Itinerary
Jun 16, 2012 | 10:04 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,154
Itinerary
Hi guys,
I don't know if FT will handle long-winded itinerary examinations, but it's so great for everything else that I thought I'd give it a try.
A friend and I are off on an Aeroplan mini-RTW, with BOS-YUL-ZRH-BKK(stop)-HKG(stop)-PEK(stop)-ICN-LAX-PHL-BOS, and we've hammered out the back end of the trip (week in HKG with Hong Kong/Macau, and guided DPRK tour from PEK) but we're still working on the front end.
What we have so far is arrive BKK at 05.30 on 31 July from ZRH and connect to Chiang Mai on a morning flight on the same day. I'm considering the first day in Chiang Mai then a write-off due to the jet lag. We thus have 31 July as a recovery day in Chiang Mai and then, for August:
1-3 Chiang Mai, fly back to and overnight BKK on 3 evening
4-6 Bangkok, take southbound train on 6 afternoon (14.45), overnight train
7 arrive Butterworth (13.51), transfer and overnight Penang/Georgetown
8 Georgetown, transfer and depart Butterworth evening (23.00), overnight train
9 arrive Kuala Lumpur (06.00) and overnight
10 depart Kuala Lumpur (23.00)
11-13 arrive Singapore 11 morning (06.30), 13 evening fly back to BKK, overnight BKK airport
14 depart BKK for HKG
So on that itinerary I think there's enough time at 2.5 days for Singapore and 2 days in Kuala Lumpur. I think the 1.5 days in Penang/Georgetown is pretty valuable as well. Of course this leave us pretty short in Bangkok. I'm kind of tempted to move one day towards Bangkok although my friend suggests to leave that day in Chiang Mai. We do have our recovery day on 31 July in Chiang, so if we'd have any strength that day that will still sort of count as day. Is 2.5 days in BKK too short? I'm reading that with the heat one can't really see all that much in a day since you have to just stop midday -- i.e. it's not like Europe where you can power through a whole day.
Any thoughts?
Insights would be really, really, much appreciated. Thanks!
I don't know if FT will handle long-winded itinerary examinations, but it's so great for everything else that I thought I'd give it a try.
A friend and I are off on an Aeroplan mini-RTW, with BOS-YUL-ZRH-BKK(stop)-HKG(stop)-PEK(stop)-ICN-LAX-PHL-BOS, and we've hammered out the back end of the trip (week in HKG with Hong Kong/Macau, and guided DPRK tour from PEK) but we're still working on the front end.
What we have so far is arrive BKK at 05.30 on 31 July from ZRH and connect to Chiang Mai on a morning flight on the same day. I'm considering the first day in Chiang Mai then a write-off due to the jet lag. We thus have 31 July as a recovery day in Chiang Mai and then, for August:
1-3 Chiang Mai, fly back to and overnight BKK on 3 evening
4-6 Bangkok, take southbound train on 6 afternoon (14.45), overnight train
7 arrive Butterworth (13.51), transfer and overnight Penang/Georgetown
8 Georgetown, transfer and depart Butterworth evening (23.00), overnight train
9 arrive Kuala Lumpur (06.00) and overnight
10 depart Kuala Lumpur (23.00)
11-13 arrive Singapore 11 morning (06.30), 13 evening fly back to BKK, overnight BKK airport
14 depart BKK for HKG
So on that itinerary I think there's enough time at 2.5 days for Singapore and 2 days in Kuala Lumpur. I think the 1.5 days in Penang/Georgetown is pretty valuable as well. Of course this leave us pretty short in Bangkok. I'm kind of tempted to move one day towards Bangkok although my friend suggests to leave that day in Chiang Mai. We do have our recovery day on 31 July in Chiang, so if we'd have any strength that day that will still sort of count as day. Is 2.5 days in BKK too short? I'm reading that with the heat one can't really see all that much in a day since you have to just stop midday -- i.e. it's not like Europe where you can power through a whole day.
Any thoughts?
Insights would be really, really, much appreciated. Thanks!
Last edited by mabramovich; Jun 17, 2012 at 11:30 am
Jun 17, 2012 | 10:49 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: most of them
Posts: 3,284
Wow, that's very adventurous.
Since you are planning to spend so much time in other big cities I think 2.5 days BKK is OK. You can see the main sights in a couple of days no problem. And if you are going to bother going up to Chiang Mai it doesn't make any sense to me to cut a day. There are plenty of things to see up and around there to fill even more time.
Since you are planning to spend so much time in other big cities I think 2.5 days BKK is OK. You can see the main sights in a couple of days no problem. And if you are going to bother going up to Chiang Mai it doesn't make any sense to me to cut a day. There are plenty of things to see up and around there to fill even more time.
Jun 17, 2012 | 11:47 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,154
Thanks glennaa11 very much for the response.
Do you think it would be advisable to cut Singapore off the trip (on the assumption that I will probably make it there one day) and add those three days to Chiang, BKK, and maybe Georgetown?
Do you think it would be advisable to cut Singapore off the trip (on the assumption that I will probably make it there one day) and add those three days to Chiang, BKK, and maybe Georgetown?
Jun 17, 2012 | 7:31 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2006
Location: BKK.DPS
Programs: P THAI,Diamond HYATT
Posts: 3,290
If you are catching the train to save a few dollars in hotels, then I would say don't bother, because it will ruin your break. Your better option would be to fly and that will give you an extra2 days to spend enjoying your holiday. Chiang mai is so much fun, markets mountains elephants and temples, so is Bangkok which you will enjoy even more. Here it is edgy & thrilling like a huge theme park with a food court always following you. Penang means spices beaches and massages, and Singapore is like the biggest cleanest shopping mall in the world. Your trip sounds wonderful, you have given a lot of thought to it i would say, zurich japan and hong kong will be the highlights and i can see you now in a pair of long tail boats screaming up the river. I would delete Singapore, but that is just me, I am not a great shopper.
Jun 17, 2012 | 8:14 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,154
If you are catching the train to save a few dollars in hotels, then I would say don't bother, because it will ruin your break. Your better option would be to fly and that will give you an extra2 days to spend enjoying your holiday. Chiang mai is so much fun, markets mountains elephants and temples, so is Bangkok which you will enjoy even more. Here it is edgy & thrilling like a huge theme park with a food court always following you. Penang means spices beaches and massages, and Singapore is like the biggest cleanest shopping mall in the world. Your trip sounds wonderful, you have given a lot of thought to it i would say, zurich japan and hong kong will be the highlights and i can see you now in a pair of long tail boats screaming up the river. I would delete Singapore, but that is just me, I am not a great shopper.
As for trains -- we thought it might be fun to take the train down the coast. It's not meant to be a cost-saving measure. I did the Trans-Siberian last year and really loved it so I thought it might be nice to get a bit of trains in. The 23 hour segment from BKK to Butterworth takes a bit of time, but otherwise I don't think it's too bad.
And thanks a lot for the advice
(No Zurich on this trip -- I've lived there for a year -- we're just transiting. And no Japan either -- that's hopefully next year
)