My friends and I are planning a trip to explore the countryside

>>1231508
>To those who have been to Thailand and have rented scooters. Do most scooters have bad mileage?
I've lived in Thailand and owned a scooter, which I think is close enough. Newer, larger scooters (150cc+) have what I thought of as pretty good mileage, at least compared to a car--easily over 30km/L, maybe as much as 35. But that assumes smooth major highway driving and a bike that's not laden with luggage, among other factors.

Rental bikes aren't going to be new. So reduce a bit. And you're probably going to be driving at least some of the time on back roads and in urban settings, so reduce again there.

But in all seriousness, I think a bigger problem is inter-provincial scooter driving on what may often be mountain roads, without knowing what you're doing. Thai roads are really, really dangerous--thy have some of the world's highest traffic fatality rates. Every foreign resident I knew who drove a scooter in Thailand for any length of time had at least one pretty serious accident, myself included. Be extremely careful.

You may also find rental places that don't want you to take the bikes out of the immediate area, but I don't suppose you need to tell them where you're going.

Most scooter rental is done from tourist resort towns, the notion being that you won't stray too far and just use it to check out the nearby points of interest. It's usually pretty cheap it THB100/day but bear in mind you don't make money renting a brand new USD$1500 out for $3/day, so often they will "notice" some damage you (didn't) cause and ask you to pay for it.

Bottom line, it will work out to be easier & safer (have you ridden before? Also, travel insurance will not cover you unless you hold a full motorcycle licence back home) to rent a car from an international brand. Given how wild & reckless the Thais can be on the roads (frequently drunk, speeding, both) your best chances are in a car, which has a/c and keeps you dry.

Another option is to buy a scooter - go on Craigslist or Backpage etc - for a few hundred USD for a used one, but of course you have to deal with selling it at the end.

Bottom line, you are unlikey to be able to rent a scooter to drive all over the country unless you leave your passport behind (don't do that), or hire a proper large motorcycle from a tour company, but don't do that *unless* you are an experienced rider and have your own PPE.

>>1231535
What advise would you give for someone wanting to explore the countryside? Is there a more effective way to travel hours at a time?

>>1231508
>>1231537
I could advise about Isaan, the North East (which is actually more country/rural than the North [i.e. Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nan, etc]) , but I hesitate to advise on the North because the terrain is much more mountainous and rugged outside the cities. Cool idea, though anon, a lot of hill tribes up the way you are exploring. Hmong and others.

>>1231551
I'm landing in Bangkok so my main concern is just getting from Bangkok to the north. I want to pass Pak Chong on my way (it's only 2 1/2 hours north of Bangkok).
I could rent a car but it's $250 for the time that I want to go and that's not including gas prices. I'm assuming that hitchhiking is a very terrible idea and many buses probably do not go great distances.

Would you have any advice on just that?

>>1231568
Buses do go north. That's how most Thais travel cheaply. Train is another option. Language barrier outside of the cities is your biggest barrier to hitchhiking

>>1231568
The bus service is near-comprehensive; you can get a bus from virtually any small town to virtually any other, although it's not effortless without speaking some Thai if you are going to smaller villages, as many BKS* buses may just stop by the side of the highway near some villages, without necessarily stopping at anything resembling a station. Helps if you can tell the driver where you're going and he can tell you when you get there.

*BKS (baw kaw saw), or Transportation Company, runs the immense very cheap network of big orange (fan) or pale blue (air con) quasi-public vehicles that connect practically every village in the Kingdom. Smaller private bus companies run more deluxe, VIP air-con buses but their networks are a bit less comprehensive.

Another option would be to consider hiring a car with a driver for day trips while based in a particular place--local companies do this for pretty cheap.

>>1231568

What's your travel dates? I reckon I can get a better deal...

Just FYI, Thailand is a second world country, and although certain things are dirt cheap by comparison to the west, ie food, accomodation, not everything is. Consumable products, cars, whitegoods, electronics are all on par (sometimes more expensive), despite many of them being made in-country, or nearby.

