Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [382]
Getting There & Away
BUS
Khorat has two bus terminals. Terminal 1 (0 4424 2899; Th Burin) in the city centre serves Bangkok and towns within the province. Buses to other destinations, plus more for Bangkok, use Terminal 2 (0 4425 6006) off Hwy 2.
You never have to wait long for a bus to Bangkok (ordinary/2nd class/1st class/VIP 75/154/189/198B, three hours) since buses from most cities in Isan pass through Khorat on their way to the capital.
TRAIN
Eleven daily trains leave Khorat train station (0 4424 2044) for Bangkok (3rd/2nd/1st class 50/115/230B) taking four to six hours – in other words, much longer than the bus. There are also seven trains (3rd/2nd class air-con 58/423B, four to six hours) to/from Ubon Ratchathani.
Getting Around
There are fixed srng·ta·ou (small pick-up trucks used as buses/taxis; also spelt as swngthew) routes through the city, but even locals complain about how difficult it is to figure them out because of the dizzying array of numbers and colours representing the many destinations. Most pass down Th Suranari near Mae Gimhhaeng Market, so if you want to go somewhere just head there and ask around; someone will put you on the right one. The pink-and-white srng·ta·ou 17 is the best of several that will take you from downtown to Bus Terminal 2 (bor kr sr srng). The white srng·ta·ou 1 with green and yellow stripes will take you near Doctor’s House (nobody knows this place, so ask for tà nn sèup sì rì) and the yellow srng·ta·ou 1 with white and green stripes goes to the tourism office.
Túk-túk (pronounced ‘úk úk’) and motorcycle taxis cost between 30B and 70B to most places around town, and there are metered taxis waiting for passengers at Bus Terminal 2. Several shops on the eastern half of Th Suranari near Bus Terminal 1 rent out motorcycles.
AROUND NAKHON RATCHASIMA
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Dan Kwian
Even if you think you have no interest in ceramics, you should pay Dan Kwian a visit. Just a quick trip out of Khorat, this village has been producing pottery for hundreds of years and its creations are famous for their rough texture and rust-like hue. Only kaolin sourced from this district produces such results. Myriad shops line the highway and some are as much art gallery as shop. It’s not all pots, though. Clay is fired into all kinds of objects, from jewellery and wind chimes to reproductions of ancient Khmer sandstone sculpture.
Originally the village was a bullock-cart stop for traders on their way to markets in old Khorat (dàhn gwee an means ‘bullock-cart checkpoint’). The ramshackle private Kwian Museum (08 7877 0680; admission 50B; 8am-5pm), at the north end of the strip, displays a variety of old carts from around Isan, as well as some farming implements and examples of old-style pottery.
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BUSES TO/FROM KHORAT
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To get here from Khorat, hop on a bus (14B, 30 minutes) from near the south city gate, the east gate or Terminal 2.
Ban Prasat
About 3000 years ago, a primitive agricultural/ceramic culture put down roots at Ban Prasat, near the banks of Mae Nam Than Prasat. It survived for nearly 500 years, planting rice, domesticating animals, fashioning coloured pottery, weaving cloth and, in later years, forging tools out of bronze. The secrets of this early civilisation were finally revealed during extensive archaeological digs completed in 1991. Three of the excavation pits (admission free; 24hr), with skeletons and pottery left in situ, are on display in the village. A small museum (admission free; 8am-4.30pm Wed-Sun) houses some of the more interesting discoveries and explains what life was like in those days.
Many families are part of an award-winning homestay (08 1725 0791; per person incl 2 meals 400B) program where villagers put up visitors in their homes and show them daily activities like basketry and farming. Reservations should be made at least a day in advance.