Hi all,

A couple of friends and I are planning on taking a trip to Thailand during the Chinese New Year holiday. approx. Feb. 12-22. We are currently in Hong Kong at HKUST doing an MBA exchange so we will be departing from Hong Kong. We are on a limited budget so flying into Bangkok seems like the cheapest way. We (4 of us), are really interested in heading up to Northern Thailand, Chiang Mui, area. We were wondering:
A) what is the best way to get from Bangkok to Chiang Mui and should we jsut try to fly straight there?
B) Does it make more sense to head south from Bangkok instead of North? We have approx 12 days so we want to see all of Thailand, trekking, volunteering, boat rides, or possibly the neiboring countries.
C) Is there any way to enter Mynamar or Burma from Northern Thailand or should we just head back down South?
D) Any and all input will be appreciated and happy traveling!

-Jameel

A few thoughts,

Check out HK Express they fly direct to Chiang Mai on Thursdays and Sundays.

If you do come through Bangkok then a train is probably cheapest but at CNY you must book early.

You can fly from Chiang Mai to Rangoon or Manderlay, but only on specific days, also to Luang Prabang and several destinations in China.

north and south are really two very different experiences....south is primarily beach experiences for the tourist....the north offers more wilderness....including treking..

by the way it is chiang mai not mui...

there are probably busses to the north as well but i know nothing of them...there are many discount airlines from bkk to cm as well so with your limited time i think i would consider flying....

you can enter myanmar directly from a bridge north west of chiang saen in thailand....visas are available at the border crossing...

you can also enter laos from near to chiang saen as well via boat....

chiang saen is about one hour north of chiang rai which is 3 hours north of chiang mai...

Thanks alot for the response, sorry about the (sp) it is very late in HK. I also noticed that THAI airways are running a "Discover Thailand" package with 3 domestic Thai flights for $169. It seems like a great deal. Thanks again....

I don't think it is wise to try to see ALL of Thailand plus neighboring countries in only 12 days.

I would recommend spending a couple of nights in Bangkok on the way in, 4 in Chiang Mai, a beach location for 4 nights and then another 2 nights in Bangkok on your way out.

This will give you a good taste of Thailand.

The Discover Thailand pass seems like a good idea for you as well.

Enjoy your trip!

Bob - I thought that I had read that if you enter Myanmar from Chiang Saen you can only spend time in that area and have to leave the way you entered. Can you now travel to the rest of the country?

First, decide whether what you want to see. BKK is a unique place. Some (like me) love it. Others hate it. If you start by deciding whether you want any BKK time or not, then some of the other options become more clear. The beach areas are wonderful, but they are much more westernized than any other part of Thailand. For 12 days, and using the discover pass, you could do BKK-4, CM-4 and Phuket-4. There is one daily CM-Phuket flight at around 11:00 a.m. that makes this easy.

You mentioned budget concerns. It will be much cheaper to stay in BKK and CM than Phuket. If you need a beach, Hua Hin, Jomtien or Pattaya are cheaper options than Phuket (hotels and transportation are cheaper). If you want this, perhaps you could fly to CM direct from HK, take a budget airline to BKK and then a minivan transfer to Hua Hin (costs about $10 US).

Don't agonize too much. You'll have a super time no matter what you decide to do. However, you should decide promptly and reserve.

Thursdays, if you enter Burma at the land crossing at the Golden Triangle, receiving a visa from the border crossing, you cannot leave that area, and have a limited time you can spend in Burma. It is possible (at least on and off, depending on the political situation) IF you have a visa in advance, to enter by land at the Golden Triangle and then fly onward in Burma (you cannot travel to any of the major destinations in Burma by land from the Golden Traingle, as the roads are restricted). Also, while you can enter Laos briefly by crossing the river near Chiang Sean, you cannot travel onward into Laos from thre. That is a local border crossing arranged for the convenience of tourists who want to say they have been in Laos.

So while Bob's information is correct, it does not make it clear that you cannot travel farther into either Burma or Laos from the Golden Traingle area.

Jamee, in a mere 12 days, plan not more than 3 places to visit. If you want more cultural experiences, stay in Bangkok and the north, if you want a beach expereince as well, Euro's suggestion is excellent. Personally, I'm not a fan of Chiang Mai (people either love it or are indifferent to it), so I'd opt for a different location in northern Thailand, such as the Golden Triangle. I don't recommend the brief excursions into either Laos or Burma, as they give you no real sense of either country.

Since you are on a limited budget look at flying from Macau to Bangkok with discount airline Air Asia. Cost would be around 1120 MOP (1090HH$} plus the ferry cost from HH. A lot cheaper than regular airlines from HH. In Thailand use discount airlines (Air Asia, Nok Air or OneTwo Go)from Bangkok to the north or south.

I gave you a wrong price for Air Asia. Because you would be booking so close to your travel dates the price is about 1864HH$. The further you book from travel dates the cheaper it can be with Air Asia. Still cheaper than regular flights I think.

Thanks for the info, Kathie. I hadn't realized there was also a restricted crossing into Laos. I agree, half a day is just not worth the time.

Also, if the OP is on a budget, the night train between Bangkok & Chiang Mai is worth checking into. It's really quite comfortable in 1st or 2nd class.

sorry about any confusion i may have created about entry into burma and laos...with your limited time i would consider doing neither....there is plenty more to do in thailand....border towns are usually a waste of time..

I agree with Bob... the trekking around Chiang Rai and hilltribes is nice, but we felt that our trip to the "Golden Triangle" was a waste of time. We crossed over into Laos for a few hours, only to find a horrid tourist market stuffed with Tiger Penis whisky and jars filled with dead snakes. I don't recommend it. I hear Myanmar is similar.
There are so many things to do in Thailand... I wish we had gone to Chiang Mai instead of just Chiang Rai. I hear the elephant camp there is a lot of fun.
Wishing you a great trip!

Junejuly, the whole area is called the Golden Triangle, not just the border towns. We loved the area (though not the border towns, as I mentioned above) and felt there was much to do and see in this lovely rural area of Thailand. I much prefer it to Chiang Mai, though CM is a place people either love or don't.

My understanding was that the Golden Triangle was the actual place where the 3 countries came together, near Chiang Sean, and that Chiang Rai was considered as being in Northern Thailand. I liked Chiang Rai a lot, but once it came to seeing things, I felt that as a first time (and maybe only time, depending on where fate takes us) visitor, I missed out on not going to Chiang Mai... this is based on the opinions of a lot of other people we met on the trip. Likely a better option would have been to fly into Chiang Mai and out of Chiang Rai, but as they say... hindsight is 20/20. As mentioned before though, I think it's hard to go wrong anywhere in Thailand.

Here is my take on it. Flying from HK to BKK is probably the cheapest. Stay in BKK for a couple of days. China town is having a large celebration on the 18th and 19th. Great food and traditional festivals. You can get a really cheap flight to Chiang Mai on Nok airlines or Asia Air. Both are safe. I would skip going into to Burma as the town you enter is really a big market that is for tourist. It does not give you a feeling for Burma. However if you want to do a "border crossing" then go ahead. Phuket or Krabi are very nice and more relaxing if that is what you are looking for. Again,, Asia air and Nok have the cheapest flights. You can go to Latestays.com and fine good deals on hotels. Word of advice, book your hotels now (you can always cancel) BKK is filling up quickly due to Chinese New Year. Have a great time. Thailand is wonderful.