Back from bangkok, ready to go somewhere else!
Jan 13th, 2006, 03:19 PM
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Back from bangkok, ready to go somewhere else!
I've been a lurker here for a bit and finally had something to post about.
Just got back from Bangkok after spending almost 2 weeks there, my wife and I had the best time there discovering the city by skytrain, MRT, tuk tuk, taxi, boat, and bus
. 2 weeks felt like too short of a time as we felt like there was so much more to do and discover.
We had such a good time in fact that we want to now plan a trip for later this year! I'm not sure of dates but they're flexible.
Off the top of my head and after some reading I was thinking it'd be nice to visit Chiang Mai and Saigon. I figure 14 days (not including transit time) would be around what we have for this.
I have a few questions for you seasoned travellers if you have any advice to give.
- Aside from bangkok, what other part of thailand do you think would be worth visiting? Would Chiang Mai be the top of your list?
- Same question regarding Saigon. Any other cities you think would be better to visit rather than Saigon?
- Is combining Saigon and Chiang Mai (or other Thailand city) doable in 2 weeks? Or do you think it'd be best to spend full 2 weeks in one place or other.
- I'm open to alternate suggestions as to where to go! We love travelling as long as it is safe (not politically unstable, etc).
Some background - we've done a decent but not incredible amount of travelling. We're not backpackers or people who "rough it", but we're pretty good at taking things as they come. We'll stay at moderate hotels (or higher end if we can get a good deal) with private bathrooms as long as the place is clean/safe.
We love new foods, meeting local people, and don't like to rush. We prefer visiting restaurants, bars, and clubs where locals are and eating where they eat and basically soaking up the atmosphere whenever possible. Our hotels are just where we sleep pretty much as we're out most of the day and until the late night.
We've been to spain, argentina, peru, hong kong, singapore, thailand, and canada and are based in Hawaii. We've enjoyed everywhere we've visited so far (even the middle of Indiana once )
We've come to realize that all of our favorite trips were to places where our dollar got us the most value and there's nothing we enjoy more than walking all day and snacking various local foods whenever we get the urge.
Would love to hear your thoughts, i'd be happy to comment on anything regarding our trip if you're interested
aloha,
gaz
Just got back from Bangkok after spending almost 2 weeks there, my wife and I had the best time there discovering the city by skytrain, MRT, tuk tuk, taxi, boat, and bus
. 2 weeks felt like too short of a time as we felt like there was so much more to do and discover.We had such a good time in fact that we want to now plan a trip for later this year! I'm not sure of dates but they're flexible.
Off the top of my head and after some reading I was thinking it'd be nice to visit Chiang Mai and Saigon. I figure 14 days (not including transit time) would be around what we have for this.
I have a few questions for you seasoned travellers if you have any advice to give.
- Aside from bangkok, what other part of thailand do you think would be worth visiting? Would Chiang Mai be the top of your list?
- Same question regarding Saigon. Any other cities you think would be better to visit rather than Saigon?
- Is combining Saigon and Chiang Mai (or other Thailand city) doable in 2 weeks? Or do you think it'd be best to spend full 2 weeks in one place or other.
- I'm open to alternate suggestions as to where to go! We love travelling as long as it is safe (not politically unstable, etc).
Some background - we've done a decent but not incredible amount of travelling. We're not backpackers or people who "rough it", but we're pretty good at taking things as they come. We'll stay at moderate hotels (or higher end if we can get a good deal) with private bathrooms as long as the place is clean/safe.
We love new foods, meeting local people, and don't like to rush. We prefer visiting restaurants, bars, and clubs where locals are and eating where they eat and basically soaking up the atmosphere whenever possible. Our hotels are just where we sleep pretty much as we're out most of the day and until the late night.
We've been to spain, argentina, peru, hong kong, singapore, thailand, and canada and are based in Hawaii. We've enjoyed everywhere we've visited so far (even the middle of Indiana once
)We've come to realize that all of our favorite trips were to places where our dollar got us the most value and there's nothing we enjoy more than walking all day and snacking various local foods whenever we get the urge.
