Calling Surfgirl - Thailand..

[arjunajane]

I am going back to Thailand soon for hols, and in my other thread you mentioned your experience there.

I am looking for some advice on planning this trip, and would love suggestions from SG and others.

When we got engaged, we spent 6 weeks there, but I got very severe food poisoning and we had to cancel alot of our plans. We didn''t get to travel around or see as much as we would''ve liked.

It is our 3 yr anniversary soon, I am gifting this holiday to my Fi (and I

) , and I would like to make up for what we missed on our last trip.
I was wondering if you have any advice on places to go/things to be seen and do, that you think shouldn''t be missed.?

So far, I was thinking BKK city for a couple days, then checking out Kanchanaburi and maybe Rayong and/or Chiang Mai.
I am debating whether to head back to Phuket and base ourselves there for activities, or should I head for one of the smaller islands instead..?
Should I go elsewhere or give any of the above a miss?

Just a lil info: it will be 2 weeks only. We''re interested in cultural attractions and sites, some shopping and of course fun!. I would like to visit zoos, temples, markets and eco sights etc.
I guess I would like about 2 thirds to be go go go, and then a couple days just chilling on an idyllic beach.

Sorry about the long post,
TIA, I look forward to your ideas!

 

[arjunajane]

bump

calling SG!

 

[sparkleslee]

my husband and i went to thailand for just over a week this past march/april. we spent time in bangkok (w/ a 1-day tour through ''tours with tong'' to kanchanaburi.) i don''t know what kind of stuff you actually want to do, but at kanchanaburi we went to the tiger temple and had tigers resting on our lap, as well as rode an elephant and visited the bridge under river kwai.

then we went to phuket and stayed on nai yang beach. i would HIGHLY recommend staying on nai yang rather than patong beach, if you don''t like overcrowded beaches. (that is something we aren''t a fan of at all!) we took a day outing through the john gray sea canoe out to the caves around phuket. there were some on our boat that actually did an overnight stay in tents on an island, if you''re into that sort of thing. (it was bad timing for them though b/c it just happened to storm that night.)

 

[Lynn B]

OH, we LOVE Thailand! We would go back in a minute if the BUS RIDE

wasn''t so dang long! I thought DH was gonna lose his mind. We had a layover in Tokyo and got off the plane for a few hours, and we practically had to bind,gag, and BRIBE him to get him back ON!!!

Anyway, part of our vacation was a 3-day jungle trek through the northern part of Thailand, we ate with and stayed with the villagers, and lived their lives with them for those 3 days. It was so awesome! We also rode elephants, and rafted down the river on the bamboo rafts that we made ourselves that morning. Sooooooooo fun!

The rest of our vacation was nice hotels, sightseeing, etc... and it was wonderful, too. But those 3 days in the jungle... mmmmm, THE BEST!

(ETA: DH got a suit tailor-made in Bangkok, it was $100 and was [is] the highest quality, best-fitting luxury suit he has EVER owned. Next time we go back, he says he getting 3 or 4!)

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 7/21/2008 10:41:59 AM
Author: Lynn B
OH, we LOVE Thailand! We would go back in a minute if the BUS RIDE

wasn't so dang long! I thought DH was gonna lose his mind. We had a layover in Tokyo and got off the plane for a few hours, and we practically had to bind,gag, and BRIBE him to get him back ON!!!

Anyway, part of our vacation was a 3-day jungle trek through the northern part of Thailand, we ate with and stayed with the villagers, and lived their lives with them for those 3 days. It was so awesome! We also rode elephants, and rafted down the river on the bamboo rafts that we made ourselves that morning. Sooooooooo fun!

The rest of our vacation was nice hotels, sightseeing, etc... and it was wonderful, too. But those 3 days in the jungle... mmmmm, THE BEST!

(ETA: DH got a suit tailor-made in Bangkok, it was $100 and was [is] the highest quality, best-fitting luxury suit he has EVER owned. Next time we go back, he says he getting 3 or 4!)

