General Travellers Tips

Please note that we do not profess to be expert travellers or backpackers, you will meet those that are (or profess to be!) when you are away.  All we can give you is some tips we think are useful

• Never ever ever believe anyone who tells you that something is closed for renovation/religious holidays/Wednesdays etc.  They are just trying to redirect you elsewhere where they get commission.  Usually, it starts with “hello…where are you from…” etc.  Just give closed answers (if any) – say thanks and do what you were going to do anyway.
• Carry a few loose notes/coins outside of your main wallet (£5 or so).  Then if you see something a street vendor is selling you can pull out a small amount of money rather than your entire wallet.  A security wallet (with chain to clip to belt loop) is comforting as at least you’ll know if someone nicks it!
• Same as London, New York and everywhere, there are scum people who will try and steal stuff and rip you off.  Sounds obvious, but…   Always keep belongings with you, and valuables close.  Never accept anything for free.  If you are buying something, especially a tuk-tuk or taxi, ensure you agree a price in advance (or meter is going to be put on in metered taxis).  Know what the local taxis and rules are.  (See wiki travel)
• Know where you are and where you are going.  Our phone maps/GPS saved us loads of hassle knowing taxis/tuktuks were going the right way; where things were etc.  Best gadget ever!
• Keep valuables (laptop, passport, money, cards etc) on you or in a smaller “day sack”.  There will be times, such as on busses, planes or ferries, when you have to give up your main rucksack for it to be stored.  Sometimes you have no choice.  So only keep stuff in the main rucksack that isn’t valuable.
• Take a photo of your rucksack before every flight!  Easier to show a picture of it than try and describe it when they lose it….
• If you need specific female hygiene products, bring them with you as not all items are available – and those that are are *very* expensive
• Bring light clothes – not jeans.  Laundry is always done per kg – so jeans would cost a fortune each time

See our reviews of specific countries for more specific tips.

• Southern Thailand

Top websites to use:-

• Trip Advisor – for info and reviews on places, places to stay etc.  They have a cool free Android app that highlights things “near you”.
• Travel Fish – tips on pretty much everything
• Seat61 – The bible (and then some) on Asia train travel.  Not just timetables, but personal experiences, info on most main train related sites (e.g. Kwai) etc.
• WikiTravel – info on everything travel related, and specific on most destinations
• Wikipedia  - Factual background on places

 

 

Southern Thailand Costs and Review

See our general tip page here.  Note the costs here do not include flights, vaccines and insurance etc – this will be detailed at the end of the trip.

	Total		per day
	THB	gbp	THB	gbp
Accommodation	27300	£585.26	975	£20.90
Trains	1712	£36.70	54	£1.15
Taxis/Buses etc	2400	£51.45	75	£1.61
Ferrys	2400	£51.45	75	£1.61
Food (not beer)	10500	£225.10	328	£7.03
Essentials	1250	£26.80	39	£0.84
Entertainment (inc beer)	18220	£390.60	569	£12.21
Total	63782	£1,367.36
Nights	32
Nights in paid accom	28
Total per night	1993	£42.73

Overall

Overall we were very impressed with Southern Thailand.  The more we saw the more we liked, and we know we could have easily stayed longer here.  We did see a few too many beaches and maybe we were a bit too touristy for a bit, but this area was supposed to be our gap-filler last area rather than the first.  Whilst very much geared for longer trips and tours, there were some areas suitable for 1-2 week holidays.

Southern Thailand is a fun and trivially easy place to explore, it may be chaotic and confusing at times but it does work! 

Budget

Our daily spend of £43 for us both we think is pretty good.  If you like drinking more, eating in better places, or buy more tat, then £50 a couple is a good budget.  We did use good and more expensive guesthouses, and had a few expensive meals and trips.  Thus on a budget, you could do everything we did for probably £30-35 a day for a couple quite easily.  (e.g. shared bathroom, no AC, and only street food). 

We also did spend money on good transport and didn’t always use the cheapest option, sometimes a simple taxi to the airport is easier than a crammed lorry with bags balanced on the roof doing the rounds trying to pick more people up for an hour…

Security

You will hear all the nightmare stories before you go and when you are there.  But we didn’t have any security problems, and only felt vulnerable once or twice – and that was in “night life” areas of dodgy places.  Always carry your valuables, so don’t leave laptop/money/passport anywhere other than your “day bag”.  You may be forced to leave main rucksack out of view (bus hold, ferry bag pile etc) and thus don’t keep anything in main rucksack of value.

That said, we never had problems, and no one tried to short-change us or rip us off, so for us, Southern Thailand is as safe as anywhere.  Just don’t get complacent.

