Job Discussion Forums

[canadianturkey]

I am just beginning to plan a trip to SE Asia for my boyfriend and I. I'm in Japan, he's in Canada, but he's visiting for a full month at xmas.
He wants to go to Indonesia, I want to go to Cambodia. SO, guess we'll do both, but we will only have a maximum of three weeks (we're planning on spending a week or so here). Is it unrealistic to think that we can do both in such little time? Main goals - relax, relax, wander, Angkor Wat, beaches, etc. We plan to spend a bit of money, but nothing too extravagant.
Any suggestions as to a good plan?? where to go first? What sort of flight options we might have?
I know, very vague, but would love to hear some experienced opinions!!

Thanks

[canadianturkey]

I said "Malaysia" in subject, should have said "Indonesia"........... it's late, need to go to bed!!!

[Celeste]

I think that's totally possible. Buy (or borrow) the lonely planet guides for both countries and you can take a look at the sample itineraries in those books. That will give you a chance to pick and choose the things you relly want to see and do.

[Gordon]

Possible? Yes
Relaxing? No

I'm not sure how you hope to see much of anything in such a short period of time.
Be aware prices go up around New Years in Japan.
Bali in a week is possible, but if you want to do some island hopping you will get drained.
If I did the trip, I would di Indonesia last as it will probably be where you will want to do the most shopping. I'm guessing here as I haven't been to Cambodia, but I have been to Indonesia twice and it is a shopper's paradise even for people who don't like shopping.

[HontoBakari]

"Goals - relax, relax, wander, Angkor Wat, beaches, etc."

Three weeks covering the above goals and including time in Indonesia does not sound realistic to me (especially given the emphasis on 'relax'). Can he not be talked out of Indonesia? Indonesia is nice and all, but it's a 2-3 week excursion in and of itself. I would say a Cambodia/Thailand or a Cambodia/Vietnam trip would be better.

You should definitely be aware of the increased prices at the end of Dec / beginning of Jan. AND, not only are the prices a challenge, simply getting a flight at that time of year can be a nightmare. One year, in order to visit friends in Spain for New Years I had to fly Tokyo-Kuala Lumpur-Dubai-Istanbul-Madrid. Flights to popular destinations book up fast, and you can find yourself on a waitlist as early as September. Make a decision and commit to it ASAP, or you could be scrambling for the scraps.

You'll be fine as long as you make plans soon. Good luck.

[Sheep-Goats]

It's possible to do that, but your relaxing will have to be concentrated relaxing.

Fly into Seim Reap (Ankor's town) and spend a week there -- you'll likely buy the three day Ankor pass which costs 40 USD. MAKE SURE YOU GET CASH USD BEFORE ARRIVING IN CAMBODIA. There are no ATMs, and while it's possible to get credit card advances in Siem Reap now, it's not easy and a little too pricey. Don't trust the guidebooks about the roads in Cambodia -- Poipet to Siem Reap to Phnom Phen to Sihanoukville (the usual route when Cambodia is seen as a Thailand extension) is 95% complete and a better value by far than the shitty slow boats.

The prime sites at Ankor Wat are: Ankor Wat itself, Bantey Srei (Citadel of Women), The Bayon, The Terrace of the Leper King, and Ta Phrom. Sunrise and sunset are the prime Ankor time as the stronger horizontal lighting makes the carvings that much more mysterious. Likely you'll want to spend day one sunrise at Ankor and sunset at Bayon, day two sunrise at Ta Phrom sunset at Terrace of the Leper King, day three sunset at Bantey Srei. Each of these major sites will take you at least two hours to really explore (Bantey Srei is small but by far the best preserved, and for me the most interesting, of the temples), you'll need at least an hour during the day to relax and drink water without walking around, and the rest of your time you should spend at whatever's nearby, between, or artisitically similar to your main sites. In Siem Reap town itself there's a handy free little guide to the city (called Guide to Siem Reap or somethign like that) and the temples that'll give you more detailed info. I reccomend you hire a motor-driver rickshaw man for the three days to cart you two around (probably 10 to 12 USD a day) -- renting a bike leads to hassel, a motorcycle comes with a driver and therefore isn't suited to two.

khmer440.com is the most active EFL teaching site for Cambodia, and while there are some true sterotypical expat-in-Cambodia types posting there (heroin injecting baby rapists) they're also free with the info and reliable.

Your last two beach weeks will have to be researched more elsewhere -- but if you want to relax don't try to visit any more than two different beaches. I could tell you where to go in Thailand for that (Ko Chang in this season -- which is right next door to Cambodia, by the way), but I don't know Indonesia. Find some place your Lonely Planet says is popular with locals, but has stuff on at night as well. Avoid those things that sound brazenly fantastic -- they generally draw too much of the madding crowd for anyone who's there to relax.

