South East Asia, advice please

[Colin G.]

Hi, I traveled through SE Asia for 4 months in 2007-2008. Also, I was in Thailand last summer, July-August, and the monsoon rains weren't that bad.

Vietnam - I think Hoi An is a must see place. Yeah, it's touristy, but it's got great history and character, plus excellent food. You can rent a scooter and drive to the nearby beaches, fishing villages or Da Nang. I'd skip doing a Mekong Delta tour. We spent most of the time on the bus going to different locales.

Cambodia - I totally agree with ethics gradient about going to Kampot and nearby Bokor. It's a fascinating place, and has excellent photo ops. If you ride in the back of a pick-up truck to the ranger station, be prepared for a bumpy/sore ride (unless the road has changed since I was there).

Laos - Go to Pakse in the south of the country. There isn't much to do/see there, but it has some of the best coffee in the world. Also, you can rent a scoot and drive to the Bolaven Plateau to see coffee/tea plantation, great waterfalls, and much more.

Thailand - If there was only one place I would go to in Thailand, it would have to be Railay. It's home to Phra Nang beach, possibly one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It has an uber relaxed vibe, but there are many things to do. If you just want to relax and witness the beauty of nature, go here.

Hope this helps.

 

[Mablo]

Let's see some photos from your SE Asia travels, here is a couple of mine.

This is how roads will be in Cambodia during the rainy season:

Road conditions in Burma when it rains.

..

 

[setyotomo]

to bad you didnt plan to visit Indonesia, the weather is quite good right now, sunny on 11-16 , rainy at the evening.

you can go to Bali also if you interested,there are festival in march.

 

[ethics_gradient]

I think my next time in Thailand I'll rent a car and drive down to Trat and relax on Ko Chang, which is supposed to have some very nice beaches. Then meander over into the more remote areas of Cambodia. I also would love to ride from the southernmost to the northernmost point of Thailand. A train would be cool, but after a few hours I think I'd get pretty tired of it. I did meet some great people on the train from Hat Yai to Yala on my last trip.

The roads in Ko Chang are really dangerous (not that well-maintained, steep sections with switchbacks, lots of clueless tourists stalling out, etc), I'd really advise not driving on holiday there. Riding a motorbike in Hanoi rush hour traffic honestly felt less stressful.

 

[Bryan Lee]

Khaoson is a dump but great if you want a bunch of lonely planet hairy armpit dreadlocked hippy chic photos. I guess you could say KSR a part of Thai culture since every Thai that ever dreamed of ripping off a tourist goes there to hunt, it just not the Thailand I know.

If your here for the rainy season that's some of the best time to take pictures. Everything is wet and clean, any waterfall will have water. Direct sunlight is no good for my images as I like night and shadows so the rainy season is great. It's also cooler to be out working as I do not use air conditioning and like to be outside as much as possible.

A couple of points, do not get on a motorcycle in Asia unless your ready to die. Its the single most dangerous thing you can do here. Tim Page walks and thats what I recommend to anyone that comes here. Take busses to your destinations and sit in the middle of the bus, not the front, not the back. Dont take busses at night, use the day busses. Try out the trains, get a room, then walk everywhere.

Tom Stone taught me something years ago, "Get up with the monks" that is if you want good images Thailand comes alive at daylight. You can take pictures all night but the real Thai people are up and out in the street at daylight. Thats some of the best light too so its a great time to be out taking pictures.

For those who are making their first trips here I do not recommend getting to far off the beaten trails. If you have a medical emergency and do not know the culture you can end up in serious trouble. It's best to get your feet wet first, stick to destinations where there are other foreigners and where the locals are used to dealing with foreigners.

Trat and Cambodia, there is a new strain of Malaria along the border of Thailand and Cambodia. Dengue is a constant threat in both areas and throughout Thailand, just more so in Trat. If you want to go there no problem but you need to do some serious investigation on this before you just drop in. If im outside these days I wear long pants and try to wear long shirts to protect from the sun. I don't go anywhere without bug dope, not saying I spray all the time, I just make sure I have dope. You also need a serious first aid kit. Believe me it sucks to find yourself delirious with fever in a hospital, sucks.

 

[hans voralberg]

Wow you made SEA sounds like a death trap! (jk) I just don't think the motorbike business is that bad, although it is fairly dangerous to someone who has never been on one before.

 

[Bryan Lee]

Wow you made SEA sounds like a death trap! (jk) I just don't think the motorbike business is that bad, although it is fairly dangerous to someone who has never been on one before.

SEA is a death trap for tourist on motorcycles. I should know since I have spent a few years riding them, Cambodia, Laos, and all over Eastern Thailand. I also spent two years getting rehab for broken bones but I still have a motorcycle, I just don't recommend them to tourists.

I don't have anything to prove, just a few free ideas for the traveling photographer. As far as me, I was pushing my limitations for sporting purposes, not as the naïve traveler.