Pick-up Trucks: the land of Toyota and Isuzu
Thailand is the land of Pick-up Trucks. Wherever you look you will find them. Although I still see enough passenger cars in Bangkok, in Isaan it is only Pickup Trucks that are the clock. You really have to look there to find a normal passenger car. Advantages Pick-up Trucks Not surprising in itself because these mini trucks are practical and have many advantages: They are able to transport heavy and large …
Departure from Pattaya by bus
If you ask an Amsterdammer what he likes about Rotterdam, he will undoubtedly answer: “Central Station, because from there an express train to Amsterdam departs every hour.” Perhaps the reverse also applies to a Rotterdammer, but I don't know. So it is with Pattaya. Of the hundreds of thousands of tourists that this city attracts, there are still a few who want to leave as soon as possible for various reasons. Like many…
Another new airline can be added to the ever-growing list. Asia Majestic Airlines, is a new Thai airline and will start commercial flights in the coming months. According to director, Suchada Naparswad, there will be flights from Bangkok to five destinations in China, Singapore and Japan. After that, Korea will also be included in the flight schedules. The fleet consists of 12 aircraft including Boeings 737 (capacity of 186 seats) and 777 (330 seats). The new airline is partnering with…
Songkran is over, now back to Bangkok
It is over. The three-day celebration officially ended yesterday. The population movement is starting again, but now in the opposite direction. The Thai have said goodbye to family and are on their way back to Bangkok to get back to work today or tomorrow. Once again it will be very busy on the Thai roads. The SRT is deploying extra trains to transport travelers from the Northern and Northeastern provinces to Bangkok. It …
The 10 best airports in the world
Attention frequent travelers! These are the top 10 airports in the world. And hooray, Schiphol is number 6. Another remarkable fact. No less than five of the best airports in the world are located in Asia. Unfortunately, we do not find Suvarnabhumi Airport in this top ten. Every year, British consultancy Skytrax publishes a list of the world's best airports. Likewise this year. More than 11 million travelers from more than a hundred …
Just up and down from Hua Hin to Bangkok? You would have thought so! Never seen so much traffic on the road on the way back. Holiday, weekend or many festivities in Hua Hin and Cha Am? No idea, but the almost four-hour drive from the Thai capital to Hua Hin was an unmitigated disaster. I have a sneaking suspicion that many Thai take the car out of the garage on Saturday and drive it …
Airport rail from Suvarnabhumi to Bangkok
From the March 2011 Newsletter of the Thai Tourist Board: “Since January, Thailand has had a train rail that easily connects Suvarnabhumi Airport to the center of Bangkok. For a fee of Baht 150, about EUR 3, you can be in the center of Bangkok within 15 minutes. This is the perfect way to avoid the traffic jams on Bangkok's roads and get to the center easily and quickly. Des…
The question is: how do you get to Hua Hin?
Frankly, it's not as easy as it sounds. It is true that the royal seaside resort is only over 200 kilometers south of the capital, but that does not bring the solution of the transport problem any closer. From Suvarnabhumi airport, we can take a shuttle to the airport bus station and from there a minibus to Victory Monument (direct minibus to HH) or to the south bus station. A mile out of seven, albeit a lot cheaper…
Road accident in Hua Hin, Belgian man died
A taxi ride on holiday in Thailand ended disastrously for a family from Merchtem. Serge Broeders (45) died, his wife Charlotte De Rese (37) was seriously injured but is now on the mend. Their 5-year-old daughter Juliette suffered leg fractures after the semi-open car was hit in the coastal town of Hua Hin. The family was on their way to the hotel after an afternoon of shopping. Charlotte's sister and father traveled to Thailand to ...
Business class to Bangkok
This is going to be a bit ostentatious, I warn you. It had to happen sometime and when I prepared the story “Flying to Thailand”, everything came up again and now it has to come out. I won't beat around the bush any longer and admit it: I'm crazy about and a bit addicted to luxury travel. In the beginning of my working life this was not so noticeable. I then traveled…
Know who you're flying (or crashing) with
The German research agency JACDEC (Jet Airliner Crash Data Evolution Centre) has been tracking data on air accidents for years and publishes an annual index that measures the relative safety of aviation companies. This week the 2010 edition was released, a ranking of 60 airlines. Let's start with the best company: that is again the undisputed Australian Qantas. But not many Dutch passengers use the airline to Thailand. That is different with number two: Finnair. AirBerlin…
Don Muang: domestic flights to Terminal 1
Airports of Thailand (AoT) wants to move domestic flights at Bangkok's old Don Muang airport to Terminal 1 in April, which is now only used for sparse international charter flights. The current terminal for domestic flights wants to designate the AoT as a center for aircraft maintenance. Currently, only Nok Air, Orient Thai Airlines and Solar Air use the old terminal. So they have to move to Terminal 1, with about 30 …
Deep silence on large part of Don Muang
We have been arriving there for years with great enthusiasm. From the plane through the trunk, then walk a bit, through Immigration and then wait for your luggage downstairs. Outside, the tropical and humid heat hit you in the face like a wet towel. But finally you were at your destination, with presumably in the arrivals hall yearning (?) the one you adored. Yesterday I made a short visit to Don Muang to see my wife and …
Another massacre on Thai roads
At least 325 people have been killed in more than 3.000 road accidents in Thailand in recent days. Every year around this time of year, hundreds of people die on Thai roads. Many residents of Bangkok leave the city to celebrate New Year with their families in the province. About a third of the accidents are the result of driving under the influence. With stricter police checks, the Thai government had the ambition to reduce the number of road deaths during the …
Thailand is about to introduce a flight tax of 15 percent on the price of a ticket. A ticket of 700 euros from AMS or DUS will therefore be another 100 euros more expensive. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), this additional tax poses major threats to tourism to Thailand. According to the IATA, the Netherlands is a clear example of the negative influence of the flight tax. As a result, many travelers fled to airports in …
Bad luck on the highway (but not quickly away…)
This was a Christmas I will not easily forget. The day before the party, I had driven to Hua Hin to celebrate my friend Willy Blessing's birthday. An impossible day, but his party would take place on the beach and I didn't want to miss it. Wife, child and mother-in-law stayed behind in Bangkok. A fast ride, of course with the necessary 'near-death experiences'. My goodness, what cake bakers Thai drivers are. The party met…
12.000 road deaths in Thailand every year
In Thailand, 12.000 people die in traffic every year. In 60 percent of the cases, it concerns moped/motorcycle riders or their passengers, while the majority of the victims are between 16 and 19 years old. This is evident from the report of the World Health Organization (WHO) on road safety in the world. Thailand scores a poor 106th place in that context, out of a total of 176 countries surveyed. China (89) and…