Questions About South East Asia

[diva]

I'd like to go there at the end of April for one month. I'd originally wanted to try for six weeks, but I have to be back for my mom's university graduation at the end of May.

Should I just stick to one country for the entire month, or try to add a few others?

Also, because I own two copies of the book Eat, Pray, Love, I have this odd fixation with Bali. Is there enough to see if I spend the entire month there? Basically if I do one country it will be either Thailand, Vietnam, or Bali.

Also also, what's the weather like in May? I know it's the rainy season but is it like rainy for an hour or two, then sunny for the rest of the day? Will the rain be bad enough that I should maybe consider going a bit later on in the year? Keep in mind that I really don't want to do this because the program i'm taking at BCIT is over at the end of April and I'd like to take my 2009 vacation before I start my new job (which comes with a two month orientation). So I probably wont be able to go until September if I don't go in May. I really don't want to wait that long for my next long vacation.

I'm asking now because first choice for 2009 vacation needs to be submitted by Oct 31st.

Thanks!

I'm sorry, I'm too lazy to browse through the Lonely Planet forum right now. I want first hand info pls.

[matéo]

I've been over there a couple times now.

Bali is not a country (not sure if thats a typo)

for Indonesia talk to AGROdave he basically lived with the locals but could offer you a lot of normal travel advice for that area.

As for Thailand, Vietnam or Cambodia add me to msn someofmybestfriendsaredjs@hotmail.com

I went with my girlfriend at the time and did 3 countries and like 10 cities in 3 weeks. Time in certain places always depends on the person. If I could suggest one thing that was suggest over and over to me its go over their with a rough plan but make your plans while over there.

Add me to msn I'll trade for advice on Ghana as i'm going next year.

Matt

[diva]

Yeah, I meant Bali. Just the Island. I don't want to do the rest of the country.

You didn't answer the rest of my questions.

I'll add you to msn when I get home.

=)

[Revolver]

you will be right in the middle of the hot season for thailand and its REAAAALY hot but its manageable.

I arrived right on the cusp between the two seasons and stayed for two months.

what sort of experience are you looking for? do you want to see and do alot? or just kinda relax and lounge around on the beaches.

thing is with thailand it pretty much has everything you could ever want to do. AMAZING culture up north in chaing mai wich is a days train away from bangkok to perfect white sand beaches in the south wich is only a days or two bus away from bangkok.

PACK LIGHTLY...infact dont bring anything at all. everything can be had there at a fraction of the price and the shopping, my god, the shopping is just unreal.

[mojo]

you will not get much rain in any of those locations then, and if you do it will be monsoon-style dumps for an hour or so then back to the sun to dry it up.

if you want to get into it a bit, meet some people, learn some about local culture, language, etc, stick to one country. If you want to be able to say you 'did' this and that when you get home then i'd say fly into Bangkok. It is surrounded by other nations within a days journey by land, whereas with Bali you are locked to air travel or long legs overland and trips on the sea.

let us know why you are going abroad and then we can help more.

ps: the thorn tree is updated weekly/daily/hourly by people often in the country, so it can't get much more first hand then that!!!
: )

[diva]

Originally Posted by Revolver

you will be right in the middle of the hot season for thailand and its REAAAALY hot but its manageable.

I arrived right on the cusp between the two seasons and stayed for two months.

what sort of experience are you looking for? do you want to see and do alot? or just kinda relax and lounge around on the beaches.

thing is with thailand it pretty much has everything you could ever want to do. AMAZING culture up north in chaing mai wich is a days train away from bangkok to perfect white sand beaches in the south wich is only a days or two bus away from bangkok.

PACK LIGHTLY...infact dont bring anything at all. everything can be had there at a fraction of the price and the shopping, my god, the shopping is just unreal.

Yeah, I was to see and do a lot, but not be so exhausted by the end of my trip that I'll feel like I need another vacation. I'm pretty chill for the most part, but I get bored rather easily as well. I can't see myself spending a lot of time beaching it.

I do think I'd rather focus on one country (or island in bali's case). Really want to do Bali, but think I might be bored there for an entire month...

I'm going away because I love the idea of exploring places I've fantasized about for years. I also love meeting and connecting with new people. And I like the heat. Loooove the heat.

