billp

I don't know anything about this place, just saw it recommended on another site.

http://www.bangkokselfstorage.com/

I've used them. They call it "backpacker storage" and charge 100 baht per piece per week. Very clean, secure, professional and friendly. To get there take a taxi east on Rama IV past Carrefour and Channel Three, and they're in a small lane just past Boss Tower. From Sukhumvit, go down soi 26. (And no, I have no connection with this company except as a satisfied customer.)

I wouldn't use hotel or guest house storage for anything remotely valuable. You never know who has access to the storage room (if there is one and not just a cubbyhole behind the desk). And the airport left luggage is very expensive: 100 baht per piece per DAY.

It is a good idea to get some big cheap suitcases and reduce the number of bags. There's a quite good luggage store on Sukhumvit near Nana with lots of inexpensive big bags.

You think possibly just a "hard" landing?

Yesterday, I landed at Khon Kaen (Thai Airlines). Although the weather was clear, the turbulence approaching the airport was pretty bad. When we reached the landing strip, we seemed at an unnaturally high altitude, and then it felt like someone cut the elevator (lift) cables. Dropped like a rock.

We hit the tarmac so hard, I thought my knees were going to knock out my teeth. The aircraft actually bounced back up into the air and came down hard again. We passed the terminal building going at breakneck speed, and then the pilot then did a major braking job that made me feel like my seat belt was going to sever my body in half. A few yelps from other passengers confirmed I wasn't hallucinating that I had boarded a roller coaster.

Now, I believe I could have labeled that harrowing experience as "almost crashed." Maybe discount airlines don't have all the monopoly on "near death" experiences?

Sounds like every landing when I used to fly on military transport. 3 bounces was par for the course. It was especially fun on a "milk run" with 5 or so landings and takeoffs before destination. They were pretty good pilots though. They could land those big C130s on a dime and only had one crash in something like three decades.

There's a train enthusiast at 2Bangkok.com who has compiled an Excel document with the schedules of ALL the trains in Thailand. Find the link at www.2bangkok.com/2bangkok/srt/srt.shtml.

At On Nut you can spend the better part of an hour stuck in traffic, and then waste a lot of time dawdling through clogged city streets. HAppened to me on the 552 not long ago.

Sometimes in Bangkok, in my experience, it pays to take a more roundabout way if it avoids traffic hotspots. Suvarnabhumi to Victory Monument is really fast. And since you're on a bus which costs a flat 35 baht, it's not any more expensive. And - although granted that the changeover to the BTS is a pain - the Skytrain ride is really fast - only one line, no transfers.

Anyway, I'd probably take a taxi if I were carrying any more than one case or a small backpack. But I've used this routing and it's quite good.

Why not just take the 552 bus directly to Ekemai?

Because that bus goes through On Nut where there's a lot of construction at the moment, and you can spend the better part of an hour stuck in traffic.

Left luggage at the airport does not accept laptops and it's also expensive - 100 baht a day per piece. Guest house and hotel left luggage is categorically not safe for anything of real value. You don't know who has access to the left luggage room (if there is a room and not just a cubbyhole behind the desk).

Bangkok Self Storage offers "backpacker storage" for 100 baht per piece per week. They're very secure, clean, friendly and professional. They're also not hard to get to: just tell the taxi driver it's on Rama IV, just past the Carrefour, Channel Three and the small lane next to Boss Tower (from Sukhumvit take soi 26 down to Rama IV).

(I'm not connected with this company, just a satisfied customer.)

I would catch the #551 to Victory Monument (expressway all the way) and then the BTS/Skytrain to either Ekkemai or Mo Chit (well, you'll have to take a short taxi ride to the bus terminal from Mo Chit BTS station).

But do try to get a bus directly to Pattaya from the airport. If you have to go from Ekkemai, you spend about 45 minutes getting to the bus station, and then another hour or more getting back via On Nut to pass right by the airport again. A lot of wasted travel time dawdling in downtown traffic.

