Author: Nana

Sawatdiikha! It has been 3 weeks since the 3 of us arrived in Khon Kaen. This place is our home now and we really hate the thought of going back to Singapore in 3 months time ): I still remember that before I came here I used to imagine that Khon Kaen is some kind of remote village in Thailand but thats so NOT TRUE! Khon Kaen is a city but unlike Bangkok, the roads are less busy, people are more sabaay and the people here are so kind. I'm going to explain some stuff on Khon Kaen so others will understand our lovely home better (:

Language
Most people here speaks Central Thai or Isaan language. Although there are signs and menus that are written in English, not many people here are fluent in it. But I think you can get by if you have at least taken Thai 1 (sign up for Thai language class now!). Also, get someone to write your home address in Thai script so that if you are stuck somewhere, you can show your address to the taxi/tuktuk driver.

Accomodation
Khon Kaen is a city catering to students. So there are many apartments to choose from. For us, we live in a private apartment called the The Golden Key. It is a 10mins walk to KKU main gate and 20 mins walk to the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.


I think it is a pretty good location. There's 7/11 just behind the apartment and it is just 2 minutes walk to this road called 'Kang Sedang'. The whole stretch of that road is where the food stalls, stationery shops, printing shops, clothes store, minimarts, salons etc etc are located. It is also about 15 mins walk to the hospital/clinic. Pretty convenient huh?

Details on our apartment:



 

Each room comes with a queen size bed, LOTS of storage, air-con, balcony and a toilet w heater. They will also be someone who cleans your room twice a month. You can also sign up for a laundry service. Just place your clothes outside your room and everyday someone will come and collect it (additional 400 baht/mth). If you prefer to wash it yourself, it only cost 20baht/wash. There are also ample parking space. And if you need a cab, just ask the security guards and they will help you call for one. (:

Rental fees: 4200baht/mth (per room)

Transportation


One bad thing about Khon Kaen is the lack of public transportation. There are no MRTs or buses that goes around till late night. Therefore many people here prefer to ride bike like what Darius does. Its pretty easy to do so because renting a bike from a shop in KKU is pretty affordable and they don't even require a license. So just rent a bike for a day or two (get auto coz its easier than the manual). Practice riding it till you are confident enough and wala! you can get yourself a Scooby D from the bike shop.

For those who are like Nicole and I, not to worry. We still able to travel around in Khon Kaen. Most of the time we travel on the Songthaews. They are differentiated through their colour and number. For now we have only tried riding on Number 3 (Yellow Colour), Number 8 (Blue Colour) and Number 16 (Red Colour). 16 is the one that we ride to school from Kan Sedang. It will also goes to the 2 bus terminals in Khon Kaen. Number 8 is the most popular Songthaew among KKU students because it travels to nearly all parts of KKU and it also goes to the 2 bus terminals. The furthest that we rode on 8 is to Wat Nong Weng, a popular temple in Khon Kaen. Number 3 is the songthaew that we always take from the bus terminal 1. It goes to Central Plaza and Big C.




The good thing about songthaew is that it stops anywhere and you can board it anywhere. The price is fix too - 6baht (students, before 6pm) or 9baht (when you wear normal clothes)