Actually, four. And several nights in other places, too! Last night, my friend and I spent several hours planning our trip to Thailand and Cambodia. It's going to be amazing! But we definitely had some things to sort out. Did we want to go to Chiang Mai? Is the expense of getting to Angkor Wat worth it? How many days can we spend lying on the beaches of Ko Phi Phi?
We knew we didn't want to spend every night in a different city. Both of us have done the backpacking through Europe in college thing and while it was great, we're getting a bit old for that now. Also, not having to rush around to get somewhere else allows for more time to get to know the city. So we limited the cities we'll visit to just the most important:
Bangkok - This is one great big "Duh". We have to fly in here. It's the capitol city. It's the hub of cultural and tourist attractions. It's close to many other tourist activities. Of course we are going to spend time here. We decided we want two full days to see the sites of Bangkok, plus two more days to visit the floating markets of Samut Songkhram and the city of Ayutthaya. But, in order to not miss our flight home, we figured it would be best to split our time here into two days at the beginning and two days at the end. Plus, then we can leave stuff behind and not carry it with us the entire trip!
Siem Reap, Cambodia - Angkor Wat is a massive temple complex near the town of Siem Reap. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and included on the previously mentioned list as the number 2 destination of top landmarks in the world (and the Bayon Temple, also at this complex, is number 5!). It is a huge attraction to me. I want to go here almost more than anywhere else on this trip. But it's expensive to fly to. We could take a 12 hour bus for around $10, but losing two days to travel is not really worth it. Flying from Bangkok to Siem Reap and then on to Chiang Mai is nearly $500. That's almost half the cost of the flight to Thailand from Seattle! But when else would we get the chance to go? My friend was rather reluctant to spend the money, but after telling her about the $1 bike rentals to ride around the ruins, the ability to see them both at sunrise and sunset, and showing her lots and lots of pictures, she was convinced. We're definitely going here.
Chiang Mai - I was on the fence about this place. It's far out in Northern Thailand, you have to fly here, and I wasn't sure there was enough to do or see to make it worth a few days of our time. But my friend thought it was. She pointed out that the best cooking schools were here, not Bangkok. Plus you can do an elephant trek and hike into the mountains to see tribal communities. Ok, I'm convinced. You had me at 'elephant'.
Ko Phi Phi - This is really the main reason for our trip. The beach! And where better to find one (or six) than some of the most beautiful islands in the world? It also has some amazing SCUBA diving, snorkeling, and kayaking. And while considered "expensive" by Thai standards, you can still find bungalows on the beach for under $75/night for two people. This will probably be the most expensive part of our vacation, but also the most relaxing. We've definitely planned plenty of 'lie on the beach and do nothing' time. I can't wait!
It finally seems real. We're actually going. We haven't bought airfare yet, it's still 8 months away. But at this stage of planning, with guidebooks purchased and an itinerary mapped out, it's highly unlikely we'll change our minds. It's going to be an awesome trip. I'll probably take 3000 photos. I promise to post a few!
We knew we didn't want to spend every night in a different city. Both of us have done the backpacking through Europe in college thing and while it was great, we're getting a bit old for that now. Also, not having to rush around to get somewhere else allows for more time to get to know the city. So we limited the cities we'll visit to just the most important:
Bangkok - This is one great big "Duh". We have to fly in here. It's the capitol city. It's the hub of cultural and tourist attractions. It's close to many other tourist activities. Of course we are going to spend time here. We decided we want two full days to see the sites of Bangkok, plus two more days to visit the floating markets of Samut Songkhram and the city of Ayutthaya. But, in order to not miss our flight home, we figured it would be best to split our time here into two days at the beginning and two days at the end. Plus, then we can leave stuff behind and not carry it with us the entire trip!
Siem Reap, Cambodia - Angkor Wat is a massive temple complex near the town of Siem Reap. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and included on the previously mentioned list as the number 2 destination of top landmarks in the world (and the Bayon Temple, also at this complex, is number 5!). It is a huge attraction to me. I want to go here almost more than anywhere else on this trip. But it's expensive to fly to. We could take a 12 hour bus for around $10, but losing two days to travel is not really worth it. Flying from Bangkok to Siem Reap and then on to Chiang Mai is nearly $500. That's almost half the cost of the flight to Thailand from Seattle! But when else would we get the chance to go? My friend was rather reluctant to spend the money, but after telling her about the $1 bike rentals to ride around the ruins, the ability to see them both at sunrise and sunset, and showing her lots and lots of pictures, she was convinced. We're definitely going here.
Chiang Mai - I was on the fence about this place. It's far out in Northern Thailand, you have to fly here, and I wasn't sure there was enough to do or see to make it worth a few days of our time. But my friend thought it was. She pointed out that the best cooking schools were here, not Bangkok. Plus you can do an elephant trek and hike into the mountains to see tribal communities. Ok, I'm convinced. You had me at 'elephant'.
Ko Phi Phi - This is really the main reason for our trip. The beach! And where better to find one (or six) than some of the most beautiful islands in the world? It also has some amazing SCUBA diving, snorkeling, and kayaking. And while considered "expensive" by Thai standards, you can still find bungalows on the beach for under $75/night for two people. This will probably be the most expensive part of our vacation, but also the most relaxing. We've definitely planned plenty of 'lie on the beach and do nothing' time. I can't wait!
It finally seems real. We're actually going. We haven't bought airfare yet, it's still 8 months away. But at this stage of planning, with guidebooks purchased and an itinerary mapped out, it's highly unlikely we'll change our minds. It's going to be an awesome trip. I'll probably take 3000 photos. I promise to post a few!
No comments:
Post a Comment