Bangkok International Airport to Downtown
.The new Bangkok Airport was opened in September 2006, but may be partially or completely closed by the time you read this as a scandal broke in December 2006 about substandard construction due to negligence and fraud. When you arrive at the main terminal, you are offered the option of a limousine or express bus service to the downtown areas. Supposedly if you want a local bus or taxi, you must take a shuttle bus to another transportation terminal where they leave from. In reality, there are many touts in the main terminal trying to get you in a taxi, (we wouldn’t trust them) and one fellow traveler said if you walk a bit to the right from the express bus stand there are metered taxis available. We opted for the express bus at Thai Baht 150/person (about $4.00 US). The flyer for the express bus lists four routes, but it seems like there was only one in operation when we arrived. That one appeared to run a route combined from the others listed. If you do take the express bus, it is wise to be familiar with where you are going, have a fairly detailed map, or preferably have an address written in Thai for a taxi/tuktuk driver, as you may be dropped off along a busy road a few blocks from your hotel.
Getting around Bangkok
Metered taxis, tuktuks, the Skytrain, and the river taxi are all inexpensive ways to get around town. Avoid the offers from the hotel staff for their car to take you anywhere unless you are heavy on disposable cash. When traveling to the Cambodian Embassy to get our visas, the hotel car was quoted as 300 TB (about $8.25 US) while a metered taxi which we picked up 50 feet from the hotel lobby cost 45 TB ($1.25 US). We did experience one instance when a metered taxi didn’t want to use the meter, but wanted to negotiate a rate instead. We walked away and caught the next taxi to come by who was more than happy to start the meter.
It is worth taking the river taxi if for no other reason than the experience. If you are visiting the Grand Palace, one option is to take the Skytrain to the end of the Silom line at Somdet Phrachao Taksin Bridge. From there, catch the river taxi to the Tha Tien pier, and the Grand Palace will be just past the small market as you come off the pier. Watch out for the touts trying to get you to go on other trips by saying the Palace is closed for whatever reason that day. They are flat out lying.
Bangkok to the rest of Thailand
The bus is a primary and inexpensive mode of transportation. Between major areas there are often both express and local busses. Both are air conditioned, but as expected the local routes stop often and can take more than twice as long. Traveling from Bangkok to Pattaya we caught an express bus from the eastern bus terminal (Ekamai) for TB 117 ($2.25 US) one way which takes two hours. You are assigned seats which will be shown on your ticket.
Money
If you rely on ATMs as we do, you will find one on almost every corner. Unfortunately there appears to be a high rate of fraud and theft related to ATM cards, so some banks and credit unions may block transactions from Thailand as ours did. Fortunately we had some cash and travelers checks for backup that we could exchange at the airport. Once we contacted the credit union via email, they quickly explained the issue and promptly allowed ATM withdrawals. Notifying your bank of your travel plans in advance may avoid problems in getting cash from an ATM on arrival.
