[Beyond Borders]

(06-26-2010 06:04 PM)kindredspirit Wrote:  

Thanks for the ideas guys.

Hearing good things about Luang Prabang as well:

I've been to Luang Prabang, and it's an absolutely beautiful, peaceful place...that said, I wouldn't recommend it if you are going to be staying too long. It's not a place I would want to rent a house for a few months. It's just really dead there, whether or not you have a girl with you already.

There is 12am curfew last time I checked, at which point everyone is supposed to be off the streets. You can still usually get a tuk tuk to pick you up and bring you somewhere, but the only available places are a bowling alley that stays open until about 5am and a laos disco or two, which can be fun for getting wasted in another language on your way through town but would get really old really quick if it was all you had.

Occaissonal temple party too.

Ditto for shopping, restaurants, etc. There's surely some good local spots to eat that you could discover, but....I'd say unless you guys are looking for a really really really quiet time then keep your visit short. Real cool place to unwind though - they say it's the best prerserved city in Asia, and it really feels like you're stepping into another century.

As a disclaimer, I was only there about a week and the town could be a lot bigger than the impression I got from it. Just make a visit or do some major research before deciding to stay long-term.

Personally, I'd look for something by the ocean if that's what you're looking for.

I'm sure you could find something FAR less Westenized, but I really recommend Koh Tao, Thailand. I'm really the kind of guy who likes to get away from the tourists, backpackers, and Westernized areas where traveling. But I stayed on Koh Tao for about two months, and I've said since that it's the one Westernized island where they "got it right," if that makes any sense.

The reason being that most people who go there are there for either the scuba diving or the rock climbing (it's supposedly the cheapest place in the world to get your dive certification). So the end result is you get a pretty laid back crowd that is their to enjoy nature and goes to bed relatively early on most nights.

Don't get me wrong, there are tons of beach parties and raves if and when you want them, but they are also easy to avoid, and much of the island is nice and peaceful. That said, undiscovered it is not.