Description:


Mo Chit is Bangkok's northern bus terminal and the largest terminus in town; it serves destinations in the north, northeast and parts of Thailand's eastern coast. It is located away from the Skytrain and Metro stations of the same name, but can be approached with bus number three from near Khaosan Road and taxis.

The terminal is divided into three zones. One serves buses travelling within Bangkok, another is the arrival area and the third is the departures zone. The last is served by a four-story building. At the entrance level, tickets are sold to northern destinations, while the third one serves the northeast. Both host also waiting areas, restaurants (including fast food as KFC and Mr Donut) and basic Thai food plazas. Unluckily, Mo Chit looks nowadays as under foreign occupation, with cameras crisscrossing the waiting areas and access gates; policemen, soldiers and plainclothes policemen swarm the place.

The tickets selling windows area is an awesome sight, with dozens of tiny booths featuring larger than them Thai letters announcing the destinations served by them. The parallel English names often appear, though not always. In any case many of the staff speaks some English and purchasing the desired ticket is a breeze after the correct window is spotted. Make sure you know the departure bay number since the terminus is huge and wandering in the search of a single bus can be a lengthy affair.

Reaching Mo Chit

All the buses marked Mo Chit reach the terminal, of special importance is bus number three connecting the terminal with Khaosan Road; it passes also not far from the Grand Palace.

A point to keep in mind is that the Skytrain Sukhumvit Line features a station called Mo Chit. This station is located on Phahon Yothin Road between soi 18 and 20, next to the Chatuchak Weekend Market and Park, but it is a few kilometres away from the bus terminal. The same holds for the subway’s Kamphaeng Phet and Chatuchak stations.

If arriving by taxi, refer to it as Mo Chit Song ("Mo Chit 2") or Mo Chit Mai ("New Mo Chit") since the original bus terminal was in a nearby location.




Travelling Independently in Thailand

Learning to travel in Thailand was not easy. One of the biggest barriers was the tonal language; it took me several months to distinguish between the curiously rising and dropping sounds. Even learning the letters was a challenge, since the vowels could be placed above, below, before or after the relevant consonant. Moreover, knowing how to read was not enough because some words kept their traditional Sanskrit spelling while they were pronounced in modern Thai. To make the confusion complete, some names had several versions; for example, Thais refer to "Bangkok" as "Krung Thep," or the "City of Angels."

Over time, the barriers began to collapse and I found it easier to use the local transport. Thailand has an extensive network of trains and planes, but the trains are slow and old while the aircrafts take out the fun of travelling. However, for historical reasons, Thailand has maybe the best highways network in South East Asia, which is complemented by buses of extraordinary quality. Many are scheduled so (sometimes at the price of forced stops along the way) that they leave at the first hours of darkness and reach their final destination early in the morning. Arriving around 8 AM - following a comfortable night - is a good way to begin a visit at a new place. Moreover, the bus would usually stop along its way at places that otherwise I would not have visited.

After Midnight in Mo Chit

Many Thais work at night. The hot climate favours travelling by night and thus travel hubs are open all night; all-night markets are their natural extension. Mo Chit being the largest terminus in the city led to it having the largest among these markets next to it. Inexpensive travel-related items aimed for a short term use while in the kingdom are excellent purchases here. Backpacks, T-shirts and similar items are good buys. At least two 7-Eleven branches are in the area, one next to the arrivals area, and the second next to the food market.

The food market, located between the arrival and local buses areas, is a must since it features all the main Thai snacks and simple meals. This is an excellent place for getting a few tasty lessons on the local eating habits. The first thing a traveller may note is that the servings are relatively small and that every stall specializes in one or two dishes. This is typical, probably because the heavy heat transforms big meals into unpleasant experiences. Thais eat several tiny meals during the day, most of them of the meat-over-rice or noodle soup types. Interesting snacks are offered by small griller stalls serving sausages, skewed meat (including whole tiny birds, three on a stick), and skewed lumps of flour mixed with fish, meat or insects; the last are a big hit in Thailand and can be seen in most convenience stores as well as in television and billboard advertisements all over the city.

With such prospects for an entertaining visit, who can avoid Mo Chit after midnight?
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