From Bangkok to Krabi, Thailand by Car!

This first trip of 2025 will have the taste of Asia.

More precisely, Thailand!

It’s not my first time—I’ve often traveled across Southeast Asia between 2000 and 2015. (This travel journal, for example...)

But it’ll be my partner’s first steps in this part of the world.

The itinerary we’ve chosen will alternate between familiar sights for me and new discoveries for both of us.

I’ll get to see how the country has changed in 20 years—and what’s stayed the same!

We were torn between the north and the south of the kingdom. Fears of smoke from slash-and-burn farming and a desire to relax on the sand tipped the scales toward the south...

What if we rented a car?

I think driving in sprawling Bangkok would be a bit ambitious, so we’ll only book our vehicle from Hua Hin to return it in Surat Thani.

Other transportation will range from tuk-tuks to overnight trains and ride-hailing services.

And of course, the plane!

I’d love to travel from Auvergne to Bangkok by road, but 15 days wouldn’t be enough...

Plus, the current geopolitical situation isn’t exactly favorable...

So, once again, we’ll be stuck for hours in the less-than-comfortable economy class of Qatar Airways.

The arrival time was on schedule, entry formalities were quick, and all our luggage made it.

We left Lyon in wind and cold—now we’re breathing in the warm, humid air of กรุงเทพมหานคร.

To reach our hotel, we first took the metro, which dropped us off in the city center in about 30 minutes for the incredible price of 1.18 €.

A few taps on the GRAB app, and we booked a ride-hailing service for the last few kilometers.

We waited a while for our driver due to insane traffic in the area, but once in the 4x4, we were at our lodging in no time.

We chose this small hotel for its riverside location, tranquility, and price.

It’ll do the job perfectly—the only downside is the weak breakfast.

The room is inviting, and we collapse onto the bed for a well-deserved short nap.

Wake-up call in an hour for our first visits!

See you soon...

Cool, I love Thailand! 😊 I can confirm, driving in Thailand is doable but not exactly relaxing... you’ve got to not only drive on the left, but also keep your eyes everywhere: watch out for dogs darting onto the road, scooters going the wrong way... but the freedom is priceless! 😌

Oops, I forgot to mention scooters and dogs in my ChatGPT drawing scenario! ;)

Personally, I didn’t have any run-ins with stray dogs, and the scooters were actually pretty well-behaved.

Darn, I forgot to mention scooters and dogs in my ChatGPT drawing scenario! 😉

Didn’t quite get all that 😅

Personally, I didn’t have any run-ins with strays, and the scooters were pretty well-behaved.

Have Thailand’s helmeted (or not) canine locals and scooter riders calmed down in the last 10 years? 🤔

Didn’t quite get all that 😕

The comic-style drawing I included in my first post was created in collaboration with artificial intelligence. You have to give it a scenario. I described the coconut trees, the karst peaks, the Buddha, the monkeys, the weather, the car... If I’d written that a dog was attacking the car and scooters were zooming in the distance, they would’ve been in the drawing too ;)

Have Thailand’s helmeted (or not) canine drivers calmed down in the last 10 years? 🤔

Given the heat, the dogs were sleeping. Otherwise, we were rarely in the city and often in quiet spots or on four-lane highways.

No sooner is one travel journal finished than another begins! 🙂

I’d love to have this wrapped up before the next trip this time! 😄

I’d love to have finished before the next trip, this time around!

That’s a crazy pace… you manage to work between trips? 😂😂😂

I get an immense rush of excitement when starting a travel journal about Thailand. The disappointment that follows is almost inevitable, usually because the itinerary and storytelling lack originality.

This Tintin-style (or Titine-style) illustration in the Kingdom of Siam is at the very least unexpected. Did the AI automatically assume from your route that you're hippies, or did you forget to mention that the vehicle was occupied by people of a certain age? 😛

I’ll definitely be reading your adventures with some eagerness.

We’re clearly getting into what looks like a Toyota Corolla that the AI decided to have driven by lions! Just a heads-up for Agnès—a scenario for an AI is called a *Prompt* (I just learned that recently). Waiting for the starter pack 😉

This Tintin-style (or Titine-style) illustration in the Kingdom of Siam is nothing short of unexpected.

