Just back from a visa run to Vientiane by way of Udon Thani. I had to go to Vientiane this time because my options for Savanakhet and Chong Mek had been exhausted.

I have been to Udon Thani many times before so I am familiar with the ways to get there. My preferred way is by bus from Ubon Ratchathani. I use Sayan Tour which offers First and Second class service between the two cities. The scheduled time for the journey is seven hours and normally it arrives fairly close to the scheduled time.

Sayan Tour office is located at 189 Khuan Thani Rd in downtown Ubon across from TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand). You can buy tickets there and also catch the bus there which parks on Ubonsak Rd across from the Fire Department. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time. The fare from Ubon to Udon is just less than 300 Baht. You can also purchase tickets and catch their bus at the Ubon Bus Terminal.

I chose the 10:25 bus which was scheduled to arrive in Udon Thani at 17:30. I got there a bit early by design and got some breakfast for 20 Baht in a small shop located in a small soi behind the office. The bus departed on time and headed off to the Bus Terminal for it’s required stop there. I bought two seats so I could keep my bag with me but also because when riding a bus for 7 hours I didn’t want stand up passengers leaning on me. It’s fine on a short haul but for that long it’s not something I wanted to experience.

I was on the First class service but they still load up with as many passengers as they can. This means some passengers end up standing for their journey. I think they pay the same fare as the passengers who have a seat too. This earns more profit for the bus line and for the driver and hostess.

At Maha Sarakham Bus Station vendors board the bus hawking mango slices and grilled chicken. The smell of the chicken usually activates hunger pangs in my stomach. I can see eating mango on the bus. It is tidy and easy to eat. On the other hand, the chicken is another story. There is no good place to wash up after eating and no good place to store the bones. It is a chance at making another sell and they have a captive audience for sure.

The route runs from Ubon to Yasothon, Roi Et, Maha Sarakham and then to Khon Kaen. There is a 20 minute stopover in Khon Kaen so have time to get off, stretch the legs, use the facilities or just relax. It’s another 2 hours to Udon Thani from Khon Kaen. We arrived in Udon about 45 minutes late. The reason for the late arrival, for which I am grateful, is the the driver was not a horn-honking kamikaze who swerves into the opposite lane to pass, without regard to oncoming traffic. In those instances, the oncoming drivers must move to the shoulder to avoid and head-on collision. So I didn’t mind that we were late.

I arrived in Udon a bit stiff but all in all it was a good trip.

Thai Phrase of the Post:

Chan ja khuen rot prajam tang bai Udon Thani dai nai?

Where can I catch a bus to Udon Thani?

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