Goa to Bangkok OVERLAND
Jan 25th, 2010, 02:08 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Goa to Bangkok OVERLAND
goodday ya'll, i'm new to this site.
has anyone ever made a trip from Goa to Thailand overland? any info as far as route, cost, time etc would be great. as well as things to see along the way and other experiances?
thankyou
zach
has anyone ever made a trip from Goa to Thailand overland? any info as far as route, cost, time etc would be great. as well as things to see along the way and other experiances?
thankyou
zach
Jan 25th, 2010, 03:02 AM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,160
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Goa to Thailand! Start in Goa, drive across India to Bangladesh then through Myanmar before arriving in Thailand hmm.... Bangladesh and Myanmar have very bad roads. Myanmar have internal conflicts with their minorities tribes as well as some of the worst roads on earth.
Can't wait for your trip report!
Can't wait for your trip report!
Jan 25th, 2010, 06:31 AM
#3
Before you look at doing this, you'd better check that you can actually cross the border between India and Myanmar. I believe it's still closed. I'm not sure about the state of the road, either. Check Lonely Planet's Thorntree.
I think the best way to travel long distances in India is by train - see http://seat61.com/India.htm and http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ although some people here prefer to fly. the train will give you a much better look at India and the Indians.
I think the best way to travel long distances in India is by train - see http://seat61.com/India.htm and http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ although some people here prefer to fly. the train will give you a much better look at India and the Indians.
Jan 25th, 2010, 06:56 AM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There is no open border crossing between India or Bangladesh and Myanmar that can be used by non-locals, nor has there been for decades (last open in the 1940s, I believe).
This question gets asked with some regularity on Thorntree. I'd suggest you go and read some of the threads about this. Do note that there is some verbal abuse heaped on those who ask such questions, as such questions are perceived as not merely naive, but willfully ignorant.
It is possible (with considerable expense) to cross from China into Myanmar. You can find details about this on the Thorntree site as well.
This question gets asked with some regularity on Thorntree. I'd suggest you go and read some of the threads about this. Do note that there is some verbal abuse heaped on those who ask such questions, as such questions are perceived as not merely naive, but willfully ignorant.
It is possible (with considerable expense) to cross from China into Myanmar. You can find details about this on the Thorntree site as well.
Jan 25th, 2010, 07:15 AM
#5
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,121
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Is this you, z?
http://blogs.gapyear.com/?op=vf&u=Zbecker6
I think so. I wish I was twenty. Great idea, except for the bit where you can't cross into Burma. Have you done any research at all? I don't think so.
So, why should we? Life is short. We are very, very old in Fodors. The combined age of the four posters that have so far responded to your witless question is already well over two hundred and twenty five years. It's kinda like asking your great-great-grandmother to run down to the corner shop to get you a pint of milk.
You're being cruel and heartless. Go get your own milk.
http://blogs.gapyear.com/?op=vf&u=Zbecker6
I think so. I wish I was twenty. Great idea, except for the bit where you can't cross into Burma. Have you done any research at all? I don't think so.
So, why should we? Life is short. We are very, very old in Fodors. The combined age of the four posters that have so far responded to your witless question is already well over two hundred and twenty five years. It's kinda like asking your great-great-grandmother to run down to the corner shop to get you a pint of milk.
You're being cruel and heartless. Go get your own milk.
Jan 25th, 2010, 07:29 AM
#6
I actually have a book, "First Overland" by Tim Slessor, published in 1957, that describes an expedition by a group of Oxbridge graduates from London to Singapore and back. They did take the Stillwell route into Burma, but with considerable difficulty, and the road had pretty much disappeared even then.
However, a quick google turned up this, from news.xinhuanet.com:
"The 160-kilometer Myanmar-India Friendship Road, built in 1999 by India's border road task force in cooperation with Myanmar and opened in February 2001, is being upgraded by Myanmar engineers and skilled workers of the two countries as some sections deteriorated, both the Biweekly Eleven News and the Voice said.
The border road, which forms an important link from the India-Myanmar border to central Myanmar and the commercial and cultural center of Mandalay, also constitutes part of the Asian highway and plays an important role for Myanmar in trading with India and member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)."
