- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
3 Weeks in Vietnam, Cambodia, & Bangkok - Trip Review of this Epic Journey (Full Update)
Posted on 4/5/18 at 8:07 pm
Posted on 4/5/18 at 8:07 pm
***Warning: Very Long. Picture and GIF Heavy***
My gf and I just returned from 3 weeks in Asia. 2 weeks through Vietnam, and a week between Siem Reap, Cambodia and Bangkok, Thailand.
I must say, for a variety of reasons, this is the best trip I’ve been on in my life. The scenery, the company, the people we met, and things we did, I couldn’t have asked for a better trip (until the end maybe, which I’ll get to).
This was my first trip to Asia and it did not disappoint. We’re already thinking about more Asian trips. You truly feel like you’re on a different planet sometimes.
Note: My gf is Vietnamese (born in U.S. but parents are full blooded), and I must say she was worth her weight in gold. Having someone that speaks the language, as you can imagine, made a world of difference. Otherwise I would’ve been completely lost most of the time.
Hanoi
We landed in Hanoi and spent 3 nights here. One word to describe Hanoi….chaos (at least where we stayed). We stayed in the Old Quarter which is kind of the more authentic downtown area. Yes you see a good bit of tourists and backpackers (they have a backpacker area that’s ridiculously crowded), but you see authentic Vietnam here. No big fancy hotels or restaurants, mostly street vendors, street markets, etc. If you’ve been to Nola imagine the French Quarter with narrower streets, sidewalks almost unwalkable because of street vendors, and heavy scooter and foot traffic at all times. It’s truly a sight to behold.
A grungy kind of beauty
The Old Quarter is much like this, although this is early in the morning and not quite as crowded as usual. This is the fresh market area.
Street food being served to us
This is what was served at this particular spot. Most street vendors specialize in one or two dishes.
Our "splurge" meal of the trip. This is one of the nicer restaurants in Hanoi, and this delicious meal along with wine and cocktails cost a whopping $45. One of the things that make travel here awesome is how far your money goes.
Ninh Binh
From Hanoi we took a short train ride to a city called Ninh Binh. This is actually where my gf’s mom was born and grew up. It’s a much smaller city, more rural, but is apparently getting more popular with tourists (mainly Asian tourists). One big reason is the latest King Kong movie was filmed here, and they sure do use that as a selling point. Rightfully so because the scenery is breathtaking, and if you've seen the movie it will look familiar.
The AirBnB we stayed at here was probably the coolest and most exotic place I’ve ever stayed. It was basically a shack in the middle of a mountain gorge, with a river running through it. We also rented a scooter for all 3 days (a steal at $20 for 3 days), and I’m glad we did. It’s definitely the way to travel in this city. You can see so much in so little time, and driving a scooter here isn’t as treacherous as the big cities where traffic is insane.
The road to our AirBnB. Taxis would only go so far down this muddy road, so we had to walk the rest of the way.
Our "shack"
This city is riddled with ancient temples. This 1,000 year old pagoda was on a steep mountain top.
We took a rowboat ride into "Skull Island". Along with the unbelievable scenery, you row through some very tightly spaced caves where you have to duck your head down much of the time.
This ancient Pagoda is called "Bich Dong". I, very childlike, had a blast with that name throughout.
Scootering in some very questionable areas.
Scootering through the small city
Phong Nha
From Ninh Binh we took an overnight train to a place called Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. This is a huge jungle with some of the world’s biggest and most breathtaking cave systems. We both agreed this was the highlight of our trip.
We went on a 2 day jungle/cave excursion, where we hiked through the jungle, explored 2 unbelievable cave systems, and slept in the jungle overnight. Probably the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life. These particular caves were only “discovered” recently, and I say that lightly meaning they’ve only been known to the general public for about 15 years, and only open to the public maybe in the last 10 years or so. The tour company we booked with are the only authorized people to explore them also. Considering this, it added an extra element knowing how untouched and untraveled these areas are. I think that’s what made this part of the trip so memorable.
The very unassuming "entrance' to the jungle trail.
This is a very small sample of the caving we did. Most of it was through water as a river runs through these cave systems. Only some of it was over our head, but you just have to be fine with being soaked the whole time.
Some areas were an awfully tight squeeze. My tiny gf and the Vietnamese tour guide could easily crawl through these openings. I, on the other hand, had a bit more trouble.
A silly pic we took. The guide knows all the good picture spots. She'll stop and make sure you get good shots throughout the hike.
