Questions for Chef and anyone else who's done an extended Far East trip

[minestrone]

When traveling in Asia I normally book a flight in to a city and book a flight out of another city a few weeks later, book a resonable hotel for the first 2 nights then just try and get from one city to the next in that time. Just have good fun doing some travel, deciding out itinerary on a daily basis.

Best one was Hanoi and Siagon. Good train service in Vietnam but the road and buses are tulip scary.

[chef]

Best one was Hanoi and Siagon. Good train service in Vietnam but the road and buses are tulip scary.

Loved Hanoi and the 2 or 3 day boat trip to Halong bay was fantastic,
hated Saigon, found it a dirty, sweaty place after the rest of vietnam,
Phnom Penh and all the rest of cambodia I thought was far more entertaining

[minestrone]

Loved Hanoi and the 2 or 3 day boat trip to Halong bay was fantastic,
hated Saigon, found it a dirty, sweaty place after the rest of vietnam,

I agree with that. 2 day trip round Halong Bay was the dogs although we stayed on Cat Ba Island that night which I thought was pretty dodgy. The hotel room toilet had a portrait above the bath with tiles ( about 8 *6 ) of a woman in the scud.

Went back, just to Hue, a few years later and by that time Cat Ba Island had warning on the FO site. It's obviously a site for the sex tourists.

[DiscoStu]

Thank you for the advice all. More annoying questions to follow once I've got a rough itinerary planned

[chef]

Thank you for the advice all. More annoying questions to follow once I've got a rough itinerary planned

great stuff, i'll look forward to it

[NotAllThere]

Best fish and chips on the planet are to be found inQui Nhon at Barbara's Kiwi Connection. Goes very well with the local beer at about 15p a bottle.

Qui Nhon is an "undiscovered" tourist destination - you're like to be the only Westerner for miles around. It's the place where my wife got on a boat to leave Vietnam when she was a little kid...

Saigon was ok for a day's site seeing, but no more. Can Tho in the Mekong Delta was great.

[Spacecadet]

Qui Nhon is an "undiscovered" tourist destination - you're like to be the only Westerner for miles around. It's the place where my wife got on a boat to leave Vietnam when she was a little kid...

Ahh proper travelling, not just following 10,000 other australians, kiwis and brits round the same tedious route

[themistry]

What a great thread,

I am planning a trip starting in Jan. Haven't really done much yet except book my ticket to Singapore->Aus.

I think I will be asking for advice too

TM

[chef]

some highly recommended off the beaten track places:

Gili Isles - NE of Bali, Indonesia - closest i've found to paradise, little bit touristy now but still worth a visit

Komodo Island - East Indonesia - hire your own boat with a group of travellers for around $80 (3 days) and head there from the island of Flores, Indonesia

the once per week slow train from Phnom Penh,Cambodia to Battambang, Cambodia - walls with holes so big you can put your arm through, the train goes so slow you can just about get off and run alongside, to mvoe between carraiges you have to jump the gap, sitting on the roof is the cheap option

ChangThai Elephant conservation centre - spend 3 days learning to "drive" and look after your own elephant to become a mahout

Nong Khiaw - small picturesque river village in NE Laos, electricity 6-9pm, rooms 60p/night

[Epiphone]

Loved Hanoi and the 2 or 3 day boat trip to Halong bay was fantastic,
hated Saigon, found it a dirty, sweaty place after the rest of vietnam,

Couldn't agree more.