Dalat to Nha Trang - Bus

Our final journey was from Dalat to Nha Trang! This was quite an easy and short journey to make and only took around 4 hours with a short stop along the way. This journey we booked at our hotel for 150,000 VND each.

We were picked up around 7.30am and taken to the centre of Nha Trang to board a small bus. This bus was full however, we still had plenty of room for this journey. The journey to Nha Trang is quite scenic and involves many windy roads! We stopped at a small roadside shack for 10 minutes to grab some food and a drink.

No problems on this journey and we were dropped off in Nha Trang, not far from the beach. From here you can grab a taxi or walk to nearby accommodation.

4 out of 5

Mui Ne to Dalat - Bus

Our next journey saw us travel northwards and inland away from the coast! We were heading to the town of Dalat to explore and hopefully go canyoning. This part of our journey was very simple. We booked tickets at our hostel- Backpackers Resort- and departed early morning for around 100,000VND. The minibus arrived 20 minutes later than expected and was already very full. We picked up a few more people and departed for Dalat.

The minibus wasn’t too bad inside and we sat on the back seats which offered us a little more legroom! The journey took around 4 hours with a short break in the middle. This was another windy bus journey into the countryside of Vietnam.

Upon arrival, we got dropped off in the centre of Dalat and it was much cooler than anywhere else we have been so far! We decided to walk to our hotel but there are plenty of taxis around if needed.

Time to exlpore Dalat!

4 out of 5

Ho Chi Minh City to Mui Ne - Bus

After a few hectic days in the city of Ho Chi Minh, it was time to move onto the must quieter location of Mui Ne! During our time in Ho Chi Minh, we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels on a tour provided by Sinh Tourist. After a positive experience, we decided to use them again for the next leg of our journey. They are very easy to locate in the main backpacker area of the city, beware of similar named companies trying to get your business!

We booked onto the early morning bus leaving at 7am from across the road. Here we waited for a while before a minibus finally picked us up and we all crammed in! From here we drove to a bus station where we had to wait again for another half an hour. We nearly boarded the wrong bus after asking someone however we were soon pointed in the right direction.

When it was finally time to board, we were surprised to see it was a sleeper bus. No problems and it probably made the journey more comfortable for us! The journey took a good 6 hours with a break in the middle and we had no problems to note!

Sleeper buses are not made for tall people!

Upon arrival in Mui Ne, the bus stopped at several various locations and the bus conductor made sure he knew where everyone needed to get off the bus. A very efficient service and we were dropped off outside Mui Ne Backpacker Village hotel.

Quite a long day of travel, with plenty of waiting around in the morning but overall an enjoyable experience with Sinh Tourist!

4 out of 5

Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) - Bus - Minor Crash

Due to the success of our last journey with Giant Ibis, we decided to book our transport with them again by visiting their booking office near the night market in Phnom Penh. However, a few days prior to this, we arranged to have our Vietnam visa sorted with a local travel agency. They were located on Preah Sisowath Quay (riverfront) but I’m unsure of their name, it cost $40 dollars for a 30-day UK citizen visa and took a couple of days. It’s important that you sort out your Vietnamese visa in advance! There is an exception to this though as a lot of countries can get a free 15-day visa.

Scenic bus ride

We booked onto the 8am bus departing to Ho Chi Minh City for $18 dollars per person. We arrived half an hour early and boarded the bus in good time and received a complimentary bottle of water and Blue Pumpkin pastry. The first leg of the journey to the border crossing takes around 4 hours with a brief stop during this where they collect all your passports to get the appropriate stamps and to check you have a visa if required. The rep will also get the passports stamped at the Cambodian border control to speed up the process.

There was then a quick stop between each border at a duty-free shop and restaurant for around 15 minutes. This bit got a little confusing as we had a quick look around and decided to wait back on the bus. The bus then left with only half the people on it and it caused a lot of confusion and stress for those who had someone not on the bus! No answers were given when asked to go back and we were dropped off at the Vietnamese border control. I presume they then went back to get the others however I don’t understand why they just didn’t initially wait.

