 Southeast Asia Itinerary Plan |
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I would like to post here my plan for a trip to Southeast Asia, which took place last year. My purpose was to visit the most important artistic and architectural sites of Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia without neglecting other attractions. Despite some remarks in commentaries which can fit a travel journal, I had no intention of writing one. Neither did I try to share with you my impressions. A lot of people are able to write much better about these places in their mother tongue. My sole desire is to show, why this travel itinerary took a shape like that; how can somebody, who craves to see as much as possible but is limited in time and money can plan his journey in a best possible way; what were my mistakes. The planning is an important part of any serious travel, but strangely enough you can find very little material concerning this subject. I will be happy, if somebody will find it useful. Our small group included 6 participants. We came to Bangkok from different places and left it separately as well.
November 14, 2008, Friday
Arrival to Bangkok 14:25. Transfer to Bangkok Centre Hotel.*
A walk in Chinatown.**
* This particular hotel was chosen (in addition, of course, to our budget limitations) on following considerations:
a. Anyone studying the tourist map of Bangkok will pay attention, that the city has two main areas of interest: the first is Ratanakosin and its vicinity with the Grand Palace, National Museum and main temples, the second occupies downtown Bangkok, which lacks history, but is bustling with life. Bangkok Centre Hotel lays roughly equidistant from both of them.
b. A regular trip destination from Bangkok is the former Thai capital of Ayutthaya. The most convenient way to get there is by train. This hotel stands opposite Hualamphong train station.
c. One of express buses from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport to the city stops at this train station.
d. Any big river forms a backbone of the city it flows through. Chao Phraya does not make a difference. It is also an important transport route for Bangkok residents. It will be very natural to arrive to the Royal Palace area by boat, especially taking in account that there is no railway city transport in Ratanakosin (yet). This hotel is not far from a pier. Concerning connection with the downtown, the nearest subway station is just outside the hotel gates, which makes access to the area and return very reliable.
** After such a long and tiresome flight, all the land transfers to and from the airports and usual pre-departure haste at home, it will be imprudent to plan something serious for the first hours in a new city. Until opening your eyes on the first morning in a new environment you are still partially at home. So these first hours should be devoted to a kind of reconnaissance: a tourist gradually tries to understand what place did he come to, and a city is looking at him - will it accept this newcomer or not?
November 15, 2008, Saturday
By river (express boat) to the Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaeo (8:30-15:30)* - Wat Pho (8:30-18:00) - to the other side of the Chao Phraya river to see Wat Arun temple (7:00-17:00) - back to the left bank - National Museum (9:00-16:00) - by foot, tuk-tuk or taxi to Golden Mount (view)** - down to Khlong (canal) Saen Saeb, Tha Phan Fa pier to go by boat*** to Jim Thompson's House (9-last tour 17:00) - dinner - evening stroll in downtown Bangkok, shopping, etc.
* It looks reasonable to begin the first full day with some “heavyweight”, potentially highly impressive attraction, i.e. a highlight. What can it be in Bangkok if not the Grand Palace? Unfortunately, the palace halls and weapons museum are closed on Saturdays and Sundays (“Rough Guide to Thailand, sixth edition” (RG), p.133), but we had no choice. The visit to the buildings of National Museum was partially intended to compensate it.
** Looking back, my option of walking from the National Museum to Golden Mount looks naīve. In such a dense day, with a lot of walking, in the weather like that and time-limiting closure of Jim Thompson’s house in the evening - what for will you spend time and energy traveling on foot through a long uninteresting route? Of course, a wheeled transport should be taken. In general all technical (i.e. not connected with sightseeing, mere movements from one point of interest to another) transfers should be minimized.
*** Besides being one of the shortest ways from Golden Mount to Jim Thompson’s house, this option was taken because of my RG advice (p.110). They write, that this boat travel is very impressive. It really is!
November 16, 2008, Sunday
Ayutthaya by train - Northern or Northeastern direction from Hualamphong station. Bicycle ride at the site.* Evening in downtown Bangkok. Moving to the hotel near the airport for the early flight to Yangon.**
* It is true, that distances are big, and it is best not to walk everywhere (RG, p. 272), but the choice of bicycle is questionable. Only the area around the central Phra Ram Park is pleasant for cycling. The other parts of the island formed by Chao Phraya, Lopburi and Pasak rivers are urban areas with heavy traffic, absence of bicycle lanes and sometimes a lot of parked vehicles along the streets, which makes cycling there very frightening (for an inexperienced tourist). The temples outside the island - Wat Ya Chai Mongkol and Wat Phanan Choeng - are far from the train station and lay on the very busy local road. I have seen tourists which came there by bicycle, but I will never recommend anyone to do it! Even getting by bicycle to the nearer Wat Na Phra Mane on the north bank of Lopburi was a feat and not pleasant at all. You can think about taking taxi or tuk-tuk at least to the remote temples.
** This additional hotel was unnecessary. Our flight to Yangon was scheduled on 7:15 AM next morning, so I was afraid, that we will be late because of Bangkok traffic jams. The airport highway on Monday night was absolutely free.
