12go asia are a reliable agency for buying tickets on line. Difference between 1st class and VIP is sketchy and varies between companies. Generally go with VIP 24 or 32 (thats the number of seats) for the best seating and legroom.

The railway crossing is at Dong Dang. Not at Hekou.

That doesn't connect to Yunnan, it goes to Guangxi.

There is a railway between Hanoi and Kunming, it goes through Lao Cai and Hekou. The french built it, it's narrow gauge. On the vietnamese side there are still passenger trains that connect Lao Cai to Hanoi, quite popular for getting to Sapa in Vietnam. The Chinese side had its last passenger service in the 1990s and was used for frieght exclusively. The Chinese build a new standard gauge railway from Kunming to Hekou, via Jianshui and Mengzi. It calls at the new, Hekou North Station.

Like I said, I dont think any trains cross between the countries, but you can walk from one train station through the border to the other train station and connect Kunming to Hanoi without detouring into Guangxi province.

Thanks for all the feed back guys. Anyone got a favourite beach on Koh Phangan that they'd recommend as an alternative to Tong Nai Pang Yai. Looking for something chill but still has a nice vibe, places to eat, drink, hang out with others but not massive partying. Luckily there is no Full Moon party in Feb so the island shouldn't be crazy busy.

I'm one of those odd souls who still thinks that being among a great mass of Chinese people doing something really traditional, like climb Tai Shan, is an experience in itself. This is one of those instances which someone who hasn't much exposure yet to China and its people would probably find a lot more memorable and exhilirating than an Old China Hand who's had his fill of the crowds.

Hong Han Hotel is super clean and friendly. At the end of Bui Vien ST , close to all, no lift, free breakfast , white sheets, nice towels, and spotless bathroom. I was there 4 days ago . Walked in and got front room for $25 , back rooms are less. Lots of hotels , guesthouse and hostels near by.

I don't understand your budget constraints. If you can pay 40-60 Euros per night (per your other thread) then you can go anywhere. Generally, decent huts start around 800B (25Euro)in the Andaman, but you can sometimes find a smaller one for 600.

There are also the occasional one-offs stuck out the back of the resort that has some 'problem' (small room/squat toilets/ shared bathrooms), but you will have to compromise your luxury for those (assuming they are even vacant at the time).e.g. Back row cheapos A-frames at Libong Beach Resort for ~400B (squat toilets); 'Apartment' longhouse at Haat Farang Bungalows, Muk (?300-400B, Bathroom outside), 'Apartment' at Sinchai's Haat Yao (300-400B, Mainland beach. Grotty accommodation), Dog-kennel on stilts at Golden Orient resort, Ko Jum (?200B, tiny. bathroom outside).

If you are prepared to stay in a tent, that opens up a lot more cheap options in beautiful, (often) quiet National Parks (Similans, Surins, Kradan, Adang, Tarutao , Rok. ?Lanta). Officially, they don't sell alcohol, but in my experience they do (beers and whisky, not cocktails).

Going North isn't going to be any cheaper until you get to Ranong (Ko Chang/ Phayam). There, you could get something for ~500B, but it's a long way, there are no direct ferries and the snorkelling is very murky.

(Edit: You could look at North West Phuket, near the Airport (Nai Yang etc), which is quiet, but still will cost 800B and up).

Personally, I'd go for Lipe. In February it wouldn't be too busy (but check dates for Chinese New Year, when it gets a surge). The vibe is more 'couples and families' not the party crowd. It's a long way, but you can get there in a day by direct Tigerline ferry from Krabi (or fly to Hat Yai, but it's not much quicker after you include the island transfers). And the beaches and diving are good. Look at Viewpoint Resort or Varin2 where you might get huts for 600B. And/or you could hop over to Adang to the National Park where you might get lucky with a bungalow availablity. Or tents if not.

If you don't want to travel so far, Lanta would be fine, IMO.

Closer still to Krabi - some folks here have talked about Ton Sai (Krabi), being cheap and good, but I haven't been there myself.

Part 2
Weather.
You shouldn’t have a problem with the weather by then – rainfall is considerably down by mid-November in these places. Some say it’s perfect – cool and dry but still with water in the rivers and waterfalls. Driest in the North but acceptable in the South around Prachuap.

Animals.
Thailand is not like the Serengeti; the animals are in forest and not clearly visible – they are there though.
Gibbons - the most famous place for Gibbons is Khao Yai, but you should see them in most places. troops of Macaques are a bloody nuisance; they steal anything not locked down – and a very ingenious at it too. Once inside you tent or car, they will destroy everything.

