Need som tips for our "get-the-by-ourselfs"-travel from Bangkok to Kualu Lumpur.
**Get-THERE-by-ourselfs**
Hello.
Me and my friend (both boys, 20 years from Norway) are going on a RTW trip and we kind of feel that we have figured out at least briefly the "what/where/when"-s for most of the trip, besides our 1 month in south-east Asia. Our plane lands in Bangkok in early february (2007) and we have one month to get to Kualu Lumpur. Our problem is that we know that there is a lot of nice places and things to see along the way, but that's about all we know.
Our main interests for this part of the trip is to get as many "Kodak-moments" as possible (great exotic things to see ect), and - hate it or love it - to see lovely beaches and meet at least _some_ people that we can talk to (understand). Kind of a mix between exotic landmarks, meet backpackers/tourists and party. In a 50/50 way. And yeah, no need to point out how "in-the-box" we are. We know, it's our first trip.
So, the question is... Does anybody have some tips for location/route/transportation/etc for our trip?
Thanks,
Vegar
Reply to this Hi Vegar,
Thailand is the backpacker hub of the world and they are more than catered for people trying to cram in as much as possible in a short space of time. There are many transport options which you can go with and there's really no need to arrange them prior to arriving. Be aware though there are scams and tours you can get caught up in - often pushed onto you by travel agents. I normally booked through the hostel I was staying in - most will do this for you - and never had any problems. (Tours are not necessarily a bad thing... but you'll know when you want a tour and when you just want transport.)
Deciding on where to go can be tough and if you do make a firm itinerary it'll get altered at some stage depending on who you meet or a place you love. But it's worth knowing a few places to look out for.
This
thread has some recommendations for places in Thailand you should see.
I'd suggest you include as possible options:
- Ayutthuya for some ancient ruins. Impressive, and worth it as you are not going to Angkor Wat.
- Kanchanaburi for the Bridge on the River Kwai and Erawan Falls are beautiful.
- Koh Phan-ngan for the full moon party (I never went due to timing but everyone will ask you when you get back about it...)
Malaysia:
- Langkawi (was often recommended to me but never got to visit.)
- Cameron Highlands - a laid back, great place.
On your schedule I'd avoid staying any length of time on Koh Samui (Thailand) - it's very commercial. I'd also avoid Penang (Malaysia) - not really worth it if you are tight for time.
I'm sure there are others who can help with more info.
Reply to this hey vegar,
u can actually opt to fly to kuala lumpur from bangkok. check out for cheap air flights from air asia (malaysia's budget airlines). otherwise u can take a bus ride to kl.
from kl, u can get to various other destinations such as :
- redang (white sandy beach in the east coast)
- malacca (historical city)
- east malaysia (sabah and sarawak - for its greeneries and nature)
- taman negara (national park)
- perak (for limestone caves)
- singapore
do check out www.tourism.gov.my and u will be spoilt for choices.
as for thailand, i personally love bangkok and koh samui.
Reply to this HI Vegar,
I spent a month in thailand on my way over to the UK. You dont really need to book any travel before you go. But as matt said its a good idea to put together a list of places you would like to see. I would personnally recomend Chaing mai and do a trek up there. i also agree with Matt not to spend much time (if at all) in Ko Samui. Travelling by train is quite cheap although the reliablility is sometimes a bit bad. As a rough guide on times it takes about 13hours bangkok to Chaing mai. And about the same to Surat thani (for Ko Phan ngan)
You'll love it, just dont drink too much beer Chang!
Reply to this Hi,
Travelling from Thailand to Malaysia? Recommend this site......FULL OF DETAILS.........all about how to travel from Thailand to Malaysia http://www.mymalaysiabooks.com/malaysia/Thailand_to_Malaysia.htm
and how to travel from Malaysia to Singapore....(Free Road Maps of malaysia too)
Quote from site...........From south Thailand, travel by road if you want to go to the border states of Kedah, Perlis or Kelantan. Border crossing and checkpoint by way of Perlis is through Wang Kelian and Padang Besar, Kedah through Bukit Kayu Hitam and Kelantan through Rantau Panjang. You can also cross by ferry from Satun to Langkawi (Kedah). There are also other minor border crossings. Visitors should use the major crossings, as minor crossing are usually for locals and you may have difficulty getting transportation to continue your journey.
The border crossings at Padang Besar and Bukit Kayu Hitam are open from 6am to 12midnight (Malaysia Time) . Other crossing closes at 7pm or 10 pm. Before you cross the border be sure to check out the customs and immigration requirements in both countries.
The main webpage is........www.mymalaysiabooks.com
Cheer!
Reply to this There are plenty of excellent trains from Bangkok to southern Thailand, with connections by bus or ferry to Thailand's beaches and islands. Sungai Kolok is on the frontier with Malaysia. You can walk across the frontier and get a bus a few miles on to Kota Bharu. The railway station for Kota Bharu is Wakaf Bahru (3 miles or so from Kota Bharu), from where there are daily trains to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur via the scenic 'Jungle Line' - see the Malaysia page. This route forms an interesting alternative to the more usual mainline route from Bangkok to KL and Singapore via Butterworth.
Gary Hendricks
Best-Singapore-Vacation.com Reply to this 
