SE Asia Travel...what to do?

IK09

Hey,

Im heading to SE Asia in july with my gf for 7 or 8 weeks. Just wondering if there is anything ye would like to recommend, such as trails, attractions etc. As I have always wanted to go to Vietnam and my gf has always wanted to go China, we have planned 1 week in Beijing, flight to Bangkok, and we'll take it from there travelling thailand, laos, and vietnam. I dont want to miss something spectacluar so if anyone has any experience in any of these countries your help is appreciated

Thanks

If ye need more info just ask

vivien

Hi, I'm going to SE Asia too in November for 5 weeks, I would be interested in info on best places to go and weather info! Thanks

Badgermonkey

Cambodia and Vietnam were stand-outs for me. Cambodia because it still retains a chaotic, untouched and utterly foreign feel in comparison to a lot of Thailand / Malaysia and the temples at Angkor Wat are a must.

Vietnam feels like a country very much on the cusp of success, changing rapidly, great people, food and scenery. Rail travel in Vietnam is also a wonderful way to experience the country.

http://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm

IK09

ive been using that site alright, brilliant resource. This is my first time travelling, just me and the gf. We are thinkin about leaving cambodia out this time and going maybe next year to do some charity work.

As for the weather info vivien, i downloaded a great app from the ovi store called AccuWeather, it allows you to store up to 7 cities, fyi there is thunder and lightning in bangkok right now 33 degrees! Cant wait for some warm rain!

Squirm

Hi,

I too found Vietnam and Cambodia the most enjoyable in that region. Laos was great too though, especially when you go off the beaten track or when you head south. I wasn't a huge fan of Thailand to be honest, particularly thr south. I found it very commercial. That might be in comparison to some of the other countries I visited on my trip to S.E.A, maybe had I only gone there, I would have liked it more. The north was very beautiful and had some incredible caving opportunities. Were in me, returning, I would focus on Cambodia, sounthern Laos and the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. For someone who has not been before, I would deifnitely highly recommend Vietnam and Cambodia. The Rantanakiri provence, in particular, is wonderful. Any chance of going for a longer period?! There is so much to see and do in S.E.A!!!

Squirm

VERY IMPORTANT INFO:
You have to find out if you will be in Thailand when their festival of lights is on (Loi Krathong- spelling?). It is spectacular! One of the most incredible festivals I had experienced! When we went it was in Nov, which is why I mention it. We went to Chang Mai for it and it was superb!!!

IK09

thanks for the info. unfortunately i can only get two months off work. That festival is on in november this year also, i will be leaving s.e.a in late august.

I really want to go to a full moon party, anyone know where the "best" places are for them?

The Full Moon Party is on Koh Pha Ngan.. 17th of July and 14th of August. You'd wanna be there for about 3 days beforehand though.

So you have 7 weeks for the main S.E Asia countries...
3 days in Bangkok.. Try not to get stuck, ended up there for 9 days myself.
Ggo north to Chiang Mai.. 2/3 days there.
From there, take the 2 day slow boat from the Thai border over to Luang Prabang. 2 days would be enough.
Go to Vang Vieng and give tubing a go for 2 days.. Madness.
Skip Vientiane.. Most people hate it though I spend 11 days there and didn't want to leave.
Head down to 4000 islands. Don Det and Don Khong.. Never went myself but only hear great things. From what I've heard, you could waste a week or two there if you're not careful.

You say that you want to come back to Cambodia to volunteer but I'd still give it a week when you're this far... It's not for everybody. I was fairly underwhelmed by the whole thing.

So you can get into Cambodia from 4000 islands very easily..
In Phnom Penh, spend a day visiting the Killing Fields and the S21 prison.
Goto Siem Reap and do Angkor temples for 2 days.
Then straight down to Sihanoukville through Phnom Penh. 2 days would be enough but the best thing about going there will be getting into Southern Vietnam right at the coast.

You could possibly goto Phu Quoc for a 4 day chillout after travelling so much.. I spend Christmas there and it was class. But when you're on a timer, not the best idea.
Then the Mekong Delta is a must see... Head to Can Tho and organise a boat tour.
After that, you're in Saigon.. I'd give it 2/3 days. I've pissed about Saigon for the guts of 4 weeks on 2 different occasions and nothing changes.
Vietnam is a huge country so I'd do the train if you're stuck for time.. Spend 2 months doing it by motorbike last year and I've still alot of it to see.
Then Nha Trang for beach and party. Hoi An for tailors. Hue for for the old citadel but skip it if you're in a hurry.
You should consider doing the "Easy Rider" between Hoi An and Hue.. Motorbike trip for $45 a day. Easiest option when ya don't have time to buy one.
Ha Noi is a great spot imo but don't spend too long here.. Get yourself over to Ha Long Bay for 2 days and then up to Sa Pa for 2 days. I can't emphasize enough just how nice Sa Pa is...

