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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.

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November 14, 2008, Friday

Arrival to Bangkok 14:25. Transfer to Bangkok Centre Hotel.*
A walk in Chinatown.**

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* 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?

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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.

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* 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 naïve. 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!

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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.**

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* 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.

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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. 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.

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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.

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* 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.

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November 19, 2008, Wednesday

Day on the lake (full day boat ride, including a visit to Indein and Ywama floating market).*

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* 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.

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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.

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* The place itself, as LP (p.179) justly observes has somewhat kitschy appearance. The real attraction was the countryside - rural Myanmar at her best.

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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

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* 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 (

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* 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.


Lunch near Banteay Srei
6. on the way back East Mebon temple(11)
7. Sunset on Pre Rup(13) 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)

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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**

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* 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.

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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.

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* 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…

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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

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* 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.

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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.

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* 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.

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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.*

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* 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.

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December 4, 2008, Thursday

Snorkeling. At 15:30 back to the continent by boat. 2.5-3 hours drive to Phuket Island.

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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.

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* 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.

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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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