Ok, I'm going to Thailand in the beginning of September for a couple of weeks. I've already been all around the Southern parts and up as far as Bangkok, but never North of that. This time I'll be flying in to Bangkok, meeting some friends and heading North - Chang Mai, Chang Rai, then into Laos, down the Mekong River to Vientiane. After that I leave the people I'm travelling with as they go on to Vietnam and I head back to Bangkok to fly home to London.
If anybody has been up this way recently (past five years or so), any advice or info on any of these places would be great i.e. things to do, places to see, highlights etc. Also, I'll be coming back from Vientiane on my own via. Nong Khai and probably overnight train to Bangkok. Has anybody done this journey before and if so, any advice on it would be great, thanks.
Off topic; Anybody been to Thailand recently?
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BubiScholz
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Old bones Ian
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Worth doing a trek in Chang mai, its a bit of a touristy thing to do, but good fun . I stayed in the old town bit of Chang Mai , you can get some good deals in the guesthouses there if you book a trek through them as well. Most of them are set up for this as well.
I was in Laos about 5 years ago , went through the north entry point at Chiang Khong , watch your traveller cheques there as i got robbed of mine and didn't discover it till i was over in Laos, just one of those things.
Laos is a great country, nice and relaxed, if your going down the river the first place you'll probaly stay at is Pakbeng, good enough for an over night stay. then down the river theres Luang Prabang which i enjoyed, you can hire bikes there and have a good look round. and the waterfalls there.
Unfortunatly my stay in Laos was a bit shorter than i wanted, as i had to get back to Thailand and sort out those traveller cheques that got stolen.
you'll have a great time there anyway, top place to go.
The overnight train from Nong Khai is a good way to travel back to Bangkok, make sure you book in advance as it can get a bit busy on it.
you can probaly book it in any of the main cities at one of the travel agencies. Make sure you get a bed on it as well, you'll get a good nights sleep then.
Where abouts you looking to stay in Bangkok?
I was in Laos about 5 years ago , went through the north entry point at Chiang Khong , watch your traveller cheques there as i got robbed of mine and didn't discover it till i was over in Laos, just one of those things.
Laos is a great country, nice and relaxed, if your going down the river the first place you'll probaly stay at is Pakbeng, good enough for an over night stay. then down the river theres Luang Prabang which i enjoyed, you can hire bikes there and have a good look round. and the waterfalls there.
Unfortunatly my stay in Laos was a bit shorter than i wanted, as i had to get back to Thailand and sort out those traveller cheques that got stolen.
you'll have a great time there anyway, top place to go.
The overnight train from Nong Khai is a good way to travel back to Bangkok, make sure you book in advance as it can get a bit busy on it.
you can probaly book it in any of the main cities at one of the travel agencies. Make sure you get a bed on it as well, you'll get a good nights sleep then.
Where abouts you looking to stay in Bangkok?
Thanks for that guys. I'll probably only be in Laos about 3 days myself. Definitely want to make sure I get a bed on that train, don't fancy sitting up for that long, especially considering I'd have a 12 hour flight the following night. In Bangkok I'll only be there for a couple of nights when I get there (will be sorting out a visa for Laos there) and maybe one night when I come back on my own. Will be staying in some place on the Khao San Road with the lads I'm meeting in decent accomodation and then I'll stay somewhere nice on my return before going home.
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Old bones Ian
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Does everybody do that when they go over there? Last time I was there was four years ago and with a girlfriend so I wasn't really exposed to any of it. This time could be different though - being with a group of lads and lots of drink involved. Don't they have a rising aids problem?, that's pretty scary.
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Old bones Ian
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believe it, there still is a big Aids problem in Thailand, i've spent many months over there in the past few years, and have never gone with one of the girls, i've been to the clubs for a laugh and just to see if all the bollocks you hear is true.johnswan1 wrote:Does everybody do that when they go over there? Last time I was there was four years ago and with a girlfriend so I wasn't really exposed to any of it. This time could be different though - being with a group of lads and lots of drink involved. Don't they have a rising aids problem?, that's pretty scary.
I usually stay on Koh Lanta when i go to Thailand, its an island by Krabi, nice and relaxed and quiet, no girlie bars there, so it doesn't attract the sex tourists.
I remember being in Krabi with my girlfriend. Apart from a quiet night in Hat Yai it was my first time to get a good feel for Thailand after coming in from Malaysia. We stayed in what was above average accommodation and went down one evening to have dinner in the hotel. To our surprise there was what appeared to be some sort of a fashion show on in the room where the meals were served which we watched with interest. As it turned out, this was no fashion show, all they were doing was auctioning off their girls to the fat aging Americans who had turned up to get them back to their rooms so they could sweat all over them!
