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Old 13th February 2014, 00:01   #31
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Superb travelogue accompanied with great pics. Made me thinking of Thailand as our next destination.
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Old 14th April 2014, 16:44   #32
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Re: Day 7, 8 & 9 - The End

Dear Pulsar,

Awesome travalogue. I am inspired to experience these priceless moments.

I am now planning a family trip in the last week of June . I want to Drive down to Phuket and would like to stop for a night at only one location.

Could you please guide me on following :-

1. Which would be that one stop I should plan midway. I was thinking of Hua Hin. But since its a beach destination and would be as good as Phuket, I am thinking of some other location.
2.Cheow Lan Lake / Ratchaprabha Dam (Khao Sok National Park) - Will it be on the way to Phuket or I need to take a diversion? Does this increase the distance between BKK and Phuket?
3. We are three families with a kid each ie 6 adults and three kids (Under 10). Which Vehicle should I go for in case we all want to travel together.
4. Any other important thing that I need to keep in mind for road travel basis your experience.

Thanks

INV

Quote:
Originally Posted by pulsar56 View Post
Day 7, 8 & 9:


THE END!

Last edited by i_nv : 14th April 2014 at 16:45.
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Old 14th April 2014, 17:35   #33
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Re: Day 7, 8 & 9 - The End

Quote:
Originally Posted by i_nv View Post
Dear Pulsar,
I am now planning a family trip in the last week of June . I want to Drive down to Phuket and would like to stop for a night at only one location.

Could you please guide me on following :-

1. Which would be that one stop I should plan midway. I was thinking of Hua Hin. But since its a beach destination and would be as good as Phuket, I am thinking of some other location.
2.Cheow Lan Lake / Ratchaprabha Dam (Khao Sok National Park) - Will it be on the way to Phuket or I need to take a diversion? Does this increase the distance between BKK and Phuket?
3. We are three families with a kid each ie 6 adults and three kids (Under 10). Which Vehicle should I go for in case we all want to travel together.
4. Any other important thing that I need to keep in mind for road travel basis your experience.

Thanks

INV
Hi INV,

Hua Hin will be too close to Bangkok for a mid way stop-over and Surat Thani is almost the same as traveling to Khao Sok.

Khao Sok/Ratchaprabha dam is a (approx 2 hrs) diversion on the way to Phuket
or Krabi but well worth it if you want to experience the forest and lakes of Thailand. Please allocate at least 2 full days here. Decent stay options are at Khao Sok Village (1 hr drive from the lake) or in raft houses along the lake.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post2947657
SS-Traveller had booked a 11 seater Hiace Van from AVIS. You can refer to the link above for more details.

Please remember that the drive to Khao Sok from Bangkok will take approximately 12 hours (with stops) and there are zero food options after 8:30 PM there.

You can also have a look at Krabi if the holiday is for the family to relax. (and it's comparatively cheaper than Phuket).

As for point 4, drive safe and within speed limits, there is nothing else to worry about.


Regards,
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Old 14th April 2014, 17:43   #34
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Re: Day 7, 8 & 9 - The End

Thanks so much for your quick revert. I will go through the SS's travalogue and plan my trip accordingly.

In case If I want to plan Bkk -Khao Sok/Ratchaprabha dam -Phuket - BKK then driving 12 hours with kids would be difficult.

There is no good stop over place where we can stay for a night either on way to Phuket or Khao Sok/Ratchaprabha dam ?

Thanks


Quote:
Originally Posted by pulsar56 View Post
Hi INV,

Hua Hin will be too close to Bangkok for a mid way stop-over and Surat Thani is almost the same as traveling to Khao Sok.

Khao Sok/Ratchaprabha dam is a (approx 2 hrs) diversion on the way to Phuket
or Krabi but well worth it if you want to experience the forest and lakes of Thailand. Please allocate at least 2 full days here. Decent stay options are at Khao Sok Village (1 hr drive from the lake) or in raft houses along the lake.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post2947657
SS-Traveller had booked a 11 seater Hiace Van from AVIS. You can refer to the link above for more details.

Please remember that the drive to Khao Sok from Bangkok will take approximately 12 hours (with stops) and there are zero food options after 8:30 PM there.

You can also have a look at Krabi if the holiday is for the family to relax. (and it's comparatively cheaper than Phuket).

As for point 4, drive safe and within speed limits, there is nothing else to worry about.


