Hello All, I recently spent around 12 days in Thailand travelling to various parts of Thailand. The suggestions from all the fellow backpackers in this mailing list were really useful and although I did not plan anything in advance, I still could get fairly good deals most of the time.
Thanks a lot to you all for your advises. Now regarding my travel experience ... I think 12 days was really less for Thailand. There are so many nice places to see and experience. I managed to go to Autthaya/Kancanaburi/Chiang Mai/Ko Samui. It was raining on the western coast so skipped phuket and ko phi phi. I stayed in Soi 1 guesthouse in sukamvit, which was nice, friendly and although a bit expensive than khao san, was very conveniently located. walking distance from sky train and most places within bangkok. The rent was 350 bhat per day for an AC dorm room shared by 8 people. toilets/baths were shared. Over all preety decent place and the owner of the place is the biggest encyclopedia about Thailand. Ayuthaya is an old city with lot of remains from an ancient empire which doesnt intrest me much but the city itself is nice and peaceful. Better to stay there while on the way from bangkok to Chiang Mai. Kancanaburi was another place which i didnt know before but every minute worth it. The place is a must go especially because of the Tiger Temples. YOu can sit right next to huge tigres and get the thrill of your life. There are some other places to go and a trip to this town is surely recommended. Chiang Mai was the discovery of the trip. One can take a night train from bangkok. A cheaper option is to take a night bus. The buses are very convenient as well and half the price. The city is amazing and has still retained some of its own character and hasnt completely given in to the absurdities of the modern cities. Lot of adventure activities to do in the near by jungles - rafting, mountain biking, ATV rides, elephant rides and must go Golden Triangle. I stayed in Kristie guest house. Will not really recommend the place unless absolutely necessary. The owner was not friendly, location not good and facilities not really good. There were some better places none of which i can remember now. A good idea is to atleast rent a motor bike for a day and explore the city. Ko Samui as i got to know from people is less touristic than phuket, never the less it was touristic enough for me. May be beacuse of the rush of Bules in August. Didnt find anything spectacular compared to our own Bali. Reaching there is tad difficult because of the ferry being involved and a bit expensive as well. If you take a ticket from Bangkok, prefer a return ticket since the ticket back to Bangkok is expensive if bought from Ko Samui. There are combined bus/boat tickets availabe from Bangkok. If possbile avoid sang serm ferry/bus. The service is not good, buses not convenient and they take awefull lot of time. There are SeaTran and LomPhraya which are good but a bit expensive. I took Lomphraya while coming back and it was good. The beaches were speckless and most amazing i ve ever seen so far. Abloslutely clean white sand and clear still waters. I guess its the same in Phuket as well, so unless u have atleast a week to spend in islands, I will not really recommend to go there since the journey to reach there can become really hectic. And if you do go, Ko Tao is another paradise island which should not be skipped, esp if you like snorkeling and diving. I think i can go on writing about Thailand but the best thing will be to go and explore it yourself :-) Cheers, Himanshu