I'm worried that i'll be really overwhelmed with getting somewhere and not having a plan. I like planning and routine and organizing. I don't want to waste a day trying to figure out what to do next..

Does that help at all?

Edit: I'd also be able to do the odd have dinner at a five star restaurant or spend a day or two being pampered at a high end spa. Don't get me wrong, I can definitely rough it, but I don't want my trip to be all about that. ...want a variety of experiences.

[Courtney]

my friend said bali is really coupley and not the best place to go if your alone

[Courtney]

sorry that came out abd but she said its really beautiful and way cooler and cultured than like bankok thailand type thing.....shes been a lot of places in asia I can hook you up with her contact if you like

[diva]

Yeah, a lot of ppl honeymoon there.

[Revolver]

bangkok itself is a disgusting mess of a city.

its just awful and really only to be used as a transport hub and the magical '3days before departure shopping binge'....well, the main palace complex is a awsome site to see but thats about it.

and i guess ko-san road is abit of a must see for the novelty.

Thailand would be prefect for a one month itin.

after arriving in bangkok and adjusting take the train up north to ayutaya wich is the ancient capital. Rich and lush with culture. Stay at TONYS PLACE in ayyutaya. of all the guesthouses ive stayed around the world without a about TONYS PLACE is THE finest ive ever been too. I know mojo is a fan of it as well....or was the rhia?

Head north up to chiang mai. since you have the time chaing mai is a real MUST SEE. I can't go on enough about how spectacular it is. This is where you do the typical 4 day jungle trek to the hill tribes, riding elephants and white water rafting and all that. JULIES place is a awsome place to stay in chiang mai....i know chewy and mojo stayed there and loved it. Chiang mai is in the golden triangle....some really fascinating history up there and its photographically stunning as well.

so say after a week or two up there you take a over nite train back down to bangkok and then a days bus or so to the south islands of ko-tao ko- pa nagn and ko- samui. 2 weeks hoping around these islands will satisfy your 'paradise' kick....

ko-samui in particular is outstanding. its basically a little hawaii...chock full of five stars...huge clubs and excellent high end shopping....

if its still there...there is a firing range on ko- samui....TRY IT..theres basically no saftey restrictions and you can fire shit off there that you wouldnt be allow to anywhere elese in the world...

we're talking RPG's, bazookas, crazy modified uzis ect. ect. I'm the least violent person one could meet but i got to say that firing off some rounds and blowin shit up is kinda awsome

[mojo]

Julie GH for the win. let me know if my name is still painted on the wall in the rooftop room at the end.

[frogprincess]

Vietnam (Saigon and Nha Trang) > Bali (Kuta Beach)

I found that there was more to see and do in the Nam rather than drinking my face off in Bali. Also, too many annoying Australians in Bali.

The locals in both places are amazingly hospitable.

The food in the Nam was so much more tastier too and CHEAP!

I did not see any donkeys in either country though = 0 (

[Wood]

Originally Posted by Revolver

Head north up to chiang mai. since you have the time chaing mai is a real MUST SEE. I can't go on enough about how spectacular it is. This is where you do the typical 4 day jungle trek to the hill tribes, riding elephants and white water rafting and all that. JULIES place is a awsome place to stay in chiang mai....i know chewy and mojo stayed there and loved it. Chiang mai is in the golden triangle....some really fascinating history up there and its photographically stunning as well.

+1, i loved chiang mai so much i spent almost my whole trip there & in the surrounding area.

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by Wood

+1, i loved chiang mai so much i spent almost my whole trip there & in the surrounding area.

that almost happend to me too lol...

chiang mai is rad and the caliber and type of travellers you meet up there is awesome

[mojo]

hahah, I went to chiang mai on my last SE Asia trip and only planned to stay for 3 nights at that point of my travels. I stayed 6 months! An amazing, diverse city.

The North of the country is def. the most enjoyable, in my opinion.

