Travelling SE Asia and Australia - what are your must sees & advice?

[greenvelvet]

I want to go travelling across this (vast!) area for a while after COVID is over. I have a great job now but lockdown has made me realise how precious life is and how much there is that I want to see once I am safely able to - as has that thread where everyone says they regret not travelling in their 20s (I'm 25).

I've have travelled to other places before (Europe & the US). Crucially, my long term partner wants to come with (he was hesitant), which he didn't when I went before. Long distance really sucked so I'm so pleased he wants to come this time and experience it with me!

Really interested in any cultural advice you may have too as I want to be respectful of the cultures and peoples of the places I visit. If you've travelled or lived anywhere in this region (as a local or not!), please take this opportunity to reminisce extensively/warn about anything! Thank you

 

[Fofoca]

@greenvelvet sounds exciting!

I’ve got more questions and no answers right now but hopefully it’ll help generate conversation with other tattlers.

Do you live in the UK? Does your partner also live in the UK? Asking so that we have a base to make a comparison from.

Where in SE Asia did you want to go or are you flexible? Would you prefer to spend a few days in many places or a longer time in one place? How long do you plan to travel for?

 

[DanaScully]

I went to Thailand a couple of years back and did some research before I went. I'm not sure if you're planning on visiting but thought I'd share a few tips anyway.

The Thais are very friendly people but you should keep your wits about you as with any place you travel to.

The head is the most sacred part of the body and the feet are regarded as dirty. Avoid touching Thais on the head and don't point your feet at anyone. They love the King so don't put your foot on your money if it blows away! Also avoid saying anything negative about the monarchy or the King.

You may be expected to remove your shoes in some places such as small shops and certainly when visiting temples. It's respectful to dress modestly when visiting temples so I always had a pashmina with me to cover my shoulders up if I was wearing a vest top.

Be careful of scams and any strangers acting overly friendly, we had an older guy approach us a few times in Bangkok who seemed really friendly but we quickly worked out his motive when he got his phone out to show us photos of suits in a local tailors and wanted to take us there!

Use Uber or Lift if you can but if you have to flag down a taxi ask for them to turn the meter on. If they refuse, get out and find another.

You may be approached by Thais holding exotic animals such as lorises. They tend to thrust the animal at you and then ask for money afterwards, so keep your guard up and politely decline. Many of the animals are drugged and their welfare isn't a priority. Also avoid any shows which use animals.

The Thais greet with a wai and it's polite to return a wai as we would a handshake (hands in the prayer position and a bow of the head).

I loved Bangkok and Krabi but didn't like Patong. Next time I'd love to go up north and see Chiang Mai.

Hope this is helpful. It's a beautiful country, the food is unreal and the people are wonderful.

 

[Tinkerbell cat]

Not sure if you’re planning to visit Thailand but it is such a gorgeous place and I definitely recommend. Outside Chiang Mai is where my partners grandad has lived for the past 10-15 years so when we went to visit, I’d just never seen anywhere quite like it. We also stay in Khao Lak which is about two hours from Phuket. We didn’t really like Phuket but it was good for one night to people watch. The people in Khao Lak are the loveliest people I have ever met in my whole life and can not do enough for you. khao lak is one of the areas affected the most by the tsunami that happened on Boxing Day in 2004 so you can still see lots of the old hotel foundations etc and it really hits home, they have a little museum dedicated which is by the police boat which was washed so many miles inshore. Ours was more of a holiday than travelling and the above post gives some great advice, if you plan to go please do feel free to message me and I can get my partner to give you some more info. Before I’d ever been to Thailand I’d heard and read about many horror stories but honestly It’s such an amazing place, but like anywhere just keep your wits about you. Happy travels

 

[Ohchristmastree]

Please don’t go that far and not go to New Zealand, particularly the South Island. It is absolutely beautiful, just google Roy’s Peak/Lake Wanaka. It’s my dream to go back there.

