1. Our route through Thailand

Roadmaps

A five months trip in 5 journeys.

 60 days from 30 August 2009 to 29 October 2009 From Malaysia to Cambodia.
 15 days from 04 February 2010 to 18 February 2010 From Cambodia to Laos.
 15 days from 13 March 2010 to 27 March 2010 From Laos to Laos.
 15 days from 19 April 2010 to 1 May 2010 From Laos to Bangkok.
 60 days from 12 May 2010 to 12 July 2010 From Bangkok to North Thailande and back to Malaysia.

GPS file; see zip file footer

2. Changing money, ATMs, Visa card

It’s best to bring both US dollars or Euros, they can be exchanged everywhere. The ATMs are every where. Look for the yellow one, which does’nt charge transaction, other charge 150 baths (3 Euros 50)

3. Financial summary

The rate was 4000 baths to a euro. On average we spent 15 Euros without Gasoil per day.

4.Third-party insurance :

In Thailand we did buy third-party insurance for 6 months at the border.

5.Carnet de Passage :

All border crossings were a piece of cake. We crossed the following borders:
 Malaysia into Thailand at Dan Nok (2 times).
 Thailand into Cambodia at Cham Yeam [southernmost border]
 Cambodia into Thailand at Poipet [west Sieam Reap]
 Thailand into Laos, below Paksé (Laos)
 Laos into Thailand at Vientiane (Friendship Bridge) (2times).
 Thailand to Laos at Chiang Khong.

The CDP is not recognized in Thailand. You will have to register your car for a temporary importation of a month at the custom border. Meaning , if you have a 2 months visa, that you have to extend it in Bangkok near the harbour at the custom office. Take a cab, and show this adress to the driver. Office is in the third floor of the 8 building. Doc adress in thai.

Once registered, keep the folder number, for the others border crossing. Remember also, that so you can’t leave your vehicle for a long time, as in Malaysia or Cambodia.

6.Visa:

At the land border, when you enter in Thailand you can’t buy a visa. You just get a stamp for 15 days. Visas must be request at the Thailand Embassy, in a foreign country (at that time, it was free of charge!). We didn’t extend our visa of 2 months.

7.Car, diesel, petrol stations, roadmap

As prices are varying,....to be update.....Good quality.

8.Bucéphale, the truck :

We drove during ? days of travelling in Thailand we covered ? kilometres [an average of ? kilometres per day]. Major preventive maintenance on the car has been done by my self. All services can be found easily on the road. We have done suspension maintenance in Bangkok.

9.Traffic:

Bangkok is really busy town, but traffic is ok on the express way, if you accept to pay 45 baths! It’s better to leave the car and used local taxi or mini-bus to get in. Outside Bangkok, there is not much traffic on the road. People drive slowly and are very preventives. Remember, just drive in the move in the middle line. In Thailand, it’s a right hand driving.

10.Roads and road maps:

The National Highways are perfect and hudge. Once off the National Highways, you are most likely to find yourself on them again as secondary roads are so well.

The Rough guide map [Thailand] was all right. For my serenity in the truck, I have used the Rotweiller maps [1] for Garmin GPS, fully documented.

11.Public transport

Ferry crossings:
 One, between the Laos border and Chiang Khong. The crossings cost vary with the weigh, 1000 bath for us!
 An other on the Si Nakharin Dam.

12.Paid accommodation and bush camping

Of all the nights we spent:

 6 in lovely resorts.

 150 in the car on spots for which we don’t paid.
 In Bangkok, once in Parking beside Chakkraphat Phiman Palace N13 44.948 E100 29.524. For a longer time, I parked the CC in a safe and free parking 40 kms outside town and went back to France 10 days. Jesada Technik Museum. Nakhon Pathom Mu 1 Liap Maenam Nakhon Chai Si Pwd. Rd. N13 49.009 E100 11.822
 

 
 Bush camping is easy in Thailand, which is a country for campers. The National Parks provide quite and beautiful place for a small fee. I don’t have to talk about beaches! Avoid Pukhet and Pattaya, if brothels are not your cup of tea!

13.Daily expenditures

We hadn’t coked in South East Asia, so we hadn’t buy food.

14.Food :

Thailand has spicy food. You can find cheap food stalls everywhere along the road. The towns have restaurants with a larger variety of dishes. Our favourite were river restaurants, with delicious fish dishes. Beer is available everywhere. Thailand is one of the best nations for cooking. Without wine and cheese producers, it will never be the fist!

15.Water :

We still filter our water, which works just fine. If you don’t, you can refill with the white bottles of 20 litres, which is pure for sale everywhere.

16.Gas :

They have a different tape for the 13 kg bottles, so you have to find some workshop to make the adaptation. I have done it. Then in every where, it will be easy to refill. If you plane to go to Laos, do it now, there is now gas over there.

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