Dramatic Plan Change
 

Our 1st of 4 6+ week One-World Around-the-World trips over the next year has just been trashed, thanks to the Indian Government, so now we suddenly have 11 days in Thailand and/or Cambodia (Deb really wants to see Angkor Wat) whereas I want to eat my way through Bangkok.

I was thinking Bangkok and somewhere beachy in the South....but then Deb points out that we're just coming from a week in Bali....so why beachy??? Then she said Chiang Mai and/or Angkor Wat.

Suggestions for Bangkok and Chiang Mai would be greatly appreciated...(I'm assuming that Angkor Wat doesn't *require* a lot of discussion/analysis).

Thanks,
John

Angkor does require some thought and planning. How long do you want to spend there? And you planning to visit just the major temples in the Siem Reap area (that would take three full days - 4 nights) or do you want to visit some of the more distant temples? Pick up a copy of Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous Temples.

Given that you want to "eat my way through Bangkok" - a noble undertaking, BTW - why are you thinking about Chiang Mai? A combination of Bangkok and Siem Reap sounds perfect to me.

We are headed to Bangkok soon and plan to eat at all three of the places that made the top 50 restaurants in the world. Then, of course, there are all of the wonderful little "hole in the wall" places as well. And Bangkok has the most amazing wats in Thailand... maybe in SE Asia.

I would add that the beaches in Thailand are a far cry from the beaches in Bali. I love Bali to death, but the beaches in Thailand can be absolutely breathtaking.

Bali has nothing on some of the gorgeous azure waters and limestone karsts of the Andaman coast.

The visual composition is completely different than Bali as well. May be worth reconsidering.

Thanks for the responses. First...what are the 3 restaurants in Bangkok you speak of?

Second....what are some of the best Thai islands in the Andaman Sea? Deb says, according to Conde Nast, Phi Phi......

We're in the midst of furiously re-mapping our trip, since we lost 14 days in India, and have 4 nights in Bangkok and 4 in Siem Reap, 2 in Kuala Lumuor and 4 in Hong Kong ...but we could change Siem Reap to 3, drop 1 of 2 days in Kuala Lumpur and add 2 days in 1 Thai island.

The three restaurants on the top 50 list are:
Gaggan (which is now #1 in Asia)
Nahm
Bo.Lan

If you have any interest at all in Angkor, don't drop any days from that stop. Drop a day from KL.

Forget Conde Nast for good recommendations. PhiPhi has been overrun for many years now. There are still areas that are nice - far from the day trippers, but the day trippers will still have some impact on you if you are staying on the island. Phuket is a huge island and has busy areas (and tacky areas) but also has lovely, quieter areas. Also, Krabi has some lovely areas. Ko Lak is another place to look at.