[Veni*C]

the start of rainy season just started when we left thailand at the beginning of may.. its like crazy monsoon rain.. so its rains like crazy for an hour then goes away.... we just did thailland in the month... it depends on what you want to do though.. i found it nice to be able to see all of thailand and stay in any place i really liked for a little bit longer.. instead of bouncing around every other day... which gets really tiring.. its nice to be able to settle down for a couple of days and get to know where u really are... we spent 4 days on ko lanta.. and 5 days in pai.. it was awesome... but like i said .. its up to you.. depends on your travel preferences/style... i like being able to take everything in instead of being rushed around... a month in thailand gives you a really great experience of the whole country...

ps. i agree with mojo... north thailand is 'real thailand' imo.... the beachs in the south are pretty amazing though... just really touristy...

[mojo]

<3 Ko Lanta

[Veni*C]

Originally Posted by mojo

<3 Ko Lanta

i didnt want to leave there... it was amazing....it had the most amazing sunsets ive ever seen

[diva]

K..
Now that you guys are making me lean toward Thailand, how much money should I budget for a really awesome month there?

[sNyx]

"bangkok itself is a disgusting mess of a city." Nah, spend some time there and you'll learn it's an pretty special city. Granted that's to live not to skip jump rope through. First impressions aren't the best in BKK.

Please consider my travel pleasure is cities.

If your going to do S.E.A for 30 days, I would recommend sticking to one country and really circling it or do as little flying as possible. Flights are cheap as hell with AirAsia.com in that region but there is such a cluster of countries you can really stay on earth and hit a bunch by vehicle or public transport.

Thailand is fairly cost effective with plenty to see and do and surrounded by a friendly culture. From Bangkok go south to beach/party, go north to jungle/sight-see.

Philippines reads like an amazing country but I got the feeling from my research it was a little less safe then Thailand. Originally wanted to move to Cebu. Boracay Island is like in the top 3 beaches of the world.

Hong Kong. GO THERE. My fave city aside from Vancouver. Granted cities don't much count on the "backpacker" to-do's but I would move there no problem. Spent a little over a week there, could move in happy as a clam. Checkout Macau for some weekend kicks. Vegas China.

Singapore is another great city to visit. Very westernized I found, still a remarkably sound city. Anything you have heard, rumors etc, ignore them they are merely a stereotype. Very beautifully architectural city to visit. Malaysia is a 2 hour bus ride away (4/6 if you want to hit the capital Kual Lumpur but an easy transfer to another cool city.

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by My!es

"bangkok itself is a disgusting mess of a city." Nah, spend some time there and you'll learn it's an pretty special city.

I have, prolly a couple weeks in total time hence my conclusion. personally I dont like it. Overcrowded, polluted, dirty air I had to wear my bandanna to cover my face while riding tuk tuks cause the pollution is so bad.

side from ko-san,floating market and the royal palace the BKK is just not my kind of town but it comes down to preference

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by diva

K..
Now that you guys are making me lean toward Thailand, how much money should I budget for a really awesome month there?

about 2- 2500 or so.

[sNyx]

Considering the little time we spent together at the good and the bad in the Vancouver thing, I can tell you under the skin BKK has something to offer even you would enjoy. Your talking tourist, I gotta standup for my old homebase. That's all :)

Originally Posted by Revolver

i have, prolly a couple weeks in total time. personally i dont like it. overcrowded, polluted, dirty air i had to wear my bandanna to cover my face while riding tuk tuks cause the pollution is so bad.

side from ko-san,floating market and the royal palace the BKK is just not my scene

[sNyx]

ps - too bad Oasis Air went under, they had like 480$ returns from VAN > HK :(

[Veni*C]

Originally Posted by diva

K..
Now that you guys are making me lean toward Thailand, how much money should I budget for a really awesome month there?

2g's is deffinatly enough.. ull be able to do pretty much whatever you want and not have to stay in super ghetto places..... just watch yourself a bit in the south... even though things are still really cheap compared to here.. they are about 3 or 4 times the cost of things than in the north... u will have plently to shop till you drop.. and do all the fun little tours.... if u wanna splurge a bit..i HIGHLY reccomend the john gray seacanoe tour... for 100 bucks u pretty much have one of the most amazing experiences of your life and eat some really awesome food....John Gray's Sea Canoe Natural History by Sea Kayaking in Thailand, Vietnam, Timor, Fiji, Philippines and Hawaii since 1983.