Help me plan to go to Asia!

[Edgysquid]

Hey Everyone, this is my First post so please go easy on me

My names andrew I'm an 18 year old from Mt. Isa in Queensland i was snooping around the internet yesterday and found this website which is the perfect resource for myself because i need help

So about this trip of mine, here s a rough picture..

i need to find the cheapest airfares (from brisbane) which im having a hard time sorting through all the different travel websites.

I would like to visit, Singapore Thailand and Veitnam. nothing too bold as this will be my first time backpacking

I need help decciding how to get from place to place, where to go, what to see where to stay, what to buy, more or less everything is what i need to know because i have no idea

You guys are all cool so please help me!

[freespiritz]

Welcome to tpunk, first of all!

Well, about your trip, it would help if you told us what kind of timeframe (how long and what time of the year) and budget your were working with. If you had all the time in the world I'd say do everything overland, from Singapore through Malaysia to Thailand and across Cambodia to Vietnam. Haha. :P

If overland doesn't work, you can get budget flights within SEA from airasia.com - cheap yes, but watch out for delays (I speak from personal experience).

and maybe what kind of things you'd like to see/activities - i.e. beach bummery vs. shopaholic vs. food vs. checking out temples vs. hiking the jungle vs. drinking all the time.

I haven't really spent time in Thailand and Vietnam, but Singapore is very much city-state, high rise and modern and clean. The zoo and night safari is great, and there's the underwater world and bird park too...Foodwise you might as well hop over to KL where everything is half the price and twice as tasty. Haha. I jest. Well, sort of. :P

Happy planning though!

[Edgysquid]

Sorry! Forgot to specify!

I was looking at only going for a month to 45days, in october (too soon?)

after initial airfares was hoping to get away with only $1500-$2000 (unrealistic?)

i love flying so i would like to fly to/from places, but would also like to travel by road/train to see some scenery, what aer the prices like compared to airfares?

[freespiritz]

I'm assuming it would be logical to fly into Singapore or Bangkok, since they're major regional hubs in the places you want to see. I'd probably do Sing and work my way up north. With a month, don't expect to cover too too much i.e. cover the entire countries that you want to see.

Airasia flies Singapore - Bangkok for about 100 Sing$/roughly US 50 in October, so if you were short on time and want to skip Malaysia you could do that. If not you could take the bus/train from S'pore to KL and fly KL - Bangkok for about RM 100/roughly US 25. They also fly Bangkok - Hanoi for about 1750 bhat/roughly US 45, if you don't want to have to travel overland through Cambodia/Laos on the way to Vietnam - more visa hassle. There are also flights from KL to Chiang Mai.

The bus from Sing - KL is only about 5/6 hours and less than RM 30 if you take a local bus from S'pore to JB just across the causeway and then buy your long-distance bus ticket there. Long-distance busses are very efficient in Malaysia...if you want to get to Thailand by bus/van there are services to Hat Yai, there's also a direct train from KL to Hat Yai but I'ver never taken it.

Overland travel is always more intense and you get to see more...it's generally very cheap in SEA but expect some slow travel time, I hear that Vietnam's trains are slooooow. :P

With 45 days you could spend a two or three days in Sing and then up to two weeks in each other country. If you don't want to see Malaysia then you could spend a few more nights in Sing and more time in Thailand and Vietnam.

[LiveFreeorDie]

If you want a true south to North route, you could fly to Singapore for a few days (I agree 3 days is all you need). Next, you then could fly to the Thai island of Phuket on Silk Airlines. Phuket is a fairly large island with crazy nightlife and development but also nice beaches, though if you get away from the main tourist centers there are more laid back parts of the island to check out as well. From Phuket, you can also visit Koh Phi Phi of 'The Beach' fame via boat - it is quite beautiful and laid back. You could then fly from Phuket to Bangkok on either Air Asia or Nok Air (both are low cost airlines). Alternatively you could take a Bus - maybe a 12-14 hour trip.

Spend some time in Bangkok - there is a fair bit to see - Khao San Rd is probably the most famour 'packer ghetto in the world - it can't be missed. From there you need to decide whether you want to see more of Thailand (such as places in the North like Chiang Mai or other islands such as Koh Samui, Koh Samet, Koh Chang, full moon party on Koh Phangan, etc) or is it time to head for Vietnam? From BKK you can easily get to Vietnam, or Cambodia to check things such as Angkor Wat - the very famous ancient Khmer temples. All depends on what you are into and what you want to see.

I do not know much about Vietnam as I haven't made it there yet. Anyway, these are jsut some basic suggestions. Good luck!!

[brandibell]

If you have the opportunity, I would definately recommend going to Cambodia. If you're flying, you might have to fly into Phnom Penh, but if you're pressed for time, I would get straight to Siem Reap. I'm not sure about public transportation or the lack thereof though, because I was there for a school trip. I do remember that the admission to Angkor Wat was US$25 though, which was really steep.