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Old bones Ian
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Yeah i've seen that a couple of times, makes you sick watching those fat slobs slobbering over the girls.johnswan1 wrote:I remember being in Krabi with my girlfriend. Apart from a quiet night in Hat Yai it was my first time to get a good feel for Thailand after coming in from Malaysia. We stayed in what was above average accommodation and went down one evening to have dinner in the hotel. To our surprise there was what appeared to be some sort of a fashion show on in the room where the meals were served which we watched with interest. As it turned out, this was no fashion show, all they were doing was auctioning off their girls to the fat aging Americans who had turned up to get them back to their rooms so they could sweat all over them!
On a brighter note a couple of my mates do have thai wives, nothing wrong with that, there really happy. but are the same age both 33 as their wives.
Makes me mad when you see the sad old blokes with the young girl in tow.
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jamesmcdonnell
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It's just a business proposition. You've got to realise that in a lot of countries around the world, women marry men much older than themselves, and men are judged far more on their wealth and status than their looks. It's a trade off, and a lot of those girls I am sure just want a passport so they can settle in a new country, and there's nothing to stop them divorcing the fat fornicator anyway. You could look at it as legal prostitution I suppose, but some of the women I've gone out with behaved that way anyway, many women even in our society think that men are there to provide for there every whim whilst they let off the poontang in return....
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Old bones Ian
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see below from my mate (yes nmost are nutters its helps if you are friends with me)
Right: straight from the mouth of a man who can get
arrested within twelve hours of entering a country...
From Bangkok to Chaing Mai you are best to take the
overnight sleeper train - easily booked a couple of
days in advance, and great fun if you're in a group
(if not so from the other passengers' point of view,
ha ha!).
There are many things to do around Chaing Mai: the
hill tribes, endless temples, bars and clubs, and one
of my faves - a Thai cookery course. (Honest: a
great day!)
One of my favourite places in Thailand is Pai. This
is in the North West close to the Myanmar border, and
you can get there by bus (3 hours), or by renting a
motorbike if you fancy the twisty (but all tarmac)
road. Always wanted to do it by bike myself...
Excellent place to chill if you have a few days
(weeks???). Lovely cafes, a night club, waterfalls,
hot springs etc. etc. It has (very) recently been
flooded quite extensively, so check the present state
before venturing...
Chaing Rai I know much less about, but you'll go
through it on the way to Huay Xai on the Laos Border
where you'll start your Mekong adventure. Plenty of
places to stay on the Thai side, and lots of people
offering tickets for boats. You can probably get a
Loas visa at the border, but there are opportunities
in both BKK and Chaing Mai before you get there...
You want to take a two day boat ride to Luang Prabang.
This stops in a wee place (the name of which escapes
me at the mo') where you'll be offered opium and weed
the minute you get off the boat, and the electricity
falters around 10 pm. Great place, and good fun as a
stark change to the relative ease of Thailand.
My advice is DO NOT take the speedboats which make the
trip in one day (for reasons much documented
everywhere else...), and to go for the simplest
two-day ticket - the boat is exactly the same (we
tried for a 'medium' level of comfort, but the boat
was the very one the budget ticket was for, ha ha!).
Be aware of the 'insurance' scam, too. We avoided it
by not paying, ha ha. We eventually said that we had
travellers cheques, and couldn't cash them 'til we got
to Luang Prabang. Dunno if this scam is still
operating, but it can be dodged...
Luang Prabang is lovely. We stayed in a pleasant
guesthouse that had a resident Toucan (clipped wings)
that was a right cheeky sod! Lovely French sticks
etc, but not sure what else as we were there during
'New Year' and the water festival: much fun!
From LP, you probably want to stop at Vang Vieng for
some total Farang nonsense. Many cool caves to
explore, and floating down the river in inner-tubes
with spliffs and beer provided by mini 'bars' in the
middle of the river... (You may want to detour from
here to 'Phonsavan' (or the 'Plane of Jars'): road
too dangerous a couple of years ago...)
Vientaine's a few hours from Vang Vieng by rattly
local bus - great fun. I always found this a rather
boring place, but last time I went I discovered a
'Bowling Alley' that is open to the wee hours...
There's a Mexican bar on the front that has a pool
table, too. There are many 'posh' French restaurants
around, but I've always been too stingy to eat in
them, ha ha! (Waste of BEER LAO drinking time.)
BEER LAOS IS THE BEST BEER IN ASIA! (Very important info, that, ha
ha!)