>>1231608
I know we are leaving January 8th, 2018 (we have to be back before the spring semester starts) and right now we are deciding on when we will arrive, but it looks like December 23rd or 24th is the best.

We have a map right now and are trying to plan how much we think we can travel in one day and are booking one-night stays via airbnb. We'll just travel, sleep, wake up, repeat.

My first thought was to get scooters but it seems really dangerous (we might still get them for rural areas, but for traveling from Bangkok to Pak Chong there are a lot of heavy-traffic highways that I don't want to risk it on. Cars will be around $250 - $300 for the entire trip and that's not bad when split between three people but fuel will consume a bit of money as well. It everything else fails then we'll attempt to hitchhike. I still have to look more into buses and trains.

>>1231703
We are wanting to be able to travel between 120 km - 200km a day for around $5 - $10 USD (171 - 343 baht)

>>1231534
What makes it THAT dangerous to drive in Thailand? Are most of the fatalities happening in crowded cities, or are people falling off of moutain roads or what? I don't really get it, I heard similar warnings from the rest of SE Asia

>>1231706
That's a massive amount of travel each day on thai roads outside of bangkok, You'll be travelling at much lower speeds then anticipated.

There isn't a month worth to do in the countryside unless you speak thai. Once you leave the main cities you'll find it very hard to navigate and honestly nothing much of interest you won't see in a week.

>>1231745
It's not you per say, I've ridden Thailand for weeks on end countless times in the most populated areas. It's the other truck drivers, mini van drivers, those from cambodia driving etc. They are all fucking hopeless and the ones that will just clean you up and kill you. If everyone road and drove as well as most western people did you wouldn't have 1/10 the accidents. These people face 0 tests to get their licences, and it fucking shows. 0 concept of the limits of any vehicle.

>>1231745
I rode cross-country through Vietnam and locally around Thailand. The problem is that it's so unpredictable. You'll sometimes come around a corner on a two-lane road to find a bus/car/truck in your own lane, passing someone or just taking an easier route through curves. You're not a danger to them so they won't move back over for you - you need to pull over to the side of the road quickly. If you don't, you'll get hit.

There's also all sorts of random road conditions that come up often. For example, awful potholes that appear suddenly after stretches of smooth tarmac, again sometimes after a blind corner. Animals and people that dart out into the roadway suddenly, cars that pass you in very unsafe ways, and trucks you need to pass in sketchy situations because they're going so slowly.

I think much of the fatality rate is mostly due to drunk scooter riding, though. That's also where many foreigners get into trouble - they get overconfident and ride to the bar, have a few drinks, and do something stupid on the way home.

>>1231750
We were mainly just going to visit the country areas around Chiang Mai/Chiang Dao, a few temples, maybe a jungle trek, and then go down the western coast before we make our way back to Bangkok. We we're hoping to do the full circle in about 6 - 7 days.

>>1231745
It's not that dangerous to drive a car. Just a scooter.

>>1231750
>There isn't a month worth to do in the countryside unless you speak thai. Once you leave the main cities you'll find it very hard to navigate and honestly nothing much of interest you won't see in a week.

I agree with this. I am >>1231551
I had a local with me for my Isaan adventures, and it's be a different and lesser experience if I didn't. I also agree that it won't take you long to see what there is to see. The best advice is to take a standard mode of travel to the places you want to see (plane/train/automobile/ or bus) then explore that city and use it as a base to see the surrounding area.

Put Pai on your itinerary as one of your bases, it may have gotten a little mainstream for real travelers, but still fun.

http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/backpacking-pai-thailand/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pai,_Thailand

>>1231814
Pai is pretty close to Chiang Dao so I can add it to the list.