November 17, 2008, Monday
Air Asia flight from Bangkok to Yangon/Rangoon (Myanmar/Burma*), departure 07:15, arrival 08:00**. Transfer to Kandawgyi Palace Hotel.*** A visit to Shwedagon Paya.# Walking tour of downtown Yangon.##
* In other circumstances I would never rise this topic, but a negative aura created around Myanmar/Burma obliges me to make some personal notes. Even my “Lonely Planet Myanmar (Burma), ninth edition” (LP) (this link refers to the newest tenth edition), the only - due perhaps to its Australian origin - available guide to this country devotes a lot of place to discussion “Should You Go”. I strongly oppose the so called “ethical” approach to travel. A true traveler is driven exclusively by his own curiosity; the only thing which can stop him is a danger of political, criminal or sanitary kind. It is a fallacy to think that ones non-visit even multiplied by thousands of others can influence the relationship of some local government and its subjects. It never worked at any time at any place, and it will never work anywhere. But even if my statement is wrong, how can one, seeing once the photo of Bagan temples, refuse oneself an opportunity to come there? What does he think looking at an “ethical accountant”, painstakingly calculating how many dollars of his expenditure will be misappropriated by a vile government? How can this man understand his passion? He is too busy with ethical arithmetic. If Marco Polo was guided by the same principles, he would never leave Venice and for good reason: all the rulers on his way to China were horrible tyrants, including the Mongol emperor oppressing Chinese people in their home country. Are you telling me, that it happened 800 ago? And what about morality, my friend? Does it change through the ages like a fashion? Was a murder in the time of Marco Polo less disgusting than it is today? If these “ethical guidelines” change during a time like a length of skirt, they do not deserve more attention, than the length of skirt deserves. The modern traveler feels first of all unbreakable affinity to the great persons of the past. He bears real envy that not his foot touched first the sands of La Espaņola beach, that not his eyes saw first the unknown temples hidden in jungle, that all great geographic discoveries belong to the past. But he has modern transportation and modern medicine on his service, and has the colonial legacy on his disposal - whether he likes it or not - which laid the roads to the lands of Asia, both “ethical” and “non-ethical”. I am very uneducated in ethics of this kind, the only thing I can assure you from my own experience, is that aesthetically Myanmar is beautiful and unique and certainly deserves a visit.
** The Burmese part of the trip was planned from the beginning as a tailor-made tour, itinerary planned by me, but executed with the help of local specialists. That means, I was in contact with local travel agent, which provided internal flight tickets (a little bit cheaper, than regular price), hotels (also some discounts were available), ground services (transportation and local guides where necessary or desired). At first I wrote to few of them, but finally Columbus Travels and Tours in Yangon was chosen. They were also mentioned by LP (p.89). The service was reliable, and I can recommend them to anyone.
*** An excellent historic hotel in the beautiful lakeside location near the best restaurant in the city, specializing in Burmese cuisine (Sandy’s), walking distance from Shwedagon (we went there by foot, but this cold season was pretty hot in Yangon!), not far from the downtown.
# Looking backward, I would strongly recommend to visit Shwedagon complex twice - in the middle of the day and in early morning or evening, or to stay there long enough to see the changing colors and magic light of this golden realm. We decided to shorten our stroll in the downtown in order to come there again around 5 pm, when the sun began to set. The decision was absolutely right. Thanks to the liberal opening hours of the complex and the absence of other particular attractions on this day, we could be flexible.
## Bogyoke Aung San market, which is interesting (I had a glimpse of it on November 23), is closed on Mondays. Once again, I had no choice. In a long and complicated itinerary like that, any change causes a domino effect, so you should choose what to withdraw in order to make a best possible plan.
November 18, 2008, Tuesday
Air Bagan flight from Yangon to Heho, departure 10:30, arrival 11:40.*# By car to Kakku (3.5 hours). From Kakku back to Inle Lake.
* One of the main principles employed in itinerary planning was to alternate “different” attractions and environments. In this case after being in Bangkok metropolis on November 14,15 and 16 which was interrupted for half a day with a “countryside” visit to Ayutthaya, we arrived to Yangon - far from the modern bustle of Thai capital, but also a city of its own. So after 4 days in urban environment the itinerary presumed transfer to truly pastoral place - Inle Lake region in Shan state - beautiful nature, unspoilt countryside, breathtaking pagodas of Kakku in the middle of nowhere.
Another planning principle was to begin and/or to end the journey, the parts of it, and sometimes the single days with highlights in order to enhance impressions. The Burmese chapter was intentionally began with Shwedagon and finished with Bagan - one of two sites, which together with Angkor made the focal points for the whole journey.
As you will see further, Mandalay was omitted from the itinerary. If you are limited in time, you should decide what do you wish to see at first, at second and so on. Our Burmese itinerary included ordinary tourist destinations, with exception, perhaps, of Kakku, which is relatively rarely visited by tourists in favor of additional day on Inle Lake. So Mandalay was the only stop omitted from the familiar itinerary. The reason for it was the destruction of Mandalay palace in 1945, when this jewel of wooden architecture was burned to ground after British attack on Japanese. In 1990-s it was “rebuilt” in concrete by current government, so I have decided to bypass the place in favor of others.
# When the distances are big and roads are far from perfect (25 mph average speed), flying remains the only possible option. There are 4 airlines in Myanmar. One is not recommended for tourists even by local travel agents (Myanmar Airways), the owner of other (Air Bagan) is in the black list of American Government because of his connection to the military, so spare parts and service for their aircrafts look problematic… Finally I was forced to fly Air Bagan because of absence of any other alternative and unreliability of Air Mandalay (in the last minute this particular flight was changed to Air Bagan’s by our travel agent).
Sometimes a view from an aircraft can be terrific, especially in the first seconds after departure and before landing, but in general I do my best to choose the flights in the early morning or late evening in order to devote the daytime to sightseeing.
November 19, 2008, Wednesday
Day on the lake (full day boat ride, including a visit to Indein and Ywama floating market).*
* This floating market is not a first rate attraction, but I can boast a good preparatory work: on this day it was in Ywama (it has rotating schedule in different locations around the lake), and I knew it.
November 20, 2008, Thursday
Trip to Pindaya caves.* Flight from Heho to Bagan by Yangon Airways, departure 16:25, arrival 17:40. Transfer from the airport to Bagan/Pagan.
* The place itself, as LP (p.179) justly observes has somewhat kitschy appearance. The real attraction was the countryside - rural Myanmar at her best.