Useful facts:-

• ATMS:  Everywhere for VISA and Mastercard.  Easy to get cash at airport. Only Bhats are dispensed
• Currency:  Everything is priced and paid for in Bhats.
• Landry:  Everywhere – 20 to 70 bhat depending where you are (35/40 average)
• 7/11:  Everywhere – convenient for cheap/cold water and sweets!
• Transport:  Busses easy; Trains easy; and taxi/tuk tuk “beep” on way past you – so easy to get as you just wave.  Agree taxi/tuk tuk price before getting in.  We used taxi; tuk-tuk; bike tuk-tuk; pickup truck; songthaew; mini van; old bus; newish bus; train; sleeper train;  speedboat; longtail boat; ferry; moped.  No problems in anything…
• Chemists:  Everywhere
• Food:  Easy to get on street – wherever people are there are food sellers
• Language:  Knowing Yes, No, Thanks, How Much and numbers in Thai is enough to get by easily.  You will learn other things when needed. 
• Power:  mains plugs everywhere so charging stuff is trivial (socket adapter may be needed, and of course make sure charger is 110/240v!). 
• Internet:  Wifi available in every guesthouse we used and in many bars/cafes.  Internet cafes and PCs to borrow also available free/cheap.
• Toilets:  Western style in all guest houses and in most “good” public places, there may only be one in a row so look.  Worth carrying toilet paper though seldom needed.

Stuff we took and didn’t use

(see our packing list here)

• Towels – they were provided by every guesthouse, even special beach towels
• Mozzie net – only needed in one place, and it was already provided.
• Loads of clothes – you only need 4-5 sets of undies – laundry is so trivial to do you do not need to carry as much as us.
• Spare batteries for stuff – power so available we kept things charged
• Main padlock – all guest houses had normal locks

Things we’d change

Less time in Khao Lak (we were ill so stayed longer than necessary).  More time in Kanchanaburi and surrounding area.  We’d also bring a weaker DEET as you don’t always need the strong stuff.  We’d probably try and find some normal towns along our route as these are more interesting than the touristy places.

See trip index here and Southern Thailand index here. Additional pictures here

We are suitably impressed with our accommodation and hosts at Groovy Bungalows – nice to splash out for Christmas!  Included in the room is a 100cc scooter, so we ventured out onto the Thai roads…  The scooter is a semi-automatic which I’ve not ridden before, but apart from being a bit clunky it seems to be okay with us both on it – though the drum brakes aren’t up to my old CBR600 twin disks!

Ao Nang is a rather pleasant place – a little touristy but not spoilt or pushy like Patong, and as such it feels a lot more genuine and is priced accordingly.  Street food is far cheaper here than anywhere else.  The Nopparat Thara Beach near Ao Nang is quiet and very beautiful, and it is possible to walk/wade to private beaches on islands just a few 100m away.

We ventured out about 30km to Tha Pom which is a unique place where salt water and fresh water mix creating a cross between a swap and a rain forest, making for some very pretty views.  The only downside was the heavens opened (well I guess it is a rain forest ish!) and we got soaked – and the entire ride back was in driving rain and without full face helmets it was like being sand blasted!

When the weather dried out in the evening we ventured into town for a Christmas meal as it appears everyone thinks 24 December is Christmas day.  (Due to the Sweeds?).  So we had a Christmas meal in “Bernies” – which was a massive buffet.  We skipped starters and I had 2 plates of “Carlsburg BBQ quality” food – e.g. 95% meat and a token potato.  Superb but costly at about 10x street food meals.  Still, we tried to get our moneys worth!

On Christmas day we ventured to the Tiger Cave, which was a little dull, but the main reason was a 1200+ step climb to the top of the mountain – so we thought it’d help burn off the preceding evenings dinner.  The first few steps are tiny which lull you into a false sense of security, as after that they get a lot steeper…  The climb was a challenge but the views at the top, with Budda, were  stunning and worth the hike.

On the way back our motorbike broke down, and within 30 seconds a guy stopped with us, asked what was going on and proceeded to help get it started.  Amazingly friendly and we got going again, only to brake down 1km later.  Following the tips from our helper we managed to keep limping a km at a time, and for a second time we got asked if we needed help – all very genuine and very impressive from the locals.  When we got back we found the fuel filter was crudded up, so we got another bike – this time with a disk brake that worked!

For tea we ate on the streets again and had a lovely walk along Ao Nang beach – a place we actually really like and recommend.  It is pretty enough and really feels a nice place.  All the trips we did from Patong can be done from Ao Nang which makes Ao Nang a really good place to base yourself.

The following day we took a longtail boat to Ao Phra Nang beach, which is rated as one of the top 10 beaches in the world and the best in Asia.  Not sure about that, but it was absolutely stunning – very impressive.  Lovely sand, superb limestone cliffs and formations (being climbed), and a beautiful blue sea.  We were more than impressed, so much so we forgot to walk to Rai Lay beach.

On our last full day in Southern Thailand we took the bike into Krabi town.  We must admit it wasn’t the most spectacular of places, but it did feel more local than many places we’ve visited, and we had a hassle free look around the town and a big market.  So still worth a trip if you fancy a day away from other tourists.

After yet another lovely (and cheap) street meal in Ao Nang our time in Southern Thailand comes to an end with a flight to Kuala Lumpar in Malaysia in the morning.

