Things to Do in Ubon Ratchathani in July

This is the reason July exists on Ubon Ratchathani's calendar. Enormous beeswax sculptures mounted on decorated floats represent months of carving by teams attached to the city's major temples. The wax figures depict scenes from the Jataka tales and Buddhist cosmology. The smell of warm beeswax mixed with jasmine garlands and street-side grilled pork skewers hangs in the thick air. Secure a viewing spot near the park, where the floats slow down and the detail in the carving is close enough to touch.

About 80 km (50 miles) east of the city, Kaeng Tana sits where the Mun River meets a series of rapids and cascades that peak in July's high water. The sound hits you before you see anything. It is a low roar through dense dipterocarp forest that grows louder as the trail descends toward the river. The main cascade spreads wide across sandstone shelves. The brown water churns white where it drops. The mist coming off the falls is cool enough to feel like air conditioning after the humid walk in. The surrounding forest is thick and dripping, with ferns the size of small trees and the constant background hum of cicadas. Trails are well marked but can be slippery after rain. Go in the morning when the ground has had overnight hours to drain.

Pha Taem's cliff face holds Thailand's most significant prehistoric paintings. Red-ochre handprints and animal figures date back roughly 3,000 years. They spread along a sandstone escarpment that drops straight toward the Mekong River and the Laotian hills beyond. In July, the view from the cliff edge is all green. A carpet of forest canopy punctuates the brown ribbon of the swollen Mekong. The wind rising off the valley carries the earthy, mineral smell of wet laterite. The 4 km (2.5 mile) trail along the cliff is exposed. It becomes slick in rain. Start early. Wear shoes with serious grip. The paintings themselves are sheltered by overhanging rock and visible year-round. The lower trail sections near the river may be partially flooded. Sunrise from the Pha Taem viewpoint is famous in Isan. On clear mornings the light turns the Mekong valley amber before the clouds build.

Ubon Ratchathani's food identity is Isan at its deepest. The city's markets are where that identity lives. The morning market near Wat Jaeng runs from before dawn. The air is sharp with the fermented funk of pla ra, the anchovy paste that underpins half the regional cuisine. You will smell the char smoke of kai yang grilling over coconut-husk coals. Sticky rice comes in woven bamboo baskets. Som tam is pounded to order with the wooden thud of mortar and pestle. Larb carries toasted rice powder that crunches between your teeth. Sai krok Isan sausages have their sour tang from natural fermentation. The evening scene shifts to the night market areas around Ratchabut Road. Fluorescent-lit stalls sell grilled Mekong fish splayed flat on bamboo skewers. The skin is crackled and salted. The flesh is smoky and moist. July's humidity makes eating outdoors a sweaty affair. The locals are doing it regardless. You should too.

Where the Mun River meets the Mekong at Khong Chiam, about 80 km (50 miles) east of the city, the two rivers run side by side in visibly different colors before merging. In July, the contrast is pronounced. The Mun runs brown and silty from Isan's clay soil. The Mekong carries its own darker sediment from upstream. Longtail boat operators at the Khong Chiam pier take passengers to the confluence point. You can look down and see the two colors swirling together. The engine cuts to let the boat drift in the current. The town itself is small and unhurried. It has a handful of riverside restaurants where grilled fish and papaya salad are eaten with a view of Laos across the water. The air smells of river mud and frangipani. The loudest sound is the put-put of fishing boats heading upstream. It pairs naturally with a visit to Pha Taem, which is 30 km (19 miles) further north.

Ubon Ratchathani's temples carry a distinct Isan aesthetic. It differs sharply from the glittering central Thai style. Wat Nong Bua's white chedi is modeled on the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya, India. Intricate stucco relief panels depict the life of the Buddha. They reward close, slow examination. Wat Thung Si Muang holds a wooden scripture library raised on stilts over a lotus pond. The dark teak is carved with scenes from the Ramakien. The Isan murals inside are painted in a folk style you will not find in Bangkok's grand temples. Wat Supattanaram blends Vietnamese, Thai, and European architectural elements on the bank of the Mun River. Its interior is cool and dim. The smell of old incense is ground into the stone. July's afternoon rains make temples the ideal retreat. The sound of rain on a temple roof while the interior stays dry and still is one of the genuine pleasures of wet-season travel in Isan. Early morning visits, around 6 to 7 AM, coincide with monks' alms rounds and morning chanting. The start of Buddhist Lent in mid-July means temples are active.