November 21, 2008, Friday
Bagan.*
1. Mingalazedi - sunrise**
Breakfast
2. Sein-nyet-ama/Sein-nyet-nyima
3. Nagayon
4. Nanpaya
5. Kubyauk-gyi (Myinkaba)
6. Ananda
Lunch
7. Shwegu-gyi (upper platform - view of walled city temples)
8. Dhammayan-gyi
9. Sulamani. 150m east is Thabeik Hmauk temple with views from upper floor terrace***
10. Shwe-san-daw - sunset, top terrace
* LP section devoted to Bagan (or Pagan before it was renamed) is relevant, but the importance of the place made me eager to look for a special guide. One of the very few books available nowadays is Ancient Pagan. Buddhist Plain of Merit by Donald M. Stadtner. It helped me a lot. After reading Stadtner I have learned, that Burmese history of Pagan period was heavily fictionalized by court historians in the XIX century. Their Glass Palace Chronicle became a standard source for generations of Burmese. I do not like the habit of professional guides to tell stories about brave warriors and beautiful princesses, especially when these warriors and princesses never really existed. The ruins of Pagan are impressive enough and do not need any fairy-tale embellishments. Some bare facts from Stadtner will be sufficient. Armed with his book, I have enthusiastically decided to avoid local guidance and limit services to a hired driver, which will take us around according to my plan. The decision was certainly adventurous, but it worked.
The archeological zone forms an irregular rectangle roughly 7x10 km by size, outlined by main roads. The principal temples are located mostly around these roads, with the biggest concentration in the northwestern corner, in Old Bagan, the walled core of the ancient city. Obviously, our hotel was chosen also inside this area. In addition to it some important edifices (##8,9 and 10 in this day’s program) can be found in the inner part of this rectangle on a dirt road, heading from Old Bagan to the east. My idea was to visit around twenty stupas and temples in two days. The first day was planned to begin with attending sunrise on the recommended for this purpose Mingalazedi stupa, followed by visit to the edifices on the western rim of the rectangle (the road from Old Bagan to New Bagan). After lunch the group will proceed to the “inner” temples on the aforementioned dirt road. The daily sightseeing program will culminate on Shwe-san-daw stupa with spectacular sunset.
The second day will start with sunrise balloon flight over the whole site. After breakfast the group will begin from the temples of Old Bagan and continue clockwise along the main roads around the archeological zone, studying in detail the temples they have seen from above. Dinner and souvenir shopping were planned in the evening after sunset. This plan was carried out with minor deviations without any flaws.
** When we arrived to Bagan, Columbus representative told us, that Mingalazedi is closed for visitors and all decent people watch sunrise on Mi-nyein-gon, an unremarkable temple which was never mentioned in the both guides. He marked it on our map. Happily, it was in a short walking distance from our hotel (Bagan Hotel). We had some problems to find it in the complete darkness of early morning (streetlights in Old Bagan are very unobtrusive, and similar looking ruins are quite numerous), but with the aid of few hundred kyats we were directed to the upper platform. I have no intentions of writing travel journal, so the reader will be preserved from the excessive exploitation of adjectives. I will only say that the sunrise was worth all these petty inconveniences.
*** This recommendation of LP was a true jewel of advice. The temple is very rarely visited. Even our experienced driver had some difficulties in locating it. The temple is opened to visitors on all three levels, up to a spire. An elderly woman guardian, who did not speak a word in English, showed us everything inside. It was also high enough to provide splendid views.
November 22, 2008, Saturday
The balloon flight. Leaving hotel at 5:30-6:00. Return 8:30.*
1. Mahabodhi
2. Thatbyinnyu
3. Pahto-thamya
4. Loka-hteikpan**
5. Htilominlo
6. Kubayuk-gne
7. Kubayuk-gyi
8. Shwezigon
Lunch in Nyaung U
9. Nandamannya
10. Tayok-pyi
11. Payathonzu
12. Dhamma-yazika
* A couple of words about the balloon flight in addition to the information on the company’s internet site. It was our second flight (after Cappadocia in Turkey), and the previous impression was so strong, that I had no doubt in including this pricey attraction in our itinerary. The flight direction depends on many factors. We started near Shwezigon and continued to the south-east, making a nearly perfect diagonal over the whole site. The landing took place in the vicinity of Dhamma-yazika. From one golden giant to another, we covered all the distance in 35-40 minutes - the wind on this morning was unfortunately a little bit strong… As a comment I want to add one small citation from Henry Stierlin’s Encyclopedia of World Architecture: “The aerial view… is traditionally the privilege of the gods. In fact many temples (Borobodur and Angkor, to mention only the most spectacular) were designed expressly for the visual benefit of the deity to whom they were consecrated. Their architectural organization, usually conceived in the image of cosmos, was intended to be perceived by divine intelligence, and it is only from this “god’s-eye view” that the intentions of their architects become apparent.” So what about refraining from visiting Burma, ah?
** This architecturally unremarkable temple has a lot of original wall paintings inside. We had some experience of Buddhist murals, first of all in Indian Ajanta. After its refined grace, the first paintings we encountered in Bagan looked not very impressive. So it was decided to skip it and devote more time to the architecture and architectural decoration (stucco and sculptures). I mention it here not in order to make one familiar with this very personal decision, but to show, that a traveler should always be flexible, concerning immediate changes in his itinerary. Of course this is possible, when he is well aware about all attractions in the area he travels in.
