Advice On Where To Go? (mountains, Hiking, Cheap?)

[pigh123]

Hey everyone,

I've been traveling, partying and doing the touristy thing for the past couple of months in Bangkok and the southern islands and now I've got my new double entry tourist visa I feel like chilling somewhere a little different.

Heres some info on what Im looking for

• Somewhere with some nice mountains/hiking trails
  
• Cheap
  
• Decent hotels under 12,000baht a month, the cheaper the better. with thick walls(I play guitar)
  
• Not as many tourists as the islands
  
• Im not looking to drink or hang in bars or get bar girls
  
• More interested in nature, wildlife this time round
  
• Near a gym would be nice aswell, perfect if the hotel has a gym
  
• Oh and did I mention Cheap
  

So far my thoughts have been to go north, Chiang Mai, Isaan(could be too much of a culture shock for me at the moment, I dont plan on learning to speak fluent Thai, let alone Thai Lao lol)

Please let me know if you have any suggestions, im open to all advice.

Thanks, Pete

Edited September 9, 2009 by pigh123

[pdavids]

A hotel for an average of 400bt a night - with thick walls, and a gym! Come on.

Best bet might be a national park, where you could probably get a bungalow cheap for a month. Some of them can be quite deserted at this time of the year. A beautiful spot is Doi Phuka National Park in Nan province, but very remote - you'd probably have the bungalows all to yourself and could strum to your heart's content. Also, a host of walking trails and beautiful mountain scenery.

There is a Thailand National Parks online directory - sorry, don't have the url, but google should find it for you. Happy hunting.

[pigh123]

A hotel for an average of 400bt a night - with thick walls, and a gym! Come on.

Best bet might be a national park, where you could probably get a bungalow cheap for a month. Some of them can be quite deserted at this time of the year. A beautiful spot is Doi Phuka National Park in Nan province, but very remote - you'd probably have the bungalows all to yourself and could strum to your heart's content. Also, a host of walking trails and beautiful mountain scenery.

There is a Thailand National Parks online directory - sorry, don't have the url, but google should find it for you. Happy hunting.

Cheers for the reply. Im actually starting to find a few places in that price range

chiangmai-thai.com/pt_apartment.htm

chiangmai-thai.com/viangbua_mansion.htm

Im guessing on foot I could find even more.

But I will be sure to check out Doi Phuka and other national parks.

Thanks for the advice