Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TRAIN
There are four overnight trains to/from Bangkok each day (146B to 825B), and the trip
takes at least 16 hours. There are also seven trains daily that run along the east coast to
Sungai Kolok and two daily trains running west to Butterworth and Padang Besar, both in
Malaysia.
There is an advance booking office and left-luggage office at the train station; both are
open 7am to 5pm daily.
Getting Around
An
Airport Taxi Service
( 0 7423 8452; 182 Th Niphat Uthit 1)
makes the run to the airport four
times daily (80B per person, 6.45am, 9.30am, 1.45pm and 6pm). A private taxi for this
run costs 320B.
Sŏrng·tăa·ou
run along Th Phetkasem (10B per person). Túk-túk and motorcycle taxis
around town cost 20B to 40B per person.
TRAVEL IN THE DEEP SOUTH: SHOULD YOU GO?
Despite the conflict, almost everyone in the Deep South - whether ethnic Malay Muslim or a Thai soldier - is
happy to see a
fa·ràng
. So few foreigners make it here that you're guaranteed a lot of attention from the locals.
Nor have tourists, or any Westerners, ever been targeted by the insurgents; this is a very insular war.
Yet by nature insurgencies are unpredictable, and bombs kill indiscriminately. Explosive devices planted on
parked motorbikes outside shops are a common tactic of the separatists and have been used in the city centres of
Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat on a number of occasions.
It's best not to linger on the streets for too long; you could be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nor is
travel in the countryside in the early morning or after dark advisable. This isn't an area to be riding a motorbike in
if you can't be identified as a foreigner.
But perhaps the biggest drawback to travel in the region is that the insurgency has stifled tourism to such an ex-
tent that there is very little infrastructure for visitors. Apart from travelling between the major centres, you'll need
private transport to get around. There are few hotels and restaurants and precious little nightlife, and hardly any-
one speaks English. And those beautiful beaches have absolutely no facilities.
If you do want to travel here, research the current situation carefully and take advice from your embassy.
