We're outta here!
 

Thanks to everyone on this board who helped me plan our first trip to Thailand and Siem Reap. We leave Christmas Eve and will return on Jan 17.

I'm packed and ready to go. Only four minor worries.

1. Too much luggage. In Europe I can go for weeks with a 22" carry-on but I don't usually buy what I think I'll come home with this trip...so I'm taking two suitcases, each half empty. I do hate the thought of SCHLEPPING them.

2. Will I make my connecting flights- Koh Samui to Bangkok then BKK-SFO only having allowed 4 hours in between.

3. Will it keep raining in Koh Samui.

4. Will the Malarone make me sick.

Then again, not being one to fret over what might go wrong, I say offwego!

Thanks to all.

forget about the malerone....it will do what it will do...we had NOOOOOOOOO side affects in taking it several times..

4 hours is plenty if your first flight is roughly on time and they usually are...i would have come back to bkk the nite before myself....taking the 7 or 8 PM flight...

you will be glad of the extra luggage space....we do it differently...we fit all our stuff into one suitcase and buy cheap ones in bkk depending on what we have to bring home...btw, you will be bying way more than you have space for....one tip....karen buys hard sided plastic tupperware type boxes to put breakables in so as to protect them in the suitcase....we buy rice bags to use for the bulk of our purchases and the plastic boxes fit in nicely...rice bags= large stripped nylon bags you might see flea market people using to transport things...

rain will not stop you at all...just ignor it...

have a great trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

write us a report upon your return

Thanks Bob.

I will write a trip report and I will welcome the rain if it comes.

I knew you would say that about the flights!

Lori

offwego, have a wonderful trip. I hope you get lots of sunshine but even if you don't, do what Bob says and just ignore it and go out anyway. And don't worry about Malarone, I've taken it many times and have never had any side effects from it.

Have a wonderful time! Thailand is such a great vacation destination.

You'll be coming home the day I'm probably leaving for BKK... too bad!!

Re: Malarone... I think if the others say it won't bother you, it probably won't. I've never taken any shots for my Thailand trips, but then I have very strange allergies, and the ONE time I took a flu shot (40 years ago) I had to be hospitalized!!!!

Have fun and do report back in with us.

Carol

Have a great trip - I wish that you have as much fun as we did! I was also worried about the malarone as I can be sensitive to meds, but I had no problems at all. Enjoy!!

Have a wonderful trip!

I always take one suicase packed and the other full of bubblewrap. Since I usually use Bangkok as my gateway, I'm typically there at the beginning and the end of my trip, so I often leave one suitcase at my hotel and pick it up at the end of the trip.

PS The malarone is unlikely to make you sick. The same percentage of people taking the placebo and taking malarone complained of stomach upset. Just take it with food.