Khon Kaen And Surroundings

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Hi all. I'm a new poster but a long term resident of Khon Kaen so if anybody has any questions regarding accomodation, prices, life, directions, locations, people etc. about Khon Kaen feel free to post here and I'll do my best to answer them.

[nev]

i will be arriving in khon kean on 20th jan and my girlfriend is booking me in to kosa hotel,heard it is a nice place i want to no does the kosa supply breakfast if not can you recomend a place.

i was going to stay at her familys home but they have just moved in and the spare room as no bed,there was talk about me staying and buying a bed,, i would like to no a rough cost of a bed.

also a few day trips you could recomend,my girlfriend has a car and plans to show me around,she talkied about loei also we plan on going to laos across to vientiene.

she is also a devote buddist and in fact at the temple now doing a 7 day stint,she wants to take me there to show me,what would be apropiate attire for a visit.

cheers nev.

i no a lot of questions just answer what you can mate very much apreciated,

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Hi Nev. The Kosas not a bad place. ABF should be imcluded. There's also a Charoen Thani Princess next door. Very similar. Thai 3 star standard but if u want to push the boat out theres a Sofitel 5 star also next to the Kosa. Very plush. Prices with ABF start at just over 2k baht there.

Buying a bed. It all depends on your budget. A rickety " boarding school" type job is about 1500 baht. ASbout 7k will get you a decent double. There's a big Index furniture on the way south out of town next to Tesco Lotus with a big selection.

A day trip i'd recommend is a trip to Ubolrattana Dam about 50k north of town. It's a vast lake with a golf course and very idyllic. You can ask there and they'll rent you a big 50 person boat for a trip on the lake. (maybe not on the same day though) Last time it was 1500 baht for 1 hour and 1000 baht for any extra hours. Nice and relaxing You can also ride banana boats near the main area.

Sorry mate just saw you Q about temples.

You could get away with long "hiking" style shorts but thats pushing the politeness a bit. I'd wear long trousers (jeans are Ok) and a t-shirt or polo shirt (no vests like basketball jerseys) Flip flops are ok because you leave them outside the door anyhow. There a lovely temple near the Kaen Nakorn lake in town. A 9 storey pyramid type structure. You cant miss it. The mmonks are very friendly and easy going and speak some English.

[nev]

Hi Nev. The Kosas not a bad place. ABF should be imcluded. There's also a Charoen Thani Princess next door. Very similar. Thai 3 star standard but if u want to push the boat out theres a Sofitel 5 star also next to the Kosa. Very plush. Prices with ABF start at just over 2k baht there.

Buying a bed. It all depends on your budget. A rickety " boarding school" type job is about 1500 baht. ASbout 7k will get you a decent double. There's a big Index furniture on the way south out of town next to Tesco Lotus with a big selection.

A day trip i'd recommend is a trip to Ubolrattana Dam about 50k north of town. It's a vast lake with a golf course and very idyllic. You can ask there and they'll rent you a big 50 person boat for a trip on the lake. (maybe not on the same day though) Last time it was 1500 baht for 1 hour and 1000 baht for any extra hours. Nice and relaxing You can also ride banana boats near the main area.

Sorry mate just saw you Q about temples.

You could get away with long "hiking" style shorts but thats pushing the politeness a bit. I'd wear long trousers (jeans are Ok) and a t-shirt or polo shirt (no vests like basketball jerseys) Flip flops are ok because you leave them outside the door anyhow. There a lovely temple near the Kaen Nakorn lake in town. A 9 storey pyramid type structure. You cant miss it. The mmonks are very friendly and easy going and speak some English.

thanks mate very good info there,we was going to stay the sofitel but as the girlfriend said.we will not be spending a great deal of time in the room thats what she thinks lol only joking.

Edited January 8, 2006 by nev

[Brew]

You will find some information here:

Khon Kaen Forum English

Isaan-Forum German

[nev]

thanks brew i have already found the khon kean forum a very good site with good info. cheers

[steffi]

I'm in East Khon Kaen out by the Irrigation Teaching Center. I've been here for a couple of weeks as it's where my wife's family home is. Suffice it to say I've run out of things to do here already... I've been here a few times so not much will surprise me I guess.

1. Where is a good camera store that stocks Canon digital SLR's... preferably the higher end. I've seen Big Camera at Big-C and the store in Oasis and I know it's pretty easy to find EOS 350's and Nikon D50's. I'm after a store that carries the 5D.

2. Which snooker clubs are good and is there anywhere to play pool on 9 foot tables here?

btw: we had our wedding reception in two of the Sofitel Conference Rooms and that is easily the best hotel in town. I believe the buffet as Chareon Princess is a good deal if your hotel's ABF isn't up to standard. I stayed at the New Pattana hotel in Maha Sarahkarm just last week and I'd say their ABF is minimal.