Degrassi

Hi there!

My lovely boyfriend bought me tickets (well, he will buy me tickets as soon as I do all the planning) to Thailand for my birthday, and now that I'm starting to actually plan the trip, I have a few questions.

About us: I'm 27 and Canadian, he's 29 and English. I've done a bit of backpacking in Europe, and spent a week in Thailand. He's traveled in the States for a few months and been to a couple European cities. We're both into food, activities (hiking, etc.. ) and history. Neither of us are overly into getting smashed or lounging on a beach, although I do want to spend a bit of time chillaxin on one. I'm really into photography. He loves big buildings and architecture. Both of us want a trip that will .

About the trip: We'll have roughly 3 and a half weeks, including flights. Odds are we'll be flying into and out of Bangkok because it looks to be by far the cheapest option. We aren't completely shoestringing it completely, but our budget is for sure more street stalls than 5 star restaurants. I don't want to plan everything down to the last detail, but since we don't have much time I want to have a rough idea about what we're doing.

So far, I have 2 routes that I've thought look decent. I'd love some feedback..

1. Bangkok (2 - 3 days) - Spend a couple days, see the big market, temple, chill with some backpackers, etc..
2. Siem Reap (2 - 3 days) - Just enough time to see the temples and get a quick taste of the city
3. Phucket/Krabi/Phi Phi - (4 - 5 days) - Climb, dive, beaches, kayak, photograph...
4. Kanchanaburi (2 - 3 days) - See the history stuff, hike the waterfalls..
5. Chang Mai (3 days) - Go do some more outdoorsy stuff, enjoy the city, take a cooking class...
6. Luang Prabang (3 - 4 days) - Shop, eat, trek if we haven't had our fill of it yet, relax, enjoy the city...
7. Hanoi (3 days) - Do the big city thing, etc etc..
8. Take the world's cheapest flights (roughly 20 pounds) back to Bangkok.
9. Back to Bangkok and then fly home

I like that one, and everything seems to fit nicely. The only thing that worries me is spending half our trip on a train/bus. I know something has to be cut, but I'm not sure what.



Trip 2 - This is the alternate version, but to be honest I like it a lot less...
1. Bangkok (2 - 3 days) - Spend a couple days, see the big market, temple, chill with some backpackers, etc..
2. Phnom Penh (1 - 2 days) - Just enough time to see the killing fields and get a taste of the city
3. Ho Chi Minh - This one is the first one to go if we're running short on time, but it seems like an interesting place.
4. Siem Reap (2 - 3 days) - See temples!
5. Make my way somehow up to Luang Prabang
6. Luang Prabang (3 - 4 days) - Shop, eat, trek, relax, enjoy the city...
7. Chang Mai (3 days) - Go do some more outdoorsy stuff, enjoy the city, take a cooking class...
8. Kanchanaburi (2 - 3 days) - See the history stuff, hike the waterfalls..
9. Phucket/Krabi/Phi Phi - (4 - 5 days) - Climb, dive, beaches, kayak, photograph...
Back to Bangkok and fly home

Thanks!
Dana

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