Going to Thialand and need some help.

Richard_Dicosimo · #1 12-30-2007, 01:38 AM

I'm planning a trip to Thialand in the end of January of 2008. I will be in Thialand for about 20 days. i am a certified scuba diver and am hoping to get a bunch of dives in, the problem is that my mom may be joining me, and she is not a certified diver and im not entirely sure she will want to try diving.

my plan is to fly into phuket and wander from phuket to the Krabi provence and its islands then go to the Khao Sok National park and then head to Phangnga provance and the similan islands before heading back to phuket at the end of my trip.

i know very little about Thialand and im trying to soak up as much info as fast as i can. im hoping you can tell me of anything that i should deffinately try to see or do, a place i should or shouldnt go, and if there is anything i should avoid. is my time frame going to be enough to see all the places i have listed? or am i trying to fit to much into to short a period of time??

i have gotten some responses on other boards and was hoping that maybe some people on this board could also help.

Richard

Der_Iron_Chef · #2 12-30-2007, 06:27 AM

Thailand is a breathtaking country...and I'm a bit envious

I've been there five times, so I guess I can't complain, lol.

You can definitely accomplish everything you're wanting to accomplish within the 20-day time frame. I personally like to settle in a place for at least 4-5 days to really enjoy it, but that's not totally necessary.

Phuket and Krabi are really nice (of course), but also quite commercial and touristy. I'm not sure what you're looking for. If it's just mainly diving, then you could certainly use one or both as a home base.

The Similan Islands are not to be missed. Spectacular. I've also been around Phi Phi Island and Hin Mouang, both of which were also pretty awesome.

Are you considering traveling up to Northern Thailand at all? Perhaps an elephant trek or two? Chiang Mai and the surrounding areas are all pretty incredible.

trilinearmipmap · #3 12-30-2007, 04:52 PM

I've been there twice but never dived.

It's a beautiful country that unfortunately has been largely ruined by literally hundreds of millions of tourists over the past 30 years.

I would suggest looking up some stuff on the internet about Thai culture and social customs. The Thai people have a different manner of speaking with others. They tend to be quiet and never show anger or be confrontational. Our normal western way of dealing with people can lead to misunderstandings and offence over there.

I would talk to your doctor or public health unit about immunizations including Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B immunizations and ask about the immunization for traveler's diarrhea.

I'm planning on getting my PADI open water certification sometime in 2008 and I'm not sure where to go to learn to dive so a trip report after you come back would be appreciated.

Slipstream · #4 12-30-2007, 07:02 PM

I used this site for my trip to Mexico, and to Aussieland. Its one of the best sites ive seen, hope it helps, did a tid bit of searching for ya already.

Phuket
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...es-Phuket.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g2...ba.Diving.html

Krabi
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...ies-Krabi.html

Phangnga
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Search?q=Phangnga

Richard_Dicosimo · #5 12-30-2007, 07:06 PM

thank you for all the info so far. so far it looks like im going to focus on the similan islands ko phi phi don and some of the krabi province mainland (elephant treks and stuff).

as for getting open water certified... i got my certifactaion i think 5 years ago at a place called extreme detours in eu clair. but extreme detours has to my knowledge gone out of bussiness. my favorite place in calgary for anything dive related is the dive shop across from hooters on mcloude trail. i was certified in waterton and dont recomend it. its basicaly a glacier lake i went in the middle of summer and i found out that glacier water is basically almost the coldest water in the world to dive in. LITERALY!! if you can get out to vancouver island i would recomend that or even better somewhere tropical. the only thing is that i have heard in tropical destinations the training isnt always as good because competition is so fierce in places that they just zip you through so that you can basically go straight to diving. i dont find diving is a complicated activity but its good to know how to use a dive chart so you dont have a life threatening accident. i did some specialty training through ogden point dive center on victoria island last year in march. the water was clear a tad colder then in summer but not to to major, and hotel pirces where dirt cheap i stayed at the harbour... something or other about 3 blocks from ogden point and it was like 80$ a night for a full suite, which i thought was awesome. i was in walking distance to downtown, the warf, the main strip, and the dive shop.

hope that helps at all

Richard

Slipstream · #6 12-30-2007, 07:09 PM

Sounds like fun.. heres a link for Ko Phi Phi Don
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...i_Phi_Don.html

trilinearmipmap · #7 12-30-2007, 07:35 PM

I'd love to do diving in Thailand, the main problem is for flights to Asia you are so exhausted by the time you get there it takes 1 to 2 days just to get over the jet lag, so a one week dive trip is not feasible.

Aquattro · #8 12-30-2007, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Der_Iron_Chef

You can definitely accomplish everything you're wanting to accomplish within the 20-day time frame.

I have to so disagree with that! I think I could spend 3 months and not do half of what I'd like!

Der_Iron_Chef · #9 12-30-2007, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reef_raf

I have to so disagree with that! I think I could spend 3 months and not do half of what I'd like!

Well, yeah....obviously three months would be better than 20 days! But he *did* say he wanted to get "a bunch of dives in"....and I think in 20 days, he could. That's not to say there isn't so much more he could accomplish, had he more time.

But I digress.

Matt · #10 12-30-2007, 08:59 PM

I'd like to dive the Similans some day. I did some diving off Koh Tao, in the Gulf of Thailand, and that was incredible and the island was fantastic. I really liked Kao Lak, which you'll see if you're heading that way. I haven't seen it since the tsunami, but there were some fantastic resorts, great beaches... very relaxing.

I'll second all the advice so far, in general; don't miss Bangkok, if only for a day or two. It is overwhelming, but still well worth experiencing. The Ko Phi Phi area in the Andaman is practically a cathedral. Take a long boat ride through the islands. Also, if I may, allow me to express my dislike for Phuket. It is not my style at all.

I like all the food, but it gets hotter and better as you go north, in my opinion, so a trip up towards Chang Mai, Chang Rai might be worthwhile to you.

If you plan to spend 3-4 days in an area, you can see 3 or 4 regions in your stay, so I think you'll have a great time. Do allow yourself a full day or so to crash when you arrive.