Another solution: see if you can't get a few people from your plane together to hire a taxi.

Here's a summary of all the upscale dayroom possibilities at Suvarnabhumi (prices are quoted in Australian dollars). I think the Louis Tavern dayrooms are very expensive for what they are.

The Sananwan Palace mentioned earlier in this thread is indeed a guest house. But it's a nice one with big, clean rooms, beautiful pool, and inexpensive.

Not to mention, friendly staff.

No problem getting there. Don't bother with a map. Thai taxi drivers don't "do" maps. Just tell the driver "Bang Phli Yai, Wat Lung Po To."

Just as the temple comes into view on the right, watch for the Sananwan sign on the left of the main road.

It took us about 20 minutes from the airport in mid-afternoon traffic (the driver wanted to know if we were going to pray ). It's really just a couple of km after the end of the runway.

Here's a YouTube video someone posted showing how to get there. The directions from the airport are at the end. (I have no personal connection with this place or its management.)

What I meant was, the bus costs 150 baht; for 100 baht more, ie 250 baht, you can have taxi door to door. 300 at the most to Silom.

Personally, I've never had any trouble getting a taxi from the dispatcher at the airport to use the meter (and almost never elsewhere in Bangkok). But I have heard more and more reports of drivers from the airport dispatcher demanding flat rates. You have to refuse the flat rates! And offer to call the Tourist Police if they insist. I've also heard they say that 400 or 450 is a good deal and if you use the meter it will cost more. This is a lie, and it's a shame more tourists don't know this. I suppose I'm preaching to the choir on this forum.

They also use a lot of western names too. Ann is quite common

Actually An or Ann is not western. It means "stout." One actual common western name is "June". I asked one June and she said because that was the month she was born in. Boys sometimes also get this name. In a group I know, there's a "June-boy" and "June-Girl."

Personally, I don't know why anyone bothers with the 150 Baht Airport Express buses, when you can have door-to-door service in a taxi for only 100 baht or so more. If I was going to bus it, I'd get the 35 baht #551 at the Airport Bus Terminal and take it to its terminus at Victory Monument (a fast run on the expressway), then switch to the BTS/Skytrain to Sala Daeng. I wouldn't do this if I had a lot of luggage though.

Air travelers in Thailand advised to use clear plastic bags for carry-on toiletries

The Associated Press

Thursday, April 19, 2007

BANGKOK, Thailand: Travelers using Thailand's airports will soon be barred from carrying bottled water on planes and will have to pack their carry-on toiletries in transparent plastic bags, the civil aviation department said Thursday.

The new rules are expected to take effect in May, with a precise date still pending formal approval by the Ministry of Transport, said Chaisak Angkasuwan, the director-general of the Department of Civil Aviation.

More here.

The 555 has already been running for a while. It terminates at Rangsit. Bus 554 also travels the Don Muang-Suvarnabhumi route. Fare is 35 baht, I believe.

I've made it to Don Muang from Suvarnabhumi in about 30-35 minutes by taxi. No traffic tie-ups and driver really booting it all the way. But 45 mins to an hour would be more usual. Fare was 300 baht or so, tolls included, using the meter.

OK, I totally agree with #7, I think it's all hoodoo, but to answer the OP's query, I've recently made a number of short and long haul flights on Thai, Nok Air and Air Asia in Thailand and to Malaysia and Europe, and there were no restrictions on liquids from the Thai or Malaysian side at all.

They did get shirty in Frankfurt about a small tube of hand cream as I was transferring to Lufthansa, but that doesn't count. Thankfully, I never bought that bottle of single malt Scotch I had my eye on in BKK duty free.

If I recall correctly, the bus stop is between the railway station and the airport, underneath the pedestrian overpass. Don't worry, the bus stop will be apparent and usually there are other people catching buses there.