Our camp was right outside one of the cave systems, and it's hardly roughing it I'd say. The porters have everything ready to go, and they cook you a ridiculously good dinner.
This was actually one of my favorite meals throughout our trip. Not to mention the beer and rice wine (more like moonshine) that we all probably drank way too much of that night.
A view of the jungle. This is the riverbed. During the rainy season a giant river runs through here and into the caves we hiked making them un-navigable.
On top of the jungle and caves, the little town around the National Park was probably our favorite also. This was the most rural and “authentic Vietnam” place we stayed in. It’s the type of place you ride around (we had bikes) and little kids are out in the street playing and chasing you down, and every person that sees you waves and says helloooo!. I imagine they just don't see many tourists, especially Westerners.
View from our AirBnB
Biking through some rural areas
Being attacked by some local kids having a good time. They jumped on the back of my bike here.
My gf and I just returned from 3 weeks in Asia. 2 weeks through Vietnam, and a week between Siem Reap, Cambodia and Bangkok, Thailand.
I must say, for a variety of reasons, this is the best trip I’ve been on in my life. The scenery, the company, the people we met, and things we did, I couldn’t have asked for a better trip (until the end maybe, which I’ll get to).
This was my first trip to Asia and it did not disappoint. We’re already thinking about more Asian trips. You truly feel like you’re on a different planet sometimes.
Note: My gf is Vietnamese (born in U.S. but parents are full blooded), and I must say she was worth her weight in gold. Having someone that speaks the language, as you can imagine, made a world of difference. Otherwise I would’ve been completely lost most of the time.
Hanoi
We landed in Hanoi and spent 3 nights here. One word to describe Hanoi….chaos (at least where we stayed). We stayed in the Old Quarter which is kind of the more authentic downtown area. Yes you see a good bit of tourists and backpackers (they have a backpacker area that’s ridiculously crowded), but you see authentic Vietnam here. No big fancy hotels or restaurants, mostly street vendors, street markets, etc. If you’ve been to Nola imagine the French Quarter with narrower streets, sidewalks almost unwalkable because of street vendors, and heavy scooter and foot traffic at all times. It’s truly a sight to behold.
A grungy kind of beauty
The Old Quarter is much like this, although this is early in the morning and not quite as crowded as usual. This is the fresh market area.
Street food being served to us
This is what was served at this particular spot. Most street vendors specialize in one or two dishes.
Our "splurge" meal of the trip. This is one of the nicer restaurants in Hanoi, and this delicious meal along with wine and cocktails cost a whopping $45. One of the things that make travel here awesome is how far your money goes.
Ninh Binh
From Hanoi we took a short train ride to a city called Ninh Binh. This is actually where my gf’s mom was born and grew up. It’s a much smaller city, more rural, but is apparently getting more popular with tourists (mainly Asian tourists). One big reason is the latest King Kong movie was filmed here, and they sure do use that as a selling point. Rightfully so because the scenery is breathtaking, and if you've seen the movie it will look familiar.
The AirBnB we stayed at here was probably the coolest and most exotic place I’ve ever stayed. It was basically a shack in the middle of a mountain gorge, with a river running through it. We also rented a scooter for all 3 days (a steal at $20 for 3 days), and I’m glad we did. It’s definitely the way to travel in this city. You can see so much in so little time, and driving a scooter here isn’t as treacherous as the big cities where traffic is insane.
The road to our AirBnB. Taxis would only go so far down this muddy road, so we had to walk the rest of the way.
Our "shack"
This city is riddled with ancient temples. This 1,000 year old pagoda was on a steep mountain top.
We took a rowboat ride into "Skull Island". Along with the unbelievable scenery, you row through some very tightly spaced caves where you have to duck your head down much of the time.
This ancient Pagoda is called "Bich Dong". I, very childlike, had a blast with that name throughout.
Scootering in some very questionable areas.
Scootering through the small city
Phong Nha
From Ninh Binh we took an overnight train to a place called Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. This is a huge jungle with some of the world’s biggest and most breathtaking cave systems. We both agreed this was the highlight of our trip.
We went on a 2 day jungle/cave excursion, where we hiked through the jungle, explored 2 unbelievable cave systems, and slept in the jungle overnight. Probably the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life. These particular caves were only “discovered” recently, and I say that lightly meaning they’ve only been known to the general public for about 15 years, and only open to the public maybe in the last 10 years or so. The tour company we booked with are the only authorized people to explore them also. Considering this, it added an extra element knowing how untouched and untraveled these areas are. I think that’s what made this part of the trip so memorable.
