Three Girls Require Help

[asiantraveler1]

If possible i would squeeze in a visit to Burma, maybe even drop Vietnam to make room for it. It's all about choices and limited amount of time but Burma is the country least affected by mass tourism, something that will be changing in the future. Therefore it will be more authentic and adventurous.

See below link for some pics of Burma (Yangon, Inle lake, Mandalay and Bagan).

http://youtu.be/hfvkX2QgDFQ

We can't possibly drop Vietnam now, but thank you very much for your opinion and Myanmar looks lovely.

If we just went to Yangon would it be a waste of time, are there guest houses?

How about if we went to Northern Thailand and went through Myanmar that way?

In this case I would skip Myanmar. It would be a waste of time and money to only visit Yangon for a few days. Better spend it in Cambodia or Vietnam. Siem Reap (Angkor) will take you 3 days I would say. Visiting PP with the S21 museum and killing fields max 2 days.

I did not like the mekong delta day trip. It was more visiting the local shops instead of the real delta. But this might depend on where you book the trip. The war museum and Cu Chi tunnels are a nice visit as is Saigon.

[MrRed]

Why spend so much time in Thailand if you have been before,i would not drop Vietnam on the strength of Thailand especially as it is a really wonderful place to visit and plenty to see and do.Just use Thailand as a starting and finishing place a couple of days either side and split the rest of your time into the other countries maybe .....although Nong Kai to Chaing Mai can be done.

An Idea for you....

Arrival 2 days in BKK

Train to Cambodia...Siam Rep 3 days on to Phnom Phen 2 days

Vietnam 1 week bottom to top then into Laos 4 days.

Into North East Thailand up to Chiang Mai 5 days or fly to Myanmar for a 5 day trip instead

Back to Bangkok 2 days

5 countries in 25 days to do this a lot of planning needs to be done beforehand ...have a great trip!

The best bit is it is cheap to do this route and if you miss out Myanmar ...no flying!!

Forgot to add on a tight budget i would miss out Myanmar until next time and the rest of the trip is great for getting buses and accommodation cheaply and would be better suited to your needs you could get the bus from Nong Khai to Chiang Mai in a day and also break the journey up here for a day or two

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/574

Sukhothai Historical Park

Edited January 11, 2015 by MrRed

[Loiuse]

Why spend so much time in Thailand if you have been before,i would not drop Vietnam on the strength of Thailand especially as it is a really wonderful place to visit and plenty to see and do.Just use Thailand as a starting and finishing place a couple of days either side and split the rest of your time into the other countries maybe .....although Nong Kai to Chaing Mai can be done.

An Idea for you....

Arrival 2 days in BKK

Train to Cambodia...Siam Rep 3 days on to Phnom Phen 2 days

Vietnam 1 week bottom to top then into Laos 4 days.

Into North East Thailand up to Chiang Mai 5 days or fly to Myanmar for a 5 day trip instead

Back to Bangkok 2 days

5 countries in 25 days to do this a lot of planning needs to be done beforehand ...have a great trip!

Forgot to add on a tight budget i would miss out Myanmar until next time and the rest of the trip is great for getting buses and accommodation cheaply and would be better suited to your needs you could get the bus from Nong Khai to Chiang Mai in a day and also break the journey up here for a day or two whc.unesco.org/en/list/574

Thank you Mr Red that's the sort of idea we need.

We are considering dropping time in Thailand, though one person has not been. However, she is easy going and will go with the flow, excited about anywhere.

You mention 4 days in Laos, but many things I've read say there's really not much to see there, what do you think the attraction is with Laos?

Would you go for the 5 days in Chiang Mai or Myanmar?

2 days in BKK either end would make it 9 days in Thailand, maybe too much considering the other options?

[MrRed]

Well you have to take into consideration the travelling involved also....Hanoi to Luang Prabang and then Vang Viang on the way down to Vientainne maybe stopping a day in each and the evening depending on bus times over into Thailand Nong Khai 1 night or maybe Udon Thani then bus over to Sukhothai 1 day and night and then up to Chiang Mai for 3/4 days??? haha that is the fun of travelling isn't it! when things don't go to plan lol.

Make a good plan but be flexible and easy going practicing it.

I have not been to Myanmar but personally i would spend a week there because the travelling i assume would be slower and longer and i think i would like to take in a lot of the country that we are able to visit at the moment remember there are still parts that we cannot go to.Also you mention your friend has never been to Thailand so you might have to also think about that.

