Lotus Phibun Tour

The bus gets you to and from your destinations in a timely manner and stops once for a food/market break. Each passenger gets a blanket, water and some snacks. This was my second overnight bus ride, but the first that played (loudly) local Thai music through the speakers for 1 and 1/2 hours at the beginning (7pm) and end of the bus ride (5am). That was incredibly annoying and not necessary. Everyone just wants to use the overnight bus to sleep the best they can. That was difficult on this bus ride.

Bus was 2hours late departing, had to change vehicle as it wasn't working

Bus left and arrived on time, please wrap up warm as the bus AC is very cold. For all buses to north east the payment booth is 3rd floor and kiosk 19.

Fantastic and so good

Very comfortable!

Efficient, siimple

Really cold bus ride. Ridiculous to harm the environment for nothing. They gave blankets, but it was still very cold. I don't get the point of this. Everybody had a own tv screen with movies, I went to the English section and found a nice movie, when they started to talk it was in thai without subs. The massage function in the chair was funny. I didn't understand why there was a dinner break at 2 in the night...

Easy trip ! I booked it online and had no problem getting my ticket once at the bus terminal. Very nice to get money voucher at the stop although it would be nice to explain what it is. People came to tell me when we got to my destination at 5am (a 5 minutes notice would be appreciated though). Thank you !

It was another bus an old one not with the seats.

We came from Nakhon Phanom to Bangkok. Had the more expensive lower seats. No WiFi while on the bus was a sign free WiFi. The attendant did not speak English so no explanation. There was andere alarmclock which gave alarm every hour but unfortunately the attendant did not do anything (he did not understand us). We arrived in Bangkok quite sudden and were chased out like catlle. The seats were ok and the time schedule was punctual. Take care for warm clothes and socks

Surprised to get food on bus and at stop. Not easy as English speaker. No signs in Eng. My seat mate helped clue me in a few times with key Eng words. Only got right bus cause I asked multiple times.

All was ok except wifi Last year, no pb with wifi This year no connection, always disconnected

Excelent!

No wifi code provided. False advertising. No WiFi.

路况很好，司机开车很平稳。位置很舒适。是一种非常不错的体验。这个车上播的音乐是一直响个不停，尤其出发时和天亮的时候，就声音放得特别大，司机好像没在这方面考虑他们感受。没有休息好，体验还是很值得的，沿途风景很大美，很喜欢。

nice! Thank you!

Terribly cold. We were in dawn jackets and under blankets and it was still cold. The sound of tv could not be regulated, btw the screen was not working.