The very unassuming "entrance' to the jungle trail.
This is a very small sample of the caving we did. Most of it was through water as a river runs through these cave systems. Only some of it was over our head, but you just have to be fine with being soaked the whole time.
Some areas were an awfully tight squeeze. My tiny gf and the Vietnamese tour guide could easily crawl through these openings. I, on the other hand, had a bit more trouble.
A silly pic we took. The guide knows all the good picture spots. She'll stop and make sure you get good shots throughout the hike.
Our camp was right outside one of the cave systems, and it's hardly roughing it I'd say. The porters have everything ready to go, and they cook you a ridiculously good dinner.
This was actually one of my favorite meals throughout our trip. Not to mention the beer and rice wine (more like moonshine) that we all probably drank way too much of that night.
A view of the jungle. This is the riverbed. During the rainy season a giant river runs through here and into the caves we hiked making them un-navigable.
On top of the jungle and caves, the little town around the National Park was probably our favorite also. This was the most rural and “authentic Vietnam” place we stayed in. It’s the type of place you ride around (we had bikes) and little kids are out in the street playing and chasing you down, and every person that sees you waves and says helloooo!. I imagine they just don't see many tourists, especially Westerners.
View from our AirBnB
Biking through some rural areas
Being attacked by some local kids having a good time. They jumped on the back of my bike here.
This post was edited on 4/7/18 at 2:57 pm
12
Posted on 4/5/18 at 8:07 pm to rintintin
For some reason, and I was told this before I went, Asians love them some Westerners (especially white people). I was routinely grabbed unexpectedly by people throughout the trip to take pictures and whatnot. It was very odd.
But that made for us being quite a good team for meeting people. People would see us together and be interested, and my gf knowing the language we could actually converse with them. One such instance made for one of the funnest nights of the trip. Here at our AirBnB the family that ran the place had family and friends over for a "backyard bbq" of sorts. They saw us and invited us out to eat and drink with them.
Next thing you know they set a case of beer next to me, start blaring music, singing and dancing, it was quite a good time. And they were intent on getting me drunk. They have an interesting way of drinking that took me a while to pick up on. They don't sip their beer at all, they pour it into small glasses, wait a few minutes, and then everybody cheers' together and you down your glass. Before I knew this they asked my gf "why does he take such small sips?"
My buddy intent on getting me plastered. If you actually saw my real face I'm not too far off.
Hoi An
After Phong Nha we took yet another train to Hoi An. Hoi An is one of the most beautiful little cities in Vietnam, mainly because of the architecture, their little river and canal system that is somewhat Venice like, the overall ease of getting around, and they were actually one of the only cities left untouched during the war. But I must say this was probably our least favorite city. It’s simply overrun by too many tourists. I say that hesitantly because yes we ourselves are tourists, and I don't want to sound like a travel snob, but this city just didn't have that authentic feel.
If DisneyWorld made a “Little Vietnam” in Epcot, this is what I think it would be like. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a cool little city with a lot of history, but not our cup of tea. We stayed mostly on the outskirts of the city which was pretty cool.
Our train. This train basically runs from Hanoi all the way down to Saigon. We took it on 3 separate occasions. This particular ride was about 6 or so hours.
Some beautiful views along the way.
A picture of the good part of Hoi An before the crowds. It's beautiful.
Same area at night when overrun by people.
The inner downtown area. Hoi An is known for their Chinese lanterns all over the city.
They have some really cool temples all over town too.
The outskirts of the city is where we had our most fun though. They have huge water coconut groves that you can tour through by boat. And not just any boat, these strange circular basket type boats.
Paddling through the coconut grove.
Our paddler had fun spinning us around like a top.
Hoi An also has a ton of shopping, and this is where we splurged and started buying a bunch of stuff. They’re mainly known for their tailoring and have something like 500 tailoring shops in this small city. I got myself 2 tailored suits and 2 custom pairs of shoes, and my gf bought a few traditional Vietnamese dresses. Although I’ve been told we could’ve found them cheaper in other parts of Vietnam, I must say the quality and level of service we got here was excellent, and the prices were a fraction of anything you’ll see in the U.S.
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
From Hoi An we flew to Saigon. This is the largest city I’ve ever been in with a population of about 8.5 million. It's on par with NYC, but the difference is the majority of the population is crowded into a small area, and I think about 8 million of those people must drive scooters, therefore it feels way more crowded. It’s insanity.