You can get a ticket for the overnight trip from Nong
Khai to BKK whilst in Vientaine. Have a little shop
around if you're concerned about price - I saved quite
alot... It is a simple taxi ride ('bout 40 mins) to
the border, where you'll get 30 days with a UK
passport. Nong Khai has a certain charm, but drop the
crate at the station while you walk around ;o). The
train leaves at about 8 ish I remember, but there were
a couple of options. Fan is as good as air-con, I've
found!
enjoy im dead jealous
there you go John, have a good one mate.
Right: straight from the mouth of a man who can get
arrested within twelve hours of entering a country...
From Bangkok to Chaing Mai you are best to take the
overnight sleeper train - easily booked a couple of
days in advance, and great fun if you're in a group
(if not so from the other passengers' point of view,
ha ha!).
There are many things to do around Chaing Mai: the
hill tribes, endless temples, bars and clubs, and one
of my faves - a Thai cookery course. (Honest: a
great day!)
One of my favourite places in Thailand is Pai. This
is in the North West close to the Myanmar border, and
you can get there by bus (3 hours), or by renting a
motorbike if you fancy the twisty (but all tarmac)
road. Always wanted to do it by bike myself...
Excellent place to chill if you have a few days
(weeks???). Lovely cafes, a night club, waterfalls,
hot springs etc. etc. It has (very) recently been
flooded quite extensively, so check the present state
before venturing...
Chaing Rai I know much less about, but you'll go
through it on the way to Huay Xai on the Laos Border
where you'll start your Mekong adventure. Plenty of
places to stay on the Thai side, and lots of people
offering tickets for boats. You can probably get a
Loas visa at the border, but there are opportunities
in both BKK and Chaing Mai before you get there...
You want to take a two day boat ride to Luang Prabang.
This stops in a wee place (the name of which escapes
me at the mo') where you'll be offered opium and weed
the minute you get off the boat, and the electricity
falters around 10 pm. Great place, and good fun as a
stark change to the relative ease of Thailand.
My advice is DO NOT take the speedboats which make the
trip in one day (for reasons much documented
everywhere else...), and to go for the simplest
two-day ticket - the boat is exactly the same (we
tried for a 'medium' level of comfort, but the boat
was the very one the budget ticket was for, ha ha!).
Be aware of the 'insurance' scam, too. We avoided it
by not paying, ha ha. We eventually said that we had
travellers cheques, and couldn't cash them 'til we got
to Luang Prabang. Dunno if this scam is still
operating, but it can be dodged...
Luang Prabang is lovely. We stayed in a pleasant
guesthouse that had a resident Toucan (clipped wings)
that was a right cheeky sod! Lovely French sticks
etc, but not sure what else as we were there during
'New Year' and the water festival: much fun!
From LP, you probably want to stop at Vang Vieng for
some total Farang nonsense. Many cool caves to
explore, and floating down the river in inner-tubes
with spliffs and beer provided by mini 'bars' in the
middle of the river... (You may want to detour from
here to 'Phonsavan' (or the 'Plane of Jars'): road
too dangerous a couple of years ago...)
Vientaine's a few hours from Vang Vieng by rattly
local bus - great fun. I always found this a rather
boring place, but last time I went I discovered a
'Bowling Alley' that is open to the wee hours...
There's a Mexican bar on the front that has a pool
table, too. There are many 'posh' French restaurants
around, but I've always been too stingy to eat in
them, ha ha! (Waste of BEER LAO drinking time.)
BEER LAOS IS THE BEST BEER IN ASIA! (Very important info, that, ha
ha!)
You can get a ticket for the overnight trip from Nong
Khai to BKK whilst in Vientaine. Have a little shop
around if you're concerned about price - I saved quite
alot... It is a simple taxi ride ('bout 40 mins) to
the border, where you'll get 30 days with a UK
passport. Nong Khai has a certain charm, but drop the
crate at the station while you walk around ;o). The
train leaves at about 8 ish I remember, but there were
a couple of options. Fan is as good as air-con, I've
found!
enjoy im dead jealous
there you go John, have a good one mate.
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boxingchat
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jamesmcdonnell
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Thailand is a wonderful country, my girlfriend is actually from there.
I've been twice, went to Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. If you get an opportunity, you must go to Katchanaburi (can't spell it) and see the tiger temple. It's a place where these buddhist monks take care of these tigers, and leave them to chill out in their ideal environment. No cruelty whatsover involved. You even get to touch them, and play with the cubs.
I've been twice, went to Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. If you get an opportunity, you must go to Katchanaburi (can't spell it) and see the tiger temple. It's a place where these buddhist monks take care of these tigers, and leave them to chill out in their ideal environment. No cruelty whatsover involved. You even get to touch them, and play with the cubs.