Getting to HH from Khanom near Surat Thani

[Papa Goose]

Hi all,

As the title says we are in Khanom and fed up of the wind. it's dropped to 45 kph now but just not pleasant... and most of my pants have been blown to Malaysia, so thinking of coming up to Hua Hin for a couple of days, and looking at transport oprtions. I'm guessing that the lack of googlable info on flights means the airport has no services from Surat Thani or Nakhon si Thamarat, and driving is out, so that leaves bus or train. Bus means the horrid dug up road, so that kinda just leaves the train. Anyone any info on service and reliability please.

[Big Boy]

A lot of people swear by this site http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm

[brianks]

You can take one of the buses from Downtown Khanom and I am sure it could stop in Hua Hin on its way to BKK. For the train you must go to Surat Thani. At this time of the year for the next few days, train travel could be a bit cramped in addition to always being a bit slow and never on schedule.

I sure don't have any idea where you would be experiencing 45 kph winds here in Khanom. Never experienced anything like that here where I have now lived for 3 years.

[Papa Goose]

Thanks for the input brianks, I'll investigate bus timings etc, but isn't there massive road works and big contra flows? I spoke with Toon who just sent his wife to HH and he said train was better.

Charlie from CC beach bar said the winds 120+ kph with horizontal rain and waves that came into the the bar, so strong are the winds that only 2 night we have been here has Charlie not had the screens down and unable to put tables on the beach. Today I spoke to the woman who owns SP bar and bungalows, said she was flooded just before xmas with the storms. Also the wind that blew over the table and chairs on our balcony 2days ago was at 30 gusting to 45 according to Mr Google. Yet go to Khanom town... hardly a breeze. Th beach has been so sandblastingly windy we went to Samui to avoid it 1 day, but today is not so bad, but still the red flags are out.

[brianks]

I am surprised to hear about all the wind on the main beach and the flooding. I guess that is what you get when your down there when a big storm is blowing just right. I live about 5km inland from the beach and out in and among the Thai countryside. Absolutely no hint of the weather your referring to. My Thai wife has not said or heard a word about the weather you have experienced. Could direct you to several other cove or beach sites that face the other direction and should not be a problem.

Too bad your experience has been bad. I love it here with the green hills all year round, laid back atmosphere, almost complete lack of traffic most of the time and drive the beach road with no traffic. Wife went to south town and ran into traffic because of all the people filling the town over the holidays. First time she had experienced that here. Thought we left it all behind when we left Hua Hin.

[usual suspect]

If you DO decide to take a bus..and all the ticket offices etc say "No, we do not go thru' H.H." then get a ticket to Pranburi (all buses go thru' here before taking the bypass West of HH)..then immediately after the traffic lights in the town centre on the left (where there's lots of room for your big bus to pull over) is both the office for the Pranburi-BKK bus (which of course does stop in HH)..and the terminus for the little orange buses. Both services offer a cheap fare to HH.
This is of course assuming your ETA in Pranburi is not in the middle of the night.