Leaving Khorat’s mayhem behind me I roll into Khon Kaen in the evening. As where I wanted to stay is full, I settle for an almost no–name place near the train station. There’s nothing wrong with it, but nothing much right either—no shortage of places like this.

Like Khorat to the south and Udon Thani to the north, Khon Kaen has a small expatriate populat…