Is the traffic always this bad?

the holiday is definitely the main culprit but honestly that stretch between saraburi and bangkok is always a mess even on a normal tuesday. if you can handle a bit of chaos try hopping off at the future park rangsit bus stop and catch the bts from there instead - it'll save you at least an hour sitting in the don muang tollway parking lot. grab some khao man gai from the stalls near the bts entrance too, it's the only good thing about that whole transfer

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if you think this is bad, wait until you hit the victory monument area around 6pm. the holiday traffic is just making an already slow crawl worse. honestly, the best move next time is to take the overnight VIP bus from khon kaen, leaves around 10pm and you're in bangkok before the morning rush hits. those buses have proper reclining seats and they stop at that good pad thai spot in saraburi around midnight

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honestly the real problem is that nobody in bangkok knows how to merge onto the highway properly. on a holiday weekend everyone's trying to squeeze in at the last second at every single entrance ramp and it turns a 20 minute delay into an hour. if you're still on that bus and have a window seat just watch the cars cutting in front of trucks near the don muang exit, it's like a sport here.

the other thing nobody mentions is the bus companies themselves. they always take the same route through saraburi even when the alternative via nakhon nayok is way emptier. the detour adds maybe 20km but saves an hour on holiday weekends. too bad the drivers get paid by the trip not the hour so they don't care.

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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