Travellers' Check

The Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link

We plan to rent a car and drive from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Can you tell us the best place to break our journey?

The distance between Bangkok and Chiang Mai is 696 kilometres, so breaking it halfway is a good idea.

The most popular destination for a stopover is Sukhothai, the former capital of Siam, with its two historical parks, scenic rice fields and ancient temples. Although a stop at Sukhothai requires you to divert from the most direct route to Chiang Mai, it's only 425km from Bangkok and its attractions and choice of accommodation make it well worth the stop. Even if you arrive late at night, it's easy to find a room (except at Loy Kratong on November 12). From Sukhothai, you can continue to Thung Saliam-Thern and then drive straight up to Lampang and Chiang Mai.

If you want to see less-known places, then you may want to stop 300 kilometres north of Bangkok in Uthai Thani province. In Uthai Thani town, you can see how locals live on rafts on the Sakae Krang River, and taste some of the famous fish dishes.

A few more options to consider are Phitsanulok, at about 377km north of Bangkok, and Phrae, a quiet province to the north of Sukhothai.

Most Thai travellers don't stop but opt for the best highway route, which runs Bangkok-Nakhon Sawan to Kamphaeng Phet-Tak-Lampang-Chiang Mai.

I will be in Bangkok in December this year, and want to know if the rail link from the airport to the city centre will be ready to use by then.

It's been four years now since work on the Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link (SARL) started, and we'll have to wait a little longer until it's finished.

In fact, the SARL is scheduled for completion early next year and construction is more than 80 per cent finished. With the system installation at each station plus 90 days for the test run, hopefully it will be up and running by the time you come back to Bangkok at the end of next year.

The Airport Express line is 28.5 kilometres in distance, and trains will take 15 minutes from Makkasan Station to the airport. There will be a connection to Suvarnabhumi Airport from the existing Skytrain at Phyathai BTS station too, but the journey will take longer, with six stops on the way - Rachapraroj, Makkasan, Ramkamhaeng, Hua Mark, Ban Tubchang, Lat Krabang.

For now you can either take a bus or a taxi ride from the airport to the city centre. But be careful to take only the official metered taxis from the counter outside. It is best not to take any offers for taxis from people standing around.