Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [414]
Prathamakhan (0 4322 4080; 79/2-3 Th Reunrom; 9am-8pm) By far the largest selection in town, this well-known, reasonably priced shop has both textiles and handicrafts and makes a good one-stop shop. Don’t miss the knick-knack and handicraft display at the back.
Phrae Phan (0 4333 7216; 131/193 Th Chatapadung; 8am-6pm) Run by the Handicraft Centre for Northeastern Women’s Development, this out-of-the-way store has a superb selection of natural-dyed, hand-woven silk and cotton, which is produced in nearby villages. Prices are very low.
Sueb San (no roman-script sign; 0 4334 4072; 16 Th Glang Meuang; 8am-6.30pm) More accessible than Phrae Phan, this store also stocks natural-dyed fabrics, plus some atypical Isan souvenirs.
Rin Thai Silk (0 4322 0705; 412 Th Na Meuang; 8am-6.30pm) Locals, especially brides-to-be, looking for top-quality silk shop here.
Khon Kaen OTOP Center (0 4332 0320; off Th Si Chan; 9.30am-8.30pm) This large handicrafts store is most convenient to the top-end hotels, but it’s predictably pricey.
Naem Laplae (no roman-script sign; 0 4323 6537; 32 Th Glang Meuang; 6am-9.30pm Mon-Thu, to 10pm Fri-Sun) You can follow the pungent aromas to this old-school Isan food store (if you’ve got a cold, look out for the bright yellow-and-red shopfront), one of several in this area. This and the others sell everything from sweets to sausages, most notably gun chee·ang (red pork sausages).
The most enjoyable souvenir-shopping is looking for the handful of people selling traditional baskets and wooden items, hidden away within the fresh food and household-goods stalls in Talat Bobae (Th Glang Meuang). Talat Banglamphu (Th Glang Meuang), immediately to the north, has more food and a second-hand clothing bonanza.
Getting There & Away
AIR
THAI (0 4322 7701; www.thaiairways.com; Pullman Raja Orchid, 9/9 Th Prachasumran; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri) operates three daily flights between Bangkok and Khon Kaen (one way 2805B, 55 minutes).
Khon Kaen Airport (0 4324 6345) is just west of the city off Hwy 12. The Pullman and Kosa hotels have airport shuttles meeting every flight. Those not staying at either hotel can use them for 80B and 70B respectively.
BUS
Khon Kaen is a busy transport hub and you can ride directly to nearly all cities in Isan and many beyond. The Ordinary Bus Terminal (0 4333 3388; Th Prachasamoson) and the Air-con Bus Terminal (0 4323 9910; Th Glang Meuang) are central and convenient. The Air-con Terminal should be called the ‘first-class and VIP bus terminal’, since second-class air-con buses (and even a few first-class) use the Ordinary Terminal.
For nearly all cities other than Bangkok, departures are more frequent from the ordinary terminal. Options are listed in the table, Click here. For the Vientiane bus, officially you need to already have a Lao visa, but they’ll sometimes sell you a ticket if you promise to get off at the bridge and continue on your own from there.
TRAIN
Khon Kaen is on the Bangkok–Nong Khai line. Express trains leave from Bangkok for Khon Kaen station (0 4322 1112) at 8.20am, 6.30pm and 8pm, arriving about eight hours later. Bangkok-bound express trains leave Khon Kaen at 8.39am, 8.11pm and 9.05pm. The fares to Bangkok are 227/399/1168B for a 3rd-class seat/2nd-class seat/1st-class sleeper.
Getting Around
A regular, colour-coded srng·ta·ou system plies the city for 8B per ride. Some of the handiest are srng·ta·ou 8 (light blue), which runs along Th Glang Meuang past Wat Nong Wang and also west to the university; srng·ta·ou 10 (light blue), which runs past the Lao and Vietnamese consulates; srng·ta·ou 11 (white), which will take you from the train station to the Air-con Bus Terminal, just a short walk to the budget hotels; and srng·ta·ou 21 (orange), which will take you to the National Museum from Th Glang Meuang.
Túk-túk drivers will want 40B to 60B for a medium-length trip around town.
There are many car-hire outlets around the Pullman and Kosa hotels; Narujee (0 4322 4220; off Th Si Chan; 7am-5pm), which charges