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Two Weeks:

Thailand & Vietnam

Whenever you are traveling around Asia, you should try to book a hotel with a hotel shuttle to and from the airport. It is very common for taxi drivers to scam tourists. Also, only get into a taxi from the taxi line- random locals will also try to convince tourists to use their transportation services. 

During the time of this trip I was living in China, so I didn't have to worry about adjusting to the time change. Day one is fairly relaxed so you don't have to worry about being too tired. We relied on the subway system and ferry for transportation; it is a good idea to look for a hotel/ hostel near the subway station. 

Day One: Bangkok

  • Amphawa Floating Market (outside of the city)

    • we took a taxi from our hotel to the floating market​

    • come hungry! there was a ton of delicious, local food to try

    • there is also a small boat service that will take you from the floating market to some smaller temples & tea farms for an additional fee. (50 Bhat/ 2 USD)

  • Jim Thompson House​

    • Admission: 200 Bhat/ 6 USD​

    • The Jim Thompson house is a really unique house that was turned into a museum after the owner (& architect of the house) mysteriously disappeared in Malaysia in 1967

    • The restaurant at this museum has some very delicious food. It's more expensive than other restaurants in Bangkok but we thought it was well worth it. 

    • You are not allowed to take pictures inside of the house

  • Rooftop Bars for happy hour​

  • Night Market​

    • We took the ferry down to Asiatique for food & shopping- lots of shopping
       

Day Two: Bangkok

Day two is full of temples- make sure you are dressed appropriately! You must have your shoulders and knees covered; you will not be allowed entry into the Grand Palace with a shaw or scarf over your shoulders. 
 

  • The Grand Palace

  • Wat Phra Kaew

  • Vimanmek Mansion

    • ​arrive early! people are asked to remove shoes in some of the temples, bring a bag to put your shoes in so you do not have to put them on the designated shelves (it is considered rude to carry your shoes in your hands)

    • Combined Ticket for all three: 350 Bhat/ 10 USD

  • Wat Arun

    • Recommended to see at sundown

    • open 9:00-5:30 pm

    • ​50 Bhat/ 8.93 RMB/1.39 USD

  • Lunch Suggestions near the palace:

    • ​Restaurants off Wat Arun Pier

    • ​The Deck at Arun Residence about 10 min. walk from the GP with beautiful views of Wat Arun. (more expensive)

  • ​Khao San Road: markets/ street food

  • Rooftop Bars


 

Day Three: Bangkok/ Train to Chiang Mai

  • Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall

    • ​50 Baht/ 1.39 USD

  • Free day- we walked around and enjoyed the city/ shopped/ and looked for restaurants before our train

  • Train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

    • we chose to train from Bangkok to Chian Mai, but you can find cheap flights as well​

    • DO NOT miss you train.. we bought an overnight cabin with beds but we missed our train by 5 minutes and had to buy new tickets on sight.. we did not get beds.. it was a LONG 12 hour train ride

    • orginial tickets: 1081 THB/ 30 USD

Day Four: Chiang Mai

Day Five: Elephant Sanctuary, Chiang Mai

  • Elephant Sanctuary

    • There are a lot of Sanctuaries in Chiang Mai. You will want to research each preserve &​ reserve your spot in advance, they fill up fast!

    • We were picked up at 7:40 am & dropped off at 6:30 pm

    • 6,000 THB/166 USD- prices may vary depending on when you visit

    • Lunch was provided

    • Our tour included a short hike, a bamboo raft ride down the river, a homemade lunch, and feeding & bathing elephants

 

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Day Six: Pattaya

This is when I tell you to splurge and travel to Phuket or Phi Phi island. We were trying to budget and settled for Pattaya, so if you're looking for a cheaper beach town option this will do. However, one of our biggest regrets is skipping Phuket- make sure to explore all of your options. This goes for planning vacations in general; I never take one person's itinerary and copy it exactly, I always try to adjust things to make sure I am getting everything I want out of my vacations. 

  • We had an early flight from Chiang Mai to Pattaya. We found cheap airfar on skyscanner

  • Beach Day

    • 25 minutes boat ride to coral island from the mainland

    • Ferry to Ko Larn from the Bali Hai Pier,

      • off Walking Street 

      • Price: 20 baht/ 0.60 USD for the ferry ride.

      • Buy the ticket inside the Bali Hai building, kiosk on right side.

      • There are restaurants on the island 

  • Relax/ Shower at hotel​​

  • Dinner/ Night life

    • Walking Street​

      • Walking street has all kinds of entertainment! There was live music at every bar/ restaurant we went to. We stayed out until 4:00 AM without even realizing it!​

      • To get to walking street, there are trucks that drive up and down the main strip. You can just hop on and off thee busses for 20 Bhat. If you stop the truck, the driver will treat it as a taxi and charge you more money.

