Thailand +..

Off to Thailand for second and third week of November, having two weeks I was thinking of seeing two countries rather than one, maybe Philippines or Indonesia.. Nothing planned, just the flight to and from Bangkok.

Fire away.

Cheers
Gio

what do you wanna know? i did a month in thailand which started in

bangkok>koh samui> koh phangan>Krabi> Phi Phi>maya bay>Phuket >Bangkok>chang mai> ayutthaya>bangkok>patpong>pattaya.

things to do?

elephant rides
tiger kingdom
monkey trails
lagoons
maya bay (james bond location)
full moon party
ping pong shows/ sex shows?
temples
floating markets
boat rides
kayaking
canoeing
cave trekking
zip lining
overnight at a temple with monks
eat a meal with monks
water festivals
lantern festivals
tuk tuks
cheap food and shopping?

That's an extensive list! Any selection of the most bespoke/one of a kind among them to fill up a week?

Wasn't really sure about full moon party, do you recommend it?

it really depends what youre into. its an experience for sure but would not say its a thai cultured thing. i personally really liked it, as wherever drinks are im settled! but do try go for things more what locals do and see. like parts of old history rather than the typical get drunk touristy things.

temples are a must. there are a lot around, which most in bangkok are relatively new so do venture the outskirts of bangkok where you find really old beaten ones which are worth the trip.

Cambodia! It is close (can fly there with air asia), fairly different, and the Ankor Temples are probably the biggest tourist attraction in SE Asia!

Burma! Bagan, inle lake, super! Not many western tourists yet.

A week is not enough to see everything in Thailand, you will have to pick and choose.

In November, the islands to the west are better for snorkeling etc. (Ko Lipe, Ko Yao Noi, Phuket, Krabi and so on) (Ko Phagnan, Ko Samui etc. are best may - sept) Staying on Nangyuan Island is nice after the day trippers have gone, but the food is not great.

You could easily go over to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam or Burma but two weeks isn't long so it might be a bit rushed. They are all amazing places with loads to see and do (not been to Burma but echoing friends feedback).

There's loads to see and do in Thailand, you could go south from Bangkok for island fun or north and go via Kanchanaburi to see the Bridge over the River Kwai and up to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. If you went north you could easily cross into Laos or Burma.

If you do go north (which is amazing) do try and go to the Elephant Nature Park near Chiang Mai. They rescue elephants that are abused and mistreated and offer them a safe home. Each to their own and that but I wouldn't recommend riding on an elephant, from what I understand elephants go through a bit of a rough time to be trained to let people ride on them.

If you can be more specific about what you want to do I might be able to be more helpful.

Been in s.e Asia for 4 1/2 months and going back in a couple of weeks. 2 weeks two country's. Unless you like packing/unpacking airports and train stations I would stay in Thailand. I too was in Thailand a full month and there is so much todo, I would probs do some islands and Bangkok getting between the islands is so easily. Ko Tao is one of my favourites. Trust me two weeks won't be long enough when you get there. But if you stay in the north Cambodia Laos are easy options and are close.

Just booke flights for feb, never been before.

£400 rtn to Bangkok!

Going for 8 days, (not got a lot of annual leave).

Want to hit up some islands/beaches, any tips for that kind of time limit? not sure how far it's ok to stray from Bangkok area..

Also any recommendation for a nice hotel for first night in Bangkok?

Depends what your definition of nice is; I really liked the Riva Surya Hotel - great location for temples/palace & the backpacker bit - you can walk to both, I thought it was quite reasonably priced.

I also stayed in the Sofitel which is in a completely different part of the city & is incredibly flashy but nice if you're made of money.

I'm flying to Bangkok a week today for a 3 week trip. I've never been 'travelling' before and I'm going on my own. Trying to pack light but any recommendations of what to get/wear would be good also where to go. I've got a rough itinerary of Bangkok for a few days then Chiang Mai, fly down to the islands including Koh Samui and Koh Tao.

I am getting a more refined idea for my trip, definitely settled for spending both weeks in Thailand. I will post it as soon as I have it more planned to make sure I am not missing out on something.

In the meantime, vaccinations required?

Vaccinations are a wise idea. Book in with your GP well in advance to avoid getting stung like I did. Hep A/b, typhoid, DPT plus usual boosters is a good start. Maybe rabies and malaria tablets

Subscribed to this thread as me and my gf are also going to Thailand towards the end of Nov / beg of December.
Already a good list of things to choose from here.

Anything bike related ? (don't plan to bring my bike but could rent)

Everyone I know is recommending a trip north (the triangle of Thailand, Burma, Laos) where you can "visit" all three in a day. We are still planning something around that area as well.

