South East Asia, anyone?

[Quartercentury]

Anyone been to South East Asia???

FH and I are planning a trip this December, to start and end in Bangkok and lasting about three weeks. We're wanting to do beaches, but also to visit Siem Riep in Cambodia and maybe northern Laos.

Ideas or suggestions?

[QT Pie]

SE Asia is my favorite area to visit! DH and I were in Phuket last November and the year before, we were in Bangkok, Vietnam and Cambodia. If you go to Phuket, check out the Evason Resort. It was my favorite!

I was especially amazed in Siem Riep. The temples are incredibly beautiful. Definitely go now - it is becoming increasingly popular with the tourists.

I am really jealous! What are your plans while you're over there?

[emmjay]

I spent several months in SE Asia in 2003, so I'd be happy to try to help with any recommendations. How were you thinking about traveling? Backpacking, or more upscale? Or somewhere in between? I was backpacking while I was there so I won't be any help to you at all with nice hotels! ;)

If you can get to Luang Prabang (I am guessing that's where you are talking about going in Laos), it is really gorgeous. I loved it there - it is also getting more and more popular, but it is this beautiful French colonial city on the Mekong River, and it's just a cool little place. The Angkor temples are incredible as well, like QT Pie said.

Just off the top of my head I think you have more than enough time to fit in a trip to Laos as well as Siem Reap.

[Quartercentury]

Thanks for the replies, QT Pie and emmjay!

Our super-tentative ideal itinerary involves a week each at some yet-to-be-decided Thai beach, Siem Riep, and nothern Laos. But we need to work out if time will allow overland travel between all of those places or if our budget will allow all of those flights.

QT Pie, have you got any Bangkok recommendations? We're only thinking about spending two or three days there, so what *must* we see during this time? Hotel/guesthouse ideas? Any visiting Angkor tips? How much time did you spend there? Did you feel like it was enough, or did you leave wishing you'd had more time? Did you get there from Bangkok on the bus? or fly? or from Phnom Phen?

emmjay, we haven't actually decided what our mode of travel is going to be (i.e. backpacking or not). But we're definitely not going upscale on this trip. Where did you visit in SE Asia? We are definitely interested in going to Luang Prabang, and are also looking for Thailand beach tips.

[emmjay]

We went to Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Malacca and Penang), Thailand (pretty much all over), Cambodia (Battambang and Siem Reap), Laos (Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane), and Vietnam.

If you decide to do just one flight, I would recommend flying to Luang Prabang. We did everything overland and I thought getting to Cambodia was easier just because there are so many buses that run between Bangkok and Siem Reap. Actually I think you take one bus to the border and then switch, and the road in Cambodia is terrible, but you can do it in one day. Getting up to northern Laos is more of a pain overland because it is much farther away and you have to switch buses more. Or you can take a boat to Luang Prabang from the Thai border but that takes 2 days not including taking a day to get up to the border from Bangkok. That was pretty cool though if you have the time.

If you don't mind, I'll just go through each place and let you know what I think - this is all based on what we did, so feel free to ignore anything that doesn't apply to you! And sorry in advance for going on and on and on - I know I always do that when talking about traveling ;)

ETA - I'm going to break this up into more posts so it's easier to read.

[emmjay]

Cambodia: you have the option of getting a 1-, 3- or 5-day pass for the Angkor temples. We did 3 days. I thought it was sufficient and I feel like we saw everything, but IMO the 1-day pass would not be enough time. We couldn't do the 5-days because we had to get back to Bangkok - it would have been nice to have that much time though. I would also recommend that you get a guide and a car/driver for at least one day - I think it would be tough to appreciate everything you are seeing without a guide, and it is SO nice to have an air-conditioned car to drive from place to place. They have official guides through the Tourist Board, and your hotel can set it up for you. We ended up having the guide for one day, then we had the driver/car only for the next day as well (and went on our own for the 3rd day). If you can get up to the temples that are outside of the main complex (I forget the name but you can find it in your guidebook) - the temples are carved out of a rose-colored stone, and the carving is unreal.

An option for getting from Bangkok to Siem Reap that is more time-consuming but very interesting is to take a taxi from Poipet (the town at the border) and go to Battambang. You can spend the night there and then take a small boat from Battambang to Siem Reap the next morning - the countryside is gorgeous, and it is much nicer than the bus. The only problem is that you will get hassled to DEATH in Poipet and everyone will try to rip you off (Poipet is the single worst place I have ever been, which is why the bus is good because it really minimizes the hassle). They tried to charge us something like $50 for the taxi and it should have been $10 or $15. But the boat ride was awesome. Oh, and you can get your Cambodian visa at the border yourself and it's really easy, so don't let anyone try to tell you that you have to get it on the Thai side through some service - total rip off. You can also get it in Bangkok through the Cambodian embassy if you want to do it ahead of time.

[emmjay]

Thailand: we went to Koh Lanta for a month, which is an island off of the western side of the Thai peninsula (pretty close to Phuket and Koh Phi Phi). It was great - not very touristy and really peaceful and gorgeous. We stayed at Waterfall Bay at the very end of the island, which was awesome ($3.75/night for our own bamboo hut on the beach) but they have new owners now and it's more expensive - I'm sure it's still relatively cheap. They also had more upscale cabins with a/c, and a great restaurant, and the beach was really nice too.

In Bangkok we stayed with a friend so I don't know any hotels, but for a restaurant you should go to Baan Kanitha on Sukhumvit Soi 23. AWESOME. You will get the best Thai meal of your lives for $25. Oh, and there is a gorgeous craft store next door called Rasi Sayam with beautiful things from all over Thailand.