 

[Meh]

Another vote for Northern Thailand. Chiang Mai is one of my favourite places I’ve ever visited. Gorgeous, great food (spicy and hot!) lovely, genuine people. Agree with the poster who mentioned animals, not meaning to preach but please please don’t do elephant trekking or the like. There are some wonderful, ethical sanctuaries who care for elephants who have been abused as tourist money makers or in the logging industry. These places never have the elephants chained or let you ride on them etc. Worth seeking out a good one. Hands down one of the best days of my life.

 

[Former_Antelopee]

This is a thread I wanted to make but being a new member I couldn’t so glad someone has .

I was going to go last year but cancelled due to the pandemic, I was hoping to go for around a year. Now I keep flipping between still wanting to and not. Like you said I read the regrets topic which is making me side more towards travelling especially as I’ve always wanted to do it. I had booked a one way flight to Vietnam and the first few weeks accommodation/travel but then was going to book as I went. I want to travel solo and have the problem of a friend wanting to come. I think travelling with a partner is different than a friend and have heard bad experiences of people travelling with friends and also have other reasons why I want to go solo.

I had roughly planned it at least which countries I want to go. I’ve been to Thailand and Bali and preferred Thailand. Phi phi islands were my favourite place I went to in Thailand but never been to the north. I wanted to go to Thailand again, Philippines (top place I want to go), Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and one of New Zealand/Australia (probably New Zealand). I had also got in touch with a dog sanctuary in Thailand where I was thinking of volunteering as they offered free accommodation.

 

[Fizzwhizz2020]

I’ve been to Thailand, Chiangmai, Bangkok, Krabi as well as Vietnam, Hong Kong and Cambodia. Loved all of them aside from Bangkok. It was just overly busy for me with a lot of scam artists. If you do go to Bangkok, and get a taxi, definitely get them to turn the meter on and be insistent if they try to refuse. If not, just get out and find another. They just try it on. Again, over Asia, don’t touch anyone on the head (kids included) and don’t put your feet on tables etc. Most people greet you with palms together rather than handshakes. If you go to Bangkok, the water market is worth a visit along the canal, as well as the chatachuk market on a Sunday (it was when I went). If you go to Cambodia, the temples are incredible, we just went for the day which was 15 dollars for the tuk tuk and 20 for the temple pass (don’t lose these as you need show them at every temple) in Cambodia, take cash for visas at the airport and bring 2 passport pictures as they need those too. Be careful when paying in cash and check it as if you get change and any of the dollars are torn, they won’t be accepted in any shop or bar as it’s not their currency so can’t be replaced. You end up having to go to exchange it and a few dollars taken off for the privilege. So carry small denominations 1-5 dollars and pay with those as much as you can. But they are very safe places and the people are lovely. The food is also incredible. In Vietnam, definitely do a 2 day cruise along Ha Long bay. It’s stunning!

 

[DanaScully]

Ooh, poster above has just reminded me, in Thailand they won't accept any British bank notes that have writing on or are ripped. I got stuck with a £50 note that I couldn't get exchanged!

 

[Lovelife899]

This thread is exciting for me as I absolutely love SE Asia and have spent a bit of time travelling there myself over the past few years.

I went my first backpacking trip for 5 months 4 years ago when I was 25 then I done a year 2 years ago.

I have visited the following countries (some of them have spent several months so if you have any questions about any of them let me know

Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, India, Borneo

 

[greenvelvet]

Gosh I’m so pleased this has got such good responses already! Thanks guys

We are both from the UK! We’re still planning where to go - I’m hoping to plan a lot of flexibility into this trip so if we decide we do/don’t like somewhere, we can stay longer, detour or move on. Ideally I’d like to go for at least three months and would like to leave it open-ended. I’d be keen to hear all of your recommendations and comments about any place! I've done a bit of research and intend to do much more before I go and will take notes of your replies

thank you for the lovely long post, Scully! I knew about the feet thing but would never have thought twice about catching money with my feet. Good to know about the courtesy of returning the wai! I worked in a restaurant a couple years ago and interestingly £50s were not accepted as they are apparently fake a lot of the time

Lots of votes for Chiang Mai - my cousin lives there and adores it.

good point about NZ- my boyfriend really wants to go so I think we will. It looks magical.

