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Thailand/Cambodia for ~ 6 weeks?

Thailand/Cambodia for ~ 6 weeks?

Old Aug 26, 2006, 8:59 am
  #1  
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Thailand/Cambodia for ~ 6 weeks?

DH and I are thinking of going to Thailand/Cambodia in Feb/Mar 2007 for ~6wks.

I'm looking for advice on how long to stay, and in what areas. Our last trip was an African safari for a month, and we moved every 2 days.(21 flights later we were home) This time, we want something more stationary, and are looking for a home base (or 2? or 3?) from which to explore. . Can anyone suggest a site or 2 (similar to VRBO) that may have suitable accomodation? Or recommend a place you have stayed? We would be looking for a serviced condo/house/apartment type place. Comfort is a must, and we would like to keep the accomodation budget to less than $5,000.00.

We're 50+, reasonably fit, interested in wildlife, ruins, history, scenery. We don't really like cities - although we do like to spend a couple of days visiting them (and then get us to the countyside!), we love watching sunsets over the ocean, walking the beach to collect shells, but never sit on a beach for any other reason. We love meeting the local populations, but hate "contrived" cultural experiences.

Oh, and we're language-challenged. English and a little French is it .

Thanks for any help you can give!

Cyn
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Old Aug 27, 2006, 3:16 pm
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The only hub with easy access to anywhere in the two countries is Bangkok. Phuket is a distant second, but you'll still need to transfer via BKK if going anywhere other than southern Thailand, Koh Samui or Chiang Mai.
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Old Aug 27, 2006, 8:55 pm
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Look at Chiang Mai for your "home". Search for serviced apartments. Their monthly rate will be under 100,000 baht for a high quality place.
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Old Aug 31, 2006, 2:22 pm
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rjh
 
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I'd also recommend Bangkok as a hub and include Laos in your travels. For Cambodia, don't go east of Phnom Penh and maybe not east of Siem Reap.

You may want to look through a trip report I started, but didn't finish (have to get back to it) for some ideas of less visited temples in Laos and Thailand.
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Old Sep 5, 2006, 9:55 am
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One note for you ... depending on your nationality and the airline, if your permitted stay in Thailand is 30 days, and you have a RT ticket to Bangkok with a duration of more than 30 days, when you check-in you MIGHT have to have some proof that you are departing Thailand sometime during that stay. This is sporadically enforced.
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Old Sep 5, 2006, 6:17 pm
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This is what I've been mulling over - please give me your candid thoughts:

Hua Hin, 7 nights
Recover from jetlag, and go to 2 national parks: Laeng Krachan and Khao Sok (perhaps move south for Khao Sok?)

Siem Reap, 4 nights?

Luang Prabang, 4 nights

Chaing Mai/Golden Triangle area, 14 nights
include Doi Inthanon national park

Bangkok, 5 nights

Japan, 7 nights

Where should I add/subtract time? Does this seem like a good plan, or am I missing something really important? This is such a nice trip to plan, because we really have the luxery of time - we can adjust schedule as needed. (Believe me, I know how lucky we are! )

In addition to the temples/ruins, I'm really hoping to spot some wildlife on this trip (tiger???) - hence a small focus on national parks. And while I'm thinking about tigers, how does one get around in the parks - is it like Africa on game drives? All I've read so far talks about hikes....I just can't see us hiking and encountering a tiger or leopard...

I think we will be ok with the 30 day visa, as we will be leaving and coming back twice under this plan.

I'm pretty well set with the arrival and departure - now I just have to get around while there. Whaat's the best way to get us from HHQ to REP to LPQ to CNX to BKK?

Cyn
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Old Sep 5, 2006, 9:22 pm
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rjh
 
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You need three full days in Siem Reap, so:
--day/night 1, arrive and get oriented
--day/night 2, temples
--day/night 3, temples
--day/night 4, temples
--day 5, leave

Luang Prabang: there are about 5 things to do in LPB and environs, but time moves pretty slowly in Lao and 4 nights might be just fine.

I'd carefully weigh the probability of seeing rare wildlife and the certainty that some of the less visited ruins in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia will only be more visited as tourism is developed.
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Old Sep 6, 2006, 9:28 am
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Originally Posted by rjh
I'd carefully weigh the probability of seeing rare wildlife and the certainty that some of the less visited ruins in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia will only be more visited as tourism is developed.
Can you expand on this thought a little more? Are there specific ruins that you could suggest? (I did start print and start reading your trip report - you may be a little more "adventurous" than me )

Appreciate the insight!

Cyn

Last edited by cynstalker; Sep 6, 2006 at 9:34 am
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Old Sep 6, 2006, 3:04 pm
  #9  
rjh
 
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Well, when planning a trip when one hopes to see rare wildlife, I'd ask around (as you're doing here) in several places to assess the probability of actually seeing what you hope to see. You might ask at the Lonely Planet thorntree for instance.

My trip report described something about equivalent to Chinese hard seat travel. You can certainly do everything soft seat for just a bit more money.

As far as sites, Luang Prabang, for example, is nice, which you have on your itinerary. Packed with tourists lounging over a drink at Villa Santi or L'Elephant, but nice. No ruins, but a several fine temples and natural beauty.

The falls outside of town are not to be missed. The weaving village is ok. The night market featuring Hmong crafts is nice. The President's Palace. Trips on the river. Monks processing in the morning. Lots of tourists drinking Beerlao or heads-down at the Internet cafes. Phuxi hill. Have a Lao skirt, a sin made up in the market.

But, if you like ruins, Wat Phu outside Pakxe, also in Lao (see Google Earth, Lat 14.848486; Lon 105.824246) is really fabulous with none of the Angkor hordes. Same for Preah Vihear (14.397575, 104.680478). Phnom Rung (14.531832, 102.940204), while more accessible and more touristed, chiefly by Thai people, is more restored and lets one visualize things as they might have been. And, these are all axial temples, of a kind that aren't represented at the Angkor sites. Muang Tam is also dissimilar to anything you'll see at Angkor.

Another thought would be to fly on Air Mandalay from Chiang Mai to Mandalay and thence to Bagan.

Of course, it's your trip, not mine and you should emphasize the things that matter to you.

As far as getting around in the parks, pick up the relevant Lonely Planet books. They get slammed a lot, but the alternatives for Thailand aren't that much better (except for the South-East Asia Graphic Guide by Mark Elliott, ISBN 1 873756 67 4).
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Old Sep 7, 2006, 11:35 am
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I think you won't like to stay in Thailand at all after 7 days in Hua Hin - it is a complete package holiday type of town with "fish & chips" and europeanised thai food I passed it once on the way from very quiet western thailand (Kanchanaburi area and all the way to Myanmar border) to the marvlous south beaches and I had to kill several hours in Hua Hin. I would not like to stop there at all

If you like to have a beach - there are much better places within 1 hour flight from BGK.
If you want something quiet and culturally bigger - go a bit north of BKK - Autaya or other historic cities, direction to Chiang Mai (afterwards further north to Chang Rai and Laos eventually).
If you want quiet and nature after long flights - go west to Kanchanaburi area (3 hours by a local train from BGK Tonburi station).
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