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South-east Asia - Inspire me


Guest JTS98

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It's true there are a lot of scams, and a lot of people happy to be scammed! I'd say it's basic common sense to avoid getting into chit-chat too much with a local on the street, and even more so to avoid going in a taxi/ tuk tuk with them. The best policy is to assume they don't have your best interests at heart - 99% of the time you'd be right.

P.S. I got a tailor-made suit by not taking my own advice. Tailor-made for who, I've no idea!

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If anyone wants a tailor made suit then I would recommend Hoi An.

I got a belter of a shit from Hoi An and got it posted home for next to nothing because I didn't plan on carrying it on a rucksack for 2 more months

On the topic, Vietnam was an amazing country with Hoi An being my highlight. Such a cool wee town to just wander around in
Also agree that Hanoi trumps HCM. Seemed a bit more authentic to me - less flashy. Also, the little game of musical chairs you play when you're drinking 50p bear out of someone's "bar" and you need to stand up and hide the chairs when the police came was interesting.

Halong Bay is also well worth a look. One of the most stunning natural attractions you're ever likely to see if you get a boat tour round it.

On Bangkok - definitely worth visiting just cos it's Bangkok but not my favourite place. My recommendation for Khao San Road if it's a nice night is don't bother going into any of the bars. Plenty of vendors sell cold beers for much cheaper on the street and you can just stand outside the one whose music takes your fancy. Lets you wander about and mingle too. Just be prepared to be constantly offered wristbands with country flags and some of the vilest sentence you'll ever read on them. They must make a killing selling that shite to steaming tourists. I know I'm still wearing the Scotland one I bought there in March at 2 in the morning!
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5 hours ago, paul-r-cfc said:


I got a belter of a shit from Hoi An and got it posted home for next to nothing because I didn't plan on carrying it on a rucksack for 2 more months
 

Understand you not wanting to carry it in your rucksack but pretty sure the postal authorities frown on that sort of thing.

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Guest Pampered Adolescent

OP & Others,

I have seen most of SE Asia, all except Indonesia, which I will get to eventually.

For myself, all have their pros and cons. In sort-of reverse order:

Singapore: will be the most similar to S Korea, is interesting enough, though very expensive.

Malaysia: has some interesting places, Malacca, Penang, KL, again a bit pricey.

Philippines: Cannot add to what my good friend Tight John McVeigh is a tit has written. One trip, Bobby Mooring. [blush].

Thailand: many comments here, which I needn't add to. Has my favourite food of the region.

Laos: Is land-locked, so not a beach country. But relatively under-developed, so, the quaintest of the lot.

Vietnam: Again, other's comments are more valid. If you are interested in War, then, it's the place to go. However, as the OP is in Korea, he'll/she'll soon be seeing their own version. Would rate second for food.

Myanmar: Surprised no-one has mentioned this yet. If sticking to tourist places, none of what's going on will affect you. Is changing at a rapid rate, e.g. modern taxis. Yangon bans motorcycles from the city, which brings an unexpected civilised slant to things. 

Cambodia: My top country. Amazingly friendly people, decent food, great culture and history, and, as cheap as chips. I have seen no food and beverage inflation since my first visit in 2003: 330 ml can of decent beer for USD 1, and two course meal for USD 6. Accommodation and 'entertainment' inflation, however.

For those who know the region, my order is almost exactly from dearest to cheapest. Laos is a bit of an outlier, as, it's just a little bit quiet. Also, Vientiane visually isn't as impressive as the other capital cities, as the Mekong here, is just a big concrete dyke. Unlike the Mekong in Phnom Penh which is very pleasing on the eye.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

PA

 

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Vientiane is a bit pish yeah. Highlight was the huge night market there with one of the finest selections of fake trainers I've ever seen. Vang Vieng is the real traveller hub of Laos and Luang Prabang is a bit better than Vientiane. Despite being relatively close to each other, it's about a five hour journey from Vientiane to vang Vieng and likewise from there to luang Prabang cos it's all through mountains. Bring a sick bag if you're not a great passenger!

