Khon Kaen

Khon Kaen is famous for its silk.

Across the road from the Roma Hotel in downtown, there is a cheap breakfast restaurant. A lady fronts up in a car and unloads stuff to buy on the footpath, including Thai silk as verified by a local Thai friend of the Writer. Prices are excellent, and can be bargained down if you buy more than one. Initial price was 500 baht, Four units were 1500 baht total.

There is a food market in the centre of the town.

There are two shopping centres, TukCom formerly Oasis Plaza and Fairy Plaza, a Big C, a Tesco Lotus and a Makro. Other major stores include Global House, Homepro and Index Living Mall. Central Department Store Central Plaza located just beside the City Gate is opened in December 2009 and is the largest shopping complex and hosts SFC cinema, Robinson, Se-Ed Book Centre, B2S, Tops Supermarket, and various restaurants.

There are various night markets, which also are good places to try out many different kinds of foods; a 'young and hip' market at Khon Kaen University behind the complex where students sell many of the goods, a popular one on Glang Muang Rd, and one that sometimes doubles as a carnival, at Bueng Kaen Nakhon.

Je Ruch เจ๊รัช 廖兰姐 54/22 Klang Muaeng Rd, Tel. 0 4323 7787, offers preserved pork, sour pork, Chinese style pork sausage, dried crispy sliced pork.

Heng Nguan Hieng เฮงง่วนเฮียง 王源兴 54/1-2 Klang Mueang Rd., Tel. 0 4323 9458, 0 4323 6735, offers preserved pork, Chinese-style sausage, and dried crispy sliced pork.