See our review and costs of Southern Thailand here and next installment here

See trip index here and Southern Thailand index here. Additional pictures here

Leaving Patong we headed to Koh Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee) for a night.  Our expectations of Phi Phi were quite low as we heard it was over spoilt by tourists.  The ferry over from Patong was a death trap and the luggage was stacked just ready to block the door in an emergency.  Think Mels rucksack got damaged here…

Anyway, we got to Phi Phi alive and checked in to an expensive but pretty poor guesthouse – just about suitable for a night and explored Phi Phi.  The main “town” is packed with scuba shops and bars, and lots of shops selling “buckets” of drink – e.g. a small bucket with a can of coke and a half bottle of spirit and a couple of straws.  So in the evening Phi Phi was rather like a club 18-30s venue, lots of drunk people getting dubious tattoos and partying along the beach with entertaining fire dancers. 

The beach and views on Phi Phi were okay but not as impressive as we’d expected, though of course we didn’t have time to explore the more distant beaches which are certainly more special, and of course we only looked at the main Phi Phi Don island.  If you go to Phi Phi and don’t want the constant party then you should seriously consider an out-of-town resort.

In the morning we left to another island, Koh Lanta to a section called Klong Khong – apparently the last backpacker beach area here.  This area is much more suitable for couples or people wanting a quieter time – the beach is nice, the sea warm, and loads of quiet beach bars with enough going on to keep us entertained – just.  Our accommodation was basic but sweet, a sort of concrete/bamboo hybrid.

A couple of the beach bars had fire dancers and live music which were good enough, but there didn’t appear to be enough people for a big party which suited us.

The beach was pretty at high tide, but at low it exposed more rocks and coral, mainly dead, but it meant you could explore rock pools and see some weird things.  Not quite a wild life haven but interesting nevertheless.  We also found some wildlife, a frog, that was trying to live in Mels rucksack.  An amazing creature as it could stick to walls an could jump almost across the room in one go. 

We left by taxi/ferry to Ao Nang via the usual ferry chaos – including 2 mid-sea transfers for some, but the views were interesting and some others did a transfer at Rai Lay where the views were spectacular and the beaches looked quiet and idyllic.  Had we heard of the place beforehand….

As it was, we got to our accommodation “Groovy Bungalows” just outside Ao Nang which is the most expensive we’ve had to date, 1800 per night, or 7,200 for 5 nights, so £29 a night including breakfast and free motorbike.   The room is stunning by Thai standards and great by UK, the hosts more than helpful, and we’ve even got a swimming pool!  Bargain…

See next installment here

See trip index here and Southern Thailand index here. Additional pictures here

After a bit of a rest and fresh air, followed by a lovely meal at our lodgings we felt a lot better – so we hoped our illness was just a blip…  Our accommodation at Khao Lak was pretty good having been rebuilt by a Dutch guy after the Tsunami.  The beach area was pretty nice but won’t appear on any top-beaches list, and the nearby town is surprisingly tatty and run down especially considering its total rebuild in the last 7 years.  It seems to exist solely for tourists and is the first place every (and I mean every) shop keeper tries to get you to look into their shop or buy a suit. 

However, only when we left did we see a bigger/better down about 4km further down the road that we did not explore.  To get about at Khao Lak and to see the “nearby” attractions you probably need to hire a bike.

You really get the feel of the boxing day Tsunami by looking at Police Boat 813 which is a fairly large boat and now resides 2km inland where the Tsunami left it.  And looking back to the sea you cannot imagine how it must’ve been at the time with everything between flattened.  Even more moving, someone is leaving soft drinks and fruit at the boat in memory of a lost one

We’d probably not have stayed too long in Khao Lak, but our health blip was more than a blip so now certain we’ve caught a bug of some sort.  On the bright side we’ll lose half a stone or so if past experiences are anything to go by…  On the downside it isn’t wise to leave our bungalow as trips to the bathroom were every 15 minutes – even overnight

As our next stop required pubic busses and a bit of waiting around, we decided to wait till we were both fit enough as public loos that you want to use aren’t that easy to come by.  This gave us time to plan Christmas though – and good job we did as it is peak season and a lot of places are fully booked.  We’re treating ourselves by splurging £30 a night for B&B in a rather nice guest house in Ao Nang – and we get a motorbike thrown in.  Annoying having to book, but everything over Christmas and New Year is tight.  Word of warning as well, from 15 December to 15 January accommodation prices are much higher (almost double).

When we felt brave enough we left to get to the infamous Patong beach on Phuket.  Our hosts dropped us on the main road when we instantly got a bus to Phuket (100 bhat each).  The bus wasn’t new by any stretch, but comfortable and had free water – and even free wifi!  At Phuket bus station, after running the gauntlet ignoring all the taxi/tour “helpers”, we wandered 1km west to the local market and caught a local bus to Patong.  I say bus, more of a lorry with bench seats but remarkably good fun.  25 bhats took us the 40 minute driver over the roller coaster of the hill road.

Our accommodation at Patong (loveli guesthouse) was a bit pricy at £25/night (peak season & tourist hotspot) – but its hotel feel made it worthwile.  The owners ran a travel agency and gave some incredible prices on trips that we wanted to do anyway, and some cheaper than we could DIY – so we planned the next week which should be a bit more fun than the last few days….

