In my experience, when in a Thailand bus station, you have to check, and check again. On some routes you have competing bus companies running the same route, or competing classes of service going on the same route. A superior class bus could be leaving later, but with fewer stops, and get to a destination before a bus leaving earlier. A lot would depend on how far the destination is....and in this case the destination was not far. Something else to consider is that Touts get paid by bringing customers to a particular bus company or hotel. Mojo gave up too easily and did not consider all potential options. The fact that the Hippies came later, and got an earlier bus proves that they blew it.

• RE: In Thailand Always Check and Check Again,Kathryn in Canada, 01:43 PM, 05-13-06
• RE: In Thailand Always Check and Check Again,Earl Colby Pottinger, 05:45 PM, 05-13-06

An interesting thing I noticed was the frats and RaY left at midnight, but arrived at the monkey detour at 5:45, or 5.75 hours after their bus left.

The hippies' bus left at 4:20 and still arrived at the detour before 8 a.m. Therefore their transfer time was 2 hours less than the others.

This is another example of checking out arrival times as well as departure times for transportation. There were obviously local and express bus runs.

Then there is the indirect (sp?) route.

When you can't get there from here, ask can you go to another place then transfer to still another bus that will still get you to where you want to be.

But correct me if I am wrong. The bus the first two teams left on, left the station at 12 pm right? I am sure when they were talking to the taxi driver there was a shot showing the time as Twenty to Twelve ... so there was lots of time to buy a ticket and get on the first bus with the other teams ......... If Only They Asked!!!!