Please share more about your experiences with past travels. I’d be interested in everywhere you’ve mentioned! I’m thinking about biking the hai van pass too if anyone has done that - and ha long bay is on my destination list for sure.

 

[SheMyBestie]

Hello, I have travelled the East Coast of Australia.
Melbourne: Neighbours tour, Great Ocean Road (that was incredible), Melbourne Zoo, Sealife Aquarium, just sightseeing around Melbourne there's some lovely views, St Kilda beach. You can also see penguins at St Kilda pier.
Cairns: I didn't really do a lot in Cairns, there's a few rainforest trips you can do. Don't go in the sea there as there are crocs! It's very hot and humid there, there's no breeze at all!
Sunshine Coast: Noosa
Brisbane: Australia Zoo, one of my favourite experiences, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
Gold Coast: One of my favourite places! There's Dreamworld (that's a must!), Skypoint observation deck, Surfers Paradise. It's just a lovely place to be
Whitsundays: Whitsundays beach. I snorkelled in the Great Barrier Reef and went on an overnight trip away on a sailing boat around the Whitsundays.
Byron Bay: Lighthouse walk, Bryon is 'surfers capital'.
Sydney: Home and Away tour, Opera House, Botanical Gardens, Sealife, Darling Harbour, you can climb the harbour bridge, you can get a boat over Sydney harbour to Taronga Zoo, Shark Island.

I would love to go back to Australia and do it all over again and visit Fraser Island and Magnetic Island on the East Coast as I didn't have the opportunity to do those. I would also love to go to Perth.

 

[Lovelife899]

Thailand is my favourite country in the world and I can’t wait to go back!! I would definitely visit Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Khao Sok national park (stay in one of the floating bungalows on the lake) and Koh Lanta / Koh Lipe for a beach (not as touristy as the likes of Phuket/Krabi/Koh Samui)

if you can spend a month in Vietnam and travel North to South or vice versa I would definitely recommend, it I’ve done it twice. We used the trains which are really cheap and frequent but a lot of people do it by motorbike, especially the Hai Van pass part ( we done it in an old army truck as we weren’t confident to drive ourselves) Hoi An is very touristy now but still worth a visit, loved Hue, Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. Mui Ne was fine but wouldn’t go back for a beach stay I would recommend the island of Phu Quoc. Phong Nha and Ninh Binh are also definitely worth a visit. For Halong Bay we stayed at Cat Ba then done a boat trip out to Halong Bay.

For Cambodia absolutely love Siem Reap, been a few times and would go back again, can get really nice hotels cheap. Phnom Penh I wasn’t keen on it the first time but I enjoyed by second visit but I wouldn’t go out of your way to go there it’s just convenient if you are travelling through Cambodia to use as a stop. Avoid Sihanoukville it’s horrible wouldn’t recommend it at all, for the beach head over to Koh Rong Sanloem ( I would go there over Koh Rong main island). Kampot is also definitely worth a visit great place just to chill out.

Malaysia - definitely recommend Kuala Lumpur (been 5 times now and it’s one of my favourite cities in Asia) Langkawi is good to go for a beach stay (you can then get the boat over to Koh Lipe in Thailand from here) Malacca and Penang are also worth a visit.
If you have time travel over to Borneo we had a great 3 days staying at the Kinabatangan River.

if you are planning to go to India I spent a month there if you have any questions.

The only country in Asia I have been and wouldn’t go back is Sri Lanka.