First impressions of Patong are a mix of old and posh thrown together, with most definitely the most compressed party feel we’ve seen – even compared to Bangkok.  Looking forward to it (if we can leave the hotel….! )

 Next installment here

See trip index here and Southern Thailand index here. Additional pictures here

After chatting to the owners of our lodgings, we did decide to go on an organised 2-day excursion into the rain forest, long-tail boat, canoeing, bit of a cave hike, and the night on (literally) the lake in the middle.  Tourist tacky perhaps, but should be one of those unique experiences (like camel trekking overnight in the Sahara) that you just have to do – and it will take us further into the forest than we’d venture ourselves.

In the end, the excursion turned out to be pretty good and amazing value.  The views around the lake were stunning, and our lake houses were set in a beautiful little cove.  The huts themselves were pretty good (considering) – and the central area and inclusive meals were really very good indeed.  Kayaking and swimming were the norm with the lake being clear and very warm.  Due to it almost being full moon (and thus very bright), the evening and night animal hunts turned up only a monkey or two and a wild pig, though the jungle sounds and gibbon calls could be heard most of the time.

After breakfast and a morning dip, we ventured on about a 4 hour jungle hike into some caves, but the caves were rather wet with us having to wade/swim through streams and in caverns with water at neck height, and also scramble up a mini waterfall in the cave.  Very interesting with frogs, bats and spiders, and of course lots of dark tunnels and getting absolutely soaked.  Our guide (the owner of Smiles where we were staying) was good fun and very knowledgeable.  On the way back a bit of cliff jumping (as high as you wanted, which wasn’t that high for me!) – then back to base thoroughly knackered but good fun.  A must if you come to Khao Sok, and (as far as we found), Smiles did by far the cheapest excursion (2200 bhat if 8+ people) including meals/transport/water etc.  Bargain.

The following day we decided to have a chilled day in the hammocks, get the laundry done (by someone else of course), and look at the map. We decided to have New Year in Kuala Lumpur and see New Year in watching the fireworks between the Petronas towers.  So we booked some flights from Krabi to Kuala Lumpur with Air Asia (The RyanAir of Asia – baggage extra etc..) and some accommodation in KL as KL looked fairly busy over the new year period.  We fly there on 28 December so need to made a rough plan from now till then.

We’ve very much enjoyed the quiet Khao Sok, and Smiley Bungalows – really recommend them if you come here.  Our next stop from Khao Sok is Khao Lak, a small town on the coast that was badly affected (4000 dead) in the 2004 Tsunami – our first stop that has just been tipped to us en-route and not one on our plan.

After paying our bill we got to the main road to await the hourly bus.  90 mins later one turned up and cost a simple 100 bhat (£2) to get to Khao Lak.  Still quite simple, and much needed aircon!  At Khao Lak the heat was intense but a quick thunderstorm cleared the air.  We both felt a bit unwell (possibly side effects of the anti-malarial drugs) so just chose to chill for the day and drink lots of water ready for the next instalment.

Next installment here

See trip index here and Southern Thailand index here. Additional pictures here

Day 8 was planned to be a simple day out on the train from Kwai (k-way not k-why) to Nam Tok to see the Nam Tok Sai Yok Noi waterfalls.  There is a dedicated tourist train that gets closest but we were unable to get tickets, but we planned to just get to Nam Tok (2.5hrs) and walk to the waterfall instead.

As expected, the train was an hour late, but the views across the countryside were spectacular in places and the Wampo (Wang Po) viaduct was very impressive.  You can’t get more authentic than third class on a train that rattles over every badly joined rail! The lack of health and safety meant you could hang out the doors over the pass to get decent photos – but beware – hold on as the track does lurch a lot as I found out…!

When we got to Nam Tok the train was so late that we didn’t have enough time to walk to the falls and back before the last train of the day left – though likely it would be over an hour late as well it wasn’t worth the risk of being stranded, so we got back on the train we came on to get back.  When we left the guesthouse in the morning, we left our weeks laundry, and when we came back we had everything clean, washed and dried, folded and smelling nice (and a lot better than we left it) – and got charged £1.50!  I’m sure Mel could get used to this…

After a drink in a dodgy lady-boy bar we had a dodgier meal on the street that was a sort of Russian-roulette.  As in it tasted nice but we wouldn’t find out till the morning if it will kill us or not.  It didn’t kill me, but Mel is on an unexpected weight-loss diet.  Not too bad fortunately as we left Kanchanburi heading onwards and facilities would be sparse…  A slight shame, as whilst the backpacking/guesthouse area is a bit iffy, the local part of town and the surrounding areas are superb and well worth a visit on any Thailand tour and we could have probably spent another day or two here quite easily.  We did omit the infamous “Tiger Temple” as there is a split opinion as to whether it is a genuine centre for Tigers, or a money making scheme that actually mistreats the tigers.  We had differing first-hand views , local views and web views.  So we decided to wait till the similar place in Chaing Mai which is, apparently, better.

