Backpacking southern to northern thailand

[charlie_rats]

Hi

This was i first time going backpacking and will be alone ...
I was mix blood thai malaysia and mostly of my life was stay in malaysia

I frequently visit bangkok

This round i will go for backpacking alone for 1 month in southern  and northern thailand
My question was

1.which size of backpack that suit for my travel (50 L ,60 L)
2.my route will be suratthani >koh samui >koh pangan >huahin >amphawa> ayuthaya > phetcabun >chiangrai >chiang mai >pai (maehongsorn)..any advised on additional interested place that i can stop on the way
3.it worth to ship back home extra item in my baggage after halfway travelling to make my backpack lighter?


thank in advance

[Greg]

Selamat hari Charlie, anda dari mana?

Saya boleh cakap sedikit Bahasa Malayu; saya sudah lupa banyak kata-kata.

OK, back to the language I know slightly more!

Take the smaller of the backpackers, you do not need to pack much for Thailand at all...and you can save the money of shipping stuff home unless you buy a lot of things. Can you ride a scooter? I recommend driving from Chiang Mai to Pai then Mae Hong Son - the ride is so nice through the mountains -- much better than the slow, winding bus!
Here's a simple post from my trip last year: http://www.vagabondinglife.com/chiang-mai-to-pai-thailand/

Personally, I would choose Koh Tao instead of Koh Samui. Koh Samui is big, expensive, and not as friendly to backpackers.

Ayuthaya is great, you can take the train there. The buses between Bangkok and Chiang Mai are cheaper than the train, but the train is much more comfortable and enjoyable.

Selamat jalan!

[goteachthailand]

Can you ride a scooter? I recommend driving from Chiang Mai to Pai then Mae Hong Son - the ride is so nice through the mountains -- much better than the slow, winding bus!

I had wanted to rent one of the 650cc Kawasakis to do this route but I was the only one who was interested and they are quite expensive!

I lived on Samui for two years and Phang Ngan and Tao are definitely more backpacker orientated. Samui was the place to go 10-20 years back but as the backpackers have blazed the trail, the honeymooners and the families are now more comfortable visiting the place.

Chiang Mai was definitely overrated in my opinion. Overrun with backpackers who are looking for 'the real Thailand'. Furthermore, once you've seen a few temples you've seen them all!

Kanchanaburi is about 3 hours West of BKK by train and is highly recommended POW Railway, Elephant trekking etc (Stay in Ploi Guesthouse!). Ayutthaya looked nice but I only passed through.

If you are going to ship stuff home, make sure you clearly label the box as being a gift as you could get lumped with import tax otherwise.

[Greg]

If you are going to ship stuff home, make sure you clearly label the box as being a gift as you could get lumped with import tax otherwise.

Great advice!