 

[greenvelvet]

Amazing, @SheMyBestie, thanks for all the recs! So interested in the Great Barrier Reef and marine conservation in general. I did SCUBA diving a lot when I was younger. What would be your top 3 to dos for Australia? Did you do any of the rainforest tours? (No pressure to answer all my qs, everyone)

so many detailed recommendations for Thailand which is great. I recognise that I too will be a tourist but it’s still nice to go somewhere off the beaten track - I’m not really interested in tourist hotspots and resorts!

Good idea with the army truck, @Lovelife899. Hai Van Pass on a bike is hugely tempting but I know that it’s packed with winding roads and big lorries so it’s quite dangerous for newbies like myself. I’d probably want to take a few lessons before I do it. my boyfriend and I can both drive so taking a truck instead is worth considering. I’d defo love to do south-north/north-south - which direction depends on which places I want to go to when, which I guess will be dictated by weather & seasons.

would love to hear more about India, though I probably would be hesitant to go when there’s significant political unrest as there is now (same with Myanmar). What did you not like about sihanoukville and Sri Lanka?

 

[Lovelife899]

@greenvelvet

All this talk is making me want to go on another backpacking trip so much, can’t wait till I can travel over to Asia again!

Also forgot to mention if you can make time visit Japan it’s amazing!! More expensive than other places but totally worth it. Food is amazing, so much to see and do and you feel so so safe. Just an amazing feeling even walking around (same also for Singapore things can be expensive but would recommend it for a few days)

I spent a month in India a few years ago and really enjoyed it especially the food absolutely loved Goa, was a great place to chill out and relax on the beach. Agra is a must to see the Taj Mahal but I wouldn’t spend long there’s not much else to see. I wouldn’t bother going back to Delhi didn’t really enjoy it at all much preferred Mumbai ( if you visit Mumbai stay at the Taj Mahal Palace) Jodphur was great we ended up extending our stay there, again pretty chilled out so was a good break from the madness in Mumbai and Delhi. Everyone will constantly stare at you and want to get photos with you but we got used to it eventually

We planned to Spend a month in Sri Lanka but decided to leave after ten days (which worked out lucky as on our last morning that was when the Easter bombs happened and we had a flight booked out that night, it would have been a lot harder to leave if we didn’t change our flights as everyone was leaving due to the bombs) just didn’t enjoy it at all, found the food bland everywhere we tried just constantly getting ripped off and intimated.

Sihanoukville is horrible we only stayed 1 night before our boat over to the islands it’s dirty and not really anything to see, I think a lot of it is now run by the Chinese Mafia or something and they were planning to build casinos etc

 

[SheMyBestie]

Amazing, @SheMyBestie, thanks for all the recs! So interested in the Great Barrier Reef and marine conservation in general. I did SCUBA diving a lot when I was younger. What would be your top 3 to dos for Australia? Did you do any of the rainforest tours? (No pressure to answer all my qs, everyone)

so many detailed recommendations for Thailand which is great. I recognise that I too will be a tourist but it’s still nice to go somewhere off the beaten track - I’m not really interested in tourist hotspots and resorts!

Good idea with the army truck, @Lovelife899. Hai Van Pass on a bike is hugely tempting but I know that it’s packed with winding roads and big lorries so it’s quite dangerous for newbies like myself. I’d probably want to take a few lessons before I do it. my boyfriend and I can both drive so taking a truck instead is worth considering. I’d defo love to do south-north/north-south - which direction depends on which places I want to go to when, which I guess will be dictated by weather & seasons.

would love to hear more about India, though I probably would be hesitant to go when there’s significant political unrest as there is now (same with Myanmar). What did you not like about sihanoukville and Sri Lanka?

@greenvelvet My top 3 dos would have to be. 1: Australia Zoo because it's Steve Irwin's Zoo. You can watch live croc shows and hold Koalas. 2: Gold Coast/Noosa. Just for the sunny beaches and Noosa is so quiet. 3: Whitsundays is unreal. I want to add so many more on but I think those would be my top 3!
No, I didn't do any rainforest tours. I wish I had of done though.