As of now our list is as follows

>Day 1: Bangkok to Pak Chong
(174 km)
>Day 2: Pak Chong to Lopburi
(100 km)
>Day 3: Lopburi to ???
>Day 4: ??? to Chiang Dao/Chiang Mai
(644 km so whatever is a good middle ground between Lopburi and Chiang Dao will be Day 3)
>Day 5: Chiang Dai to Pai
(130 km)
>Day 6: Pai to as far south as possible before we have to sleep.

I doubt we will try to go as far south as Phuket during our trip. We'll probably go no further than 3 hours south of Bangkok.

This is of course rough plans for now and we will finialize it over the summer.

Do these distances seem plausible?

>>1231840
We have no idea what we will do after day 6, but we want to get our "countryside" out of the way halfway through our trip.

>>1231750
>These people face 0 tests to get their licences, and it fucking shows.
Hey, there's a written test! You can pay someone else to take it for you, even!

Another problem is that local scooter or motorbike drivers mostly don't have licenses at all. Higher rates of licensure for automobiles because they're very expensive in Thailand, but when I was teaching at a university there I took an informal survey of a class of around 40 people--all owned motorbikes, one was licensed.

>>1231840
Either add Hat Yai (beach), Ayuttha (1st capital/ruins) , or Kanchanaburi (Bridge Over the River Kwai) to your return trek after Pai. Could throw in Sriracha or Rayong, but they are on the other side of Bangkok. More South East

>>1231860
I didn't mean Hat Yai, I meant Huai Yang

>>1231861
I'll look into them. Any suggestions are helpful.

>>1231860
>>1231861
>>1231899
Now that I am on a computer, I was still wrong, these names all sound so familiar.

I mean Hua Hin. 200km from Bangkok

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Hin_District

>>1231840

I think your expectations are quite high, moreso if you plan on using a scooter. If you plan on covering anywhere near those distances you will need a car, but I fail to see how you'll have any time to enjoy the sites you propose to see, you'll be up early each morning & on the road just to make it to the next destination. Thailand has highways, most roads are in usable condition but it's the other motorists which slow everything down...construction vehicles, overloaded trucks & vans, accident scenes (get used to that) etc.

I suggest taking the train/flying up to Chiang Mai, then hiring a car and doing a loop of sorts to Pai, Mae Hong Son & then across to Chiang Rai and back. Spend a day or three trekking in the jungle, and take in the varied landscapes - mountains, jungle, countryside & farms, but at a leisurely pace. They're more chill upcountry compared to the frenetic pace of Bangkok. I have done a lot of travel and nothing is worse than rushing around trying to get places just so you can say you went there.

>>1232151
We are planning on using trains or buses and possibly hitchhiking.

The more I think about it, I may just get a flight that lands in Chiang Lai instead of Bangkok and then gradually make our down to Pak Chong after we have spent some time near Chiang Dao, Pai, etc.

Plane tickets will probably be the same.

That would probably be better than starting in Bangkok and doing a full circle.

Scooters will only be used to cruise around local areas. No highways.

>>1232330

Hitchhiking will be a waste of time, the Thais do not get the concept and the only people who attempt this are "scumpackers" (dirty dreadlocked duuude weed types) who are universally despised by both the Thais and expats. Take the public bus, it will be easier, safer and is very cheap.

As for flying into Chiang Mai, there are no long haul international flights that serve the airport, only domestic flights & from within Asia.

>>1232624
LonelyPlanet lied to me.

Do public buses travel from Bangkok to Chiang Mai? I'm guessing there will be multiple buses that we'll have to take.

Would anyone with experience in Thailand know some of the preferable bus lines to take?

>>1232624
>As for flying into Chiang Mai, there are no long haul international flights that serve the airport, only domestic flights & from within Asia.


BS. There will be change over in BKK, but there definitley are.

That said, it's cheaper to fly into BKK or Singapore (and possibly other regional international hubs) and fly to Chiang Mai from there. No matter what you will have a stop in DMK or BKK to Chiang Mai.

>>1232629
I found flights that land in Seoul and then depart to Chiang Mai. I'm waiting to buy my ticket 6 months in advance because that's when I usually get good deals from the agent I use.

