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

[JoJoGabor]

PS Don't miss out on Laos - the gem of SE Asia. ANd if you like diving you have to go to Sipidan in Borneo - wipes the floor with anywhere else I dived. Every dive I saw at least 30 sharks and 30 tutrtles. Giant Eagle Rays, Hammer head sharks, schools of Barracude and Batfish - amazing!!

I would almost say after that trip and some other things I've done like sailing trips and snowboard seasons, if I was to die tomorrow, I would not be unhappy.

Is that too morbid!

[JoJoGabor]

Oh I love talking about the good stuff in life, not just about sitting on a bench and how much tax we pay.

The way I did it 3 years ago was got a single to Australia via KL. Booked a reasonable hotel the first 2 nights as it can be a bit unsettling as the countries are completely different to what you are used to, and you have an unreasonable fear that everything you eat will poison you. After 2 days you realise you are not going to have any trouble, you can eat anything anywhere (not true in India) and you are really going to enjoy whatever you do.

I feel that while its great to see these places, what really makes or breaks your trip is the people you are with. When on your own if you are not in a position to meet fellow travellers, ie if you are in an expensive hotel or a private room, things can get a bit lonely. You will have much more fun seeing these wonderful places in the company of a few good like-minded people. So after your first 2 days get talking to people find out what/where they are going and chill and have some fun with them. Everyone wants to do roughly the same things. You tend not to stay in touch with people anyway but meet new people in each place you go. WHen I was on my own I always tried to do something like Diving or trekking on the first day to get to meet people for the rest of yout time in one spot.

WHen I was with my girlfriedn the conversation over dinner can get a bit stretched as you've got nothing to tell each other as you did it all together over several months, so meeting new people then was a welcome respite from the usual dull chatter! (She'll kill me if she reads this)

[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.

[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

[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

[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

[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.

[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

[DiscoStu]

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

[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.

[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]

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]

Chef's approach is probably the best one. But the other method and more in tune with being a 'real traveller' is to pack your bags and go the travel agent and buy the cheapest one way to Asia that you can find. Rock up and head for local backpacker ghetto and take it from there. A lot of your time will be spent hanging around talking tulip to other backpackers and that is where you pick up the latest and best info.

When that fit Swedish blonde begs you to go to Bongo Bongo Land with her you don't want to have a pre-booked ticket to Singapore !

totally agree, i just loving having ideas, it's kind of like looking at the line up at glastonbury, you plan and plan making sure you can fit in all bands possible but in reality you arrive, get wasted on pear cider and wander around.. as long as you know roughly which way your heading then it doesnt matter..

as for flights i flew into beijing and 10.5 months later flew out of singapore, landing and knowing that you have 10.5 months to get across the continent in whatever way you see fit is great (and it only cost £15 to change the dates anyway), any internal flights you can book when you need them

visa's for countries in SE asia can all be sorted on Ko San Road, Bangkok. They take your passport for 3-5 days and it comes back full of entry visa's.. much cheapness, some countries allow you to just turn up and pay the fee ..

[rootsnall]

Chef's approach is probably the best one. But the other method and more in tune with being a 'real traveller' is to pack your bags and go the travel agent and buy the cheapest one way to Asia that you can find. Rock up and head for local backpacker ghetto and take it from there. A lot of your time will be spent hanging around talking tulip to other backpackers and that is where you pick up the latest and best info.

When that fit Swedish blonde begs you to go to Bongo Bongo Land with her you don't want to have a pre-booked ticket to Singapore !

[Mehmeh]

I did it the most unorganised way possible...

Went to STA travel to book multi stop ticket of the places i wanted to go....turned up in the country, got in the first cab and asked to take me to where the backpackers go.... wandered around and stayed in the first place that had a decent bar.

Did it cheap and was fun.