Andree

We're planning a trip to Bangkok and Phuket in April. We understand that it will be the hot and humid season but is it absolutely a period to avoid? Also looking at some elephant trekking. Has anyone done it and used Siam Safari or Adventure Safari on Phuket? All advices welcome!

pat

In april; it is the hottest month of the year but it will have a thai tradition Happy New Year! and this year it will be 4 day holidays, beginning from Apr 13th. It is as important as your christmas, because it is family reunion, so everybody tries to return home from wherever they are. It is a great fun as well, because we throw away water on each other for the hot weather. So, it is not a time to avoid, but you have to book accom. in advance if you are thinking of Phuket, but bkk will be quite empty, and it is the best time of the year to be in bkk. <BR> <BR>Have a good time in the land of smiles.

Andree

Pat, Many thanks for your advice. I'm glad to hear that April is a good time! We actually chose April because we didn't want to be in prime touristic season and also because we thought it would be fun to experience a tradition in a different culture. We had read about the water throwing and it seems like an excellent idea! If you know good websites about Thailand (culture, tradition, do's and don't, history, etc.), please let me know. Looking forward to visit your beautiful country.

pat

Bonjour Andree, <BR>Let me clearify first, during that long weekend in Bangkok it will be quite empty and quiet because people are returning home, and we normally don't throw away water for fun in bkk, and you will find it just in some touristic area of the city, it is a kind to pay respect to the older generation, and ask them back for blessing! It will be more funny in phuket or somewhere else during that time because of water fighting. <BR> <BR>out web sites; try: <BR>toursim authority of Thailand www.tat.or.th <BR>thai airways www.thaiair.com <BR>my university www.mahidol.ac.th <BR> <BR>wish you have a Happy new Year (in apr will be my third time to celebrate it!!)

Andree

"sa-wat-dee" Pat (hope this is the appropriate phonetic greeting as I don`t have the characters to write it properly!) <BR>Thank you for your reply. How many days would you recommend to visit Bangkok? Any other places to recommend beside Phuket. I hear it`s quite commercialized, but it sounds like there are some quiet beaches as well. <BR>If I had to postpone the trip until the end of June, what kind of wheather should I expect? Merci!

pat

Sawasdee Andree, <BR>As a local of bkk, i think you need about 4 days to see most of the attractions, because you will absolutely need your first day for the jet-lag, one whole day for the Grand Palace and surrounding sites, and two more days for somewhere else. You can add up two more days for day-trip out of bkk for historical sites; Ayuthaya (previous capital) and Kanchanaburi (for the bridge of the river Kwai). <BR> <BR>Yes, about Phuket, it is quite touristic area, if you prefer some cosy beaches around that area, look for Krabi (you can fly direct from bkk), Phang-nga (just north of Phuket) or Trang. You can enjoy some quiet area of the eastern coast thailand as well, when you pass Pattaya, there are more beaches. <BR> <BR>Unfortunately, the monsoon season is expected to begin by June. It may be not so bad by the end of June, definitely April is much better when you concern about the rain. However, in the south, you might get rain nearly everyday, for the whole year, it rains for 8 months, and not for the rest! <BR> <BR>I think you may need to go up north to enjoy Elephant Trekking: Chiang mai (touristic), MaeHongSon is more quiet in the far north-west region. No ideas about elephant trekking in the south. <BR> <BR>enjoy your trip.

Glenn

hi <BR>i lived in Phuket and both company's are ok but what i wanted to say was ELEPHANT TREKKING IS THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE & SLOWEST WAY OF SEEING ANYTHING THERE IS... BEWARE!!!!!!!! <BR>i think it a good idea to go on a 1/2 elephant ride before you do any trekking. Dont get me wrong i love the elephants, and Thailand, and its people are the nicest i've meet,its just riding on elephants is .... well im glad they invented the motor! hehe <BR>good luck and im sure you will have a good time. (keep traveling)