We spent 3 days here, and at this point we splurged on our accommodations and stayed in maybe the nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed in (using CC points of course). We were tired of the Jungle life.
The traffic here is insane. Crossing the street is a leap of faith. Basically you just have to trust they won't run you over.
Throughout the trip interestingly we didn’t see or hear much about the Vietnam War until we got here. This is where the big war museum is. You also still see a lot of modern propaganda around the city on billboards and whatnot. It’s kind of eerie.
As you can imagine the war museum is extremely one sided no matter if you agree with the U.S. being involved or not. And the museum is heart wrenching whether you agree with it or not. We couldn’t stomach going through the whole thing, as my gf has relatives who were killed in the war and she got emotional, but I think it’s a must see if you go here.
The other main thing we did here was take a day trip to what’s called the Cu Chi tunnels. These are the famous tunnel systems the Vietcong used during the war. These things are so tiny, and so elaborate, no way Forrest Gump could’ve fit in these things. They let you go through a small portion of them (about 100 yards or so), but in reality they were about 30% smaller during the war. They had to be widened for tourists.
The tiny holes
Crawling through the holes. It's kinda hard to see, but you get the idea. My gf was basically able to stay upright the whole time. I wasn't so fortunate.
They also have a gun range on site, which of course I had to partake in. You can shoot an M16, AK47, M30, M60, and some others I don’t recall. We both shot the M16 (it was my gf’s first ever gun experience which was quite funny), and I also shot the M60. I doubt I’ll get another chance to shoot guns of this magnitude with such little level of safety measures. You just walk up, pay, and unload.
GF's first ever time touching a firearm. Her face was priceless after. Sorry for the white clouds, but they have weirdos on this site.
Unfortunately my gf screwed up the video of me being Rambo with the M60. I wasn't too happy about that
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Saigon concluded our Vietnam portion of the trip, then we hopped a plane to Siem Reap. Here we met up with 2 of my gf’s friends (NEVER AGAIN!) who had been traveling through India. Let’s just say the atmosphere of the trip kind of changed once I was surrounded by 3 girls, not to mention one that is high maintenance and has no business being in these countries. We would’ve had much more fun without them most likely.
That being said, we still saw some amazing sights. If going to Siem Reap I would highly recommend getting a private driver to take you to all the temples. I got that tip from some posters here and I thank those of you who recommended it. You get to see so much more, and it’s nice having a car with AC because it’s hot as frick out there. We saw some people trying to do it the more “bootstrapping” way, and they looked miserable. It’s cheap as hell, get a car and a driver who knows what they’re doing, you’ll not only see more but you’ll learn a lot more with a guide.
This is how you get picked up from the airport in Cambodia
But that made for us being quite a good team for meeting people. People would see us together and be interested, and my gf knowing the language we could actually converse with them. One such instance made for one of the funnest nights of the trip. Here at our AirBnB the family that ran the place had family and friends over for a "backyard bbq" of sorts. They saw us and invited us out to eat and drink with them.
Next thing you know they set a case of beer next to me, start blaring music, singing and dancing, it was quite a good time. And they were intent on getting me drunk. They have an interesting way of drinking that took me a while to pick up on. They don't sip their beer at all, they pour it into small glasses, wait a few minutes, and then everybody cheers' together and you down your glass. Before I knew this they asked my gf "why does he take such small sips?"
My buddy intent on getting me plastered. If you actually saw my real face I'm not too far off.
Hoi An
After Phong Nha we took yet another train to Hoi An. Hoi An is one of the most beautiful little cities in Vietnam, mainly because of the architecture, their little river and canal system that is somewhat Venice like, the overall ease of getting around, and they were actually one of the only cities left untouched during the war. But I must say this was probably our least favorite city. It’s simply overrun by too many tourists. I say that hesitantly because yes we ourselves are tourists, and I don't want to sound like a travel snob, but this city just didn't have that authentic feel.
If DisneyWorld made a “Little Vietnam” in Epcot, this is what I think it would be like. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a cool little city with a lot of history, but not our cup of tea. We stayed mostly on the outskirts of the city which was pretty cool.
Our train. This train basically runs from Hanoi all the way down to Saigon. We took it on 3 separate occasions. This particular ride was about 6 or so hours.
Some beautiful views along the way.
A picture of the good part of Hoi An before the crowds. It's beautiful.
Same area at night when overrun by people.