If flight paths like that are still available I will get it. Getting into Bangkok to only take a 12 hour bus ride to Chiang Mai would be dull.

>>1232627

Yes there are intercity buses travelling between BKK and all major towns, but for the distance involved the train will be much more comfy and you'll get to enjoy the scenery along the way. The other option is flying, Thailand has numerous low cost carriers (most fly out of DMK airport instead of the main international BKK terminal, they are 20-30km apart).

>>1232629

What? You disputed what I claimed and then confirmed the original statement? >>1232705
Chiang Mai is directly linked to several Asian cities ie Singapore & Seoul but not to long haul destinations ie North America/Australi/Europe, though it's runway can handle heavies, as it's owned & operated by RTAF (a lot of regional airports are).

>>1232705

Yes Seoul is probably the furtherest away you can connect through, consider other places like Singapore if it's cheaper. I take it you have no desire to visit Bangkok at all? What's the fascination with the rural areas and spending time in small villages?

>>1232629
You just proved yourself wrong in your own post you stupid cunt. Holy fuck.

>>1232802
I am saying you can book an international flight on one itinerary/airline to Chiang Mai. I took your statement to mean you had to fly to Thailand or elsewhere in Asia, and then book a flight to Chiang Mai.

Also, why so rude?

>>1232782
>What? You disputed what I claimed and then confirmed the original statement? >>1232705
>Chiang Mai is directly linked to several Asian cities ie Singapore & Seoul but not to long haul destinations ie North America/Australi/Europe, though it's runway can handle heavies, as it's owned & operated by RTAF (a lot of regional airports are)

see >>1232827
Though you weren't rude like >>1232802

But it's no different than having to fly from outside the USA, or even within, to some regional airport. You will fly to a hub like ATL, and then board a smaller plane to the regional airport. Same concept with Chiang Mai.

>>1232829

That's someone else mate, no idea why they would jack a thread just to abuse someone like that, I'm the dude who suggested the loop via MHS. Anyway all good.

>>1232782
My friends and I want to rural areas, temples, and jungles instead of large cities because we enjoy the scenery. We are in cities a lot and I was in Tokyo a few months ago. Some people just want to "get away" from concrete jungles and this is ours.

>>1233014
Same person. We can't decide if we would rather go to Khao Sok or Khao Yai. If we go to Khao Sok then we most likely will have to avoid northern Thailand due to the distance and just explore areas in mid-Thailand (Pak Chong, etc.) and head south.

If we decide on Khao Yai then we will explore mid-Thailand and travel north.

Both forests seem equally interesting.

File: 14963390_10154561366935535_7230213784612674502_n[1].jpg (73KB, 960x540px) Image search: [Google]

73KB, 960x540px

>>1233014
Only real concrete jungle in Thailand is Bangkok, and it's suburbs. Even Chiang Mai is very green, which is the next biggest city. Some will say Korat. Pic is the view frrm my hotel in Chiang Mai. Have you ever been to Thailand

>>1233024
Hotel was Holiday Inn. For reference.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Holiday+Inn+ChiangMai/@18.766215,99.002292,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x30da3aa93cf3e04f:0xbdf512cca14a39d1!8m2!3d18.766215!4d99.004486

>>1233024
Nope. I was going to go last year but due to a trip to Japan being more expensive I decided to get that out of the way forest (I really wanted to see Mount Fuji).

I actually hope to avoid Bangkok (minus the airport) during my trip.

My only concern is choosing Chiang Mai or Khao Sok National Park. The distance is too great and which one we end up choosing will determine if we go through southern or northern Thailand.

I'm mainly using Airbnb for places to stay but I'll save your link just in case something comes up.

>>1233128
A lot of great Airbnbs in Chiang Mai. I just posted the link for reference to where the pic was taken. Though the Holiday Inn was cool for having a concierge for info and to book tours around the region, but after doing that once I can cut out the middle man.

Here is a link you should save:
http://www.tour-in-chiangmai.com