ATIE130110: Indochina Encompassed- January 10, 2013

[drrobi]

Hi, anyone else going on this tour?

[chalme]

Hello, yes I'm booked for it and really looking forward to it!

[drrobi]

Hi! My name is Robi Drell and my husband, Jeff Nack, and I will be on this tour. We live outside of Chicago and have never been to Asia before. Looking forward to meeting/ traveling with you. Starting to get excited about the trip!

[chalme]

My name's Christie and I live in Edmonton, Alberta. Yesterday there was a fifty degree (celsius) difference in the temperature here and the temperature in Bangkok. I work outdoors so needless to say, looking forward to the heat.

[drrobi]

I'm a veterinarian and my husband was a golf course superintendent. He is outside a lot but I hibernate in the winter. Looking forward to not being in Chicago in January. We do love our neighbors up North but haven't been to Edmonton. Have you been to Asia before?

[chalme]

No, the closest I've come is Australia. I've heard wonderful things about Thailand from co-workers and I've also heard that Vietnam is absolutely gorgeous. I'm sure the whole trip will be quite something.
Have you done other big trips or is this your first?

[onyx007]

Hi there, I'm not on your trip but I did it this year through february and it was a fantastic trip.
You can really look forward to it, I'm so envy you, but I will go to Dubai instead

I can give you following tipps:

The joining hotel in Bangkok, the "Bangkok Centre Hotel" charges a ridiculous amount for their WIFI, but just around the corner on the main street is a much cheaper Internet Café.
If you arrive early at the hotel and don't have a clou where to go, take the public bus no. 53 (just in front of the "Family Mart" on the main street). This bus will you take for only 6.50 Baht (sometimes for free) direct to the Royal Palace and also further on to the backpacker area of Kao San Road (by the way, on your way back to the hotel, don't take the bus, because the street is mostly jammed and you'll even be faster by foot).

By the way if you arrive at a "normal" time at the airport in Bangkok, don't bother to look for a bus (there is no bus), go directly to the train station and take the regular train, change at Makassan to the subway and this journey will cost you only 64 Baht in total. If you take a taxi to the city it should only cost you 500 Baht. Go with a taxi with meter; a couple paid for their taxi 1500 Baht!

The dinner on your train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai is fine, but you might bring along something for the morning, as our train arrived with a delay of 2 1/2 hours in Chiang Mai (instead of 8 am at 10.30 am).

If your tourguide gives you the option in Chiang Mai to go to "Tiger Kingdom". It's amazing. It's a petting zoo, where you can go in to the paddocks and play with different sizes of tigers (depends on the price you're willing to pay).

In Luang Prapang the “Ziplining” is great fun and the ride and bathing with the elephants is just amazing. Check out the terrace of the UTOPIA-Barm totally relaxing.

In Hue we had the great opportunity to do our included tours and some more sights on a back of a motorbike like the locals are used to ride.

If you’re a shopaholic prepare for Hoi An in Vietnam. They have 400 tailorshops there and some of our group had to buy another bag or even ship their shopping back home. You can even bring along some magazine clippings if you like a dress like a movie star and can't efford it. The bikeride there is great as well; some of us had the opportunity to ride a waterbufallo.

And finally it’s allright to bring your own laptop. In most of the hotels they have free WIFI, even in Vietnam, but there (except in Saigon) Facebook is blocked, but I downloaded something and it worked fine. But they have computers in the hotel lobby as well and on this computers Facebook is available.

[drrobi]

Hey, Thanks for the advice. Greatly appreciated.
Have never been to SE Asia but did visit Indonesia many years ago.
Your profile makes me jealous. I am trying to make up for lost time in the travel department.
I am a veterinarian and have hosted many foreign vet students to live and work with me. One of my favorite former students is from Switzerland. Visited her there many years after she stayed with me and I love your country.
Any other advice would be appreciated about this trip.
Did you take any more time to do anything else? We are going to arrive 2 days early and leave 4 days later. We were thinking about going to Phuket for the snorkling, sea kayaking, karsts....
Robi

[chalme]

I'm also arriving a couple days early, although so late on the 8th I shouldn't really count it as a day! I'm sure jet lag will kick the stuffing out of me but I'm also certain that I won't be able to resist exploring a little.

[drrobi]

We arrive very late too on the 8th, maybe very early on the 9th. We are thinking of going to either Amphawa or Ayutthaya early on the 9th. Check them out and let us know if you are interested...
Should be exciting!

[onyx007]

Did you take any more time to do anything else? We are going to arrive 2 days early and leave 4 days later. We were thinking about going to Phuket for the snorkling, sea kayaking, karsts....
Robi

Hi Robi
No, I just arrived in the morning of Day 1 and went home late afternoon on departure day. I would say go to Phuket for snorkeling after the tour, your guide might give you even advice, as you will have not really any beach-time on this great trip, but you will have your fair share of temples (Bangkok, Angkor Wat, Chiang Mai...). I would wait for organising your pre-tour trip to Amphawa or Ayutthaya till you get there. Because it can be a bit overhelming with the jet lag and the sudden heat of Bangkok and you might just relax and get used to the clima.

[julie_katrine]

My name is Julie, Im 23 years from Norway, and I believe Im going on this trip! Indochina encompassed, is the same as Indochina Discovery, right?
I have never been to Asia before, but many of my friends have, and they all loved it;)

[drrobi]

Different trip but similiar. Sorry that we won't meet you!

[julie_katrine]

Yeah.. Wella, thank you for letting med know:)