Getting to Pattaya without going through Bangkok

[rsn 135]

Hello - I have tickets to stay with my fiancee in Pattaya for 7 weeks starting at the end of December. The way things look over there, I'm not optimistic that I will be able to fly in to Bangkok as planned (especially since Suvarnabhumi airport claims it needs a week to prepare itself and its computer systems to allow itself to reopen after PAD leaves). It seems I have the following options:

1.) Fly in to Utapao. This is exceedingly expensive from the U.S. for some reason, plus the trip is significantly longer for some reason, plus it's hard to find any flights to this airport from the U.S. plus it's probably already overcrowded.

2.) Fly in to Chang Mai. This is a possible option, but the journey via bus or private car to Pattaya is 12+ hours. I'd like to avoid that after a 24 hour flight.

3.) Fly in to Siem Reap in Cambodia, then take a private car or bus for an unknown amount of time (3 hours?) to the border, then take a private car or bus for an unknown amount of time (3.5 hours?) to Pattaya.

Assuming my estimate of about 6.5 hours from Siem Reap to Pattaya is accurate, then I'd probably go with that option. Questions: Are my estimates to #3 correct? Is there perhaps a better way to get to Pattaya from the U.S. in this situation?

[Dai. 7]

PPP and Somchai are out, the party has been dissolved, it should take a week now before they can start operating flights at Suvarnabhumi again. You should be fine at the end of the month.

[rsn 135]

PPP and Somchai are out, the party has been dissolved, it should take a week now before they can start operating flights at Suvarnabhumi again. You should be fine at the end of the month.

Unfortunately it seems more complicated then that. The protesters are not going to leave anytime soon, as I suspected. This is why I asked my original question, as I think things will only get worse as people's patience wear thin and the anti-PAD people clash with the PAD people, etc, etc.

[rsn 135]

PPP and Somchai are out, the party has been dissolved, it should take a week now before they can start operating flights at Suvarnabhumi again. You should be fine at the end of the month.

Unfortunately it seems more complicated then that. The protesters are not going to leave anytime soon, as I suspected. This is why I asked my original question, as I think things will only get worse as people's patience wear thin and the anti-PAD people clash with the PAD people, etc, etc.

I should note that the article I read on yahoo claims that the protesters are leaving the airport at once, but that is not what was reported on the news in Thailand after the verdict. My fiancee tells me that Thai news claims the protesters will not leave until they are sure the replacement ruling party is to their liking. At least these seem to be the first reports. Even if they do leave, there is a lot of tension in Thailand now between the anti-government and pro-government people. You can see that by the recent bombings linked to the pro-government people of the anti-government people. Things may be messy in Thailand for a while it seems, but I would love to be wrong and eat my words, believe me!

[Dai. 7]

PPP and Somchai are out, the party has been dissolved, it should take a week now before they can start operating flights at Suvarnabhumi again. You should be fine at the end of the month.

Unfortunately it seems more complicated then that. The protesters are not going to leave anytime soon, as I suspected. This is why I asked my original question, as I think things will only get worse as people's patience wear thin and the anti-PAD people clash with the PAD people, etc, etc.

I should note that the article I read on yahoo claims that the protesters are leaving the airport at once, but that is not what was reported on the news in Thailand after the verdict. My fiancee tells me that Thai news claims the protesters will not leave until they are sure the replacement ruling party is to their liking. At least these seem to be the first reports. Even if they do leave, there is a lot of tension in Thailand now between the anti-government and pro-government people. You can see that by the recent bombings linked to the pro-government people of the anti-government people. Things may be messy in Thailand for a while it seems, but I would love to be wrong and eat my words, believe me!

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=135133

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=135131

According to Thai news website, they are leaving but may return. They are accepting incoming flights at the international airport now. But yeah I agree there is going to be tension between the red shirts and the yellow shirts. But the King shouldn't be a wuss and he should step in and stop this madness. I don't understand why he's waiting until his birthday to say something. He is just sitting there and letting his people ruin his country. He has the power to stop this Goverment BS and the people love him so much they will just follow. I hope things get cleared up over there soon, I have a business over there that's affected by this whole ordeal and I also plan to go on vacation there in Phuket in the 1st week of January.

Edited December 2, 2008 by Dai_VN

[Dai. 7]

What the hell PAD said they will let the airport resume business but they are still going to stay at the airport in a section that doesn't interfere with passengers coming and going.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/tops...s.php?id=135127

Are they not thinking?!?! If they continue to do that then the Red shirted people are tempted to terrorize the remaining protesters at the airport and they put the foreigners in danger. They need to clear our of the damn airport and go protest somewhere else where they only put themselves in danger not the people who have nothing to do with this #######. They're making Thailand worst than it was before.

Edited December 2, 2008 by Dai_VN

[rsn 135]

What the hell PAD said they will let the airport resume business but they are still going to stay at the airport in a section that doesn't interfere with passengers coming and going.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/tops...s.php?id=135127

Are they not thinking?!?! If they continue to do that then the Red shirted people are tempted to terrorize the remaining protesters at the airport and they put the foreigners in danger. They need to clear our of the damn airport and go protest somewhere else where they only put themselves in danger not the people who have nothing to do with this #######. They're making Thailand worst than it was before.

I sympathize with both sides, the red shirts and the yellow shirts. My fiancee and I take the same stance on this one, we aren't sure who to blame for this one exactly. Sometimes it seems easy to blame PAD, and granted they have definitely made some poor decisions, but the issue seems more complex than it might appear, as you probably already know. I'm still quite worried about the immediate future of Thailand, as well as my chances of making it to BKK in late-December, as I think Thailand's problems are far from over in this situation. It's sad that all this has to happen this way.