Vietnamese passport control then took a very long time to get through as many people were waiting and only a few members of staff were working. Unfortunately, this room was very hot and it took a good hour to get through this process! Next is the x-ray machine for luggage which again is busy and then you all line up to have your passport checked again. This took a while as only one person was doing this and most Vietnamese people seemed to think they could walk to the front of the queue!

After all of this we got on the bus again and headed for Ho Chi Minh City. We were now driving on a much better dual carriage way to those in Cambodia and were making good time until… As most people know-the buses here don’t hang around. We were driving down a dual carriage way alongside a lorry and both seemed to want a race! However, a minute later, the inevitable happened and we collided with the lorry. Thankfully this was only a small crash, a lost wing mirror and some scrapping of the side but it could have been a lot worse! This highlighted the true danger of travelling on buses in Asia, so please be aware of the risks before travelling around.

Very busy in Ho Chi Minh City!

We carried onto Saigon centre and got dropped near the Giant Ibis agency which is round the corner from the main backpackers street! From here you can get a taxi or walk to a local hotel or hostel, we chose the latter.

In conclusion, this journey was certainly an experience and we were glad to finally arrive! I still believe that Giant Ibis is still a good company to use but be aware of the dangers of travelling on roads in South East Asia.

2 out of 5

Bangkok to Siem Reap - Day Bus

With only a couple of days back in Bangkok, we quickly booked our bus tickets to leave before our visa’s expired. Our next country was Cambodia and we were heading 400km east to Siem Reap! Staying near Koh San Road again, we visited the travel agents we had previously used (see blog Bangkok to Koh Tao) which is located on Chakrabongse Road next to Boots. We booked onto the earliest bus for 800 baht each and had to be at the office for 8am the next morning for pick up. We knew that we could get visas on arrival as British citizens, however make sure your nationality allows this.

The next day we turned up at the travel agents around 15 minutes early and waited there for a good half an hour until our tickets were checked. We briskly walked around the corner to a single decker bus waiting to collect us and boarded. It was quite basic compared to other buses we had been on and we proceeded to head out of Bangkok on the highway with the bus was about three quarters full. I also noticed it was a left-hand drive bus which meant it must have been from Cambodia.

An hour into the journey, one of the guys at the front came walking down the bus saying we would stop in 30 minutes and everyone needed to pay 1,400 baht or $40 US dollars each for the Cambodian visa upon arrival at the border. We were told they would get our visas on our behalf but I knew it was $10 cheaper for each of us to do it ourselves at the border. He said quite clearly, we couldn’t. With little cash, I paid to withdraw more money from a cash machine when we stopped to cover the visa costs.

When we set off again for the final part of the journey in Thailand to the border at Krong Poi Pet, the guy went around collecting everyone’s money and passports from them. This time he said we could do it ourselves but it would take much longer and we would have to get off the bus. Me, my girlfriend and another traveller were the only ones who decided to take this option out of about 30 people on the bus.

When we pulled into the border, everyone on the bus had to disembark from the bus to walk through Thai customs. I’m not too sure what the others did after this but we walked over to the visa building on the right-hand side (read this on other blogs) and saw signs inside for Cambodian visas. Here they cost the standard $30 and a 100 baht processing fee, everyone seemed very nice and gave us the relevant forms to fill in. I had read previously of bad experiences but we had no problems, nobody tried to scam us and it was a very smooth process. Make sure you have the correct change and a current passport photo for the visa.

After this we headed to the Cambodian immigration point where everyone from the coach was already queuing to get stamped into the country. We filled in the entry forms and waited 5 minutes to present our visas and get stamped in Cambodia!

Some final points on the visa process; 

• Everyone must get off the bus to leave Thailand and enter Cambodia.
• It took us only about 5/10 minutes longer to get the visa on our own.
• We saved at least $10 dollars.
• Those who took the quicker and easier visa option had to wait for the others anyway.

