Job Discussion Forums

[AdamtheJohnson]

Before I TEFL I want to travel. I want to sort of "get my feet wet" in an asian country.

Now, I always figured China would be where I would go. Most likely SW China and Tibet.

But in doing the necessary research, it seems my dollar could be better spent in other places, namely Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the like.

so my question is simple, would my trip last as long in parts of China as it would in Thailand etc, and would the quality of the experience be equal?

[gajackson1]

people travel/tour for different reasons, and this will definitely say something for where you will want to go.

Besides the fact that Asia is huge, how long are you looking to be out for? What kind of budget? But most importantly - what are you looking for/at???

Relaxation time? Partying? Nature? People & culture? Sightseeing historical places??? religion figure in at all?

Are you good with camping/backpacking/roughing it? Can you ride a motorcycle? Age & temperament suited for hostels/dorms???

We don't need a full life story, but a little more infor would help us here to help you!

Warm regards,

Glen

[AdamtheJohnson]

[runthegauntlet]

Why limit yourself? See all of those places and make up your own mind. It's not difficult. Your money should last about the same amount of time in all those places, though some will be a little cheaper than others. But I don't think one would be so expensive as to limit you more than another place.

From China you can catch a train to Vietnam, go all the way down to HCMC and then up through Cambodia and into Thailand. Or from Vietnam into Laos, etc., etc.

A million different routes and a million different places to see and things to do.

[AdamtheJohnson]

[gajackson1]

Ok, here's my take on it. I did something similar to what you are talking about; the difference for me was I got my employer to pay for a good chunk of the ticketing.

(I took the cash equivalent of my paid airfare, and bought a cheapie RTW ticket instead).

Based upon a map here:

http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map_of_southeast_asia.htm

I see 2 relatively cool, easy, inexpensive 'loops' possible. I do NOT know about where you are from, so that does affect your status re: procurement of (and length of!!!) tourist visas. But here we go:

1) fly into Sing or KL, then work your way north. Cross up into Thailand, and from there into Cambodia, work up north through most of VietNam, up into the southern edges of China (if time & your resources permit), down through Laos & keep south, back into Thailand, to do northern Thailand (which ROCKS, and is quite different from the south).

Then just take the trains back down & out the same city you came in from.

I did all that in just about 3 months, spending a few days in each of the places, but keeping the itinerary flexible. I did NOT legally travel into Myanmar (although I did dip across the border).

2) India/Sri Lanka/Bangladesh/Bhutan/Nepal/Pakistan is also a workable route - possibly with a dip into the Maldives, which are beautiful.

There is a 3rd possibility - but the logistics are really fuzzy, and it depends on how you are with boats.

3) Malaysia, Indonesia, Borneo, Timor, Philippines. Now, I am not talking the inside edge of it - that would be the 'cruise route' and would be mostly the major cities/ports of call. but over a few months, you could hit a lot of the smaller islands, cool 'word of mouth' villages, etc.

The harder part here is dealing with ferry timetables, weather, etc.

RTG is right - a million ways from there to here!!! best of luck, however you choose to do it. i would also STRONGLY suggest you looking into LonelyPlanet website, and/or CouchSurfing.

Cheers!

[sigmoid]

Here's my limited take on Southeast Asia:

Laos: boring, but not annoying
Thailand: annoying, but definitely not boring
Vietnam: boring AND annoying

check

http://www.travelfish.org

for travel info for SE Asia.

[AdamtheJohnson]

[gajackson1]

PM sent

[parrothead]