Round trip in the North/NorthEast - any ideas?

[0069]

Been to LOS for Buddha knows how many times but i have never done a round trip to the north and north of north east (have been to Isaan several times but only the Roi Et district, Yasothon and Mukdahan) and travelled by bus a lot af times – and in the back of a pick-up a few – can not be reccomended...

 

This time i am thinking about spending some of my stay travelling around by bus and/or train, and i would like to go from Bangkok and visit Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nong Khai, Udon (Thani) Sakhon Nakon, Khon Kaen,, Roi Et (the city itself) and then back to Bangkok and possible to Pattaya)

 

Anyone here have tried to do such a roundtrip – and if so any ideas of how to do it (train or bus)?

 

Have read that you can buy a Visit Thailand Railpass valid for 20 days and valid for any train but is it worth the 1500 Baht – beeing told that trains are going at a very slow speed – or is it better to go by bus?

 

I prefer to travel during daytime so i am able to watch the landscape.

[Piece Corp]

I went up to Chang Mai from Bangkok last month on Air Asia. The flight took just over an hour and round trip airfare was 2000.

[kopite]

I would ask in the northern Thailand section over on Thai visa.