Edited January 11, 2015 by MrRed

[phuketrichard]

Myanmar,$ and Kyat

Cambodia $ (except for little shit under $1 than the local Riel)

Thailand of course Baht

Laos Kip

Atm's everywhere

Carry 2 $100 put away an lots of CRISP NEW $10, 20's

If u go on $50/day u will be fine ( excluding airfares)

Note if ur not flyijng

Bangkok to SR is a full day

SR to PP is a full day

PP to Saigon is a full day

Chiang Mai to Bangkok do the overnight train/sleeper

Whatever u take it will have to do. There are always cheap places (in Cambodia and Myanmar you can find dorm rooms for under $5 /bed) to stay an cheaper places to eat

Last year i spent time in Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia an of course here in Thailand

I seldom spend more than a $25/night and like i said my meals average $3-5- 6.

I dont drink

Laos is great BUT traveling is by bus an the roads suck!

best of luck

there are just so many options.

pick 2 or at the most 3 countries and spend more time hanging out than moving an see more

Edited January 11, 2015 by phuketrichard

[ToddinChonburi]

Have you looked at any Lonely Planet books or there website ? Lots of backpacker info.

[Loiuse]

Have you looked at any Lonely Planet books or there website ? Lots of backpacker info.

Yes I have SEA Lonely Planet, but thought I'd ask people actually located here and I'm really glad I did.

Lonely Planet will of course be with me all the time.

How do we go about telephones, which are also useful not least of all for calling guest houses and bus terminals.

[SoiBiker]

Have you looked at any Lonely Planet books or there website ? Lots of backpacker info.

Yes I have SEA Lonely Planet, but thought I'd ask people actually located here and I'm really glad I did.

Lonto Planet will of course be with me all the time.

How do we go about telephones, which are also useful not least of all for calling guest houses and bus terminals.

Buy a SIM card on arrival to each country. They only cost a few dollars. You'll need an unlocked phone though.

[ToddinChonburi]

I have a Verizon phone so they do offer global plans. Using a phone from home country then you will need the country codes for each place you will be traveling to .

[Loiuse]

Myanmar,$ and Kyat

Cambodia $ (except for little shit under $1 than the local Riel)

Thailand of course Baht

Laos Kip

Atm's everywhere

Carry 2 $100 put away an lots of CRISP NEW $10, 20's

If u go on $50/day u will be fine ( excluding airfares)

Note if ur not flyijng

Bangkok to SR is a full day

SR to PP is a full day

PP to Saigon is a full day

Chiang Mai to Bangkok do the overnight train/sleeper

Whatever u take it will have to do. There are always cheap places (in Cambodia and Myanmar you can find dorm rooms for under $5 /bed) to stay an cheaper places to eat

Last year i spent time in Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia an of course here in Thailand

I seldom spend more than a $25/night and like i said my meals average $3-5- 6.

I dont drink

Laos is great BUT traveling is by bus an the roads suck!

best of luck

there are just so many options.

pick 2 or at the most 3 countries and spend more time hanging out than moving an see more

I've heard that dollar bills have to be in pristine condition.

Can you please tell me what you think is so great in Laos, anywhere/thing in particular.

I'm beginning to think 2 options might be best.

[Loiuse]

Have you looked at any Lonely Planet books or there website ? Lots of backpacker info.

Yes I have SEA Lonely Planet, but thought I'd ask people actually located here and I'm really glad I did.

Lonto Planet will of course be with me all the time.

How do we go about telephones, which are also useful not least of all for calling guest houses and bus terminals.

Buy a SIM card on arrival to each country. They only cost a few dollars. You'll need an unlocked phone though.

Hmm my iPhone is locked any way around that?

[ToddinChonburi]

Yes I put an AIS 1 - 2 call prepaid chip in my Verizon phone, works great. I think I get .04 per minute chatting with mom back home.

[ToddinChonburi]

Who do you have for service ?

[phuketrichard]

yes, hence i said new ones

Laso is not a country you visit to SEE anything ( although Luang Prabang has many many Wat's *( temples) )

its a country you experience;

I love it up there; But i travel with my own car

great, friendly people, good food, fantastic scenery

BUT u need time to travel

If u want, fly into Luang Prabang ( spend 2-3 days)

bus down ( 4-5 hours) to Vang Vieng spend a day

bus down to Vientiane,(4-5 hours) spend 2 days

That's the min time,otherwise forget it

fly over to Chiang mai

[Tecumseh]

IMO if you've been to Thailand twice before, I really would give it a miss and concentrate on Cambodia and Vietnam. I'm sure you friend will be very happy with those two countries. If you have time at the beginning or end you might even fancy a trip to Kuala Lumpur, not everyone's cup of tea but it can be a fascinating place to spend a couple of days. I wouldn't consider doing northern Thailand too far out of your way and so many new things to see if you've already been there.

