South East Asia - Travelling - Advice!

snowinberlin

SWEnglandAddick

Cheers all, lots of food for thought! I’ll bookmark this thread to refer to whilst I’m out there. 

Definitely going to pack an emergency “shit kit” @SoundAsa£

We’ve already purchased some quite pricey travel insurance @grumpyaddick just in case, you never know what might happen.

Glad you’ve mentioned Koh Mak @Bangkok Dave as that’s our first stop after Bangkok to chill out for a week and plan the Cambodia stretch of our travels. Really looking forward to relaxing by the beach with no work to do!!

Good point about carrying ski gear @Bangkokaddick , we’re hoping we can rent it but we’ll look into it nearer the time. Worst case scenario we’ll book an extra case on my girlfriends mum’s flight to see us in February with Ski gear in it and swap some clothes over.

The only bit we want to plan properly is Christmas, so any recommendations of where to stay for Christmas and NYE are appreciated. Roughly, it looks like we’ll either be in northern Vietnam or Laos or maybe even Northern Thailand. We’re not doing Christmas presents this year so we’ve decided to treat ourselves to a nice hotel/Airbnb.

ImBetterThanShaun

Very jealous of your travel plans.  I travelled to Bangkok, Ko Samui, Sydney, Fiji, LA, NYC then home back in 2010.  Avoid the medicine bottle Red Bull in Thailand.  Had one at Bangkok airport while waiting for a flight to Samui and then didn't sleep for 36hours.

robinofottershaw

I used to live in Jakarta: 

• Train ride from Jakarta up to Bandung (old Dutch colonial city is interesting). 
• Fly to Yogyakarta which is a great city with a lot of history and then take a trip out to Borobudur Temple about 40 kms from Yogya (amazing) and also Merapi volcano
• Lots of other places to go but with all the islands Indonesia is strung out so plenty more flight costs, e.g. Komodo Island, Bali (very touristy) which we used to fly down to for long weekends

killerandflash

Sounds great. Went travelling in 2006, spending 2 months in Asia.

Keep your itinerary flexible, mix up the travel "modes" too, I used trains, buses, shared taxis but also flights (Air Asia is the biggest low cost carrier but there are plenty others). Accommodation is often very cheap, so no need to rough it too much.

Liked Lao, it had a sleepy feel to it which was rather appealing. The temples (Ankhor Watt etc) around Siem Riep in Cambodia are amazing, hire a tuk tuk and explore the area, I did one day with a guide and one day without the "history"! Visited Vietnam earlier this year ( 2 week tour) it's very busy now, parts are really overrun with visitors

Enjoyed Sarawak (Borneo). Kuching is an agreeable place, and a good base for a long house stay in the rainforest which is unforgettable. The caves of Mulu are amazing, you have to fly there from Miri to reach them and it's a lovely remote spot to stay in.

Goonerhater

Miss the street vendors and street "resturants" in Thailand they hadn't all gone but huge areas have been "developed" and the malls have their own "street food" which has put a lot of vendors out of business.

If your your not use to humidity then get some sachets of electrolytic powders that can be used in bottled water.If you feel dizzy then use them.

Look out for the markets in BK and KL. The night market in KL was huge and worth seeing ,but that was 28 years ago----- easy to get lost in it.
There was one in BK ,again not sure if it still exists.I have my doubts it does as a big part of it was selling animals/birds.

When ur in BK take a look at the sky train, and all the motor ways and think they were nearly all built on filled in canals(Klongs in Thai)in the last 20 years. The canals are why BK was once called the Venice of Asia. 

Krabi is worth a visit ,stunning.

Hastingsaddick

Not a cheap place to visit but Singapore's great.

Stu_of_Kunming

snowinberlin said:

Stu_of_Kunming said:

The awful pollution from Chiang Mai has been Blowing up into Yunnan, it's awful, I love CM but couldnt consider living there

I'm surprised you haven't recommended Yunnan, I have been there twice and love it.  The culture, food and nature in China is different level and the fact it isn't over touristy is even better, I went to Thailand once and hated it.

Dali is really beautiful

Maybe you're keeping it secret?   

I'd recommend Yunnan to anyone as it's a wonderful place, which is why I've been here for 8 years but China can't really be done whilst 'travelling'  I feel, it requires it's own trip, mostly due to visa difficulties and cost, partly due to it's vastness!

Dali has changed a lot and is now somewhat of a tourist trap.

TEL

Philippines I would recommend Tagaytay, Baguio,  Palawan, The Garden Island of Samal (Davao). You can do accomodation on the cheap for Five quid a night or go Airbnb for 20 quid a night. Food is cheap if you avoid the malls. The people are wonderful. Manila is just so overcrowded, I’d give it a miss. Like everywhere just be careful. 

