Cost of water taxi in Bangkok river
Jan 11th, 2009, 07:10 PM
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Cost of water taxi in Bangkok river
I took a boat from the shangri la pier to the grand palace for a 1000 thai bahts-that's roughly $29. Is that what I should have paid or was I ripped off? this old thai lady at the pier was very insistent that that was the rate and so I reluctantly paid it.
Jan 11th, 2009, 07:47 PM
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Mark, I can't figure out what kind of boat you were in. The water taxis are more like water buses - packed to the gills with locals, they are very cheap. A ride from the Shangri-La Pier to the Grand Palace runs about 24 baht for the express boat about 11 or 12 baht for the one that stops every pier. The "tourist boat" is more - but nothing like 1000 baht, and you don't have the whole boat to yourselves.
Bob, do you have any idea what kind of boat he was in?
Bob, do you have any idea what kind of boat he was in?
Jan 12th, 2009, 04:36 AM
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Hey Kathie, I guess it wasnt a "water taxi" then. It was a medium size private boat, comparable in size to the long tail ones, with benches along the sides of the boat. $29 seems resonable by US standards, but after spending a few more days in Bangkok, I thought a 1000 bahts was defintely way too much for that 30 min boat ride.
Jan 12th, 2009, 05:00 AM
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kathie...not sure...maybe just a freelancer....maybe like those small boats that go from side to side, but usually people stand up on those boats??
in any case.....way tooooooo much money, but live and learn... and 'just say no'
in any case.....way tooooooo much money, but live and learn... and 'just say no'
Jan 12th, 2009, 05:07 AM
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This sounds like one of the smaller tourist boats that are used to take people on canal tours instead of the long-tails.
Your mistake was taking a boat from the Shangri-La pier. Like everything else, the hotels over-charge grossly for boat arrangements. All you had to do was walk next door to the hotels, to the pier under the bridge, where you would have gotten a regular boat for under 25 Baht.
Your mistake was taking a boat from the Shangri-La pier. Like everything else, the hotels over-charge grossly for boat arrangements. All you had to do was walk next door to the hotels, to the pier under the bridge, where you would have gotten a regular boat for under 25 Baht.
Jan 12th, 2009, 09:15 AM
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You could have taken any of the water taxis - the big boats packed with people - from any of the public piers. It sounds like you were at the pier just below the skytrain. Just go to the boat heading in the correct direction (to your right from there). Once you are on the boat, the woman who collects fares will come by, you tell her where you are going and she'll collect your fare and give you change.
For the kind of private boat you got, the rate sounds high, but may well have been the "tourist rate." Part of the problem may have been miscommunication about what kind of boat you wanted. There are agents at the pier who arrange private boats for people, and I guess that is who you asked. People don't usually ask her for the water taxi, so she may have been offering you what she thought you wanted.
For the kind of private boat you got, the rate sounds high, but may well have been the "tourist rate." Part of the problem may have been miscommunication about what kind of boat you wanted. There are agents at the pier who arrange private boats for people, and I guess that is who you asked. People don't usually ask her for the water taxi, so she may have been offering you what she thought you wanted.
Jan 12th, 2009, 09:25 AM
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hi mark - here are the best boats to catch from the pier outside the shangri la gates (i assume that is where you got your boat from last time).
You go through the krungthep wing and turn right - under the skytrain and bridge.
It is called the Chao Phraya Express Boat and it runs up to the grand palace - take a look at the pictures on this website and you can spot it next time
http://www.chaophrayaboat.co.th/expressboat_e.htm
the boat will arrive at the stop and make a beeping noise as it reverses into dock, everyone will leap off and everyone will leap on and then the horn/whistle blows and it goes. it is v quick!! you pay once you are on board
btw, the website is quite slow to load but it gets there in the end
BB
You go through the krungthep wing and turn right - under the skytrain and bridge.
It is called the Chao Phraya Express Boat and it runs up to the grand palace - take a look at the pictures on this website and you can spot it next time
http://www.chaophrayaboat.co.th/expressboat_e.htm
the boat will arrive at the stop and make a beeping noise as it reverses into dock, everyone will leap off and everyone will leap on and then the horn/whistle blows and it goes. it is v quick!! you pay once you are on board
btw, the website is quite slow to load but it gets there in the end
BB
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