[Loiuse]

Who do you have for service ?

O2

[ToddinChonburi]

I would give them a call and see what they offer and if they even have service in those countries.

[ToddinChonburi]

you can buy a cheap Nokia phone in Thailand for about 600 baht for a good one. just a talk phone.

[Loiuse]

IMO if you've been to Thailand twice before, I really would give it a miss and concentrate on Cambodia and Vietnam. I'm sure you friend will be very happy with those two countries. If you have time at the beginning or end you might even fancy a trip to Kuala Lumpur, not everyone's cup of tea but it can be a fascinating place to spend a couple of days. I wouldn't consider doing northern Thailand too far out of your way and so many new things to see if you've already been there.

Would you really recommend Kuala Lumpur for a couple of days, Carla one of my friends has mentioned quite a lot that is a city she wants to see one day. I honestly don't know much about it, what to do how much it would cost in terms of getting and staying there etc.

I suppose some advise on KL would be also useful along will everything else, it's all good.

[MrRed]

Loiuse i think it is worth talking to your travel companions about which of the five countries the three of you want to visit the most and maybe pick three and do them and if you have the opportunity again to come back and maybe do the other two or three next time you could then give each country some time to experience the differences and also not be so rushed..

I think Vietnam and Laos are well worth a visit if you have never been also Cambodia although i agree with Craig that 2/3 days in Siam Reap and maybe one travelling through Pnom Pen is sufficient.

Totally agree with Richard travelling is all about the experiences and sights you take in ...Laos has something that is difficult to explain although the people and the culture are similar to Thailand it IS different.

You could very easily spend so much time travelling that it becomes more of a trek than a back packing holiday and your experiences of each country would suffer through tiredness and travel and not being able to stay in a place because of a tight schedule forced onto yourself through wanting to pack so much in...you could very easily travel through 5 counties here and see hardly anything trying to condense so much into a short period (25 days)

Chat with your friends and go through the routes mentioned each one of you should be given the freedom to see what they want and the others should be in agreement before you depart.

Vietnam you will love.

[mitsubishi]

have a look at seat61 website for travel options, visa for Cambodia can be done online and printed off and for Vietnam letter for visa can be done online if you are flying in but may need a proper visa from Embassy if going overland

Cambodia issue visa on arrival, or at least they did for me about fourteen years ago.

[Tham1]

have a look at seat61 website for travel options, visa for Cambodia can be done online and printed off and for Vietnam letter for visa can be done online if you are flying in but may need a proper visa from Embassy if going overland

Cambodia issue visa on arrival, or at least they did for me about fourteen years ago.

Hi, they still do but it is a pain as you need to apply/queue on arrival - the online one is fantastic - you print it (upload a photo) and go straight to immigration on arrival also you only get a small stamp in your passport and do not lose a full page with the sticker.

[Loiuse]

Loiuse i think it is worth talking to your travel companions about which of the five countries the three of you want to visit the most and maybe pick three and do them and if you have the opportunity again to come back and maybe do the other two or three next time you could then give each country some time to experience the differences and also not be so rushed..

I think Vietnam and Laos are well worth a visit if you have never been also Cambodia although i agree with Craig that 2/3 days in Siam Reap and maybe one travelling through Pnom Pen is sufficient.

Totally agree with Richard travelling is all about the experiences and sights you take in ...Laos has something that is difficult to explain although the people and the culture are similar to Thailand it IS different.

You could very easily spend so much time travelling that it becomes more of a trek than a back packing holiday and your experiences of each country would suffer through tiredness and travel and not being able to stay in a place because of a tight schedule forced onto yourself through wanting to pack so much in...you could very easily travel through 5 counties here and see hardly anything trying to condense so much into a short period (25 days)

Chat with your friends and go through the routes mentioned each one of you should be given the freedom to see what they want and the others should be in agreement before you depart.

Vietnam you will love.

Vietnam seems a must along with Cambodia.

I think you're right we should sit down and absorb all this wonderful information and pick a maximum of three.