Badger

Hokkaido in Japan for snowboarding.

Dave2l

Has anyone been to South Korea? 

What do you think of it? Any advice?

usetobunkin

Dave2l said:

Has anyone been to South Korea? 

What do you think of it? Any advice?

Don't play the Squid Game

Dave2l

usetobunkin said:

Dave2l said:

Has anyone been to South Korea? 

What do you think of it? Any advice?

Don't play the Squid Game

Season 3 is quality 

red10

Almost couldn't spend money in Vietnam, had an amazing day in Saigon, street markets, cheap food. Had a private tour and managed to get onto the roof that the helicopters lifted off the last people evacuated back in the day.

Dave2l

Thailand is just like being in the UK but the sun's always out and there are stray dogs along with mosquitos.

Mate of mine said a massage/physio branch in gravesend gives a happy ending.

thai malaysia addick

Dave2l said:

Has anyone been to South Korea? 

What do you think of it? Any advice?

I’ve only been to Seoul and been there three or four times, though not for about eight years. It’s quite hard going for such things as taxis where you need your hotel to write down where you are going but the people are friendly and incredibly helpful. I quite liked Seoul although you get areas where nothing seems even vaguely familiar. The problem used to be being understood but I’ve met many Koreans in the Philippines where I’ve travelled extensively and that has changed significantly, I suspect, since my visits to South Korea between twenty-odd and eight years ago.

jimmymelrose

Dave2l said:

Thailand is just like being in the UK but the sun's always out and there are stray dogs along with mosquitos.

Mate of mine said a massage/physio branch in gravesend gives a happy ending.

My god, what a nonsense thing to say.

If you want to have a good guide in the jungle then go with my old mate Nick. He also does tours all over Asia but has lived in Thailand for nearly  30 years

https://www.thaibirding.com/

https://calidrisbirdingtours.com/

Dave2l

jimmymelrose said:

Dave2l said:

Thailand is just like being in the UK but the sun's always out and there are stray dogs along with mosquitos.

Mate of mine said a massage/physio branch in gravesend gives a happy ending.

My god, what a nonsense thing to say.

If you want to have a good guide in the jungle then go with my old mate Nick. He also does tours all over Asia but has lived in Thailand for nearly  30 years

https://www.thaibirding.com/

https://calidrisbirdingtours.com/

Thanks mate. My reference was mostly in regards to British and american people being a high density of the Thailand population.  

I probably met more people born in Sidcup than Thai natives. 

I met a lot of retired brits who described the life of doing a 9-5 in an Irish pub and spending time with their new partners!

Chizz

SWEnglandAddick said:

Good afternoon Lifers,

I’ve handed my notice in at my job, put my house on Airbnb, been pumped full of vaccinations and have booked a ticket to Bangkok to start 6 months of travelling. 

I’ll be spending most of my time in South-East Asia, roughly in this order: 

Thailand -> Cambodia -> Vietnam -> Laos -> Thailand -> Malaysia -> Indonesia -> Philippines -> Japan (for a couple weeks snowboarding) -> Hong Kong and then back to the UK for a wedding.

Has anybody done anything similar? Any advice? Visa advice? Things to pack?

Any recommendations? I haven’t really planned any of it so I’m very open to people’s suggestions. Are there any must see things? 

Or things to avoid? 

Any ideas of how much it might cost? There’ll be two of us and we’re hoping to not go over £10,000, our flights have already been booked and we know Skiing in Japan probably won’t be cheap so that won’t be included in the £10,000 budget.

Lots of questions, hopefully you lot will have some answers!

Cheers,

SWEnglandAddick

Did you make it there and back @SWEnglandAddick ?

SWEnglandAddick

Chizz said:

SWEnglandAddick said:

Good afternoon Lifers,

I’ve handed my notice in at my job, put my house on Airbnb, been pumped full of vaccinations and have booked a ticket to Bangkok to start 6 months of travelling. 

I’ll be spending most of my time in South-East Asia, roughly in this order: 

Thailand -> Cambodia -> Vietnam -> Laos -> Thailand -> Malaysia -> Indonesia -> Philippines -> Japan (for a couple weeks snowboarding) -> Hong Kong and then back to the UK for a wedding.

Has anybody done anything similar? Any advice? Visa advice? Things to pack?

Any recommendations? I haven’t really planned any of it so I’m very open to people’s suggestions. Are there any must see things? 

Or things to avoid? 

Any ideas of how much it might cost? There’ll be two of us and we’re hoping to not go over £10,000, our flights have already been booked and we know Skiing in Japan probably won’t be cheap so that won’t be included in the £10,000 budget.

