Thailand

Gaz

Right so , im heading off on my travels on the 3rd of October and i have 10 weeks in Asia , this is my plan ...

Arrive in Bangkok on the 3rd , have 3 nights accomodation booked in a nice hotel to get over the jet lag and get the head to gether , going to vist the grand palace and floating markets.
Next get an over night 1st class sleeper train up north to chiang Mai , going to go elephant trekking and do a 3 night hill tribe stay.
From there we will be flying south to Koh Samui for a few days and from there we will be going to Koh Phangan, plannig on spending maybe 3 weeks there , get in some diving. Anyone have a recommendation on a place to stay there ? Not looking for anything special a decent hut with a shower would be fine.

From the we will be going back to Bangkok for a flght to Vietnam ...

So anyone thats been to Thailand ? Any other recommendations on things to do or avoid ?

HarryD

Koh Phangan is certainly nicer than Koh Samui,
but 3 weeks there is maybe too long..
The Angkor Wat Temples in Cambodia are good to see,
although getting there is an experience in itself..

Spend a couple of night in Koh Sahn in Bangkok..
It's quite a cool area at night..

Elephant Trekking up north is def worth doing..

Down south to Mayalsia is maybe worth avoiding..

HD

growler

make sure you check that those dates in the islands don't clash with the rainy season as this has a major effect on underwater visibility (and on general wetness in late afternoons)

there are loads of places to stay in samui , the hard part is getting away from the crowds , I recemmond staying away from the bigger towns, Lamai was better than chaweng (IMO) some of the beaches on the far side of the island looked good also.

Accomodation isn't likely to be a problem really , and is dead cheap.

I'd also say 3 weeks on Pha Ngan is a bit too much , it really is very small indeed , get out to Koh Tao if you can best diving I hea rand if you can get a beach hut there u are as far away from the world as one could wish.
Enjoy

pickarooney

Rent a moped on Ko Pha Ngan and visit the middle of the island, there's a beautiful waterfall you can climb up and see the whole island from the top.

Malaysia is well worth seeing, particularly the island of Penang. If you're there in October there's a load of festivals on in each of the various communities, including Diwali.

Eat all the fruit you can, it's unbeatable!

If you can find the Paradise guest house in Chiang Mai, I heartily recommend it - luxury at thruppence ha'penny.

Frank Grimes

Originally posted by HarryD
Down south to Mayalsia is maybe worth avoiding..

Why? Have you been there yourself?

HarryD

Originally posted by Frank_Grimes
Why? Have you been there yourself?

yeah.. I found it alot more conservative than Thailand..
Althought it had many attractions, including jungle trekking..
If yer lucky u could spot a tiger or elephant..
R

Frank Grimes

Originally posted by HarryD
yeah.. I found it alot more conservative than Thailand..
Althought it had many attractions, including jungle trekking..
If yer lucky u could spot a tiger or elephant..
R

I didn't really find (the cities anyway) more conservative than Thailand, except for the lack of go go bars - but having those all over the place doesn't make somewhere more liberal..

HarryD

Originally posted by Frank_Grimes
I didn't really find (the cities anyway) more conservative than Thailand, except for the lack of go go bars - but having those all over the place doesn't make somewhere more liberal..

Yeah KL ain't too conservative, compared to some of the smaller towns up North, where for example they have large billboards
illistrating how women are not to dress.
No Skirts above the ankles, No short sleeved shirts, head covered..etc

Frank Grimes

Originally posted by HarryD
Yeah KL ain't too conservative, compared to some of the smaller towns up North, where for example they have large billboards
illistrating how women are not to dress.
No Skirts above the ankles, No short sleeved shirts, head covered..etc

Well, alot of the Malay women in KL do still wear the traditional clothes, practising Muslem or not. Some of the men are the same too. Never saw those billboards though

Mythago

Try and do the 3 day River Kwai trip, has a crappy raft & elephant ride but travelling on the railway more than makes up for it(Sit on the steps into the train rather than sitting in the carraige) Also includes Erawan Falls which are pretty amazing, a tame (ish) tiger & loads more!

I had 6 days to kill in Bangkok with only €75 spending money & this trip made it a hell of alot easier!

Evil Phil

If your going to Koh Samui it might be worth going to Koh Tao for a few days. Theres good diving there and the Island seems a little quieter. Hire a moped and head up into the hills. You'll find some fantastic places to stay. As has been said if the season is wrong and the vis is poor head over to the west coast of Thailand. Apparently when the vis is bad on one side its good on the other. A stay in Krabi might be worth you while if you go west.

Wook

Koh Sumui is awfull, full of Brits and Germans.
Bangkok did it for me , crazy city and everything is possible.
Pattaya if you want to see the decadent way of life.. full of tourists and barrels full of girls..imagine the mixture.
Koh Pagnan was ok, except for the full moon party (every week there seems to be a full moon)

Youll have a great time in Thailand, 5 euro for a full meal with drinks. 50 bath for a beer, 15-20 euro for island hopping with thai-air.. etc etc

nick_riviera

You won't have any problems filling 10 weeks,spent 2 months teaching in Thailand a while ago and been travelling around since,you'll have the time of your life.

Definitely recommend staying in the Khao San area while in Bangkok,I know its overrun and probably overated,but you can't beat it for cheap places to stay and meeting people.Don't bother with 1st class on the way up to Chiang Mai,just go with 2nd class air-con sleeper,much better value for money,clean,comfortable, and you can have food and beers brought to you in your seat.While in Chiang Mai you should consider visiting Pai,its a beautiful spot in the mountains for chilling out.Would agree that you should go to Kanchanaburi on the River Kwai,stay at Apple Guest house,amazing food,and they organise a great day trip to Erawan National Park and the Death Railway.And only 2 hours by bus from Bangkok.In Samui,Chaweng beach is beautiful,but the resort isn't the nicest place to stay,and is quite expensive by Thai standards.Haven't been to the other islands but Ko Tao is supposed to be great for diving.Enjoy!

delop

If you carty anything with you carry this, 'If it seems too good to be true, then it definately is!' whatever you do dont buy anything you dont need, especially Gems, Diamonds, gold or anything like that, its a hugely elaborate scam, mind blowing in fact...

Also dont bring your ATM/cirus card, Mine was stolen in Bangkok, and my bank account cleaned out. I thought no problem, Bank of Ireland will sort me out. Their answer was I must have given someone my card and pin, so tough sh*t can you beliece that!

Wook

never had any propblems with things being stolen from me in Bangkok. I actually felt safer in BKK then Dublin.
Khao san road is backpackers haven, it's the scene you see in this movie 'The beach', it's awfull...full of rasta's on a trust fund.