It looks like I am starting to wrap my head around a not-into-details defined itinerary:

15 days total, Thailand only:

Day 1 - arrive in Bangkok
2 to 5/6 - Chiang Mai (Flight from Bangkok)
5/6 to 8/9 - Ko Lanta (Flight to Krabi from Chiang Mai)
8/9 to 11/12 - Krabi
1/12 to 15 - Bangkok

Things to see/do:

• Koh Mook
  
• Koh Phi Phi
  
• Railay
  
• Trekking (Chiang Mai)
  
• Cooking Class (Bangkok or Chiang Mai)
  
  

As @anidel was asking, anyone aware of bike trips/tours/routes? especially to explore Chiang Mai/Koh Lanta.

Other ideas/tips/must see tied to this itinerary? Thoughts/tweaks?

As we are going in November it seems safer o pick the Andaman side rather than the Gulf.. Or at leas that's the general idea I am getting.

Hopefully helpful tip: pack very little clothing, literally what you are standing in and a change. Clothes (including hand made silk shirts and trousers) are dirt cheap. A tenner will get you a perfectly wearable set of kit from a market, including sandals!

I got back from my trip on Friday. I agree with Colin, pack little. I had hand luggage only, clothes wise I took - 7 tshirts, 7 pairs underwear, 3 shorts, flip flops, espadrilles (never wore), 1 pair of trousers, 1 lightweight coat (never wore) and it was plenty (you pay about £2 for laundry). Other stuff I brought were headphones, chargers, guidebook (used my phone most of the time), toiletries.

My biggest recommendation is to buy a sim with internet access, it saved so much faffing between wifi spots.

I did the following:
3 nights Bangkok
2 nights Chiang Mai
6 nights Pai
3 night Chiang Mai
8 night Koh Tao
1 night Bangkok

I took a cooking class in Chiang Mai from tripadvisor - it was fun although I don't remember much. I had friends who went trekking and they said it was cracking, but it does kill quite a few of your days so consider if its worth it. I also went to an elephant sanctuary (nice but pricey) and also spent all my time in Koh Tao diving which I loved.

I'm not too sure about bike routes, but you can hire a bike anywhere and most decent hotels/hostels have them for free, although consider how hot it is. I was pooped after 30 minutes. I did hire a scooter in Pai as most attractions were some distance out - I wouldn't recommend it unless you can ride one.

It looks good but I would recommend settling in with a few days in Bangkok first before hopping straight on a flight the next day. The jet lag from flying to Asia is not to be underestimated. It will give you a few days getting familiar with your surroundings and doing some sight seeing in the city before experiencing the contrast with Chiang Mai.

I would then fly/travel in to an already familiar Bangkok at the end of the trip for just a day before flying out.

The idea was that if we had to do any shopping in Bangkok, it would make sense to make it at the end of the holiday..
Jetlag is what it is, regardless and wherever

Any advice re: vaccines?

Booked flights in/out of Bangkok 9th Dec-3rd January. Meeting a friend for the last week and was originally planning to cycle around (probably ride down south to Phuket) for the first two weeks, but the price of vaccines has put me off.

If I take my bike, I reckon all the free ones, plus rabies, Japanese encephalitis and probably malaria = £300-500

If I don't I'd probably just do rabies as I'm planning to cycle tour round Europe for months on end next spring/summer = £90-160

Any thoughts? I love cycle touring in Europe and think I'd like it over there, but haven't been to a developing Asian country so maybe not... Flip side is I'm a bit too old and boring to fully indulge in the pissed-up backpacker itinerary if I don't take my bike!

If you take a bike, dump the box at the airport or at the first hotel you stay in and pay them a couple of quid. I've taken internal flights with bike with wheels removed as hand luggage! Riding is actually more comfortable than you would think (you guarantee a breeze!), but drink loads.... Much of the roadkill in rural areas consists of cobras, the occasional live one is a little unnerving.

Picking which islands to visit is driving me nuts. I'm fling into Krabi and have to fly back to BKK a week later, where would you recommend to go from here?

Was thinking of staying 3 days in Krabi. Initially I wanted to make it to Koh Lipe, but the 9 hours to go back to BKK from there can't really seem to justify reaching down to it.

Are Koh Mook, Koh Kradan or Koh Ngai any good to stay on for 2/3 days or are just worth it for day trips?

Koh Samui gives you a 40 mile lap if you're taking a bike, short flight from Bangkok (see bike as hand luggage). It is pretty laid back, superb seafood, ok diving and an excuse to nip across to Koh Phagnan for the full moon party...

I know all of that. Too bad November is the rainiest month on those islands, so I was planning on sticking to the Andaman Sea.

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