prism

Just checked online for airfare for BKK to HKT round trip leave 20th June 2010 return 24th June. Thai Air: 8,500 baht. Air Asia: 3,010 baht. Maybe Thai Air should reduce their fares first.

Surely BKK is still one of worst imo but getting better very slowly. Still can understand why they use shuttle buses to board flights even when one can see plenty of open jet-ways available.

Yes there is plenty of jet-ways unoccupied and there is a good reason, Suvarnabhumi was built on a swamp and they did not built it the right way so some jet-ways are unusable because big plane like the 747 are sinking in the tarmac because of their weight.

I disagree. I've been on a number of arrivals to swampy where they parked at the jet-way, we then disembark the aircraft only to be diverted down a stairway right before the entrance door to the terminal and then boarded on buses to be taken to another entrance. Of coarse I've been bused to the terminal from the aircraft that parked on the tarmac on numerous arrivals. My conclusion; the airlines have to pay extra to use the jet-way so they don't to save them money.

Suksawat lumber. Great selection and service.

Got a rug, about 3 x 4 meters that is in desperate need of a cleaning. I can transport it if required. Does anybody know of any such services in CM?

Many thanks in advance for any information.

Is Mr T Taxi service still 1000 baht from the airport?

Mr T is 1000 baht. If you plan on taking the bus but just miss it, or miss the last one it is worth calling Mr T. Twice they have found me a ride in under 20 minutes. Downstairs the taxis want 1500 baht to ride in a ten year old car with 500k. Mr T's cars are much nicer.

MrT operates through this website:

MrT Taxis

Great info, thanks. As Proximity says, taking those taxis downstairs is a real crapshoot. There's been a couple of times when I thought I wouldn't make it to Pattaya.

Interesting travel report from OP.

It's always best to get the bus to Pattaya if you can; however sometimes if the times are messed up you can end up waiting two hours which is sometimes difficult to do after a long haul flight.

It might be a good idea to use Mr T Taxi service (Soi Diana, Pattaya) if you arrive out of bus hours. They will wait for you with an idiot board with your name on it.

Sometimes, if I know I'm arriving late at night and I know I'm going to miss the buses and I haven't pre-ordered a taxi, I walk up and down the plane an hour before landing, asking if any one wants to share a taxi to Pattaya. I've done it three times and each time had a good result.

It does take a bit of self-confidence to do it, but it does work.

Is Mr T Taxi service still 1000 baht from the airport?

My only real gripe I have with Swampy is the very awkward meeting area for arriving passengers. I have to fly through LAX a couple of times a year. Whenever I have to queue up (up to 2 hours sometimes) to have my bags screened after I already checked in and then proceed to wait up to another 30 minutes to go through security, swampy starts to look pretty good by comparison.

Yes, I agree about the "meeting place". Very confusing. Last time I came in I was having so much trouble finding my party...only to discover they had forgotten which day I was coming in! But still for well over 30 minutes I wandered back and forth between two meeting places, hoping not to miss them.

I actually think it's easy to meet people in soo-wanna-poom - all the exit doors are numbered. eg I always meet at exit door 3.

I know, I use that strategy now. I had to learn the hard way the first time trying to find my elderly mother.

soo-wanna-poom is an awesome airport. no two ways about it.

ok, it had a few teething problems but so what?

I just don't understand why so many people moan about it.

I agree with you.

First, it's just a place to go into and out of. You're not living there.

Second, as another poster indicated, it's a heck of a lot better than almost any American airport I've gone into and out of -- Boston, JFK, Dulles, National, LAX, Phoenix, San Diego, or Orlando. I don't remember much about Tampa, although there was something I didn't prefer about it. Denver now is pretty good, although it was a mess when it first opened. To me, JFK and LAX are nightmares. Haven't done that much international travel (other than Thailand), but I certainly wasn't impressed with the older Jakarta or KL airports, and detest Narita.

Third, I don't understand this love affair so many seem to have with Don Muang. Don Muang was fine. Fairly efficient. Compact (although that was also part of its problem). The traffic for years was absolutely atrocious...something I don't experience with Suwannaphum. The walk from international to domestic was awful. And while the main section of the airport was relatively attractive, other areas were dingy and dark. The bathrooms were...smelly.

My only real gripe I have with Swampy is the very awkward meeting area for arriving passengers. I have to fly through LAX a couple of times a year. Whenever I have to queue up (up to 2 hours sometimes) to have my bags screened after I already checked in and then proceed to wait up to another 30 minutes to go through security, swampy starts to look pretty good by comparison.

Anyone can tell me where exactly is this market!?? And what time it begins!?? thanks!!

Ruam Chok market is next to Mee Chok Plaza that's anchored by Rimping Supermarket. It's on Maejo Rd (1001) right past 1st Ring Rd intersection(Ruam Chok) heading north. Not sure when the Sat/Sun thing starts.

brill, going this wknd, when u say photocopy passport, Im assuming you mean the photo page, dont tell me the whole thing ahhhhhhhh!