Lots of questions, hopefully you lot will have some answers!

Cheers,

SWEnglandAddick

Did you make it there and back @SWEnglandAddick ?

Bloody hell who’s pulled this thread from the abyss 😂

We did indeed make it there, however COVID started whilst we were in the Philippines so we made the decision to come back just in time for lockdown 😅

Still managed 5ish months though. Highlights were a 3 day boat trip in the Philippines and motor biking from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi 🛵

We’ve since been back to Thailand in January, and are planning more trips to Asia, potentially Sri Lanka at the end of the year.

Dave2l

I think I might have accidently got someone pregnant who was from Sri Lanka based on the messages sent. 
She probably made it up and then changed her mind.

If so, I predict Dave Junior is already charlton through and through. He has a tan and a ginger beard. 

Chunes

The people in Cambodia are the nicest in the world. Just don't piss them off.

Stu_of_Kunming

Dave2l said:

jimmymelrose said:

Dave2l said:

Thailand is just like being in the UK but the sun's always out and there are stray dogs along with mosquitos.

Mate of mine said a massage/physio branch in gravesend gives a happy ending.

My god, what a nonsense thing to say.

If you want to have a good guide in the jungle then go with my old mate Nick. He also does tours all over Asia but has lived in Thailand for nearly  30 years

https://www.thaibirding.com/

https://calidrisbirdingtours.com/

Thanks mate. My reference was mostly in regards to British and american people being a high density of the Thailand population.  

I probably met more people born in Sidcup than Thai natives. 

I met a lot of retired brits who described the life of doing a 9-5 in an Irish pub and spending time with their new partners!

Away from tourist hotspots you’ll find very few foreigners. 

RedPanda

Stu_of_Kunming said:

Dave2l said:

jimmymelrose said:

Dave2l said:

Thailand is just like being in the UK but the sun's always out and there are stray dogs along with mosquitos.

Mate of mine said a massage/physio branch in gravesend gives a happy ending.

My god, what a nonsense thing to say.

If you want to have a good guide in the jungle then go with my old mate Nick. He also does tours all over Asia but has lived in Thailand for nearly  30 years

https://www.thaibirding.com/

https://calidrisbirdingtours.com/

Thanks mate. My reference was mostly in regards to British and american people being a high density of the Thailand population.  

I probably met more people born in Sidcup than Thai natives. 

I met a lot of retired brits who described the life of doing a 9-5 in an Irish pub and spending time with their new partners!

Away from tourist hotspots you’ll find very few foreigners. 

I thought that. Phuket and Pattaya are the equivalent of Alicante and Benidorm, you can't go somewhere like those then complain about the lack of locals. 

I hated Phuket town. I gave it 10 minutes, booked the next bus out, and bought diazepam to fill that gap. 

I am back in SE Asia next month actually, Singapore and Kuching for Bako National Park. 

R0TW

Dave2l said:

I think I might have accidently got someone pregnant who was from Sri Lanka based on the messages sent. 
She probably made it up and then changed her mind.

If so, I predict Dave Junior is already charlton through and through. He has a tan and a ginger beard. 

Did she have bollocks? That answer in itself could reassure you, or maybe not.

Dave2l

R0TW said:

Dave2l said:

I think I might have accidently got someone pregnant who was from Sri Lanka based on the messages sent. 
She probably made it up and then changed her mind.

If so, I predict Dave Junior is already charlton through and through. He has a tan and a ginger beard. 

Did she have bollocks? That answer in itself could reassure you, or maybe not.

Nah, she didn't have bollocks.

As romantic as that sounds....

Bangkokaddick

Dave2l said:

Has anyone been to South Korea? 

What do you think of it? Any advice?

I was there last month. Went to Seoul, Gyeongju, Busan and Jeju. I loved it. Similar in many ways to Japan both in the look of the place and the transport infrastructure but quite a lot cheaper.

Advice:
if you travel with a woman, be prepared to spend hours waiting outside cosmetics and skincare shops such as Olive Young!
Beaches in Busan are world class and, unlike Thai beaches, they are organised with toilets, showers, etc and they are so clean. The water was cold when I was there though!
Take advantage of tourist passes which will give you entry into various tourist attractions at a big saving.
Use the high speed rail network. Try to book in advance. Use Rail Ninja app.
Be prepared for very little English being spoken. Try to get your destinations written in Korean if you intend to take a taxi.
Underground is cheap and efficient but if there are more than two of you consider using Uber, provided you can find your destination.
Google Maps doesn't work. Use Naver or Kakao.
Credit cards and cash both extensively used. Exchange bureaux can be beetter options than ATMs.
Make the most of the food. It's great. Korean BBQ and Chicken and Beer places are great but if you want to eat top quality steak or seafood, be prepared to pay for it. Also eat street food. Yum!
Local mass produced beers are crap. Locals mix it with Soju (rice wine). Plenty of craft beer options around.
Don't bother with Jeju unless you are into hiking or golf. Nice place but a lot of time wasted at airports.
Stay near Incheon Airport the night before if you have an early flight out or a late arriving flight.
Visit DMZ.

