IIRC, Kathie, you enjoy staying at the Anantara?

We're staying at a local guest house for 400BHT/ night for the two of us. What can I say...we're on a budget..

We loved the Anantara. We stayed there right after they opened.

Once again, thank you everyone!!

I've been seriously considering adding Luang Prabang to our trip and adding Chiang Rai instead of Chiang Mai (thank you Kathie). Mark, I checked the river cruise and my wife is vehemently against it (she hates the water and is prone to motion sickness).

Whats the best way to add LP to the list? I've tried multiple ways to add it and yet get around without having to come back to BKK all the time, but cannot get my head around it.

Appreciate your feedback/help.
-Rahul

You'll probably want to fly through Bangkok to get to Luang Prabang. There is a flight on Lao Air from Siem Reap but last I checked it wasn't every day of the week.

Consider Bangkok Air's Discovery Pass. You must fly 3 legs on Bangkok Air. You will connect through Bangkok, but since all Bangkok Air flights are in and out of the new airport, you should be fine.

photos to whet your appetite: www.marlandc.com

VIETNAM
LAOS

I've travelled much of the world and these two countries are magical. I think they have the nicest, most welcoming people I've come across.

Vietnam
#1 Sapa, including Bac Ha market and (lite) hiking to surrounding minority towns
#2 Bike the Mekong Delta
#3 Hanoi (stay in the old quarter)
#4 Saigon (don't miss war remanant museum or HCM mansoleum)
#5 Halong Bay - spend the night on a sailing junk and kayak

Laos
#1 Luang Prabang

Best book: To Asia With Love

For the time you have and based on your interests I would go to thailand and angkor wat. I would try this:
Bangkok -- 6-8 days divided between beginning and end of trip
Angkor Wat - 3 full days
Chiang Mai - 3-4 days
Northern Thailand (Chiang rai/Pai/MHS etc)- 3-4 days

BTW-- the reason I did not include Phuket is because you said you're not really beach people and Phuket is just an international resort area -- has little of the feel of history and culture you say you want. So I would definitely NOT go there.

Hi Everyone.

So taking into account the new suggestions and trying to work out the itinerary, I came up with the following and feel better about it. Of course, I have a couple of questions which I was hoping you all could help me out with:

11/15/07: Leave for Bangkok
11/16/07: Arrive Bangkok
11/17/07: Bangkok
11/18/07: Bangkok
11/19/07: Bangkok
11/20/07: Goto Siem Reap (Bangkok Air Discovery pass)
11/21/07: Siem Reap
11/22/07: Siem Reap
11/23/07: Siem Reap
11/24/07: Siem Reap
11/25/07: Siem Reap to Chiang Mai??
11/26/07: Chiang Mai
11/27/07: Chiang Mai
11/28/07: Goto Chiang Rai
11/29/07: Chiang Rai
11/30/07: Goto Huay Xai
12/1/07: Single Day boat cruise to Luang Prabang.
12/2/07: Luang Prabang
12/3/07: Luang Prabang
12/4/07: Luang Prabang
12/5/07 Goto Bangkok (Bangkok Air Discovery pass)
12/6/07: Bangkok
12/7/2007: Return to SF.

Some questions:
- Bangkok Air Discovery Pass: The reason I'm even going to Chiang Mai is because Bangkok Air wont fly to Chiang Mai. Also, I'm sort of confused about how it works (I tried to search on the forum here but did not get an exact answer). To avail the discovery pass fares, one needs to fly three legs. Does flying from Bangkok to Siem Reap and then return from Siem Reap to Bangkok count as a single leg or two legs as far as the discover pass is concerned? If it is the latter, then I can simply change the itinerary and go directly to Chiang Rai and keep Chiang Mai as something to do next time (along with Sukothai). The third leg can be covered from LP to BKK.
- Where do I book the pass from?
- Lastly, does anyone know where I can book the day cruise (slow boat) from Thailand to Luang Prabang?

- Lastly, the days in ChiangMai/Rai are simply place holders for either places.

Thank you very much, once again, I look forward to your suggestions/comments.

