SE Asia for 3 weeks

H

HornFan10

25+ Posts
in august...suggestions for places to check out?

4 24 yr olds who enjoy going out, food, and backpacking...

looking to come up with a preliminary list of spots to hit on the 3 week tour.

thanks in advance
 
Definitely do Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Bangkok is probably the best food town on earth(sorry Paris).

As far as beach towns go, you will need to check the weather for that time of year. I can not recall if Koh Samui or Phuket is the better choice, as I believe it is the rainy/monsoon season at one of the them in August.

If you have not booked travel, you might try Singapore Air and book one of their long layovers in Singapore. You can get a 24-hour layover as part of your flight that will allow you to check out Singapore quickly. It is another great food town, with Chili Crab being one of the greatest meals ever created.
 
In Thailand, the Gulf (Koh Samui) generally has better weather than the Andaman (Phuket) that time of year.

Bangkok and Chiang Mai are fun, and there are some great smaller towns to visit in the Chiang Mai area (Mae Hong Song, Pai, Mai Sai). If you feeling adventurous you can cross the border into Laos and ride a boat down the mekong to Luang Prabang (ancient Lao capitol).

I think in August, the weather is generally better south of the equator, which means Indonesia and Malaysia.

Not sure what you are interested in; beaches? partying? ancient temples? scuba? nature?

I also really liked Cambodia and Vietnam; once you get to the area you will realize there is far more to see than you can do in one trip.
 
I spent 4 weeks in Thailand 2 yrs ago.
Did Bangkok, Tiger temple, then headed south to the islands. We skipped the gulf of thailand islands due to weather and instead opted to head to islands way south near malaysia and the similian islands off the west coast.
If I had to do it over again, I would spend 2 days in Bangkok, train to Chang Mai for 2 days then head south for the rest.
Ko Phi Phi and Phuket are hedonistic zoos filled with 'slad and veeder' techno twins. Loud music, people handing you flyers for all sorts of happy hours. Also you can throw out the exchange rate at these places, they are just as expensive as the US
Check out Ko Lanta and Ko Lipe. Especially Ko Lipe. Its a pain to get there (2 hr 'speed boat' ferry) but once you are there, you might not want to leave.
The island is so small you can walk across the whole thing in about 15 mins. Lights are generator only. Mellow, filled with backpackers looking to stretch their dollars. We got a 'luxury' hut for $20/night overlooking the beach
Here is a pic from their cliffside
Ko Lipe

If you decide to go there, stay for a week since getting there is a pain, make it worth your while.

On another note, I would probably go hit vietnam if I could do it again. way cheap, caters to backpackers, no techno twins
 
bump...as we start to look at it heres how we are thinking about spending our 3 weeks...

fly into bangkok, 3 days, up to chiang mai, 2 days, laos for outdoorsy stuff for 4, about 8 days in vietnam going from hanoi to saigon and the last few days on the thai isles...

thoughts? too agressive? i really appreciate the tips, folks...
 
Given your time restrictions, I would suggest cutting a day off Bangkok and adding it in Laos/Vietnam. 2 days should be enough to see the temples, take a boat ride on the Chao Phraya, etc. You will be dealing with jet lag so I think less than 2 days would be tough.

You can take a night bus or train(sleeper) to Chaing Mai and save a day travelling.
 
Guess I'm showing my age - the very thought of going to Hanoi as a tourist makes my stomach turn. Some of my classmates got the all-expenses-paid stay at the Hanoi Hilton - striped pajamas and all.

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I visited Vietnam in 1995 and was kind of amazed by what I saw. People were extremely friendly and courteous to me, both in the south and north. I was often invited to join people for coffee and snacks. Everyone I met wanted to know more about the USA; I had a real sense that the country was looking forward, not backward. Totally changed my perception of the country.
 
Tough to say, but I think as long as you plan on going back, seeing a lot of places the first time is the way to go. I spent 2 weeks in Bangkok and could have stayed a month. It is true it will only take a few days to do the touristy stuff, but the vibe and culture is worth sticking around for(and the food is unreal).

Definitely get out and check out one of the elephant camps in Chiang Mai. It will kill half-a-day, but it is worth it.
 
My only advice is, if you are gonna cram in so many locations, DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE the time it takes to get b/t spots. We flew once and took buses/trains the rest of the time, and it is essentially a full day's travel b/t say Bangkok and any of the islands.
Fly local thai airlines if you can.
 
We were in Hanoi for four days and highly recommend it. Great food, tons to see, the people were great – no animosity remaining from the Vietnam War – and they suffered tremendously.
 
So, from Singapore, is Phuket the only resort area in Thailand that you can access by plane? And then, can you go to these others, like Ko Lanta and Ko Lipe by boat from there, or does that take a long time?
 
I believe you can fly direct from SIngapore to Koh Samui (not 100% on this though).

If you are going during the summer months, the weather is normally better in Samuii than Phuket
 
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