My 4 Weeks Itinerary...what Do You Think ?

[Raisthlin]

Hello everyone!

I would like to have your opinion about my itinerary. I know theres a lot of stuff in there and that i move a lot but i really enjoy this kind of travelling: see/do as much as possible. Always on the edge and moving. I enjoy it. So keep that in mind

Let me know what you think of it:

Here it is:

Day 1: Bangkok >> to Ayuthaya early in the morning (bus +/- 1 hrs) (i keep bangkok for the end of the trip)

Day 2: Ayutthaya then back to Bangkok with last bus-train at nigh

Day 3: Bangkok >> to Kanchanaburi early in the morning (+/- 3 hrs)

Day 4 Kanchanaburi >> to Bangkok at night

Day 5 ( 13 avril): Bangkok, Songkran festival !

Day 6: Bangkok >> to Phuket by plane (1h30min)

Day 7: Phuket : Explore city and go to "Phuket Fantasea show"

Day 8: Phuket >> to Ko Phi-Phi >> Camping with "Maya Bay Camping"

Day 9: Wake up on paradise island then back to >> to Phuket >> to Khao Lak (+/- 2 hours)

Day 10 à 14: Diving on a liveaboard M/V Dolphin Queen with similan-diving-safari team

Day 15: Back to Khao Lak around 3pm >> 4pm bus for Khao Sok National Parc or take a cab if too late. Spend the night in a "jungle tree house"

Day 16: Khao Sok, explore the jungle, try to go to Chiew Laan lake and spend the night on a floating rafthouse

Day 17: back to Phuket from Khao Sok thru Khao Lak or Surat Thani (+/- 3 hrs)

Day 18: Phuket >> to Ao Phang-Nga bay >> explore islands and the famous "hongs" by boat and sea canoe >> back to Phuket around 6pm >> night bus to Bangkok

Day 19: Bangkok >> to Chiang Rai by plane early in the morning (1h30min)

Day 20: Chiang Rai

Day 21: Chiang Rai >> to Chiang Mai (3hrs bus)

Day 22: Chiang Mai

Day 23: Chiang Mai

Day 24: Chiang Mai >> Sukhothai (4-5 hrs bus)

Day 25: Sukhothai >> Bangkok (night bus 7 hrs)

Day 26-27-28 : Bangkok

Day 29: Back home

Voilà! what do you think ? Interesting ?

[samuibeachcomber]

sounds like a great trip,and you've allowed yourself time to relax diving plus a few days in chaing mai.thailand is such a large and diverse country its impossible to see everything but it sounds like your interests lie in the south hence more time in the phuket region.You can always come back again to see what you could n't cover this time round.Have a great time.

[AceCafe]

Voilà! what do you think ? Interesting ?

Yes.... and tiring! If it were me but having to roughly do your itinerary I'd cut out either Ayutthaya or Kan'buri and spend more time in the islands and up North...... if you're going as far as Chiang Rai why not fly into Chiang Mai, hire a bike and "do the loop"..... Chiang Rai, Mae Chan, Chiang Saen, Mae Sai, Mae Fa Luang, Mae Ai, Fang and then down into Chiang Mai? Beautiful!

But..... your baht, your holiday! Enjoy!

[Raisthlin]

sounds like a great trip,and you've allowed yourself time to relax diving plus a few days in chaing mai.thailand is such a large and diverse country its impossible to see everything but it sounds like your interests lie in the south hence more time in the phuket region.You can always come back again to see what you could n't cover this time round.Have a great time.

thanks. haha actually i think i went thru something like 10 different itinerary. The more i did research the harder it became to make plans. Theres just too many things to see. I wanted to do Issan, Angko Wat in cambodgia and maybe Ko Tarutao too but ill just have to skip it for now. Thanks for your comment.

Edited April 5, 2009 by Raisthlin

[Raisthlin]

Voilà! what do you think ? Interesting ?

Yes.... and tiring! If it were me but having to roughly do your itinerary I'd cut out either Ayutthaya or Kan'buri and spend more time in the islands and up North...... if you're going as far as Chiang Rai why not fly into Chiang Mai, hire a bike and "do the loop"..... Chiang Rai, Mae Chan, Chiang Saen, Mae Sai, Mae Fa Luang, Mae Ai, Fang and then down into Chiang Mai? Beautiful!

But..... your baht, your holiday! Enjoy!

Maybe i could skip Kanchanaburi yeah. The only reason im going there is for the Erawan waterfalls which might end up being a total disapointment in april because ive read that its not really great during the hot season. How many days would i need to do that loop AceCafe?

[julie_f]

That does seem like a very busy schedule. I would try and cut some of it out.

