Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [411]
BEUNG KAEN NAKHON
This 100-hectare lake is the most pleasant place in town to spend some time. It is lined with eateries and walkways and there are quite a few interesting places to visit around its shore. If you don’t want to walk, you can hire bikes (20B per hour per seat) at the lakeside market or, better still, down along the west side where there are some two- and three-seater rides.
Down at the south end of the lake is Khon Kaen’s one must-see, Phra Mahathat Kaen Nakhon (6am-5pm), a gorgeous nine-storey chedi at the heart of Wat Nong Wang (Th Robbung; daylight hr). Inside you’ll find enlightening murals depicting Khon Kaen history, various historical displays and a staircase to the top.
Head north along the shore and you’ll pass the Mhesak Spirit House (Th Robbung), a Khmer-style prang dedicated to the Hindu god Indra, and Wat That (Th Robbung; daylight hr), which has a soaring bòht and chedi.
Across from Wat That, right on the northern shore, is a lakeside market with food and shopping stalls. Most don’t open until the late afternoon, but during the day (in addition to bike hire) there are paddleboats and canoes (30B per half-hour) and an abundance of paint-your-own pottery stalls. Just east of the market is the Khon Kaen City Museum, and across the street is Wat Jeen Beung Kaen Nakhon (Th Robbung; daylight hr), Khon Kaen’s biggest and most beautiful Chinese temple.
Around the corner, just off the lake is the peaceful, tree-filled Wat Pho Ban Nontan (Th Phot Thisan; daylight hr). It pre-dates the city and has a sh·lah like no other temple building in Thailand. The ground floor is covered with ingeniously sculpted trees, animals, and village scenes of people acting out old Isan proverbs. Back to the lake and a little further down the shore you’ll find a replica of Hanoi’s One Pillar Pagoda, built by Khon Kaen’s Vietnamese community.
MUSEUMS
The Khon Kaen National Museum (0 4324 6170; Th Lang Sunratchakan; admission 100B; 9am-4pm Wed-Sun) has an interesting collection of artefacts dating from prehistoric times to the present. The collection includes Ban Chiang painted pottery; and a Dvaravati sir·mah (temple boundary marker) from Kalasin, depicting Princess Pimpa washing Lord Buddha’s feet with her hair.
The National Museum’s household and agricultural displays shed light on what you’ll see out in the countryside. But for a more in-depth introduction to Isan, visit the excellent Khon Kaen City Museum (Hong Moon Mung; 0 4327 1173; Th Robbung; admission 90B; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat), which has dioramas and displays going back to the Jurassic period.
The focus of the Art & Culture University Museum (0 4333 2780; admission free; 10am-7pm) at Khon Kaen University is the art gallery, which features both student and professional exhibitions. The Educational Museum has informative exhibits about Isan history and culture, but, despite a few touch-screen displays in English, you won’t get much out of it unless you read Thai.
Festivals
The Silk Fair and the Phuk Siaw Festival are held simultaneously over 12 days starting in late November. Centred on the sh·lah glahng, the festival celebrates and seeks to preserve the tradition of pòok sèe·o (friend bonding), a ritual union of friends during which fâi pòok kan (sacred thread) are tied around one’s wrists. More than just a symbolic act, the friends gain a standing on par with siblings in each other’s families. Other activities include parades, Isan music and lots of shopping.
Sleeping
BUDGET
First Choice (08 1546 2085; firstchoicekhonkaen@lycos.com; 18/8 Th Phimphaseut; r 150-200B; ) This friendly little spot is the city’s proto-backpacker hostel, with no-frills, shared-bathroom quarters upstairs and a traveller-friendly eatery below. Plane tickets, massage and travel advice are all available.
Saen Samran Hotel (0 4323 9611; 55-59 Th Glang Meuang; s 170-200B, d 250B; ) The city’s oldest hotel is also its most charismatic, with the wooden front holding onto its once-upon-a-time glory. The rooms are scrubbed spotless and are nice for a night or two. They also