I Took A Bus To Korat!

[Satcommlee]

Having dropped off a temporary rental car in Pattaya, I needed to get public transport back home to Korat.

I dreaded the thought, I expected an 8 hour journey from hell in a cramped bus seat but instead I was pleasantly surprised!

I got on the 10am Pattaya to Korat bus from Third Road near Pattaya Klang, it was a VIP bus.

Despite it making its way to Chonburi first adding an hour to the journey, the bus finally made its way without stopping to Korat.

I must say this bus was an enjoyable experience, the seats were a 1 - 2 configuration, fully reclining, with leg rests and somewhat comparable to a medium haul business class seat on a aircraft.

I can never sleep on aircraft even in first class, but I managed to get 2 hours sleep on this bus.

It took 5 hours to get to Korat and being on the upper deck, I really enjoyed looking out of the window at things I had never seen during the 20 or so times I had made this trip by my own car.

A week ago I would have turned my nose up at bus travel, but I think next time I may choose to leave the car at home and do the same thing again... all for 380 baht..

I am always worn out after doing the run by car, I got to Korat bus station fully relaxed and enjoyed the trip.

This wasn't the much raved over nakhornchai Air... it was the bus station near TOT on third road... they get 10/10 from me.. absolutely great trip.. and enjoyed it!

[bangkokstick]

Next time won't be so enjoyable, you can be sure ! Keep your good experience and don't try this again, you have just been over lucky.

By the way, there is no bus station near TOT, so what is the company you have used ? Buses parked on the side of the road near TOT go to MUKDAHAN it seems ?

[pinfold]

Next time won't be so enjoyable, you can be sure ! Keep your good experience and don't try this again, you have just been over lucky.

By the way, there is no bus station near TOT, so what is the company you have used ? Buses parked on the side of the road near TOT go to MUKDAHAN it seems ?

It is a staging post,buy tickets etc VIP buses to many destinations, Issan etc(straight through and return Kanchanaburi-Rayong etc). Busy place too

MUKDAHAN ,perhaps there, but at Nua too

[VocalNeal]

By the way, there is no bus station near TOT

VIP buses are OK. Some only have 32 reclining seats.

Most so called VIP buses do not leave from a Bus Station they leave from outside the office of the company that runs or owns the bus. As anyone from Rayong, for instance, will know the VIP buses leave from the offices of bus companies near the bus station but not AT the bus station. Sounds like in Pattaya that one is near TOT.

[craigt3365]

My wife's mother does this trip several times a year. Going through Bangkok is quicker, but more of a hassle. She prefers the direct bus.

The bus station is next to ToT on 3rd road just North of Klang. Buses are parked on the street and they leave/depart from there.

[glegolo]

I do not really understand this negative talk from some of you "experienced" guys. I have gone by bus to and from Chaiyaphum to Pattaya at least 20 times, and IT IS also for me always a nice way of travelling.

I did in the first years down here choose the car-travel....... But it was an easy choice after that to go by bus.....

Good for you to discover this.. cheap and restful trips...

Glegolo

[bangkokstick]

We all have different thinking about how much our lives are worth...

Taking a bus, especially at night, is the best way to die in a fatal road accident...

[Gone]

We all have different thinking about how much our lives are worth...

Taking a bus, especially at night, is the best way to die in a fatal road accident...

Always someone negative doesn't matter what you say here. Try smiling one day mate and even listen to some of the POSITIVE posts here.

[champers]

I've used buses many times in Thailand and have not had too many problems. Once did a VIP bus journey from Chiang Rai to Bangkok. It was OK but watching Hollywood movies with no English sub-titles for 11 hours is not much fun. Free meals (pork/chicken & rice), free biscuits (Mmmm!), free iced coffee and water are all OK by me. Properly reclining seats and a good shuteye is possible.

I reckon that there isn't a better place for people watching than Morchit bus station, in Bangkok. It's a job creation scheme on a massive scale with hundreds of "employees" actually doing nothing at all - unless you can count eating, combing your friend's hair, doing your make-up, gossiping and more eating as work (and that's just the men). No wonder unemployment rates are so low in Thailand. I do feel safer in a bus than I would do in a car/taxi, if only because of the size, rather than the competence of the driver.

[craigt3365]

I've used buses many times in Thailand and have not had too many problems. Once did a VIP bus journey from Chiang Rai to Bangkok. It was OK but watching Hollywood movies with no English sub-titles for 11 hours is not much fun. Free meals (pork/chicken & rice), free biscuits (Mmmm!), free iced coffee and water are all OK by me. Properly reclining seats and a good shuteye is possible.

I reckon that there isn't a better place for people watching than Morchit bus station, in Bangkok. It's a job creation scheme on a massive scale with hundreds of "employees" actually doing nothing at all - unless you can count eating, combing your friend's hair, doing your make-up, gossiping and more eating as work (and that's just the men). No wonder unemployment rates are so low in Thailand. I do feel safer in a bus than I would do in a car/taxi, if only because of the size, rather than the competence of the driver.

There was an article recently on the poor build quality and safety standards of Thai buses. They're too big, too tall and too heavy for their design. Actually, there's no design documents at all. They just start building.

Watch this:

http://www.channel4.com/news/the-undocumented-dangers-of-thailands-roads

[rott]

We all have different thinking about how much our lives are worth...

Taking a bus, especially at night, is the best way to die in a fatal road accident...

Did the overnight to Nong Khai some years ago and it was a white knuckle experience that I would not care to repeat, but I think the day buses are in general much as the OP says.

[bangkokstick]

Of course we all did the bus trips but anybody with half a brain knows that buses are so dangerous here and even if you take it 100 times safely it doesn't mean that th1 101 time you will arrive alive !

And it is obvious that night buses are the most dangerous:

- speeding.

- less visibility

- tired drivers

- drunk people around

- many others...

But anyway millions of people will keep taking buses here because it's cheap and some people even say that it is "agreable"...

I just say that the chances that your feet arrive before your head are big !!!