Then fly back to Bangkok, head south for the Full Moon party and a couple of the islands...

That would be my generic advice for anyone asking for a quick trip around Asia. Now you have an idea of the main places and routes people take.. It's just an outline and at the end of the day, the best thing to do is fly to Bangkok and just see what happens. I spent about 5 months doing them countries.

Squirm

I also spent 5 months doing the same countries so I actually think it's too much to comfortably fit into 2 mths. It sounds rushed to only spend 2/3 days in places, but as Ads By Google said, it isn't really, unless you love somewhere and don't want to leave. I think that, for me, the places worth checking out in each country are:

Northern Thailand:
Mae Hong Son,
Chang Mai

Laos:
Luang Prabang,
Vang Vieng,
Ponsavan (worth renting a moped and checking out the region yourself. Fascinating people with fascinating stories and a really worthwhile insight into their experiences during the war in Vietnam and with the UXO's etc)
Don Det

Vietnam:
Han Oi (GREAT GREAT GREAT city)
Halong Bay and Cat Ba (rent a kayak!)
Hoi An (beautiful)
Nha Trang (good nightlife- cheap drink. Rent a moped and check out the hot springs and mud baths)
Dalat is pretty weird if you have the time!
Saigon (asn't my fav, but lots of tourist sightw worth checking out)
The Meking Delta (essential viewing! Divine)

Cambodia:
Pnomh Pehn (loved this city and the people)
Ban Lung and Rantanikiri (essential viewing! Rent a moto-x bike and check out as much of the province as you can- great stuff altogether)
Siem Reap- I thought it was okay, very touristy town, but Angkoy Wat is worth a look. it has been made more commercial than I was expecting, but the temples are still incredible and there are a couple off the usual beaten track that still do make you feel like an explorer!
(Note: I did'nt like Sihnoukville at all- really didn't enjoy it. Good much diving but aside from that I had an unpleasant time there for some reason)

Southern Thailand:
If you fancy a Full Moon Party than it's straight to Koh Phan Kgan. I'd advise you to book accomodation in advance, like maybe when you get to Bangkok. We didnt and ended up staying in a guest house in the jungle in the centre of the island. It was actually really cool BUT we did have to pay a few Baht here and there to the proprietor for taxis to and from the main street. Actually, now that i think back, the guest house itself was dirt cheap, so we didnt suffer. And the family running it were great craic. We had many a drunken night in their company...

Apologies for spelling mistakes of city/town names.

IK09

serious i cant thank ye enough for the hugely detailed responces, extremely helpful. keep them comin if ye have them!

When you fly to Bangkok, go to a hostel called MyNewHouse on Thanon Rambutri. I got stuck there for 9 days the first time and 3 days the second time. Easiest place in the world to meet cool people. We had a group of about 15 going drinking and had people moving to the hostel because it was so good.. It's close to Koh San Road which really is the only place to go in Bangkok if it's a quick backpacking stopover.

And don't waste money buying Lonely Planets or Rough Guides at home.. Fly to Bangkok, take the airport bus to Banglamphu and then a taxi meter to that hostel. After that, you can buy the books for a couple of dollars.

vivien

Thanks also everyone for this information, sorry IK09, I kinda hijacked onto your thread :-)

IK09

haha theres no hi-jacking goin on here! We both need info! if anyone has any hostels or hotels that they could recommend that would be great, also if anyone can think of any "excursions" or activities that they would recommend...elephant riding etc.

thanks

6ix

I'm going on a 10 week trip around SE Asia later in the year so this thread is relevant to my interests but I've been to Thailand before with my girlfriend for 3 weeks so I can probably tip a couple of things from there too!

As we were only there for 3 weeks we could afford to stay in decent places - nothing expensive or fancy, but not the cheapest of the cheap. In Chiang Mai we stayed in Rimping Village which is rated really high on Tripadvisor. It was quite cheap and really nice - the staff couldn't have been nicer, and it's a nice small 'boutique hotel'. As my trip is longer this time, I'll be reducing the accommodation budget so I doubt i'll be staying there. Highly recommended though!

I'm not sure what your budget is, but for anywhere that you're considering hotels, I found it hard to beat agoda.com for bookings. Consistently the cheapest site I could find.

