Notes on moving around Thailand
There is a lot of information on the web regarding ways to travel in Thailand. What I found however was that a lot of forum sites are not optimized for Google search, resulting in older threads getting higher visibility. So I decided to write my own post for my own memory sake, as well as for those who happen to ask me for this info.
As you know, we started in Bangkok. Why? Why not, we booked a month in advance, and we were not sure where we’d go from there. Good thing we did not try to book anything else. When we arrived we learned that the North (Chiang Mai etc) was flooded. So after spending 3 days in Bangkok we set out for the islands in the South.
Bangkok – Koh Samui
We booked our “transfer ticket” right at the hostel we were staying in. Most hotels/hostels/guest houses all over Thailand are also travel agencies. The transfer ticket included the van that picked us up from the hostel, the overnight bus, and the morning ferry from the mainland (I think from Don Sak) to the island. On the island we’d have to find our own transport to wherever we were staying.
The transfer ticket cost us about 600 bhat, or $20 each. The bus was called “VIP”, which sounded good. We read horror stories about people buying tickets to good buses, and getting shitty ones, or getting their luggage stolen while they were riding the bus. So we were happy to book something that was called “VIP”, and from a reputable agent.
The minivan picked us up on time, and drove us to a place next to a bigger hotel. There was a kiosk there that (I guess) sold tickets for that particular bus company. Around us were a couple of massage places, some food place with plastic furniture, and some clothing stores – a very typical corner for Bangkok. It started to rain. The lady from the kiosk ran away somewhere, but the people from the nearby food place said she’d be back soon. And in about 15 min she was, with another guy who told us to follow him. We picked up our bags, and started walking. 10 minutes later he brought us to a parking lot behind a large (and stinky) food market that was already closed for the night. He said the bus was running late, but would be there shortly. On the parking lot there were a total of 20 or so people, all our age, all going to Koh Phangan, to the full moon party that was taking place the next day. For the next 2 hours with even intervals of about 30 minutes the guy kept telling us the bus will be there in 30 minutes. Most people had books, or alcohol, or games to keep them entertained. I can’t keep still when the bugs and mosquitoes bite me, so I hunted the market rats with my camera.
When the bus came we loaded on it, and started moving. In about 15 minutes it became apparent why the bus was late – we would not go faster than 30 mph at best. About 20 minutes into the drive we pulled up to the curb, and just stayed there. One of the Israeli guys insisted that one of the drivers opened the door to let him out for a smoke. Once outside he went to the back of the bus, where he was hit by the spare tire the second driver threw out from one of the compartment doors of the bus. After a short and painful exchange of hand gestures (neither of the 2 drivers spoke any English at all) we guessed that there was something wrong with the gears, and we were waiting for a repair man. The repair man arrived in about 30 min in a small pickup truck with his wife and son. Another 30 min or so later they did some repairs. Those of us who were trying to understand what was going on witnessed their exchange in which it was apparent that the repair man asked the bus driver where he was going, and after the bus driver answered, the guy shook his head, apparently doubting we’d make it. The repair man took the extra wheel that fell out from the side of the bus (why carry extra weight?), and was on his way. So were we.
We were in the front row, and there was a German girl next to us with her husband. She was apparently very knowledgeable about cars because shortly she started arguing to the driver that he can’t switch higher than the 2nd gear. After about 10 mins of arguing she turned to me, and asked me to reiterate her point because the drivers would not pay attention to a female. So I went down (the bus was a double decker where the driver and the bags were on the 1st floor, and we were on the 2nd), and saw one guy driving, and the other one next to him trying to push/pull the stick shift lever. I immediately agreed with the German girl’s assessment, and proceeded to explain to them what they would not hear from the girl – they needed to switch the bus. In a little while the driver gave me a phone where I spoke to someone with some knowledge of English, but an impossible accent (mind you, I’m used to a variety of accents, native English speakers are a minority in my line of work.) That guy told me that the driver assured him that the bus was in a good enough working order to make it there on time. I said (well, repeated after the German girl, really) that nobody on this bus besides the driver thought so, and if they made us late for the boat we’d raise hell. So we proceeded at about 40 kph. In another 15 minutes as we were moving along the highway I saw that the drivers switched places… while we were moving. Then the cabin started to get a bit hot, looked like the AC went out. Shortly the bus’s headlights (and I suppose rear lights as well) went out, and for about a minute we were driving along the highway in absolute darkness. The Germans moved from the front seat to the 3rd row just in case. All of us in the front who could see this started yelling to the drivers to stop the damn bus. Finally they did, and the driver handed me the phone again where the same voice said another bus was coming. So we waited for about an hour at the gas station.W11 he bus that came was even older, and crappier. It was quite obvious that this bus was kept around for occasions like this, and was not the regular one. Before we boarded the drivers explained that we were waiting for so long because they were testing the bus to make sure it was OK... We moved our bags, as well as blankets that the other bus had, and this one did not, and were soon on our way. The German couple and us breathed the sigh of relief when the bus successfully changed into the 3rd gear. We made 2 more pit stops along the way, and you could even buy food there, but it did not look like something anyone on our bus wanted to eat. Somehow we made it to the boat by 7am, and to the island some 3 hours later. Most of the folks disembarked on Koh Phangan, and we proceeded to another boat that took us to Koh Samui.
