Bus Journey In hel_l

[bedbugy]

went on holidaty to phuket by bus thai transport co ltd thats the blue and white ones

from hat yai a 7 and half hour trip which turned into a hel_l trip the bus set off ok then they fired up 12 speakers with a cd that never changed this journey should have been a pleasure but with this ultra load noise almost full blast i was the only farang on the bus and 70% of thais were sleeping on asking the bus boy to turn the noise down several times with just a grin me with tissue in my ears this is a heath hazard that i wish on no one so if you take such a journey you need the industrial ear muffs that airport ground staff use be warned

[thaihome]

I am extremely proud (and happy) to be able to say I have never ridden on a public bus in Thailand (or China for that matter).

You have just made me even happier for that.

TH

[barky]

You mean you honestly expected a Thai bus driver , or any Thai public transport driver for that matter, to consider someone's (especially a no-count, worthless foreigner) comfort , safety and convenience. Your in the land of I,me ,mine. Get with the programme.

[Heng]

Definitely. One of the keys to happiness is keeping things in perspective. It's easy to forget how the other half, 1/4, 1/3, etc. live... or in this case, ride.

[h90]

welcome in Thailand

[Tyke]

went on holidaty to phuket by bus thai transport co ltd thats the blue and white ones

from hat yai a 7 and half hour trip which turned into a hel_l trip the bus set off ok then they fired up 12 speakers with a cd that never changed this journey should have been a pleasure but with this ultra load noise almost full blast i was the only farang on the bus and 70% of thais were sleeping on asking the bus boy to turn the noise down several times with just a grin me with tissue in my ears this is a heath hazard that i wish on no one so if you take such a journey you need the industrial ear muffs that airport ground staff use be warned

You took the wrong bus. You should take the VIP bus - luxury like that is not seen even in the west, believe me. If they persist in keeping the CD loud after complaints then just go over to the machine and stop it or take out the Cd - they will stop it then for sure. You have a right to do that for health reasons. It would shock the fannies off them if someone did that, something Thais would never do.

[Richb2004v2]

Thats what Thais do best: noise and danger on the roads. If you didn't have the danger to go with it then you were fairly lucky. Actually it could have been much worse if there had been someone eating Durrian too. That would have been the full experience.

[kmart]

went on holidaty to phuket by bus thai transport co ltd thats the blue and white ones

from hat yai a 7 and half hour trip which turned into a hel_l trip the bus set off ok then they fired up 12 speakers with a cd that never changed this journey should have been a pleasure but with this ultra load noise almost full blast i was the only farang on the bus and 70% of thais were sleeping on asking the bus boy to turn the noise down several times with just a grin me with tissue in my ears this is a heath hazard that i wish on no one so if you take such a journey you need the industrial ear muffs that airport ground staff use be warned

Just think of it as "rite of passage" experience.

[dumball]

welcome in Thailand

Are you not cognisant of the fact that here in Asia , the volumne has two positions ,

' Off ' and ' FULL BLAST'

[a2396]

Thais are immune to loud noises - blasting TV's, 3 ring circus noise in Big C, Tesco & other shopping centers, blaring loudspeaker trucks, roosters, packs of howling dogs, etc, etc. That's one reason most of them pay no attention to what you may have to say ans> HUH?

[h90]

welcome in Thailand

Are you not cognisant of the fact that here in Asia , the volumne has two positions ,

' Off ' and ' FULL BLAST'

Thats the same technology as for Aircon...

38 degree or 15 degree

[way2muchcoffee]

Actually it could have been much worse if there had been someone eating Durrian too. That would have been the full experience.

The dried squid is worse IMO.

[bravingbangkok]

I find it to be quick and cheap, for going anywhere within 4 hours of where you live, otherwise take a plane

[fred2007]

What about train jouney to hel_l? Last time I went by train to Butterworth some one was eating Durrian

for the entyre trip I spend must time in the toilet with the window open to catch some fresh air

most people complained but nothing got done about it

[wintermute]

I am sorry you have to endure such poverty. Maybe next time fly?