Laos does remain a possibility, whereas before it wasn't.

Thank you for taking the trouble Mr Red.

[Lancashirelad]

Loiuse re phone: your iphone won't work with any other sim card than 02. Suggest keep that as it is - has all your contacts in it - and monitor for incoming texts. Buy from Ebay, local car boot, wherever, a cheap used UNLOCKED phone (smart or not, up to you) and put local Sim cards into that.

Alternatively googling "worldwide sim" brings up some interesting options, though the above suggestion will probably work out cheaper.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Lancashirelad

[Bakeman]

I guess I am too simple for all of this planning. If I want a trip loaded without rest (which I don't any more) I would plan everything with a travel agency. No guessing about locations, dates, or where to go and what to see.

Guess I'm getting up in years.

[pomchop]

I would recommend you spend a few hours of research on sites like http://www.travelfish.org/

and narrow it down a bit more. My thought is you are trying to do too much in such a short time period and will end up spending most of your time figuring out and sitting around at bus/train/airports. I would cut it down to no more than two or three countries max...pick what you are most interested in and slow down.

[craigt3365]

Not sure your iPhone will work here. My brothers didn't, but he couldn't replace the SIM card. I'm 50/50 regarding traveling with a phone. We always do, and always get a bit of top up for whatever country we're in, but rarely use them. Though a few times it really did save our bacon!

You'll have wifi access in many places, and you'll be able to use Skype. Before you leave, get your account topped up with $20 or so.

As mentioned above, Laos is a great place to visit. LP and VV are fantastic. I know it's super touristy, but I loved getting up at 5am to "feed" the monks. And loved tubing down the river in VV. Some great days trips in each of these cities. You can fly from Hanoi and then fly to CM from there. Not sure what the flights will cost, but they aren't too expensive.

Make sure you've got a money belt. Keep all valuables there. One big problem in Cambodia and Vietnam are the children. I've seen them swarm a tourist and end up with what was ever in their pocket. Happens a lot.

Don't bring any jewelry that you worry about getting stolen. Plus, you can buy some neat stuff here. Shopping is relatively cheap and easy here, so if you forgot something or need an item, you shouldn't have much problem finding it here...other than in small towns like VV, etc. Pack very light as you'll buy all sorts of stuff here, as you well know.

Don't rely on LP too much for guest houses. Many aren't in the book, and sometimes these are the gems. Tripadvisor.com is pretty good for finding some of them. And they've got a pretty good travel forum also. Very specific to even the smallest locations. In Vietnam, you'll find restaurants/guest houses with the exact same name all right next to each other! Too funny...once one gets popular, copy cats crop up.

Bangkok for 2 days isn't a bad idea. The Grand Palace is fantastic as are a few of the other tourist hot spots. Even a day would be fine. A full day. You could knock off most of the sights and catch an early flight/bus out the next morning. Maybe even do some of this on the day of your arrival?

[Loiuse]

We have been talking about Laos mainly because of its proximity to the other countries. Getting up at 5am to feed the monks would be neat, at least it would get us out of bed to do things. In LP apart from feeding the monks, what is there that could pass the time? The idea of tubing down the river at VV also sounds good. How about Vientianne, is that worth visiting, does it have much going for it?

Lord, between all the millions of dong and kip we will certainly be confused!

The children would be a hard one on one member in particular, she still recalls stories of her time in India and how heartbreaking it was.

Wouldn't bring any valuable's don't wear jewelry either except a ring that I'll probably leave behind. I'm thinking that I might leave my iPhone too, but they are sooo handy sometimes. Been to Bangkok and done the tourist things, very nice but once was enough.

I mentioned earlier that one person quite fancies a quick trip to Kuala Lumpur, what do people think is it worth a visit? It could be done for a couple of days after arrival flying return to Bangkok or to KL and then onto somewhere else, Vietnam, Cambodia? Sort of do it and get it out of the way LOL.

[Loiuse]

I guess I am too simple for all of this planning. If I want a trip loaded without rest (which I don't any more) I would plan everything with a travel agency. No guessing about locations, dates, or where to go and what to see.

Guess I'm getting up in years.

I can understand your feelings, but you know what I'm really excited.

Right now we are still unsure, but we will get there in the end and anywhere we end up will all be new to us anyway.

[SoiBiker]

You're a few years late for the tubing in Vang Vieng - it still happens but its a pretty drab affair since they closed all the riverside bars. The area is still worth a visit though, good for mountain biking and kayaking.