November 23, 2008, Sunday
Flight from Bagan to Yangon, Yangon Airways, departure 08:40, arrival 10:00. Flight from Yangon to Bangkok, Bangkok Airways, departure 14:40, arrival 16:25. Flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Thai, departure 19:00, arrival 20:10.*
* As you can see, this was a dull and tiresome day, devoted exclusively to transportation. It was a little bit difficult to fit our flight to Bangkok with departure to Yangon. It was even more difficult to leave Myanmar. We needed to get from Bagan to Chiang Mai. Flight to Yangon was unavoidable - it was only one Burmese airport with international departures. Further I relied on Air Mandalay scheduled non-stop flight from Yangon to Chiang Mai. It was announced to depart once a week, on Sundays, so in the aerial transportation frame of our itinerary it took perhaps the major place. Even the first date of the whole journey was chosen in order to get back to Yangon on Sunday. In summer the dissident Burmese newspaper Irrawaddy informed that the flight is temporarily terminated because of the lack of tourists. I was assured by Columbus, that there is nothing to worry about, and in the height of the season in November it will reopen. As you can guess, three weeks before departure to Bangkok our Columbus contact person readdressed me the announcement of Air Mandalay about the final cancellation of the flight. I was in a great hurry, trying to save the journey. This hapless flight was substituted by two others - Yangon-Bangkok and Bangkok-Chiang Mai. Coming forward, Bangkok Airways flight was more than two hours late, so we had a lot of nice time in Yangon and Bangkok airports on this day…
You can be as flexible as possible, concerning details, but with flights, which form the skeleton of itinerary, nothing can be done. In Asia you depend on them, no itinerary can be built without local flights. At the same time their schedule is not reliable, and the cancellation or postponement can produce a domino effect. In 2004 Indian Airlines informed me in Kolkata airport that their flight to Bagdogra (airport serving Darjeeling and Sikkim) is cancelled because of bad weather in Himalayan foothills. At the same times Jet Airways made no changes to their schedule. It took us a lot of energy to force Indian Airlines representative to reserve us the tickets to Jet without additional payment. After that tsunami disaster came, and Indian government sent a lot of planes to the areas affected by the wave. All the schedules went astray and we left India in time, but not without stress.
The success of every journey with complicated itinerary depends not only on the careful painstaking work of a planner, but unfortunately also on a good luck. In every region there are more or less reliable airlines, but their unstained past does not provide you with 100% guarantee. Concerning this particular journey you will see it further. In any case there are some common rules, which I will try to formulate here. First, plan as little local flights as possible. It can sound funny, because in the current journey 9 was planned, and my previous 23 days trip to India employed no less than 11. Meanwhile a package tourist hardly makes two or three. But how can we explain to him our mutual sightseeing frenzy? How can we verbalize our wish to visit EVERYTHING in this faraway land? So, let us try to be sober. Carefully planned flight itinerary can spare money and diminish the risk of possible problems as well. Secondly, try to avoid transfers. My wise Indian travel agent was firm in answering my naīve questions like: “If landing time of the first flight is scheduled 5 hours before departure of the second, what can I worry about?” What can be perfect in Europe and US will not work in South or South-East Asia. My third and last advice: when you plan to purchase the flight tickets, inquire if there exist any other flights in the same direction. If your flight will not take place, can you use them instead in a case of emergency? In this journey it happened twice only in the Burmese sector. On the last minute, seeing that Air Mandalay with their changes cannot be trusted, Columbus convinced us to replace it with Air Bagan on Yangon-Heho direction on November 18, and with Yangon Airways on Heho-Bagan direction on November 20. The departure times of these substitutive flights were very close to the initially ordered, so neither the sightseeing plan, nor the hotel and other reservations were affected.
November 24, 2008, Monday
Leaving Chiang Mai to the south in rented car - starting the Mae Hong Son loop.* National Park Doi Inthanon: detour to Mae Ya falls (14.7км one way)** - 20 км to Vachirathran waterfall - Karen village*** - Sirithan waterfall - National Park Headquarters - to Siriphum falls# - back to the Headquarters - Royal Chedis - Huai Sai Luang Waterfall - 121 km to Khun Yuam.##
* The Thai part of the journey included three independent pieces: Bangkok (with Ayutthaya) in the beginning; North with Chiang Mai in the middle and South with Phuket in the end. They were “broken” by a week in Myanmar and three days in Angkor. Burmese Bagan and Cambodian Angkor, which from the beginning took an unquestionable role of highlights for the whole journey, are located outside Thailand, so this country during the planning of itinerary was considered as a kind of background (not at all in the derogatory sense) for these two marvels. Bangkok as a modern, but certainly Asian city, took a role of pre-show (once again, I want to emphasize, that such wonderful temples as Wat Arun or Wat Ratburana in Ayutthaya are not minor attractions for an architecture buff), introduction to more authentic Myanmar. After the architectural and historic pivot of Bagan, purely natural environment of Mae Hong Son loop was planned. In order to enhance impression, sophisticated planner should alternate attractions of different kind. So the “function” of Mae Hong Son loop was to “present” its mountain vistas, waterfalls and caves in leisurely pace. The intention was clear enough and seemed free of hidden obstacles. Despite that I must admit, that the shape of my plan was erroneous.
Advised by RG, I ordered a map and printed detailed map-booklet. Driving in Thailand looked quite acceptable. It really was, concerning the technical side of driving, at least in the areas we used rented cars. I was further encouraged by RG (p.396), stating that “Traveling the loop is straightforward, although the mountainous roads go through plenty of bends and jolts.” I also tried to shorten the loop choosing the Mae Chaem - Khun Yam road after passing through Doi Inthanon Park, instead of a longer way through Mae Sariang (see the map-booklet). The same map-booklet (p.9) stated that this section needed a 4WD vehicle (“Though it is not usually necessary to engage the 4WD itself, the higher clearance and fortified suspension of such vehicles make their use obligatory on such roads.”). Because of that, a dealer with a best choice of 4WD in Chang Mai was chosen. This rental company, North Wheels had also a good reputation and was recommended by RG. So what can be a problem to cover around 600 km in three days, enjoying tranquil scenery? But the problems started from the very beginning.
First, as a result of the mess in Yangon, concerning the late departure of Bangkok Airways flight to Bangkok, some of our suitcases did not arrive in Chiang Mai in time. Moreover, this flight departed and landed so late, that instead of planned flight by Thai from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, we were forced to use the later flight by the same Bangkok Airways. As result we arrived in Chiang Mai with delay of an hour and a half after scheduled time (around 21:30), and a representative of the rental company with our Isuzu was already absent. They do not have an office in the airport, and I could not warn them, because the mobile phones do not work in Myanmar, and five minutes of transfer in Bangkok airport were devoted exclusively to a mad run from one airplane to another. The car arrived to Chiang Mai hotel next morning, but the suitcases did not appear before 12:00. We left the hotel at 12:30, which was late.