After this it took around 2 hours to reach Siem Reap, the roads in Cambodia were much worse than in Thailand yet this was expected. We got dropped off at Neakpoan square (just south of pub street) and got told that we would have a free tuk tuk service to our hotel.

The tuk tuk driver spent a good 15 minutes trying to sell his services for transporting us around Angor Wat the next day, but with only just arriving we had no intention of committing to any plans. It got a little frustrating that he continued to try and in the end, we had to say no and sorry. If you say you’ll think about it, they will turn up at your hotel the next day and wait to talk to you. He then said the tuk tuk was no longer free and we would have to pay… We ended up having to pay $2 but we could of easily of walked. All part of the experience!

Angkor Wat

2.5 out of 5

Phuket to Bangkok – Night Bus

After a few days exploring Phuket, we headed back up to Bangkok before moving onto Cambodia. We were staying in the old town in Phuket on Ratsada Road and found that the bus station was only a 10-minute walk away from our hostel. With being so close, we decided to head over there to buy our tickets instead of getting charged extra by using a booking agent.

Upon arrival at the bus station, we asked a few locals where we could buy tickets to Bangkok from and we were directed to a few different offices until we found the right one! We were given a list of various times and prices for buses to Bangkok. They ranged from around 450 baht up to 1000 baht with a company called ATS which had various times. Bangkok has two main bus terminals in the North and South. We decided to pick a first-class night bus to Bangkok’s South Bus Terminal that was leaving at 17.30, took around 12/13 hours, cost 587 baht each and had aircon and a toilet. There were also options to get a second-class bus or VIP bus.

Bus Terminal 2 ??

The day we were leaving Phuket, we left our hostel an hour before departure and walked over, picking up a few snacks from a 7/11 on our way to the bus station. When we got to the bus station, we were again pointed in several directions as there seemed to be some confusion about our tickets. In the end, I went back to the office where I bought the tickets from and asked where we needed to wait. Then we discovered our mistake…

With only had 45 minutes until our bus left, we had apparently gone to the wrong bus station! We hadn’t realised Phuket had another bus station. I think the language barrier when buying the tickets may have led to us not realising. Anyway, we were now worried we might miss our bus as we were told it was quite far away and would take at least 30 minutes in current traffic. The only taxis around the bus station were motorbikes and with there being two of us plus backpacks we didn’t fancy this. We headed down the road and managed to find someone who was willing to take us in his car for 300 baht, not 100% sure if it was actually a taxi or not!

Anyway, we were now on our way to Phuket Bus Terminal 2 which we now know is 6km north of the other bus station. Traffic was very busy and we thought we would probably end up missing our bus. However, the driver was a very nice chap who knew we were in a hurry and took a few local shortcuts and we turned up just in time! We quickly found our bus and it left literally 2 minutes after we boarded it. A very chilled day nearly turned into a nightmare!

The journey itself wasn’t too bad, the bus was very empty and you got given a little snack and drink. I would try picking a front seat for the extra legroom. We asked about moving seats but the lady attendant was adamant we couldn’t move even though half the coach was empty. By 10pm, we decided to move seats anyway as it was much comfier to sleep across two seats.

The journey went quite quickly with a little stop early on for some food and drinks and we pulled into Bangkok’s South Terminal not long after 6.30am. I would recommend going to Bangkok’s South Bus Terminal if your heading towards the Koh San Road area as your only about 5km away.

Now we headed over to the taxi rank which were asking 250 baht for a short drive to near Koh San Road, of course this was massively overpriced even with morning traffic. In the end, we managed to get them to use the meter however this backfired on us. We were taken a very long way to our hotel instead of using the direct route and got stuck in terrible traffic on the highway. This meant the drive took well over an hour and cost a similar price to what he asked for at the start. Unfortunately, at the time I didn’t have my offline maps loaded on my phone to point out that I knew what he was doing. Oh well, we learnt from this mistake and finally got to our hotel around 8.15am before exploring Bangkok one final time until we headed off to Cambodia!

Not a bad overnight journey, plenty of space on the bus and we learnt a valuable lesson about taxis in Bangkok.

Time for a beer!