I've visited Danang and Ho Chi Minh in the south of Vietnam. Cabs were really cheap of course

Check out my other post on Singapore in the Asia section if you plan on stopping by Singapore - and if you do, let me know if you have any other questions since I live there.

Have fun!!

[Edgysquid]

Ok

im starting to get a more clear picture in my head.

ill fly to singapore, spend a couple of days there (what do i see and do?)

then catch a train/bus to KL (how do i do that and how much will it cost?) and spend a couple of days there

then fly to phuket and spend a week or so just chillin

then fly to bangkok spend a week or more exploring the city (and other places near bkk?)
now the tricky part, how/can i catch a train to phnom penh? ill spend some time in cambodia (what do i see and do there?)

then how do i catch a train/bus to ho chi minh? and i'll spend a while in 'nam then

fly back to singapore then fly home


sound like a plan?

[brandibell]

Okay, first of all, for getting from Singapore to KL by bus, check out this link: Buses to KL

What kind of things are you interested in doing in Singapore? Are you into history, sightseeing, clubbing? Let me know and I'll see if I can help you out!

For getting from Bangkok to Cambodia by train, I found this site: BKK to Phnom Penh/Siem Reap

I really enjoyed Cambodia while I was there. I only spent one or two days in Phnom Penh, the rest was in Siem Reap. I'm not sure about the trains from PP to SR, we took a short flight in a propeller plain. Angkor Wat is in Siem Reap and is amazing. There are many many other temples around, and they aren't all close together, so I would recommend getting in on some sort of tour. And as others have said, I'm pretty sure you have to have a tour guide to get into Angkor Wat anyways. There are boat rides you can take down the Mekong River. While I was there, we spent a few days housebuilding, which was really great. Check out the markets - you can get awesome souvenirs for only a couple bucks. Have you seen those big wooden or metal carved heads? Well they go for like hundreds of dollars in the states and you can get them for ten or twenty there. Oh and btw, get a lot of US$1 bills before you get there, thats all you ever pay in. You'll get change back in Cambodian, but its basically useless. They only want US dollars.

Phuket is really fun. Very very touristy. Pretty much everyone there is white. Try and get away from the main strip if you want to actually see the real Phuket.

I haven't been to BKK so I can't help you there.

I didn't actually see very much when I was in Ho Chi Minh, we toured the old palace building, but it was really long and not very interesting for me, although my dad enjoyed it. KFC there is really good and cheap, if you're a total non-gourmet like myself.

Let me know if you need help with anything else!!

[freespiritz]

As I said before, to get to KL from Sing most locals catch the short bus over the causeway from Sing to JB (Johor Baru) for a buck or two and then buy a ticket from JB to KL for 20-something ringgit, vs 20 something Sing if you take it straight from Singapore. If you don't want to do that i.e. money isn't an issue :P, there are direct trains and busses from S'pore to KL.

If you take the train you'll end up at KL Sentral, the main transport hub which connects the LRT, KTM (train), ERL (train to KLIA international airport) and Monorail system, if you take the bus you'll end up at Pudu Raya bus station which is near several LRT stations if you need to get places.

Definitely go see Angkor Wat, although I haven't been there myself.

And as I've also said, I'm a fan of the Singapore zoo. :P

[Edgysquid]

Hey everyone, sorry for the delay in my reply

thanks so much for all the info!

im having thoughts now of saving 'nam and cambodia for a seperate trip cause i reckon theres no need to rush things

with that said we need to get down to specifics about singapore malaysia and thailand

i need to know which hostels to stay in, where to go and grab a beer, how much food costs, where to go in thailand apart from phuket and bangkok and where to go in malaysia apart from kl

keep the info comin guys its really appreciated

[raoulduke]

Hey mate welcome,

I'm sure you probably already know but you should check out jetstar, they're flying to some asian countries now and should be pretty cheap.

Good luck...

[freespiritz]

Well, once again the eternal question is what do you want to do?

If you like outdoorsy stuff and have the time, take a little flight from KL over to Borneo and chill there for a bit. I just spent two weeks in Sabah and it was amazing - white water rafting, climbing Mt.Kinabalu, hanging out in the jungle, diving...If that's something you think you want to do, ask and I'll give more specifics on Malaysian Borneo.

If you're staying on the peninsula...well, the same question applies. Are you interested in the outdoors, chillin' in the hills, or shopping, or checking out temples and stuff? For historical towns check out Malacca...for food Malaysians swear by Penang up north, although you can generally get good eats anywhere. For beach bumming in October...it's the start of the monsoon on the east coast (where the best islands are) so that might be iffy.

Foodwise if you eat at a regular outdoors/open air hawker place, you can get a plate of food for between RM 3.50 - 5.00, and throw in another buck or two for a (non-alcoholic) drink. Of course you can go to higher end places...if you eat in a mall/restaurant expect to pay a good bit more.

Alcohol is pricey in Malaysia - high taxes, so do your drinking in Thailand. When I was traveling it was about RM 8/can of beer.