A lake in Ban Khukhen, near Maha Sarakham
A spirit house in front of the old terminal building at Khon Kaen Airport.
The North East Region of Thailand occupies the largest land area in Thailand, with more than 170,000 square kilometers in size or roughly one-third of the country. There are 19 provinces in what is the major rice growing region in the world. There is some industry but it is mainly an agricultural area, producing the World's best rice. Compare "Thai Fragrant Rice" with the bland pappy American and Australian pudding rice.
No wonder Thailand jealously guards its unique species. Recently there was furore when fragrant rice plants were smuggled in to Kampucha (Cambodia). The worry is that Cambodian rice will be sold as Thai Fragrant rice and lower the value of the real thing.
There is some manufacturing industry in the region mainly around Khon Kaen, but the most famous product (after the rice) is the best silk in the world which comes from the area around Maha Sarakham, Kalasin and Roi-et. Maha Sarakham hand woven silk and cotton generally have original patterns and are very beautiful.
There is an annual silk festival in Khon Kaen at the end of November and beginning of December. It is well worth a visit especially to buy some of the exotic silk materials.
It only takes 55 minutes from Bangkok Airport to Khon Kaen's recently rebuilt airport - and a return flight is only about UKŁ35.00 with THAI. Long distance buses are cheaper but the journey can take about 6 or 7 hours, albeit in air-conditioned comfort. Travellers by bus see far more of the interesting country than can be seen from 10,000m high, of course. Comfortable, luxurious hotels in the region are of a high quality and, to the Westerner, a low price.
I generally take the Airport Limousine (a luxury air-conditioned minibus) to the City centre - it costs little and is very comfortable. The first time that I arrived at Khon Kaen bus station I was worried by men who insisted on picking up my baggage, I thought I was about to be robbed. Not at all and they are not touts despite the fact that they do not wear uniforms. They appear to work for the bus station NOT the bus companies, and their job is to get passengers to the correct bus as easily as possible. I have never found any service like that in UK!
Despite low pay (compared to the farang) they refuse tips - that annoys me knowing that I spend more in tax on a packet of cigarettes in UK than they are paid for a week's work! Please persevere with tips and see that Isaans people get some help from the foreigner, since even an impoverished back-packer probably has a daily budget similar to a local's monthly wage.
Khon Kaen has some excellent shopping at some very good prices. There is an extensive market selling everything from European football shirts to unfeasibly large bass 'bins' (loud-speaker boxes) so if you want to dress as an Aston Villa player and run a disco looking like that you have a 2 minute walk from the bus station.
If you are intelligent enough to want to let somebody else provide the drive for some big loudspeakers there are some very good discos in Khon Kaen. "LOUD AND VERY LIVELY" is a good way to describe KK's entertainment scene. In theory - but seldom in practise - discos close at 2am. (From March 2004 they will have to close at 12 midnight). However, if you are looking for Pattaya or Patpong-style 'entertainment'(?) you will certainly be disappointed I am extremely happy to say. The ladies in Isaans probably have some of the highest moral standards in the world.
As a foreigner you may be bullied into dancing or providing a Karoke performance (Sing-a-Song), you may even get questions from the stage about where you come from, and some conversation with the band as you sit at your table. Don't be offended by the attention please, the Thai culture (and especially the Isaans culture) expects that all guests will be treated as important.
Two or three years on I discovered that one of the artists who spoke to me from the stage and then joined me at my table for a terrible excess of "Beah Chang" was Carabau ... one of Thailand's most popular recording artists. I have maybe a dozen of his CD's in my collection in UK.
60 or 70 kilometres away (about 50 pence sterling for a ticket on an express air-con bus) is the smaller, quieter city of Maha Sarakham which has a couple of good, reasonably priced hotels and some good shopping and great eating. YES! This farang loves his Thai food both in the hotel bar or at a small food park (walk alongside the Department Store and probably the best food park in Asia is at the bottom of the road).
The 'Vasu' hotel is surrounded by a very good entertainment complex so whether you want gentle local and western live music in the hotel bar, karaoke in one of several bars or an evening of first class dining and enjoying live bands - with some dancing when the meal has settled this is the place for you.
The 'New Patanna' hotel has recently been rebuilt but I have not stayed there since it was completed. I can't understand why it should have been rebuilt since it was perfect when I stayed in the past