I am planning a trip to southeast asia. 2-3 weeks. im thinking about singapore, bangkok, Angkor, and maybe connections in beijing, hong kong tokyo or seoul. not going to hit all of those places but maybe like 1/3rd-1/2 of them once i figure out which ones are the best to do and best together.

10/21/2012 3:20:45 PM

I haven't been but a couple of coworkers went to Singapore a couple of times and they say it's worth the trip. If you head to South Korea be prepared to listen to a lot of T-ara.

10/22/2012 11:42:10 PM

I've always enjoyed my stays in China, though that's more for personal reasons. But the country is great, asides from the smog.

10/22/2012 11:53:18 PM

I did a backpacking trip through Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. Was about 24 days total. A++ would do again though I was pretty tired of the tourist hassling by the time I was done.

10/23/2012 7:05:34 AM

^I'm jealous. 10 years ago I seriously consider doing that. I'm sure now I couldn't even get the time off from work.

10/23/2012 8:03:41 AM

Yeah that was back in the day when I had a job that gave me almost two months' PTO a year. I get nowhere near that now

10/23/2012 8:14:14 AM

I did a trip to SE Asia last year. Singapore is a waste of time, IMO.

For partying, your best bets are Hong Kong and Shanghai (if you can afford them). For budget fun, Vietnam is amazing. Great people, and it's not too touristy. If you do Thailand, avoid Bangkok / Phuket and go north to Chiang Mai. I can't recommend it enough. I wish I had done a full-moon party in Koh Samui, but I was there at the wrong time of the month. I can't say anything about Cambodia since I had to skip it, but I've heard it's fun.

10/23/2012 11:45:44 AM

Quote :

"I wish I had done a full-moon party in Koh Samui, but I was there at the wrong time of the month."

We ended up skipping this because apparently over the past few years the Thai police have been seriously cracking down on the party. Now days it's a great way to end up in a Thai prison which doesn't sound like much fun

10/23/2012 11:50:23 AM

hong kong for a few days (3+) fly to saigon and then cambodia/angkor then bangkok. Bangkok and cambodia are cheap if you do it right angkor is expensive relatively.

recommended hotels:
Casa Angkor Hotel for siem reap, nice
Le Méridien in Bangkok ~ $120/night very very nice

10/23/2012 11:55:36 AM

I want to visit qbar in bangkok

10/23/2012 12:21:53 PM

I always wanted to go to Borneo (bc of Dr. Schiller) and visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

10/23/2012 12:27:34 PM

And unrelated. Wolfgrrr did you see any discrepancies in Hangover 2?

10/23/2012 12:28:52 PM

hahaha no that's more or less what Bangkok is like I had the fun experience of getting chased out of a strip club in Bangkok when we weren't buying drinks "fast enough" and then the next morning one of the girls in my group screamed bloody murder when rummaging through her purse in the elevator and a ping pong ball from the club came bouncing out of the purse.

10/23/2012 1:06:16 PM

spending thanksgiving in ho chi minh then heading across cambodia to angkor wat and bangkok. bussing it down through burma into malaysia and flying out of singapore. Any advice would be great or else i wont know what the fuck im doing

11/1/2012 12:23:47 PM

bottled water at all times, bring meds for the runs, sample street food at your own risk, people there will wave you to follow them at waist level or so, don't step on anyone, don't touch anyone on the head or shoulders, haggle for everything not in a big brick and mortar store, hope you like spicy food!

I wouldn't bother with Burma, just stay in Thailand until you get to Malaysia. Take the train instead of the bus. It will take the same amount of time, it will be cheaper likely (first class cabin for max security when sleeping), http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm $61 or so full trip down not including food and the seats are BIG.

[Edited on November 1, 2012 at 1:56 PM. Reason : s]

11/1/2012 1:41:18 PM

^^ You taking the bus from HCMC to Siem Reap? Be prepared that if there's a heavy rainstorm between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap you might be stuck on the side of the road for a couple of hours. Roads in Cambodia blow.

11/1/2012 1:43:35 PM

I live in Shanghai. Shanghai is very safe and has big bldgs and good food. u can go out from here and get some trainingwheels adventure and be in an exotic place but still be very safe. it looks primitive once you get out of shanghai but it really isn't. u can spend a lot or a little and still have lots of fun. I know a hostel here where you can get a clean bed in a great location for 35rmb a night ($5) no joke.

Been to Singapore and Hong Kong many times. Both are just stop overs on your way to other places, they're expensive as fuck.

If you want extremely fun raw nature adventure on the cheap. I recommend you go to Hanoi and rent a scooter. get a manual transmission. ride the scooter out to the national forests. room and food is all really cheap and delicious.

stay away from the mountain hikes they advertise at those tourist places: fucking niggers follow you around the whole time begging. stick to the national parks and forests, they're AMAZING.

Halong Bay is absolutely gorgeous but full of rip off artists: best way to go is to take the bus from Hanoi directly to Cat ba island then go the the place where they rent out kayaks right across the street from the bus stop. If you try to go Rambo, they charge 10X as much for taxis and scooter rides all around there. (like a whole $10, lol: still a ripoff since it should be like $1-$2)

best restaurant in Hanoi is called New Day. ($7 per person) Best hotel is Meracus. ($44 a night)

best airline in China is Spring Airlines 200-300rmb from Shanghai to Hong Kong ($30-$50) FUCKING CHEAP!!

I done 3months in Sumatra too but that place is not worth the hassle unless you're a hardcore Jared Diamond type motherfucker. not for tourists.

11/1/2012 1:46:15 PM

Quote :

"^^ You taking the bus from HCMC to Siem Reap? Be prepared that if there's a heavy rainstorm between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap you might be stuck on the side of the road for a couple of hours. Roads in Cambodia blow."

this is why i decided to go now instead of during the summer.

11/1/2012 9:06:58 PM

Out of all the places I haven't been yet, SE Asia just isn't toward the top of the list. I'd prob do Thailand, just for the food.

11/1/2012 9:39:43 PM

^^ I was there in December and we still had a day of rain Sucked ass. Also don't go and try to take a leak on the side of the road in Cambodia or you might end up like this

11/2/2012 9:17:00 AM

Take the train!!!

11/2/2012 1:19:50 PM