Please Tell Me Where To Go

[Canadianvisitor]

I am travelling to Thailand Sunday,

Going to Pattaya to meet my cousin,

Then, after a couple of days going north to

Chiang Rai, with his Thai friend for 7 days.

No plan once there.

Then back to Pattaya then to Bangcock,

for a couple of days.

The rest is up to me.

I have two weeks left.

Is the area around the reconstruction safe?

I have travelled quite extensively throughout

my own country of Canada and would like

to experience as much of this beautiful

place as I can.

I am not going to go to many bars and stuff,

that can be done here at home, no problem.

I photograph, and the more rual and far out

the better. Wilderness is an option.

Thanks in advance,

Canadian Visitor.

[Wolfie]

Your stay wouldnt be complete without a visit to Phuket.

[Jai Dee]

You should spend as least a week in the Phuket/Krabi area.

Beautiful country...

If you've got time, Kanchanburi (all the way up to the 3 Pagodas Pass at the Thai/Myanmar border) is also very picturesque, and not too far from BKK.

[lungbing]

And if you want to get away from the main tourist areas see if you can find a trip offering a tour of Isaan. That's the north-east of the country. Different food, different culture and even different languages.

There are still many villages consisting of wooden houses up on stilts with the families animals living below. Much more friendly than the big cities and the area is dotted with ruins (other than myself) if that's your thing. Old Kmer ruins mainly. Nothing to rival Angkor Wat but of that ilk.

Possibly get right up to Nong Khai and look over to Laos or even visit if time permits.

Just my 2 baht's worth.

Lung Bing

[britmaveric]

Phuket and I dare say you will be more welcome than ever there!

[NarrLing]

If you are interested in some nice photography I would recommend hiring a car, possibly with driver, and head over to the emerald triangle area near Ubon Ratchathani. If time permits and you like the area you can continue up to Nong Khai or further. Just go where your heart tells you.

There are plenty of sights and photo opportunities along the way. You will pass Khao Yai national park and then can travel along highway 24 towards Ubon Ratchathani. There are nice lakes along the way.

The scenery changes as you head further away from Bangkok. Farmers are still seen ploughing their fields with buffalo. You can visit the old Khmer temple ruins at Khao Phra Vihan or walk across the Laos border at Chon Mek for a few photos.

Around Surin you will see elephants walking along the roads. Issan is a great place to visit if you are not into the bar scene or want a break from the usual tourist places. The people are friendly, the food great and the hotels cheap.

If you want a break from hotels, there are some very nice resorts to help you relax from your journey. Prices are very reasonable, ranging around 2,000 Baht a night or cheaper.

A good site to give you ideas on what to see and do in Issan plus plan your travels is http://isan.sawadee.com/

Happy holidays

NL

[Jai Dee]

You will pass Khao Yai national park...

Unfortunately at this time of year it is very dry and dusty in Isaan... there has not been any rain in months. I went through Khao Yai about 6 weeks ago, and the trees on the mountains were all brown and unattractive and most of the waterfalls were dry. It's much better in the wet season.

I guess it all depends on what type of scenery you want to photograph.

Thailand is a magical country... no matter where you go you will always find friendly people, great food, cheap prices, and clean (but maybe basic) accomodation.

[aletta]

What ever you do don't come here to Korat as it is roasting.

Get yourself off to Koh Chang and cool off there.

Edited February 26, 2005 by aletta

[Ken]

What ever you do don't come here to Korat as it is roasting.

Get yourself off to Koh Chang and cool off there. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

hmmmmm...what a sad post. Yes, Korat is hot along with most of Thailand...and.....

[boxig]

There is only one way to decide where to go and it is by looking at pictures from different places. I can recommend you some (free) Photo Albums to download with hundreds of pictures from all over Thailand here: Thailand Photo Album

Edited February 28, 2005 by boxig

[booma]

Hi there

I read your message and am presuming you want to know more about khao Sok.

This is a National Park about 2 hours West of Surat Thani and is home to remnants of the oldest rainforest on the planet, it is also aledged (another member disputes this, and I have no reason to doubt him) that this is the only remaining place in South Thailand where you can find Wild Elephants and Tigers. Although it isextremely rare to get a sighting, they don't even have accurate estimates of numbers as the jungle is so vast and dense. However you will see many Monkeys, Gibbons, Hornbills, Spiders and, oh yes, Leeches amongst many other species of insects etc. As regards flora you can go and see the worlds largest flower, the name escapes me, which when in season (It wasn't when I was there) lets of a deathly stench. (The tour guides thought I was crazy when I told them we have one in the UK, we do, at Kew Gardens.) There are also huge buttress rooted trees, plants that fold themselves up at human touch, (It was when we were looking at these that our guide caught a grasshopper, that he later threw into a huge spiders web, so that the spider came to life to devour his prey, great stuff).

Thee is a large variety of bungalows, including treehuts, to stay, I was on a budget I stayed at some 150B a night ones, but upon looking around you can find some lovely places for around B300 upwards (B600 would get you a very nice place). One day I went down the stream on a innertube (Monkey's playing in the canopy above you and the stream meandering around limestone cliffs), I discovered some lovely bungalows called 'Art's Bungalows' these were A/C huts all joined to together by slated wooden walkways, this place is very peaceful and has a resident Gibbon and a Hornbill

You can get there from Surat Thani by local bus (about B40) or minibus (about B200) both depart from the same bus station (there are, I believe, two or three), this is the same bus stop that I arrived at from Ranong. You get the local bus from the central reservation and book a minibus (2 a day) from the travel agents around the edge. I reccomend getting the local bus there and the minibus back as the local buses are more frequent and you don't really want to be hanging around in Surat Thani for too long on your way there and for too long on the side of the road on the way back! When you arrive you will be approached by many touts this can seem quite scary but once you have made your choice you will be left alone, I reccomend finding somewhere convenient for one night and look around for something that just suits you.

You depart the bus on the main Surat Thani-Phucket road, then there is another road that runs off to the left, to the park gates, this is the main are for the resorts. If you go down this road and cross the stream and turn left, you will find a lovely resort, just cross the little bridge set back from the road. Art's is the turning on the left before this one.

I can't remember how much the tours were, as I was invited on many for free, but you must go to the lake and preferably stay for a night on the floating huts, the trex up a mountain at night is stunning, you can't describe the noise, you see Owls watching you, during the day you can go kayaking or swimming (watch out for the Water Snakes), we went about 200m in a cave in pitched darkness (waterproof torches on our heads) with a strong current rushing against us, very exhilerating. These trex's are better than the ones i've been on in the north, this is real, Tarzan style, jungle. You just don't get the hilltribes. On your way back across the lake on a longtail you have the sun setting over the park behind you, need I say more!

I hope this is not to long for you, I don't know which message you read, so I given a few of the details just in case. hope you enjoy

B