[Scott]

They do like to have loud music, don't they? I have never understood this--not only with music but with using microphones and loud-hailers for talking. It seems to be the thing to do.

[thithi]

Just like that ...

[TEFLMike]

I recently had to do a 30 hour return trip from Chon Buri, via the new Bus Station in BKK to Surat Thani. I was only in Surat Thani for 5 hours. The VIP Buses are brilliant. Very well organised, and the price of the fare even included snacks and drinks on the bus and a hot meal, at service areas, in both directions.

The fare each way was 720 baht. We are unable to book a return ticket. It is slightly cheaper from Surt Thani, back to Bangkok

Edited September 20, 2008 by TEFLMike

[Beardog]

I always carry my Ipod with 40 gigs of music that way I can go 25 days & never hear any song twice. on Aa super public bus(not vip.The Ipod with my mini guitar amp & noise canceling headphones. I can't here anything but the tunes I select.

You are braver than I One time on a public bus & Vip after that every time.

With the mini guitar amp you can crank up some death metal to piss off the dikhead playing the cd. That unfortunately might not make to many friends on the bus though. Squid I think is way stinkier than Durian ---neither are my favorites.

Vip buses for bus travel are the only way to go!

[petitechevre]

don't be a cry baby.

last time i was in bangkok i was too lazy to goto saithai and get my bus ticket there.. i asked the travel agency at my hotel if they had VIP bus to phuket

:YESH YESH SIR

-: You sure its VIP, very big, confortable 12 hourrs ride?

:YESH YESH VIP PICKUP HERE..

well they pickme up in a van at my hotel(1000 baht same price as saithai)

bring me to khao san.. now im really suspicious and pissed.. drop us on the fuc_king sidewalk in the middle of the highway.. i have 2 computer screen a laptop and 1 luggage.. ya nice.

have to walk to a back alley..

there HORRID sight.. 60 white and indian kids with backpacks.. NOOOOOO stinky loser backpackers.

all of them board a small bus where i cant move my legs.. smelling like shit..

The couple behind me was very clean they were ripped off too.

5hours we stop at a food stand.. they sell us rice and chicken for 90baht a pop. Crips for 150baht(post dated) and other scandalous prices for 7/11 craps.

no where else to go..

then 9 hours later(with noisy stinky backapckers which i loudly told off many times)

we stop in some middle of nowhere city.. at a <deleted> overpriced restaurant again. wait 4hours for a stupid tuktuk to bring us in small rivers to pickup even more backpackers. in 1 small tuktuk.

Then we get to that city 3-4hours away from phuket i forgot the name its a major one.. disgusting city

we wait 1hour to get on a cheap govt bus there.

bus is overloaded.. instead of 3hours he stops by ranong and drives so slow, takes 9hours (i have yet to eat) to get to phuket. and my friend he has to have 3 fat thai ladies on his knees..

Srsly.. thats a bus ride from hel_l, yours is pretty standard...

took us over 24hrs to get from bangkok to phuket.

next time im going to bangkok, im going to the agency and im smahsing all her stuff and im gonna pour piss on it from a bottle.

worse 24hrs of my life, rather be in an africa jail for a month

[bedbugy]

thanks to all who responed

if i could have flown i would have

there is no flights from hat ya

i would have to go via bkk

or fly from penang malaysia

but if there is a next time 'it's a share taxi/mini van

[goldfish]

NOOOOOO stinky loser backpackers.

?????????????

[Travel2003]

went on holidaty to phuket by bus thai transport co ltd thats the blue and white ones

from hat yai a 7 and half hour trip which turned into a hel_l trip the bus set off ok then they fired up 12 speakers with a cd that never changed this journey should have been a pleasure but with this ultra load noise almost full blast i was the only farang on the bus and 70% of thais were sleeping on asking the bus boy to turn the noise down several times with just a grin me with tissue in my ears this is a heath hazard that i wish on no one so if you take such a journey you need the industrial ear muffs that airport ground staff use be warned

I have experienced the same once.

I never take any of those buses again.

It seems to be the norm with very loud music and annoucements (in the malls, etc), so I guess we as visitors just have to accept that this is something they like.