It’s your fault with your AI topic! ;)

And with so many travel journals about Thailand, you’ve got to stand out a bit...

Did the AI automatically assume from your itinerary that you’re hippies, or did you forget to mention the vehicle was occupied by people of a certain age? Tongue out

I mostly specified the age of my readers...

I had mentioned the age of the occupants but not the Hergé-style drawing. I tried again with a manga style, but the result was rubbish.

The disappointment that follows is almost systematic

I’ve got the solution to your problem. Just read the introductions! :p

You're not far off, it's a Toyota Vios. 😉

ChatGPT is weirdly calibrated. I guess the initial data comes from the US. I did another image simulation with average body types for the people, and the result was closer to obesity than a normal BMI...

Darn, I forgot to mention scooters and dogs in my ChatGPT drawing scenario! 😉 Personally, I didn’t have any run-ins with the strays, and the scooters were pretty well-behaved.

Thailand according to Isabelle 😛



Alright, we’d better stop playing around with AI—our real travel journal is waiting!

Sorry, couldn’t resist 😄



Note that in Thailand, on the right side of the image, they even ride scooters without handlebars 😛

Come on, up we get, shower time, and let's go!

Otherwise, we’ll never adjust to Thai time.

We’re about to leave the air-conditioned cocoon of the hotel and dive into the muggy outside world.

I’d forgotten just how hot it gets in Bangkok...

Our goal: Wat Saket, a must-see, apparently, to watch the sun set over the city.

Along the way, we discover our first *khlong*—those canals everywhere around the Chao Phraya River—our first historical relic, Fort Phra Sumen, and our first street-food stall.



We get a little lost in the gardens of Fort Mahakan, struggling to find the entrance to the Golden Mount.

The Golden Mount? Had we somehow looped back to our starting point???

No way!

This isn’t the famous spa town in Auvergne that almost gave its name to the Puy-de-Dôme department (the plan was scrapped—it sounded too posh...). It’s the little artificial hill topped by Wat Saket.

Okay, the golden chedi is right there, just across the canal!

A quick glance at the smartphone, and we find the exit from the maze.

Uhhh, I mean, the temple entrance...

We pay the 100 baht demanded from foreigners now that the place has gained some fame and climb the 300-odd steps carved into the mound.



Beads of sweat form under my blouse, then on my forehead.

Travelers often rave about Thai massages, but the real specialty here seems to be the sauna...

A sip of water, and we’re off again!

A light breeze now brushes against my dripping skin—it almost feels pleasant.



Bangkok sprawls beneath us, and in the distance, we make out the silhouette of the Grand Palace and Wat Arun.

What a tasty little travel appetizer this viewpoint is!



We take our time exploring the nooks and crannies of the site, then look for a place to eat.









I’d spotted a highly rated restaurant, but it’s a detour from our hotel.

Our feet feel heavy, our eyelids even heavier—we skip the detour and opt for a place along our route, a canal-side terrace mostly packed with tourists.

No surprise, Khao San Road is right nearby...

The meal was decent, the service friendly, and the price unbeatable anywhere in Europe...

Just 14 € for an appetizer, two mains, a dessert, and two drinks—we won’t be breaking the bank in Thailand!



I don’t remember prices being this low. It feels like runaway inflation hits accommodations harder than plates of food.

Because on that front, we’re in luck.

Gone are the days of 5-star hotels for under 80 €, with a gargantuan breakfast included...

Even less luxurious rooms have seen their prices skyrocket.

Speaking of rooms—shouldn’t we head to bed?

Sweet dreams...

While the free version's AI-generated "photos" are pretty ugly, you can still have fun with other styles. 😉

I also noticed some errors in the results. It's not quite there yet...

Hi Agnes

After checking out the start of your Thailand adventure on my atlas, I’ll follow along here—it’s way more fun (thanks to ChatGPT’s quirky illustrations ).

The local specialty seems to be the hammam...

A sip of water and off we go again!

A gentle breeze is now brushing against my sweaty skin—it’s almost pleasant.