Agree on Cambodia. Probably on par with Vietnam as my favourite of where I've been in the region and also my favourite food of the bunch. Such nice people, some stunning places to visit (Angkor Wat and surrounding temples are a must) and had some great nights out in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Sihanoukville is a typical seaside place but you can do boat journeys out to some stunning private beaches near there

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I found luang prabang to be surprising expensive. Very much a tourist trap. Personally i feel it was full of elderly Americans and Chinese tour groups.

Last time i was in hoi an i just sat in the pub all day. Again similar to luang prabang in it seems to be crawling with elderly Americans and Chinese tour groups.

Forgot how much i love Cambodia. Its a must for anyone visiting SEA.

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Guest Pampered Adolescent

Regarding the last two posts, I have also been to Luang Prabang, and, well, happy to have done it in a way. Quite a beautiful confluence of two rivers.

If you are into your monks at dawn, it is certainly the place to be. Otherwise, I'd rather be in Cambodia.

Pros for Cambodia are:

(I repeat): the people; amazing, especially given their recent history.

It's got 'edge'.

Cheap as chips.

Seldom is any problem is insurmountable.

 

Whilst perhaps not for the weak or the frail, if you have an open mind, and are relatively robust, in my opinion, you cannot go wrong in Cambodia at all.

Just my views, and all are welcome to PM me. (What's with this recent DM me shite.....?)

Cheers

PA

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

There's some good reading on this thread. We've just booked flights to Bangkok for January/February - me, my partner, our kids (then 4 and 1) and their very well travelled grandmother. Really looking forward to it - we've managed to clock up quite a few miles doing the family travel thing, and it has worked pretty well for us with a bit of planning and avoiding too much roughing it (long journeys on crammed buses, etc) along the way. And with three adults there's scope for at least two to go off for a few hours to do things that aren't child friendly. We'll probably spend some time in Cambodia while we're there, maybe Laos as well. Maybe Bangkok > Vientiane > Siem Reap > Phnom Penh > somewhere beachy > Bangkok.

Any suggestions of a beach in Cambodia or the northern half of Thailand that might fit the bill for us? Hoping to avoid the 18-30 crowd, and wanting somewhere that still feels relatively authentic rather than sterile and over-tourtisted. And not too expensive.

Any recommendations for national parks in the area that are good for spotting interesting wildlife?

Any thoughts on how long to spend in each place? We've got about three weeks in total.

We could probably swap Vientiane out for Luang Prabang, but it would involve an extra flight and the costs involved in that - would it be worth it? I've also been reading some interesting things about Kanchanaburi - what's it like?

Any tips much appreciated - particularly interested to hear experiences from anyone who has taken kids around these places.

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On 9/19/2017 at 02:17, paul-r-cfc said:


I got a belter of a shit from Hoi An and got it posted home for next to nothing because I didn't plan on carrying it on a rucksack for 2 more months

On the topic, Vietnam was an amazing country with Hoi An being my highlight. Such a cool wee town to just wander around in
Also agree that Hanoi trumps HCM. Seemed a bit more authentic to me - less flashy. Also, the little game of musical chairs you play when you're drinking 50p bear out of someone's "bar" and you need to stand up and hide the chairs when the police came was interesting.

Halong Bay is also well worth a look. One of the most stunning natural attractions you're ever likely to see if you get a boat tour round it.

On Bangkok - definitely worth visiting just cos it's Bangkok but not my favourite place. My recommendation for Khao San Road if it's a nice night is don't bother going into any of the bars. Plenty of vendors sell cold beers for much cheaper on the street and you can just stand outside the one whose music takes your fancy. Lets you wander about and mingle too. Just be prepared to be constantly offered wristbands with country flags and some of the vilest sentence you'll ever read on them. They must make a killing selling that shite to steaming tourists. I know I'm still wearing the Scotland one I bought there in March at 2 in the morning!

I ended up with a custom made wristband saying "Gary Irvine is the white cafu" on Khao San Road when I was steaming :lol:

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I have lived in South East Asia for 9 years now - Saigon and now Jakarta.

If anybody needs any info then send me a message.

Lots of people asking about best islands in Thailand. Mine is definitely Koh Lanta - can get to it from Phuket or Krabi. Great beach bars but really chilled as well. Phuket also has sone really nice areas away from the crowds - I would avoid Phi Phi but some other people love it.