Still, I dont understand it, but I just have to accept it.

[Spee]

What about train jouney to hel_l? Last time I went by train to Butterworth some one was eating Durrian

for the entyre trip I spend must time in the toilet with the window open to catch some fresh air

most people complained but nothing got done about it

You guys need to develop a little thicker skin ... or stick a crowbar into your wallet and pay for the type of transportation you seem to so badly desire. Or at least invest in some noise cancelling headphones.

It's called "public transportation" not luxury personal transportation. Like an airplane, you're paying for a seat not for a luxurious seat and peaceful quiet aromatic passage.

By the way, it ain't just Thailand. Several years ago I took the TGV from Paris to Nice. There was a little kid who was a bit stir crazy and running up and down the aisle. He wasn't bothering anybody except the elderly couple across from us. All they did was swear at him in French. But later on, when the little rat dog they were carrying in bag took a shit, they just sat there and let the dam_n dog-shit stink up to the whole car.

I won't even get into drunken football hooligans on the trains in most any country in Europe.

[permanent_disorder]

loud music is part of the safety regulations.

it helps to keep the bus driver awake.

[endure]

went on holidaty to phuket by bus thai transport co ltd thats the blue and white ones

from hat yai a 7 and half hour trip which turned into a hel_l trip the bus set off ok then they fired up 12 speakers with a cd that never changed this journey should have been a pleasure but with this ultra load noise almost full blast i was the only farang on the bus and 70% of thais were sleeping on asking the bus boy to turn the noise down several times with just a grin me with tissue in my ears this is a heath hazard that i wish on no one so if you take such a journey you need the industrial ear muffs that airport ground staff use be warned

You need to try an up country bus. You get the same music but the seats are that close together you have to sit with your legs at 150 degrees to each other to sit on them

[RakJungTorlae]

You guys are so dumb. It’s the one who pays the highest amount for him to turn it off is the winner. And then he will just where headphones. If no one dose he wins either way. lolz

[JSixpack]

It seems to be the norm with very loud music and annoucements (in the malls, etc), so I guess we as visitors just have to accept that this is something they like.

Exactly right. All you can do is listen to your own MP3 player, preferable w/ noise-cancelling headphones, or wear earplugs.

Me, I carry earplugs at all times. And I put them in most anywhere, such as malls or BTS stations or, especially, go-gos.

Silence is golden.

[brahmburgers]

someone said; "You took the wrong bus. You should take the VIP bus"

VIP buses can be just as bad or worse than other classes. ...and their rude or indifferent staff can be worse.

Ordinarily I would choose to take a bus because it's cheaper than planes, and if I don't drive my PU truck, then that's one less smoke belching vehicle on the road. However, as all farang know, riding a bus in Thailand can often be a painful experience - for the incessent very loud sounds that can't be avoided. I often ask the staff to turn it down, and sometimes it works! I don't mind getting sneers from the Thai staff, who think "who is this uppity farang telling us what to do in our own country?!?" I'm sure at least some elderly and some monks appreciate my uppitiness.

Plus, the choice of sounds (some call it music) is either awful (katoy TV brat fights) or saccharine on corn syrup (tepid Thai pop songs sung by baby-voiced kids).

Thais will never never ever complain about loud noises. Neither will they ever complain about lack of breathable air or bus drivers who drive recklessly. So it's left up to some of us farang to speak up.

Just as India has a worldwide reputation for having mega crowded uncomfortable trains, so is Thailand developing a reputation for having mega loud and uncomfortable buses. Some first class buses have steel bars running horizontally inside each run of windows - just high enough to knock a tall person on the side of the head each time the bus takes a curve. VIP buses have chairs with adjustable head rests (that often can't adjust due to being broken) which force a tall person to sit hunched over - because the headrest tops out at shoulder level. What sort of small-minded nuts design the interiors of buses?

message to Thai bus operators: get your act together!

[DP25]

It's a good idea to always carry earplugs in Thailand. Nose plugs might be a good idea too, for the times someone decides eating dried squid and durian on a bus with dozens of other people is a good idea.