I’ve had the same feeling in the Seychelles, where I just came back from

Hi there :)

We’ve been paying the 100 baht they charge foreigners ever since these places got a bit famous

I don’t think it’s that expensive either!

Hey there :)

We’ve been paying the 100 baht fee charged to foreigners ever since these places got a bit famous

I don’t think it’s that expensive !

It’s pretty well-known these days—with 100 baht, you can’t get much anymore 😵

Hi there :)

We’ve been paying the 100 baht they charge foreigners ever since these places got popular

I don’t think it’s that expensive !

It’s well known these days—with 100 baht, you’ve got nothing left...

Boomer references!

Hey 🙂

We’ve been paying the 100 baht they charge foreigners ever since these places got popular

I don’t think it’s that expensive !

Everyone knows that 100 baht doesn’t get you much these days...

The classic boomer reference!

Factually, boomers were born between 1947 and 1965, so no.

Hi Muriel,

Yeah, VF is livelier! 😉

But MyAtlas has no limits for photos if you're a subscriber.

Hey Kate!

True, it’s not expensive. 😉 But if it weren’t well-known, it’d be free.

Darn, I forgot to mention scooters and dogs in my ChatGPT drawing scenario! 😉 Personally, I didn’t have any run-ins with the Milous, and the scooters were pretty well-behaved.

Thailand according to Isabelle 😛



Okay, we’ve got to stop playing around with AI—a real travel journal is waiting for us!

You forgot to show the driver’s and passenger’s stress! 😂 😂

Darn, I forgot to mention scooters and dogs in my ChatGPT drawing scenario! ;) Personally, I didn’t have any run-ins with stray dogs, and the scooters were pretty well-behaved.

Thailand according to Isabelle 😛



Okay, we’ve got to stop playing around with AI—a real travel journal is waiting for us!

You forgot to show the driver’s and passenger’s stress! 😂 😂

If you zoom in on the image and the faces, you’ll see the AI doesn’t bother with details…

If you zoom in on the image, and the faces, you realize that AI doesn’t bother with details...

It makes monsters! !

The night wasn’t as restful as we’d hoped.

Eastward jet lag seems harder to shake off!

Maybe a coffee will wake us up?

The breakfast served won’t be memorable.

It was pretty heavy on the savory side and drowned in industrial orange juice—definitely not worth the 200 baht they charged.

Back in the room, we book a taxi transfer to Hua Hin for the next day via 12Go.

Fifty euros for a car over 200 kilometers—why bother doing it any other way?

It’s so much easier to organize transport now than it was 20 years ago!

Alright, off to explore Bangkok now.

We pass by Phra Sumen Fort again and walk to the Phra Arthit pier.

Given the heat, the river shuttles seem like the best way to get around the city from this neighborhood, which doesn’t have any metro stations!

Unfortunately, it’s Sunday, so only the tourist shuttle offers frequent departures.

We take it to Tha Chang, the stop closest to the Grand Palace.





It’s still early, so the tourist crowds haven’t peaked yet.

We head first to the air-conditioned passages near the Palace so my partner can change in the spotless (and free!) restrooms in this network of underground corridors.

Like in Italian churches and most mosques, there’s a dress code here!

The dress code isn’t exactly suited to extreme heat—especially for men, who have to wear long pants.

Women can wear skirts or dresses, but they must come down to at least mid-calf.

For both, avoid tight, sheer, or revealing clothes—no bare midriffs, deep cleavage, or exposed shoulders!

The shorts go to the bottom of the backpack, replaced by a pair of thick canvas pants.

As for me, I bought a long skirt in France just for this visit...

Not very eco-friendly!

Or budget-friendly...

Speaking of money, here we are at the ticket counter!

No price inflation here—the ticket’s been 500 baht for over 10 years...

We pass through a security gate and enter the royal grounds.

I’ll let you check the latest *Guide Vert* for a full description of the place while we wander among the gilded halls, giant statues, and crowds of mostly Asian tourists.

















I think they should set a visitor quota. In terms of crowds, the visit feels more like strolling through the aisles of an agricultural fair than watching a niche Nepali black-and-white film in a small arthouse theater...