A good, but relatively expensive activity that I did was 'Elephant Owner for a Day' at Patara Elephant Farm about an hour outside Chiang Mai. You basically get an elephant for the day, wash it, ride it into the jungle (bareback), do lots of other stuff. It was a really good day out and unlike the other Elephant Treks you're not just sitting in a box on top of the elephant going a short distance. Bear in mind it is expensive (was about €70 when I did it, which is a lot of money in Thailand) but it was well worth it. I'm not a mad animal lover or anything but I wouldn't really be into watching an elephant show where they've trained them to play football and paint - just seems a bit pointless to me when you could see them in a more natural environment.

One of my main recommendations for Thailand would be that if you go to Koh Phi Phi and want to go to visit Maya Bay (where they filmed The Beach), hire a taxi-longboat early in the morning and go out by yourself. Don't wait for one of the bigger tour boats. We paid for a couple of hours in the long boat, (about 1000 baht), he brought us out to Maya Bay at about 8am and we had the place to ourselves except for two English guys. By 10/11am the place is swarming with people and it's not as nice really - e.g. this versus this... One of the best things about The Beach is the seclusion and serenity of it so it's worth getting there when it is actually serene in my opinion! The 1000 baht will get you a full tour of the area anyway, and you can do some snorkelling, visit other caves/beaches too.

Railay Beach in Krabi is really nice too. I really enjoyed Bangkok, some people hate it. I guess I was only there for a few days but it was quite an experience. Insist on meter taxis in Bangkok, they'll usually try to pretend it's broken or something, just insist or get out.

Particularly in cities, get used to almost everyone wanting to take advantage of you, but take it in good spirits and with a smile - it's all part of being a tourist in SE Asia.

IK09

hey guys back again after all yer advice. Im leaving on sunday,headed to beijing. spendind a week there, have flights booked for the following sunday to bangkok. I have only booked one nights accomodation in bangkok (from what i have heard from ppl i know, i wont like the place). i still dont have a plan but more a rough idea for the route we'll take.

Question
do hostels and hotels have to be booked before we go or can we just walk in off the street?

Royal Irish

You can walk in off the street no problem as its low season over in Thailand now. Not so sure about Beijing though.

When in Bangkok go to Soi Nana and as you walk down from Sukhumvit about 100m on your left you will see a entrance to a building called Nana Plaza. Enter that and on the third floor there is a bar called Cascade bar. Go to that bar, you wont regret it.

IK09

cheers man,

another question
For those who have been to Vietnam, i wanna get a motorbike, anyone know any places that sell good cheap bikes? or hostels that are renouned for travellers selling them? in hanoi.

1stimpressions

Lols at telling someone with a GF to go to one of the sleaziest Soi's in Bangkok. I live in BKK here and would recommend the night life in RCA for decent clubs Thai style or Thong Lor district for more Thai style with a bit more dosh and much more foreigners or Kao Sarn if you want to be surrounded mostly by similar backpackers.

Benny_Cake

Royal Irish wrote: »

You can walk in off the street no problem as its low season over in Thailand now. Not so sure about Beijing though.

When in Bangkok go to Soi Nana and as you walk down from Sukhumvit about 100m on your left you will see a entrance to a building called Nana Plaza. Enter that and on the third floor there is a bar called Cascade bar. Go to that bar, you wont regret it.

Um,the OP is travelling with his girlfriend,so I'm not sure if Soi Nana will be appreciated!

OP,you'll have no problems finding accommodation in Bangkok,there are dozens of guesthouses in the Khao San Road area alone.This will be the case for most places in Thailand. Only other advice I'd give you is that if you go to Khao San Rd don't stay on the road itself,there are nicer places along Soi Rambutri or Thanon Rambutri which are also close to all the action. For advice on places to stay,Travelfish is your only man.

Royal Irish

Cascade bar in Nana Plaza is still worth a look though, even with a girlfriend.

IK09

IK09 wrote: »

For those who have been to Vietnam, i wanna get a motorbike, anyone know any places that sell good cheap bikes? or hostels that are renouned for travellers selling them? in hanoi.

Hanoi Backpackers.. The new and old hostel usually has bikes being sold. I still hang about there cause I'm friends with the staff and there were a few win110s about tonight.

Also, check http://newhanoian.xemzi.com/listing/home?type=4/Buy-Sell
It's the expat/backpacker buy&sell.

If ya want any advice on routes and that, PM me.. I did 4500km over 2 months last year on a motorbike from the tip of the north to Phu Quoc in the far south.

RoyalMarine

you can walk in off the street if there is empty rooms.

IK09

hey guys, ive booked one night at the fx hotel, and gonna take it from there. i dont really wanna spend too long in bangkok maybe just 2/3 nights. Probably stay in a hostel on the Khaosan road.

when i think about it i havent f all planned but i suppose thats part of it all. Thanks everyone for the advice....even the seedy club!