Too cold in the bus. Try to rise AC temperature

##Getting From Bangkok to Nakhon Phanom by Bus From *Don Mueang* to *Mo Chit Bus Terminal*: The bus to Nakhon Phanom, a city built along the mighty Mekong River which forms the border with Laos, is easy to access from Bangkok. The buses to this region (the northeast of Thailand) all leave from the Mo Chit 2 bus station in the north of Bangkok. We flew in to the Don Muang Airport (DMK), and got on the shuttle bus which goes to Mo Chit BTS station. The shuttle bus is the A1 bus and picks up just outside the arrivals section at a fixed point, just to the left of the tourist information desk. You pay the 30 baht on board. Internet searching had told us that you then had to take a taxi from the BTS station. However, the lady working on the shuttle bus told us that the BTS stop was Mo Chit 1 and that the shuttle kept going to Mo Chit 2, which was the big bus station. Good news! So we just stayed on the shuttle bus after the first stop and then 15 minutes later we were there. It is the last stop of the shuttle bus. *[**Note**: if I was coming from the center of Bangkok or the Suvarnabhumi airport (BKK) on a budget I would probably find my way to the Mo Chit BTS station and take the ten minute or less taxi to the bus depot.]* When we first got off the shuttle bus it didn't look like a bus station. But you pass the ice coffee vendors and go through a literal tunnel of market stalls and you'll eventually come out to find the big, 3-story bus station. **Where and How to Buy the Ticket:** The counters for the northeastern region are all on the third floor (the elevator is nice). From the elevator, the companies that run to Nakhon Phanom are on the opposite wall to the left. The first one you come to (where a lady tries to make you think it is the only option) is the 999 company. But there appear to be several companies running buses to Nakhon Phanom: 999 and Lotus Phibun. The signs are all in Thai but if you walk along the counters further you will find Nakhon Phanom written in English. We chose the second company, Lotus Phibun. There were a variety of afternoon options, from 17:30 to 20:00. The earlier ones (17:30 and 18:00) had the cheapest options, at around 550 baht. The 427 baht price listed doesn't seem to exist for the nighttime trip. All the later ones were the upgraded “First Class” price, coming in at 615 to 1k baht. We booked with 12Go a day before, (the Lotus Phibun VIP/First Class bus for 1k baht at 18:30), and were told we'd arrive at around 6 in the morning. You show the booking ID and they confirm everything with you on their computer screen: departure time, date, arrival time, seat numbers. Then they confirm everything with you on the printed ticket as well, and tell you to arrive at your platform 30 minutes early. **Departure Platforms**: The platforms for departure are down on the ground level. You walk out the doors opposite of where you came in originally, and there are many attendants to show your ticket to who will direct you to your correct platform. They are very clearly labeled. One confusing thing is that many buses leave from the same platform consecutively, so if your bus is a little late then the bus taking off at your departure time isn't actually yours. This can be hard to accept, but the guys working the doors seem to know what they are doing. We were twice told “not yet, not yet,” but then our bus finally came 15 minutes late. Just be sure to check with them each time, even though they say “we call you.” Big bags go below, and then we were quickly ready to go. ##Useful Information *Station:* The ground level of the bus station has a food court with a variety of options. All signs are in Thai but they have food in transparent cases so you can just point at what you want, and the prices should come out to 30 – 40 baht for a meal. There is also a 7-eleven next to the food court to buy whatever you need for your journey. [media 23 right half] **On the Bus:** The Lotus Phibun bus was surprising in quality. It had an airplane theme; there was a “flight attendant” and the driver spoke to the passengers with a microphone before “take-off.” The seats were very spacious, and after we were underway the attendant gave us blankets, water, snacks, juice, and even a rice and chicken meal. The bus had two floors, with upper being less expensive option which hosted about 20-30 seats, while the more expensive lower floor is more quiet and comfortable. The seats were pre-reclined, which was fine at night though might be a pain in the daytime. The seats also have leg supports that you can raise up or down. There was no wifi or outlets. The air conditioning was strong, though blankets and pillows are provided. Also, the bathroom in the bus – small but relatively clean - allowed for this with no problems. The bus stopped once at a University an hour and half before the terminal to drop some students off, and then the attendant woke everybody up with a soymilk breakfast. At about 6:30 a.m. we arrived in Nakhon Phanom, so the 11 hour journey estimate was correct. In **Nakhon Phanom**: The bus station in Nakhon Phanom is very small, with a 3-baht bathroom and a couple travel agency offices. There is also a setup at one end selling basic mini-market type items: cookies, instant soup and cold drinks, etc. There are, of course, a couple guys waiting to take you to a hotel or wherever you want to go, even that early in the morning. Just remember that nothing is very big here and shouldn't be more than a 40 baht ride away. The city center isn't too big, so whatever the destination one of the guys waiting in a tuk tuk is happy to take you where you want to go. The tuk tuks here are actually used by local people, which was interesting to see. In the city, there are a couple of cool temples, like the Wat Okat. Of course, there is also the Mekong itself. The waterfront is an interesting walk, and just south of the Wat Okat temple there is a two story market where you can shop for a variety of not-overpriced items, as well as enjoy a meal on the second story balcony, taking in the view of the Mekong and mountainous Laos on the other side.