Where should I go?

#1: SEA isn't all touristy. You can definitely find places off the beaten path, and if you likes ruins and whatnot, it's goldmine. You can also spend time in Indonesia, which is incredibly cheap and has more out of the way spots. And yes, awesome food all over! Your money will last quite a while.

#2: You can also check out some Central Asian countries; not as frequented, but supposedly very scenic and not touristy.

#3: If I were in your position I'd pick this one... Turkey sounds like it has some amazing sites, and I've heard great things about Iran (no matter what the situation is). From Iran you could probably go into Central Asia, and if your money lasts, you could possibly do #2 in reverse.

Thank god this isn't a usual where should I go question and you actually have done a little reading first!

Frankly all three are fantastic options and you will not be disapointed whichever you choose. Your 'likes' are pretty standard though, you can get scenery, outdoors, adventure and culture in any and all of these countries. I would think carefully about a) your interests and b) what you want to do on your trip to help you decide. If you want to sit in a hammock on a tropical beach there isn't much point going to Pakistan, but if you have a huge interst in biblical archaeology Iran and the Middle East are amazing.

Personally having been to all of these places and more, the route I would go back to in a heartbeat is Singapore then through SE Asia. I love the region with a passion for many, many reasons, but that is my own personal choice.

To answer your cons about SE Asia though, yes there are 'easy' and 'touristy' parts, but you can also go off the beaten track a little too. Try the North East of Thailand (Isan through to Laos for example) or parts of Indonesia or Borneo.

$10,000 (I am assuming US?) is a fair budget too for the region for 6 plus months, depending how frugally you travel.

Well you asked for personal opinions but I don't see how that will help you. I have no interest in SEA at all, so what. I'd pick Turkey from that list, but again, so what? My personal opinion really isn't going to help you Pisaster.

You appear to have done your homework, know what your interests are and have previous travel experience. You just can't decide which apparently. Here's an idea. Flip a coin. I'm not joking. Here's why.

Whenever someone has a choice to make and can't decide, flipping a coin will give you the answer every time. When the coin is in the air and about to land, what happens is you realize as it is falling which way you want it to land !!!!

You don't even have to look to see how it lands. You know which choice you really want.

Agree with mike...all 3 are good picks,and your likes are too general to choose one.

If you have little/no travel experience (I guess you don't if you have never been to SE Asia..that is a standard trip for most travellers) then i'd go with number one.

Save the other options for later when you have more experience.....and more idea of precisely what you want/don't want from your trip.

BTW as mentioned above....if you find the standard SE Asia banana pancake train too easy/touristy...you can get off that cheaply and simply at any time.

I've been to places in Indonesia,Cambodia and even Thailand where you will not see another European/American face in weeks or even months.....

Sorry OP i just saw that you have been in China ;-)

Umm, no experience in SEA hardly indicates little/no travel experience lucapal. It might just indicate more discerning taste in travel than the average 'banana pancake' traveller. ;-)

Actually it probably does.

I would guess that 99% of the people who post on here and have been to (say) over 50 countries have visited the region.

It is a 'starting' point for most people..not everyone,but the vast majority.

BTW your comment on the 'banana pancake' trail......if it wasn't you TiS,I'd say that it demonstrates a combination of snobbery and ignorance ;-)

How can you comment on a whole region (and the people that go there) if you have never been there yourself?