Where to go?

Leanne1812

puffinmuffin wrote: »

Laos is my favourite country in that region, Luang Prabang is gorgeous. Could you fly to Hanoi and travel back down the coast of Vietnam, you can do the whole thing by train, loads of interesting stops along the way? Angkor Wat is awesome, you will need at least two days to see the ruins properly but there isn't a great deal else to do around Siem Reap. I did a boat trip along the Mekong from HCMC to Phnom Penh and then took a bus to Siem Reap.

This definately sounds like the front runner at the moment. We both loved HCMC and I have already been checking out Hanoi/Halong. We love the idea of taking the train the length of Vietnam and ending in Siem Reap. Off to do some research about trains, tickets and stopping off en route. Thanks again everyone.

Leanne1812

Doshwaster wrote: »

Chaing Mai is excellent and worth a few days of anyone's time. Becuase it is up in the mountains it is cooler and not so humid as many other parts of Thailand, it's a very laid back city and hasn't been ruined by the tourist trade in the same way that Phuket and Ko Samui have been (Koh Samui isn't that bad but I couldn't stand Phuket). It hasn't yet been discovered by the mass tourist market so most people there are independent travellers. Once you are there there are plenty of guided trips you can book into the surrounding mountains and jungle.

For local flights I wouldn't look any further than Air Asia (esp if you want to use KL as a hub). Excellent service, cheap prices and an extensive network. They are like Ryanair - but good!

I also liked Penang and Langkawi (for different reasons) but I see they are both on your "not-again" list.

I really like both Penang (food amazing) and Langkawi (gorgeous relaxing island), but we've been to them both 3 times already and really want to explore a bit more of SEA.

Agreed, airasia are excellent, travelled with them a few times, great prices and no problems at all except my own mistake when I somehow booked both seats in my name and never realised till we got to HCMC airport and had to buy my hubby a new ticket at full cost.:eek: I'll be more careful this time.

puffinmuffin

Leanne1812 wrote: »

This definately sounds like the front runner at the moment. We both loved HCMC and I have already been checking out Hanoi/Halong. We love the idea of taking the train the length of Vietnam and ending in Siem Reap. Off to do some research about trains, tickets and stopping off en route. Thanks again everyone.

http://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm

I have found this website invaluable in the past! We just picked up the trip to cambodia when we were in HCMC, ours was very budget backpacker but i am sure they cater to all tastes

Doshwaster

Leanne1812 wrote: »

I really like both Penang (food amazing) and Langkawi (gorgeous relaxing island), but we've been to them both 3 times already and really want to explore a bit more of SEA.

Ah - I understand. I 100% agree that the food in Penang has some of the best in the world and Langkawai is one of the most relaxing places anywhere (everything closes at 10pm), but I can imagine they would become a big same-y after 3 visits.

I too am an addict of SEA - the scenery, the people, the cost of living and the food are all wonderful and have been there each of the last 5 years. Unfortunately, I have just bought a house so I'm flat broke so there's no holidays for me this year.

Hopefully by next year I will have saved some money and I'm very tempted to fly into HK, work my way down through Vietnam and Cambodia then our of BKK. I've had enough of the tourist traps in Thailand.

sunnyp

Cambodia without a doubt - unspoilt and beautiful.

Leanne1812

puffinmuffin wrote: »

http://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm

I have found this website invaluable in the past! We just picked up the trip to cambodia when we were in HCMC, ours was very budget backpacker but i am sure they cater to all tastes

Thanks for the link, I did google trains vietnam last night and this site came up but unfortunately it keeps freezing on me, i'll keep trying.

Leanne1812

Doshwaster wrote: »

Ah - I understand. I 100% agree that the food in Penang has some of the best in the world and Langkawai is one of the most relaxing places anywhere (everything closes at 10pm), but I can imagine they would become a big same-y after 3 visits.

I too am an addict of SEA - the scenery, the people, the cost of living and the food are all wonderful and have been there each of the last 5 years. Unfortunately, I have just bought a house so I'm flat broke so there's no holidays for me this year.

Hopefully by next year I will have saved some money and I'm very tempted to fly into HK, work my way down through Vietnam and Cambodia then our of BKK. I've had enough of the tourist traps in Thailand.

We too are SEA addicts. I keep thinking if we try the carribean or someplace else we'd be disappointed. We love everything about asia except for the scammers. We thought we knew better but still managed to get scammed big time in BKK last year. The people are so nice you find you've agreed to an exorbitant price for a boat ride before it dawns on you.....

