Maha Sarakham
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The city of Maha Sarakham is the capital of Maha Sarakham province in Thailand's Northeastern (Isan) region. It is located in an agricultural area of flat paddy fields on the southern Korat plain, straddling the Chi river. The city has long been known as a regional education centre - the so-called Taksilla of Isan - and is home to a number of colleges, as well as Maha Sarakham University and Maha Sarakham Rajabhat University. Sarakham, as it is known to its inhabitants, has the feel of a student town and until recently its infrastructure remained relatively underdeveloped. That is changing, partly under the influence of the rapidly growing student population. The city possesses two cinemas, a modern department store and market, and even a branch of the Tesco Lotus supermarket. It has a tourist-standard hotel, the Taksilla, as well as several smaller establishments. In the past, foreign visitors were often advised to stay in the neighbouring city of Khon Kaen, with its Western-style comforts, but the expanded range of accommodations and restaurants in Maha Sarakham now makes this unnecessary. Nevertheless it is a city where bicycle rickshaws take the place of taxis, and where visitors can still observe many aspects of life in a traditional mid-Isan town.
Maha Sarakham is home to the provincial stadium, as well as a small horse racing course. There are a number of important temples and religious sites in the province, notably at nearby Kantharawichai district and at Na Dun to the south. The city and surrounding area contain a number of attractive parks. Maha Sarakham city has no railway station or airport, and the main transport links are via express bus, or by connections to the airports in Khon Kaen and Roi Et. The road link south has been recently upgraded and is now mainly dual carriageway highway.
