Ubon Ratchathani - Sam Pan Bok

Sam Pan Bok (3,000 holes) is group of rock formations (holes) created by erosion by a mighty river. It is located in Pho Sai District, roughly 115 km from Ubon City.

For several years (Unseen Thailand), the destination has been promoted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. And a couple of years ago, a well-paved smooth but winding road was built leading down to a parking lot on the bank of the river. Of course, in the dry season, you continue (if your vehicle has off-road capabilities, i.e., a strong suspension) and drive on-ward to park on the rocky edge of the 3,000 holes.

My second visit was in late April, when the water level is at its lowest. The picture shows Sam Pan Bok viewed from the parking lot. The road that leads to the holes starts in the bottom right corner of the picture.

Upon arriving at the parking lot, a horde of small kids (around 10 years of age) approached and offered me the guide services. Of course, since none of them spoke a word of English, I picked the cutest one  LOL  and forcing her off her prepared spews of tourist info ensured that I actually left a lot better informed than after my first visit to the holes.

One funny piece of information was the one of the 'canals' formed by erosion was called "Grand Canyon". So, I have now seen three "Grand Canyons" in Thailand compared to only one in USA.  

In the rainy season, the holes will be under the water. In the hot season, all of them will be visible and often isolated from current, thus revealing the beauty of eroded rocks. Visitors can swim in some of the big holes and there are variety of small holes and rock formations with different forms such as stars, circles, a dog's head or the outline of Mickey Mouse's head.

There is also a beach called “25 Satang”. Why it is named like that is not clear to me.One explanation was that in the distant past, this was the fee to be paid to cross the river in the rainy season. Another explanation is that the name came from playful betting as in you could win 25 satang if you at noon on Songkhran Day could run from one end of the beach to the other without stopping. It is admittedly very hot in mid-April, but why I don’t see why people would not be able to do so? The beach wasn’t more than roughly one kilometer long.

Plenty of amateur photographers have uploaded pictures on the Net, so my Nokia cannot compete with their expert shots. See examples here
 http://milkywayfoto.multiply.com/photos/album/95/95