Planning Trip to Thailand 2 Weeks in December 2007

u00htg2

sarNie Hatchling
Hi, everyone! I'm so excited! I'm planning a 2-week trip to Thailand for this December. This will be just me and my husband and will be kind of a be-lated honeymoon. Does anyone have any suggestions on what's the place I must see and things I shouldn't miss doing? I'm Laos by birth, but haven't visited that area of the hemisphere since we emigrated to the US 25 years ago.

Should I make each travel arrangements separately or book a vacation package with set tours, etc.?
Things I should avoid?
Areas I shoud stay clear of?
How about safety?
Any other suggestions that would make the process easier / the trip better (if you've done it or know someone who has)?
Will I get weird looks for walking around with a white guy?
Will I get weird treatments if I mention to Thai people there that I'm Lao (please don't be offended, but like it or not, there's some strained relations between Lao and Thai people, I have not experienced it personally but have heard stories from family and friends)?

Thanks for in advance for any feedback!
 

KEdoubleNY

sarNie Adult
If you're Lao .. why you gonna plan a trip to Thailand. Wouldn't you want your husband to see your country of birth.

Anyways, places you can go in Thailand ... HuaHin, Pattaya (the beach), one of those islands, or ChiangMai. Bangkok is ok but ... its like every other big city in the US .. beside all you gonna see is a bunch of Thai people.
 

lil_beckie

sarNie Adult
Theres lots of great places to go in Thailand.. Chiangmai? Phuket?
If you're interested in thai history you should go to places like Ayudhya..

And i don't think you will get weird treatment if you're Laos, i was quite surprised when i went there, as a lot of the Thai people can speak and understand Laos too. It's also easier to travel using the BTS sky train too, much cheaper then catching a taxi and its also much faster and convenient, as there's a lot of traffic in Bangkok.
 

dynomite

Wanna-Be เจ้าชู้
If you hit mostly Tourist areas, I think you will be fine.

Phuket known for the beaches

Pattaya is the party central... if you love bar-hopping watching muay thai stuff like that

Bangkok for the great nightlife... sukhomvit area, massages (clean),

Chiang Mai - nature, elephants

Tour packages might be good if you don't know anyone, but get it over there... locally. But if you need recommendations on who to trust... PM if you feel comfortable and I'll see if I can hook you up so you don't get ripped off.

Safety... is like any other place... don't flaunt expensive jewelry at night in unfamiliar dark areas.

Will people stare? If you are in tourist areas maybe not... but they stare for oh so many reasons.

Some Thai's like to practice and bust out their Laos. Others will be like whatever. If you wear hoochie momma clothes, of course they will give you a double take or more, and wonder how much you cost. :^P
Others will be staring at your man provided he's hot. Remember Thais love caucasians. And others will think, man why is this cute girl with some faraang... another cute asian chick taken. :^) Don't concern yourself about those things... you won't be the only mixed couple in Thailand.

Places to avoid... the ins and outs is best told by a trusted tourguide... sites and things to see... things are cheap there... so tour guide or relatives are your best bet. :^)
 

Korat

sarNie Egg
This will be just me and my husband and will be kind of a be-lated honeymoon.
I can Recommend you Kho Mak, if u like to have a Relaxing Week at the Beach. I been there once and i guess iz a Good Place for a Late Honeymoon. :kiss: You will have a the Beach nearly for Yourself!!!

There is not much Action on the Island,but iz a Very Nice Spot for Diving or Snorkeling or Just Perfect for Relax and Enjoy the Beach!

Here is a Picture i did 2 Years ago......I never saw more then 5 People at the same Time on this Beach!!!! :clap:



Here u get some Info----> http://www.kohmak.com/kohmak/home/default.php

Some nice Pictures --> http://www.ko-mak.blogspot.com/

Get there ---> http://www.islandhopper-kochang.com/times.htm


Mr.Korat ;)
 

fan

sarNie Juvenile
about the issue of being Laos... personally im thai so maybe my opinion is biased, but ive spent time with people who are Laos and Hmong in thailand and all of them have told me that they were afraid of the whole racism issue but have found that there was actually no problem at all. so really... i guess it just depends on your conduct and the people you come into contact with. of course there will be some people who are ignorant and what not, but thai people in general are very nice especially, just smile, be polite, and show the common signs of respect :D

and to be honest, you will might get some weird looks walking around with a white guy, although if you guys are around the same age it probably wont happen that much.... to be frank, thailand is notorious for thai girls gold diggin on old white guys (i wouldnt let this ruin the vacation though, its jus one of those cultural things)

easy modes of transportation are BTS and subway, taxis are good too but if you get a weird vibe from the taxi driver then dont hesitate to ask them to stop, just pretend to get on the phone and talk like someone will come met you or pick you up or if your at a place by a mall or something just say you changed your mind about where you wanted to go. its best not to argue with a taxi driver, while most are nice you just never know your luck.