The inner downtown area. Hoi An is known for their Chinese lanterns all over the city.
They have some really cool temples all over town too.
The outskirts of the city is where we had our most fun though. They have huge water coconut groves that you can tour through by boat. And not just any boat, these strange circular basket type boats.
Paddling through the coconut grove.
Our paddler had fun spinning us around like a top.
Hoi An also has a ton of shopping, and this is where we splurged and started buying a bunch of stuff. They’re mainly known for their tailoring and have something like 500 tailoring shops in this small city. I got myself 2 tailored suits and 2 custom pairs of shoes, and my gf bought a few traditional Vietnamese dresses. Although I’ve been told we could’ve found them cheaper in other parts of Vietnam, I must say the quality and level of service we got here was excellent, and the prices were a fraction of anything you’ll see in the U.S.
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
From Hoi An we flew to Saigon. This is the largest city I’ve ever been in with a population of about 8.5 million. It's on par with NYC, but the difference is the majority of the population is crowded into a small area, and I think about 8 million of those people must drive scooters, therefore it feels way more crowded. It’s insanity.
We spent 3 days here, and at this point we splurged on our accommodations and stayed in maybe the nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed in (using CC points of course). We were tired of the Jungle life.
The traffic here is insane. Crossing the street is a leap of faith. Basically you just have to trust they won't run you over.
Throughout the trip interestingly we didn’t see or hear much about the Vietnam War until we got here. This is where the big war museum is. You also still see a lot of modern propaganda around the city on billboards and whatnot. It’s kind of eerie.
As you can imagine the war museum is extremely one sided no matter if you agree with the U.S. being involved or not. And the museum is heart wrenching whether you agree with it or not. We couldn’t stomach going through the whole thing, as my gf has relatives who were killed in the war and she got emotional, but I think it’s a must see if you go here.
The other main thing we did here was take a day trip to what’s called the Cu Chi tunnels. These are the famous tunnel systems the Vietcong used during the war. These things are so tiny, and so elaborate, no way Forrest Gump could’ve fit in these things. They let you go through a small portion of them (about 100 yards or so), but in reality they were about 30% smaller during the war. They had to be widened for tourists.
The tiny holes
Crawling through the holes. It's kinda hard to see, but you get the idea. My gf was basically able to stay upright the whole time. I wasn't so fortunate.
They also have a gun range on site, which of course I had to partake in. You can shoot an M16, AK47, M30, M60, and some others I don’t recall. We both shot the M16 (it was my gf’s first ever gun experience which was quite funny), and I also shot the M60. I doubt I’ll get another chance to shoot guns of this magnitude with such little level of safety measures. You just walk up, pay, and unload.
GF's first ever time touching a firearm. Her face was priceless after. Sorry for the white clouds, but they have weirdos on this site.
Unfortunately my gf screwed up the video of me being Rambo with the M60. I wasn't too happy about that
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Saigon concluded our Vietnam portion of the trip, then we hopped a plane to Siem Reap. Here we met up with 2 of my gf’s friends (NEVER AGAIN!) who had been traveling through India. Let’s just say the atmosphere of the trip kind of changed once I was surrounded by 3 girls, not to mention one that is high maintenance and has no business being in these countries. We would’ve had much more fun without them most likely.
That being said, we still saw some amazing sights. If going to Siem Reap I would highly recommend getting a private driver to take you to all the temples. I got that tip from some posters here and I thank those of you who recommended it. You get to see so much more, and it’s nice having a car with AC because it’s hot as frick out there. We saw some people trying to do it the more “bootstrapping” way, and they looked miserable. It’s cheap as hell, get a car and a driver who knows what they’re doing, you’ll not only see more but you’ll learn a lot more with a guide.
This is how you get picked up from the airport in Cambodia
This post was edited on 4/7/18 at 1:59 pm
Posted on 4/5/18 at 8:08 pm to rintintin
Day 1 of temples
One of the cooler pictures we took
To get an idea of walking through these temples
Day 2 of temples
We did sunrise at a different temple rather than Angkor Wat, because I heard how ridiculously crowded it is for sunrise. I wanted a more peaceful experience. Other than a baby crying nonstop and the 2 new girls bitching, yeah I guess it was more peaceful.
*Note: About midway through our 2nd day I finally had enough of the girls and told the guide to take them home, which he obliged, as did they, fortunately for me. I finished the rest of the day including Angkor Wat by my lonesome which was probably the best time I spent in Siem Reap. (Bitches be crazy)
Epic entrance into Angkor City.