That was the "VIP" bus. Below I'll describe the "Super VIP" bus, which we opted for the next time we had to take a long bus ride.
Koh Samui
In Bangkok the taxis are quite cheap. To board a cab costs you just over a dollar, and to drive for about 15-20 minutes will cost you another $2. That's a different story on the islands. The taxi
drivers there don't like the meters, and all of them have a sheet of paper that they agreed among themselves to show to tourists. So on Koh Samui everybody kept showing us the same pricelist, laughing and waving their arms in the air telling us that there's no way they can take us to the other side of the island for less than 400 ($13). We were convinced that this was too much, and eventually turned the corner from the ferry terminal. At that point another taxi driver pulled up, and after some negotiation he took us there for 280. We figured it was fair because the "local" cabs, aka pickup trucks with benches in the truck bed and plastic roofs attached to them that made a few stops on the way charged 150 per person.
Koh Phangan
From Koh Samui we booked a transfer ticket to Koh Phangan. Same story - booked it with the hostel, and the ticket included pickup from where we lived. If I remember correctly, the whole thing was 400 per person, around $13. The ferry terminal was not the same that we arrived to, and it actually took us longer to get there. I'm sure that if we were to take a cab there, and buy a ferry ticket at the terminal, we'd pay much more. So transfer ticket is a good thing.
The driver of our van to the terminal had his ~3yo daughter with him, who was riding right next to him in the front, and sometimes turned around to look at us. About half way through the driver stopped the car, went to the back, and started moving our bags in the trunk. We were curious about what was going on right until he got out the baby's potty, and said to us - "need to go pi-pi" :) So he put the potty on the front seat, the little girl did her business, and we were on our way. We called it "bring your kid to work day".
The Lomprayah catamaran took less than an hour to get to Koh Phangan, and was a very comfortable ride.
Once on Koh Phangan we went to get a cab again. This time around we got onto the "local" pickup truck taxi, but after negotiating a 300 baht for the both, instead of the 200 per person he charged everyone else. We promised him not to tell anyone else on the taxi that we paid less.
After spending a couple of days on the beach, and meeting some local Russian folks, we finally decided that it was for our benefit to rent a scooter, which has all but replaced the bicycle in Thailand. The scooter rental is $5 - $7 per day, and of course you pay for gas. I rode the scooter by myself for an hour to make sure I felt comfortable enough on it, and later Julie joined me.
The next 7 days we went everywhere on it, and it has proven invaluable. Once you have it, that's really all you need to get around an island.
Koh Phangan - Chiang Mai (via Bangkok)
We considered a few options of getting to Chiang Mai. The most reasonable, and acceptable by Julie (from the comfort standpoint) and me (from the price-point) was to get to Bangkok by bus, and fly to Chiang Mai from there. Here's why: flights were available from Koh Samui, but were too expensive; bus to Bangkok, and then a bus/train to Chiang Mai would be way too long for either one of us to endure, and the area between Bangkok and Chiang Mai was partially flooded, so the train could've stopped completely, and bus might have had to make a detour taking even longer.
Having not enjoyed our VIP bus ride to Koh Phangan we opted for a twice as expensive (1200 bhat, or $40) "Super VIP" bus. The transfer to the bus was additional 200, which could've been cheaper if we booked with the bungalows we stayed at. Oh well, we went with the travel agent our Russian friends recommended because he was good enough to arrange a bus ride.