safety... just be aware of your surroundings, walking around crowded places (siam square, jutujak market or any kind of outdoor market) make sure you have your purse or bag in front of you, not behind you or your wallet and phone and other personal stuff in a place where you would be able to feel it if it was gone

now that ive gotten all that aside.... the beaches (any of them) are gorgeous in thailand so definitely a place you want to go see

oh another beach to check out... i think its called Choompon or something like that... its towards the upper end of the southern region, i heard it suppose to have the best snorkling and diving

I lived in BKK for 5 months and i never left the city, there was always something to do or to go see... there are lots of historical sites (there is the Chao Phraya River Tour boat that you can get a pass for and get on and off), great shopping (Jutujak weekend market, Siam Square, MBK (cheap electronics), SumPeng) and of course awesome food! (i find that food on the street is soooo much better than restaurants and whatever, but if you have a sensitive stomach it might not be a good idea because its not exactly the most sanitary food out there, but it is yummy!), and if your a thai music lover... there is usually some type of concert going on somewhere (usually within the Siam area (paragon, center, square, and center point)

hope you have tons and tons of fun.... dont let the negatives bother you... jus be smart and go there with a smile and all should be good :D
 

noungning

Heartless
before i start advising of what to do...

can i ask you what is your budget? and what types of honeymoon are u looking for?

relaxing? adventurous? partying? shopping?

this summer i went to various places around thailand and maybe i can show u some pix...

but keep in mind, you're going in december, this is high season there...much more people. and crowdedness!

about when of december will you be going? towards new years or the beginning of the month?
 

mokka

sarNie Adult
for your belated honeymoon... I highly suggested koh samuri or koh pangon (something like that) it's beautiful there.... i love it there when I went there two years ago... Chiang Mai is also a wonderful place to visit too.
 

u00htg2

sarNie Hatchling
Everyone, thanks for all your suggestions. Some place quiet, with just the sun and the sand, endless blue sky and water sounds heavenly.

We're probably going to make this the entire month of December 2008 but keep the ideas coming. More time to plan and research and less stress for me. Decided to push the trip back so we can make this a honeymoon / family reunion, with 2 weeks in Laos, 1 - 2 weeks in Thailand.

Thanks!
 

u00htg2

sarNie Hatchling
before i start advising of what to do...

can i ask you what is your budget? and what types of honeymoon are u looking for?

relaxing? adventurous? partying? shopping?

this summer i went to various places around thailand and maybe i can show u some pix...

but keep in mind, you're going in december, this is high season there...much more people. and crowdedness!

about when of december will you be going? towards new years or the beginning of the month?
I don't have a budget in mind yet. Whatever it will be will be.

Most definitely romantic and relaxing. And some outdoors activity. My husband is a outdoor sports and water sport nut. He can do that and I can watch, or maybe even learn a little bit. And maybe a day or two of shopping.

Will probably be towards the middle/end of december.

If you have any pictures to share, that would be awesome! Thanks.
 

noungning

Heartless
I don't have a budget in mind yet. Whatever it will be will be.

Most definitely romantic and relaxing. And some outdoors activity. My husband is a outdoor sports and water sport nut. He can do that and I can watch, or maybe even learn a little bit. And maybe a day or two of shopping.

Will probably be towards the middle/end of december.

If you have any pictures to share, that would be awesome! Thanks.
Great no budget is good when u want to have a great memorable time.

If you're looking for romantic beaches, you might consider Krabi, the beaches are very pretty even in the low season times, so i can't even imagine how pretty it'd be during high season. There are also activities you can participate in: you can go canoeing, kayaking, and snorkling.

Krabi, however, doesn't have as much tourist infos out for sale as phuket. but you can find stands selling these tours to various islands and such. i think it's much cheaper for you to go and buy the tours there, but if u want to save yourself hassle by finding flights, hotel, and then the tours. you might just buy yourself a package here.

Krabi is a low tone area with some foreigners but not as much as phuket. but most people will know how to speak english, the hotels are just mins off the beach. not a far walk. depending on how much you're looking to spend a night. the area where i went is called Ao Pra'nang, it's best to just go rent a motorcycle to go around, not such a big area where u need a car. A closerby beach is called Had Nopparatara, it's just the same street but a drive down the street more.

If you like loud and partying beaches, phuket, patong beach, very active... many foreigners around, driving on the right lane just like here in the states. shopping around every corner of the street, things like wooden decors, clothes, purses/handbags, sun glasses, various fast food restaurants, italian restaurants, german, and etc.

