19 day itinerary logistics help

hello,

first time to Thailand, going in late march early april. trying to figure out how many days to stay in each place, and in what order, and what means of transportion to use to do it. We are trying to be on a tight budget, but don%26#39;t want to spend the whole time on a bus. Me and my girlfriend are interested mostly in snorkeling, food, and beautiful scenery, some hiking with a few bars maybe. Was thinking fly in --3 days in bankok, then fly to phuket, and in some kind of order and transportation method phi phi islands, krabi, surin national park island, phang nga. then to either take a bus back to bangkok, or fly again? Is it $100 round trip to fly to phuket from bangkok?

Also, should we bring our tent, are there safe places to set it up or should we just book hostels? Do you need to book hostels and buses in advance, or can that all be done on the fly when we get there?

Do enough people speak english there to get around, we don%26#39;t know a lick of thai.

And are taxi%26#39;s expensive, do they try to rip you off?

will we be messed with for being lesbians? Should we cool it on the pda?

And where can we take riverboats at/ riverboat tour/shopping?

-nikki

19 day itinerary logistics help

Here%26#39;s a link to the Bangkok riverboats:

http://www.chaophrayaboat.co.th/

and the skytrain: http://www.bts.co.th/en/index.asp

and the MRT subway: www.bangkokmetro.co.th/index.aspx…

and budget airlines (specials all the time):

http://www.airasia.com/

http://www.nokair.com/

Those airlines are often as cheap as the bus (Phuket is 12 hours by bus)

You%26#39;d be better in hotels as camping is often restricted to national parks

Taxis in Bangkok are a real bargain. Look at the Top Questions About Thailand on the top right of this page and you%26#39;ll find a wealth of useful information.

As for being Lesbian, no one will care as long s your public behaviour is modest - Thai generally are very modest and you wont see us kissing in public and rarely see us hold hands in public.

19 day itinerary logistics help

Hi Nikki,

You%26#39;ll be visiting during the hot and humid season so I don%26#39;t recommend bringing a tent since you%26#39;re likely to want AC or at least a fan.

Most likely, you%26#39;ll need to book-end your Bangkok days unless you decide to %26#39;push-on%26#39; upon arrival in Bangkok and connect with a flight to Phuket but you would need to allow a minimum of 2.5 hours for a connecting flight. (Though I think China Airways or even Eva from SFO might offer a direct Taipei to Phuket flight which would be a good way to save a litte money and bypass BKK first, hitting it at the end of your trip [wherein in BKK, you%26#39;ll definitely want AC in mid-April]).

Anyways, logistically, if you%26#39;re flying into Phuket, then it%26#39;s probably a good idea to head up to the Surin Islands first.

Then you could return to Phuket to catch a ferry across to Ko Phi Phi Don or bypass Phuket completely, going instead directly to Krabi.

That%26#39;s up to you as to whether you want to spend more time in Phuket and catch a ferry from there to Phi Phi or head straight to Krabi from where you can also catch a ferry to Phi Phi Don.

Then you could return to Krabi-town Port/Pier by ferry, spend more time in Krabi (take your pick: Ao Nang tourist strip, West Raileh resorts and quiet beach, or budget Krabi-town). Then you can fly Air Asia from Krabi out to Bangkok.

If you go to the Surin Islands, there should still be tents that you can stay in or the more expensive cocrete block %26#39;huts%26#39;.

The advantage of being in/on the islands/beaches is that hopefully there will be sea-breezes which will make it at least more comfortable than being in the big city of Bangkok.

With regards to your sexual orientation, generally speaking, you%26#39;re travelling to a more conservative society but in the main tourist destinations, I think locals are more open minded and have a more live and let live attitude. However, if you%26#39;re headed further into the deep south of Thailand, there are more conservative Muslim communities so I think it%26#39;s wise to be more culturally sensitive. Even in Krabi-town there%26#39;s a significant Muslim population and you%26#39;ll see more women with head scarves.

Anyways, enjoy your first trip to Thailand and SEA.

Oh, and if you%26#39;re in Thailand in mid-April, you%26#39;ll be able to celebrate the Thai New Year/Songkran so be aware of transport issues during the lead-up or aftermath since many Thais also travel during this period (meaning also that the roads into/out of Bangkok will be much bussier during this period as many Thais go home for visits/celebrations).

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