Help With The Redshirts And Travelling Around Bangkok

[b34ut1ful]

Hi i get to bangkok in a couple of weeks, and my plan was to continue onto chiang mai, and pai etc. I was going to get the overnight train to chiang mai but would also consider a domestic flight. please can you help me with these three questions:

1. does anyone know if the area near the train station is affected by violence or is it quite safe? I need to get from the international airport to the train station so just wondered if you knew if that route was still clear?

2. Does anyone know if the route to get from the international airport to the domestic airport is clear?

3. Does anyone know what the situation is like in the rest of the country- especially in other cities like Chiang mai? Is it business as usual in those?

[pitanu]

the main central station hua lumpong is nearby to where the trouble is at the moment. but you can get the train from many stations in bangkok, bangsue, samsen, bangkhen, etc. these areas are quiet and are mainly residential. samsen is probably the better trains station and quite easy to get to by exiting from the expressway at rama 6.

[LuckyLew]

International and most national flights are out of same airport, Suvarnaphumi

Why not just fly air asia out of suvarnaphumi?

The fly to Chiang Mai 5 times a day

fist being 6.45am

last being 9pm

Will only cost about 1600 Thai Baht

www.airasia.com

[b34ut1ful]

the main central station hua lumpong is nearby to where the trouble is at the moment. but you can get the train from many stations in bangkok, bangsue, samsen, bangkhen, etc. these areas are quiet and are mainly residential. samsen is probably the better trains station and quite easy to get to by exiting from the expressway at rama 6.

hi pitanu, thank you. are all the other station names you have mntioned in bangkok also? and do they do overnight trains to chiang mai? I am also worried about the situation in chiang mai as well- in case that is also dangerous because of the recent attacks there with regards to bombs etc.

[b34ut1ful]

International and most national flights are out of same airport, Suvarnaphumi

Why not just fly air asia out of suvarnaphumi?

The fly to Chiang Mai 5 times a day

fist being 6.45am

last being 9pm

Will only cost about 1600 Thai Baht

www.airasia.com

hi, thanks. Yes, after pitanu's post saying the main railway station was close to the trouble, i think i will get a flight now. but I am also worried about the situation in chiang mai as well, do you have any info on that? are there any signs that chiang mai may be unsafe as well?

[LuckyLew]

International and most national flights are out of same airport, Suvarnaphumi

Why not just fly air asia out of suvarnaphumi?

The fly to Chiang Mai 5 times a day

fist being 6.45am

last being 9pm

Will only cost about 1600 Thai Baht

www.airasia.com

hi, thanks. Yes, after pitanu's post saying the main railway station was close to the trouble, i think i will get a flight now. but I am also worried about the situation in chiang mai as well, do you have any info on that? are there any signs that chiang mai may be unsafe as well?

As of now Chiang Mai is fine, no big issued there

but you cannot tell what might happen there if the

reds get dispersed in a more violent way in Bangkok

[ALFREDO]

You have to wait some days and than you can get maybe more clear answers. You say you fly in some weeks, so take it easy.

Ask again before you fly-the outcome of the situation is not clear now.

In the moment you would have no troubles to fly from Suvarnabhumi to Chiang Mai and have a nice holyday there and in other parts of TH.

Just stay away wherever a Political group trys to make a statement-that would be in the moment easy.

[nullifi3d]

I thought i'd add a reply instead or creating a new topic - i'm in a similar perdicament but my trip is at the end of june. Not sure how much longer this political charade will persist but i'm quite adamant on going to BKK purely for entertainment and visiting some people.

I have yet to hear from my friends in BKK about the situation presently, will my freedom to walk around be restricted? My points of interests and destinations are more likely to be within the MBK, Siam, Ratchada, Pratunam areas. How badly affected are they?

I'm not a virgin visitor there, and i'm quite familiar with going around - i'm also fine with making detours to avoid possible red spots (pun not intended). Will a farang like me be a possible target for unexpected roadbloacks?

I'll be staying in the Paholythin area next to sanam pao BTS. I pray for the sake of my safety and the security of every in thailand that it gets better soon.

Hope you can help me out with these issues

Cheers

[pitanu]

the train stations i gave you yesterday all operate overnight trains to chiang mai. you can get to these stations without a problem, but as someone said earlier you may want to consider the flight, especially if you were planning on taking a private air-con cabin, price difference between that and a low cost air ticket is minimal.

train timetable for northern route is as follows; http://www.railway.co.th/English/Time_HTML.asp you can see at the bottom of the page there's the train ticket price.

1st class air con sleeper @ baht 1353 per person

2nd class air con sleeper @ baht 881 per person (upper berth baht 791 per person)

low cost carriers nok air (www.nokair.com) and air asia (www.airasia.com) offer cheap tickets ONLY if you book well in advance, eg. 60 days, however if you book close to the travel date prices are not much different to a regular schedule flight by thai international (www.thaiair.com). but if you are flying multiple destinations in thailand i would suggest you look at regular schedule carriers like thai international and bangkok airways (www.bangkokair.com) because they sometimes have special promotions for 3 routes & up.

chiang mai is fairly calm at the moment, though this is the home town of the former prime minister in exile, i seriously doubt that what has happened in bangkok will be mirrored in chiang mai, people are of different mentality, and traditions, etc. etc. whilst in bangkok like any big city is a melting pot.

have a good trip & enjoy yourself.

[ALFREDO]

-nullifi3d-

You have here in thaivisaforum more than once, map links shown where you can see which areas are in the moment affected, I think some of your mentioned shopping areas are affected, even closed.

I do not know where your mentioned Hotelarea is, I usualy stay at Sukhumvit Soi 11/1 or Soi 2-which is already a little near the protesting site, but also near to the night entertainments you also want to visit. NANA, Soi COWBYOY, BEERGARDEN Soi 7, THERMAE corner of Soi 15, ect. PATPONG I seldom come.

So, I think you have to wait what the outcome is, still some more time until your visit. Take it easy.