Would love to hear your thoughts, i'd be happy to comment on anything regarding our trip if you're interested
aloha,
gaz
Jan 13th, 2006, 04:19 PM
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I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Bangkok!
There are lots of wonderful places in SE Asia where you dollar goes far. Here are some suggestions:
I'm not a fan of Chaing Mai, but some others on this board are. So read some of the Chaing Mai report. (Mine would say "Doi Suthep was wonderful, the rest... yawn."
To be fair, it's been many years since I was last there.
I prefer the farther north. I loved the Golden Triangle area, and the Anantara at the Golden Triangle is a fabulous restful place. But if you don't like to spend some time luxuriating at your hotel, don't go. The hotel has a marvelous cooking class, the countryside is lovely, the temples in the area are worth a visit and teh Queen Mother's estate and economic redevelopmen project for the hilltribes is well woth a visit.
In Laos, Luang Prabang is worth a visit. We spent almost a week there, loved the wats, the sleepiness of the town, the market, the rivers, the Pak Ou caves and the wonderful people. We also visited a Hmong Village at the Hmong new year which was very special.
Siem Reap Cambodia isn't a fabulous city, but the Angkor Temples are there which are spectacular.
Hanoi is a much more interesting city than HCMC. I can recommend a week there.
How about Malaysia? You may have read my Borneo trip report. Even if you aren't up for the rainforest, consider Kuching, a really charming city.
There are lots of wonderful places in SE Asia where you dollar goes far. Here are some suggestions:
I'm not a fan of Chaing Mai, but some others on this board are. So read some of the Chaing Mai report. (Mine would say "Doi Suthep was wonderful, the rest... yawn."
To be fair, it's been many years since I was last there.I prefer the farther north. I loved the Golden Triangle area, and the Anantara at the Golden Triangle is a fabulous restful place. But if you don't like to spend some time luxuriating at your hotel, don't go. The hotel has a marvelous cooking class, the countryside is lovely, the temples in the area are worth a visit and teh Queen Mother's estate and economic redevelopmen project for the hilltribes is well woth a visit.
In Laos, Luang Prabang is worth a visit. We spent almost a week there, loved the wats, the sleepiness of the town, the market, the rivers, the Pak Ou caves and the wonderful people. We also visited a Hmong Village at the Hmong new year which was very special.
Siem Reap Cambodia isn't a fabulous city, but the Angkor Temples are there which are spectacular.
Hanoi is a much more interesting city than HCMC. I can recommend a week there.
How about Malaysia? You may have read my Borneo trip report. Even if you aren't up for the rainforest, consider Kuching, a really charming city.
Jan 13th, 2006, 04:22 PM
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I like Chiang mai but it would not be top of my list. I;d say do 2 weeks in Vietnam - you could do Saigon, Hanoi, Sapa, Hoi An. Vietnam is a place where you will get amazing bang for the buck and meets most of your criteria IMO. If you want to add one more place cosnider adding Luang Prabang in Laos.
Jan 13th, 2006, 06:13 PM
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You should take a look at Indonesia -- especially Java, Bali, Sulawesi. A complex and culturally rich society, friendly and hospitable people, beautiful arts and crafts, profoundly beautiful scenery, always a diverse and stimulating experience. Your dollar will go far especially if you hang out with locals.
Jan 13th, 2006, 06:44 PM
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i too hope you will give us a report on what you did in bkk....often we regulars like to hear about new places...
from HI, you might look at eva air to get to bkk next time....i think they have resummed their flights...
other places: CM is ok, but like kathie i do not prefer to spend my time there... so i would give it a pass...you have beaches all around you at home so probably the beaches of thailand would not be appealing for you, otherwise i would suggest: koh chang, koh samui, krabi as alternatives...
vietnam: i think hanoi offers much more than saigon, but i agree that VN is a trip in itself...
so i would re-explore bkk for a week and then go to one other place like luang prabang, laos or siem reap, cambodia for the other week....or if you fancy it, i would even explore bali, which is so different from thailand and very pleasurable...
from HI, you might look at eva air to get to bkk next time....i think they have resummed their flights...
other places: CM is ok, but like kathie i do not prefer to spend my time there... so i would give it a pass...you have beaches all around you at home so probably the beaches of thailand would not be appealing for you, otherwise i would suggest: koh chang, koh samui, krabi as alternatives...
vietnam: i think hanoi offers much more than saigon, but i agree that VN is a trip in itself...
so i would re-explore bkk for a week and then go to one other place like luang prabang, laos or siem reap, cambodia for the other week....or if you fancy it, i would even explore bali, which is so different from thailand and very pleasurable...