** We were in a hurry from the very beginning. Looking backwards I think it would be wise to skip Mae Ya waterfall because of a long time consuming detour. Here I was partially misleaded by RG (p.398), who called it “a fifth and much more beautiful cataract”. On my opinion Sirithan and Vachiratharn are not less beautiful and impressive.
*** Thai tribal villages both commercialized and authentic look rather pale compared to Burmese.
# When we arrived to Siriphum, the sunset was in advanced stages. We had our dinner in a restaurant near the Headquarters and started to Khun Yam. As usual, when the travelers are pressed in time, the last attractions on the day itinerary are withdrawn.
## This road consisted entirely of twists and turns. It took us more than 3 hours to reach our guesthouse in Khun Yam in complete darkness of the countryside. We were exhausted. The 4WD recommended by the map-booklet was unnecessary, because the road was pretty good, and it made us a bad service. The last row of seats (and it was the best choice of all 4WD available, with all original seats) was placed on the car’s floor. The passengers on these seats bent their legs during the whole journey, which made it hardly bearable. The travel was far away from the leisurely progress through the green valleys. I want to remind you, that this part of the journey was planned as leisure, a break between the tight sightseeing in preceding Bagan and future Angkor.
November 25, 2008, Tuesday
Detour to Mae Surin waterfalls and Buatong fields - 28km one way* - back to Khun Yuam - 70km to Mae Hong Son (on the way steep detour to Meo Microwave viewing point). In Mae Hong Son RG(p.407): Jong Kham Lake north shore view of Chong Klang & Chom Kham- view from Doi Kong Mou - Hua Wiang - 65.1 km to Soppong - 9.1 km one way to Tham Lot cave - at the cave entrance at about 17.30-18.00 (300,000 swifts fly into the cave).**
* The previous day was so exhaustive, and arrival to the guesthouse in Khun Yam so late, that nobody was ready to wake up early next morning. We left the guesthouse late. The roads had very few straight fragments, the twists and turns seemed endless. We moved very slowly. After the stop at Buatong fields above blooming Mexican sunflowers and arrival to the Mae Surin waterfalls viewpoint (a visit to the falls requires 3 hours return by foot) it become clear that with our speed of driving, the distance of 28 km back to Khun Yam + 70km to Mae Hong Son + 65km to Soppong + 9.1km to Tham Lot will hardly be covered in time necessary to attend the mass flight of swifts into the Tham Lot cave on sunset. As result a crazy drive through the beautiful country followed, while the passengers rocking on their seats did not enjoy it at all. All the core of this day itinerary was withdrawn. We passed through Mae Hong Son with a single desire to leave it as soon as possible. We managed to come to Tham Lot, which required some walkng through the woods, when the spectacle was in its early stages, but on the price of nearly ruined midday.
** This event is mentioned in RG (p.413) with only one sentence. The cave itself, which we saw next morning, is pleasant enough, but this dramatic show was unforgettable. Swifts (Merriam-Webster defines them as “any of numerous small plainly colored birds (family Apodidae) that are related to the hummingbirds but superficially much resemble swallows”) fly into the cave every day before sunset on breathtaking speeds in a very loose order. 300,000 or not, their number is great. The sky above was pierced by circling black silhouettes, waiting for their turn to come down. Their movement was very much chaotic, the collisions were frequent. Nearly a dozen of birds were killed in front of us, their corpses fell down into the river, flowing out of the cave, and on the beach. Some wounded swifts managed to rise, but being “superficially similar to swallows”, they could not start flying from the ground. The local guide helped them by placing on branches of a fallen tree. We stood overwhelmed with this great drama of instinct. Finally, the birds were simply coming to the cave to have a sleep…
November 26, 2008, Wednesday
Tham Lot cave - 40.8км to Pai: elephant ride - 131 км to Chiang Mai.*
* This day itinerary caused no problems and was carried out as planned. As you can see, there was nothing planned in the end of the day, and not too much planned at all. Perhaps you can point to the planner, that the three days on the loop were not planned evenly, and this day itinerary was significantly less tight, than the previous two. It is so. Defending myself, I can reply, that I did not see other way to watch the birds in Tham Lot cave in the evening. My idea was to move around the loop clockwise. If not, the time consuming highlight of Doi Inthanon Park with its multiple waterfalls would be moved to the last day’s afternoon, which is potentially dangerous, if something on this morning goes slower than planned. Moreover, the morning of this last day would be consumed by mere transportation from Khun Yam to the park. In addition, if the counterclockwise direction would be chosen, the morning of the first day would be also devoted to a long, time consuming drive from Chiang Mai to Pai. It would be essentially wrong, because mornings should be devoted to sightseeing, especially in natural surroundings, where there is nothing to do after sunset.
As it was written before, I am not happy with my plan for Mae Hong Son loop. The most obvious “corrective action” would be an additional day for this part of the journey. I also thought about it, and my internet survey of travelers’ opinion gave the distribution around 50/50 between three and four days needed to cover the loop. My objections for the four days’ plan were:
1. The overall journey is long enough. It is rather intensive travel with little relaxation. I did not want for anybody to feel exhausted before the end.
2. All of us had vacations, which are also limited.
3. This journey was devoted to art and architecture of Southeast Asia. Natural attractions were perceived as secondary, as a break between man-made ones. There is no necessity to explain to anyone concerned, how important is to keep your drive on the high level throughout the journey. I was afraid of dissipating the zeal during the overly long stay in the meadows of Northern Thailand.
4. The last obstacle was purely technical. Bangkok Airways had the flights from Chiang Mai to Siem Reap only twice a week, on Saturdays and Thursdays (on the time of writing as I know, this direction disappeared from their schedule). Together with the hapless flight from Yangon to Chiang Mai, this flight was one of two cornerstones of the air transportation frame for the whole journey. Obviously, I could easily substitute it by two flights Chiang Mai - Bangkok and Bangkok - Siem Reap, but I did not want to do it.
