allane

This is an educated guess, as I have never driven this exact, entire route myself, but here goes....

Go north from the Victory Monument on Phahonyothin Road, staying in the lefthand lane as you leave the VM. There is an entrance to the Expressway after no more than 500 metres. Turn left (west) there and go up the ramp on to the Expressway. Keep to the left, I think the signs say Daokhanong. After about 1 km the expressway will swing towards the south. From there it is easy. Just stay on the expressway, crossing the elevated Rama 9 Bridge. After crossing the river, look for signs saying Rama 2 Road, Pak Tho, or Ratchburi (Highway 35). Once you have crossed the river, do NOT follow the signs for Daokhanong. If you did that, it would send you back towards central Bangkok.

Stay on Hwy. 35, passing by Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkram. When you get to Pak Tho (about 60 - 70 km from the Rama 9 bridge), do not go into the town. Look for signs saying Petchburi (Highway 4 southbound), and head south from there. Remain on Hwy. 4 until you get to HH.

From Bkk. to HH is about 230 km; I think that is measured from the Victory Monument.

Seats are not guaranteed unless you have a reservation. Do that at the Advance Booking Office in Hualamphong Station. Go around and to the right as you face the ticket wickets. Those ticket wickets sell tickets for same day trains. For tomorrow's (or as far as 60 days in advance), go to the A.B. O. It is open approx. 0800 - 1600 hrs. every day.

Re: Thai trains -

3rd class - seats are quite hard, and there is no guarantee of a seat

2nd class - comfortable seats guaranteed, sleeping berths available for longer journeys

1st class - private compartments with sleeping berths

From Hualamphong (Bangkok Central RR station) to Hua Hin is about 4.5 to 5 hrs. Fare is about 150 baht one way for 2nd class. No reason to get a bed on such a short trip; if you want one you would have to pay for it all the way from Bkk. to Chumphon.

Trains depart Bkk.every hr. or so, from approx. 12:00 noon to approx. 8:00 p.m.

You could NOT get off in Nakhon Pathom (or anywhere else), and then resume your journey on the same ticket. But tickets are cheap. You cou could certainly get one of the earliest trains to N.P., get off there for 3 - 4 hrs. then get on one of the later trains for HH. But Thai trains run late. Presume a one hr. late arrival in N.P.; in other words, allow yourself 4 hrs. there if you really want 3. The main temple (chedi) in N.P. is just a 5 min. walk from the RR station.

I need the postal address for the Elephant Building

In Thailand, December 31 and January 1 are statutory holidays. That will be Monday, December 31, 2007 and Tuesday, January 1, 2008. So, nearly everyone will have a four day weekend, from Saturday, December 29 - Tuesday, January 1, inclusive. Travel at other times if you can. Unlike in the west, the concept of paid vacation time is almost unknown in Thailand. For most people, the two major breaks that they get in the year are the four day weekends at New Year's and Songkran (traditional Thai New Year holiday in mid April). This is why public tansportation is so busy at these two times, especially the former, which falls during the high season for foreign tourists visiting Thailand.

Thanks everyone !

I need a hotel in Udon Thani for a couple of nights. I am envisioning a place in the 700 - 1000baht/night range, perhaps towards the upper end of that range if they do airport pick-up. I don't know the city, so don't have any locational preference, except perhaps, walking distance from the bus station.

Please provide a fax number or E-mail address if you have one, or walk by the place every day, and could go in and get one.

Washington Optical, ground floor of Amarin Plaza, at the back. English spoken. Open Saturdays, but closed Mondays.

Also, St. John's International School on Wiphawidi-Rangsit Road, where it crosses Phahonyothin Road. Website: www.stjohn.ac.th

There are no direct busses that I know of. You would have to change busses in Chumporn. This is not normally a problem. In a semi-developed country like Thailand, (where many people do not have cars) busses run frequently, from about 6:00 a.m. until about 6:00 p.m.

When I once posted a "missing person" item, I received a message from the moderator that such postings were not allowed, and that mine had been deleted.

I need someone to transport a "sportsbag" containing normal personal effects from Bangkok to Pattaya on 30/11/06 or 1/12/06. The bag will be available at approx. 2:00 p.m. on Thu. the 30th. It is required in Pattaya by approx. 6:00 p.m. on Fri. Dec. 1. Please reply here before 12:00 noon on the 30th, or send an E-mail to: [email protected]

ink stains - try lemon juice, it works on clothing.

I think you have already made yourself a good itinerary.

Day One: The first four, in the order you list.

Day Two: The middle three, in the order you list.

Day Three: The final two, in the order you list.

If Day One does not allow you sufficient time at the four stops, revisit your favourite one at the end of Day Three.

I am a long-time resident; if you need detailed information on bus routes connecting the various places, requst it here. There is no need for you to deal with touts, tourguides,or taxi drivers unless you want to.

Buses # 47 or 50, from the bus stop on the east side of Phyathai Road, across from Mahboonkrong (MBK).

You need to get some sort of extension (or a new visa) BEFORE your current visa expires. Do not presume that because you only want a few extra days that Thai Immigration will disregard if you overstay.

Gasoline???? The skytrain is electric.

1. Pattaya - Bangkok: Allow 2 1/2 hrs.

2. Sorry, I don't know, as I have never used it myself in the evening.

3. One way fare is 121 baht.

Washington Optical, ground floor of Amarin Plaza, at the back. English spoken. Open Saturdays, but closed Mondays.

I was down there a couple of months ago. Work on the new bridges was well underway, but still a long way from complete. Probably they will need another 6 - 12 months.

And, may I ask what sort of prices he charges for this "awesome service" ? I have white skin, if that makes a difference.

As a foreigner, you can not simply open a business in Thailand. You can have a maximum 49% interest, with a Thai partner holding 51% or more. You didn't indicate that you have found someone with whom you would be in partnership. Speaking as someone who has lived in Thailand for more than 10 years, I haven't yet met anyone whom I would trust with 2,000,000 baht of my money. And that is exactly what you would be doing; with them holding a 51 % interest, you may never see your money again. Of course, if you are simply leasing premises owned by someone else (and paying them rent on a regular basis), you wouldn't have nearly as much at risk as would a foreigner in a business with substantial assets.

Foreigners are not permitted to own land here, at least with only the small sum of money you have to invest. Do not believe anyone who tells you otherwise. Any "loophole" in the law which they claim to have found might be taken away from you after the fact, with your land and buildings being taken too.

My guess would be that the Central Plaza would be somewhat above your price range. There are several places along Pradiphat Road, though I do not know if they have any Internet presence:

The Mido, Elizabeth, and Pradiphat Hotels come to mind. Pradiphat Road is the road going west from the Saphan Kwai intersection, just south of the BTS skytrain station of the same name. It is the first station south of Mochit.

Returning to the topic of "Onward Ticket Required".

Some countries will not allow foreigners to arrive by air unless the foreigner has either a return ticket, a credit card, or sufficient cash on him to pay for his stay in the country, with enough likely to be left over to buy a return (or onward) ticket.

Depending on the country and the enforcement personnel, I think that there may be discretion used in some cases: i.e. if the person has white skin, a credit card, and/or is a citizen of a developed country, no problem entering on a one- way ticket. If he doesn'tmeet at least one of these requirements, it can be more difficult.

Ce n'est pas la meme chose ! En francais, "ca va ?" est une question. On repond avec "ca va bien". En thailandais, "sawat -di" n'est pas une question, c'est la meme chose que "bonjour".

Ici, nous n'avons pas des accents francais ! Pourquoi?