. A photo of the serpent, purportedly captured by US soldiers in the 1970s, decorates the walls of many restaurants and guesthouses in Nong Khai. This is the same mythical serpent that decorates the sides of the stairs leading up to Thai temples. The phenomenon, and the controversy surrounding it, was made into a popular Thai film called Mekhong Full Moon Party, and is now actively promoted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The best places to view the fireballs are at Phon Phisai, about thirty kilometers downstream from Nong Khai, and at Wat Tai Luang a little further on, although almost any temple along the river will have places to view the fireballs