Day Seven: Pattaya

There are a lot of great breakfast spots along the pier! After grabbing some breakfast, we met a tour company at the boat docks for a snorkeling excursion and island hopping. 

  • We booked snorkeling at the pier so I don't remember the name of the company, but there are plenty of options. There are also other types of excursion available including parasailing, jet skiing, and scuba diving 

  • OtherSights:

Day Eight: Travel Day to Hanoi

For budget purposes, we chose to bus back to the Bangkok airport (about 1.5 hours from Pattaya) to catch our flight to Hanoi. If you are traveling around Asia during the Chinese New Year, arrive at the airport VERY early. Also, make sure you double, TRIPLE check which airport you are flying in and out of in Bangkok; there is more than one international airport. 

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Free day in Hanoi:

  • Hanoi is so full of culture! Just walking around the town is a unique experience in itself. Try out some Pho and their local coffee- make sure to note different landmarks so you can find your way back to your hotel. 

  • For this itinerary, we booked the Six Days: Best of Northern Vietnam tour through Vietnam Unique Tours. This was a great, cheap option to see as much as possible without having to worry about transportation. The tour company had shuttles from our hotels to different modes of public transportation, which took us to different regions of Vietnam. Don't worry, you don't spend every day with 20+ people- it's not that kind of tour company; they simply set us up with a city tour, hotel accommodations, transportation, some meals, and a cruise down Ha Long Bay. 

  • Your first day/ Night in Vietnam will be on your own, but the tour company took care of the rest of the week

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Day Nine: Hanoi

We were picked up from our hotel around 9:00 am for our city tour of Hanoi. In addition to seeing some of the local workshops, we stopped at some of the most famous sights:
 

  • Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

  • Ho Chi Minh Museum

  • The Temple of Literature

  • The Ethnology Museum 

  • Ngoc Son Temple.

 

During the tour we were also provided lunch at one of the local restaurants. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and very friendly! We still had the evening to explore the city on our own; the tour company dropped us off at our hotel by 6:00 PM
 

Day Ten: Sapa

You will be picked up bright and early to head to the beautiful, Sapa. Breakfast and lunch are provided by the tour company on this day. 

  • We were transferred to Sapa by a large bus. There are two options for the rest of this day:

    • You may trek to the Cat Cat village and hike around the rice fields before heading back to Sapa, where you will stay in a hotel

    • Or you may trek to the Cat Cat village and do an overnight stay with some of the villagers (this is what we chose to do)

      • We went to Vietnam in February, during the lunar new year, so we lucked out and got to experience a Vietnamese new year's festival in the rice fields- definitely the highlight of our trip! There were different games and competitions that the locals and tourists (only a handful of tourists were with us) could participate in. 

      • During the overnight stay, we were given a homemade meal for lunch and dinner. 

      • We slept in one of the villager's home with about 10 other tourists.

      • There are a few small restaurants in town; we spent the evening getting to know each other over hot chocolate at one of the small cafes nearby. 

Day Eleven: Sapa & Ha Long Bay

In the morning we had a delicious homemade breakfast before embarking on a short hike back to Sapa. Once we returned, our guides shuttled us to the docks where we were able to board our river-cruise boat. 

  • We were picked up around 8:00 AM

  • Once we were all on board, we were escorted into the dining room for lunch. 

  • Throughout the journey you will have the opportunity to view one of the wonders of the natural world, Ha Long Bay

  • We were also able to kayak through the bay (swimming is avaialble during warmer months)

  • The cruise line provided us with a complimentary drink on the top deck where we were able to look out onto the bay

  • Later in the evening, we were given a delicious, seafood dinner followed by Karaoke in the dining hall. 

Day Twelve: Ha Long Bay

Before heading back to the docks, we had one more day out on the water.

  • During our cruise back, we stopped at a pearl farm village and a historic cave.

    • We experienced tours through both sights.

  • Once we were back on the boat, the cruise held a cooking class where we made vietnamese spring roles for lunch.

  • After we arrived at the docks, we were transported back to Hanoi

    • We spent our last evening enjoying the city.​

    • We chose to stay at the same hotel as our first few nights so we were familiar with the area.

Day Thirteen: Travel Home

The Vietnam tour is normally six days long, but we wanted to be back home a little early so the company scheduled everything within five days for us.

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About Me

I'm a teacher and a travel addict! I'm just trying to make my way around the world, one plane ticket at a time. 
 

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