In October 2024, I decided to explore Isaan. Although I knew many people from eastern Thailand and had visited the country more than 20 times, I had never explored the countryside of Thailand’s far east. Following my personal rule that “what you have not seen with your own eyes, you cannot comment on,” I decided to go on a two-week train journey through Isaan.
That’s why I visited Nong Khai, Udon Thani, and Khon Kaen. On my second-to-last day in Khon Kaen, I made a decision: I would drive down to Nakhon Ratchasima and explore Korat. From there, I planned to take a plane to Bangkok. If you’re familiar with Korat, you’ll likely know what went wrong. Korat has an airport, but generally no scheduled commercial flights. Obviously, I had to change my plans – and either flying from Buriram or travelling by train to Bangkok.
About Korat
Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat, serves as the gateway to Isaan. Situated in the western edge of Isaan, Korat has about 2.6 million citizens, ranking it as both Isaan’s most populous province and one of Thailand’s largest. The city municipality has roughly 130k–170k residents, while the wider urban area is estimated at ~820k. This significant population makes Korat a crucial transport and economic hub connecting central Thailand with the northeast.
Korat mixes modern city life with rich history. The city features the famous Thao Suranari Monument, the large and popular Save One Night Market, and is close to beautiful natural areas like Khao Yai National Park and the ancient ruins at Phimai Historical Park.
About my experience
When I arrived in the city, I felt a bit lost. Korat is quiet in the evening. The bars were empty, and restaurants were either closed or empty after 8 pm. So I started to research the place on Google and quickly discovered that everyone goes to a night market called Save One. So I booked a Grab and headed to the area where the night market was marked on the map. One thing is clear: you can’t miss the market. It’s simply enormous, offering everything you need: food, drinks, phone accessories, clothes, haircuts, nail studios – everything you can think of.
The next day I became more familiar with Nakhon Ratchasima. While in Khon Kaen and Udon Thani everything was centered around the city center, in Nakhon Ratchasima you have to navigate by motorbike or Grab taxi. After exploring the Terminal21 Korat Tower (Skydeck), a 110‑meter observation tower at the mall I headed a bit out to check out some famous temples some of my followers on Threads recommended to me.
And yes – the temples I visited were impressive, and everything felt much more relaxed than in Udon Thani. And so I would say that at the end my trip to Korat was a success. I enjoyed the time there.