Although Angkor Wat is the main draw here, my favorite temple was what they call the "Tomb Raider" temple, as the movie was filmed here. It's just much cooler how the jungle has overtaken everything.
And the main attraction, Angkor Wat.
Give you an idea of the massiveness. The grounds extend way out.
What some of the interior looks like
Some of the elaborate art work on the walls
Then I got to play with the monkeys outside Angkor Wat. They're not shy in the least
This adorable girl was funny
Adios, Siem Reap. I actually loved their airport how small and quaint it was, but still very nice.
Bangkok
From Siem Reap we flew to Bangkok and spent our last 3 nights here. Such an interesting city. Some parts felt exactly how I imagined Bangkok would be, the dirty, grungy, hooker ridden place I had in my mind, but other parts I felt like I was in a futuristic metropolitan. It really has both worlds.
Just how I envisioned it
One night my gf and I met an expat at a bar who we befriended, and he took us on an interesting night. When someone says “you want to have a weird night” in Bangkok, you sure as hell better say yes. Strip clubs, ladyboy bars (don't judge, you gotta experience everything), and all the in between, it was definitely the funnest going out night we had, especially because the other 2 girls weren't with us.
This is walking to the "seedy" area where the strip clubs were. Once in that alley they wouldn't allow me to video.
My gf's cousin lives here and took us out one day.
This place apparently makes some of the best Pad Thai in the city.
And indeed it was delicious
She took us to China Town, which is madness
Black chicken foot. The locals eat it for vitality. Tastes like chicken
On top of all of this, Bangkok has some of the most stunning temples in the world. We didn't see as many as I would've liked (again, bitches be crazy), but it definitely has me wanting to go back to Thailand.
Get an idea of some of the detail and craftsmanship that goes into these
This particular active temple had Buddhas for days. Seemed like 100's
Some final thoughts
-Kindness and generosity - Most of the people here are ridiculously nice, especially in Thailand. You get some of the best service you can ask for.
-Money - traveling SE Asia seems to be some of the most budget friendly exotic travel you can do. Although I utilized a ton of credit card points (payed for our flights and 5 nights of 5 star hotel stays), we didn't spend much at all for a 3 week vacation half way around the world. Actually, if we wouldn't have splurged and bought tailor made suits and dresses, plus a bunch of gifts for family and friends, I think total cost would have easily been less than $3000 for both of us.
I've always said money is no excuse to not travel. Travel is cheaper than you think if you do it right.
-Crowds and manners - One thing you have to be able to deal with in these areas is the crowds. Most of Asia is a highly populated place. We happened to arrive right after their huge New years, which made everything even more crowded.
Also their idea about manners and personal space is much different than ours, especially the Chinese. And there are a ton of Chinese in Vietnam. They're not necessarily being rude, they just seem to have no concept of personal space. Forget about waiting in lines, you just have to elbow and shoulder your way through most of the time. My gf lived in China for 2 years so she taught me early on how to not be polite when it comes to getting where you need to go.
-Bathrooms - I'm always interested in bathroom etiquette when I travel to other countries. It's true that many places in Asia have latrines (basically a hole in the ground), but rarely will you have to use them in decently nice places. For guys it's easy enough anyway if you have to pee, but if you use a public bathroom prepare for a latrine.
That being said, most places you stay have toilets, but not only that they have what we called the "bum gun". It's basically like the faucet hose you have on your sink, but on the toilet to give you that extra clean rinse. It boggles my mind how the U.S. is so behind with bathroom hygiene. That thing should be a staple in every household. It's just cleaner. How are we the most advanced country in the world yet we still rely on paper to wipe our asses? It makes no sense to me.
And on that note, I will conclude.
One of the cooler pictures we took
To get an idea of walking through these temples
Day 2 of temples
We did sunrise at a different temple rather than Angkor Wat, because I heard how ridiculously crowded it is for sunrise. I wanted a more peaceful experience. Other than a baby crying nonstop and the 2 new girls bitching, yeah I guess it was more peaceful.
*Note: About midway through our 2nd day I finally had enough of the girls and told the guide to take them home, which he obliged, as did they, fortunately for me. I finished the rest of the day including Angkor Wat by my lonesome which was probably the best time I spent in Siem Reap. (Bitches be crazy)
Epic entrance into Angkor City.
