Hi there
To all those who can help me, I am intending on setting out from New Zealand in approximately September 2008 and am wanting to spend about 3 4 months in Southeast Asia before heading up to the UK. Currently I have only done some minor research into the country’s I am keen to head to. So far I am thinking Thailand, Singapore, Laos, Malaysia, Cambodia and the Philippines. I am interested in all types of backpacking so I would love any feedback you could provide. If I could make a wish list of some of the things I would like to do it would include:
Relaxing on some beautiful beaches
Diving and Snorkeling with amazing fish life
Seeing some historical sites
Visiting some amazing architecture and cities (I am a town planner so very interested in this one)
Meeting some crazy people
Taking in some massive festivals and parties (I really enjoy dance music, particularly D&B and electro and breaks)
Any help you could provide me with my wish list would be most appreciated. Also in what order and time of the year to visit these places would also be of great help.
Thanks very much and hope to see you there!!
Reply to this I have been to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, and The Philippines.
Here are some things I thought
Beautiful Beaches - personally my favorite are on the southern islands of Thailand. My personal favorite for chillen' out a few days and doing absolutely nothing is on Koh Phanghan. The southern tip of the island has a beach called Haad Rin. If you catch a longboat from there and go north just a little bit, there is a beach called Haad Juan. Basically there is nothing to do there but enjoy life and have a swim. There is no internet and no roads. There is two or three places to eat there a a bunch of cool bungalows. It is one of my favorite places. If you time it right you can check out the full moon party while you are here. Check the full moon website (easy to find on google) Personally I was pretty disappointed in the Full Moon Party so don't change your schedule just to check it out.
Historical Sights - Obviously Angkor Wat has to be a stop over. I personally found the whole of Cambodia to be incredible interesting.
Crazy People - Everywhere. The people you meet and experiences you have depend entirely on your attitude and personality
Reply to this I am going on a brief holiday to South East Asia in August 2008, 3 weeks only. I would suggest you have a look at Indonesia. Flights from Singapore to Denpaser (Bali) is easily available and if you fly Air Malaysia the do it is an 'add on' which works out very cheap.
I had an amazing time in Bali and there is so much to do . Contiki Bali is a greatly located resorted, on the beach, in the town of the party, close to the shopping district of Kuta (Which reminds most people of Phuket), and very affordable! River rafting, elephant ride, volcano hiking etc.
Enjoy your trip.
Tania
Reply to this Hi,
A fantastic country that many travellers tend to not even consider is Indonesia. I am heading back there in April for 26 days my 8th trip since 1997
Have a look at my photos from my 5.5 month trip from June to December 2006. http://www.webshots.com/user/ppamela2006
My favourite areas are West Java, West Sumatra, North Sumatra, Aceh, Lombok and south Sulawesi.
Pamela.
Reply to this Hi
As I'm from Penang, Malaysia no doubt I would recommend this country to you. If you are looking for quiet and beautiful beaches, I would recommend Pulau Redang, in Trengannu or Pulau Sipadan in Sabah. If you would like to do mountain climbing, obviously, Mt kinabalu in Sabah is the perfect choice. If you like to see heritage building and plenty of tourist attractions, Penang will be your best bet.
Penang also house many cultural festivals and traditional showcase. If you like to catch some of this excellent performance, visit the place during Chinese New Year or Thaipusam. You will be captivate by the dazzling & colorful performance.
If you have any question about Malaysia, especially Penang, do let me know about it.
Hendricks Reply to this Hi,
This young traveller's story of an experience in Indonesia is very typical of the adventures one can have with some of the most hospitable people on the planet once you get off the beaten track like I have done so many times in Indonesia myself. A wonderful warm story. Hope you all enjoy.
Benabroad's Story
Pamela.
Reply to this Welly, my first trip to Southeast Asia led me to Penang in Malaysia, and I was happy to have town and nature close together on this island and to be able to have contact to different cultures as Malaysian, Chinese, India - all having thier villages in this city and their temples. Georgetown in Penang has also wunderful architecture, from chinese to colonial, many temples, and so on. Its a town where you can walk around easily and see many things just around the corner.
Then I have been to Bangkok and created a weblog
about the hidden gems of this town with many links to hotels, maps, transportation by skytrain and boats, arts and culture. And lately I have been to Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son) and documented this with a blog too: . Lanna is an old name with the meaning "one million rice fields". In Northern Thailand I liked the nature in the mountains and the culture of the tribes living there, but also the towns of Chiang Mai (many tourists) and of Mae Hong Son (more quiet thai town).
May be you find hidden gems on your trip? Then comment to my blogs please. Reply to this Beautiful Beaches... Southern Thailand
- I only went to the islands in the south west since I broke my hand cliff jumping on Koh Phi Phi and had to have surgery in bangkok. Koh Phi Phi is big, lots of people, but also good parties. Raleigh beach is beautiful and very chill, lots of canadians. Good rock climbing. I have heard great things about Ko Phanghan and I regret not being able to go to it.
The scuba diving in vietnam is very good and usually cheaper then Thailand and Malaysia.
Historical sites... obviously Angkor Wat in Camboida. Lots of temples and ruins in all SEA countries. By the end of my trip I was sick of it. In my opinion, Thailand had the best temples and ruins. Bangkok is a very interesting city, with lots of temples. Ayutthaya is a couple hours north of thailand and is a former capital. Lots of old ruins. I stopped there for a day on my way to Chaing Mai. Northern Thailand is very beautiful. Lots of interesting people. I loved Pai. Small town, it was great to rent a scooter and just explore the terrain with fellow travellers. Also great white water rafting. The locals are very friendly.
The people in Vietnam will initially see you as a way to make money. But if you show them you are genuine and interested in getting to know them, they are amazing. Many people say you need to get off the beaten track to get to know local people and culture. But I found if you just slowed down, stopped in places and took the time to engage the locals and build friendships you'll also meet interesting people.
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