Regards,
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Old 14th April 2014, 19:20   #35
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Re: Day 7, 8 & 9 - The End

Quote:
Originally Posted by i_nv View Post
Thanks so much for your quick revert. I will go through the SS's travalogue and plan my trip accordingly.

In case If I want to plan Bkk -Khao Sok/Ratchaprabha dam -Phuket - BKK then driving 12 hours with kids would be difficult.

There is no good stop over place where we can stay for a night either on way to Phuket or Khao Sok/Ratchaprabha dam ?

Thanks
Hi i_NV

There are a lot of places where you can plan for a break in your journey. You will driving past many small towns and beach resorts and some of them have sign boards on the highway as well.

I just searched and found some places you can check for a stop-over. Have a look at the resorts/hotels at Pranburi, Prachaup Khiri Khan, Chumphon, etc.

I would recommend booking a place in Chumphon as it is approximately half-way from Khao-Sok/Phuket and Bangkok.
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Old 15th April 2014, 02:22   #36
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Re: Thailand: Kanchanaburi, Khao Sok & Phuket - A Road Trip!

Great travelogue. I enjoyed reading it.
The surroundings looks neat and clean in every picture - No garbage, neat roads etc.Ls it like that every where in Thailand?
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Old 15th April 2014, 07:44   #37
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Re: Thailand: Kanchanaburi, Khao Sok & Phuket - A Road Trip!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Superleggera View Post
Great travelogue. I enjoyed reading it.
The surroundings looks neat and clean in every picture - No garbage, neat roads etc.Ls it like that every where in Thailand?
Thank you Superleggera for your appreciation!

Not sure about everywhere in Thailand part but the places we visited were really clean, though not as good as Singapore, etc.
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Old 15th April 2014, 14:09   #38
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Re: Day 7, 8 & 9 - The End

Thanks So much..

Will share with you final plan after consulting with my friends. May even bother you again if I have questions.

Most probably I may comeback you to plan the driving schedule so that we see see maximum country side and save travel time (avoid traffic hours etc)..

INV

Quote:
Originally Posted by pulsar56 View Post
Hi i_NV

There are a lot of places where you can plan for a break in your journey. You will driving past many small towns and beach resorts and some of them have sign boards on the highway as well.

I just searched and found some places you can check for a stop-over. Have a look at the resorts/hotels at Pranburi, Prachaup Khiri Khan, Chumphon, etc.

I would recommend booking a place in Chumphon as it is approximately half-way from Khao-Sok/Phuket and Bangkok.
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Old 30th May 2014, 14:32   #39
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Re: Thailand: Kanchanaburi, Khao Sok & Phuket - A Road Trip!

Quote:
Originally Posted by pulsar56 View Post
Hi raghubhaskar,

A) The DTAC sim had pretty decent coverage throughout Thailand. I used an Android phone for Data but for GPS, I depended entirely on the stand-alone unit I rented from Hertz.
You can rely on a smart phone also for GPS. I could not use mine due to some issues on my phone and a weak battery.


A) The base levels of the waterfalls (Level 1-3) are easily accessible and don't require much trekking. 4-5 is medium difficulty and 6-7 is supposed to be little tricky based on the reviews on Tripadvisor.
We took around approximately 2.5+ hours to reach level 5. (with stops at the lower levels for photography, etc). It was the first time trekking for my wife and hence we were comparatively slower.

The path was slippery when we had been there and sandals/shoes with good grip was necessary. There were a lot of people (wearing flip-flops) slipping and falling along the path.


If you are also planning for tiger temple on the same day, it would be a good idea to go to the falls early in the morning and start from Erawan latest by 1:00 PM for 1+ hour drive to Tiger temple.
The regular visiting hours to the tiger temple are from 12:00 to 5:00 PM I guess.



P.S: Please do check on the situation/travel advisory for Bangkok due to the on-going political situation there.


I am already planning another vacation in Koh Lanta, Thailand.

Thanks Pulsar56. I just did the trip of Thailand and I did the Cheow Learn Lake at Rathchaparabha Dam. I also took a car and the drive was simple awesome. DTAC SIM gave me a good coverage all thoughout and a car charger and iPhone took me to a lot of cool places. Thanks a lot for your TL. The trip was amazing. Since you already have a TL on thailand I'm not posting mine :-)
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Old 30th May 2014, 14:40   #40
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Re: Thailand: Kanchanaburi, Khao Sok & Phuket - A Road Trip!