I am in Bali right now. Yes, there are a lot of Aussies (my wife for one) but there are still some good spots. Depends what you are looking for - nice hotel with a kids club and good weather then Bali is still great (booze can be expensive compared to rest of Asia). Mt Agung not blown yet...

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  • 2 weeks later...
There's some good reading on this thread. We've just booked flights to Bangkok for January/February - me, my partner, our kids (then 4 and 1) and their very well travelled grandmother. Really looking forward to it - we've managed to clock up quite a few miles doing the family travel thing, and it has worked pretty well for us with a bit of planning and avoiding too much roughing it (long journeys on crammed buses, etc) along the way. And with three adults there's scope for at least two to go off for a few hours to do things that aren't child friendly. We'll probably spend some time in Cambodia while we're there, maybe Laos as well. Maybe Bangkok > Vientiane > Siem Reap > Phnom Penh > somewhere beachy > Bangkok.
Any suggestions of a beach in Cambodia or the northern half of Thailand that might fit the bill for us? Hoping to avoid the 18-30 crowd, and wanting somewhere that still feels relatively authentic rather than sterile and over-tourtisted. And not too expensive.
Any recommendations for national parks in the area that are good for spotting interesting wildlife?
Any thoughts on how long to spend in each place? We've got about three weeks in total.
We could probably swap Vientiane out for Luang Prabang, but it would involve an extra flight and the costs involved in that - would it be worth it? I've also been reading some interesting things about Kanchanaburi - what's it like?
Any tips much appreciated - particularly interested to hear experiences from anyone who has taken kids around these places.

We went to Kanchanaburi on a day trip from Cha Am. The bridge on the river kwai and the Commonwealth war graves are well worth a visit. The bridge can be busy at certain times and you have to time it right if you want to go on the train along the death railway.
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  • 3 months later...

I’ve just booked return flights from bangkok for this Christmas time. Got a fortnight with me and my daughter who will turn 15 whilst we are away.

 

Not decided on where to head to once I get there, so open to ideas.

 

I assume I am best staying in bangkok for 2-4 night probably to get settled after such a long flight- would that be the best place to see a good standard of Muay Thai?

 

After that I fancy seeing somewhere authentic or elephants etc

 

I also would like maybe around 4-5 days chilling in a beach resort.

 

I am not that sure of the geography or logistics of travel. Part of me thinks the train would be good to see loads of stuff but I was looking last night and flights are about £40 to go to places so makes sense to fly.

 

I like the look of that Chiang Mai? Up north but the islands and beaches are all down on the south. Just a bit of a pain in the arse always having to return to bangkok.

 

Where am I best being for new year? Any ideas for my daughters birthday?

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50 minutes ago, The Chlamydia Kid said:

I was looking on sky scanner and they were only 30-40 quid yesterday. Surely you can’t get them cheaper than that?

Aye book direct with them,i was jumping about asia paying about a tenner a flight

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Aye book direct with them,i was jumping about asia paying about a tenner a flight

I’ve always been the type to go on holidays to beach resorts and sit on my arse all day reading and drinking. Been doing a bit of reading up on south east Asia over last couple of days and I’m starting to think I’ve been missing out on some cracking destinations and experiences and spunking a fortune in the process...

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5 minutes ago, The Chlamydia Kid said:

I’ve always been the type to go on holidays to beach resorts and sit on my arse all day reading and drinking. Been doing a bit of reading up on south east Asia over last couple of days and I’m starting to think I’ve been missing out on some cracking destinations and experiences and spunking a fortune in the process...

You can do both easily there,have a few days chilling and then head into city break mode.When booking hotels in the cities over there always pay extra for a club room as you usually get 2/3 hours of free drink/food chucked in so it saves you money in the long run

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You can do both easily there,have a few days chilling and then head into city break mode.When booking hotels in the cities over there always pay extra for a club room as you usually get 2/3 hours of free drink/food chucked in so it saves you money in the long run

Where you bet booking accommodation? Booking.com? Someone said Air B n B is decent over there as well?
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