Three Girls Require Help

[Loiuse]

You're a few years late for the tubing in Vang Vieng - it still happens but its a pretty drab affair since they closed all the riverside bars. The area is still worth a visit though, good for mountain biking and kayaking.

Hmm, mountain biking would definitely be out for one and we have two non swimmers.

This has put a dent in VV but certainly appreciate the update.

Maybe Laos would be limited for us?

[craigt3365]

You're a few years late for the tubing in Vang Vieng - it still happens but its a pretty drab affair since they closed all the riverside bars. The area is still worth a visit though, good for mountain biking and kayaking.

I did it years before those horrible bars and swings were setup. Turning the lovely river into a crazy party. It was fantastic. Went to some caves, did a bit of a hike, then got a tube for the trip down the river. Fantastic day. Never stopped at a floating bar, though there was one or two. This was 2002.

Why does your friend want to go to KL? If you've got spare time, I'm sure it has some interesting spots. But somewhere like Hong Kong would be sooooo much more interesting. An absolutely beautiful city with lots to do. I'd even probably opt for Singapore over KL.

You can go up the river in LP to a small village, watch them make silk hangings, go to a waterfall, visit the hilltop temple, do some day hikes, etc. It's a very nice small town, though a bit touristy. Heck, CM is a bit touristy also! LOL

[SoiBiker]

You're a few years late for the tubing in Vang Vieng - it still happens but its a pretty drab affair since they closed all the riverside bars. The area is still worth a visit though, good for mountain biking and kayaking.

Hmm, mountain biking would definitely be out for one and we have two non swimmers.

This has put a dent in VV but certainly appreciate the update.

Maybe Laos would be limited for us?

Laos is great, but it's not really the kind of place that has two or three 'must see' sights to tick off. If, as it seems, you're more interested in flying visits than taking some time to get to know a place, it might not be for you.

[SoiBiker]

You can go up the river in LP to a small village, watch them make silk hangings, go to a waterfall, visit the hilltop temple, do some day hikes, etc. It's a very nice small town, though a bit touristy. Heck, CM is a bit touristy also! LOL

Not any more you can't, since they built the dam.

[Loiuse]

You're a few years late for the tubing in Vang Vieng - it still happens but its a pretty drab affair since they closed all the riverside bars. The area is still worth a visit though, good for mountain biking and kayaking.

I did it years before those horrible bars and swings were setup. Turning the lovely river into a crazy party. It was fantastic. Went to some caves, did a bit of a hike, then got a tube for the trip down the river. Fantastic day. Never stopped at a floating bar, though there was one or two. This was 2002.

Why does your friend want to go to KL? If you've got spare time, I'm sure it has some interesting spots. But somewhere like Hong Kong would be sooooo much more interesting. An absolutely beautiful city with lots to do. I'd even probably opt for Singapore over KL.

You can go up the river in LP to a small village, watch them make silk hangings, go to a waterfall, visit the hilltop temple, do some day hikes, etc. It's a very nice small town, though a bit touristy. Heck, CM is a bit touristy also! LOL

Some time ago someone said to her you have to go to Kuala Lumpur, it's amazing and has wonderful food. She's never really researched it (I think) but it's sort of stuck in her head that Kuala Lumpur is amazing and we get little quips like 'oh we're so near' etc. I did check out some fares and it can be done for about 60 quid return BKK. I think HK would be amazing but quite a lot more and we'd probably get 'it would have been nice to see KL' blah blah.

[SoiBiker]

Kuala Lumpur is one of the dullest cities in Asia.

[Loiuse]

You're a few years late for the tubing in Vang Vieng - it still happens but its a pretty drab affair since they closed all the riverside bars. The area is still worth a visit though, good for mountain biking and kayaking.

Hmm, mountain biking would definitely be out for one and we have two non swimmers.

This has put a dent in VV but certainly appreciate the update.

Maybe Laos would be limited for us?

Laos is great, but it's not really the kind of place that has two or three 'must see' sights to tick off. If, as it seems, you're more interested in flying visits than taking some time to get to know a place, it might not be for you.

Well, we probably won't get to come here together again, so not much point in just ambling through Laos in order to get to know the place. It's not about flying visits, but we do want to see Angkor, Pnom Penh (OK it's all about the killing fields), Vietnam's attractions etc. If I had 3 months alone my plans would be different.

[phuketrichard]

Getting up at 5am to feed the monks would be neat

its a scam and the only people up are the monks and tourists.

the locals sell you stuff the monks dont want ( packs of ma ma an day old rice) and actually give to the old people an kids, who try an sell it back to the tourists!!!

IN LP take a boat up to the caves ( its about 3 hours up, 2 back)

at sunset hike up the mtn for some great views,'

hand out on the river for lunch

its a great town but gets quiet full during high season.