As for the Erawan Waterfall in Kanchanaburi I went in March a few years back and it was nice. Not too busy then but around Songkran may get busier. There are many levels though and we only managed to get up a couple of them as we weren't wearing suitable footwear. Make sure you wear proper walking shoes and take plenty of water and food if you plan to be there a while. Once you get in the park I don't think there was anywhere to buy anything.

[Raisthlin]

thanks for the infos julie_f

Edited April 5, 2009 by Raisthlin

[phetaroi]

Hello everyone!

I would like to have your opinion about my itinerary. I know theres a lot of stuff in there and that i move a lot but i really enjoy this kind of travelling: see/do as much as possible. Always on the edge and moving. I enjoy it. So keep that in mind

Even so, a lot to take in during a short stay. Plus, I think you may find some connections sap up more time that you may expect. You might want to substitute the train for a few of the bus trips. I like Kanchanaburi...lots of great history there, as well as the waterfalls. Personally, I found Chiang RAI a bit disappointing.

[ronz28]

To me, its too many locations for one trip as I like to absorb and reflect on what there is to experience at a place. Is there any similar scenery you have seen elsewhere like Erawan Falls? The one time I went to Erawan Falls in 1969 it was a beautiful park but I was surprised to see what appeared to be Thai Special Forces walking around the park with machine guns. Perhaps it was just protection due to the communist insurgency back then. I don't know what the usual way to get there is now but back then I was the only Farang in group of about 40 Thais being towed up river in a big boat to the park. It turned out to be a wonderful trip but more risky than I knew before setting out on the tour bus that started from Bangkok.

[RAZZELL]

Far too much too do. Is it a holiday or a shopping list?

Bangkok - check, Phuket - check, Ph-Phi - check etc etc

What if you like somewhere and you want to stay longer? What if you don't like somewhere?

Relax, calm down. Go wth the flow

RAZZ

P.S Have you been to Thailand before?

Edited April 5, 2009 by RAZZELL

[Raisthlin]

Far too much too do. Is it a holiday or a shopping list?

Bangkok - check, Phuket - check, Ph-Phi - check etc etc

What if you like somewhere and you want to stay longer? What if you don't like somewhere?

Relax, calm down. Go wth the flow

RAZZ

P.S Have you been to Thailand before?

Thx for input. In fact, i dont consider myself in holidays at all and im surely not going to Thailand to "relax". Im on holidays and relax all years round so i see this trip as a adventure/challenge to see/do/experience as much different sides of Thailand as possible. It will be my first trip to Thailand but i visited a lot of palce around the world in a very similar fashion. Cuba, USA, Canada, Japan, South America, Italy, and a few more.

Edited April 5, 2009 by Raisthlin

[RAZZELL]

Thx for input. In fact, i dont consider myself in holidays at all and im surely not going to Thailand to "relax". Im on holidays and relax all years round so i see this trip as a adventure/challenge to see/do/experience as much different sides of Thailand as possible. It will be my first trip to Thailand but i visited a lot of palce around the world in a very similar fashion. Cuba, USA, Canada, Japan, South America, Italy, and a few more.

If you want to travel like that good on you.

But if you like your diving a 4-week plan would be something like this:

Arrive 2-3 days in Bangkok to get over your flight and acclimatise to Thailand.

Fly to Krabi. Stay in Ao Nang. See Railay beach, Hong Island etc. 4 days.

Boat to Phi Phi, Bamboo Island etc 3 days.

Boat to Phuket. 7 days, Kata beach, Surin beach, Diving etc.

Fly to Samui. 5-7 days. Can go to Phangan, or Koh Tao for diving.

Back to Bangkok for the last couple of days.

If you don't want the Samui/southern Islands part, fly to Chiang Mai from Phuket.

Enjoy your trip

RAZZ

P.S. I really do think think you're cutting everything too fine and trying to cram too much in. The buses etc won't run like clockwork. The weather might be bad so the boats aren't running etc etc

Edited April 5, 2009 by RAZZELL

[Raisthlin]

P.S. I really do think think you're cutting everything too fine and trying to cram too much in. The buses etc won't run like clockwork. The weather might be bad so the boats aren't running etc etc

True that.

The problem is that i had to "build" my itinerary arount 3 things :

1- I have to be on Khao San road for april 13 (day 5)

2- My 1 week diving is already booked, paid and confirmed.

3- I have to meet a friend in Phuket/Phang-nga for day 18 so we can do some sea canoe together and then another friend in Chiang Rai for day 20 to explore some temples

I dont want to stay iddle while waiting to meet my people. So i thought i would explore around each of those 3 "meetings" and try to make everything fit together.

It is indeed a clumsy itinerary but i think i can actuallly pull it off and have lots of fun. Especially since i wake up very early in the morning. This could also meam taking first bus-train would not be a problem for me. I might also take 2-3 night trains here and there instead of sleeping in town which could save me quite a lot of time...even tho planes only take like 2 hours, theres still the transfer time and transportation from/to airport. So night bus might be another way to save time.