Elephants – Thailand has about 3000 wild elephants – in Khao Yai they are increasingly coming into confrontations with humans – especially on the road through the park which demonstrates how damaging roads can be and the fragmentation they cause.
Kaeng Krachan and other parks all have elephant populations – they often span the Thai Burmese border. They are in danger from habitat encroachment, poachers and poisoning by farmers.

Tigers – there are about 200 Tigers in all of Thailand – you won’t see one in the wild…….. (99.9999% sure) – but the guides may be able to point out scat etc. of big cats (Inc. Leopard) and other animals.

Birds – I’m not good at identifying birds but in Khao Yai I was awakened by a whirring sound the tuned out to be the wings of several horn bills – quite a dramatic bird. There ae of course loads of other mammals that will fleetingly cross your path and a huge number of insects, butterflies and other invertebrates. I’d recommend a local guide if you wish to see wildlife – at least they will know watering holes and salt scrapes that attract the flora and fauna.

Driving – people who complain about Thai driving are in most cases just bad drivers themselves who can’t adapt to driving in Thailand – they do things differently here. The main roads are in general too wide and too fast and the surfaces inconsistent. police are still quite corrupt and may ask for 200 baht for an on the spot fine – this seems to be happening less and less – they sometimes resort to issuing tickets at road blocks instead – so keep a bit of loose cash available. Its best to rent f an international company, make sure you have good insurance and an IDP is best too.
In the event of any incident call the insurance company, they will quickly send a rep to the scene – don’t try and sort it out yourself – there are laws and logic in play that don’t exist outside Thailand.

if you want to understand how people drive in Thailand, imaging you are on a boat on a river, then everything fits into place.

Food on the road – look for stainless steel tables and plastic hairs in a shop house open at the front – you will get good, cheap Thai food almost without exception.
Take an ice box to hold drinks etc. and if you stay overnight in some parks, getting food may take some forward planning

Weekends and public holidays – The National Parks, especially the more popular ones like Khao Yai or Kang Krachan can get very full indeed – Thai people are just opening up to the idea of National Parks for recreation, camping etc.

........enjoy!

The donkey train point is actually true. Especially when they are heading down with no cargo, dreaming of vacation and fresh hay, they will pick up enthusiastic speed.

A simple rule is to never share a bridge with an animal (except a dog).

One time I started walking over a long bridge when two fully loaded Yaks came around the corner and walked onto the bridge against me. The boss was in the back, busy flirting with girls and checking his mobile phone.

I was lazy and did not feel like backtracking, walked on and made space for father Yak. As he passed, he got a bit uneasy, did a little wiggle and pushed me sideways into the thick steel wire. It was slow and did not look like much, but when 500 kgs nudge you, something's gotta give – and a couple of rib bones fractured.

I walked on that evening thinking it would be OK, but the next morning I understood that plans had to be cancelled and I needed to head back down. Respect the beast.

Hi OP
Thanks for your feedback. Personally, I would not care much about the weather, and go for the places that interest you most, no matter if they are south or north. In my experience, China is never a "relaxed" destination (where you have chilled days on a lovely beach or things like that), so climate is not really that important. And being in places in winter can also have very positives sides. Some of my best experiences in China are indeed from places I visited in winter: Losar in Xiahe, Ice festival in Harbin, enjoying Beijing in winter with less felt air pollution and the lakes at Shi Chai Hai being frozen for example. But yeah, China is so huge and offers so many great places to see and enjoy, so that is really very easy to concentrate "only" in the Southern parts of China for your first trip there.

Having to prebook many things is something I dont like at all either, but with a limited time, and without Chinese and the visa restrictions being so tight (at least they are in Switzerland and Germany), I guess its a necessity. Having said that - February and March are not really high season in China, and if you are flexible, I dont think that buying train tickets on short notice will be a problem. What is always a good idea - ask somebody at your accommodation to write down in Mandarin what you want. A train ticket from XY to ZZ at YY hours in class AB for 2 persons. A taxi drive to BB. Or whatever. I do speak very limited Mandarin, and still use those "tricks", because they make life so much easier ;-). You also always want to have the adress of your accommodation in Chinese with you. Asking for directions can in my experience be extremely frustrating in China, so if you can just pop up a card with your wish destination in Chinese, that will help a lot.

Before you go the longer route consider weather - last thing you need is boat cancellations or delays if you have a train

I do not know for certain but I would not be surprised if there was a connection with the ferry on to Hat Yai so keep your eyes peeled