The people, culture, food and climate are just amazing. It's such a huge area to explore that we feel we'll still be finding new places in 10 years time.

Apparently Vietnam is like Thailand was 20 years ago. We certainly found Thailand to be quite expensive last year especially after we'd gone there straight from HCMC which was really cheap. E.G gorgeous buffet lunch at our 4* hotel in HCMC £5pp compared to dinner at the hotel in Phuket £50pp. Eating on the street was pennies in Vietnam whereas Phuket was on average £3 for fried rice at a beach shack.

I'm ready to book the flights from KL to Hanoi with airasia and then start planning our adventure. Can't wait!

Cheers again everyone.

PompeyPete

Some other options:
1. Myanmar (Burma). I think you can fly direct from KL. To appreciate this wonderful country and people you really need a n absolute minimum of 2 weeks. If you use internal flights you can skimp a bit, but you'd miss a lot.
2. BKK, then take the overnight sleeper to Nong Khai. Nong Khai is in NE Thailand on the Mekong, and right opposite Laos. A couple of nights in Nong Khai. Then cross the Frienship Bridge into Laos. About 15 Km by Tuk-tuk or bus to Vientiene (capital city). Couple of nights there. Then bus to Vang Vieng (4 hours). Couple of days there. Bus (6 hours or so) to Luang Prabang. Few days there, and fly to Chiang Mai. Couple of days there, and that should be your lot.
3. BKK, then train to Kanchanaburi. 3 or 4 nights. Bus to Sangkthlaburi. Wonderful place on the Thai/Myanmar border. 2 nights. Back to BKK (it'll take a full day). Fly to Cambodia. We flew to Phnom Penh, had 3 nights there, and a couple of nights in Kampot. Never had time to do the rest, but tbh I am fatigued with looking at ancient ruins.
4. Borneo. You can easily fly from KL to either Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, or Kuching in Sarawak. Air Asia do some very cheap flight/accom deals using Tune Hotels.

Enjoy.

Leanne1812

PompeyPete wrote: »

Some other options:
1. Myanmar (Burma). I think you can fly direct from KL. To appreciate this wonderful country and people you really need a n absolute minimum of 2 weeks. If you use internal flights you can skimp a bit, but you'd miss a lot.
2. BKK, then take the overnight sleeper to Nong Khai. Nong Khai is in NE Thailand on the Mekong, and right opposite Laos. A couple of nights in Nong Khai. Then cross the Frienship Bridge into Laos. About 15 Km by Tuk-tuk or bus to Vientiene (capital city). Couple of nights there. Then bus to Vang Vieng (4 hours). Couple of days there. Bus (6 hours or so) to Luang Prabang. Few days there, and fly to Chiang Mai. Couple of days there, and that should be your lot.
3. BKK, then train to Kanchanaburi. 3 or 4 nights. Bus to Sangkthlaburi. Wonderful place on the Thai/Myanmar border. 2 nights. Back to BKK (it'll take a full day). Fly to Cambodia. We flew to Phnom Penh, had 3 nights there, and a couple of nights in Kampot. Never had time to do the rest, but tbh I am fatigued with looking at ancient ruins.
4. Borneo. You can easily fly from KL to either Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, or Kuching in Sarawak. Air Asia do some very cheap flight/accom deals using Tune Hotels.

Enjoy.

Thanks very much for your suggestions. Iv'e just booked our flights to Hanoi so it's going to be Vietnam and Cambodia this year but I will save your post and maybe visit some of these destinations next year. We'll probably do Borneo for sure as my sis hasn't been there yet and is eager to go.

Doshwaster

Leanne1812 wrote: »

Apparently Vietnam is like Thailand was 20 years ago. We certainly found Thailand to be quite expensive last year especially after we'd gone there straight from HCMC which was really cheap. E.G gorgeous buffet lunch at our 4* hotel in HCMC £5pp compared to dinner at the hotel in Phuket £50pp. Eating on the street was pennies in Vietnam whereas Phuket was on average £3 for fried rice at a beach shack.

Yes, Thailand, at least the main tourist areas, are no longer options for a cheap holiday.

I don't think I'll be in any rush to go back to Phuket. I was there last October and couldn't believe how expensive it was - especially taxis! There are some great day trips you can do to the surrounding area, but otherwise Patong is turning into an Australian version of Benidorm. Karon, just down the coast, was much nicer, cheaper and quieter.

I think I've done reasonably well on my SEA not to be seriously caught out by scammers but I can see how easy it is to get done. You may get ripped off - but it will always be done with a smile on their face