2 months in Asia - advice? - Page 4

based on what you are saying, I'd do this

3-5 days in Singore to get your feet wet.

1 week in bangkok

3 weeks ko chang - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Chang (seriously, listen to me, this is the island you want, there are parties and raves and so on, but about 1/100 the number of tourists, and you can really still see some village life and some green and vegatation and so on)

mumbai - couple of days

3 weeks train travel around india, with a week in goa, a week in the far south, and maybe a week in the far north.

you want some details or specific questions, ask.


by the way, india and thailand are extremly safe.

I never feared for my safety in India, though I went into some dodgy places. Same as Thailand. Little advice: don't pick a fight with a Thai. Chances are you'll get the shit kicked out of you. I used to watch Brits fly in to an island, get hammered and drunkenly bump into a little Thai guy at a bar. Then tell him to "fuck off." Big mistake.

Singapore is a good choice to start or finish. Avoid Malaysia or Indonesia. I have a soft spot for Bali, but only the remote areas. Vietnam and Cambodia are excellent choices.

But again, I have to say India and Nepal. Here's the thing . . . most places you love or hate, whereas India you love AND hate at the same time.

And Nepal? How often will you be this close to the roof of the world?

lefty

I think I saw something approximating this in ong-bak.

I like Globe's itinerary.

You could also look into a Merpatti air deal to see 5 or 6 Indonesian stops for cheap - take in the madness of Jakarta, see Islamic north Sumatra, West Papa, Timor, Bali and Flores for some real diversity.

Wherever you go - do your research first, get all the shots you need and a shitload of mefloquine and have a fall-back plan in case you loose all your money and ID. But most importantly, enjoy the experience.

there's a lot to be said for going overland from Singapore to Hanoi over 2 months. Fly into Singapore (huge airport, lots of airlines go there -> better chance of cheap airfares), a couple days there (2 is ample), then work your way north on buses through Malaysia, do some islanding there (Rawa is paradise). Up to KL, over to Perhentian, dive, back to KL, up to Thailand, do Krabi and an island or two, then Bangkok, then north to Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. Over to Laos from there, few days of Lao, down into Cambodia. Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, over to Saigon from there, then work your way up Vietnam, dinner with me (highlight of the whole trip ) then Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, Sapa, Halong, Hanoi and home.

+2.

Flores, in particular, is amazing and if you get in with some locals, you can have some amazing experiences (staying in a hill village with no road access, eating dog and watching an animist sacrifice, for example).

If you do your research, or are happy to go with the flow when people suggest things to you, there are amazing things to do wherever you go.
Here's one of my recollections of my time in Japan, for example:
http://www.styleforum.net/showpost.p...4&postcount=18

I'm assuming you'll be taking Air Asia or Tiger Airways, in which case you'll be amazed at the budget country hopping you can do. But two points:

1. AA doesn't go to North East Asia, I don't think.

2. It'll be a pain going to Cambodia if based in Bangkok or going to Bangkok after since AA isn't allowed to fly to the Siem Reap (Bangkok Airways has the monopoly on that route. And AA also wont travel between Vietnam and Cambodia so it can be a bit of a pain in the ass planning the perfect itinerary.

Kid, with all this great advice you better damn well go on this trip.

lefty

Come to Thailand. You will like it.

He could take silk air from Singapore to Phnom Penh, then a boat from PP to Siem Reap

take a look at weather maps - that is rainy season in India, with the rains going south east, if I remember correctly - so as you get later on in the summer, the farther south east the rainst get. check it out when you plan your itinerary.

I did that boat trip with an evil evil eeeevil hangover. Not recommended.

True.


One thing there is no doubt about is this: make sure you have more than 6 months of validity on you're passport or you'll get stuck in an American (or Canadian) embassy taking a week to get a temporary one just to fly from one country to the next.

ha. well i believe the only options are bus or boat. boat was fine when i took it. bus was highly not recommended