July
13, 2007 - Pattaya to Aranyaprathet, Thailand
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The
North Pattaya bus station terminal. To get to Aranyaprathet from
Pattaya you have to take the Pattaya - Mukdahan bus, which will take
five and a half hours to get to Aranyaprathet. The trip will take you
down the coast on Sukhumvit Road through Chonburi, stopping a few times
to pick up more passengers, when it reaches Ban Phakong it cuts over to
Chachoengsao and then heads east towards Sakeo and Aranyaprathet.
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The
Pattaya Mukdahan ticket window. I took the 8:30 am first class bus (for
220 Baht one way) so I would arrive in the day time and spend the night
in Aranyaprathet. I figured I might as well get a good night's rest and
get to the border as early as possible the next morning. There is also
a 7:30 am bus but it is listed as second class (and is cheaper), not
sure what that means, but I did not want to find out.
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I will have to look
on a map to remember where we stopped but it seemed to be about half
way. These people took a smoke break but I went looking for food since
I did not have time for breakfast that morning.
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The
chicken looked a bit greassy and not too clean so I went for the Mango,
which was actually fairly good.
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I
think the ride from the Aranyaprathet Bus Station to the hotel was 50
Baht. The Aran Garden Hotel 2 is 370 Baht per night, for an
air-conditioned room. Non air-con rooms are around 250 Baht per night.
There is also an Aran Garden Hotel, it is cheaper but also a lot
sleazier.
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My
room at the Aran Garden Hotel 2. I have no complaints, service was good
and no hassles whatsoever.
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I
had some Goi Jap here because I saw a plain clothes policeman (he had a
gun) and his girlfriend eating here, so I figured it must be good. It
was OK, but if you are not used to eating your tofu with pig innards,
you might want to pass and go to the chinese restaurant a half a block
from the hotel.
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My
Tuk-Tuk and driver from the hotel to the border. The ride cost me 80
Baht and he took some quiet back roads that reminded me of my earliest
vists to Aranyaprathet, over 20 years ago.
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