[Veloce]

So I'm planning a trip to SEA this fall, my first time to asia. This trip is more about vacation than racking up a high notch count, though obviously I'll be gaming the entire time. I'm not looking to spend all my time in major cities and hitting clubs.

I'd like to see a good amount, but I'm aware of the downside of trying to pack too much into a relatively short amount of time.

I was thinking of flying into BKK, either stay there or take a train to Chiang Mai, then train to Cambodia, then Vietnam, and hop on a plane to Manila. I'm looking for 1 week stints in each country to get an initial feel of where I'd like to spend more time in the future.

Think that's too much? I'd keep things open in case I fall in love with a spot and want to spend more time there, I'm just curious to hear from other members what you guys think the minimum amount of time is that you'd want to spend in these countries.

[slubu]

Congrats man. I know nothing of SEA, but for traveling I'd go in with a rough plan and play it by ear. You never know where you may end up loving, or meeting an awesome girl. Have fun with it, and update us as you go along.

[Sp5]

Your plan is a reasonable one, just don't lock yourself into it by paying for tickets.

You can always get a cheap seat between a lot of places in SEA.

[Chaos]

Bangkok is a dangerous start. Some guys never leave.

On a serious note. Split into 10 days and three places.
One week Thai, one Cambodia, one Vietnam. From that you can get a grasp of what you like and what you don't.

Plan Philly for a different trip. It's different animal and 10 days is nothing there.
Good luck.

[samsamsam]

(07-25-2014 01:11 PM)Chaos Wrote:  

Bangkok is a dangerous start. Some guys never leave.

[travolta]

if you want to do some sight seeing then check out Myanmar. Hit up Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay, and Inle Lake. Best sight seeing in SEA.. also hit up Angkor Wat

[Menace]

I would second the advice above about going to three places instead of 4 (less is more). Also, I'd consider going to places where we have well repped RVFers on the scene so you can get a good running start and get plugged into the "real" country. Thailand, Cambodia, and Philippines would seem to fit that bill.

[Veloce]

Thanks for the recs. I'm not sure I can cut Phils out of the trip seeing as how I'm supposed to meet up with Fisto and go over some plans to start a brothel/drug manufacture/human trafficking outpost. But that's months away and who knows what happens between now and then.

I agree that 3 countries would be better...I definitely want to see Angkor Wat so I'll keep Cambodia in the mix. Thanks for the feedback.

[Global Entry]

Dude if you would like to get on Skype I've spent time and written reports in all those countries. If you have logistics and travel questions or want some advice I can help with that as well. Drop me a line I like your input and happen to take the time to partially repay you for your efforts.

[Veloce]

(07-25-2014 02:57 PM)G_global Wrote:  

Dude if you would like to get on Skype I've spent time and written reports in all those countries. If you have logistics and travel questions or want some advice I can help with that as well. Drop me a line I like your input and happen to take the time to partially repay you for your efforts.

Will do. I'm planning for October, as it gets closer I'll send you a PM and go over specifics.

[TheBulldozer]

Plane tickets are so easy to book that it's really not worth planning an exact itinerary before hand, especially since I doubt you're going to be traveling counting every penny on hand. Different people love different parts of SEA for completely different reasons, so you may find a place and want to stick around to investigate a little deeper. I can help you a good amount on Thailand and Vietnam, likewise shoot me a PM if you need specifics answered.

[nomadicdude]

My two cents: not sure a train runs from BKK to Chang Mai. A bus takes about 6 hours if I remember correctly or look into flying Air Asia or another discount airline. It can be pretty cheap to fly though the buses are comfortable. From Chaing Mai to Cambodia I'm almost sure there is no train. You also probably will want to fly as the ground routes into Cambodia blow and are full of scam artists selling bogus packages.

You may want to consider Laos. Personally I like it more than Cambodia, which can be a bit rough around the edges (basically Thailand 30-40 years ago). Vietnam is amazing. One of my favorite countries. From Cambodia you can easily take a bus from PP to Saigon, which is a great city for nightlife.

Check out Cebu Pacific airlines for flying to the Philippines. Don't spend any time in Manila unless you want to game at clubs there. Just go straight to Boracay which in my opinion is one of the top beach places in the world (and not bad nightlife or girls).

One month may be rushing it a bit. Just for BKK and Chang Mai you could easily spend two weeks and not get bored. I'd consider cutting out Cambodia and flying into Vietnam from Thailand (which also would allow you to get a visa on arrival by applying online / not available if you go by land).

[Beyond Borders]

Not to hate, Man - just offering constructive advice here - but stop and think about this a little more. Do you really think one week is enough time to gauge an ENTIRE COUNTRY? To me that's not enough time to even get a genuine sense of one city, let along a nation.

I know you feel like you're giving each place a generous chunk of time, but I assure you that you're not. My advice - pick one place and give it the whole month. A month in one place will be one of the best times of your life. Spend your entire vacation moving from one place to another and you'll need a vacation from your vacation when you get back. You'll see everything and nothing at the same time.

You'll likely fall in love with SEA and be back anyways.

Anyhow, would love to cross paths if we end up in the same area.

