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Thailand during the rainy season, have you been?

Thailand during the rainy season, have you been?

Old Dec 28th, 2014, 01:14 PM
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Thailand during the rainy season, have you been?

I live in the NW so rain isn't uncommon and our best bet for travel is June/July/August as kids are out of school. I realize this is the rainy season in Thailand. Our other option is April when it's really hot. Would it be a real disappointment to see Thailand in summer? Is this just a total waste of money? We were thinking of going to Koh Samui or doing some beach time and then flying to Chiang Mai. I know nothing about Thailand and am just starting to research everything but if it's a bad idea entirely to visit during the rainy season, I'll save it for another time. My biggest concern is it being too hot and humid for my kids (ages 11, 12). I understand tropical downpours but keep reading they are short and then the sun appears. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Old Dec 28th, 2014, 01:43 PM
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Our first trip to southeast Asia was in July 2000 to Bangkok, Koh Samui and northern Thailand. There were downpours in Bangkok but they were brief. Otherwise it was sunny for our 2 weeks. We have returned many times since, at all times of the year. Don't let the threat of bad weather stop you - you will love Thailand...
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Old Dec 28th, 2014, 02:04 PM
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Go ahead and travel in June/July/Aug. I'm from Seattle, but Seattle rain doesn't prepare you for Thai rain. Rain is intense, none of our drizzle, but is often over quickly. Koh Samui should have good weather at that time of the year.

Are you planning to skip Bangkok? It's an amazing city - my favorite city in the world. It has so much to offer, it would be a shame to miss it.
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Old Dec 28th, 2014, 03:20 PM
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Terry Pratchet described tropical rain as "not so much rain as water cut into strips". That may give you some idea?

Thailand does not have a winter or summer....tropical countries have a 3 season cycle: cool dry, hot, and wet or as some say " hot, very hot and too hot.

How severe these seasons are varies from one part of the country to anther.

I doubt if you will find the rain itself too much of a problem; it seldom goes on for days at a time, but it can cause other problems...flooding and disruption to travel etc. Some of this can be spectacular but at times it can also be very frustrating. Islands in particular can be affected by bad weather...excursions ferries etc can be interrupted and flash floods block roads and temporarily cut power....

Temperatures in the "wet" can be very high and the only relief comes with the rain...even then it is still warm and so are the nights.

April is the time of the Thai new year and quite a good time to visit too, although accommodation can be less readily available and prices are at a premium.

I've included a link to a rather good weather map for Thailand.... you can easily compare different regions and different times of year. Note that Koh Chang is just about the wettest island in the country especially in August and Samui has a "double" wet season that ends around the new year.

http://www.travelfish.org/weather_fish.php
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Old Dec 28th, 2014, 07:09 PM
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I have visited Thailand 3 dozen times and in every month of the year, except maybe March. April is the hottest of hot. I try not to walk very far without seeking air con when making my annual April trip.

I agree with others who have suggested you go and enjoy Thailand during June, July, August
Don't let a possible downpour keep you from experiencing the culture and people of the land of smiles! Before I retired from teaching I had to travel during my summer break. Yes, there were some rainy days but it did not hamper my enthusiasm for visiting this part of the world.
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Old Dec 29th, 2014, 01:50 AM
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Remember the sun is directly overhead twice a year in Thailand. The yearly variation in temperature is actually not that much....above 30 is "too hot", and below 25 is a "freeze up".On the coast it isn't too much of a problem but inland and Bkk it can get into the high 30s in April and again in the wet in August the heat and humidity builds up.
In general Thailand's climate is more forgiving than its neighbours' and less prone to extremes. I would therefore probably suggest you choose more to your own convenience....the weather at both times good go either way.
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Old Dec 29th, 2014, 07:07 AM
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September is the month to avoid and also april for the heat.

I have visited in june and found it to be just fine with little rain.. many go in the summer

there is tons of a/c that the kids can escape into. make sure to chose hotels with nice large pools, like the anantara in bkk.
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Old Dec 30th, 2014, 05:30 PM
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Wow, thank you everyone! I was sure you'd say to pass and I'm surprised April is super hot. We will definitely pass on that. I can appreciate the rain coming down in strips! I read about potential flooding and how the rain can be a travel problem so I will keep that in mind. Thank you for the link khunwilko, I'll look at it. I don't think I can skip BKK but actually considered it. I'm a little afraid of being totally overwhelmed by it but it does seem silly to miss it since we're there. I've never been to Asia so I realize I have A LOT of reading to do.

A friend suggested Sukhothai. Did any of you have any favorite spots? I want to see the temples and my husband wants the beach so we need to compromise. We'll definitely look at resort properties with larger pools. I have heard the Thai people are lovely. Any bits of advice are welcome. Thanks so much!
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Old Dec 30th, 2014, 06:35 PM
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What kind of temples do you want to see? Working wats with resident monks so ruins? Thailand has both in abundance. You will have the chance to see plenty of working wats in Bangkok. If yu want ruins, Ayutthaya is close by and can be done as a day trip or an overnight. If you have extra days you could go to Angkor in Cambodia, but ti is only worth doing, IMO, if you can spare 4 nights - three full days. Take a look at Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous Temples to gauge you level of interest.

