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SinSin23
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Hi All,
I'm travelling south east asia for a few months before heading to Australia, I would appreciate any advice on my proposed travel route and any reccomendations.
I wanted to add Burma to the plan but still undecided on whether or not to do it as it is expensive to get in etc and from what I've read online they are only really accepting tourists if their part of a tour group - i could be completly wrong on this though.
Here the route plan so far:
Bangkok 3 Days
Ayutthaya 4-5 days
Lopburi 1-2 days
Phitsanulok 2 days
Sukothai 2 days
Chiang Mai 7 days
Mae Hong Son -2-3 days
Pai -2 days
Chiang Mai transit to Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai 3 days
Cross border into Laos:
Huay Xai- 1 day
Pakbeng 1 day
Luang Prabang 3 days
Vang Vieng -2 days
Vientiane 3 days
(Is it possible to get to the 4000 islands from here, if so how?) Couple of days here.
Flight to Hanoi from Vientiane (Ive heard the bus option to Hanoi is pretty bad)
Hanoi -3 days
Ha Long Bay 3 days
Dong Hoi 2 days
Hue -3-5 days
Hoi An 2 days
Nha Trang - 4 days
Ho Chi Minh City -3-4 days
Mekong Delta 7 days
Bus to Phenom Penh:
Phenom Penh 3 days
Kampong Cham- 2 days
Kratie 3 days
Kompong Thom- 2 days
Siam Reap 4 days
Battambang 2 days
Fly back to Bangkok
Koh Samui 2 days
Koh Phangan- 4 nights (as booking requires)
Koh Tao -3-4 days
Travel to Krabi (undecided how yet)
Krabi -3 days
Phi Phi Islands -3-4 days
Koh Lanta- 4 days
Onto Singapore for flight to Australia.
107 days from when I arrived. I am not on a time restraint as such and budget should be plenty to get around and then get into Oz.
Am I missing anything that would be good to see. As I’m not confined to a time I will be taking advantage of that and staying longer in places I like
Thanks in Advance
Sin
#1 Posted: 13/9/2012 - 08:34
Tilapia
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You're right ... you're wrong about Burma. No need to be part of a tour group. Just get your visa, buy a plane ticket and go.
You can get to the 4000 Island area of Southern Laos by overnight bus from Vientiane , via Pakse . You can also fly to Pakse and then go from there, but flights are expensive and are not, or were not last time I checked, daily. For just a couple of days in that area, I'd consider dropping it from the schedule. If you plan on checking out the Bolaven Plateau, Pakse, Champasak, Wat Phu, AND Si Phan Don, then it would be worthwhile.
If you want to fly from Vientiane to Hanoi, you're going to have to backtrack a very long way to get onto that plane. The bus trip between Pakse and Vientiane takes about 12-14 hours.
If you are going to be in Phitsanulok and Sukhothai for a couple of days each, make sure you visit Si Satchanalai . Rent a motorbike in Sukhothai and ride there. It's a fantastic ride with very little traffic, and Si Satchanalai is gorgeous!
#2 Posted: 13/9/2012 - 09:48
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exacto
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Your general plan looks good to me and hopefully this is just a general itinerary and you can drift along staying longer in places you like and moving on quickly in places you don't. There is a lot to see and do and even 107 days won't seem like that much once you arrive.
On a few specifics, I'm curious why you've scheduled so many days in Ayutthaya and Lop Buri at the beginning of your trip. Unless you've got friends there or are particularly interested in that period of Thai history, typically just 2 or at most 3 days in Ayutthaya will go a long way and Lop Buri would be a day trip or an overnight. Same for Phitsanulok. I like all of those places, but I'd much rather spend that extra time in Sukhothai (with the side trip to Si Satchanalai Tilapia suggests) or Chiang Mai or Luang Prabang. But I suspect you'll decide once you arrive.
The only other comment I have is to keep visa requirements for each leg of your visit. Otherwise, have a great time. Cheers.
#3 Posted: 13/9/2012 - 14:15
SinSin23
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Thanks for the replies,
I've been in Ayutthaya before and loved it so we were thinking of 3-4 days there just as a start of point. It really is just a loose plan as such, Am going on the knowledge that if I like somewhere I can stay longer and vice versa.Lopburi will more then likely be an over night or pass through on the way to Sukothai.
I've never read about Si Satchanalai but definately like the look of that now that I have, will be sure to add that to the list.
In regards to 4000 Islands, if its a pain to get to then i think I will give it a miss cause we are not spending too long in Laos at the moment.
#4 Posted: 14/9/2012 - 03:53
Tilapia
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Hey SinSin23,
Just FYI ... I wouldn't say that it's a pain to get to Si Phan Don. You could always head to Southern Laos (which is really nice) and check out the area, then cross into Cambodia and hit all of those places finishing with PP, and then take the bus (or fly) from PP to Saigon and work your way north. Then, fly back to Bangkok from Hanoi. You'd be swapping your 12 hour backtracking bus trip between Pakse and Vientiane for a more positive one between PP and Saigon and would be able to take in Southern Laos.
Just a thought.
Personally, I'd try to get Burma in there somehow. The sooner the better.
#5 Posted: 14/9/2012 - 18:35
exacto
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My bad. For some reason I thought this was your first trip to Thailand. Since you've already been to Ayutthaya , you already know what you are getting. Back when the international flights arrived at Don Muang, I used to catch the train straight to Ayutthaya for the "relax and get past jet lag" first few days of the trip.
But if you like Ayutthaya, I suspect you'll really like Sukhothai too. Have fun.
#6 Posted: 15/9/2012 - 18:33