Just the photo (face) page is required.

NCA (Nakhonchai air) has VIP buses that runs to Pattaya and back. Lots of cheap guesthouses there too.

Went to Mai Sai last week and did the VIP pass thing. I made 2 copies of my passport. I then gave 100 baht (Maybe they'll take less), my passport and and the copies of passport to the Thai immigration window at the border. They stapled a VIP pass to the copies and kept my passport. I then proceeded to the Myanmar immigration post, gave them the copies and VIP pass, paid my 500 baht (they won't take U.S. dollars when you use the VIP pass). They stamped the copies, gave them and the VIP pass back and off I went. Upon return to Thailand, I just showed the guards my VIP pass, skipped the stamp queue and walked around to the same window that I left my passport with and collected it. No stamp and saves time returning to Thailand.

Went there with my relatives last June. It was a beautiful venue. Much nicer then the Chiang Mai cultural center. Hope they rebuild.

I mostly agree with that list. BKK is a very good airport that has a few flaws. When the Rail link is finished, the airport might even move up a couple of notches. BKK sure beats any U.S airport, especially LAX.

I'm the husband of the owner of Butter is Better. We did not buy out Bake and Bite. I wish we had access to the kind of cash that would take.But if we did we would probably just pursue baking as an extravagant hobby. Gai just wanted to focus on her new larger restaurant. Butter is Better is now occupying Bake and Bite's old site.

I stand corrected on you not buying out Bake and Bite, my apologies. I've enjoyed your products at Rimping, especially the chocolate pudding. Wish you much success at your new location.

I believe Gai wants to keep the Bake and Bite's Neimenhamen location open, it's doing good business now.

Hope I got the right Soi.

Bake And Bite moved to the end of Soi 3/2 Keaw Nawarat. It's near the Floral Condominium Tower. Turn off of Charoenrat rd towards the Condo tower and follow the Bake and Bite signs. Khun Gai sold the Chang Klan location so she can concentrate on the Keaw Nawarat location. It's already popular with the expats.

Passport fees are going up everywhere, an Aussie friend of mine has to get his passport renewed, theirs are over 230 US$.

Oh Crud! Fees goes up just when my Passport expires. Gotta pay for that fancy new $1 billion Embassy in the UK.

Before the current high season, these buses usually had few passengers. Now that they been discovered, they're usually full so I was hoping that they would add more buses and times. Hasn't happen yet. Too bad you can't book ahead for the Airport Pattaya Bus (Not Bell) that leaves swampy but at least can buy advanced tickets at their Jomtien station for the return to the airport. I usually travel light when I go to Pattaya so I skip Bell's Minivan service and grab a motorbike taxi instead.

I've had good service with CAT Internet before with good international speeds, but their pricing is expensive. 3bb premier also has good international speeds and is cheaper. My experiences with TOT's internet has been awful and I won't get near them. You might want to look into getting AIS 3G to hold you over until you can get 3bb. They have pre-paid plans available. 50/50 chance that that server will be ready by the end of March knowing 3bb. TIT...

Oops, I lied. It's 260 baht per kilo of Duang Dee Coffee. The soi is immediately after a shop that sells pumps and some used appliances, TV sets, microwaves, etc.

Anybody with some accurate directions to the DuangDee Guesthouse ? I'd ike to go there n grab a kilo, but don't wanna drive all up n down like yet another lost villager going slow n trying to read every sign I can find. Is Soi Insuan closer to the SriPhum Corner, or to the Hua Rin (Kad Suan Kaew) corner ? What are the landmarks immediately before I have to turn up the soi ? How far up the soi to the guesthouse ? Amazingly I can find no map of the/ to the guesthouse, or with this soi listed on it. Thanks for helping.

It's tricky to find. Head east on Manneenopparat towards the SriPhum Corner. Pass Wat Pa Pao and it's the last soi before the intersection. It's VERY hard to see and it's close to the intersection. Turn left and it's at the end of the soi, about 100 meters in.

Rimping has a decent selection of hill tribe coffee in 250-500gr bags. The one that I like is 'metal drum' coffee, as it supports the Karen hill tribe and promotes growing coffee undet canopy trees, rather than slash and burn.

I get mine from Rimping too. Can't remember the cost but its obviously a great deal cheaper than the rest. Comes in small(250) or larger (500) square cardboard boxes ;Orange for light roast, Brown for darker roast : Beans or Grounds : Duang Dee Hand Picked and Hand Roasted Hill Tribe Arabica Coffee.

http://www.duangdeehilltribecoffee.com/

You can buy Duang Dee Whole Bean Coffee at their guesthouse for 270 baht per kilo. It's in a small soi off of Maneenopparat Rd. that runs along the north side of the moat. Check out their link above for their address and phone #.

I wonder if this is blowback from Stephen Leather's novel "Live Wire".