I think that's enough for now!

stoneroses19

RedPanda said:

Stu_of_Kunming said:

Dave2l said:

jimmymelrose said:

Dave2l said:

Thailand is just like being in the UK but the sun's always out and there are stray dogs along with mosquitos.

Mate of mine said a massage/physio branch in gravesend gives a happy ending.

My god, what a nonsense thing to say.

If you want to have a good guide in the jungle then go with my old mate Nick. He also does tours all over Asia but has lived in Thailand for nearly  30 years

https://www.thaibirding.com/

https://calidrisbirdingtours.com/

Thanks mate. My reference was mostly in regards to British and american people being a high density of the Thailand population.  

I probably met more people born in Sidcup than Thai natives. 

I met a lot of retired brits who described the life of doing a 9-5 in an Irish pub and spending time with their new partners!

Away from tourist hotspots you’ll find very few foreigners. 

I thought that. Phuket and Pattaya are the equivalent of Alicante and Benidorm, you can't go somewhere like those then complain about the lack of locals. 

I hated Phuket town. I gave it 10 minutes, booked the next bus out, and bought diazepam to fill that gap. 

I am back in SE Asia next month actually, Singapore and Kuching for Bako National Park. 

Great choice on Bako NP. Beautiful part of Borneo to explore. 

Friend Or Defoe

South Korea is fantastic, but don't go there during the winter.

RedPanda said:

Stu_of_Kunming said:

Dave2l said:

jimmymelrose said:

Dave2l said:

Thailand is just like being in the UK but the sun's always out and there are stray dogs along with mosquitos.

Mate of mine said a massage/physio branch in gravesend gives a happy ending.

My god, what a nonsense thing to say.

If you want to have a good guide in the jungle then go with my old mate Nick. He also does tours all over Asia but has lived in Thailand for nearly  30 years

https://www.thaibirding.com/

https://calidrisbirdingtours.com/

Thanks mate. My reference was mostly in regards to British and american people being a high density of the Thailand population.  

I probably met more people born in Sidcup than Thai natives. 

I met a lot of retired brits who described the life of doing a 9-5 in an Irish pub and spending time with their new partners!

Away from tourist hotspots you’ll find very few foreigners. 

I thought that. Phuket and Pattaya are the equivalent of Alicante and Benidorm, you can't go somewhere like those then complain about the lack of locals. 

I hated Phuket town. I gave it 10 minutes, booked the next bus out, and bought diazepam to fill that gap. 

I am back in SE Asia next month actually, Singapore and Kuching for Bako National Park. 

Pattaya is far worse.

Dave2l

Bangkokaddick said:

Dave2l said:

Has anyone been to South Korea? 

What do you think of it? Any advice?

I was there last month. Went to Seoul, Gyeongju, Busan and Jeju. I loved it. Similar in many ways to Japan both in the look of the place and the transport infrastructure but quite a lot cheaper.

Advice:
if you travel with a woman, be prepared to spend hours waiting outside cosmetics and skincare shops such as Olive Young!
Beaches in Busan are world class and, unlike Thai beaches, they are organised with toilets, showers, etc and they are so clean. The water was cold when I was there though!
Take advantage of tourist passes which will give you entry into various tourist attractions at a big saving.
Use the high speed rail network. Try to book in advance. Use Rail Ninja app.
Be prepared for very little English being spoken. Try to get your destinations written in Korean if you intend to take a taxi.
Underground is cheap and efficient but if there are more than two of you consider using Uber, provided you can find your destination.
Google Maps doesn't work. Use Naver or Kakao.
Credit cards and cash both extensively used. Exchange bureaux can be beetter options than ATMs.
Make the most of the food. It's great. Korean BBQ and Chicken and Beer places are great but if you want to eat top quality steak or seafood, be prepared to pay for it. Also eat street food. Yum!
Local mass produced beers are crap. Locals mix it with Soju (rice wine). Plenty of craft beer options around.
Don't bother with Jeju unless you are into hiking or golf. Nice place but a lot of time wasted at airports.
Stay near Incheon Airport the night before if you have an early flight out or a late arriving flight.
Visit DMZ.

I think that's enough for now!

Decent review