I've been to Thailand twice (on the way to Vietnam) and I wanted to say how refreshing it is to hear about all you PSers wh take full advantage of travelling to SE Asia! So many people just want to find a beach and tan (which is perfectly fine!), but I think you can do that in Florida and should try to use a trip that far to see how people in that part of the world live. Just IMHO though. That's awesome, Lynn, that you went and lived with the villagers. My parents have a house in Vietnam in the heart of the jungle and wouldn't move it to the city no matter what!

P.S. We went on a tour of Bangkok and Pattaya...saw tigers, elephants, monkeys, etc...we even saw the "pretty boy" show Alcazar LMAO - look it up on youtube - you'd never know they were guys! So many men were taking pictures with these women for about $3 and you know when they show them to their buddies they aren't going to tell them that those "women" had a little bit extra.

 

[princesss]

Oh my goodness, PLEASE go to the Tiger Temple. Not sure what the actual name is, but its a temple in Kanchanaburi (I believe...new the River Kwai) where they have a bunch of tigers they''ve raised from cubs. My family lived in Thailand for several years, and this was one of my favourite spots (as was Chaing Mai, and Khao Yai, the national park just a few hours north of BKK). The beaches are okay, but really...Thailand (for me) is much more about the adventure and what you can see there that is nowhere else around the world. Ayutthaya (the old capital) is amazing (great for a day trip from BKK). The old temples are amazing.

Thailand is my home away from home (though I''m American, I consider Singapore home) and it''s really amazing. Have fun!

 

[Anna0499]

I am the JD mentor for an LLM student from Thailand starting this Fall and she sent me this link: Tiger Temple when I asked her about other tiger places to see.

 

[surfgirl]

Hi arjuna, I didn''t see this thread. I have a thread somewhere that talks about a few things to do. I''m usually based in BKK because of business so I know that well. Read my other thread (just look me up and the thread was started by neatfreak I think, in fact do a search on Thailand and I think it''ll come up), then let me know what else you want to know.

I dont do the beach scene there so I cant help but much of the island scene as it can get pretty rowdy.

Also, I prefer Chiang Mai and if you go there, they have an excellent night market and across from the Night Market is a terrific food night market with excellent chow. If in CM, you really should rent a car and go spend some time in Doi Inthanon National Park. It''s amazing, chock full of mind boggling waterfalls and scenery (you just drive through and you can pull over and take small hikes to see great stuff), and at the top of the mountain you will actually feel cold, nowhere else in Thailand is it as cold as at the summit of Doi Inthanon (it''s about 2565m high at the top). Also, if time permits I recommend renting one of the little cabins in the park. We didn''t have time but it looks lovely. What price range hotels are you wanting?

I also like Mae Hong Song if you''re going to CM. A short plane ride and lovely rural area. Very quiet and relaxing. But you should be able to ride a moto if you''re going there because otherwise you''re confined to walking around town, but on a bike you can roam around the countryside.

 

[arjunajane]

Thankyou all so much for your responses, you have given me some great ideas and many things I hadn't yet heard of.

Indygirl, may I ask you, as I was also considering Vietnam instead/as well as THI - would you recommend trying to go there as well if we can?
Also TY for the link.

It sounds the tiget temple is a big hit - thats something we missed out on last time, so will have that on the list this time for sure.

SG, ty for the excellent advice. The national park in Chiang Mai sounds amazing - exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. Do you have any reccomendations for accomodation in CM? To be honest, it will be a bit of a budget trip, so thinking maybe ~ $30 a night. But from my experience with THI and other countries in SE Asia, this usually gets you luxury!

Off to look for the other thread..
ETA: just checked out Neatfreaks' thread. We will be more on the budget side of things. I don't need anything really fancy - as long as its clean and has a fridge etc, thats cool. Location is more important - close to attractions and transport etc.
So budget suggestions for BKK and CM would be awesome if you do have any..
Cheers SG!

Keep the suggestions coming!

