4 Quadrants

So, the more and more I read about Thailand , I more inclined that I am to plan everything out in advance. To book hotels, make travel arrangements (Thailand is a huge country; so to save time, I want to book flights instead of taking 12 hour train rides) within the country, and plan the amount of days that I want to spend in each location and what I want to do there. And as I discover and read about more and more locations within the country, I keep adding to my list of places I want to go – which makes me even more inclined to arrange an itinerary in advance. Additionally, the late December Christmas time is the absolute height of tourist season, so it does make sense to make hotel arrangements in advance for fear of things booking up. Plus, it’s pretty much in my nature to read everything that I can find about where I am going, and the more I read, the more I want to make my arrangements now. As it currently stands, there are about 10 locations within the country that I want to visit.

However, this forward-thinking is probably not the best idea for a solo backpacker. Despite my continiously growing list of places to see and activities to do, I want to maintain a certain level of flexibility to change my arrangements while I travel if I come to a location that I don’t want to leave or I stumble across people that I want to continue to my travels with. What if I make friends with people going into Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, or Burma, and I want to go with them. If I have everything arranged and paid for in advance, I wouldn’t be able to. But then again, what if I am alone and I don’t have things planned, and I am delayed or booked out of a hotel or hostel I want to stay in because I didn’t book in advance. It’s a fight with myself to refrain from making too many advance plans in order keep this flexibility. But with so many amazing things to do within Thailand , its hard not to want to plan in order to ensure that I cover them all.

With that in mind, I have come up with a plan to divide my travels into 4 equal quadrants (of roughly one week each) that basically provides a rough outline of the places I will see and the order I will see them in – but also allows some flexibility. So, without further delay, and obviously subject to change, here is my initial plan:



Quadrant 1: Central Thailand: Bangkok and Kanchanaburi. Total Days: 5

Travel: Despite leaving NYC at about 2 PM in the afternoon of November 26th, I don’t actually arrive in Bangkok until about 11:30 PM local time on November 27th. Don’t ask me how a 22 hour flight (which includes a short stop-over in Hong Kong), takes 34 hours, but if I had to guess, I’d stay it has something to do with the fact that Thailand is 11 hours ahead of us.

Bangkok: From everything that I have heard, Bangkok is an overwhelming introduction to SE Asia. The place has a larger population than New York City, and has a huge pollution problem. Most people only stay in Bangkok for a few days before venturing off to explore areas of the country. Still, there obviously is a ton of things to do in Bangkok, and my plan is to spend 2 to 4 days exploring the area. There are tons of Buddhist temples, Buddhist statues, and Buddhist museums to see. The nightlife has tons of options, and the shopping is first rate. Apparently, they have millions of tailors that will make you a custom-made suit for about $100, so I will certainly pick one up. Khao San Road is basically the backpackers ghetto – where budget travelers from all over the world stay, so I’m planning on finding a hotel in that area.

Kanchanaburi: Kanchanaburi is about a 3 hour drive east of Bangkok. There was a prison there were American/English/Australian/etc POWs were held during World War II, and were forced to build a bridge over the River Kwai. A movie was made about this. The POWs were also forced to build a railroad over some mountains in the area, which is called “Death Railroad.” A festival is held every year in late November/early December in which there is a laser light show and a retelling of the events each night. While I’m not that much into history, considering the perfect timing of the festival, I will definitely make it to Kanchanaburi to check this out. Also, there is a sanchuary in the area called the “Tiger Temple” in which a bunch of Buddhist monks care for injured or previously domesticated tigers. Tourists can visit, pet the tigers, and have their photos taken. So, that should be fun as well. Plus, there are some good hikes and waterfalls in the area. Accomodations: A Riverhouse on the River Kwai.

http://www.travelfish.org/feature/40
http://travelhappy.info/thailand/tiger-temple-thailand/


Quadrant 2: Northern Thailand: Chiang Mai and Pai – One Week

Travel: Return to Bangkok from Kanchanaburi and take a flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai: This is the second largest city in Thailand, but significantly smaller than Bangkok. The northern part of Thailand should have the least amount of tourists and provide the most cultural experience. There are more temples and Buddhist things to explore here, and I can get a traditional Thai massage and perhaps take a Thai cooking or just experience great Thai food while I am up here. If I’m looking for an adrenaline rush, bungee jumping is pretty popular in Chiang Mai.

