The important and burgeoning city of KHON KAEN, 188km northeast of Khorat, has a good museum, markets and shops, and makes a decent resting point on the Bangkok-Nong Khai rail line. Crucially, it also has both a Laos consulate and a Vietnamese consulate, the only ones outside Bangkok. In keeping with its status as a university town, Khon Kaen has several fine collections in its museum (daily 8.30am-4.30pm; B10), including Bronze Age pots from Ban Chiang, Buddha sculptures, and local folk art. The museum is two blocks north of the bus station on Thanon Lung Soon Rachakarn.