3 out of 5

Koh Samui to Koh Phi Phi - Ferry and Bus

After a few days in Koh Samui, we decided to head west to the island of Koh Phi Phi. Below is a summary of our travel and transport. I’ve decided to list all the points as I was struggling to recap some of the smaller details!

• We bought travel tickets from Pornchai Transport & Tours near Chaweng Budget Hotel on the road behind Chaweng Beach.
• They cost around 1,200 baht each which included pickup, ferries and bus travel.

Just a couple of the tickets from the journey!

• A minibus picked us up shortly before 7am and took us to Nathon Pier (West of Koh Samui)
• We checked in across the road from pier and collected our tickets. We then waited nearly an hour for the ferry to arrive.
• Short journey across to Donsak Pier in Surat Thani, not sure of the name of the ferry company but it wasn’t Lomprayah this time (although I do recommend them!).
• Buses were waiting to collect us at the pier, make sure you board quickly as they filled up fast especially if you want to sit with friends!
• Our bus journey was a good 3 hours and we stopped just outside of Krabi at a random café and shop. Here we awaited further instructions.
• After a quick drink, someone shouted out people for Koh Phi Phi and we crammed into a minibus and headed down to Klong Jilad Pier.
• At this point we joined a long queue to board the Andaman Wave Master ferry to Koh Phi Phi. This boat was very full and we just about got two seats downstairs but we were sat next to the engines which were very loud for two hours! Luckily, we had an iPod to try and drown it out!

Busy ferry heading to Koh Phi Phi

• We arrived at the only pier on Koh Phi Phi, Ao Tonsai Pier and paid a 20 baht cleaning fee each for the island.
• At the pier, there are a lot of people offering hostels and hotels if you hadn’t already booked- I would advise avoiding these as they ask for a much higher price than online.

We made it!

Overall, it was nearly a full day of travel and we encountered no real problems, although we were definitely glad to settle in and grab a beer by the end of the day!

3 out of 5

Bangkok to Koh Tao – Bus and Ferry

I’ve decided to write about a few of my earlier travels across Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. The first journey we undertook after arriving in Thailand was to leave Bangkok and head towards the island of Koh Tao for some scuba diving! With us staying near Koh San Road in Bangkok, we had plenty of choice with how to travel to Koh Tao but make sure to beware of scams!

Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran

We chose to use the recommended Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran service which includes bus and ferry travel. Their main office is located on the corner of Rambuttri Alley next to Koh San Road. Upon recommendation from a friend, we booked our tickets from a travel agent located on the main road next to Boots on Chakrabongse Road. This cost us 1,000 baht each which is slightly cheaper than the online price, for the 6.00am departure. I’m sure if you look around you might be able to find a slightly cheaper deal.

Luggage Rules

On the morning of our departure from Bangkok, we had to sign in at the Lomprayah office at 5am and exchange our booking receipt for travel tickets. We received stickers to wear and some to put on our backpacks to ensure we got onto the correct bus. 45 minutes later and the bus arrived just down the road from the office. 

Pink stickers for Koh Tao

The coach itself wasn’t too bad for our first experience of transport in South East Asia and the coach journey down to Chumphon pier was comfortable. Upon arrival at Chumphon pier, we had 15 minutes to buy anything from the shop and use the bathroom before boarding the ferry to Koh Tao.

Plenty of room on the bus

The ferry was very busy inside with people using it to get to Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui. We decided to sit outside on the first floor of the ferry towards the back. We had much more room here and enjoyed a sea breeze sheltered from the sun.

We arrived on Koh Tao at Mae Haad Pier, not long before 3pm. From here, we shared a taxi with two others up to Sairee Beach for 100 baht each which seemed reasonable.

Overall the journey was a good first experience of travelling in Thailand and probably the best way of reaching Koh Tao from Bangkok.