[Vacancier Permanent]

Thedude,
There have been some solid advices posted in here but I agree with BB in here the most.
While you do want to get a good feel for as many places as possible, it wouldn't be productive nor give you a real feel for a place.

Depending on what you are after, here's what I'd recommend:

If you want just to party and have an blast just partying in a world class city, with amazing food, very sexy girls and inexpensive costs, while still feeling like you're in a first world country type, then
BKK is where you want to be.

If you want something totally exotic, out of the ordinary, very rustic and wild wild east feel to it, with good food and good nightlife, then Cambodia would be it.

If you want to indulge in a non stop sex marathon with easy and eager girls, then the Philippines is where it's at. However, be warned that for a foodie like you, you will be massively dissapointed with the local food, which is mediocre at best.

If you want the best of all, that is fantastic food, incredible value, the highest quality of girls, who are not only beautiful but also have class and brains and are fun to be with, while getting a chance to network and meet with some o f the brightest young entrepreneurs in the world, then Vietnam is where you want to be. Specifically Saigon.

Each of the 3 locations mentioned are super fun in their own respective way. The one requiring the least amount of "investment" in terms of research and pipelining is BKK. It's a party city like few, if any else where in the world. For a first timer to Asia, it would be a great intro to SEA as the culture shock is the lowest.

Cambodia would be more for a more seasoned traveler with previous Asian Experience under their belt. Also, the language barrier may be the steepest there of all 3. If you're looking for pure unbridled adventure, then Cambodia is where I'd recommend.

Vietnam, and specially Saigon, is also a very happening city. Probably the hottest scene right now in Asia and among the top 5 in the world. The value you get there, is simply unmatchable, let alone unbeatable. And not just in terms of being super cheap. Yes it's cheap, but the quality you get there for that low price is incredible. The food is astounding, for a foodie expert like you, you'd be in heaven. And the girls are simply the best in SEA and among the best in Asia. Classy, beautiful, smart, fun and very feminine and traditional.

So depending on what your main priority is:

-unlimited sex with young and very willing girls? Philippines. Even the official slogan of the country says it: "it's more fun in the Philippines."

-non stop partying in a first world city, a city with an incredible vibe, where everything goes 24/7/365? BKK it is!

- wild wild wold east, a kind of pioneering adventure? Cambodia.

- a mix and a best of it all, Vietnam and Saigon.

All in all, pick just one and stick to it. You'd enjoy it so much more than if you were to bounce off every week or so.

The one thing I can tell you for sure is that yku will fall on love with Asia and I'll go even as far as saying that the likelihood of your 1 month trip turning into a few months, if not more is a real and concrete possibility once you've had a taste of the good life there. Not to mention the Asian women will blow your mind. If you thnk Asian girls in North America are great, then wait till you experience the real thing at the source. Asian girls in Asia are a complete different species and blow out of the water their sisters in North America by light years.

Be warned, this trip will change your entire perception on girls and may even make you reconsider your views on life as you know it in the US as well.

Enjoy!

[berserk]

If you want to split it up, I would do 2 weeks in Thailand and 2 weeks in the Phils. One week in Bangkok, one week in Ko Chang/Pattaya, one week in Manila, one week in Puerto Galera/Boracay.

[TheBulldozer]

delete

[Schmungle]

(07-26-2014 04:22 AM)berserk Wrote:  

If you want to split it up, I would do 2 weeks in Thailand and 2 weeks in the Phils. One week in Bangkok, one week in Ko Chang/Pattaya, one week in Manila, one week in Puerto Galera/Boracay.

I would definitely have to agree with Berserk on this one. I've been to all of those countries, multiple times, for work and play. It's just probably too much to try and fit all 4 into one trip.

If you knocked out PI, flying into Suvarnabhumi would be the best idea; you could route your trip from BKK-Phnom Pehn-Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh pretty fluidly.

And everyone is spot on about the food, Thai dominates SEA for food. It would be too much to ask me to leave behind the Filipinas, so I don't expect you would either, haha.

[WanderingSoul]

Hit me up if you need any info on BKK or Thailand.

When you get here don't be like Fisto and lock yourself in the hotel room for 3 nights with "jet lag" and leave me hangin.

......fuckin Fisto.

[Rutting Elephant]

Not one mention of my poosy paradise? I am pleased, I guess.

[Global Entry]

Id just add that Phnom Penh isn't really any worse on language barrier issues for English speakers than Vietnam, or large sections of Thailand. Found a lot of Phnom Penh'ers speak some english (and some Chinese). Not sure I'd recommend Phnom Penh as a whole month trip for an initial trip to SE Asia. I also wouldn't necessarily recommend just Manila unless notch count is the primary reason for the visit. I do think that checking out a country for a month, moving between a few different spots, could be great. Manila/Cebu/(Palawan/Boracay) or Davao could be a month, as could Chiang Mai, BKK, and somewhere south and beachy (but I would avoid Pattaya and Patong/Bangla rd except for small doses just to see what it is briefly, or if you really want to spend a large portion of your trip scuba diving or shoring pros). Or you could fly to northern Vietnam or even Laos and work your way south along the coast of Vietnam until you hit Saigon, then truck over to Phnom Penh and see the carnage that Beyond Borders has inflicted.

