South-East Asia Mainland

Couple of quick ones:

Is it recommended to book buses etc ahead in general?

Is it worth the (long) train ride from Inle Lake (via Shwenyaung) to Yangon or better just to fly? I am on a semi tight budget sadly. Are the sleeper cabins generally sold out as LP suggests?

I have a sort of itinerary thanks to a few trip reports/advice from here... but was wondering if anyone had any advice on this one. THe indicates transit day(ie a write off!).... Probably have a contingency of 1 or 2 of the days currently allocated toYangon in case of 'emergency' or spending a day longer somewhere. Also open to any advice on the trek ie if time spent better somewhere else.

Few other questions about moving from place to place but will post that separately. THanks again for…

I was intending on overnighting in Sagaing then going straight from there to MOnywa. Does the Mandalay to Monywa bus pass through Sagaing? Are there issues getting this bus as LP suggests? (drivers were apparently reluctant to sell tickets to tourists at time of printing) Would you suggests just going back to Mandalay and exiting from there?

Thanks again....

Hi there.
My boyfriend and I are arriving in Kuala Lumpur the 15th of march and have to be in Ho Chi Minh City by the 28th of march because my family is meeting us there. We can't really find any cheap flights as Air Asia is not operating that route, do you have any other suggestions to a route? We are also thinking about travelling up to Bangkok and taking the flight from there, but still no cheap flights. Is it possible to take a train or bus? And in that case, do you have to take…

My other half popped the question recently whilst we were at Angkor Wat. We have decided that we would like to get hitched in Cambodia, but I can't fund any info on the web. Is it possible for a foreigner (British) to get hitched in Cambodai, and if so what is required?

All info greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Hi everybody,
in 2000 I had a stop at the Indawgy Lake off the Myitkyina train route.
It was a great experience, as this was really off the beaten track at that time.
On the other hand for lack of time and lack of the most basic infrastructure I stayed only one day in the area...
at least did a great boat trip to Shwe Myinzu Pagoda in the middle of the lake.
Has anyone been there recently ??
What kind of activities could you do ?? any trecking?? any guides available ??
thanks in advance

I'll be in Vietnam april 1-20 on business, flying into Hanoi; i'm interested in touring the countryside by bike before or after... I know it is supposed to be super hot that time of year however... is this a ridiculous idea? I could maybe try to get there by mid march, but after april 20 would be much more feasible. I appreciate any advice on this!

Does anyone know if u can slow boat fom pak lai to vientiane anymore?...i hear conflicting stories...and it's a long way by songtaew to come up snake eyes...anyone know definitively?

thanks

In a week or so I'll be entering Laos via Yunnan, China. I plan on heading up to Phongsali by bus and then working my way down to Luang Prabang by boat stopping along the way of course.

Does anyone know what the status of the river is right now? Is it high enough so that this is possible or will I have to bus it?

Also don't have a Laos LP unless I'm able to pick one up in Jinghong somehow, just a map (in English). Any recomdations about the best places to stop along the way?

How much English…

I will be traveling to Bhutan and Myanmar before leaving the region next month. This involves an overnight stop in Kolkata, so I will need an India transit visa. I will try to get one in Thimphu, Bhutan, but in case that fails does anyone know whether it is possible to get an Indian transit visa on a same-day (or two-day) basis in Yangon?

Thanks.

CK