You could also leave the train at Rangsit and catch bus number 554 or 555. I've never done this, so I can't tell you exactly, but I'm sure the bus terminal is near the station. Just ask when you get there. In my experience, the further you get off the beaten tourist track, the more helpful are the locals. Railway employees normally speak (at least some) English.

If there is no bus to your destination directly from the airport, you could take public bus number 552 to On Nut, then change to the BTS/Skytrain, only 2 stops to Ekkamai. Sometimes it's quite slow around On Nut due to construction.

Do not take the UNICO GRANDE SILOM it's in dire need of renovation.

Nonsense! I stayed there 2 months ago and it was fine. Very nice reasonably-priced, centrally-located hotel. First time I was upgraded to a beautiful suite. The 2nd time just a deluxe room. Both were great - full of light and tastefully decorated. No air of "worn at the edges" like you often get in Bangkok. Pool on the roof is very fine. Breakfast buffet above standard. Formerly Tower Inn, btw.

I just got a Samsung SGH-E690. Sweet little flip phone with a good solid feel to it. It has a Edge/GPRS, it's triband, Bluetooth, with a camera, video, MP3 player, FM radio. I bought it in MBK for about 4000 baht and added a 1GB flash memory card. Apparently the latest of the latest phones in that price range. So cutting edge that my European provider doesn't recognize it and won't sell me a ring tone for it that I'd like to have.

I thought I didn't need the FM radio either, but I find myself using it more than I thought I would.

PS; there USED to be a special shuttle nr 517 Airport busstation to HuaTakHe station, but thiswas ABOLISHED as there was zero=zil demand for it for some 6 months.

asanee/bmta this is NOT TRUE. I saw that bus, number 517 at the airport bus terminal on Feb. 26, the day I tried out the route to Hua Takhe. But like I said it only runs every 2 hours.

And I still think the Sananwan Palace is a great place to stay near the airport. It took a scant 20 minutes to get there in mid-afternoon traffic. The guest house is beautiful! Cheap, clean, friendly and has a pool. And Bangphli is a really interesting place to visit.

Sananwan website. And I'm not the only one who thinks so.

I visited Chateau de Loei and bought a bottle of its white, I think it was Chenin Blanc. I have to say that, while it wasn't the most fantastic wine I've ever tasted, it was fully drinkable. They just need some time for their wine to become more rounded.

Diethelm Travel is one of the longest-established travel companies in Southeast Asia. I've never had them arrange transportation (although I've used other services from them), but I'm sure they'll be fine. However, there are many companies doing airport transfers. If you would like me to put you in contact with someone for a competing offer, PM me.

Khun Bob

If you had waited for the bus from Hua Takhe to the Airport do you know how much it would have been ?

Were there any Thais on the train making there way to the airport ? If so, did you see how they got from the train station to the airport ?

Some people got into a taxi when we arrived, but I have no idea if they were headed for the airport. A young Korean student waited with us for the bus. He obviously had also heard about the nonexistent SRT shuttle bus. We ended up taking him with us in the taxi.

If you should try out this route, my advice is not to wait for the bus. If one comes within a few minutes, OK. But if you see a taxi, take it.

I take it you just went by the meter ?

You bet. I don't "do" flat rates in Bangkok. I think the meter was something like 52 baht.

If you register for Spam Gourmet you can create instant disposable e-mail addresses for those occasions when you'd rather not (or as in this case, cannot) use your primary address. They have an array of domains aside from spamgourmet.com, which are not so obvious. I use xoxy.net.

Anybody replying on one of the addresses automatically gets bounced to your primary address up to the limit of the number of messages you've speciified. If you start to get spam on an address, you can kill it entirely and all messages after that just get "eaten," not bounced back to the spammer. Or you can designate senders whose messages are allowed through. Maybe this would work for your web forum. I now use a Spam Gourmet address as a matter of course in any of those situations where you have to give some website a valid address.

(Also not bad for giving out your address to someone you meet in a bar )