The Super VIP bus had 3 instead of 4 seats in a row, so the seats were wider, and reclined almost horizontally, kind of like a business class on the plane. It also included a lady who handed everybody their juice boxes, some muffins, and a bottle of water. She did not go as far as helping us negotiate with a Thai man to move 4 rows so that Julie and I can sit together. Other passengers had to help us translate. But in any case, this bus was more comfortable, even though it was just as old. The AC was blasting all night long as if it was 40C outside, so we were very cold until a lady next to us disembarked, and we scored the 2 blankets she had. She must've been a regular on these buses, and knew ahead of time to get an extra blanket. I saw one European girl ask for an extra blanket, and not get any. We were lucky, and the only thing that was wrong with our seats was the overhead light that I could not point at my book. Other passengers enjoyed AC that was leaking on them by the morning, and those in the back did not get any of the awesome AC those in the front had.
Bangkok
By 6am we were in Bangkok, by 6:15am we were laughing at the driver who was offering us a ride in a shared minivan to our hotel for 200 baht each. We told him it was not our first time in Bangkok, and we estimated that our taxi ride would be around 90 baht. He just waved his hands and left. 100 baht later the cab got us to our hotel not far from Khaosan road.
A couple of days later we were going to the airport. To get to the airport the simplest way is to get a cab all the way, but it's a bit expensive, and you need to pay for the road tolls. Or you can take the cab to the AirLink (SA train), which should cost about 100 baht from the Khaosan road, and for 50 baht more get to the airport on AirLink. We settled for a slightly more expensive, but easier way of getting a shuttle from the hotel for 150 each.
Bangkok - Chiang Mai
The flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on AirAsia was just fine. We ended up paying 3800 baht for 2 tickets with seats assigned, and one bag checked. I make it that specific because each little thing bears additional cost with AirAsia. It still ended up cheaper than any other airline we tried.
Chiang Mai - Pai
Our hostel/travel agent booked us a minivan ride from the AYA service for 150 baht each. That included pick up from the hostel, and was barely more expensive than a normal bus. As we learned later, some people prefer big buses on the way to the mountain/North regions because the minivan drivers tend to make turns at higher speed, and the puking factor is then much higher.
Pai - Chiang Rai
If you look at the map, you'll see that Pai is not that far from Chiang Rai (both are in the North). The problem is there's no road in between, so you have to go via Chiang Mai. AYA service was offering one ride a day that started at 5:30am, and was in Chiang Rai 6.5 hours, and 550 baht later. That seemed a bit harsh to us, so instead we took AYA back to Chiang Mai at a reasonable hour (150 baht each), and then got on a regular bus at the bus station for around 160 baht each. The trip took longer because we had to wait at the bus station for the next bus that was not sold out.
The bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai had 3 grades: 1st class, 2nd class and the VIP. VIP was twice as expensive, and since the ride was only 3.5 hours, as well as given our previous experience with the VIP I did not think we needed it. 1st and 2nd class tickets were very similar in price, so I asked for the 1st class. All 1st class buses for that day were unfortunately sold out, so I bought 2nd class, and was waiting anxiously to see what the 2nd class bus was like. It turned out to be a smaller bus, without a bathroom, and with a smaller luggage compartment, but a normal bus nevertheless. The only complaint I had was that once again my overhead light was pointing in a random direction and not my book. There were 2 non-locals besides us on this bus. I guess I was not the only one worried about what the 2nd class would bring :)
Chiang Rai - Chiang Kong - Huay Xai, Laos
The guest house owner told us about a local bus that would take us to Chiang Khong, to the border town where we can cross to Huay Xai, Laos. The bus costs only 65 baht, and leaves from the local bus station. She said that in order for us to catch the boat across Mekong River we had to get on the earliest bus that leaves at 6am. So we did, only to discover that there are about a dozen boats that take you across as soon as enough people are ready to go. So we could’ve slept for 2-3 more hours easily.
Once at the border you stamp out, get on the boat across (costs about $1.20), and get your Laos visa/stamp on the other side for $35. Don’t be afraid if you don’t have a spare passport picture. For an extra dollar they will copy the one from your passport.