Buriram is a small province located halfway between Khorat and Surin. My Thai friends laughed at me when I told them I was coming here. "It's really hot.", they said. There isn't a whole lot to see here, but there is an ancient temple site located near the Cambodian border named Prasat Hin Khao Phanom Rung that is worth seeing.
Buriram has an airport! I think there is only one or two flights a day from Bangkok, so it isn't too busy. When I arrived, I hired a "limousine" service tht turned out to be an airport firefighter who just got off duty (since the only flight had just landed). It cost me 300 baht to get to town, and we drove in his pickup behind a big truck that was carrying an elephant (hey, this is Thailand). It might be worth considering flying if you have to come all the way from Bangkok, but if you are already in Khorat, then you may as well take the bus. After one night, I decided to head back to Bangkok, so I just strolled into the airline office in "downtown" Buriram, and booked a flight that left 3 hours later.
This is the view of the temple as you walk along the promenade. The reddish-brown stones are laterite, which is typical of ancient sites like this one. There is also some sandstone used, but I'm not sure how typical that is.
Another view of the promenade, this time looking back towards the entrance.
The main pavilion of Phanom Rung. Many details can be seen in the stonework, compared to other ancient temples in Thailand. The temple was designed as a Hindu temple, and was later adopted for Buddhist worship.
The five-headed naga is the only example remaining in Thailand, and is similar to the ones found at Angkor Wat.
Phanom Rung can be tricky to get to, and it required a leap of faith on my part, as well as a basic knowledge of Thai language. For the most part, people knew I was a tourist, and knew where I was going, and were generally helpful. I know that you can rent a car in Khorat that will take you (and three of your friends) to Phanom Rung for a negotiable amount of money. It's worth it, and this may be a better alternative to actually staying in Buriram.