To me the there are only two must sees in Laos

Luang Prabang an Phonsavan ( plain of jars) which i bet 85% of the visitors don't see

BUT its a great country ot experience

KL is the LAST place i would visit in se asai ( I have lived here for 30 years an never went till last year an after 2 days couldn't wait to leave)

Singapore on the other hand have been a dozen times and love it

Edited January 12, 2015 by phuketrichard

[Loiuse]

Kuala Lumpur is one of the dullest cities in Asia.

ANY redeeming features LOL?

[SoiBiker]

Kuala Lumpur is one of the dullest cities in Asia.

ANY redeeming features LOL?

Some of the food is ok, I guess. Nothing you can't get elsewhere though.

It's certainly not worth taking time out of your trip and making a detour to.

[phuketrichard]

ANY redeeming features LOL?

only one i saw

u can buy "famous Amos chocolate chip cookies"

[Loiuse]

ANY redeeming features LOL?

only one i saw

u can buy "famous Amos chocolate chip cookies"

Oh dear, but I must pass it on.

Difficult to get a place out of someone's mind or tell them it should be missed.

[steven100]

Try to avoid ....

Koh Tao

Air Asia

Malaysian airlines

Pattaya Jetski hire

Phuket Jetski hire

Tuk Tuk mafia

Taxi mafia

Don Mueng metered taxi queue

Indian watch sellers

Landlord lease agreements

Rental deposits

Snooker rooms in Khampeng Phet

Pattaya speed boat hire

Koh Samui speed boat hire

Don't go near any of those and you will have reduced any holiday risk by half ....

[craigt3365]

You can go up the river in LP to a small village, watch them make silk hangings, go to a waterfall, visit the hilltop temple, do some day hikes, etc. It's a very nice small town, though a bit touristy. Heck, CM is a bit touristy also! LOL

Not any more you can't, since they built the dam.

Really? That sucks. It was a nice trip up the river to the other village and some caves. First pic is of me on the river there. I really liked it. Next pic is of the mountains in VV taken from inside my hotel room. Stunning.

Sure, feeding the monks is touristy, but I loved it. And I handed out oranges and bananas. Bought from the nearby market. We had a bunch and still ran out. Went to small money after that, then ran out also! LOL

I only mentioned Laos as an option, since you might be coming from Hanoi, it's got easy access by air. Just too far to do by bus, and in the end, you won't be spending that much more money, but will be saving yourself a lot of time. If you've got the time and desire, LP would be nice. Otherwise, you can easily fill up your time elsewhere. Too many options! LOL

[craigt3365]

Try to avoid ....

Koh Tao

Air Asia

Malaysian airlines

Pattaya Jetski hire

Phuket Jetski hire

Tuk Tuk mafia

Taxi mafia

Don Mueng metered taxi queue

Indian watch sellers

Landlord lease agreements

Rental deposits

Snooker rooms in Khampeng Phet

Pattaya speed boat hire

Koh Samui speed boat hire

Don't go near any of those and you will have reduced any holiday risk by half ....

Awww...come on steven! You're taking out all the adventure!

[phuketrichard]

i was on the river in LP ( same one that goes by Vang Vieng) in July 2013 and went to the caves

[SoiBiker]

Luang Prabang has two rivers, neither of which go to vang vieng.

The caves on the Mekong are still accessible by boat. The villages on the other river were blocked off when a dam was built in late 2013 I think.

[phuketrichard]

sorry ur right

its the Nam Song River, and u can travel it back to Vientiane.

[Loiuse]

Haven't gone AWOL, just need some time now to stop the head spinning, look at our map and narrow things down a bit.

Thank you so much everyone, you REALLY have been helpful.

I'll be back! x

[mrtoad]

Chanthaburi is worth a stop over, go to the main city, explore the old town, the gem market and visit the cathedral. You could also go to be of the coastal spots for a couple of days. I like Chanthaburi a lot, not a tourist trap at all. You could then hope down to Trat, visit one of the island and the. Cross the border at Had Lek.

Anyway, enjoy your trip

[Loiuse]

Hi Guys

We've had a look through and Mr Red's itinerary looks interesting (straight forward I think), so based on that we've just thrown together an initial idea for comments please.....all comments positive or otherwise VERY welcome

1. Bangkok spend 2 nights

2. Train into Cambodia on to Siem Reap spend 3 days

3. Make way to Pnom Penh spend 2 days

4. Make way into Vietnam to Ho Chi Min City

5. Make way north in Vietnam to Hanoi (at least a week in Vietnam)

6. Make way into Laos to Luan Prabang - Vang Viang - to Vientianne (3-4 days)

7. Bus over to Nong Kai (Thailand) 1 night or Udon Thani 1 night

8. Bus to Sukothai

9. Up to Chiang Mai or down towards Bangkok

I think we're OK into Cambodia taking the early morning train to Aranyaprathet, then Tuk Tuk to Poipet. Walk across the border and then take a bus or shared taxi to Siem Reap. After Siem Reap we can take the bus or boat to Pnom Penh. I know some people say leave it out, but hey it's The Killing Fields right and can't go back and say we never saw anything of that. http://www.seat61.com/Cambodia.htm#Siem Reap

That's as far as we've got lol. So now looking for travel to Ho Chi Min Ciity and the best way to Hanoi and where to stop on the way, any beaches or islands?

