"Khon Kaen -- be one of the Lucky Few" Top 5 Page for this destination Khon Kaen by Daniel_Stokes

Khon Kaen doesn't get too many tourists, although there's a decent-sized local expatriate population, mostly affiliated with the enormous Khon Kaen University.

Even though not that many people choose to travel there, it's a great place to visit.

It's a big city, so it has plenty of hotels, nightclubs, restaurants, and cinemas. But it's not so big that the traffic or pollution are oppresive, like Bangkok. And it's not so heavily touristed that you feel like locals are jaded and sick of farangs, like some say of Chiang Mai. People in Khon Kaen really do display a lot of the curiosity, openness, and sincere friendliness for which Thai people are supposedly famous -- maybe in part because they'll wonder what you're doing there.

There's also the university, which can be a good place to meet people, if you're looking to learn Thai or find out about local events--KKU students are often eager to practice their English, and happy to exchange some Thai advice in return.

In addition, Khon Kaen is right in the heart of the northeastern region (known as Isaan), so it's a great place to experience northeastern food, culture and arts. It's a great place to stay as a home base while making excursions to silkweaving villages in Khon Kaen and Kalasin provinces, and it's not far from some of Thailand's finest Khmer ruins.

• Pros:It's friendly, cheap, and convenient for big-city amenities and down-home Northeastern experiences
• Cons:Not much English is spoken
• In a nutshell:It's hard to find a friendlier place, even in Thailand.