Sukhothai takes a special trip - it isn't close to any of the places you have mentioned.

How much time will you have on the ground? That will determine how many places you can visit. If you have 2 weeks, figure a maximum of three locations; 3 weeks can get you 4 locations plus a day trip, perhaps. You can certainly visit Bangkok and a beach even with just two weeks.
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Old Jan 2nd, 2015, 02:43 AM
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I really like Sukhothai, it's a day trip from Bkk or overnight stop.
Ayuthaya is worth a trip and you can get the boat back down the river to Bkk.
Angkor Wat is a MUST - allow 3 or 4 days to do it justice. fly.
British TV have done a recent series on Angkor - try to watch that....fascinating and rethinks a lot of stuff.
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Old Jan 2nd, 2015, 04:42 AM
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I watched that latest tv production on Angkor just a week ago in Bangkok, right before coming to Phuket. Very interesting! I learned a lot that I certainly didn't know before.
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Old Jan 2nd, 2015, 07:31 AM
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BBC - Angkor - Atlantis of the Jungle. parts 1 and 2......
reviews a lot of new technology used to map the area and discovers new evidence to suggest the place was even bigger than they thought.

angkor means "city" and you'll see it used a lot in Thailand "Nakorn"
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Old Jan 5th, 2015, 01:04 PM
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Thanks again everyone, I appreciate it. I'll have to look for the Angkor BBC special. Sounds very exciting! I suppose we need to pin down the must see places vs. what would be "neat." We thought both ruins and working wats would be neat but not a must. Truthfully, I don't know where to begin but I assume some of the ruins must be neat. It didn't occur to me to go to Cambodia (thought Vietnam) but I'm thrilled to get some advice and would happily swap Vietnam for Cambodia. I think we'll have two weeks and we might be able to stretch a few more days, given that it'll take two days to arrive and two to get home which eats into our time on the ground. My kids want to see the elephants if it's doable. I just want a somewhat well-rounded visit, seeing some things that are worth seeing. We don't have to go to Chiang Mai if something else is the better option but isn't that where the elephants are? We will fly in order to maximize our time. How hard is it to get to Angkor?
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Old Jan 5th, 2015, 08:18 PM
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Yes, 2 years ago I have traveled in Thailand with my family in August. This is the rainy season. We stayed for 13 days. The hotel was good. Due to lack of travelers, maximum shops were closed. Many tourist places are closed. We have not seen many places and that's why our trip experience was not good for us. We are going to Bangkok trip again in Next month. This is the best time to visit in Bangkok.
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Old Jan 6th, 2015, 05:27 AM
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Please please please read up on elephants and ALL wildlife experiences in Thailand and S.E. Asia before you pay into something ghastly.
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Old Jan 7th, 2015, 03:54 AM
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Elephants are not just around Chiang Mai. We saw many on Phuket, but did not stop to ride. Some were babies. I'm sure you pay to take a photo with them. There was much ado on Phuket about Jay-Z and Beyounce (?) who were vacationing there at Christmas time, as Beyounce was photographed sitting on a baby elephant. Front page news in the Phuket Times newspaper we brought home.

Yes, do your homework regarding treatment of the animals. By the way, should you opt to ride, the board seat on the back of the elephant is VERY HARD on the behind! We did the ride in 2001, on Phuket, and opted for the extra cost to ride to a scenic point. We wished we had just taken the shortest possible ride!!!
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Old Jan 7th, 2015, 04:30 AM
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Some tour companies are now refusing to offer trips to elephant camps that offer rides.....especially on their backs!
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Old Jan 7th, 2015, 11:16 AM
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This is a useful starter on interacting with elephants in Thailand


http://www.lonelyplanet.com/asia/tra...ts-in-thailand
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Old Jan 7th, 2015, 02:04 PM
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I'm aware of the mistreatment of the elephants and saw in Cambodia a nice sanctuary where they treat them well. We don't need to really ride one, but it would be nice to see them closer if it's possible. We wouldn't be able to do Phuket for our visit as weather is bad. I think Koh Samui is our best option though Krabi looked lovely. Anyway, I do hear you about carefully picking the right and humane outfit for the elephants, thank you. I will definitely look around or we'll just skip it.
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Old Jan 7th, 2015, 03:40 PM
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Rule of thumb in Thailand is if the animals are on show they are being abused or exploited.
It is really hard for us laymen to check out the reality. Most places open to the public make a big thing out of their "green" or conservation credentials, but so often this is just B/S.
So much of it is all face and no substance, the difficulty is finding out what goes on behind scenes.
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