Jan 16th, 2006, 12:15 AM
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Thanks so much for the suggestions! I'm going have to do more reading now about some of these areas mentioned.
Bali sounds very nice and I had not considered Laos at all (but now will). I'm wondering if two weeks in Vietnam may be the thing to do - week in saigon and then a week in Hanoi. Hmmm hmm decisions
You are right about beaches. We tend to not be that interested in visiting areas with beautiful beaches as we can get that here in Hawaii very easily. Resort type hotels where the vacation IS the resort are also not something we normally enjoy unless we're traveling with a large group where being with the group is the real purpose of the vacation (not to actually see anything). We did that on a cruise and it was very fun, but it's not what my wife and I would do on our own.
I'll make a new post in Thailand forum on our trip in bangkok. Most of it was just walking around and soaking in the atmosphere, but maybe it will give some ideas to new visitors to BKK.
aloha,
gaz
Bali sounds very nice and I had not considered Laos at all (but now will). I'm wondering if two weeks in Vietnam may be the thing to do - week in saigon and then a week in Hanoi. Hmmm hmm decisions
You are right about beaches. We tend to not be that interested in visiting areas with beautiful beaches as we can get that here in Hawaii very easily. Resort type hotels where the vacation IS the resort are also not something we normally enjoy unless we're traveling with a large group where being with the group is the real purpose of the vacation (not to actually see anything). We did that on a cruise and it was very fun, but it's not what my wife and I would do on our own.
I'll make a new post in Thailand forum on our trip in bangkok. Most of it was just walking around and soaking in the atmosphere, but maybe it will give some ideas to new visitors to BKK.
aloha,
gaz
Jan 17th, 2006, 11:48 AM
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aloha gaz...
i agree with my fellow fodorites...go see northern vietnam...hanoi was amazing...halong bay was surreal...
the people and traffic were memorable.
siem reap/angkor wat in cambodia was the most amazing place i have ever visited..
ancient temples...incredible history...
i hope to go to luang prabang next trip... we also dont make resorts or beaches our major destinations (we live on maui) but its a nice break to slow down from extensive no stop travelling and get your toes wet in the indian ocean.
please share details of your trip...we love reliving our trip while reading each others posts.
aloha
kai
i agree with my fellow fodorites...go see northern vietnam...hanoi was amazing...halong bay was surreal...
the people and traffic were memorable.
siem reap/angkor wat in cambodia was the most amazing place i have ever visited..
ancient temples...incredible history...
i hope to go to luang prabang next trip... we also dont make resorts or beaches our major destinations (we live on maui) but its a nice break to slow down from extensive no stop travelling and get your toes wet in the indian ocean.
please share details of your trip...we love reliving our trip while reading each others posts.
aloha
kai
Jan 19th, 2006, 05:55 PM
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Okay I'm almost done with my trip report. It was actually done a couple of days ago but my wife has to read it over to make sure I didn't leave anything out or butcher any of the names of places hehe.
I'll post a new topic on it this weekend.
Regarding my future trip, I'm leaning now very heavily towards just making it a vietnam only trip. This forum is dangerous every time I read it I start getting new ideas though hehe. Like this sentence from Kai:
"siem reap/angkor wat in cambodia was the most amazing place i have ever visited.."
Now how am I going to not visit Cambodia and just stay in vietnam! UGH!!
gaz
I'll post a new topic on it this weekend.
Regarding my future trip, I'm leaning now very heavily towards just making it a vietnam only trip. This forum is dangerous every time I read it I start getting new ideas though hehe. Like this sentence from Kai:
"siem reap/angkor wat in cambodia was the most amazing place i have ever visited.."
Now how am I going to not visit Cambodia and just stay in vietnam! UGH!!
gaz