 

[surfgirl]

Arjuna, we stayed at the Lai Thai Guest House years ago but I hear it''s still good. Great location at one of the four main corners of the moat in CM. Should be in your budget I think.

http://www.laithai.com/index.html

In BKK, I usually stay pretty high end but I''ve found that there are some great options in serviced apts. that I and my colleagues have used before and they''re really reasonable. You have to check them out one by one to see what the current prices are but look into the Centre Point Apartments as well as Cape House which is a bit cheaper:

http://www.bangkok.com/cape-house-langsuan-serviced-apartment/

I''d definitely recommend afternoon tea at either The Oriental or The Four Seasons, both have gorgeous afternoon tea if you''re into that. Also Jim Thompson House is a lovely respite to wander around and they have a little cafe there as well. Wat Po for the wats and the traditional massage too.

 

[Dancing Fire]

they say the adult shows are a "must see"

 

[surfgirl]

Making fun of women who have no choice but to sell themselves, whether for sex or sex shows, is nothing to joke about. And they're all somebody's daughter, so perhaps you should try to consider how you'd feel if someone was talking about your daughters like that.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 7/22/2008 1:54:34 AM
Author: surfgirl
DF, why dont you pretend those are your daughters you''re talking about and show a little respect, eh? Making fun of women who have no choice but to sell themselves, whether for sex or sex shows, is nothing to joke about. And they''re all somebody''s daughter, so perhaps you should try to consider how you''d feel if someone was talking about your daughters like that.

i don''t know

i was told it is very common for tourist to see those shows. they have adult shows here in the U.S. were they just tell adult jokes.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 7/22/2008 12:43:42 AM
Author: surfgirl
Arjuna, we stayed at the Lai Thai Guest House years ago but I hear it's still good. Great location at one of the four main corners of the moat in CM. Should be in your budget I think.

http://www.laithai.com/index.html

In BKK, I usually stay pretty high end but I've found that there are some great options in serviced apts. that I and my colleagues have used before and they're really reasonable. You have to check them out one by one to see what the current prices are but look into the Centre Point Apartments as well as Cape House which is a bit cheaper:

http://www.bangkok.com/cape-house-langsuan-serviced-apartment/

I'd definitely recommend afternoon tea at either The Oriental or The Four Seasons, both have gorgeous afternoon tea if you're into that. Also Jim Thompson House is a lovely respite to wander around and they have a little cafe there as well. Wat Po for the wats and the traditional massage too.

Thx Surf!
I will look into these once I get home.
So in your opinion the south/beaches aren't really worth it? I did like it on Ko Phi Phi, but admittedly there isn't much to do..
Have you been to Pattaya? I was thinking heading there instead of Phuket if we wanted to get away from BKK for a couple days?

And yeah, I prefer to give Pat Pong a wide berth -

 

[whatmeworry]

I''d look into a side trip to Angkor Wat (Cambodia), flying from Bangkok. (Assuming things don''t deteriorate between Thailand and Cambodia).

 

[princesss]

Pattaya?

Avoid avoid avoid. I lived there for a few years and it''s basically an entire town based around trying to be Pat Pong. Seriously. Avoid it.

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 7/22/2008 10:30:46 AM
Author: princesss
Pattaya?

Avoid avoid avoid. I lived there for a few years and it's basically an entire town based around trying to be Pat Pong. Seriously. Avoid it.

I don't know...I went there and it was fine, but I don't know much about Thailand so you may be right. I did go with two tour guides, so maybe they just steered me clear of the worse parts of the town.

AJ - I *love* Vietnam (as you can tell) and it has really become a tourist attraction in recent times, with foreign (including US) investors putting money into the country to build resorts, luxury hotels, etc. Whether that's a "good" or "bad" thing remains to be seen, but I know they need more money in their economy so right now it's good. You would definitely be able to find some nice accomodations if that is what you're looking for. If not, there are definitely quite a few "rustic" places you can stay.

We always go to southern Vietnam, so I can't tell you much about the northern part, but do you like cities or beaches or small towns better? We have family in Saigon (aka HCMC) so we always go there first, but my family doesn't like the city much so we usually only stay a few days. I would also suggest Nha Trang (BEAUTIFUL beachy place - where Miss Universe was held this year and the site of an ongoing construction of a resort complex; offers scuba and snorkelling in blue waters), Da Lat (mountainous area and much cooler temperatures; French architecture; huge marketplaces; biking, hiking, and canyoning available here; waterfalls; when we were there they would shut the streets in the middle of town down once a week and have a huge street market), Ha Long Bay (MUST SEE), and Mui Ne (large sand dunes). You can google all these places and see what suits you best. I wouldn't suggest Vung Tau beach because I hear it's become way over crowded and too touristy. You can also buy tours and get a more guided approach and have your hotels secrued for your beforehand, but you may not want that. Travel packages are extremely cheap and often cover travel, hotel, etc. There are many tours that cover Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam all in two weeks so that may be an option, but you might not want to jump around that much.