However, our next stop required a train booking which we made a couple of days prior – a night train from Nakon Pathon to Surat Thani.  To get to Nakon Pathon train station we bought a “tourist minibus” which should have taken the hassle out of the day. So after some more wandering round, we got back to the guest house only to be informed the minibus doesn’t stop at Nakon Pathon, but stops at another station “that will be okay”.  After a debate and us making them check, they found it didn’t, said sorry, and said we should make other plans.  Apparently the local train now is running, oh – and due to leave in 15 minutes!  A rushed exit and tuk-tuk to station, we found the train was 90m late.  Then a few minutes later, 2 hours late….  If it got any more delayed or cancelled, we’d miss the connection and not have any way to get to Surat Thani as by then busses would stop.  As such we legged it to the bus station and got a friendly (but mad) bus instead (50 Bhat – £1 for a 1hr40m journey).  Quite a nice ride actually, and the driver had a loose pet squirrel… 

After Mel got **** on again (lucky eh?) we enjoyed a very local food market for tea at Nakon Pathon next to the temple, and got our train, but for some reason our seats/bed weren’t air-conned – so we sort-of slept in about 40’ heat.  Not pleasant but not as bad as it could be – though no doubt we need a scrub down in the shower.  Interestingly, some girls we chatted to later were in a car with working air-con and they could not sleep as it was too cold!  As expected the facilities were basic, and the toilet was a western looking toilet, but just covering a hole so everything just went onto the track…

Arriving at Surat Thani, there was a mass of tourist touts trying to sell tickets, and in the end we got a minibus direct to our lodgings in Khao Sok national park for 250 bhat each.  Simple if not cheap, but really £5 each for a 2 hour transfer in comfort isn’t that bad.  So 21 hours after we left, we made our next stop…

Khao Tok is a tropical rainforest in Thailand, and we opted to stay there for a few days. On arrival we just had a good shower and a lazy day exploring the local area and eating where we stayed (Smiles Bungalows) which was nice enough.  The location is very quiet (apart from natural jungle noises) and very different from the towns, but Jungle adventure awaits!

Next installment here

Where we stayed

Be aware that you do get what you pay for, and our comments are made accordingly.  If we were paying £100 a night our expectations would be different than £10 a night, so comments below are based on reasonable expectations for cost.  For £15 or less a night, we expect a clean aircon double room and good/clean facilities.  We don’t complain of dated decor, or slight areas of imperfection (like broken tiles, missing plug etc etc)or in need of maintenance if they don’t affect safety or cleanliness.   

Asia has different standards of cleanliness, so expect cobwebs and worse.  Remember this is a poor area of the world – not western Europe…

We have reviewed each place in more detail on TripAdvisor – see HERE for all our TA reviews

Thailand

Bangkok:  Sivarin Guesthouse. WEBSITE  650 bhat for double room, aircon, shared bathroom with hot shower and basic breakfast of scrambled egg and toast.  Very friendly staff, good location to old town, very clean and good value for money.  Free wifi.

Kanchanaburi:  Blue Star Guesthouse. WEBSITE 650 bhat for double bungalow, aircon, ensuite, hot shower, on river Kwai and 2 story veranda.  Basic but clean. Tiled bathroom and absolutely fine and great location.  We almost rejected due to some negative web reviews, but considering cost it is fine.  Free wifi (though didn’t work with my laptop!).

Khao Sok:  Smiley Bungalows: WEBSITE:  500 bhat for double en-suite ina moden brick fan bungalow.  Well built and bathroom good with hot water – though not “special”.  Bar and restaurant good, free wifi.  Smiley also organise trips and transfers at a much cheaper price than elsewhere.  2 day trip with overnight at their own lake raft house (which was super) was 2200 Bhat (if >8 people) including food.  OK – minibus a bit more rustic than the expensive trips!

Khao Lak: Amsterdam Resorts:  Website:   750bhat for a fan room ensuite with free wifi.  Good location for beach and owner helpful.  Cleaned daily.  Bungalow walls thin so bit noisy.  Khao Lak a bit dull for us and all “sites” need to use a motorbike.

Phuket (Patong):  Loveli Guesthouse.  WEBSITE Clean large room with AC and hotel-standard including hot bathroom.  Bit pricey at 1200 a night, but almost worth it.  Fridge, free tea/coffee, daily service.  Not perfect, furniture bit dated and not pristine.  Free DVDs.  SUPERB travel centre for bargain trips

Phuket (Patong):  Siam Hotel: WEBSITE  Just up the road from Loveli, this is a cheaper (1000/night) hotel – but hotel room very clean and pretty much European chepa business standards.  AC, good bathroom and mini-bar. Recommended as cheaper than Loveli, but do use Loveli travel agent.

Raya: Raya Father:  WEBSITE  Great location and good trip, stunning island and beach.  Resort included overnight (1400 each for one night/2 day snorkelling trip via Loveli guesthouse).  Room at resort pretty naff, small, noisy, hard bed, but clean.  Worth a naff room for a day for the trip.

Koh Phi Phi:  Kinnaree House:   WEBSITE:  Very expensive and not great place.  NOT recommended.  Narrow concrete corridorsm echoy, tiny room.  Clean but hot water shower is tepid.  You can do much better than here.