Thanks

Edited April 6, 2009 by Raisthlin

[Enjibenji]

good to see you are up for all that travelling! Not really my style, but I do appreciate it

1 thing I will say is... you said you've never been to Thailand. The first few days you get here, you are going to be on the toilet quite a bit. Not saying I had to go every minute, but I needed to go a few times a day, however at the least expected times. Definately wouldn't want to be like that, on a bus, halfway through a journey in the middle of nowhere.

You will need 4, possibly 5 days for your body to get used to Thailand. You might laugh about it, but you need to think about it.. it's funny after it happens, but definately not during it

and no, you won't be able to hold it in

enjoy your trip!

[think_too_mut]

It will be my first trip to Thailand but i visited a lot of palce around the world in a very similar fashion. Cuba, USA, Canada, Japan, South America, Italy, and a few more.

An experienced time waster then. What impression would you have of the place if you quick rinse it like that?

I see people like that all the time stumbling with maps they can't turn in right direction.

Once, in Tokyo, a couple asked me for directions. Sorted them out and, just out of couriosity, asked where were they coming from.

"We are on our around the world trip and we just came for Wellington, New Zealand", said the man.

"No, honey, it was Auckland, New Zealand" said the woman.

They had no idea where their bums were seated on the plane but probably had 100s of pictures from the place they could not even name.

I wonder what they have to tell at bbq back home about the places they visited, they have no clue what things mean, how they shape people's menthality and culture.

How was Japan? I would love to listen to you for an hour, if you could talk that long.

[Raisthlin]

good to see you are up for all that travelling! Not really my style, but I do appreciate it

1 thing I will say is... you said you've never been to Thailand. The first few days you get here, you are going to be on the toilet quite a bit. Not saying I had to go every minute, but I needed to go a few times a day, however at the least expected times. Definately wouldn't want to be like that, on a bus, halfway through a journey in the middle of nowhere.

You will need 4, possibly 5 days for your body to get used to Thailand. You might laugh about it, but you need to think about it.. it's funny after it happens, but definately not during it

and no, you won't be able to hold it in

enjoy your trip!

Hahaha, good word of advise here. Thanks, ill keep that in mind,

It will be my first trip to Thailand but i visited a lot of palce around the world in a very similar fashion. Cuba, USA, Canada, Japan, South America, Italy, and a few more.

An experienced time waster then. What impression would you have of the place if you quick rinse it like that?

I see people like that all the time stumbling with maps they can't turn in right direction.

Once, in Tokyo, a couple asked me for directions. Sorted them out and, just out of couriosity, asked where were they coming from.

"We are on our around the world trip and we just came for Wellington, New Zealand", said the man.

"No, honey, it was Auckland, New Zealand" said the woman.

They had no idea where their bums were seated on the plane but probably had 100s of pictures from the place they could not even name.

I wonder what they have to tell at bbq back home about the places they visited, they have no clue what things mean, how they shape people's menthality and culture.

How was Japan? I would love to listen to you for an hour, if you could talk that long.

I understand what your saying and theres indeed logic behind your thinking....but I would surely not describe myself as a time waster.

I truly belive im very different to the couple you mentionned. While i move a lot, i still take my time and let everything get into me and appreciate everything for what it is. Ok, i might not grasp as much culture insight then someone staying 1 week at each place but i think ill be able to get more then enuff insight. In fact, over the last 2 months, ive read cover to cover 4 different books about Thailand's history covering all eras, 2 book about Thailand's society-culture and ideology and 2 travelling guidebook. I think it will really help me during my trip.

Japan was incredible. If i had to choose one word to describe it i would say: mystic. Theres something deeply interesting in the fact that Japan might be one of the most, if not the one, technological (spelling ?) society while still preserving thousands years old of tradition and culture. Then, there was the scenery which is just breathtaking to say the least. And then there also the japanese themself which are very welcoming and fun people. Japan is probably my favorite country so far. If you love history and tradition you have to pay japan a visit at least once in your life time. If you want to know more you can take a look at my blog. Its actually in french but theres also a LOT of pictures in each articles. Heres a link for my last article and my favourite pictures http://raisthlin.ca/aujapon/blog1.php/2008...-a-qu-a-bien-te

Japan is also VERY easy to travel. They have trains going almost everywhere and its probably the best transit system of the world. The trains are just amazing, very fast and reliable. Never late.

PS: Please forgive my spelling. English is not my main language and i believe i still need to improve a lot to achieve acceptable level.

Raisthlin

[RAZZELL]

In fact, over the last 2 months, ive read cover to cover 4 different books about Thailand's history covering all eras, 2 book about Thailand's society-culture and ideology and 2 travelling guidebook. I think it will really help me during my trip.

You forgot one thing...It's your first trip to Thailand. When you meet a girl your travel plans will go out the window!

RAZZ