Pai: The main reason to go up North is to spend a several days going on a trek. A trek is basically an overnight camping trip to visit local mountain tribes and see crazy jungle scenery. Bamboo rafts and elephant rides are often combined with treks. From my research, Chiang Mai offers plenty of treks, but its often better to get further away from the city to a smaller town, such as Pai, to find a more authentic experience. Pai has a “bohemian” feel and has a big music scene. It’s a small town with a laid-back atmosphere, and that should provide a perfect place for a day or two of relaxation prior to going off on a trek. Plus, they have hot-springs and the Pai river is the best for white-water in Thailand. Also, I can travel up to Soppong which has lots of caves to explore.

http://www.1stopchiangmai.com/backpackers/pai/
http://www.1stopchiangmai.com/what_to_do/trekking1/

Quandrant 3: Andaman Sea; Phuket; Ko Phi Phi; Ka Sok National Park (One Week)


Travel: This will be a long travel day. I have to return to Chiang Mai from Pai, and then take a flight all the way from Chiang Mai in northern Thailand to Phuket, which has an airport.

Phuket – Phuket is the Miami Beach of Thailand. It’s wear all the rich tourists visit and is very well developed, or overdeveloped. Still, its supposed to have amazing beaches with tons of great watersports. They have tons of 5 star beach resorts, and great night-life etc. If I can find a way to use my points, I might relax in one of these resorts for a few days, but otherwise I might just make this a quick stopping point.

Ko Phi Phi – Ko Phi Phi is supposed to be absolutely beautiful with crystal clear water and limestone cliffs jutting out of the ocean. It isn't as remote as some of the other islands in Thailand, but its suppose to be one of the most beautiful. It was completely destroyed during the 2005 tsanumni, but it has since been rebuilt. They have great scuba diving, snorkeling, and cliff-jumping. Its an island about a 45 minute ferry away from Phuket. This is where they filmed the movie, “The Beach”

Kao Sok National Park – This is the oldest rain-forest in the world and is home to tigers, leopards, elephant, sun bears, poisonious snakes and frogs, gibbons, and tons of birds. A lot of the places to stay are “tree houses” where you stay in a room built high above in the canopy of the rain forrest.

Quadrant 4: Gulf of Thailand: Ko Tao and Ko Pha Ngan (One week)

Ko Tao: Ko Tao is one of the best places in the world to learn how to Scuba dive. There are apparently tons of dive shops that offer 4 day long PADI SCUBA certifications. While I could do the scuba course in Ko Phi Phi, it seems that Ko Tao is scuba diver paradise with some of the best dive spots in the country for beginners. There is even a chance to see the largest fish in the world, the Whale shark. So, I plan to do one of the 4 day PADI courses here, but of course, is is subject to change.

http://www.travelfish.org/location/thailand/southern_thailand/surat_thani/ko_tao

Ko Pha Ngan: Ko Pha Ngan is famed for the infamous “Full Moon Party” Every full-moon, thousands of travelers party all night long to trance/rave music. Its a huge party that lasts until the sun comes up in the morning. The full-moon is scheduled for December 24th, a perfect ending to my adventure. But Pha Ngan also has great beaches as well, so I plan on arriving a few days before the party for further relaxation. I then travel back to Bangkok on Christmas and leave the morning of the 26th.

http://fullmoonparty-thailand.com/

So, that is my initial plan. How cool does that month sound? I would book transportation in advance from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, from Chiang Mai to Phuket, and from Ko Pha Ngan back to Bangkok, and then allow myself to explore and otherwise alter my trip between those few legs of the journey. While the last 2 quandrants can really be combined into one since I can make the journey across the Thailand pensula, stopping at Kao Sok along the way, any time I want, I should probably consider booking rooms in Ko Tao and Ko Pha Ngan in advance because its going to be pretty busy when I am planning on being there. All in all, I think this represents a pretty damn good journey.