Although Angkor Wat is the main draw here, my favorite temple was what they call the "Tomb Raider" temple, as the movie was filmed here. It's just much cooler how the jungle has overtaken everything.
And the main attraction, Angkor Wat.
Give you an idea of the massiveness. The grounds extend way out.
What some of the interior looks like
Some of the elaborate art work on the walls
Then I got to play with the monkeys outside Angkor Wat. They're not shy in the least
This adorable girl was funny
Adios, Siem Reap. I actually loved their airport how small and quaint it was, but still very nice.
Bangkok
From Siem Reap we flew to Bangkok and spent our last 3 nights here. Such an interesting city. Some parts felt exactly how I imagined Bangkok would be, the dirty, grungy, hooker ridden place I had in my mind, but other parts I felt like I was in a futuristic metropolitan. It really has both worlds.
Just how I envisioned it
One night my gf and I met an expat at a bar who we befriended, and he took us on an interesting night. When someone says “you want to have a weird night” in Bangkok, you sure as hell better say yes. Strip clubs, ladyboy bars (don't judge, you gotta experience everything), and all the in between, it was definitely the funnest going out night we had, especially because the other 2 girls weren't with us.
This is walking to the "seedy" area where the strip clubs were. Once in that alley they wouldn't allow me to video.
My gf's cousin lives here and took us out one day.
This place apparently makes some of the best Pad Thai in the city.
And indeed it was delicious
She took us to China Town, which is madness
Black chicken foot. The locals eat it for vitality. Tastes like chicken
On top of all of this, Bangkok has some of the most stunning temples in the world. We didn't see as many as I would've liked (again, bitches be crazy), but it definitely has me wanting to go back to Thailand.
Get an idea of some of the detail and craftsmanship that goes into these
This particular active temple had Buddhas for days. Seemed like 100's
Some final thoughts
-Kindness and generosity - Most of the people here are ridiculously nice, especially in Thailand. You get some of the best service you can ask for.
-Money - traveling SE Asia seems to be some of the most budget friendly exotic travel you can do. Although I utilized a ton of credit card points (payed for our flights and 5 nights of 5 star hotel stays), we didn't spend much at all for a 3 week vacation half way around the world. Actually, if we wouldn't have splurged and bought tailor made suits and dresses, plus a bunch of gifts for family and friends, I think total cost would have easily been less than $3000 for both of us.
I've always said money is no excuse to not travel. Travel is cheaper than you think if you do it right.
-Crowds and manners - One thing you have to be able to deal with in these areas is the crowds. Most of Asia is a highly populated place. We happened to arrive right after their huge New years, which made everything even more crowded.
Also their idea about manners and personal space is much different than ours, especially the Chinese. And there are a ton of Chinese in Vietnam. They're not necessarily being rude, they just seem to have no concept of personal space. Forget about waiting in lines, you just have to elbow and shoulder your way through most of the time. My gf lived in China for 2 years so she taught me early on how to not be polite when it comes to getting where you need to go.
-Bathrooms - I'm always interested in bathroom etiquette when I travel to other countries. It's true that many places in Asia have latrines (basically a hole in the ground), but rarely will you have to use them in decently nice places. For guys it's easy enough anyway if you have to pee, but if you use a public bathroom prepare for a latrine.
That being said, most places you stay have toilets, but not only that they have what we called the "bum gun". It's basically like the faucet hose you have on your sink, but on the toilet to give you that extra clean rinse. It boggles my mind how the U.S. is so behind with bathroom hygiene. That thing should be a staple in every household. It's just cleaner. How are we the most advanced country in the world yet we still rely on paper to wipe our asses? It makes no sense to me.
And on that note, I will conclude.
This post was edited on 4/7/18 at 3:23 pm
Posted on 4/5/18 at 8:12 pm to rintintin
That is amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Posted on 4/5/18 at 8:31 pm to rintintin
Fuuuuuuuuuuck yaaa!!!!!
Posted on 4/5/18 at 8:33 pm to rintintin
Very cool. Can’t wait to see the rest.
Posted on 4/5/18 at 8:35 pm to rintintin
Awesome. I'll be marking this one for Vietnam for sure.
Also, I know how much work this takes so, good luck to you
I like the video gifs. My buddy had a newer GoPro in South Africa so I let him take the video which I haven't gotten from him yet. It's a nice touch to the review. Who you making the gifs with? And did you use your cell or an action cam like GoPro?
