Asia Itinerary.. Tell me whats up!
 

Everything set in stone as far as getting over to South East Asia, but our plans for over there are still pretty rough. Was wondering if you guys could give some tips for my itinerary, well, here it goes...

-Flying to Bali next sunday, May 18th
-Spend 2-2 1/2 weeks around Bali/Lombok- Gili Islands???
-Head to Singapore for a weekend
-Fly to Borneo for two weeks- jungle exploration, Mulu caves?
-Head back to Kuala Lumpur for a few days
-Fly from KL to Siem Reap, Cambodia- spends some time at Angkor Wat
about 1 1/2-2 weeks in Cambodia
-Head north to Laos for two weeks-4000 Islands, Luang Prabung, Mekong River?
-Arrive in Chaing Mai, Thailand for a few days- Jungle treks
-Make our way down to Bangkok for half a week
-End up in S. Thai islands for 2 weeks- any suggestions for good islands?
-Take a bus back to Bangkok and fly back to the states(just in time for the new semester to start :()



Well guys, there it is, plain and dirty...
Any help would be great, like some sight to see or anything I should be aware of.
Peace.

Hwei is from/has spent a lot of time in some of those spots so if she doesn't see the thread in the next few days you may want to PM Freespiritz :)

Looks like a good itinerary :)

--Joey

Wow this is pretty much exactly what I want to do, but I would be alone. I don't have any advice since I've never been there, but sounds like you have a great plan! I'd be a little more lost & wandering. hehe About how much are you budgeting? Hope you have a blast!

My only suggestion is to cut your Singapore visit down to 2 to 3 days. Singapore is tiny, very expensive and there is not much to see. Take the extra days and spend more time in Thailand or Cambodia. There is a lot more to see in and around Bangkok, for example, than in Singapore and so I would prefer to spend a week in Bangkok and 2 days in Singapore.:cheers:

Due to the beginning of monsoon season, you'll want to hit islands on the east side of Thailand, monsoons start later there. Definitely definitely go to Ko Tao. If I could do it again I'd skip Ko Samui all together, too touristy. Go straight to Ko Phangan and Ko Tao. Do you dive? It's a diving paradise. Snorkeling's awesome though too. Watch out for the insanely sharp coral though, I cut my foot up and then a week later in Cambodia I had to jump off of a tuk-tuk into this flooded street and I had a nasty infection in no time.

Bali for a start, eh? My experiences with Bali are mixed. Basically, the buzz about Bali in travel articles is how "spiritual" and genuine its people are. I found that although those types do exist in Bali, the ones you're going to encounter an annoying large amount of the time are best personified by the tout, hawker, salesman who will bug the shit out of you.

For a more indepth recounting of my albeit limited experiences there, read my travelog on my website below. I still keep in touch with Juliana, the Balinese girl I met at the end of my trip. She's not in Bali, now, but Australia instead. Otherwise, I'd send you her way...

Good luck on the trip, it sounds awesome! If you have time in Indonesia, perhaps take in Borobudur?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borobudur

worldwidemike

I agree to skip Koh Samui, it's very resorty. Koh Tao was by far my favorite island on the east side, it's where most people go to get PADI certified.

My favorite island was Koh Phi Phi, but as it is on the west side, you may get stuck in some monsoons.

I do not like Bangkok at all, and would spend very little time there, but that's just my personal preference.

Have fun, I :wub: Asia!

I like the temples. But then again, to me, a beach is just a beach...there are very few that I would take the time to visit if I was overseas and had other interesting historical, religious or scenic sites to visit. Which is why ALL our advice is personal, as mushroom wisely points out. So, pick and choose what tickles your fancy from what the various TPunkers suggest...!

Good luck!

worldwidemike

Hey thanks for all the advise guys, i'll be sure to put it to some use.
I think after looking into it a bit, Ko Tao might be the island I want to hit up.

I'm going to be getting my PADI certs when I get to Bali so I'll be ready to dive on the whole trip. Also I know Ko Phangan has the famous(infamous?) full moon parties. Worth going to or avoiding, I'm not sure?

As for Bali, I'm going to be meeting two of my friends there for two weeks, I realize it's become the big tourist mecca, but I want to spend some time with them. I going to try my best to stay away from the Kuta/Denpassar areas and try and head up to the mountains and the west coast, supposedly there's some delightful stuff out there.


Thanks again guys!

I spent a week on the 4000 island (Si Phan Don) in late 2003.:stoked: I remember there was a security issue crossing the border to Cambodia on the Mekong, because someone had read in a guide book that pirates were very active in the area. I don't know if it's still acurate.

We did the Vientiane-Si Phan Don leg by bus-tuktuk-piroga, which all together lasted almost over a day. For the first part (Vientiane-Pakse) we wanted the "real experience" so we took the local bus : a huge whole in the floor just under us, uncomfortable, noisy, hot... for 16 hours. We arrived at 3:00 am in Pakse, found a hotel (we had to yell in order to wake the owner up, to let us in!).

In my opinion, although Vientiane is less beautiful than Luang Praban, it is worth spending some time in , because it is probably one of the only capitals of the world that feels like a small town ! We understand the country better, once we have experienced it. :) Humble and beautiful country.

I know you can arrange to do the Mekong by boat. You probably need to arrange this in Siem Reamp.

do not miss the Merdeka (independence) Day celebrations in Malaysia on august 31. while the commemoration of merdeka will happen across the country, most festivities are centered in the capital KL.

try Penang Island northwest of KL. it is in the Unesco world heritage site list and is really a tourism gem, with beaches and heritage sites and all. rent controls are strict in the island though, so choices of hotels are not as varied as in big cities.

but you will find best value for your money in a medium-size hotel on the island like the hotel in malaysia of century bay service suites. it is a nice, clean hotel complete with international-standard amenities. you won't miss it after the Penang Bridge, near the bukit jambul orchid garden.

You are probably back from your trip. If you pass by here, please let us know how it went. :)