Laos: Luang Prabang is one of those places where you just go to enjoy the ambiance, you know? There are beautiful temples, and you can take a day trip on the river up to a cave where people have been placing Buddha statues since the 1800s. But mostly it is a place to go to the market, look at the French Colonial architecture and just walk around and enjoy the town.

That's all I can think of, but if I can help out with anything else please let me know. You will have a great time!

[QT Pie]

emmjay has some great tips! I bow down to her... ;)

[emmjay]

Oh god, so now I KNOW I was being too longwinded. :o I guarantee you have a ton of info that she could use that I would never even know about - I don't have any real hotel recommendations, no idea of how to get around besides on the bus, I don't know anything about any of the other beaches in Thailand, and I'm sure there are countless other things that you could help her with. So don't leave because of my verbal diarrhea! I will feel bad! :)

[QT Pie]

emmjay - your info is great! You are not long winded at all! I know I couldn't have been as good! My memory for details is fading as I'm getting older! :eek:

[Quartercentury]

emmjay! What a font of information you are! :) I have more questions if you don't mind...

What time of year were you in Cambodia? We have been thinking about boat options, but FH says he read that some parts of some rivers dry up during the dry season, so you might buy a boat ticket but end up on the bus for half the way. Were you just in Battambang and Siem Riep, or did you spend any time in Phnom Phen?

And how much time did you spend in Luang Prabang? I get the impression from your description of the atmosphere that it's worth the trip, but not much to do. Although there was just an article about the area in the food section of the NYT last week...

I haven't done much reading on Thailand yet. I'm sure I will come back with more questions soon!

[emmjay]

We were in Cambodia in July or August of 2003, so we were there in the middle of the wet season. We didn't go to Phnom Phen because we were meeting people in Bangkok and had to get back. I could see the river drying up in the dry season - there were a few sections along the way that didn't look too deep.

We spent about 3 weeks in Laos total - 10 days in Luang Prabang, 5 days in Vang Vieng and then a week in Vientiane waiting to get some visas. I really liked Luang Prabang, but it is definitely a more laid back place. Laos in general is very mellow. Luang Prabang, for me, was a place for strolling around, going to cafes, going to the market, etc. Not a lot of activity. Although the cave with the Buddha statues was pretty cool. On that trip you also go to some local villages where they show you how they make their traditional paper lanterns, weavings and rice wine. Yes, it is a ploy to get you to buy stuff but it's still interesting!

For activities (outdoor), Vang Vieng would be a better option, but harder to get to - there are hikes and places for rock climbing, and you can rent giant inner tubes to float down a river (and there are locals selling beer and food on the banks of the river so you can stop along the way!). That was really fun. Vang Vieng is halfway between Luang Prabang and Vientiane.

Actually, if you wanted to you could probably do all of that - you could fly to Luang Prabang and spend a couple of days there, then take a van down to Vang Vieng for a few days. Then from Vang Vieng you can go to Vientiane and then back to Bangkok. We took a kayaking trip from Vang Vieng to Vientiane - you don't kayak the whole way, just for the morning and then they drive you in a van the rest of the way. Anyway, my point is that you could definitely do this in a week if you wanted to.

[seattleguamgirl]

I recommend spending just a few days in Bangkok and the rest of your time in Southern Thailand. We spent three days in Bangkok and saw a few of the temples (the reclining buddha and the grand palace come to mind). We spent more time in Phuket. We stayed at the Marina Cottage resort, which was awesome! We took a day trip to Ko Phi Phi and that was amazing as well.

[Quartercentury]

Just a bump with a bit of an update... I'm leaving for Bangkok in three weeks ( :eek: ) and we sort of actually have a plan: three or four days in Bangkok, then see Siem Riep/Angkor, Phnom Phen, Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Hanoi, down the coast of Vietnam by train, back to Bangkok, then some time on Ko Lanta or Ko Phi Phi, all over the course of about six weeks.

I am somewhat worried that this is way too optimistic, but we're not booking any flights, etc. until we're there (we're planning to fly most places so we're not taking up too much time in buses), so we can be flexible and cut things out or add things as we go.

Three more weeks!

:eek: :D :D :D

[emmjay]

I think if you are flying from place to place you can do all of that in 6 weeks.

Did you get your visas for Vietnam yet? If not, their visas have fixed, specific dates - you must enter the country after the date you specify when you apply, and leave within 30 days of that date. For example, you have to tell them you want the visa to start on Dec 1st and then you have 30 days starting on December 1st (you can't go any earlier or stay later).

You probably already know that - we had some juggling to do with our own dates due to this, so I just wanted to be sure you knew ahead of time. You can get them in Bangkok if you don't have them yet. I think it took a few days but they will tell you at the Vietnamese embassy when you drop off your passport.

Have fun! Please post a thread when you get back with your stories and pictures!! :)

[MaineBelle]

Your trip sounds wonderful!! You definitely have to give us a recap when you return. My DH and I did some traveling in Thailand and Cambodia for our Honeymoon. I just wanted to let you know that we used www.asiahotels.com and http://www.ratestogo.com/ to book our hotels last minute when we were over there. We always got great rates and we never had a problem with our reservations. Also - before you go to Koh Phi Phi I would do some research to see if they have recovered from the tsunami. We stayed at a beautiful resort there, and then we looked at pictures on the website after tsunami and it was just devastated - so sad.

http://www.ppprincess.com/ppprincess_after_tsunami.htm

[melnv]

Bumping this up as I'm planning a May trip. Any more recommendations? How was your trip Quartercentury?

[wander_woman]

What would you like to know, buccm? I was in Thailand & Laos for a month earlier this year. In Thailand, we visited Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Koh Phan Ngan island. In Laos, we visited Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane and some areas in the north (reading through this thread, I realize we did almost the exact same thing in Laos that emmjay did, down to the kayaking from VV to Vientiane :) ). I'm happy to try to answer questions if I can.