Recommendations for first Asia trip please!
Replies: 25 - Last Post: Dec 14, 2012 10:42 AM Last Post By: tobiaspal
jump to
Recommendations for first Asia trip please!
Hi!I've had a search round the site but hopefully this isn't too similar to previous posts.
A couple of friends and I have money and time to go travelling for 6 weeks in the summer. We are keen to go somewhere in Asia, as we've never been there before. We've all travelled in Europe before, and I've done a bit in Central America. Basically, we can't decide on a destination. There is way too much choice and we would love to go everywhere, but we only have limited time. So I'm looking for some recommendations :)
It will be end of May to beginning of June, which I believe is pretty wet in most of India and northern mainland SE Asia. After the Scottish winter we don't really want to be facing monsoons. We'd like to see a mix of everything really - culture, nature (possibly some hikes), animals, beaches (possibly diving), cities - but want to stay away from drunk, sunburnt Brits.
Planning to stick to two countries, maybe Indonesia and Vietnam? Do you have any recommendations? Where have you been that you've loved?
Thanks,
Lettie
2
want to stay away from drunk, sunburnt Brits.
Probably your best bet to stay away from drunk, sunburnt Brits is Scotland, where the drunk Brits you'll meet will be all pasty.
For beaches in June, you can't do better than Gulf of Thailand, but that area does have a substantial drunk sunburnt Brits problem.
If you're going to see two countries, I would recommend two contiguous countries and if you are serious about beaches, that means either Thailand and Cambodia, or Thailand and Malaysia. Cambodia of course has culture coming out the wazoo, but Malaysia has more of a mix of the Third World and the 21st Century.
3
But in their rush to get away from drunk, sunburnt Brits, they might run into the drunk, sunburnt Aussies.But for someone who hasnt been to Asia, sometimes you can read too much. Go anywhere with an open mind.
4
I just mean we're not looking for a party holiday really.Yes I've read through those threads. There is something putting me off Thailand though, don't know what.
We're not "serious about beaches", would like to do some beaches and some other things.
Does three weeks in Vietnam (and possibly a bit of Cambodia or Laos) and three weeks in Java sound like a stupid idea? We could fly in and out of Vietnam, and get a return flight with AirAsia to Jakarta or Yogyakarta.
Thanks for your replies!
5
There is something putting me off Thailand though
Well, if partying Europeans put you off, yes, big chunks of the Thai beaches will be no-fly zones -- and all of the west coast will be rainy in June.
Does three weeks in Vietnam (and possibly a bit of Cambodia or Laos) and three weeks in Java sound like a stupid idea?
No, it seems fine. Just don't forget that crossing the borders cost about $60 each way, in addition to substantial airfare. You want to avoid doubling back if you can.
There's nothing particular notable in Vietnam near the Lao border except Diem Bien Phu. A land crossing to Cambodia is more interesting: you can tour the Delta, which is always nice.
I went from HCMC by bus and boat to Phnom Penh and then taxi to Siem Reap, and it was fascinating. You could do that, then fly from SR to Jakarta. Say, 17 days in Vietnam, 8 in Cambodia, and 17 on Java?
If you like a cultural/beach experience, try Phu Quoc.
6
Thanks for all the replies!How does this sound as a very very rough itinerary just with some ideas?
-----------Two weeks in Vietnam-----------
-Fly London - HCMC
Stuff we'd like to see - Hoi An, Hanoi, Nha Trang, Halong Bay (I'm aware there is a massive distance between these places - sleeper buses?), Phu Quoc, Mekong Delta
-----------Week in Cambodia-----------
Angkor Wat - where else would you recommend?
-Fly Siam Reap - Kuala Lumpur
--Couple of nights stopover in Kuala Lumpur?
- Fly Kuala Lumpur - Bali or Yogyakarta
-----------Two Weeks in Java/Bali, Indonesia-------
Stuff we'd like to see - Mt Bormo, Borobodur, Bali,
--Fly out of Bali/Jakarta - London
Thanks!
7
Trains where possible in Vietnam. Either HCMC or Mekong Delta to Phnom Penh. KL worth a night or 2.We have had many a holiday in Thailand and we're not party people either. Not all of Thailand is party, party, party or full of drunk Brits. We go often to Koh Samui and stay on a beach where there isnt a party within the area leading down to the beach. You seem to have this big misconception about Thailand.
8
It's generally rainy season during the summer months in Thai, Vietnam, Laos.. which is when we started our journey. We decided to skip this area and head to the East coast of Malaysia and Indonesia as it's the dry season then.Malaysia gets a bit of a hard time from other travellers who consider it too "safe" but we loved it. The Perhentian islands have a decent mix of party but not too many drunks. We got our PADI diving there very cheaply.
If you like hiking then I would advise Sulawesi in Indonesia which also has some great diving.
We we in these places at the same time and have loads of photos and tips:
http://www.everydaysomewhere.com/search/label/Indonesia
http://www.everydaysomewhere.com/search/label/Malaysia
9
I visited Thailand and the Philippines on my first asian trip, which was also 6 weeks exactly. I'm really glad I did,the Philippines is a completely different world than mainland SEA. If I were to recommend a first Asian trip I would definitely
include 2 weeks in the Philippines and 4 weeks in other countries. If you buy early you can get really cheap tickets on
Cebu Pacific to/from Bangkok, Hong Kong etc, just watch the sales they change every three four days. If you buy 3-6 months ahead you can basically get from mainland SEA to Philippines there and back for less than 100 usd. Also flights within the Philippines can be ridiculously cheap if you buy when on sale.
If you do visit the Philippines be sure to remember you need onward ticket printed out, otherwise they won't let you board the flight!
10
Probably, but there are so many places we want to go that it will help us in our decisionmaking if we can strike a few places off the list!
malvolio wrote:
I went from HCMC by bus and boat to Phnom Penh and then taxi to Siem Reap, and it was fascinating. You could do that, then fly from SR to Jakarta. Say, 17 days in Vietnam, 8 in Cambodia, and 17 on Java?
I went from HCMC by bus and boat to Phnom Penh and then taxi to Siem Reap, and it was fascinating. You could do that, then fly from SR to Jakarta. Say, 17 days in Vietnam, 8 in Cambodia, and 17 on Java?
How long did HMCH - Siem Reap take you? And at what sort of pace?
Thank you all for the advice!
11
HCMC to PP by boat and bus can take a day or if you go via Mekong Delta, 2-3or more depending how long you want to take or if you do a tour or by yourself.Some dont like the tours because of factory visits. Our factory visits were mostly food places so we were able to eat and stock up on snacks on the way.
12
How long did HMCH - Siem Reap take you? And at what sort of pace?
I took it very easy, so it was a 36-hours bus/floating hotel/boat trip to PP, then I drove up to Kratie (totally out of the way, but I wanted to see the dolphins) for one day, then down to Battambang for the second day, then over to SR on the morning of the third day.
If you felt like pushing it, you could do the whole thing in less than 48 hours, but why?
Some dont like the tours because of factory visits.
I loved the factory visits. The candy factory, the fish farm, the crocodile farm (I never found out why anyone would raise crocodiles. Luggage?)