4 out of 5

Cameron Highlands to Pulau Perhentian via Kuala Besut - Bus & Boat

When we arrived in the Cameron Highlands (Tanah Rata), we decided to book our bus tickets to leave in 2 days time for Pulau Perhentian Islands. We were offered tickets to go with CS Travel again and thought it would be a safe bet. It costs 125RM which includes boat tickets from Kuala Besut or in our case 75RM as we already had boat tickets through our dive company. We were told it would take about five hours which was no problem.

We walked over to CS Travel office on the main road at Tanah Rata at 7.45am to wait for our minibus leaving at 8am. A lady turned up 5 minutes later to open up the office and never said a word to us. Even after 30 minutes, she still sat there and didn't even seem to notice us. We had previously read that the lady working here was useless. Well around 8.20am, a man came over to say our minibus was leaving from around the corner so we followed him. 

Waiting around for the minibus!

We ended up at TJ Travel office with another couple heading the same way and 5 minutes later, two more passengers turned up. I presume not many people booked onto this journey so they joined companies up which surely the lady at CS could of mentioned! No worries however everyone at this office disappeared and we were left sitting there for a while too. Finally the minibus turned up not long before 9 and we loaded up.

This minibus had plenty of room as only 6 of us were on it and we sat back and relaxed. We were on the road for about 1 hour 45 minutes before the driver stopped at a service station for a toilet break, everything normal. However 10 minutes later we pulled into another garage at Kuala Lipis and the driver said we would wait here for another minibus to pick us up. That was the first we heard of changing minibuses, nobody back at the offices or when booking the tickets mentioned this. So we waited here for nearly 45 minutes.

Eventually the next minibus picked us up already half full and we squeezed in. This driver was much more adventurous and didn't hang around! After about an hour, we stopped again at a closed restaurant with a seating area. They said nothing to us and someone asked how long we were stopping for, and yes... he said we were changing buses again.

We sat there until around 1.15pm with nowhere to get food. We were getting hungry like the others who had left at 8.30am that morning. Then a coach pulled in and unloaded with people coming from Kuala Besut. We then boarded this coach and set off for Kuala Besut.

This bit of the journey took around 3/3.5 hours with a short stop in the middle. It was a relief to finally get going and to not keep on stopping! Beware that the drivers happily smoke on the bus so it may be better sitting further back.

When we pulled into Kuala Besut, they took us to their own ticket office to buy boat tickets if we didn't have any. As far as I'm aware return tickets cost 75RM in general so you won't get them any cheaper elsewhere. We had to pick ours up from a different office and left the bus.

At about half 5, we finally made our way to the jetty and got onto a speedboat. It said a maximum of 12 people however there was double that plus luggage! We put life jackets on and set off for Pulau Perhentian Kecil. Wow, the speedboat is quick and bumpy- loads of fun! We then got dropped off on Long Beach around 6.15pm.

A very long day of travel that should of been much quicker! I think this is the only way to travel from the Cameron Highlands to Pulau Perhentian so be warned and maybe look at your travel routes!

1 out of 5

Kuala Lumpur to Cameron Highlands - Bus

For this bus journey, the initial plan was to just buy our tickets on the day. However a couple of days before we planned to leave I looked on easybook.com to see only a few times for departures on Saturday. The only one going late morning was with CS Travel with only a few tickets left for the 11.30am bus. I decided to book them online for 35RM each.

I'm sure more buses are available on weekdays.

With unpredictable traffic in KL, we decided to get the monorail and KLIA transit back to TBS-  bus station from Chinatown. This was quick and easy to use.

We later found out that this weekend was the start of a weeks national holiday for Malaysians. Therefore the bus station was heaving! Luckily they have several desks for e-ticket collection for any bus company which was quick. I did notice that the queue to buy tickets was huge and would of taken well over half an hour. 

Ticket collection desk very quick

After this, we went to our gate and waited until our bus arrived. It pulled in on time and everyone boarded and we set off for the Cameron Highlands. I have to say that TBS is a great bus station that is efficient and works very well. By far the best one we've come across on our travels in South East Asia.

The CS bus was quite nice inside with 2+1 seats that were big and comfy. They also played an English film however we were sitting at the back so it wasn't too easy to see.

