Hey guys :)

Firstly, apologies in advance for another itinerary thread! I know there's hundreds of them, but I can't find all the information I'm looking for.

My girlfriend and I are currently planning the South East Asia part of our travels. We land in Bangkok early April and have 8 weeks to explore SE Asia, ahead of flying from Bangkok to Koh Samui for a couple of weeks in the Thai Gulf Islands. We’d love to explore Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.


We have put together the below rough itinerary:

Thailand
> Bangkok
> Kanchanaburi
> Pai
> Chiang Mai

Laos
> Luang Prubang
> Vang Vieng
> Vientiane


Vietnam
> Hanoi
> Halong
> Ninh Binh
> Phong Nha-Ke
> Hue
> Hoi An
> Ho Chi Minh City

Cambodia
> Phnom Penh
> Koh Rong
> Siem Reap

We're not sure the above is realistic in 8 weeks. Is it too much to fit in? We'd love to see everywhere, but need to be realistic. Don't want to spend our entire time travelling between places, where if we'd drop some places, we'd have more time to take in the surroundings and embrace the culture.

To give you a bit of background, we’re mid-20s to early 30s and have around £2,000 each for the 8 weeks (so £4,000 total, with additional set aside for the time in the Thai Gulf Islands). Ahead of landing in Bangkok, we're travelling through Australia and Bali (again with separate budgets for these). Is this enough budget - or should we look at having more for the 8 weeks?

We’re quite a laid back couple and would like a mix of what we do during the two months - from the more relaxing days to the more intense days. We enjoy walking and taking in the sights & sounds. We want to immerse ourself in the culture, but also want to do it comfortably (where possible!). In terms of accommodation we have been looking at Airbnbs rather than hostels - which actually look comparable in price as there are two of us. We like a drink, but are not travelling to party.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Hi,

I planning my second trip to Myanmar in March and would like to experience the western parts of the country (they were closed to foreigners during my first visit).

I would like to go to Lahe (in the Naga hills) and trek for several days staying in villages along the way. Most of the trip reports I've seen talk only about the Naga new year but I haven't managed to find any information about trekking in the area. Anybody done something like this?

After Lahe, I plan to go down the Chindwin river starting from Khamti. There are several posts about that but they all focus on the practicalities of the trip. What are the main sites/places along the river that I shouldn't miss? How much time should it take?

After that, I thought about heading to Falam in northern Chin state and trek a bit in the area. Again found some trip reports but no concrete information about trekking in the area. From what I understand, this area is much more developed and less traditional than the southern Chin hills around Mindat. Is it worth the effort to get to Falam?

In southern Chin state, I'm currently looking at trekking around either Mindat, Kanapetlet or Matupi. I understand that the villages around Mindat are interesting and friendly. Anybody trekked around Matupi? Are the villages/tribes similar to Mindat?

Thanks
Yuval

Hi there, we will be in Vietnam from 27th Sept to 20th Oct. I understand the weather is good in the north but there is still heavy rainfall in the south. Would you advise spending the whole time in the north or spending time in the south as well? If both, how much time would you allocate for each region? Would you do north or south first?
Thanks!
Caroline

Hi everyone,

I'll be crossing into Laos from China at the Mohan-Boten border point, and need to figure out where / how to get kip, and a Lao sim card.

Money: Should I bring cash (Chinese Yuan) and exchange it (Mohan or Boten) or try to find an ATM accepting unionpay cards in Boten? I already have my visa for Laos. Does anyone have experience using unionpay cards in Laos?

Sim card: Is it possible to get one in Boten or will I have to wait until I get to Muang Xai / Luang Prabang ?

Any tips / particular issues for crossing the border with a bicycle?

Thanks!

I have found that there are two My Khe beaches, one near Danang and the other further south. Has anyone visited the second one and what was it like? I will be in Hoi Anh and heading south, so being lazy and not wanting to backtrack was hoping this might be an ok stop on the way. Thanking you all in advance Lesleigh