marianacardoso

I was thinking about going to Thailand + Cambodia to see Angkor Wat.
I made this itinerary but it's not definitive.
It's my first time there and my main goal are beautiful landscapes and getting to know some of their culture.

1-3 Bangkok, last day night train to chiang mai
4,5 chiang mai
6 pai
7 not sure yet
8 chiang mai + night train to Bangkok
9 bangkok
10 early train at 5am to Aranyaprathet and get to siem reap
11 12 13 Angkor Wat
14 tuk-tuk in the area for a day
15- go back to Bangkok by Aranyaprathet and catch the night train to chumphon at 22h50
16- ferry to koh tao
17,18,19-koh tao with a day-trip to nangyuan (snorkeling)
20- ferry to koh pha ngan
21,22-koh pha ngan
23-ferry to koh samui
24-over-night ferry to surat thani
25-go to krabi
26,27,28 –railey east, maybe day-trip to phi phi
29- go back to bangkok
30,31- bangkok


I have some questions:

1.Is it a bad idea to go to krabi since it is wet season there? It looks gorgeous and I don't mind the rain, I'm hopping to have sunny days in koh tao, pha ngan and samui.

2.Do you think it is too rushed? I'm afraid I'm not letting too much time in bangkok.

3.Where would you advise me to do some trekking? Chiang mai? Is it really worth it?

4. Any activities you suggest?

crellston

1. If you don't mind the rain fine. It probably won't rain all day and it will be quieter.
2. Yes, I do think it is a bit rushed. The night train to C, is not the best place to get over jet lag if that is an issue. As this first time trip to Thailand I would allow 3 days for BKK, more if you like cities, there is a huge amount to see.
3. For any decent trekking you really need to get away from CM which requires time. An exception is http://nest.chiangdao.com/ great place to stay and some nice treks from the property about an hour and a half from CM.

Day 15 is one hell of a day travelling! The hard wooden seats on the train from Aranyabprathet to bKK will take their toll after a while.. As I recall, the journey takes around 4 hours. Doesn't sound a lot but after 4 hours you will know you have been on a journey!

I appreciate he desire to see as much as you can in the time available but I reall would leave something out, probably the west coast and have some extra time in BKK at the end.

For scenery, have a look at the Mae Hong Sorn loop. Pai is one stop on the loop ( and the least interesting IMO), the route itself is very scenic, especially around MHS, here is a link to my TR of a couple of years ago with some detail of the places on the loop http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...n-thailand.cfm

thursdaysd

I would make life easier and more comfortable by flying to SR the day I arrived in BKK, and coming back by bus from the border rather than on the train. Have you read talesofasia.com on traveling to/from/within Cambodia?

Unless you are really sold on CM, I would look at seeing more of Cambodia than just SR instead. Not sure what the water level will be then, but if its high you can reach Battambang by boat from SR, and then there's the coast at Kompot besides Phnom Penh.

marianacardoso

I don't have yet the flying dates, I'm thinking about a month only because i wont have the money to stay a lot longer. Probably i can fit one or two more days to my itinerary.

@crellston
I've been looking at the Mae Hong Son loop before and I was actually thinking about it. But the 4 days i have there will be enough? Did you rent a car in chiang mai?

I might add a day in bangkok before i go south. I thought it was too much too.

You say you would allow 3 days in Bangkok and i have about 5 days. Do you think i should add more to this? I think i will love bangkok and my boyfriend is a huge food lover, he's studding to be a chef. But what I mean is, I would love to spend a lot of time there, but since it will be hot and humid do you think i should spend more time there than check out the west coast?

@thursdaysd
You're right and if i could i would fly there, it's just about the money really.. I have read, yes. I was thinking it would be nicer if i had the e-visa.

At this point I'm not sold to anything, Chiand Mai looks easy to me, with the night train from bangkok, don't even have to spend time traveling.
I've been looking at cambodia for a while and hear lot of people with nice things to say about the country. The reason i chose only to put siem reap it's because Kampot is wet in August and i thought it was not worth. Do you think it is? It does look gorgeous along with koh rong. I was considering Battambang until i heard bad things about the train being a tourist trap. Do you disagree?

thursdaysd

Which train are you talking about? The Bamboo Express? If so, it may be a tourist trap now, I rode it in 2002 and it was magical then. It started as a way for the locals to get around after Pol Pot banned the "real" railway.

marianacardoso

http://thatbackpacker.com/2013/04/18...-and-the-ugly/ this is were i saw, if u want to see...

crellston

Marian's, yes we did rent a car in CM and loved the freedom it provided. The loop could be done in 3 days. I would stop at Soppong, MHS and Mai Sariang. Pai was great the first time we drove this way but a couple of years ago it had got so busy we just carried on through. The road is very winding, some 1300 bends, according to some t shirts! But an enjoyable drive apart fro the first part out of CM which is very busy. That said, I could easily spend the whole time in Chiang Mai as I love the city. The food there is really excellent and so different from BKK, I am sure your Bf would love the variety in the cuisine.

Sorry, but I misread your post and didn't appreciate that you had the first 3 days in Bangkok! The city is always humid but most tend to get used to it agpfter a day or two. If it were me, then I would drop the west coast. Beaches are beaches and to appreciate them fully you need sunshine IMHO.

Bangkok is one of the few places in the world where you can experience world class cooking at a reasonable cost from street stalls to 5* restaurants in some of the best hotels in the world. If your boy friend is into cooking then why not try a day at a cooking school? There are many in CM and BKK and it really is a great experience. We spent 5 days at one in CM and loved it.

Hanuman

Pai and MHS in August is not ideal IMO. A lot of restaurants will be closed and it will be hot and wet.

crellston

Good point hanuman, I had forgotten about the August travel date!!

marianacardoso

So do you think in August I should forget about the MHS loop? Just do Chiang Mai? Or do you think the north won't be worth it?

The west coast for me was about the views of the cliffs and getting to know the area, not much about sunbathing. The beauty of the area is not worth it with that weather?

The east coast will probably have good weather but that's it... The rest of the country will have high chances of rain and even though there are some good weather charts to help me out I don't really have the notion about what I should or should not visit because of the rainy season. I really wish i could go another time but i can't. And everything just looks so appealing...

Hanuman

As someone who lives in perpetual hot weather I enjoy visiting the area in the winter time. A lot of my countrymen feel the same so the high season for the area is November to January. Nice weather where you can enjoy the outdoor the whole day but in August, only been there once during this month, the towns up there are kind of dead.

If you're not a regular visitor to Thailand and will not be here again or for a long time then I would go. If you have plans on coming back then I would stick to Chiang Mai and the nearby villages and towns instead.

marianacardoso

1 – 4 Bangkok
(by land to Cambodia)
5 – 9 Siem reap
10 – 11 Phnom phen
(Fly to hanoi)
12 – 16 Hanoi
17 – 20 Sapa
(Fly to Bangkok)
21 – 22 Bangkok
(By train to Chumphon + ferry to koh tao)
23 – 26 koh tao
27 – 28 koh pha ngan
29 - 30 Koh samui
(by train or flight back to Bangkok)
33 – 35 Bangkok

I have this alternative i made some time ago. Do u think it's a better one for August?
I hear a lot of people saying Sapa it's beautiful in August with green rice fields even though it's rainy season.

marianacardoso

I forgot to say, in my time in Hanoi i would probably go on a trip to HaLong Bay.