One thing to check out, if you plan to jump country to country a lot, from a travel standpoint is an airlines Continent Pass - you'll be eligible for one on any of the three alliances if you fly them to your base point (which should be HK or BKK, unless you spend the whole time in the Philippines). Gives you multiple trips on a safe airline on a major alliance (i.e. good plane, good points, and you won't get slammed with extra costs or ridiculous delays for the most part).

Also, while you're at it, you may as well fly into HK and see it for a day or two before (or after) setting out. Its a world-class city, some love it, some hate it, but its definitely an experience, eye opening.

[Veloce]

(07-26-2014 03:40 AM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

Be warned, this trip will change your entire perception on girls and may even make you reconsider your views on life as you know it in the US as well.

Enjoy!

That's exactly what I'm hoping for.

Great post VP

[dalbroker]

This....

It will be hard to go back to the USA...proceed with caution

(07-26-2014 03:40 AM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

Thedude,
There have been some solid advices posted in here but I agree with BB in here the most.
While you do want to get a good feel for as many places as possible, it wouldn't be productive nor give you a real feel for a place.

Depending on what you are after, here's what I'd recommend:

If you want just to party and have an blast just partying in a world class city, with amazing food, very sexy girls and inexpensive costs, while still feeling like you're in a first world country type, then
BKK is where you want to be.

If you want something totally exotic, out of the ordinary, very rustic and wild wild east feel to it, with good food and good nightlife, then Cambodia would be it.

If you want to indulge in a non stop sex marathon with easy and eager girls, then the Philippines is where it's at. However, be warned that for a foodie like you, you will be massively dissapointed with the local food, which is mediocre at best.

If you want the best of all, that is fantastic food, incredible value, the highest quality of girls, who are not only beautiful but also have class and brains and are fun to be with, while getting a chance to network and meet with some o f the brightest young entrepreneurs in the world, then Vietnam is where you want to be. Specifically Saigon.

Each of the 3 locations mentioned are super fun in their own respective way. The one requiring the least amount of "investment" in terms of research and pipelining is BKK. It's a party city like few, if any else where in the world. For a first timer to Asia, it would be a great intro to SEA as the culture shock is the lowest.

Cambodia would be more for a more seasoned traveler with previous Asian Experience under their belt. Also, the language barrier may be the steepest there of all 3. If you're looking for pure unbridled adventure, then Cambodia is where I'd recommend.

Vietnam, and specially Saigon, is also a very happening city. Probably the hottest scene right now in Asia and among the top 5 in the world. The value you get there, is simply unmatchable, let alone unbeatable. And not just in terms of being super cheap. Yes it's cheap, but the quality you get there for that low price is incredible. The food is astounding, for a foodie expert like you, you'd be in heaven. And the girls are simply the best in SEA and among the best in Asia. Classy, beautiful, smart, fun and very feminine and traditional.

So depending on what your main priority is:

-unlimited sex with young and very willing girls? Philippines. Even the official slogan of the country says it: "it's more fun in the Philippines."

-non stop partying in a first world city, a city with an incredible vibe, where everything goes 24/7/365? BKK it is!

- wild wild wold east, a kind of pioneering adventure? Cambodia.

- a mix and a best of it all, Vietnam and Saigon.

All in all, pick just one and stick to it. You'd enjoy it so much more than if you were to bounce off every week or so.

The one thing I can tell you for sure is that yku will fall on love with Asia and I'll go even as far as saying that the likelihood of your 1 month trip turning into a few months, if not more is a real and concrete possibility once you've had a taste of the good life there. Not to mention the Asian women will blow your mind. If you thnk Asian girls in North America are great, then wait till you experience the real thing at the source. Asian girls in Asia are a complete different species and blow out of the water their sisters in North America by light years.

Be warned, this trip will change your entire perception on girls and may even make you reconsider your views on life as you know it in the US as well.

Enjoy!

[Vacancier Permanent]

Yes, definitely check out HKG. This city is simply amazing. One of THE top 5 if not top 3 cities in the world. It's also a fantastic hub to be based at. You can fly not only in Asia for cheap from there but also to anywhere in the world.

[scotian]

There's two things that anyone should consider when planning a trip to SE Asia from North America, especially shorter trips of a month or less: jet lag and traveler's diarrhea . I had jet lag for a full five days where I'd wake up at odd hours and be fully awake, not eating properly and just feeling lazy in general, it didn't help that I went from Canada to BKK in November and had to adjust to the heat. I got the shits twice and both times it put me out of commission for a couple of days where all I did was drink Gatorade and sit on the shitter all day. There's ways to minimize both or even prevent them but its something to consider because those two can definitely keep you inside for a few days, which could fuck up your travel plans.

I've only been to Thailand and the Philippines but agree with the others who recommend a month in either place, I'd probably go with Thailand between the two, or if you're set on seeing more than one country, I'd do 10 days in one country and the other 3 weeks in Thailand, that place really is the whole package and best bang for buck.

[TheBulldozer]

Truth. 100%

I'm on day five of the six shits a day, waking up at 4AM diet.