They seem to have a very strict policy of no food and drink on board, only water. Make sure you put any in your bags if you want to sneak some on otherwise you'll have to throw it away. After 30 minutes, the driver actually pulled over to stop someone eating and made him take it off the bus. I don't know whether he had to throw away a bag full of food or put it underneath the bus. It all seemed very over the top, we managed to sneakily eat some chocolate!

CS Travel bus

The journey itself was very long as it was the national holiday and loads of traffic. We left at 11.30am and didn't arrive in Tanah Rata until 6pm; it was meant to only take 3.5 hours. We stopped once for food around 3pm after the driver tried to take a short cut down some housing areas. I think he misjudged the size of his bus and we ended up back where we started 25 minutes later.

The final 50km is windy on some narrow roads and takes nearly 2 hours. I was feeling quite light headed by the time we got there. Oh well we finally made it!

2 out of 5

Melaka to Kuala Lumpur - Bus

Buses for Kuala Lumpur leave every half an hour from Melaka Sentral. Our guesthouse owner said we didn't need to book a ticket in advance so we jumped in a taxi from near Chinatown and headed to the bus station. We paid 20 ringgit for the 15 minute journey; I have no idea how much it should be (probably cheaper).

The first bus counter we came across at Melaka Sentral was for Mayang Sari with a bus leaving in 10 minutes at 11.30am. With tickets only 12 ringgit each, we bought them and boarded the bus. If you have a little more time, you could look around at the various bus companies and you may find one cheaper.

The bus stated beforehand it was VIP which was true in having 2+1 seats however it was very basic and dated inside. No worries though.

The journey was very quick and took under 2 hours with no stops. We arrived at TBS (the main bus terminal) in Kuala Lumpur. Here we got dropped off and got the escalator up to the main terminal. We then went across the bridge to catch the bus. You can also get the KLIA (train).

TBS Kuala Lumpur

If you are heading towards Chinatown, jump on the 690 bus for 2 ringgit (no change given). It takes only 20 minutes outside of rush hour and drops you off at Pudu Sentral.

690 bus to Chinatown for only 2RM!

4.5 out of 5 

Singapore to Melaka (Malacca) - Bus

We booked our bus tickets to Melaka (Malacca) online with easybook.com . They had lots of buses available every hour to Melaka for a reasonable price. We picked the 11am bus from the Queen Street Terminal for S$23 per person with bus company 707.

This terminal is only a few minutes walk from Bugis MRT station. We arrived 30 minutes before departure and signed in at the desk; small counter desk opposite the main road. Shortly after we boarded the bus and set off for Malaysia.

It took about 40 minutes to reach the border crossing. We got off the bus to get stamped out of Singapore which was very quick and then we jumped back on to the bus. We then crossed the bridge and arrived at Malaysia customs. The queues here were much bigger but they moved quickly. We had to take all our luggage off the bus here so it could be scanned. Again this didn't take more than 20 minutes.

Please note 707 bus company state in several places that you only have 30 minutes at immigration otherwise they'll leave without you. I'm not too sure how strictly they enforce it, the driver seemed very laid back.

The Malaysian side was fine and we made one toilet stop just outside of Melaka. After this we crawled into the centre of Melaka and stopped at Meleka Sentral. All the locals got off here however we were told to stay on the bus as it would drop us off downtown (Chinatown).

After filling up we finally got dropped off near our guesthouse. The driver couldn't speak much English and was struggling to understand where we were staying. It got all a bit hectic but we sorted it and got dropped off 5 minutes walk from our guesthouse.

Just a quick note on times, we didn't arrive until 16.30! A 3/4 hour bus took well over 5 hours which was mainly down to some traffic.

4 out of 5

Inle Lake to Bagan - Bus

We opted for a day bus to Bagan from Inle Lake and contacted JJ Express about there day bus, which I'd read about online, however they only now do a night bus. We managed to book a day bus through our hotel for 12,000 kyat opposed to 19,000 kyat for the night bus. Lots of travel agencies offer tickets to Bagan but I had previously heard from other people not to get the minibus.

