on.

B2 Ubon Airport Premier Hotel

287 Luang Road

I said after staying at The Outside Inn that next time I'm in Ubon that "I'll look for a more standard hotel... even if it means paying three times the price." That's pretty much what I did.

B2 is a hotel chain with properties all over Thailand, although this was my first time staying in one. I actually thought it was decent, but with the kind of annoyances you expect from a chain hotel.

For example, there isn't just a wifi router that you connect to. No, here they give you a username and password to sign-into the Internet with but, as I found out the hard way at very frustrating times, your account expires every 72 hours, at which point you have to go downstairs, tell the receptionists to go fuck themselves because you were in the middle of a video call, and then sign-in on all your devices again.

It's just one of those annoyances that, were this a decision being made by the staff in the hotel, they wouldn't continually sign guests out of their wifi, but instead it's a decision made by some out-of-touch dork in a suit in some head office somewhere, and the staff are left to deal with angry customers like me who're pissed-off that the Internet doesn't work.

I was very lucky in that I was given a corner room on the top (8th) floor of the hotel. As you can probably tell from the name, this hotel is right by the airport, and my room overlooked the runway, which was quite fun as I could watch the planes take off and land. Noise wasn't an issue with the exception of military aircraft, which are loud as fuck.

The other reason I loved my room is that it had a disabled toilet.

I always use disabled toilets because they're bigger, so having one in my room all to myself was awesome, plus all the bars were great for hanging clothes on.

The price of the room includes breakfast, but it's not a standard hotel breakfast. Instead it's a wrap and a drink that you preorder and collect from reception in the morning. But none of the wraps are vegan, and the only vegan drinks are coffee, and I don't drink coffee, so the breakfast was a waste of money for me.

The location of the hotel is pretty decent. It's close to the town centre, and very convenient for the airport. If they made the Internet less shit and added something vegan onto the breakfast menu, I wouldn't have much negative to say, but the disconnecting Internet in particular makes this a very frustrating place to stay.

The bed is comfortable, lots of daylight gets in through the window, and you can even see onto the runway of the airport and watch the planes coming in to land.

Summary of Ubon Ratchathani

Final thoughts

Ubon is a very relaxed, calm place, there are very few signs of affluence, the people are friendly and trusting, and you sense very little anger here. Cars all drive passively, and I've never been to an immigration office where the staff are actually friendly and helpful before. Ubon is the closest place that I've been to what the government and the tourist brochures want you to think that Thailand is.

Unfortunately there are no tourists here to see it, and they instead go to God-awful places like Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai, but for the very few that do come, they experience a Thailand a bit closer to the Thailand that Thailand wants you to think that it is.

Do I want to come back again?

After my first stay in Ubon I said that I didn't really have any reason to come back, and then I came back anyway. Now that I've been here twice, I still don't have any reason to come back. But such was my motivation to return a second time, of just going somewhere relaxed to exist for a bit, I could see myself being here again.