Lotus Phibun Tour

バスは目的地までタイムリーに移動し、食事・市場休憩のために一度だけ停車します。乗客には毛布、水、スナックが配られます。夜行バスは2回目ですが、最初（午後7時）と最後（午前5時）に1時間半、スピーカーから現地のタイ音楽を（大音量で）流したのは初めてでした。あれは信じられないほど迷惑で、必要ないものでした。みんな夜行バスを利用して思いっきり寝たいだけなんです。このバスの旅ではそれが難しかった。

バスの出発が2時間遅れ、車が動かないので乗り換えなければならなかった。

バスは定刻に発着します。バスのエアコンはとても寒いので、暖かく包んでください。 東北方面のバスは全て3階でキオスク19番が支払場所です。

ery cold ride, take enough clothes with you！私は背が高いのですが、シートは人間工学に基づいた小柄な人用のシートです。でも、映画を見たり、音楽を聴いたりしながら、マッサージを受けることができますよ！とても良い

本当に寒いバスでの移動。何のために環境を害するのか、ばかばかしい。毛布が配られましたが、それでもとても寒かったです。これの意味がわからない。私は英語のコーナーに行き、素敵な映画を見つけましたが、彼らが話し始めると、字幕なしのタイ語でした。椅子のマッサージ機能は面白かったです。なぜ夜中の2時に夕食休憩があるのか理解できなかった...。

バスはとても良かったが、無線LANのパスワードがわかりにくかった。インフォメーションリーフレットを出した方が良い。エンターテイメントプログラムにヘッドホンが必要という情報がない。バスの運転手はとてもスムーズだった。トイレを知らせるランプが作動しなかった。 座席は、ネッククッションとレッグレストが1.60以下の人用に設計されている。しかし、全体的には良かった。

最高のサービス！フレンドリーなスチュアート。ただ、誰も英語を一言も話さないのがちょっと難点。

ノテール駅に着いた途端、バスのカテゴリーが変わったので追加を要求される。VIPバス... とても汚く、シートは20年間一度も掃除されたことがなく、サービス中なのだろう。良い点は、運転

簡単な旅．ネットで予約して、バスターミナルでチケットの受け取りも問題なかった。バスターミナルでマネーバウチャーをもらえるのはとてもありがたいが、それが何なのか説明してもらえるとありがたい。朝5時に目的地に着くと、人が伝えに来てくれた（5分前に知らせてくれるとありがたいが）。ありがとうございました！

ナコンパノムからバンコクまで来ました。値段の高い下の方の席でした。 バスの中はWiFiがなく、フリーWiFiの看板がありました。 係員は英語が話せないので、説明もない。1時間おきにアラームが鳴る目覚まし時計があったが、残念ながら係員は何もしてくれなかった（こちらの言っていることを理解してくれなかった）。バンコクに突然到着し、まるで猫のように追い出された。 座席は問題なく、タイムスケジュールは時間厳守でした。 防寒着と靴下には気をつけよう

バスの中や停留所で食事ができることに驚いた。英語圏の人間には難しい。英語表記の標識がない。同席者が何度か重要な英単語で手がかりを与えてくれた。何度も尋ねたので、正しいバスに乗れただけだった。

凍死しそうになったし、なぜバスの中にテレビがあるのかというと、開始1時間後に消されるからだ。

無線LAN以外は問題なし 昨年は無線LANで接続できず 今年は接続できず、常に切断される

大音量のテレビはとてもストレスになったので、テレビをなくして、何かを見たいか見たくないかを判断させることを勧める。

素晴らしいバスと親切なドライバー。モーチット・バスターミナルでの整理は行われておらず、手動で正しいカウンターを探さなければならない。 バスはとても快適だった。バスはとても快適でした。

道路の状態もよく、ドライバーの運転もスムーズだった。 場所もとても快適だった。 とてもいい経験だった。 このバスで流れていた音楽はずっと鳴りっぱなしで、特に出発時と明け方は余計に大音量で鳴っていて、運転手はその点では相手の気持ちを考えていないようだった。 ろくに休めなかったが、それでも体験する価値はあった。道中の景色は素晴らしく、美しく、とても気に入った。

/渋滞に巻き込まれ、10分も待たされたのに、運転手さんが電話をかけてきてくれた。

ひどく寒かった。夜明けのジャケットを着て、毛布の下にいたが、それでも寒かった。テレビの音は調整できず、スクリーンは作動しなかった。

Very good! Would highly recommend. I slept on the bus better the plane. Comfortable reclining seats with stops for food and the toilet. Blanket, water and snacks included. You also get a 25 baht voucher towards food.

Fantastic and so good

Very comfortable!

Efficient, siimple

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

Excelent!

No wifi code provided. False advertising. No WiFi.

nice! Thank you!

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.