We’re a little relieved to leave that crowd behind, but absolutely stunned when we realize there must now be three times as many people at the entrance as there were two hours ago...

After changing clothes again, we walk under a scorching sun to the pier for Wat Arun, the temple on the other side of the river.

The ferry’s about to leave—let’s hurry!



I hadn’t set foot here in over twenty years.

Back then, you could climb all the way to the top, but that’s no longer allowed today.

The other big change is the crowd of Thais dressed in traditional outfits posing for photos that’ll turn them into kings and queens for a day.

The costumes are rented, and professionals promise the perfect shot—for a fee.

It’s so much fun!











Hunger and the need for a cool break are getting to us, so we take the ferry back to grab lunch.

The first place is packed, but we have better luck with the second one.

It’s another restaurant more popular with tourists than locals, though the crowd is still mostly Asian.





How do you spot a non-touristy restaurant, you ask?

If they speak English to you, ask “Spicy?”, warn you that what you’re ordering is raw or made with fermented fish sauce, or if the menu is bilingual—you’re in a place that’s a little, a lot, or completely overrun by non-Thais.

If no one asks you anything and you have to whip out your phone for a translation, you’ve found a spot where tourists are a rare sight...

The second option is pretty rare, though—we’re not exactly adventurous souls!

Besides, whether a place is touristy or not says nothing about its quality.

Despite the restaurant’s Michelin reputation, the bill was reasonable. And despite the “tourist trap” label, we didn’t find anything wrong with the place.

Refreshed by the air conditioning and the meal, we head to Wat Pho.

I hadn’t been back to marvel at the largest reclining Buddha in Bangkok—or even the world—in years.





46 meters long with feet 15 meters wide—the guy’s a giant!





Buddha’s got sole! (Sorry...)

Most tourists must’ve spent their entire "sightseeing budget" at the Grand Palace, because the temples are way less crowded.

But it’s still just as humid and scorching!

Should we rest at the hotel a bit before heading out again at night?

We try the public shuttle, and that’s when the myth of Thailand, the Land of Smiles, crumbles...

The same causes producing the same effects everywhere, the ticket agent takes it out on the fifteenth person telling her they want the orange line, not the yellow—meaning me.

Thanks to this travel journal, you’ll know that the orange line is replaced by the yellow during the day, which’ll save you from a major argument.

There must’ve been some serious fallout between staff and customers because some piers clearly display this change near the ticket booths...

The boats zip by on the river, not a single stop missed—here’s ours!

Meet up in 2 hours for a semi-nocturnal stroll.

---/---

Tonight, we’re dining in Chinatown, but let’s not put the cart before the horse—first, we’ll take the river shuttle.

Walking toward the Chao Phraya, a tuk-tuk leaves me speechless (Yes, it’s possible!)



Yesterday, we were in Le Mont-Dore. Today, we’re in Clermont-Ferrand...

I don’t know where the Bibendum craze that seems to have taken over part of Thailand comes from, but we’ll see the chubby Michelin mascot on trucks *a lot*.

Not just one or two, but three, four, or even more!

A lineup of Bibendums on the hood, sometimes decked out with hats, scarves, and other decorations.

If anyone has an explanation?

No Michelin men on the river shuttle, though.

But plenty of passengers!

It’s sunset, and the perfect time for a cheap cruise...



The Ratchawong stop serves Chinatown—that’s where we get off.

I didn’t quite get the deal with the yellow and orange lines 😵... Are those the river shuttles?

Yes.

There are several lines. Some stop at every station, others don’t. The lines are identified by colors, which are displayed on a flag at the front of the boat.

The omnibus is the cheapest (orange flag), while the tourist shuttle is the most expensive.

Here’s the link to the website.

Thanks! 🙂

Meet-up in 2 hours for a semi-nocturnal ride.

---/---

Tonight, we're heading to Chinatown for dinner, but let's not put the cart before the horse—first, we'll take the river shuttle.

What did you all do in the meantime? 😇

I’ll let every reader imagine that for themselves!

