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Travelling about Thailand Except for Bangkok with its daily traffic congestions, Thailand has an excellent transportation infrastructure. Actually, taking equally into account costs, connections and comfort provided, the kingdom has one of the best transportation systems in the world. AIR: Those who prefer to fly find good connections between Bangkok and the most important provincial cities. Furthermore, from the most important provincial cities such as Chiang Mai, there are not only flights to neighboring smaller provincial cities but also to destinations further away - without the necessity to go via Bangkok; for example, there are direct flights from Chiang Mai to Phuket. Air travel is exceptionally cheap by international standards. RAIL: Railways connect Bangkok with the North, the Northeast, the East Coast and the South. Rail travel is cheap, and the service is excellent. BUS/COACH: A very dense network of bus routes makes it possible to reach easily every corner of the country. Buses are more comfortable than what is the case in Europe. Usually, a stewardess is on board, providing a service comparable to the one internationally common on aircraft. LOCAL: Meanwhile, every area is well supported by its own, sometimes peculiar, local transport system. The Asian Mule (step-through motorbikes) is ubiquitous, carrying everything from families to farm produce. This author even saw an eagle being exercised - flying just above the handlebars of a Honda. Meanwhile of course, motorcycle taxis are a very cost-effective means of getting about in towns. |