However, a quick google turned up this, from news.xinhuanet.com:
"The 160-kilometer Myanmar-India Friendship Road, built in 1999 by India's border road task force in cooperation with Myanmar and opened in February 2001, is being upgraded by Myanmar engineers and skilled workers of the two countries as some sections deteriorated, both the Biweekly Eleven News and the Voice said.
The border road, which forms an important link from the India-Myanmar border to central Myanmar and the commercial and cultural center of Mandalay, also constitutes part of the Asian highway and plays an important role for Myanmar in trading with India and member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)."
Jan 25th, 2010, 02:49 PM
#9
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 300
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This question is intrigueing, if the writer is truly interested in following the path of the South India dravidians (Jayvarman's it was, I think) who in the 1100-1200's or thereabout moved to SE Asia, viz Thailand and Cambodia and then beyond, bringing new culture and Hinduism to SE Asia. (examples are Angkor Wat temples etc). Jayvarman's may not have started exactly from Goa but from other nearby regions in South India.
But I have to admit, it is too funny. Not a vacation trip I would venture to take, given the wild political climate of the intervening countries like Myanmar.
Love your response dogster!!
Fodorites have so much fun.
But I have to admit, it is too funny. Not a vacation trip I would venture to take, given the wild political climate of the intervening countries like Myanmar.
Love your response dogster!!
Fodorites have so much fun.
Jan 25th, 2010, 02:53 PM
#10
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 300
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Although, on second thought, The Jayvarman's probably took a boat to thailand from South India. Come to think of it, going through North India at that time would have involved going through some other (unfriendly?) kingdoms.
Jan 25th, 2010, 04:44 PM
#12
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You can easily get overland from Goa to the east coast of Inida by rail, and from there (say Chennai or Kolkata, see http://tourism.andaman.nic.in/getticket.htm) you can get a ferry to the Andamans quite easily and apparently pretty cheaply. From the Andamans you can take a boat to Thailand, and then go overland to Bangkok. Not sure if there are public ferries to Thailand, or if you would have to hire a boat for that portion. I could not find info on a public ferry service to Thailand. You might be able to hire a boat to get you to the one of the outlying Thai islands in the Andaman Sea, and then a public ferry service would take you the rest of the way to Phuket. You also may be able to volunteer your services as crew on a yacht in the Andamans which is making a trip to Thailand.
Jan 28th, 2010, 12:22 AM
#14
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,160
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
username..
A friend of my has done the fishing trip from Phuket to the Nicobar Islands and they've said that immigration there is quite tough. Also, you cannot just land on a Thai island and catch a ferry to Phuket! You will have to land in Phuket and go through the immigration at the port there otherwise when you try to leave the country you will get into trouble.
A friend of my has done the fishing trip from Phuket to the Nicobar Islands and they've said that immigration there is quite tough. Also, you cannot just land on a Thai island and catch a ferry to Phuket! You will have to land in Phuket and go through the immigration at the port there otherwise when you try to leave the country you will get into trouble.
Jan 28th, 2010, 01:16 AM
#15
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The above post mentions immigration <i>into</i> the Andamans, which does require a special permit, which you should be able to obtain when you apply for your regular Indian visa, or you can get on arrival in Port Blair. See http://www.indianembassy.org/newsite/visa.aspm for info on an Indian visa. (This is for the Indian embassy in the US, if you are not in the US, try the nearest Indian high commission or embassy).
I agree that once you leave India (which includes the Andamans), immigration is going to be your biggest hurdle for the overland/water portion no matter where you choose to enter. It is quite possible that many Thai islands do not have Immigration facilities. (If there is a public ferry service between the Andaman’s and a Thai island, I feel quite confident in saying that it will be to a Thai island which does have Immigration facilities. I agree that simply rocking up in fishing boat and hopping onto a ferry may not work, and my apologies if my post implied this would be a good idea.) However, lots of people on private boats arrive into Thailand by water every day, and deal with this issue pretty easily. There are immigration check points in the Phuket area as follows where you or the owner of the boat go to present passports and get the necessary stamps/visas. I’ve arrived by private boat into several countries in SE Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia and the east coast of Thailand) and it has never been an issue to get through Immigration. (This list does not include Phuket airport or other airports in the regions, see http://www.thaiembdc.org/ for a complete list):
Phuket Immigration Checkpoint , Chalong Bay Phuket
Krabi Immigration Checkpoint , Krabi
Satun Immigration Checkpoint , Satun
From Krabi or Satun, you could take a ferry to Phuket, or just continue overland to Bangkok.