Koh Lanta:  Fishermans Cottage:  WEBSITE:  Good value at 1000 Bhat a night and nice small 9 bungalow resort.  Bungalows are concrete and palm/bamboo roof and shower is cold, but they are cute and have a good feel.  Great location to chill. Romantic.  Mozzie net included as very open…

Ao Nang: Groovy Bungalows: WEBSITE: Slightly expensive (for us), but 5 nights for price of 4; free big breakfast; and free  motorbike made it good value.  Rooms and bathroom SUPERB. Ao Nang superb base.  Hosts own/run Groovy and maintain it to a very high standard.  Slightly out of town, but 5 mins by bike means no problem.  Fully recommended

Chiang Rai:  Orchid Guesthouse:  WEBSITE:  Motel type rooms, very clean and comfortable.  Wifi/tea/cofee for 400 bhats!  Recommended

Chiang Mai:  Sauby Guesthouse: WEBSITE: Reasonably nice place, really good for price (450) and location, but too noisy and not good enough for us.

Chiang Mai:  TJR Boutique :  Very good hotel, big clean rooms, bath, quick wifi, good location in old town, and good quality.  Pricey at 900 bhat but worth it.

Sukhothai: TR Guesthouse:  WEBSITE : Very impressive for money, nice bar/restaurant, and everything you want for 400 bhat.  Wifi, TV, AC etc.  Good place.

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur:  Step Inn:  WEBSITE:  Cheap and basic but good location.  Rooms quite dire and not well maintained (though clean).  If you want a private room do not go here.

Melaka (Malacca):  Old Town Guesthouse:  WEBSITE:  Very cheap, but really very smart and good value.  Bright rooms and large common areas.  Good breakfast. En suite rooms good, and shared bathrooms also goo.  Would recommend especially for money RM45-55 with AC, RM30 with fan. Free wifi and PC for 2RM/day

Vietnam

Hanoi :  Hanoi Street Hotel:  WEBSITE:  A very quiet hotel in the noisy busy Hanoi old town.  Room good, breakfast okay, but overall really good place.  Ensuite with AC heat/cool $24/night.

Hue:  Amigo Hotel:  WEBSITE:  OK hotel down a dingy alley.  Bath,AC, ensuite etc.  Mainly clean.  Breakfast variable.  Good location. $16

Hoi An:  Sunflower Hotel:  WEBSITE:  Almost a superb hotel but let down by a couple of minor things.  Clean, porter service, excellent breakfast, swimming pool, free shuttle bus.  15m walk (or bus) to centre. Overall good – $18

Ho Chi Min City: Ngoclinh Hotel: WEBSITE: Reasonable location in quiet backpacker area.  Clean and good bathroom and wifi – $20.  Was fine.  Bed a bit lumpy and breakfast was a bit iffy, but overall ok.  May be able to do better. 

Cambodia

Phnom Penh:  Europe Guesthouse:  WEBSITE:  A fairly basic guesthouse.  Clean double room with ensuite and good/quiet AC and wifi/TV for $17.  Not fantastic but good locaiton and overall pretty good.  Host very helpful making this a recommended place

Sihanoukville : Cinderella’s Golden Lodge : WEBSITE : Over priced for $25 a night. Room small and very dark.  Not the cleanest.  Loads of naff things about it.  Suggest you avoid.  Actually, avoid Sihanoukville or at lease Serendipity beach area – its really bad…

Battambang:  Asia Hotel:  WEBSITE:  Cheap and once grand hotel, now a bit budget.  Still very good though, good rooms and fairly cheap.  AC, TV, Wifi, ensuite for $15

Siem Reap:  Motherhouse Guesthose:  WEBSITE:  $20 for a very good guesthouse – more like 3* hotel.  Excellent room, breakfast, and attentive staff.  Feels very luxurious and we recommend.  Wifi, Fridge and easy tuktuks for Angkor Wat tours.

Kratie:  Balcony Guesthouse:  WEBSITE:  Not really recommended. Clean bedding, but room and sheets and bathroom a bit grim.  $12 so cheap, but cheap and nasty.  We’d avoid.

Kratie: Oudom Sambath:  WEBSITE:  Budget hotel for $15 but far better than Balcony.  Nice clean rooms with TV and wifi, and reasonable value.  Probably the best in Kratie.  (50m from Balcony above)

Laos

Pakse:  Sang Aroun:  WEBSITE:  Expensive ($26-$31) but more like a euro business hotel – wifi, tv, fridge, and probably best budget hotel in town.

Savannakhet:  Souvannavong guesthouse:  Cheap at 100,000 kip (£9) and clean, but bit rough.  GH was undergoing rennovation but will never be good – too many bodges.  Shame.  If you want clean then ok, just don’t hope for anythng else.

Vientiane:  Souphaphone:  WEBSITE:  170,000kip (£15, $22) for a large clean room, wifi, ac, fridge, tv.  Really very good quality for the money and no complaints.  Not awesome, just pretty good.

Vang Vieng: Laos Haven Hotel and Spa:  WEBSITE:  140,000kip ($18) – too expensive for what it was, and sadly the room was a lot worse than the impression from the website and building exterior.  Loads better and cheaper in town

Luang Prabang: Tha Heua Me Guesthouse:   WEBSITE:  Bit expensive at $25 a night (200,000 kip) – but rooms of good quality and a really nice place to stay.  Free drinks and bananas and wifi

Pak Beng:  Monsovanh Guesthouse : Cheap at 100,000 kip but clean and perfect for a night.  Their cafe is opposite with wifi and take away food if needed.