Regards
Rahul

The BA Discovery Pass can be booked by calling the 800 number. You will then have to send a bank check to New York. They will send you paper tickets. It actually goes very smoothly. BKK-SR is one leg, SR-BKK is a second leg. I think BA does fly BKK-CM, so this could be a third leg. Check out their website. It will have a list of possible destinations. Look for Luang Prabang as another leg. You can have more than three legs on the Discover Pass.

Thanks, Gpanda. This helps a lot.

Do you know anything about the boat to Luang Prabang. I'm assuming that to get from CM to CR there should be some sort of bus-service?

Thanks!

Nothing about the boat.

Bangkok Airways phone number is 866-226-4565.

Hi Everyone,

So its me again. I'm "almost done" planning the itinerary, but just have one last question:

I was planning on spending 4 days, 6 nights at Luang Prabang (arrive on a Sunday, leave on a Friday).

However, I just called Bangkok Airways and it turns out that they do not have a flight on friday from LP to SR (the next destination in my itinerary).

They do have a flight on thursday, however.

I have two options now:

1) Take the thursday flight and cut one day in LP.

or

2) Take a flight from LP to BKK on friday and then on saturday morning take a flight from BKK to SR. This, of course means an extra $130 (for the two of us) + a extra night in bangkok; and we're sort of on a budget.

My question(s) to you guru's is this:

- Is Luang Prabang worth the extra day
- Alternatively, is three days 4 nights enough time in LP
- The flight on thursday is Lao Airlines. Is it sort of reliable (time and safety)?

I'd really really appreciate your replies, since this is the last decision I need to make.

Thank you very much!
Rahul

For those interested, here is my complete itinerary (I've assumed that I'll have only 3 days in LP).

Thursday, November 15, 2007: Leave for BKK from SFO
Friday, November 16, 2007: Arrive BKK
Saturday, November 17, 2007 : BKK
Sunday, November 18, 2007: BKK
Monday, November 19, 2007: BKK
Tuesday, November 20, 2007: Goto Chiang Mai
Wednesday, November 21, 2007: CM
Thursday, November 22, 2007: CM
Friday, November 23, 2007: CM or CR?
Saturday, November 24, 2007: goto Huay Xai
Sunday, November 25, 2007: Travel to LP
Monday, November 26, 2007: LP
Tuesday, November 27, 2007: LP
Wednesday, November 28, 2007: LP
Thursday, November 29, 2007: LP to SR
Friday, November 30, 2007: SR
Saturday, December 01, 2007: SR
Sunday, December 02, 2007: SR
Monday, December 03, 2007: SR
Tuesday, December 04, 2007: Goto BKK
Wednesday, December 05, 2007: BKK
Thursday, December 06, 2007: Leave BKK for SFO

Given the restaints of the airline schedule, I'd cut the day from LP. Your itinerary looks good.

And, I just had another idea:

I could take Airasia to BKK to Chiang Mai.

To avail the discovery pass, I need three segments. Since I could take Air Asia (or one of its cousins that are inexpensive), I can complete three segments with BKK airways in this way:

- LP to BKK. (spend a night in Bangkok, near the airport)
- BKK to SR
- SR to BKK

This way I cover the three segments and I get to spend an extra day in LP.

What do y'all think/suggest? Is it worth going through this complexity?

Thanks!
-Rahul

Kathie,

Thank you for your reply. I guess you posted it while I was typing my previous entry.

I think I'll take your suggestion and simply cut a day. That's hoping that the seats are still available (I need to check with my manager at work once more that the dates are ok), and then tonight, I'll book the BKK tickets and also buy tickets to BKK from the US and back (so far travelocity has the best price).

Thank you so much, everyone!

Hi Everyone,

So I booked my tickets last week and we're all set.

I have one more question for all you experts:

On our return, we have only ~22 hours in Bangkok. We fly in from Siem Reap at around 2:30 pm and then our flight to SFO is at 12:30 pm the next day.

So all in all, we just have an evening in Bangkok.

- What do you all suggest we do? What would be an ideal way to end a vacation in SE asia?
- Where do we stay? (hopefully something ~60-80 will be nice)

Thanks
Rahul