Finally, you should be able to fit everything you need for a three week vacation into your one carry-on bag, but you already knew that.

[canadianturkey]

Thanks so much for the info, especially Sheep-goats!!!! I have heard horror stories of that infamous boat ride, much better to just go by land.
I think we have decided to do the Cambodia/Thailand trip. I have already visited Thailand, but am still excited to see a few more great sites. Ko Chang sounds great, I've heard there's lots to do and that it is beautiful, but it might seem a little too popular for our liking, I've heard soooo much about it.
What do you think??? Will it be insanely busy at xmas? I guess everything will be. I was aware of higher prices in SEA during holiday season, never thought about it occuring in Japan though!!! They don't increase shink ticket prices, do they??

One more thing........... Any accomodation suggestions for Siem Reap area or Ko Chang?? I think we would like something comfy for Ko Chang, a nice hotel for a week. We will want to book most of our accomodation in advance. Hope we're not too late.

[Sheep-Goats]

Accomodation depends on how much you can spend -- booking in advance and getting a good deal are usually exclusive of eachother in this part of the world.

Be sure to schedule your Angkor time for not-Christmas. The place turns into a kind of foreign temple Disneyland then and it'll be something you don't want spoiled that way. For accomodation in Siem Reap ask your moto driver at the airport (or taxi guy) to take you to "Bar Street" which is the only place that has anything going on at night in Siem Reap. It's in the center of town, about 500m long, and runs one edge of a little triangle that you'll have highlighted on most maps. If you see The Red Piano, Le Tigre Papier, and a few other bars you're in the right place. Anyway, once there, just walk around in circles until you find a place to stay. Expect about 10 to 20 USD a night for two people in that location (accomodation can be as cheap as 3 a night for one person at Naga geusthouse, which isn't too far away, but Naga sucks and is always full due to its pricing, and is about 6 USD most places). After templing during the day you'll want to have a beer, and it's better to just walk there and back rather than try to find a motorcycle driver and barter with him.

If you have the funds, you can probably fly from Siem Reap to Trat (the little town near Ko Chang in Thailand), though you'll have to go through Bangkok as Trat isn't an international airport. If you don't, the trip won't take that long and, since Trat is one of the two common border crossings between Cambodia and Thailand it won't be that expensive either. You can probably book the trip through your guesthouse, but if you don't bargain with them you'll get ripped off (for about 5 bucks each OMG OMG!).

Trat is one of the nicest small towns I've been in in Thailand -- and while there's not very much to do there, the people are so friendly it's absurd and the deals in town aren't bad. Anyway, from Trat you'll have no trouble finding a songtaew to take you to the ferry to Ko Chang (they line up near the Bus Station on Sukhumvit, the only street with traffic lights in Trat). Don't buy ferry tickets or return tickets for the boat or songtaew, it's the same price to buy them later and that lets you stay flexible with the company you buy from, the time you leave, etc etc. Ko Chang isn't the busiest island in Thailand, but its getting more and more popular. There are two main zones on Chang, Had Sai Kaew (Diamond Beach) and the south. The further south you go the quieter things are, while Had Sai Keaw is the busiest and has the most nightlife -- but don't expect beer bars and ping pong shows as you won't find any of that. On your schedule I'd spend my first week on some beach clear on the south of the island (just pick a beach that sounds nice -- you can buy maps of Ko Chang at the pier before getting on the boat -- check at the cluster of shops directly to your rear when you're looking at the pier), they vary in quality and price and everything else, but even the bad ones are quite nice. This week will let you relax and recover from temple trekking -- try snorkeling and maybe take a boat tour if you get bored. Your last week move back up to Had Sai Kaew ("Kaew" sounds a lot like "cow" in English) which is close to the pier for your departure and will let you drink up and talk with others after your weeks of being with just your boyfriend and templing and lying in a hammock.

Booking ahead is possible, but its also contrary to relaxation, so don't worry about it. Furthermore, Thais can't really handle that concept and so only big time resorts that provide training those kind of foreing oddball ideas will have that option, and since it's Christmas and their rooms will likely be full most can't be bothered with it anyway. There'll be somewhere to stay -- and worse off you'll have to check your bag in at some bungalow and sleep on the beach for a night. Rates on Chang will run between 5 USD a night (no bathroom bungalow that's off the beach) to 15 USD a night (bathroom bunaglow nearish the beach, add 10 more if you want aircon) to 150 USD a night (private resort/spas).

Leave three days or so for Bangkok before you go, you'll probably want to do a little shopping before you go back to Japan and have one blazing night out without blazing through your yen like you have to back on the sun. To get the most out of your money you'll want those three days to be weekend days so that you can visit Chatuchak (the Weekend Market), but if they're not it won't matter that much. Plus, you can show your boyfriend around the city.

Email me when you arrive (if you want), I might have time, I might not.