Houay Xai: Oudomphone Guesthouse 2:  Cheap at 80,000 kip, but very clean.  Rooms a bit dated, but reasonably big and even with TV!

See trip index here and Southern Thailand index here. Additional pictures here

Overnight our feet recovered, but foolishly we set a plan for another walking and exploring day on foot.  We first headed towards the Phetchaburi area and Siam Square where Bangkok becomes a lot more modern and caters for a different type of tourist.  Starbucks and McDonalds (at near Euro rates) abound and modern packed and huge shopping malls – all packed with people and stands.  One was simply full computer shops like mini PC Worlds, but 100s of them all competing with everything possible available.

To be fair we enjoyed seeing the different parts of Bangkok, but the atmosphere here is more suited to of a holiday maker than a traveller as it merges Bangkok with other cities – though on a larger scale. That said, from what we’ve seen Bangkok rates very high in our top cities – and we look forward to another visit at the end of this trip.

From here we headed to the secret and hidden Chao Mae TupTim phallic shrine which was recommended to us by someone who doesn’t even know Mel – suffice to say Mel felt at home there.  (worth a pop in if you are near). After a chill in Lumphini park we headed towards Silom for drink and tea whilst waiting for the nightlife to start.  We avoided the main drag bars and found a hidden local eatery market where we had a huge choice and a very nice meal for 40 bhart (85p) each.   After our fill we wandered around Phat Pong night market where the go-go lady boy bars are, and for some reason we kept getting invited to watch girls play ping pong.  Not exactly sure why watching table tennis is so popular over here!  A few interesting sites to be had!

As we were enjoying Bangkok at night we walked back 4 miles to our emergency chocolate rations and a comfy bed.

Knowing we’d not seen all of Bangkok we decided to head off anyway to Kanchanaburi leaving the rest of Bangkok till we return in March.  There are plenty of tourist mini busses at around 250 bhat each, but as the main purpose of our visit is to see real Thailand, we opted for tuk-tuk to station and then the train (100 bhat each) which made for nice views of the countryside.  At the station we had a coffee and the owner/waitress lived just outside the city but was staying with friends as her home was destroyed and flooded and she had no idea when she could return.  So humbling as she was still so happy and making do.  The train passed through flooded areas with boats and 4x4s sharing the same “road”.  Very sad.  The train was a breeze to book at the Thorn Buri (Bangkok Noi) station – no queues and loads of room, with food at station and the odd seller making rounds on board.  Don’t get there early – no need!  Also, if your time is short consider a minibus as it did take us most of the day!

The area we are staying in Kanchanaburi is backpacker central – a few tacky bars “get wasted for peanuts” and the obligatory ladyboy bar (and yes lads, you would!).  That said, our accommodation is superb value for money.  A private wooden bungalow, en-suite, on the river Kwai with 2 story veranda for £13 a night.  Interestingly, the “Bridge over the River Kwai” is a mistake as the bridge never crossed the Kwai, it just passed next to it and crossed another river.  After the book and film when it became a tourist destination they renamed the river to Kwai so the tourists understood!

Unfortunately Mel caught a cold, probably from a flea ridden passenger on the plane, so a chilled early night was called for.

The famous bridge over the river Kwai is about a 1km walk from the guesthouse area, and you can walk across the railway bridge on a walkway screwed (mostly!) between the sleepers.  The town end is surrounded by tourist-tat stalls and a genuine market.  We were tipped to avoid the museums close to the bridge, and opted to visit the war graves cemetery and the Thai-Burma railway centre museum.  This we did, and found the museum very informative and of high quality, and the whole area was sad and moving.  This is a must-see for Kanchanaburi. 

A highlight for Mel was a couple of Leopard cubs, one 2 months old and one 7 months old that you could handle and stroke.  Yes they were on chains, but they were taken off if you wanted to hold them and feed them, and they were very very lively!  Just like giant kittens that enjoyed being played with.  The big one was rather strong, and Mel was very wary and came away unscathed!! (unlike a ladies clothing which got chased/eaten!)

Our walk between the bridge and the cemetery down the “local road” was rather interesting – loads of large “units” doing specialised work – body repair/mods; alternator/motor fixing etc – all clearly experts in a niche field.

If you ever come to Kanchanaburi try and coincide with the Kwai Bridge Festival.  We were lucky enough to stumble on it, and for a week it has a huge night market, fun fair, music, and a sound and light show on the Kwai bridge telling the story of the bridge.  The show was packed mainly with Thais,  and whilst the show was in Thai it was easy enough to understand what went on.  It may seem like glorifying an horrific story, but if you look at it another way, in that it is teaching new people about the story of the railway then the memories of those involved will be kept alive.

The following day we took a moped-converted tuk-tuk to the bus station and got a bus to Erawan park and the magnificent 7 layer waterfall.  The bus station was fine, and buying a ticket was as easy as just getting on and waiting till the driver stops for fuel and paying him!  No touts at all, and we were “spotted” as being a tourist (how?!) and were clearly told which bus (easy anyway), how much and what time.  No hassle.  Our only tip is to work out which side the sun is going to shine on and then sit on the other.  Oh – and don’t worry about the mechanical condition – our bus on the way back needed constant 180’ turns of the steering wheel just to keep it going in a straight line!