To make a long story short, I cannot present here a good plan for Mae Hong Son loop, but I hope, that this analysis can be useful.
November 27, 2008, Thursday
Chiang Mai temples: by car to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, back to the old town: Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Chiang Man, Wat Bupparam…* Arrival to the airport at 13:00. Bangkok Airways flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia (Angkor), departure 15:00, arrival 17:15. Transfer to the hotel.
* This morning’s plan was devoted to the very loosely defined sightseeing of Chiang Mai temples. Obviously, it was possible to visit no more than three, considering a long drive to Doi Suthep Mountain in the beginning. We were supposed to arrive in the airport two hours before departure, so it was decided to visit what can be visited. While planning I thought about Chiang Mai architectural heritage as something pleasant, but not equal to its great Burmese and Cambodian neighbors. It is impossible to see everything which deserves to be seen. The goal of a tourist is to seek impressions, which requires sharp, unexhausted eye. As result a planner is obliged to rate attractions of the same type before he saw them, and to skip some of them, which he considers secondary on the stage of planning.
On the morning of November 27 we stood in the precinct of Wat Phra Doi Suthep temple on the mountain summit and enjoyed the panoramic view of Chiang Mai below. The nearby airport was also perfectly visible. It looked strangely quiet. No airplane took off or landed. In Pai we have heard something about political unrest in Bangkok, but in Chiang Mai there were no signs of it, and nothing looked disturbing. Even when TV in the hotel lobby showed the yellow mob occupying Bangkok International Airport, I did not take it serious, thinking that this action will terminate quickly (actually it was already in its third day). I could not imagine, that something damaging tourism can happen in a country like Thailand on a height of a season. Moreover, our flight had nothing to do with Bangkok, it was scheduled from Chiang Mai to Siem Reap, and Bangkok Airways had their hubs in 3 additional airports around the country. Immediately after leaving the hotel to the airport we encountered a funeral cortege of half a dozen cars, which moved slowly along the narrow street just before us. It was impossible to overtake them, and we moved with a turtle’s speed, watching sorrowful faces of mourners. At the airport counter we were informed, that all the flights for today were cancelled, despite two operated by non-Thai companies: to Luang Prabang in Laos and Kunmin in China. Both of them were useless for us, considering our final destination in Angkor, and they were fully booked. The ground travel was also inapplicable, because on our bad luck Thai-Cambodian relations were on a lowest point because of a disputed Khmer temple, and an openness of border crossings was questionable. Moreover, all three days in Angkor supposed tight sightseeing beginning next morning, and considering the necessity of getting back from Angkor to Thai Phuket this step would move us in even bigger uncertainty. It meant, that a dream of my childhood, my desire to see the jungle covered temples of ancient Khmer capital, which only became stronger during the years, was ruined in such an idiotic way. Instead of traveling to Cambodia we were forced to stay in Chiang Mai for additional night. Next day, November 28, we spent in the city and saw all of its historic temples. They are really interesting and deserve a visit. In the late evening we took a bus to Bangkok. Next morning we arrived to the capital and in three hours left it by another bus to Phuket. Our long transfer finished there late in the evening of November 29. November 30 was spent on the beach, and next morning we started to Khao Sok National Park according to the plan.
November 28, 2008, Friday
Angkor*: leaving hotel at 05:00
The sunrise visit to Ta Prohm(24)**
1. The breakfast at the hotel
2. Rolous Group : Lolei(4); Preah Ko(2); Bakong(3)***
3. Prasat Kravan(9)
4. Srah Srang(26)#
5. Drive to visit Banteay Srey(14)##
Lunch near Banteay Srei
6. on the way back East Mebon temple(11)
7. Sunset on Pre Rup(13)###
* Sadly, this plan will be discussed here as a plan only; it was not implemented. I contacted Mr. John Teng, the most recommended local independent guide, and he wrote me, that he will take us around personally. Internet forums were filled by travelers’ posts stressing the extreme poverty of Cambodians and very aggressive style of begging, especially by local children. Unlike in Myanmar, I decided not to stroll around without a local guide. Another reason for this decision was the size of Angkor temple complexes and - compared to Bagan - a huge amount of architectural decorations, sculptures and bas-reliefs, which sometimes can be difficult to find and identify. This plan was completed in a week, after consultations with Mr. Teng. Three days seemed sufficient to me to have a close look on main Angkor sites. The site passes are sold for one day, three days and one week. One or two days visit seemed too short to me, I was disturbed by idea, that some of the sites of prime importance could be missed. To reserve more than three days looked too tiresome for a first time visit. These three days itinerary was devoted exclusively to Khmer architecture and art. I asked Mr. Teng to withdraw the customary boat trip on Tonle Sap Lake, which he offered, despite lake’s importance for ancient Angkor and modern Siem Reap and certain geographic interest. I was impressed with the stories of small children in basins coming close to the tourist boats for begging. Besides that immediately after a visit to Angkor I planned to see much more tranquil lake in Southern Thailand. An excellent guidebook by Dawn Rooney Angkor: Cambodia’s Wondrous Khmer Temples (ACWKT) helped me to sketch this itinerary. All the citations below concerning Angkor refer to this book. To follow the itinerary you can use this clear map. The numbers of sites in parenthesis refer to the map.
** “Ta Prohm is at its best in the early morning when the dew is lifting. The jungle growth entwined around the stones glistens with drops of moisture, and as the night air fades the sun rises, casting haunting shadows in the crevices of fallen stones.” (p.150) “Ta Prohm was left untouched by archeologists, except for clearing of a path for visitors and structural strengthening… Because of this natural state, it is possible to experience at this temple some of the wonder of the early explorers, when they came upon these monuments in the mid-19th century. Shrouded in the jungle, the temple of Ta Prohm is ethereal in aspect and conjures a romantic aura.” (p.300)
What a better place to start can be imagined?