The citizens of many countries, including the US, the UK, etc do not need a visa to enter Thailand, but are given a 30-day visa automatically when they enter Thailand. However, to ease your entry into Thailand by water, you may want to apply for a visa in advance for Thailand and thereby already have it in your passport when you arrive, leading possibly to fewer issues in connection with an arrival by private boat. You might try yachting websites for more info on this issue. See the above Thai embassy link for info on applying for a visa.
I agree that once you leave India (which includes the Andamans), immigration is going to be your biggest hurdle for the overland/water portion no matter where you choose to enter. It is quite possible that many Thai islands do not have Immigration facilities. (If there is a public ferry service between the Andaman’s and a Thai island, I feel quite confident in saying that it will be to a Thai island which does have Immigration facilities. I agree that simply rocking up in fishing boat and hopping onto a ferry may not work, and my apologies if my post implied this would be a good idea.) However, lots of people on private boats arrive into Thailand by water every day, and deal with this issue pretty easily. There are immigration check points in the Phuket area as follows where you or the owner of the boat go to present passports and get the necessary stamps/visas. I’ve arrived by private boat into several countries in SE Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia and the east coast of Thailand) and it has never been an issue to get through Immigration. (This list does not include Phuket airport or other airports in the regions, see http://www.thaiembdc.org/ for a complete list):
Phuket Immigration Checkpoint , Chalong Bay Phuket
Krabi Immigration Checkpoint , Krabi
Satun Immigration Checkpoint , Satun
From Krabi or Satun, you could take a ferry to Phuket, or just continue overland to Bangkok.
The citizens of many countries, including the US, the UK, etc do not need a visa to enter Thailand, but are given a 30-day visa automatically when they enter Thailand. However, to ease your entry into Thailand by water, you may want to apply for a visa in advance for Thailand and thereby already have it in your passport when you arrive, leading possibly to fewer issues in connection with an arrival by private boat. You might try yachting websites for more info on this issue. See the above Thai embassy link for info on applying for a visa.
Jan 28th, 2010, 01:55 AM
#16
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,121
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
All the above is fascinating but I'm willing to bet that young Zach has moved on to another crazy idea by now. He's twenty. Three days is a long time.
C'mon Zach, tell Grandpa Dog what's happening. Aunty Cicerone is spending a lot of time helping you, let alone all your other new relatives.
Uncle Hanuman is a very famous man, he's a Living National Treasure replying from backstage between shows at Siam Niramit when he really should be rehearsing. Nanna Thursday used up her weekly book token at the Old Person's Home to find that information. Cousin Magical is only conscious for a couple of hours a day...
I'd hate to think that all this was a waste of time.
C'mon Zach, tell Grandpa Dog what's happening. Aunty Cicerone is spending a lot of time helping you, let alone all your other new relatives.
Uncle Hanuman is a very famous man, he's a Living National Treasure replying from backstage between shows at Siam Niramit when he really should be rehearsing. Nanna Thursday used up her weekly book token at the Old Person's Home to find that information. Cousin Magical is only conscious for a couple of hours a day...
I'd hate to think that all this was a waste of time.
Jan 28th, 2010, 07:06 AM
#19
"I'd hate to think that all this was a waste of time." - why would it be a waste of time? Regardless of what the OP does or doesn't do, others may be interested. Me, for instance...
And what's with the hang-up you're developing about age, dog? My twitter/blog name is "mytimetotravel" - and you certainly seem to be zipping around still. Tamil Nadu really beat you down?
And what's with the hang-up you're developing about age, dog? My twitter/blog name is "mytimetotravel" - and you certainly seem to be zipping around still. Tamil Nadu really beat you down?
Jan 28th, 2010, 07:18 AM
#20
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,500
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Since Nanna Thursday was too feeble and forgetful to send out her yearly Holiday Newsletter, you can catch up with her here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...m#last-comment
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...m#last-comment
