Ubon Ratchathani is a big city at the end of the line as you travel through Northeast Thailand towards Pakse, Laos. It's sort of a relaxing place, and a good place to get your last "KFC fix" before you enter Laos. The main airport is right in the middle of the city, and was a US airbase during the Vietnam War.
In the middle of the city, there is a large park (Thung Si Meuang Park) which is a nice place to hang out. At the northern end, there is a large candle sculpture.
There is a lot of detail in the sculpture, and although it seems a bit gaudy, it represents the Candle Festival which is held each year during Buddhist Lent.
Thai people in Issan are very friendly. This family invited me down to share thier picnic, which actually seemed to consist mostly of liquor. Once you get outside the big touristy areas, Thai people are actually quite generous and it is not uncommon for them to call me over and offer me food.
This is a riverside restaurant, which could use some sprucing up. Everywhere you go in Thailand, you will see restaurants by rivers, but usually it is more scenic than this one.
This Tuk Tuk has seen better days.
There's a few temples around the city which are worth visiting.
At sunset, the park fills up with people who just want to hang out, or maybe they don't have t.v.