Super Vip Bus From Chiang Mai-vientiane ?

[palander]

Is there a "Super" 24 seater VIP bus from Chiang Mai all the way to Vientiane/Nong Khai, other than the regular VIP bus which can be booked inside Arcade bus station ?

[ollylama]

don't think so. sure would be nice.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Buy two seats on the regular 32-seat VIP then. Same result. (Or better, possibly)

[elektrified]

I may be wrong but I don't think there is a direct bus to Nong Kai. I think you must travel to Udon Thani. There are many, many posts on this same subject with all the details. Just search the Chiang Mai forum.

[adjan jb]

Some guesthouses in Vientiane (Saylom Yen GH comes to mind) advertise for a direct bus to CM.

[palander]

Some guesthouses in Vientiane (Saylom Yen GH comes to mind) advertise for a direct bus to CM.

Yes, I once read that myself and I am wondering if this company returns to Udon ?

[adjan jb]

Is it possible that every time they arrive in CM they dump the bus ?

Or could it be THE Magic Bus ?

Edited December 16, 2008 by adjan jb

[tampasailor]

Some guesthouses in Vientiane (Saylom Yen GH comes to mind) advertise for a direct bus to CM.

Saylom Yen GH 2

Khouvieng Rd, Vientiane

Mob:(856-20) 566 3826, 561 7290

http://www.saylomyen.laopdr.com/

Dormitory rooms From $3

Single/double room, cold water From $5

Single/double room, hot water From $6

Air con room, hot water From $9

Long stay discounts 20%

[julesdick]

Went to Saylom Yen guest house today. (It may not have been Saylom Yen '2' but surely offers same services) It offers the same VIP route to Chiang Mai as all the other tour agents and guest houses. Its a 3pm (mini?)bus from your guest house to Udon that gets to Udon Thani at 5pm. You then have to wait at Udon bus station to get the 8pm nightbus to Chiang Mai.

This 'Vientiane to Chiang Mai' 2-bus trip costs 1250 baht.

The Udon to Chiang Mai bus alone costs 710 baht. To get from the Vientiane morning market to the friendship bridge is 20 baht and from the bridge to Udon bus station costs 150 baht each (5 people in a fast truck - there are cheaper options no doubt)

[m02]

Let me say up front that this post offers nothing in the way of increasing knowledge about the current state of affairs regarding VIP bus service between CM and Vientaine - I am simply indulging in reminiscing about a not so long ago bus trip between Udon and CM.

I can laugh about that trip now, but at the time about all I was doing was sweating and swearing a lot, as it was the worse bus ride of my life. Had to return to CM rather unexpectedly and didn't have time to make any arrangements - no the cops weren't on my trail... so, ended up taking taxis and buses. Waited hours in Udon for the bus which turned out to have windows you couldn't open and a broken air con system - this was in April leading up to Song Kran and the dam_n thing was a sweat box on wheels. The guy in the seat in front of me was one of these annoying types bouncing around in the seat and flinging his hands over his head almost in my face and tapping on the seat back with his fingers - the seats of course were so close together that my knees were jacked up quite a bit so every time he jumped around I knew about it. Not being the most loving person in the world my annoyance with all that simply got worse when he began using a large bandana to constantly wipe the sweat from his face and neck. When I finally noticed that his favorite sweat rag was in the form of a US flag my irritation sort of fixated on the miscreant and to take my mind off my miserable situation I began to consider appropriate methods by which his life could be brought to an end with as much pain and suffering as possible...

The bus of course finally broke down - but not as you would think in the middle of no where, but actually at a bus arcade in a small town. We were told to unhorse the poor dead thing, and wouldn't you know the passenger exit door was broken and we had to crawl over the driver's seat. We were to be given tickets on another bus and while standing in line with my favorite human in the whole world once again in front of me wiping himself down constantly, I finally asked him if his high regard of the good ol' US of A was the reason he seemed to love his rag so much... haha Believe it or not we got to be good friends and he made sure I got my ticket and got a good seat on the outgoing bus. I assure you that the news paper accounts of the apparent suicide of a poor man found hanging in a bus arcade loo suspended from a sweaty striped bandana was as big a surprise to me as to anyone...

I rode my son's motorcycle round trip from CM to Nong Hoi once and while 14 to 15 hours in the saddle tends to give me a pain in the posterior, I would rather do that than ride there on another bus.

[palander]

Let me say up front that this post offers nothing in the way of increasing knowledge about the current state of affairs regarding VIP bus service between CM and Vientaine - I am simply indulging in reminiscing about a not so long ago bus trip between Udon and CM.

I can laugh about that trip now, but at the time about all I was doing was sweating and swearing a lot, as it was the worse bus ride of my life. Had to return to CM rather unexpectedly and didn't have time to make any arrangements - no the cops weren't on my trail... so, ended up taking taxis and buses. Waited hours in Udon for the bus which turned out to have windows you couldn't open and a broken air con system - this was in April leading up to Song Kran and the dam_n thing was a sweat box on wheels. The guy in the seat in front of me was one of these annoying types bouncing around in the seat and flinging his hands over his head almost in my face and tapping on the seat back with his fingers - the seats of course were so close together that my knees were jacked up quite a bit so every time he jumped around I knew about it. Not being the most loving person in the world my annoyance with all that simply got worse when he began using a large bandana to constantly wipe the sweat from his face and neck. When I finally noticed that his favorite sweat rag was in the form of a US flag my irritation sort of fixated on the miscreant and to take my mind off my miserable situation I began to consider appropriate methods by which his life could be brought to an end with as much pain and suffering as possible...

The bus of course finally broke down - but not as you would think in the middle of no where, but actually at a bus arcade in a small town. We were told to unhorse the poor dead thing, and wouldn't you know the passenger exit door was broken and we had to crawl over the driver's seat. We were to be given tickets on another bus and while standing in line with my favorite human in the whole world once again in front of me wiping himself down constantly, I finally asked him if his high regard of the good ol' US of A was the reason he seemed to love his rag so much... haha Believe it or not we got to be good friends and he made sure I got my ticket and got a good seat on the outgoing bus. I assure you that the news paper accounts of the apparent suicide of a poor man found hanging in a bus arcade loo suspended from a sweaty striped bandana was as big a surprise to me as to anyone...

I rode my son's motorcycle round trip from CM to Nong Hoi once and while 14 to 15 hours in the saddle tends to give me a pain in the posterior, I would rather do that than ride there on another bus.

Great story, m02. Incidentally I am in Vientiane, but came by plane.