Backpacking South East Asia on an Adventurous Route
by: Parry Loeffler
The South East Asian region
of the world - especially Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos - has become
increasingly popular as a destination for those travelers seeking a more
adventurous holiday than can be had merely sipping fruity, ice-cold drinks
at your typical beach resort. However, an adventurous trip to these developing
countries raises many questions and one of the first is what route to take,
which I will try to answer in this article.
Most people with enough
time would like to get a taste for all four that I’ve mentioned earlier,
so I’ll concentrate on a route that includes all of them. It would
take about three months if you spent a few days at each stop. Keep in mind
that there certainly are options available that would allow you to skip countries
or even shorten the trip to fit into a more constrained timeline, but this
should give you a good starting point for further research.
As far as getting around,
travel by public bus, train, and boat is readily available and often full
of adventure after all, traveling with a busload of chickens or the occasional
box of frogs just adds to the fun, right? However, those looking for a little
more comfort will usually be able to find more upscale options.
Many people that intend
on doing a circuit though South East Asia will fly into Bangkok since it
is a major hub. Bangkok is also rich with markets, temples, and plenty of
fabulous food. Around Bangkok, there are several options for some side trips
which allow you to get your feet wet. Kanchanaburi is a few hours away and
is the location of the infamous bridge over the River Kwai and the Death
Railway, the Erewan National Park, and the Three Pagodas Pass near the Myanmar
border. If you are not going to the southern islands, but wouldn’t
mind checking out the beach scene, you could also take a few days and visit
Ko Samet or Ko Chang (less expensive) to get a taste of island life. Both
are only a few hours from Bangkok by bus.
Once you’ve had your
fill of the Bangkok area, work your way north to Chiang Mai. I like the train
and it can be taken overnight, for those low on time, or during the day for
those that wish to see some of the beautiful countryside. Chiang Mai is much
less hectic than Bangkok, has some opportunities for great sight seeing,
and also has a great cooking school! If you want to check out some smaller
towns in Thailand, you can do that from Chiang Mai with a little add-on side
trip. It’s a loop that goes by public bus to the wonderful village
of Pai which is set up in the misty valleys that are laden with lush rice
paddies, and then continues by bus or boat to Mae Hong Son, then by bus back
to Chiang Mai.
In any case, from Chiang
Mai, continue your journey north to Chiang Rai and onwards to Chiang Khong,
which is the jumping point into your second country, Laos. You cross the
Mekong River with a short boat ride and enter Laos on the opposite bank at
Huay Xai. From there you immediately continue on to Luang Prabang by slow
boat or fast boat (latter not recommended, unless you enjoy wearing a crash
helmet), making an optional overnight stay in the rustic village of Pacbeng.
After spending a few days
in Luang Prabang you could do a side trip up north, exploring the small northern
villages of Laos for a few days, or just head down to the chilled-out town
of Vang Vieng by bus or air. The road route to Vang Vieng is sometimes the
target of bandits, so be sure to check what recent activity has been like,
and then make your decision - but the safety record of air travel may not
be much more inspiring!
Vang Vieng is full of fun
kayaking, biking and caving opportunities, so you’ll want to plan for
a few days there before moving on to the capital city of Vientiane. It doesn’t
seem too exciting for a capital city, so I wouldn’t plan to spend too
much time there, other than to visit the strange, but interesting Buddha
Park.
Take the bus from Vientiane
to Hanoi via the mountains and the Cau Treo border crossing into Vietnam.
Hanoi is a very interesting place with lots to do and also offers a few interesting
side trips: Sapa is a beautiful village set in the mountains, and Halong
Bay, a Unesco World Heritage site, offers amazing views of thousands of mountainous
karsts jutting up from the ocean waters.
In Hanoi, you can buy an “Open
Tour” bus ticket that gets you all the way south to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon).
It has a standard set of stops, but allows you to purchase add-ons for a
few dollars each, two of which I highly recommend being Ninh Binh and Dalat.
From Hanoi, the first stop will indeed be Ninh Binh. Not a particularly touristy
town, but the launching point to visit the spectacular Tam Coc park and/or
the Cuc Phuong National Park.
From Ninh Binh, move to
Hue for a day or two, then on to Hoi An to check out the amazing tailors
and beaches, then to Nha Trang (a partying beach town that can be skipped
if you wish), and then on to your second add-on which is the mountain town
of Dalat. >From Dalat, you can do another addon stop in Mui Ne which is
very quiet and good if you just want to relax and maybe poke around the local
market a little bit.
The last stop in Vietnam
will be Ho Chi Minh which offers plenty to see and do including a massage
at the Vietnamese Traditional Medicine Institute for a couple of dollars.
From there, you can cross into Cambodia in a couple ways. The first is a
bus ride through some beautiful country to Phnom Penh, and the second is
a boat tour through the Mekong Delta which also deposits you in Phnom Penh.
Be warned though: the roads in Cambodia are dirt and very slow going, but
the scenery is incredible if your backside can take it.
Phnom Penh gets mixed reviews
but does have a couple of must visits before you continue: the Killing Fields
and S-21. When you do move on, you again have the choice of bus or boat up
to Siem Riep. I prefer the bus because of the fantastic views and the insight
into the lives of the country folk - trust me, you’ll never forget
it.
After spending some time
gawking at the awesome ruins of Angkor Wat at Siem Riep, you can fly or bus
it back to Bangkok, once again back where you started! Again, the bus is
harsh, but worth it to see Poipet (I’ll say it again: not to stay,
but to see) and the night-and-day change visible in a matter of a few meters
when you cross from the poverty of Cambodia into developing Thailand.
There you have it. That
route can be done in 3 months if you don’t choose every side trip mentioned
(to do it all you’ll want to add another couple of weeks). If you work
it out, you’ll find you can spend a few nights in each place, but don't
make the mistake of creating some sort of concrete itinerary. Just be aware
of your time, because you will want to spend lots of time in some places,
while spending little in others and you really won’t know which until
you get there. Be flexible within reason, and remember: it’s all about
having fun!
Once back in Bangkok, you
now have the option to work your way south to the islands, and perhaps, onward
to other countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, or perhaps they will have
to wait until your next trip, and yes, you will want to come back.
One of the next logical
questions is: What is it like to travel around these countries on a route
like this? That’s precisely the experience I detail in my book Rice
Crust from the Bottom of the Pot: A Journey Across South East Asia (http://parryloeffler.com/ricecrust).
It’s full of crazy adventures, wonderful stories of my interactions
with the locals, and even a few recipes collected directly from their kitchens.
About The Author
Parry Loeffler is the author of Rice Crust from the Bottom of the Pot: A Journey
Across South East Asia
http://parryloeffler.com/ricecrust
Read it today… and get excited about your trip!