We were picked up at 7am from our hotel and thought we would be taken back up to the junction at Shwenyaung junction, but after picking up a few other travellers we were taken around the corner to the bus office in Nyaung Shwe. We then waited until around 7.50am when the coach arrived and we quickly boarded and set off.

However, about 5 minutes later we stopped on the side of the road just outside of Nyaungshwe for what turned out to be nearly an hour. We weren't told anything and didn't leave until 9am, I have no idea why they pick you up so early when it could easily of just picked you up at 9am. Slightly infuriating!

The first of many stops!

After this, we set off for Kalaw but again stopped before here at one of their bus stations for a ten minute break even though we'd probably only just done about an hour of driving. Once we got moving again we picked up a couple more people in Kalaw and began the drive through the mountains.

The first bit of the mountain drive is full of bends but our driver seemed to know the roads well and didn't hold back. This was no problem for us and just before 12, we stopped for lunch at a little roadside restaurant.

After 30 minutes, we set off again but the driver seemed to be more laid back now and a lot slower. Then we stopped for the bus to be cleaned, thankfully only for ten minutes.

Throughout the journey, we picked up and dropped off local people which wasn't a problem. The bus was never more than half full and we had a couple of very loud local films playing on the screens which we followed and they were awful!!

The second half of the journey felt much quicker as the roads weren't too bad and we looked to be good for time! We made one final stop at there offices in Kyaukpadaung so the driver could wrap up a gift in a box. He then went off on the back of a moped with a local for 20 minutes and finally reappeared at the bus so we could leave again. Unbelievable.

We finally made it to Bagan's new bus terminal  at about 4.30pm and to finish off the day we got ripped off for a taxi. To get to New Bagan they wanted 20,000 kyat!! We now know that it should be 7,000 and we ended up paying 12,000 kyat. Oh well, we made it.

2.5 out of 5

Yangon to Inle Lake - Night Bus

After searching around online for which bus companies to use in Myanmar, the main ones coming up were JJ Express and Elite Express. With only a couple of days in Yangon and unsure about where the station was, we asked about booking a bus with our hotel. 

They could only offer overnight bus tickets to Inle Lake with Taung Paw Thar Express for 20,000 kyat each. They said it was a vip bus with 2 + 1 seats and reclining seats. We decided to go for it.

We got a taxi to the bus station north of Yangon two hours prior to check in for the bus from advice by our hotel. At 4pm, it took nearly two hours in traffic and cost 10,000 kyat between 4 of us. At the bus station we checked in and boarded the bus and we left at 6.15pm with a full bus.

Our bus for the night 

The seats were very comfortable and big with plenty of leg room. You also got a small pillow, blanket, drinks and snacks for the journey.

A couple of negatives with the bus included the fact they didn't turn all the lights off and they had the standard local film showing on the highest volume! Make sure you have an ipod with you and maybe an eye mask.

Lights on, volume up!

It also stops three times, once after three hours around 9pm, then about 1am and another time around 4am. Thankfully these stops make you arrive a little later, we got dropped off at Shwenyaung at 6am.

From here, you have to get a taxi down to Nyaungshwe which cost 8,000 kyat between 4 of us. On the way you stop at the ticket office to buy Inle Lake tickets which costs 12,500 kyat each.

Thankfully our hotel let us check in at 7am with a room free! If your on a budget and looking for a double room I recommend Aung Mingalar Hotel for early check in.

3.5 out of 5

Sukhothai to Kanchanaburi via Bangkok - Day Bus

After two days in New Sukhothai, we were ready to leave and head on towards Kanchanaburi. With this not being a very common route of travel we had a few various options. We could opt to take the most direct route, which involved changing buses or we could head towards Ayuthaya or Bangkok and change.

We decided the safest bet was to get a bus to Bangkok and travel onwards from there. We managed to book a bus in New Sukhothai through our guesthouse-who went to get the tickets from the bus station for no extra commission which was a nice gesture!