Okay, I sound like a travel channel commercial...wherever you go I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!

 

[surfgirl]

IndyGirl, if you''re Vietnamese, can I ask you a question? I work a lot in VN, mainly based out of HN, but none of my VN friends here in the US will go to visit/see the north when they go home to visit family. I know the history and all that, but it''s been a long time now, and they still think they''re going to get picked up on the street and disappear. I keep telling them that the Govt. is very happy to have Viet Kieu come to the North and see that part of the country and they want the US dollars so they''re not going to do anything bad to visiting VK...but my friends still dont believe me. Do you ever go North when you visit? I''m just wondering...

Arjuna, you could indeed do a 1- day side trip to Angkor Wat if you''ve not been before. You can fly directly from BKK and IIRC, you can now fly direct from CM I think? Though if you''re wanting to relax, it might be more trouble to do that. I''d really recommend you consider Mae Hong Son, verrrry relaxing!

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 7/22/2008 12:44:38 PM
Author: surfgirl
IndyGirl, if you''re Vietnamese, can I ask you a question? I work a lot in VN, mainly based out of HN, but none of my VN friends here in the US will go to visit/see the north when they go home to visit family. I know the history and all that, but it''s been a long time now, and they still think they''re going to get picked up on the street and disappear. I keep telling them that the Govt. is very happy to have Viet Kieu come to the North and see that part of the country and they want the US dollars so they''re not going to do anything bad to visiting VK...but my friends still dont believe me. Do you ever go North when you visit? I''m just wondering...

Arjuna, you could indeed do a 1- day side trip to Angkor Wat if you''ve not been before. You can fly directly from BKK and IIRC, you can now fly direct from CM I think? Though if you''re wanting to relax, it might be more trouble to do that. I''d really recommend you consider Mae Hong Son, verrrry relaxing!

Hey surfgirl - the farthest north we have been when visiting VN has been Hue, which is more central than northern, but definitely northern enough for most of my family in VN who live very far south in Ben Tre province. My mom actually wants to visit Hanoi next because she would like to start a charitable foundation there. When we first went back to VN, in the 80s, we were detained and questioned for quite some time in the south, but ever since more and more US markets have opened up in VN there have been no problems. My dad, who fought with the South VN/US Navy in the war would probably be traumatized about going that far north, but I doubt it would be out of fear. My impression is in line with yours in believing that the VN government, as a whole, has embraced the idea that tourism can benefit their country a great deal and is open to it now more than ever. I wouldn''t be scared of going there, especially being a US citizen - they don''t want any bad press. That''s awesome that you work in VN - IMHO I think it''s an unknown jewel to many Americans.

 

[arjunajane]

Thankyou so much Indygirl and SG on the extra info.!
I think what I''d really like to do is a week in THI and then over to Vietnam, but we''ll have to see how much money I can save, lol.

Princess, I hadn''t heard that of Pattaya before. Interesting. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 7/23/2008 2:13:47 AM
Author: arjunajane
Thankyou so much Indygirl and SG on the extra info.!
I think what I''d really like to do is a week in THI and then over to Vietnam, but we''ll have to see how much money I can save, lol.

Princess, I hadn''t heard that of Pattaya before. Interesting. Thanks for the heads up.

You''re very welcome! I am always happy to give any information I can on places I''ve been to. Both countries are beautiful and you''ll gain some amazing memories. I know the dollar is very strong in VN right now (and rising), which is bad for the people who live there but probably beneficial to your plans. There are fairly inexpensive tours that cover both countries, so if you want a guide to book all your hotels/transportation for you (they get a big discount), it''s definitely doable. Keep me updated on your plans!