Pattaya, basically a smaller version of phuket, the beaches over at phuket is much prettier though, there are various water activities going on all day long. many elder guys goes there to find their latter year companion. during the time of year u are going, i wouldn't advise you to go there because i was told from a person who works there that it gets very crowded. the beaches are covered with foreigners. you can probably see that here in the states lol

If you're looking for quiet and private, i'd advise Koh Lantha Yai, but this is very quiet, it was very dead when i went this summer because it's down season so nothing was open. at max there was 5 people on the beach walking because the waves were so strong. but we were told it's very gorgeous when it's high season, the water activities are snorkling, canoeing, and kayaking. they sell these packages at the resorts.

i went more to the south this summer, i didn't get to go to chiang mai. as for pictures, i'll upload them soon and i'll post them in my picture thread. but i'll let u know when i do! :) i wasn't so specific with stuff but if u need more info, if i can help i will... right now it's so blurry because i went to so many beaches lol

here's a couple of pics of Koh Lantha:

 

Phew

sarNie Fansubber
oooh I suggest going to Krabi! I was there last 3 weeks ago, it is so peaceful and kind of romantic in a way, very quite, and each Islands surrounding there was just beautiful, eee Koh Hong hehe and Phi Phi Islands there was also James Bond Island too where they filmed James Bond lol. I stayed @ Krabi Central Bay Resort, don't really suggest it for a low budget because it is very expensive and its in its own area where you have to take shutter boat to get there, however its on mainland, just that its not connected to the other part of the mainland of roads.

Samui is also very nice, its all depends, can be quite costly at high season, like double the price of low season. I guess its same with every hotels in Thailand with the low and high season.

Phuket is quite busy, don't really suggest if your looking for a quiet place.
BKK is best for its shoppings lol can never have enough time if your in BKK, especially for a stay in Thailand of 2 weeks, it'll fly by so fast.
 

natty

Chubs
it doesnt matter if you are laos india pakistan chinese or whatever.. thai is a nice place to visit, so are other countries.. go where your heart desires.. you seriously dont have to go to your "birth country" :rolleyes: ..... i mean if i get marry sometime soon.. should i take my husband to tour st vincent hospital since it's my birth place?

anyways.. just hit up all the tourist attractions area such as chiangmai, autthiya, chiang rai, hua hin.... just steer clear of south thailand as well as phuket and pattiya.. it's nasty.... and if you go isan, stay in groups.. that is if you have groups.. dont let the children wander around since there's many cases of kidnapping there.. or so i was told.. but hey anyone feel free to correct me on that.. temples are always nice to visit and take pictures.. they're beautiful..

anyways.. have fun
 

noungning

Heartless
here to add to natty's suggestion.

Esarn area is not as dangerous as it was "said" from sources. a majority of my time was spent in roi et this summer, the only one dangerous source was "bung fai" or the big firework like tube they send up into the sky... there is a high risk of it coming back down and sticking into someone's body. and in fact several died. as for the other dangers such as being killed... um it doesn't happen unless u're on someone's blacklist or if you are not showing any kind of common sense in traveling and respecting the natives.

but like natty said, pattaya and phuket can get ugly because it's like a foreign attraction only place, and you're likely to get ripped off. i've been to hua hin and cha-um last year. i've gotta say i was a bit disappointed because it was busy [hotels all booked] but there wasn't as much to do. the beaches aren't that great at the time also, but it might've been because of the time i was there.

other options... if you plan to spend time in bangkok because of the 100s of shopping sites, instead of hit the south [phuket, krabi, samui] you can go to close by beaches and stuff. i've been to barng san that's not so pretty but quiet, steer clear from foreign tourists. or you can go to rayong, i've missed out on going but the natives i've stayed with in bangkok said it's the cleanest beach they've seen around the area [area including barng san, cha-um, hua-hin].

and if you're looking to shop in bangkok for bargains let me know, i can advise u where to go :lol: i did plenty this past trip

but if i were to go on a honeymoon, i'd like to visit bora bora or maldives. :p
 

XCappy

Mr. Char
Memory box ON.

During my trip last Summer, I was in Rayong for one night. It was very quiet, good atmosphere, good weather until... I got kicked from the beach... :D
Well, it wasn't a bad thing, the wind started to be strong, so the waves were crazy. The man told me that there were many death cases. Well, I think it's just a move to scare...

Finally, I went to the swimming-pool...

Memory box OFF.
 

natty

Chubs
lol ning are you kidding about bora bora? lol if you said fiji is expensive.. bora bora is twice if not three time as much lol
 

u00htg2

sarNie Hatchling
Bora Bora or Fiji? Wow. Never thought of that. Maybe next time.

I'm going to see if I could get a few weeks off this December. I put in my vacation request with my mgr but haven't heard back. If I could get off, maybe off to Belize for a week or two. My hubby's dying to go there for scuba diving. I guess I could learn snorkeling and do some horse back riding. Or just laze around in the sun with a fruity drink.

Work's been so hectic. I need a break and some quality time for us.
 

noungning

Heartless
lol ning are you kidding about bora bora? lol if you said fiji is expensive.. bora bora is twice if not three time as much lol
lol natty i know bora bora is expensive. that's why it's a honeymoon mission not just an ordinary trip! :p
 
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