*** Unlike Bagan, where the historic changes in architecture are not pronounced, Angkor gives an opportunity to see the development of the style. Because of that certain historicist motif could be introduced into the itinerary, i.e. the planner makes an effort to place the earlier temples on the route before the later ones, trying to preserve some chronology. This intention should not be dominating, because being brought to its extreme it will force travelers to jump from one end of the archeological zone to another, making useless transfers and ignoring aesthetics of visual perception. A tourist is not a scientist, he is not making a research or inventory of monuments, he wants to satisfy his curiosity and seeks impressions, while trying to understand. A good planner guided by taste and experience should not forget it.
The temples of Roulos Group are one of the earliest in Angkor, they belong to the late ninth century and “have similar characteristics of architecture, decoration, materials and construction methods, which combine to reveal the beginning of the classic period of Khmer art.” (p.266). This was the reason, I wanted to begin with them.
# These two small sites were planned to be visited on the way to Banteay Srei. Prasat Kravan - “The exceptional feature of this temple is remarkable carvings on interior walls which stand alone as unique example in Khmer art.”(p.282). Srah Srang - “…elegant landing terrace of superb proportion and scale. It is a pleasant spot to sit and look out over the surrounding plain.”(p.284)
## This remote temple supposed to be the culmination of the first day in Angkor. “… remarkable state of preservation, small size and excellence of intricate decoration. The unanimous opinion amongst French archeologists who worked at Angkor is that Banteay Srei is a “precious gem” and a “jewel in Khmer art”.”(p.326)
### “The best vistas for sunset are Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng, Pre Rup, East Mebon and Ta Keo”(p.157)
November 29, 2008, Saturday
Leaving the hotel at 07:00
1. Explore Angkor Thom. Visit South Gate, Bayon(31), Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas(17), Terrace of Elephant(36), Baphuon(18) and the Terrace of Leper King(37).
Lunch
2. Spend the full afternoon exploring Angkor Wat(20). *
3. In the evening Khmer Traditional Dancing Show**
* This day, I thought, will be a culmination not only of the Angkor chapter, but of the whole journey. It seemed to me essentially wrong to rush to Angkor Wat on the first morning; the monuments of such importance require more patient approach. You should get used to surroundings, be a little familiar with the style. On the other side, to leave it for the last day would also not be wise: it would be better to return there, to see the temple for the second time. “If you have time, plan to visit Angkor Wat and the Bayon twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, to see these great monuments in different lighting conditions”(p.158). Lighting aside, sometimes it is worth to return to the great works of art twice during the same journey. The second sight is not only complementary, it can be deeper, because at the first time emotions can sometimes blur important details.
Dawn Rooney writes about Angkor Thom: “ … it is one of the most undisturbed and least visited parts of central Angkor. Walk around this area leisurely and enjoy the beauty of Baphuon, Phimeanakas, Preah Palilay… - all in the city of Angkor Thom”(p.159).
“As most of the temples face east, the best lighting conditions are in the morning, except for Angkor Wat where the best light is in the afternoon because it faces west.”(p.159). This excellent notion made me to plan this day itinerary in such way.
** I have read, that these shows are certainly tourist-oriented but professional and closely related to the original Khmer dance. It would be a good break after the day of such sightseeing, so I agreed to introduce it into the itinerary. I had no idea, where will it take place, and relied completely on Mr. Teng.
November 30, 2008, Sunday
Leaving the hotel at 07:00
1. Visit the hilltop temple of Phnom Krom(6) with the view of Tonle Sap.*
2. Preah Khan(27)
3. Neak Pean(28)
4. Ta Som(29)
5. Ta Keo(15)
6. Optional return to the most memorable places in Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat
7. Sunset at Phnom Bakheng(5) (on a top of mountain) with Angkor Wat scenery.**
Directly from Phnom Bakheng to the airport. Bangkok Airways flight to Bangkok, departure 20:45, arrival 21:40. Hotel in Bangkok.
* It supposed to be a substitution for a boat trip on the lake. “This temple is worth a visit for its dramatic setting, early architecture and spectacular views”; “… a fine view of the lake and surrounding area. Because of the climb and the heat, it is best to visit this temple early in the morning or late in the afternoon”(p.352). Unfortunately, Angkor has no balloon flights like Bagan. “You have a chance to land on mines”, - said me our Belgian pilot in Myanmar. The tethered balloon after the free flying over Bagan looked not very exciting. I was nearly ready to book an 8 minutes “scenic flight” on helicopter over Angkor Wat, but after seeing the video on youtube gave it up. It seemed to me, that the helicopter was flying too far from the temple. This decision was of course very personal.
** “The best times to visit are in the morning or at a sunset… This view should not be missed.”(p.322). And then down from the summit, our car with the luggage waiting below, I wanted us to drive directly to the airport and fly away, the unmissable view still in front of us…
December 1, 2008, Monday
Bangkok Airways flight from Bangkok to Phuket, departure 08:10, arrival 09:30.* By rented car to Khao Sok National Park, Chieow Laan Lake Pier (2.5 hours). Meeting Limestone Lake Rainforest Tours representative.**
12:30 Chieow Laan Lake
Guest's own arrangements for transport to Chieow Laan Lake Pier. Arrival at Chieow Laan Lake Pier and departure from Chieow Laan Pier for travel to floating rafthouses.
13:30 Floating Rafthouses
Arrival at floating rafthouses
14:00 Floating Rafthouses
Lunch at floating rafthouses
15:.00 Floating Rafthouses
Free time for relaxing, canoeing or swimming
16:30 Guided canoe trip
The guided canoe trip will explore some of the hidden coves at the lake, and with a bit of luck produce some wildlife spotting opportunities along the way.