What would you have done? 😄

A 😏 happy hour

At 4:30 PM? 😮

(Curtains at 18:30 in Thailand)

The clever aperitif

I approve 😎

Well, I guess some forum members handle the road as well as their travel journals! 😛

It's an obsession!😵😵😵

I'm not sure Thailand is the best country for enjoying an aperitif...

You can find beer everywhere except in a few Muslim places that take their book literally, but the rest is much more hit-or-miss unless you buy your favorite drink at a store (outside the tourist highway).

And then there's the beer problem—it's not always served in small sizes... More than half a liter just for an aperitif means you'd better have a strong bladder! And actually like beer...

Sometimes you find something called cider. A Norman girl like me isn’t impressed...

I’ll add that the alcohol consumption ritual is different among Thais.

They order a bottle of something strong, a bucket of ice (which you pay for), and water. The guy drinks, while the woman gets up to prepare the drink: something that could blind you, ice, and a bit of H2O.

The streets are deserted, and then suddenly, we find ourselves at Times Square!

Yaowarat Road comes alive at night—a detail I’d missed before.

Neon lights glitter, food stalls line the road, and passersby wander around...













It’s loud, smelly, colorful, inviting, and overwhelming—a deep dive into the hustle and bustle of life.

Preferring to dine somewhere quieter and more comfortable, we head toward the river in search of the restaurant we’d been eyeing.

We’re not the only ones with the same idea—the first seating is fully booked!

We wait with a drink at an open-air bar overlooking the river’s lively scene.

Forty-five minutes later, we try our luck again.

A table is waiting for us upstairs—shoes off required.

The meal wasn’t the best, but the atmosphere was lovely! Too bad we didn’t book a table facing the Chao Phraya.



Now, how to get back to the hotel?

River transport doesn’t run at night, so our options are taxi, ride-hailing (VTC), or tuk-tuk.

I go negotiate the fare with the first tuk-tuk driver I see.

I know the VTC price thanks to GRAB, so I set my limit at 200 baht—just a bit more than that.

The driver barely speaks English.

A colleague steps in and quotes 300.

I counter with 200.

He agrees right away—we both got a good deal...

The driver’s with a friend and seems happy to take her for a spin around the city.

He shifts into gear, cranks up some *Pulp Fiction*-style music, and off we go in a rolling nightclub...

Have a great evening! !

And here it is, that famous tuk-tuk ride! We're waiting for Mr. 😉's verdict! !

Seriously, not racing around Thailand in a tuk-tuk with the music blasting would be a real shame 😄

I know the VTC price thanks to GRAB, so I’m setting my limit at 200 baht, which is a bit more than that amount.

Is that the average price for a ride? Can you fit 4 people in those tuk-tuks? (In India, it was possible if you squeezed in)

My husband loved the drive with music!

I also think it's nicer at night. Less traffic.

Especially since it wasn’t local music at all—just some old rock coming from who knows where! 😄

I checked the price of a regular taxi ride. It was a bit less. So I used that price as a base and rounded up to the nearest hundred.

The price is what you're willing to pay. 😉

200 baht is roughly 5.5 €.

This tuk-tuk wouldn’t have been able to take 4 adult passengers.

But others are bigger. The ones we took in Ayutthaya were more suited for 6 or even 8 people if you squeeze in.

My husband loved the ride with music!

I also think it's more fun at night. Less traffic.

That reminds me—every time we took one, it was only at night. Yeah, it's better: the colors, the more pleasant temperature in the evening.

In early March, there was an accident in Bangkok with 3 serious injuries. Two tuk-tuks were racing and crashed into each other. A lot of drivers tend to go a little fast, so you’ve got to set things straight right from the start. But hey, tourists love it, especially the young ones.

I checked the price of a regular taxi ride. It was a bit less. So I used that price as a base and rounded up to the next hundred.

The price is what you're willing to pay.😉

200 THB is about 5.50 €.

This tuk-tuk wouldn't have been able to take 4 adult passengers.

But others are bigger. The ones we took in Ayutthaya were more suited for 6 or even 8 people if you squeeze in.

Given that a taxi costs around 500 THB for the 20/25 km from the airport to the city, with 200 THB you can go quite far in the city. With the meter, that is.