S/E Asia Itinery....HELP!

That's a big itinary for 5 weeks. Thailand is a big country, there is a lot to see and if you are travelling overland the distances are big. It can take 12 hours to travel by train or bus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, and the equivelent from Bangkok to the islands to the South. A PADI diving course will take 4 days, add a day each side of it to travel, and perhaps a day or so to chill before or after the course and that's one week just in the South of Thailand! Vietnam is also a big country, I think it takes about 36 hours to travel North to South (correct me if I'm wrong someone). That's without stopping! Cambodia and Laos are smaller but traveling takes longer because the roads are not so well maintained.

Personally I would cut the number of places you want to visit down, and make sure you actually see some of the country and don't spend your whole holiday traveling. I would spend a few days in Bangkok, it will take at least 3 days for you to find your feet, get over the culture shock and learn to appreciate the city. Then take a trip to Kanchanaburi, about 2 hours west of Bangkok to see the Bridge over the River Kwai, war cemetries, war museum, Erawan falls, ride an elephant, see the Tiger Temple if that's your thing. Its a lovely place and you stay on raft houses next to the river, great place to relax at night. Then go back to Bangkok and up to Chiang Mai, take in the city for a few days, maybe go out to Pai in the North, one of our favourite places in the whole of Asia. From Chiang Mai go to Chiang Kong and cross into Laos, get the slow boat to Luang Prabang. It takes two days. Alternatively you can fly to Luang Prabang from Chiang Mai. Cost us about 50 quid on Laos Airways. Spend a week traveling from Luang Prabang, through Vang Vieng and to Vientiene, and go back into Thailand over the friendship bridge. You can get an overnight train back to Bangkok. Then go to Cambodia over the border at Poipet to Siem Reap and spend a couple of days seeing the temples at Angkor. I would recommend getting a three day ticket because there are some amazing temples. The landmine museum is good too, very thought provoking. Go back to Bangkok the same way and then go down to the islands for your Padi course.

Just a suggestion....that would be: 1-2 weeks Bangkok, Kanchanaburi and Chiang Mai
1 week Laos
1 week Cambodia
1 week Padi course
If you have time for extra stuff you could see the temples at Ayuttaya or Sukhuthai, take in a jungle trek in one of the national parks at Khao Yai (north of Bangkok) or Khao Sok (Andaman coast) or some more beach time on the other side of the peninsular, the beaches around Krabi are beautiful.

I'm sure other bloggers will have other suggestions. I would suggest you don't do a whistle stop and try and see everything, you will exhaust yourself travelling and miss some of the best atmosphere and experiences that South East Asia has to offer...

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