Korean Job Discussion Forums

[DC in Suwon]

Hello there. I'm in my first year in Korea teaching English and thinking about going to Thailand for my summer vacation. I'd really like to visit Cambodia and Vietnam if this is even possible. Just hoping I could get some "experienced" opinions on the matter.

I'm hoping to fly to Thailand Friday night/Saturday morning. Stay for a few days and travel to Cambodia for two days or so, and maybe Vietnam if at all possible.

I have no experience in doing anything like this, but I have the stomach and patience to get thru all the hurdles if it's even possible to do in a 9-day stay.

I definitely would like to visit at least Cambodia while in Thailand. Any thoughts/opinions? Anyone done this before?

Who should I talk to about planning something like this??

[Robot_Teacher]

Please allocate much more time for such a great adventure to appreciate the many wonders and the fact it takes time to get around on planes, trains, boats, automobiles, and motorcycles. Please consult many online travel guides and your gut instincts on what to do and how to do it. Be aware, you'll be expected to ride on the back of small motorcycles with all your luggage, but rest assured they're the most expert bike drivers in the world. Do engage in physical body strengthening fitness weeks before embarking on such backpacking adventure or just take it easy at your own pace. I embarked about 10 years ago on a great global journey and spent 5 months in Southeast Asia instead of the planned 1 month. Please allocate much more time for such a great adventure you have in mind. You not only need time to enjoy it and commute to places, but you also need to take rest days to just chill as going all the time is so exhausting. You'll enjoy the new friends and exotic tropics you make along the way in your plight so much you'll wish you could live this life forever. Adventure vacation is hard work, but can be marvelously rewarding. I can't wait to get back to what joys me the most.

[Lostone7]

[wenchstalker]

My bf and I just got back from a 9 day Thailand/Cambodia trip. It was amazing! We stayed at the beach in Thailand for the first couple days in Pattaya, which was good. Then about four days in Bangkok, and the last couple days in Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) Cambodia.


We had an amazing time. IF anything, if we go again, we'd like to stay further south at the beach, only hit bangkok for flights, and spend more time in Cambodia. There is so much to see!

Send me a message if you want any particulars. I've never been to Vietnam, but my coworker said it's a great place to go.

Sarah

[DC in Suwon]

thanks everyone for the advice and words. i'm definitely wanting to do thailand/cambodia. i realize adding vietnam is way out of the question. too much travel time for sure. sarah, i'm pm-ing you now about your trip! sounds exactly like what I'm looking for!

[Tobias]

That trip sounds like a good one. Now is a good time to go to Thailand, as the won is appreciating against the baht. You should take a spare (empty) suitcase with you and fill it with things like deodorant, mouthwash, shampoo, and other necessities while in Thailand or Cambodia. I brought back a haul from Thailand in early 2008 and saved nearly the entire round-trip cost of the plane ticket over the course of my second year.
Examples:
Nivea deodorant in those little blue bottles
8,000-9,000 won in Korea / 60-80 baht in Thailand
Head and Shoulders in a large bottle
8,000 won in Korea / 140 baht in Thailand


Facts about Cambodia:
1. The de facto currency is the US dollar.
2. The road from Poipet to Siem Reap is now paved.
3. The temples at Ankgor are so numerous it will take you several days to tour them all.
4. The fee for the Angkor historical zone is 20 bucks for 1 day, 40 bucks for 3 days, and 60 bucks for 7 days.
5. Over 60% of Cambodians have TB.

One Caveat:
The monsoon season in Thailand starts about the third week of June and runs into October.

[D.D.]

I have never understood people that try to do too much on a short vacation. It was good that people were telling you that. Don't let the one superficial person that wrote in and said they just squished two coutries into a short trip convince you to do the same.

Pattaya is not awesome it is a scummy hole.

Listen to the others and just do one country and a small part of that country in 9 shorts days. Travel is about getting a taste of a place rather than just cruising past.

[losing_touch]

Having traveled in Southeast Asia extensively in the past, I would have to agree that you are best by picking one and sticking with it. 9 days is a very short trip. In fact, my last trip to Thailand was 9 days, and I didn't make it out of Bangkok!

Nonetheless, if you are so inclined to make the journey, here is what I would recommend:

Day 1 & 2: Bangkok
Day 3: Air Asia to Phnom Penh
Day 4: Sights in Phnom Penh
Day 5: Bus to Siem Reap (Angkor Wat)
Day 6: Angkor
Day 7: A very long ride to Pattaya
Day 8: One day on the beach
Day 9: Taxi back to Swampy

You could cut one day off of Phnom Penh I suppose to allocate another day on the beach. If you have the cash, then you could fly out of Siem Reap to save the day of travel overland.

[Tobias]

[kiknkorea]

[traxxe]

Thai Airways (or whatever it is) flies into Bangkok every time if you book a flight to Camboda. It may be possible merely to extend the layover in Bangkok and not have to Air Asia to Cambodia.

Might want to call them and find out. I saw fights for around 400k this summer to Cambodia on their website the other day. I noticed they all stopped or switched planes in Thailand.

So maybe fly to Thailand and get a 5 day layover in Bangkok. Then hit Cambodia and fly back to Korea.

[wenchstalker]

Hey,

I can't pm, i thought i sent something and then realized i cant pm. Contact me on aim: ravenofzug or pm me your contact email so i can send details. sorry this was so long coming my computer was in the shop.

[ernie]

when i went to cambodia, i flew into siem reap, stayed there for 3 or 4 days, and then took a boat to phnom penh. i spent a couple of days touring around the city, relaxing by the pool and then departed from there. i went to bangkok for part of another trip and HATED it there. i live in seoul, i don't need to see another hot, crowded, polluted, busy metropolis. phnom penh is big but definitely not on the same scale as bangkok.