Quote:
Originally Posted by pulsar56 View Post
Hi Raghu,

Your current DL (either Indian or US) is sufficient to rent a car. IDP is not mandatory but good to have if you can manage to get one. (Approximate cost is 500+ INR)

We have a dedicated thread on team-bhp for IDP if you need more info - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...dp-thread.html

I don't remember seeing this text before.

Hello Pulsar56.

Yes they did not even ask me for a DL let alone a IDL. All they asked was for a passport and they were very happy to give me a car. The only disappointmet was it was a little run down car which I did not check initially.
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Old 30th May 2014, 16:20   #41
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Re: Thailand: Kanchanaburi, Khao Sok & Phuket - A Road Trip!

Quote:
Originally Posted by raghubhaskar View Post
Thanks Pulsar56. I just did the trip of Thailand and I did the Cheow Learn Lake at Rathchaparabha Dam. I also took a car and the drive was simple awesome. DTAC SIM gave me a good coverage all thoughout and a car charger and iPhone took me to a lot of cool places. Thanks a lot for your TL. The trip was amazing. Since you already have a TL on thailand I'm not posting mine :-)
Please do take some time out and write the travelogue. It will definitely benefit more members to explore Thailand. You can at least share a photo-logue!
How was the weather during your trip?
I was at Koh Lanta in March and absolutely hated the hot weather.


Quote:
Originally Posted by raghubhaskar View Post
Hello Pulsar56.
Yes they did not even ask me for a DL let alone a IDL. All they asked was for a passport and they were very happy to give me a car. The only disappointmet was it was a little run down car which I did not check initially.
Which company? Avis or Hertz or Budget? How much did you pay for it?
Which car did you book and did you get any free upgrade?
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Old 3rd June 2014, 14:59   #42
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Re: Thailand: Kanchanaburi, Khao Sok & Phuket - A Road Trip!

Quote:
Originally Posted by pulsar56 View Post
Please do take some time out and write the travelogue. It will definitely benefit more members to explore Thailand. You can at least share a photo-logue!
How was the weather during your trip?
I was at Koh Lanta in March and absolutely hated the hot weather.



Which company? Avis or Hertz or Budget? How much did you pay for it?
Which car did you book and did you get any free upgrade?
I used Hertz. I booked a Toyota Vios. The rates were good at 520B/Day including all insurance. I changed my mind and wanted a higher end car when i reached the airport but they have absolutely no clue about the english language and I was hardpressed for time. So I did not pursue. Hence I did not check the car they gave me as well. It was very old but clean.
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Old 30th July 2019, 13:03   #43
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Re: Thailand: Kanchanaburi, Khao Sok & Phuket - A Road Trip!

Bumping up an old TL. Folks I am traveling to Phuket this weekend with my wife. Never visited Thailand before. My flight is via Bangkok and there is a 2.15 hour time gap between landing and the connecting flight to Phuket.

I wanted to know if I should apply for Visa on Arrival at Bangkok or at Phuket? I heard the queue in Phuket is comparably less. I don't mind paying 200 Baht for fast track visa.
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Old 31st July 2019, 12:01   #44
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Re: Thailand: Kanchanaburi, Khao Sok & Phuket - A Road Trip!

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Bumping up an old TL. Folks I am traveling to Phuket this weekend with my wife. Never visited Thailand before. My flight is via Bangkok and there is a 2.15 hour time gap between landing and the connecting flight to Phuket.

I wanted to know if I should apply for Visa on Arrival at Bangkok or at Phuket? I heard the queue in Phuket is comparably less. I don't mind paying 200 Baht for fast track visa.
I have to been to Thailand a couple of time and I always get visa from India. Last time when I went to Phuket, my flight landed at 10 am. Around same time 3 more flights had landed in span of 15 minutes and there was chaos at the airport. There was serpentine queue for visa-on-arrival, luckily we got through immigration much much quickly.
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Old 31st July 2019, 13:12   #45
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Re: Thailand: Kanchanaburi, Khao Sok & Phuket - A Road Trip!

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Originally Posted by RM Motorsports View Post
I have to been to Thailand a couple of time and I always get visa from India. Last time when I went to Phuket, my flight landed at 10 am. Around same time 3 more flights had landed in span of 15 minutes and there was chaos at the airport. There was serpentine queue for visa-on-arrival, luckily we got through immigration much much quickly.
Thanks, but my question was regarding the place I need to apply for visa on arrival. There is free visa on arrival now, and if you pay 200 THB, you can get into a fast track line.

I wanted to know if I should apply at Bangkok, or at Phuket?
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