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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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 Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:34 pm Post subject: |
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I spent 7 hours at the new Savanabhumi Bkk airport on 28 December, waiting for an incoming flight, & was bored within an hour. I'd recommend leaving asap. There is no visa requirement. Go downstairs to the taxi queue & pay 50 baht for a booked taxi. Keep the leaflet they give you, in case you have any problems with the driver. (Unlikely). It was around 300 baht into Bangkok including 65 baht tollway fees. Catch the skytrain from Nana to Siam Stn, change trains there, & head for Saphan Taksin skytrain stn & walk 100 metres to Tha Sathorn pier. Then hop on a Nontaburi bound boat heading upriver (about 12 baht). Get off at Phra Arthit Pier, & walk through the Wat to Khao San Road. Then after a quick browse of the street market get a taxi at the opposite end of KSR, back to the airport.
Easy! I have been to Bkk 21 times or more & strongly disagree it is horrible.
A good alternative to the above is to exit the riiver boat at 'Tha Tien' pier & see the Grand Palace & Wat Po. About 300 baht & 20 baht entry fees respectively.
Map: http://www.thaiticketmaster.com/family/images/chaophraya_boat/map_1.jpg |
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desultude
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: Dangling my toes in the Persian Gulf
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| Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:16 am Post subject: |
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| ChimpumCallao wrote: |
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| the fact that you like patayya says a lot. |
nah. the biggest annoyance of bangkok was transportation and pollution.
Pattaya was interesting and we could walk anywhere. There were so many other tourists that we were pretty much left alone. It was fun!
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| isn't cambodia supposed to be a bit more difficult than thailand ...i know it's cheaper but .... |
no way. siem reap is a tiny town and is very easy to travel around. bangkok was a logistical nightmare. plus, siem reap was nice to walk around, if you avoided the festering open air markets. all of bangkok seemed to be a sprawling dirty mess. |
Siem Reap is lovely, and great, of course, for seeing Angkor Wat and all the other ruins. Nice night life, and friendly and easy. But it is turning into Disney World Southeast Asia.
Transportation a problem in Bangkok? There is the skytrain, a subway and water taxis. I almost never travel on the roads, except to get to and from the airport, and they are building a train from the airport into the city. The skytrain and subway have clean bathrooms, and are safe.
Bangkok is big, noisy, dirty, and one of the world's great cities. Just riding the skytrain is an endlessly fascinating show. Watching Chanel-anchored shopping malls emerging from what is essentially jungle between the buildings and crawling from the balconies of apartments and rooftops of buildings, is a real vision.
I think that some people are just not interested in cities- which are by definition chaotic, crowded and polluted. Some cities just hide it better than others.
I'll be in Bangkok for a week in a couple of weeks. My plan- get daily massages, eat well, and hang out in beer gardens using the ubiquitous free wifi to plan my trip to India. I'll use the sky train to get around, and give the new subway a try. I can't wait. |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:38 pm Post subject: Bangkok |
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| I'd say ChimpumCallao flew to Siem Reap, & never saw the squalor or beggar kids of Poipet. |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 9:07 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm also wondering how long it's been since ChimpumCallao went to Bkk? Skytrain commenced around 2000, & air quality has noticeably improved since then. A lot of the old smoke belching busses were removed from service, & the new freeways have eased the gridlock traffic. OP: I've heard several other Australians describe Pattaya as Kings Cross by the Beach. Or Patpong. Ko Samet is infinitely better, although way out of reach in just 5 hrs. |
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