Have no idea how to get from Hanoi into Laos so REALLY need help with this section

Where in Laos first Mr Red, Luan Prabang?

Seem OK with eVisa for Cambodia and can get a proper visa for Vietnam, but very unsure how, where and how to get visa for Laos as so many have said it's worth seeing. So assuming the Cambodia/Vietnam bit is a piece of cake ha ha, I feel we're going to find the Laos bit harder....are we?

Leave it there for now.....pheew who suggested this?

[SoiBiker]

Too much. You'll spend most of the time traveling. I'd pick either Laos or Vietnam.

[craigt3365]

You've got limited time. On your arrival day, head out by air to SR. The train takes a looooooong time. I think you'll be really frustrated unless you are really into trains. It's quite slow. Worst case, catch a bus. They leave probably every 30 minutes or so from Mor Chit. Or, 1 night in Bangkok. You can see the great stuff easily in one day. Then bug out.

You'll probably also be a bit disappointed with PP. Max 1 night, then move on. Much better places to explore. The killing fields is a very strange place. A bunch of skulls and pieces of clothing in the ground. After seeing this, I skipped the same display when I went to Rwanda. Too many other neat places to see. The killing fields was really depressing and will eat up the better part of a day. I have no regrets about skipping this place in Rwanda. Same with the gas chambers in Poland and Czech Republic. Unless you are into that stuff, and many are. Which is fine. But I skipped all of these with no regrets.

You'll never do the Hanoi to LP to VV to Vientianne to NK to Udon in a few days. That's at least 3 days of travel. Roads are slow, buses are slow, connections are dodgy. Skip VV (though I love this place), skip Vientianne, skip Nong Kai and definitely skip Udon. Nothing wrong with these places, but if you've limited time, these shouldn't be your top choices.

You've got 10 travel days in your schedule. 10 full days. That's a lot. I'm sure you'd like to have at least 1 full day to relax and do nothing...just wander around. You'll need to plan that into your schedule. These have been some of the best things I've done.

[SoiBiker]

Tuol Sleng is more interesting than the killing fields. I wouldn't call it fun, but there's more to see there and it gives you a chilling insight into how crazy that regime was.

[phuketrichard]

i just spent 11 days over Xmas in Phnom Phen and loved it :-)

MY suggestion;

The train is ONLY 5 hours from Bangkok up to Aranyaprathet and u will be in sr by dinner time weither u take the bus or train and i hate bus's, at least the train u really get to see Thailand and can move around an its still going to be a full day travel

MIN 3 days /2 nights in SR.

Boat down is 6 hours vs 6-8 hours by bus although it does cost 3x more

Bus PP to Saigon

train with stops up to Hanoi

Fly Hanoi to Luang Prabang 2 nights relaxing under $200

bus down to VV spend the night,

bus down to Vientiane stay 1- 2 nights

Leave Vientainee over to Nong khai/Udon thani an fly to Chiang Mai ( book on Bangkok airlines- around 1,800 baht-daily at 17:55)

make ur way south to Sukothai--

Bangkok

Still with ur time i would pick at MOST 3 countries NOT 4

Edited January 15, 2015 by phuketrichard

[Jungle Jim]

if you wish to really travel toss the LP book in the trash. The website is even worse. Total waste of time and the majority of the infamous posters their advise is way off and dangerous. But if your into following the banana pancake/pad Thai trail where millions of others are just following each other like sheep it's perfect. After my first week in Thailand years ago i tossed the worthless and often dangerous guidebook in the trash. Best thing i ever did.

Have you looked at any Lonely Planet books or there website ? Lots of backpacker info.

[SoiBiker]

Are we allowed to recommend websites that provide useful travel info for the region? If so, Travelfish is worth a look.

[craigt3365]

Are we allowed to recommend websites that provide useful travel info for the region? If so, Travelfish is worth a look.

In a context like this, sites like Travelfish are just fine. We do enforce this rule though:

13) You will not post links to other Thailand forums, or forums which could reasonably be construed as competition to Thaivisa.com or its sponsors.

Thorn Tree, Travelfish, tripadvisor, etc are all just fine.

[MrRed]

I would cut out Chiang Mai and add more time for travelling and relaxing through Laos and into Thailand or even just leave your last 10 days open and that means it will be more of an adventure and leaves you the freedom to make decisions as a group as you go through Laos.

You could always do the Nong Khai to Sukothai and then down to Kanchanaburi(bridge over the river Kwai) and back to Bangkok.

Chiang Mai ...Chiang Rai and the golden triangle into Myanmar can be done next time.

[rocketboybkk]

I'd say do what you wanna do as you might like a place & stay a bit longer than another, who knows, just have a good time Yolo !

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