In less than 24 hours

Chris and I should be sat on a plane, waiting to go. This is what we'll be doing:

Day 1 Depart London for our overnight flight on the scheduled services of
Gulf Air.

Day 2 Arrive in Bangkok and transfer to our hotel. Those not flying with
the group will meet us during the day at the hotel. The rest of the day is
free to explore the city or catch up on some sleep.

Day 3 In the morning we board the BTS Skytrain for the start of our
exploration of Bangkok and a true look at the city. Next it’s a local “klong”
or canal boat followed by a public bus to our final destination,
Ratanakosin Island. Here we visit what to this day remains the home of
the Thai Royal family on Ratanakosin Island, on the Chao Phraya River,
home to the most spectacular collection of buildings in Bangkok. We will
see Wat Po, the largest temple in Bangkok, housing a 46m long, 15m
high gold-plated reclining Buddha, the Royal Palace complex and Wat
Phra Kaew, home to the Emerald Buddha and one of Thailand's most
venerated images, a carved green jade Buddha.
In the afternoon we drive 4 hours to our accommodation outside the Khao
Yai National Park.

Day 4 Today we are taken on a full day tour of the National Park starting
with an easy 5km hike during which there is the possibility of spotting
gibbons, hornbills and other wildlife. Towards the end of the morning we
emerge into grassland which gives us a beautiful view of the national
park. From here we are collected and taken to a restaurant for lunch
followed by a drive to Haew Suwat Waterfall, made famous by the movie
“The Beach”. Later in the afternoon we drive to the second highest
mountain in the park for a spectacular view of the surrounds. In the
evening we take a 1-hour night safari drive to see if we can spot any of
the nocturnal animals that inhabit the park.

Day 5 After breakfast we head to Ayuthaya, the 2nd royal capital of the
Kingdom of Siam (4 hours). At its peak the Kingdom encompassed large
parts of present day Laos, Cambodia and Burma. Diplomatic and
international trade missions found their way to Ayuthaya from countries
as far afield as Europe. It was not long before Ayuthaya became one of
the most important trading centres of the region. The population grew to
over 1 million people by the 17th Century, more than any European capital
at the same time. Following decades of wars and then a siege that lasted
nearly 2 years, Ayuthaya was invaded and destroyed by the Burmese
army. Temples were ransacked and statues of gold stolen and carried off
to Burma. Following this devastating defeat the Siamese Kingdom
relocated its capital to Thonburi (now a suburb in Bangkok) on the banks
of the Chao Praya river.
In Ayuthaya we take a gentle cycle ride through the temples that still
remain today as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Late in the
evening we board an overnight sleeper train bound for Chiang Mai.
Sleeper train

Day 6 We arrive in Chiang Mai in the early morning. Chiang Mai, a former
religious and cultural centre, was twice under the control of the Burmese,
and a strong Burmese influence is reflected in the architecture of the city.
We visit the temples and, outside the city, the hilltop temple of Doi
Suthep, the most revered Buddhist shrine in the Chiang Mai region. The
climb up to the temple is well worth the effort as on a clear day it affords
an excellent view over Chiang Mai and its striking temple landscape. In
the evening we visit the night market where many of the hilltribe's
handicrafts can be seen.

Days 7 We drive north to Chiang Dao, 80km from Chiang Mai, set amid
forested hills. Home of many of the Hilltribes peoples of Northern
Thailand, all with their own distinct culture and dialect means it’s the
perfect area for our trek. After lunch we start our trek into these beautiful
surrounds. Sleep in a hilltribe Village house.

Days 8/9 We continue trekking for these two days. A good level of fitness
is required, as you can expect 4-5 hours walking each day. Walking from
village to village through magnificent mountain scenery we might see a
wide range of hilltribes; among them people from the Lisu, Karen, Lahu
and Shan tribes. The people are incredibly friendly and we learn of their
traditional lifestyles whilst staying in the villages. There is an elephant
ride and on the last day we spend the morning on a bamboo raft on the
Mae Taeng River. We end on day 9 by returning by road to Chiang Mai.
Hilltribe Village houses (Day 8) Guesthouse (Day 9)

Day 10 The morning is free to explore the delights of Chiang Mai on your
own, your Tour Leader is on hand to assist with arranging optional
activities. A half day cooking school is highly recommended, however, be
warned, you eat what you cook! Another great alternative is to spoil
yourself after the trek with a relaxing Thai massage. In the late afternoon
we fly to Bangkok.

Day 11 Today we transfer to the province of Samut Songkram, better
known for its floating markets. The journey takes approximately 2 hours
depending on traffic leaving Bangkok. Our first destination is the Floating
Markets, where we start our bike ride through the fruit orchards. A boat
ride through the Floating Market is an optional extra. The bike ride is over
predominantly flat terrain and is approximately 30kms long. At the end of
the ride we arrive at our accommodation for the evening, a beautiful
traditional Thai Teak house set on a klong “canal”. In the evening we
have the opportunity for a boat ride through the area to experience local
life. Homestay

Day 12 In the morning we transfer by road to Kanchanaburi (approx. 3 to
3 ½ hours). Kanchanaburi province is a pretty area and a favourite with
travellers for its caves, waterfalls and river trips. In the afternoon we take
a further cycling ride around the town. Kanchanburi is best known for the
“Bridge on the River Kwai” and you can visit the bridge itself along with
the J.E.A.T.H war museum, which is a memorial to the thousands who
were killed whilst constructing the ‘death railway’ during the Second
World War.

Day 13 Today we take a day of canoeing on the River Kwai itself and
visit the infamous Hellfire Pass, part of the Thai/Burma Railway. We
journey by minivan out to the Sai Yok area of Kanchanaburi where we
start our canoeing (after instruction) back towards Kanchanaburi on the
River Kwai. The river is wide and moves along at a gentle pace so you
have plenty of time to take in the scenery around you. Following
approximately 6 hours of canoeing we transfer back to Kanchanaburi by
minivan. Please note that starting points and exact routes taken on the
canoeing trip may vary depending on the water levels of the river.

Day 14 In the morning we drive back to Bangkok (3 hours). The rest of
the day is free for individual sightseeing or shopping. We transfer to the
airport in the evening and check in for the overnight flight to London. For
those not flying to London with the group the tour ends in the afternoon.

Day 15 Arrive London in the early morning, around 6.45am.


Ben will be here, looking after the house.

Time to go pack.