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C3DRFC
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Hi I'm just looking for a bit of advice. Myself and my boyfriend fly into Bangkok on the 15th March, we have booked to stay 3 days in Bangkok then we thought we would make our way up to Chiang Mai. just wondering where is worth a visit in between these two or are we best just to get a bus/sleeper train between the two??
Thanks in advance. x
#1 Posted: 20/12/2011 - 10:43
exacto
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Hey C,
It depends on how much time you have to spend and what you like to do. For example, if you only have a small amount of time, the overnight sleeper train is a fun adventure. If you like history and temples, you can tie in that overnight train trip with a brief stopover/visit to Ayutthaya or Lop Buri.
If you have more time and/or are looking to break up the trip, places like Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, and Si Satchanalai are awesome stops with lots of ancient temples. You could also stop in places like Phitsanulok or Lampang to check out the more modern Thailand scene with restaurants and bars and live music sitting side-by-side with your middle class Thai counterparts.
Check out this feature story with good specifics on some of the places I mentioned above and more at http://www.travelfish.org/feature/152
#2 Posted: 20/12/2011 - 11:25
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Hi C3 as exacto said, lots of interesting places to stop off.
Train travel in Thailand is a slow, relaxing, cheap, & interesting way to travel.
There are day & night trains to Chiang Mai. Lots of info on seat61.com
For a sleeper I'd suggest 2nd class fan or 2nd C air con. Not too hot in March so fan should be fine. Its a shared space with seats made up into curtained off bunks by the train staff at night. A great way to meet people. There will be a restaurant car with alcohol somewhere in the train. On day time trains there will be a constant succession of people getting on & riding a few stops selling all manner of drinks and food. Expect to arrive late into CM.
Whilst in Bangers check out Erewan Elephant Museum at Samut Prakan. Few people see it & it is stunning.
By 3 days guess you mean 3 nights? So that's basically 2 days. If not used to long haul flights
you'll sleep half the first day. So you don't have long to see a very big city.
Skytrain (BTS) and underground (MRT) are most efficient ways to travel within the city, then a bus or taxi (cheap) for the last part of the journey.
When you arrive at Suvarnabhumi airport, ignore the taxi touts - although I think they've got rid of most. They can be very pushy. Just go down 1 level & outside to find regular taxis (to the right) or free shuttle buses (to the left) to the bus station.
#3 Posted: 20/12/2011 - 13:44
C3DRFC
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Hi
Many thanks for taking the time to reply an for all your info.
We have 2 months to travel through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam before heading to Malaysia and Singapore. We would prefer to do these over land, an having look around the forum, this seems easy done (y)
JW we are in Bangkok for three nights, but not arriving till later on the first night so initially 2 full days before we move on the third, well thats the plan.
Thanks again
#4 Posted: 22/12/2011 - 13:57
JohnnieWalk-
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You're welcome ........ and its always nice when someone comes back to the board and says thank you ....... at least we know the info offered has been read.
[img]smileys/smile.gif[/img] Hope you have a great time.
#5 Posted: 22/12/2011 - 15:58
whardy
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Not much to add, just want to offer backup to exacto on the locations. I particularly love Sukhothai , and Ayutthaya, with Sukhothai edging out for my favorite. Sukhothai is nice in that it's roughly halfway between the two, and can be done in one full day. Lopburi can be done in a couple hours, there's not much to see besides the monkeys unless you really dig in and want to see the sunflower fields further away. Another quick stopover can be done in Phitsanulok. One thing of great interest there is the beer bottle temple. Enjoy your trip!
#6 Posted: 26/12/2011 - 03:46