The waterfalls are very impressive – you need a bare minimum of 3 hours, ideally 4 to walk up all 7 layers.  You can swim in most of them and little (and not so little) fish come and nibble your body – apparently pruning you.  Good fun and a good walk – wear good waterproof sandals.  Each layer is different, and level 4 has a natural rock you can slide off.  I’d suggest not taking any food or crisps etc as the monkeys are very aggressive – one tried to rip open our backpack just to get at an old wrapper.  Pretty much had a punch up with the fella.

See next installment here

We thought it’d be useful to publish our packing list as all our research may benefit some others who may do a similar list.

Top Tips:-

1. Don’t take any books – they are heavy.  PDF any documents you want from WikiTravel/WikiPedia/Train maps/eTickets etc, and save on laptop.  Use DROPBOX to sync all these files with the Internet.  If you have an Android phone  you can install DropBox and DropSync to replicate all documents to phone!
2. The Android phone is going to be be the ULTIMATE gadget:-
   -  Use as MP3 player (no need to take iPod) – take MiniX speakers
   - On the maps app, Install the “precache” lab add on, and pre-cache google maps for the areas you are going.  Inbuilt GPS and the offline maps will be very handy.
   - Install MapDroid and download maps for the areas you are going
   -  Download any free Android talking apps (like LearnThai) – which will help with how to pronounce simple words and phrases.  Like “help” and “I’m lost”. 
3. We are taking a Laptop as we, well I, use them a lot.  For ease, make sure EVERY other device you have can charge from the laptop USB ports which saves carrying loads of power supplies.
4. The Kindle 3G will be very useful.  Not only as a book reader, but the free global 3G will mean you can get emails anywhere, and also use the internet in an emergency to find out how to get you out of trouble.
5. Don’t take big rucksacks.  We’re taking 2x Berghaus Freeflow V 35+8 rucksacks.  Superb fit, small enough, but also big enough.  They have a great back system which means they don’t touch your back which is important for air-flow in 30′+ humid heat.
6. Take a small day rucksack that you can stuff in your bigger sack.  We will use this for “valuables” – and keep with us if/when we have to put the big sacks in the hold/luggage areas.  You can use as a day sack when you go out.
7. Do your research for how to get money.  We are taking both Visa/Mastercard credit cards and debit cards, and have what we think is the cheapest combination.  See below.  FairFX do the $ mastercard debit card ideal for Asia.

 

Packing List

Gadgets and Gizmo

• Samsung netbook, spare battery, power supply, plug adapter, Skype headset.
• Unlocked Orange san fransisco android phone with 16Gb card, spare battery, headset, and USB charging cable, and MiniX speakers
• Unlocked nokia phone and USB charging cable
• Kindle 3G (cable same as phone) and waterproof case
• Samsung PL series camera, 8Gb memory card, spare battery, waterproof/underwater case, charging cable

Security

Whilst we don’t think Asia will be any worse than any other tourist hotspot, we will be taking some precautions:-

• PacSafe 250 retractable lock (to strap bags to something solid – e.g. on trains etc)
• Combination padlock for room doors (apparently needed insome places!). 
• Security wallet with chain
• Money belt (looks like normal belt)

Other useful bits

• Pre printed passport photos (10+ each) for visas etc
• Driving license (if expecting to hire something)
• Passports (doh!)
• Travel insurance documents (pdf and use Dropbox)
• Paper map of Asia (cut out index page!)
• Waterproof bags - used to wrap all electronic bits as we will be doing dogy water crossings
• Sunglasses 
• Little torch
• Small sewing kit
• Universal sink plug
• Micro fibe anti bacterial towel

Money and cards

• Nationwide visa credit card
• Post Office mastercard credit card
• FairFX currency debit mastercard
• Nationwide visa debit card
• Dollars in cash
• Nationwide electronic card reader (grrrrr!)

Drugs and potions

• Some factor 30 suncream
• Deet 100% mosquito repellant
• Anti Malaria drugs
• Sterilising hand wash
• Ibuprofen & paracetemol
• Dioralyte & anti-dioriha pills
• Baby/face wipes
• Toilettary bag, including nail scissors etc
• Double mosquito net and bed-bug sheet
• Large roll of loo paper in waterproof bag
• First aid kit with latex gloves
• Sick clear up kit (for Mel )

Clothes (including wearing!)

Most clothes are lightweight and quick dry/technical. List is for EACH of us!

• Approach type shoes (waterproof/breathable) (Merrell Enuma for Mel, Northface Hedgehog for me)
• 3 pairs trousers (one full, one 3/4 and one tripple zip-off)
• Swimming/board shorts
• 3 t-shirts
• 1 long sleved t-shirt
• 1 fleece
• Good Sandals (suitable for walking)
• 7 sets of undies/socks (plus as many old ones as we can cram in and bin en-route!)

Mels rucksack is 9.5kg, and mine is about 10.5kg which I think is good going….