The timetable of buses offered various departures between three companies with the earliest at 7.50am. We decided to use WinTour buses again (even though the last one wasn't great) as they had a first class bus leaving the bus station at 8am. This cost 310 baht each to Bangkok.

We arrived at 7.45 and waited around half an hour until the bus showed up. We boarded the bus with only one other foreign couple and the rest locals. We were given seats upstairs at the back of the bus presumably as we wouldn't be getting off anywhere before Bangkok.

This first class bus was fantastic and very new! The reclining seats were very comfortable, we were given water and snacks and the two screens showed a fast and furious movie further down the bus. We had seats 12a and 12b however if possible get 12c and 12d as your in front of the emergency exit and therefore have lots of leg room!

Nice modern bus

Screens showing Fast and Furious

This bus only stopped a few times for locals to get on and off throughout the journey with most coming around arrival at Bangkok. We also stopped once around midday for a 20 minute break. Here we redeemed a 20baht voucher we got with the ticket for some local food.

We arrived into Bangkok northern bus station around 3.15pm. From here, we tried to locate buses going to Kanchanaburi and after asking around for a while managed to find a minibus. We bought tickets for 120 baht each for a bus leaving at 4.30pm.

We boarded the bus around 4pm with our big backpacks to find that they had no storage for them on the minibus. The only option was to put them on a seat which they weren't happy about and wanted to charge us money for. We declined (as did another backpacking couple) and said they saw we had big backpacks when we bought the tickets and after some huffing and puffing, they filled up the remaining seats and we left 15 minutes earlier than scheduled. 

Not much room on the minibus!

With traffic we got told it might take over 4 hours to arrive in Kanchanaburi but thankfully it only took 3 hours. The driver really couldn't drive and we were all really crammed in but oh well.

Sukhothai to Kanchanaburi via Bangkok cost 430 baht per person with the first part of the journey being much better than the 2nd!

4 out of 5 

Pai to Sukhothai via Chiang Mai - Day Bus

We had a look around Pai for buses going to Sukhothai but we couldn't find any on offer. The only choice we had was to get a minibus to Chiang Mai and then a bus onwards. We manged to do this for 357 baht each.

In Pai, we booked a minibus with a company called Prempacha. We decided to use them instead of aYa Services as they drop you off at the bus station in Chiang Mai. This cost 150 baht each which included a bottle of water. We booked onto the 8am minibus and arrived 10 minutes prior to departure. 3 minibuses were leaving at this time so check your receipt for the bus number and your seat numbers. Big backpacks go onto the roof and they are covered in case of rain. The journey again took around 3 hours with a short stop in the middle.

We arrived around 11am at Chiang Mai bus station and quickly found a company called WinTour offering bus tickets to Sukhothai for a reasonable price of 207 baht leaving at 12. Please be aware that this was a second class bus, I'm unsure what time first class buses leave.

We boarded the bus straight away in order to get good seats as you aren't allocated any. We managed to sit on the back row upstairs in front of the emergency exit with extra legroom however bags will get piled up here too! 

At Chiang Mai bus station, there are toilet facilities, some food/drink stalls and a 7- eleven around the corner. Stock up for 6/7 hours as you won't be stopping again to buy anything.

We left bang on 12 with a full bus mainly of locals but a few tourists. It was a very basic bus, with cracked windows, a broken toilet and very weak aircon. It got quite hot at times! On a positive note, the seats were comfy and we arrived on time. Throughout the journey, the bus stopped many times picking up and dropping off locals. They also stop at Lampang and Tak bus stations which is the best chance to use a toilet.

We pulled into Sukhothai bus station around 6.45pm which is located 1km away from New Sukhothai. We then got a tuk tuk to our hotel in New Sukhothai for 120 baht which we now know was 40-60 baht too much. They also have wooden buses that go to the New and Old Sukhothai for 30 baht per person but I think they stop running around 6pm.

3 out of 5

A quick note about New Sukhothai; it is a very quiet place with limited restaurants/bars/cafes and things to do. It costs 30 baht to get the bus to the historical park which is very nice!