Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal timetable

Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal is locally called "Sai Tai Mai" (สายใต้ใหม่)

The bus terminal distances are:
1)Pratunam(14km)
2)Khao San Road(10km)
3)Victory Monument(13km)
4)Silom(18km)
5)Sukhumvit(18km)
6)Yaowarat-Chinatown(13km)
7)Don Mueang (30km)
8)Survanabhumi Int'l Airport(42km)
9)Paknam(23km)

The shopping mall beside the terminal is known as SC Plaza and travelers need to go by escalator to the 3rd floor where the ticketing booth of various companies were located.

The SC Plaza has been recently refurbished and hardly can one loiter around to spend an overnight within the vicinity.

The first ticketing counter that you'll see at the first corner is operated by the Thai Transport Company Limited(Call Center Number:1490)
Bus Ticket Online

There were about eight categories of  buses from high premium(24 seater) to the low end(55 seater)
Long distance buses in Thailand are very comfortable with their efficient drivers and service orientated bus conductors.Buses were most mostly new and being replaced upon expiry of  certain time period of service.
One important note here is you need to carry along a neck rest  as the ergonmics of the bus seat support more for the head.

 VIP.-1st: class- 24 seats.with reclination 135 degrees.
 Food and soft drink included.

VIP.-1st class lower+upper floor  32 seats 135 degrees.reclination.
Food and drink included,


Aircond 1st class 32 seats.125 degrees. reclination 
Food and drink  included.


Aircond  1st class  40 seats. reclination 125 degrees
 Food and drink included.

Aircond upper +lower floor 40 seats. reclination 125 degrees.

 Air-conditioned first floor (second floor): 50 seats. reclineation 125 degrees.
. 
 Aircond , 55 seats.reclineation 125 degrees.

Air, 2nd. class 46 seats. and  32 seats. with reclineation 125 degrees..

Night at That Luang Festival

That Luang Festival coincide with the full moon night of 12th lunar month on Wednesday,the 28th Novemebr 2012.
The next full moon will be on Sunday the 17th November 2013 and travelers to Chiangmai can witness the Yi Peng Festival while in Bangkok will be the Loy Krathong Festival.

That Luang Festival is a very grand Buddhist celebration in Vientiane,Laos PDR and the surrounding That Luang Park will also host the traditional trade fairs.food fairs as well as musical and cultural stage shows.

 The statue of King Setthathirat before the main entrance of the sixteenth century old Pha That Luang was quite an attraction with many visitors never missed having a photographic session here.
The late King Sai was the architect behind the construction of the grand stupa.










Main entrance arch into the  Pha That Luang.
On the eve of the festival,huge crowds of Buddhist devotees were already gathering to perform their annual pilgrimage.









Interestingly the securities personnel manning all entry and exit point to the sacred Pha That Luang Temple were Lao university students ensuring that the crowds behave orderly and do not carry any harmful belongings.This include body search as well.

That Luang Park is quite a huge compound and during the festival days,the place was specifically used as a Trade Fair ground.

 Scene similar to a night market but this is the biggest so far in Vientiane.









 Crowds near the garment section.
Garments in Laos is currently the single biggest manufactured export of the country supported by close to a hundred garment factories spread across the country.
Laos joined the World Trade Organization (W.T.O) in early 2013
sourcing:
1)PV Garment Co Ltd
2)Vision Manufacturing Co.
3)Shinawatra Garments Laos Co ltd
4) Hi-Tech Apparel Co Ltd
5) Midori Anzen

 Akhom Trading Company,an import and export business entity exhibiting some of the locally manufactured products.

The annual event trade fair  at That Luang is in collaboration with the Lao International Trade and Convention Center.








Lao Telecom ,the main mobile phone operator in Laos operated a classic  booth at the That Luang Festival Trade Fair giving out free gifts to visitors.
International access code to Laos is +856.
Area code for Vientiane is 021.
When calling to landlines,the first digit 0 is omitted whereas mobile lines code 020  is inclusive.

 

Shinawatra Garments Laos Co. Ltd.

Shinawatra Garments Laos Co. Ltd.

F

Buddhist artifacts at Pha That Luang.

 Historical relics of damaged Buddhist sculptures located at the northern end of inner cloister at Pha That Luang.

Pha That Luang has been attacked by Burmese invaders in the 16th century as well as by the Siamese during 18th century and the temple is always the main target of looting and indiscriminate destruction.

 Laos was once influenced by the Khmer civilization largely of Indian cultural origin.

 

 

King Jayavoraman VII was the ruler of ancient Cham Kingdom.

 

 

 

The Pha That Luang Stupa,the most important Buddhist Temple in Vientiane and national symbol of Laos.

The grand stupa is surrounded by thirty smaller stupas with ashes of Lord Buddha inside.

Beneath the grand stupa lies a smaller pyramid stupa believed to be part of a Hindu Temple which during the early centuries was partly  ruled by the Khmer Empire.