Anyone Driven From Phuket To Sisaket?

[Somtamnication]

May make that trip in April.

My main concern is going through the spaghetti roads in BKK and finding my way east.

How long did it take you, gas costs, etc.

Tks.

[crazygreg44]

No spaghetti ! Simply buy yourself a good map , like the large spiral bound DIN A3 Thailand road atlas. It shows the Bangkok Ring road number 9 , which is not much of an italian noodle but really easy to follow. I feared the same, but after I went the first rounds, found it easy. My suggestion is, coming from the Petchkasem Road number 4, take the 35 via Samut Songkhram, and from there onto the number 9 BKK Ring Road into direction Bang Bua Thong ( Ayutthaya). It is easy to miss the exit from the 35 to the number 9, so keep your eyes open ! And don t go the other way around Bangkok - well, if you miss, it s not that bad, then stick with it , you will end up on the same number 9 Ring road, but paying a fee, and it will lead you to the conjunction of the 9 with the number 1 north of Bangkok as well. Taking the left ring road round Bangers is better and a little bit shorter. Then from Wang Wian Noi number 1 via Saraburi, then number 2 and finally in the direction to Nakhon Ratchasima, take the 24 to Buriram / Surin.

You can t make the trip in one day, however. Forget about trying so. Driving at night can be really dangerous , everywhere there are ghost lorries without lights and motosais with drunk driverscutting into your way. Make it a two day journey, with the first leg to, maybe in Pranburi - Hua Hin / Cha Am, second leg to Srisaket the other day. Each leg will be around 730 kilometers, and you should allow yourself some midday nap for about one hour. Leaving in the early morning leaves you enuff time to check out an accomodation for the between the legs night break while there is still daylight. And you can relax at a nice dining place in Pranburi or Hua Hin. Have a safe trip and lotsa fun !

[stevenl]

No spaghetti ! Simply buy yourself a good map , like the large spiral bound DIN A3 Thailand road atlas. It shows the Bangkok Ring road number 9 , which is not much of an italian noodle but really easy to follow. I feared the same, but after I went the first rounds, found it easy. My suggestion is, coming from the Petchkasem Road number 4, take the 35 via Samut Songkhram, and from there onto the number 9 BKK Ring Road into direction Bang Bua Thong ( Ayutthaya). It is easy to miss the exit from the 35 to the number 9, so keep your eyes open ! And don t go the other way around Bangkok - well, if you miss, it s not that bad, then stick with it , you will end up on the same number 9 Ring road, but paying a fee, and it will lead you to the conjunction of the 9 with the number 1 north of Bangkok as well. Taking the left ring road round Bangers is better and a little bit shorter. Then from Wang Wian Noi number 1 via Saraburi, then number 2 and finally in the direction to Nakhon Ratchasima, take the 24 to Buriram / Surin.

You can t make the trip in one day, however. Forget about trying so. Driving at night can be really dangerous , everywhere there are ghost lorries without lights and motosais with drunk driverscutting into your way. Make it a two day journey, with the first leg to, maybe in Pranburi - Hua Hin / Cha Am, second leg to Srisaket the other day. Each leg will be around 730 kilometers, and you should allow yourself some midday nap for about one hour. Leaving in the early morning leaves you enuff time to check out an accomodation for the between the legs night break while there is still daylight. And you can relax at a nice dining place in Pranburi or Hua Hin. Have a safe trip and lotsa fun !

I have done this quite a few times, always at night though, IMO much better than during the day.

Did this a couple of times: 'It is easy to miss the exit from the 35 to the number 9, so keep your eyes open ! ' If that happens, simply keep going and take the toll way direction Din Daeng and after that Don Muang. You'll also end up on the 1 direction Saraburi.

Agree that except for this exit navigation around Bangkok is easy.

[Somtamnication]

Great, thanks for the tips.

[katabeachbum]

I have done this quite a few times, always at night though, IMO much better than during the day.

Did this a couple of times: 'It is easy to miss the exit from the 35 to the number 9, so keep your eyes open ! ' If that happens, simply keep going and take the toll way direction Din Daeng and after that Don Muang. You'll also end up on the 1 direction Saraburi.

Agree that except for this exit navigation around Bangkok is easy.

me to

but I avoid driving at night, as the fatality stats are to high

700km to Hua Hin area, 700 km next day

and dont look for BKK signs, as you are not going to Bangkok. Highway 4, Highway 35, Expressway 9. have 20s and hundreds ready for tollways and couple of hundreds for dirty cops

and perhaps 4500 baht for a Garmin?

[Somtamnication]

Sounds clear enough. I have an Ipad, so I may install the Motion gps thingy. I do not want to spend 4500 baht for a gps if I am only going to use it this one time. If I was living in BKK, I would buy a stand alone gps for sure.

[barka]

Done that route many times but next door to Surin..the best i have done it is 16 hours..only stopping for gas and food..but the other alternatiive is stop the night at, Huahin or Cha am..that way you can leave Phket in the morning.... you have 2 routes to chose from when you get near bangkok..either through bkk to Saraburi or the scenic way bypasing inner bkk and going over the mountins coming out just before Korak the trouble with that way you can get behind car transporters coming from the factories from Rayong .good luck..

[SantiSuk]

If you are on your own it might be no more expensive to fly to Ubon Ratchatani (Air Asia now flys Phuket to Ubon direct) and hire a cheap pickup from Budget. Much less stress and four hours or less door to door.Si Saket is 45 minutes drive from Ubon airport.

Edited January 28, 2011 by SantiSuk

[Somtamnication]

The flight plan is ideal, but as the farang with a pickup, I will be taking part of the village with me. My intentions are honorable... drive over bumps as much as I can.

[hkt83100]

Sounds clear enough. I have an Ipad, so I may install the Motion gps thingy.

Lots of mobiles in these days have a navigation/gps built in, and the maps are - at least for Nokia - free. On trips like these I trust my good old N82, it has been leading me to all the places I was looking for. That is, with the older version of Nokia Maps, the newer OVI Maps are just lousy.

[stevenl]

The flight plan is ideal, but as the farang with a pickup, I will be taking part of the village with me. My intentions are honorable... drive over bumps as much as I can.

Sounds familiar. Every time I go that direction I have the feeling I am taking the whole village with me, don't know why we all can't just meet here