How to get there
By air
For international visitors, by far the most convenient way to reach Mahasarakham from Bangkok is to take a flight from Bangkok to Khon Kaen. (Mahasarakham has no airport of its own.) MIWAI will then provide a shuttle bus between Khon Kaen airport and Mahasarakham (details to follow soon). Thai Airways operates 3 flights daily between Khon Kaen and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The flight schedule is as follows:
Travel and accommodation
The 4th Mahasarakham International Workshop on Artificial Intelligence
December 9-10, 2010, Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham, Thailand
On this page we give information about the workshop venue, travel and accommodation. For more information the university’s International Relations Office has produced an excellent brochure packed with useful practical information about the university and the city.
If you have any questions regarding travel and accommodation you may direct them to Chattrakul Sombattheera (chattrakul.s[AT]msu.ac.th).
**NEW** Shuttle vans
For the convenience of registered workshop participants, MIWAI is happy to offer the following free shuttle van services:
(1) Khon Kaen Airport - Mahasarakham
For those participants arriving via Khon Kaen airport there will be a special shuttle van to bring them to Mahasarakham. People wishing to make use of this service should send an email to chattrakul[AT]msu.ac.th with their arrival/departure times.
(2) Downtown - workshop venue
On December 8 (tutorials day) and December 9-10 (workshop days) there will be a shuttle van to bring participants from downtown to the workshop venue. Pickup will be from the Taksila Hotel (see location on the map) at the following times:
-
•Wednesday, December 8: 8:45am
-
•Thursday, December 9: 8:45am
-
•Friday, December 10: 9:00am
Workshop venue
All workshop sessions, as well as the tutorials of MIWAI’10 will take place in the meeting room in the brand new building of the Faculty of Informatics on the Khamriang campus of Mahasarakham University, on the outskirts of the city.
By road
Mahasarakham is well connected by bus to most major cities in Thailand. From Bangkok one can take a bus from Bangkok’s northern bus terminal at Mor Chit. Journey time is approximately 7 hours.
By train
It’s possible to take a train between Bangkok’s Hualamphong Station and Khon Kaen. However there is only one daily first class train in each direction. From Bangkok, the train leaves at 8:45pm, arriving Khon Kaen 5:42am. From Khon Kaen the train leaves at 9:05pm, arriving Bangkok 6:25am. There are also some second class trains. Click here for timetable information (the relevant train-line is the “Northeastern”).
Visa information
Citizens of many countries, including the EU and the USA, do not need a visa to enter Thailand, provided the length of visit is less than 30 days and their visit is specified as for tourist purposes. To check whether you need a visa see here.
Accommodation
We mention Mahasarakham’s main hotel options below. You can see where they are located, along with several other landmarks, in the map here.
Taksila Hotel. By far the most comfortable hotel in the city. The Taksila is the newest and most expensive hotel in a larger complex of three hotels, the others being the Pattana and the New Pattana just behind it. Website.
Vasu (aka Wasu) Hotel. In a lively area of the city, close to several bars and the main discotheque in the city centre. Website (in Thai).
San Warun Hotel. New hotel, midway between the workshop venue and the city, which is actually the training hotel for the students of the Hotel and Tourism Faculty of nearby Mahasarakham Rajabhat University. Website (in Thai).
Some Mahasarakham links
Isan in Wikipedia. More about the people and land of northeast Thailand.
Sponsors