19:00 Floating Rafthouses
Buffet Thai style dinner at floating rafthouses. Overnight at floating rafthouses
* This transfer from Siem Reap to Phuket with a night stopover in Bangkok can look a bit complicated for anyone familiar with Bangkok Airways schedule. Indeed they offered a flight from Siem Reap to Phuket with an intermediate landing in Bangkok (you remain in the same airplane). The problem was that in July 2008, 5 months before the journey, when I began to book the tickets, this particular flight could not be booked as a part of Discovery Airpass program, which offered substantial discounts. Bangkok Airways monopolized the Cambodian direction in Thailand, so I had no choice.
** The idea for the Southern Thailand’s part of the journey was very simple: it should be a relaxation. No architecture, no temples - what more temples will you wish to see after Angkor? Moreover, this part of Thailand has nothing substantial. But the relaxation will not be of a beach/resort type, it will be purely visual, sightseeing in the tropical environment. I thought about the most interesting places available in this season in this part of Thailand for 5-6 days and chose three: Chieow Laan Lake in Khao Sok National Park; Mu Ko Surin Archipelago and lagoon tour of Phang Nga Bay north-east of Phuket Island. It looked more convenient to rent a car, which did not possess any problem. RG in the chapters devoted to these areas is highly informative and reliable.
The idea to have an overnight stay in the rafthouses on Chieow Laan Lake was taken from RG. The Australian-owned tour operator Limestone Lake Rainforest Tours was also recommended by them. The place was as breathtaking, as it was described in the guidebook, and the tour itself was excellent.
December 2, 2008, Tuesday
On the Lake.
07:00 Floating Rafthouses
Wildlife spotting from longtail boat
08:30 Floating Rafthouses
Breakfast at floating rafthouses
09:30 Guided jungle walk
Guided rainforest walk and (optional) cave exploration at Coral Cave
12:00 Floating Rafthouses
Lunch at floating rafthouses
13:30 Transfer from floating rafthouses to Chieow Laan pier
Travel by boat to Chieow Laan pier where you will be met by your transfer vehicle
14:30 Chieow Laan Lake
End of tour.
Leaving the pier to the Khao Sok National Park. Walk to Rafflesia.* Leaving the Park to Kuraburi. Hotel in Kuraburi.
* The National Park is big and has two focal points. The first one is the pier near the dam which provides access to the lake and the rafthouses. The second and the main is the National Park Headquarters 60 km west from the first, which attractions are provided by a rainforest. I wanted to get there after leaving the lake to see blooming rafflesias, the biggest flowers on earth (Thailand possesses Rafflesia Kerii up to 80 cm in diameter, second in size after Indonesian Rafflesia Arnoldii). We were in the park 2 hours before the closure. The flowers require a guided walk 1 hour one way led by a park ranger. When we came to the Headquarters, the group of 5 rangers were occupied by an idle talk and definitely refused to go anywhere, unless I will pay them 60$ “tip”. I refused to do it. It was not my first negative experience with Thai Department of National Parks - see the booking of bungalows on Ko Surin Islands. Usually the Thai people are justly known as extremely polite, friendly and helpful. The Department’s personnel we encountered showed very opposite qualities. Who knows, perhaps it was a case of a bad luck.
December 3, 2008, Wednesday
At 09:00 a speed boat to Mu Ko Surin Islands - National Marine Park (1-1.5 hours). Snorkeling. Night on the islands.*
* These islands were hailed by RG as a best shallow coral reef in Thailand. It was really impressive, whether or not. Nobody of us practice diving, so for pleasant snorkeling in environment, which fits travel poster, the place was ideal. The islands are located 60 km west off the continent. On Thai standards Mu Ko Surin is expensive, and logistics of visiting it is complicated. The only way to stay overnight there is to book bungalow, belonging to the Department of National Parks. You also need to reserve tickets for a boat, which will take you there. My mistake was to do these things straightforward and separately. Dealing with National Parks officials in Bangkok responsible for booking bungalows for tourists was a torment. Their internet site did not work properly, nobody in office could answer me even in modest English, when I called there, and it took me a lot of time to accomplish the money transfer as they required it. If you will decide to visit Mu Ko Surin, I can recommend to find one of Thai travel agents, who will do all this annoying work instead of you. The staff on the islands consisted of a lot of lazy boys and girls playing badminton and being busy with themselves. The only “restaurant” was also a part of the same Department. The food was not only unpalatable, but also not always fresh. Despite all these details the overall experience was great.
December 4, 2008, Thursday
Snorkeling. At 15:30 back to the continent by boat. 2.5-3 hours drive to Phuket Island.
December 5, 2008, Friday
Hong by Starlight tour of the western part of Phang Nga Bay.*
12:30-13:00 Hotel Pick-up
13:30 Arrive Ao Po and board our modern twin-engine escort boat
Thai-style light lunch, trip and Nature Game briefing.
14:30 Arrive first island and explore 1-2 caves and hongs
15:30 Return to the escort boat and move to the second island
16:00 Explore two more caves and hongs
18:00 Self-paddle, swimming and make your own Kratong
while waiting for the sunset. Thai seafood buffet dinner
during Phang Nga Bay Sunset.
19:00 Return to a previously visited Hong after dark
and launch your own Kratong
20:00 Depart for Ao Po. Thai Seafood buffet dinner.
Play Star Games on the Starlight deck.
21:00 Arrive Ao Po and transfer to your mini-van.
21:30-22:00 Drop off at your hotel.
End of John Gray Sea Canoe service.
* There are several companies in Phuket, which can take you to these lagoons (Thais call them hong). I chose John Gray Sea Canoe, because they were the only one, which included a visit to one of hongs after dark. Eventually they were the most expensive. I cannot testify, that plankton glow in the water after dark was strong, but the tour was wonderful, and nobody remained disappointed.
December 6, Saturday
Free time on the beach, or sightseeing in the vicinity of Phuket. Bangkok Airways flight to Bangkok, departure 19:40, arrival 21:00. Departure from Bangkok at 23:15
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Map of Burma
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