Also, I know how much work this takes so, good luck to you
I like the video gifs. My buddy had a newer GoPro in South Africa so I let him take the video which I haven't gotten from him yet. It's a nice touch to the review. Who you making the gifs with? And did you use your cell or an action cam like GoPro?
This post was edited on 4/5/18 at 8:38 pm
Posted on 4/5/18 at 8:44 pm to rintintin
There have been some great reviews lately, but this is top notch. Nice work on the GIFs. My travel wish list continues to grow.
This post was edited on 4/5/18 at 8:50 pm
Posted on 4/5/18 at 8:48 pm to Teddy Ruxpin
quote:
Also, I know how much work this takes so, good luck to you
For real. Honestly your S Africa review got me moving on it
. quote:
Who you making the gifs with? And did you use your cell or an action cam like GoPro?
I bought the Yi 4k Action camera just for this trip. It's basically a cheaper GoPro, but similar specs. It's popular in Asia apparently.
I saved most of the videos on my Google drive. My Samsung Note 8 has a stylus gif maker that makes gifs very easy. Basically you just watch the video on your phone and highlight it with the stylus and record it. It's awesome.
Posted on 4/5/18 at 8:49 pm to rintintin
Can't wait for the rest! Thanks for sharing!
Posted on 4/5/18 at 8:52 pm to rintintin
quote:
I saved most of the videos on my Google drive. My Samsung Note 8 has a stylus gif maker that makes gifs very easy. Basically you just watch the video on your phone and highlight it with the stylus and record it. It's awesome.
That is awesome. I got to see if I can find something similar to work with.
Review arms race when I go to Laos and Myanmar
This post was edited on 4/5/18 at 8:53 pm
Posted on 4/5/18 at 9:10 pm to Teddy Ruxpin
quote:
Review arms race when I go to Laos and Myanmar
Gahhh, I have nothing but domestic trips the rest of the year. It's all you.
I'll have to come back at you next year with either New Zealand/Australia or Argentina/Chile, which is what we're thinking about for our big one next.
Posted on 4/6/18 at 7:28 am to Teddy Ruxpin
quote:
My Samsung Note 8 has a stylus gif maker that makes gifs very easy. Basically you just watch the video on your phone and highlight it with the stylus and record it. It's awesome.
Wow. I really need to crawl out from under this rock I’ve apparently been living under.
Posted on 4/6/18 at 8:14 am to rintintin
so awesome
Posted on 4/6/18 at 8:39 am to rintintin
quote:
Gahhh, I have nothing but domestic trips the rest of the year. It's all you.
No worries, 2019 will be a down year.
New Zealand would have some great outdoor stuff, just depends if you get three weeks off again or not.
This post was edited on 4/6/18 at 8:40 am
Posted on 4/6/18 at 8:47 am to rintintin
quote:
I'll have to come back at you next year with either New Zealand/Australia or Argentina/Chile, which is what we're thinking about for our big one next.
You know what.
frick you
NZ and Patagonia are my top 2 bucket list trips. And I doubt I'll get there anytime within the next decade.
Posted on 4/6/18 at 9:22 am to rintintin
Best f'ing review to date. Can't wait to see the rest. Love the little video clips.
Posted on 4/6/18 at 10:07 am to Teddy Ruxpin
quote:
New Zealand would have some great outdoor stuff, just depends if you get three weeks off again or not.
Yeah that's the stuff I really like to do. The 3 weeks isn't really a problem as long as I get my finances in order. But travelling is such an important part of my life I will sacrifice a lot for it.
I assume you've been? I'll have to hit you up if we decide on that.
Posted on 4/6/18 at 10:11 am to Salmon
quote:
You know what.
frick you ?
NZ and Patagonia are my top 2 bucket list trips. And I doubt I'll get there anytime within the next decade.
Well I'm at a spot right now that I don't have kids or any huge financial burdens, and I'm probably at peak physical condition, so I'm trying to take advantage it now.
Teddy said something in his S Africa thread that resonated with me, about doing the big physically active, maybe more risky trips now before kids, and saving the more developed Western trips for later down the road. I like that idea.
Posted on 4/6/18 at 10:38 am to rintintin
quote:
I assume you've been? I'll have to hit you up if we decide on that.
I have not, my current list if you're wondering/need tips:
Greece
Turkey (Istanbul)
India
Spain
Thailand
Cambodia
China (Shanghai)
Peru
South Africa
Laos and Myanmar in October.
Had about four years there between 2009 and 2013 where I just partied and wasted time.
NZ and Australia are hard to get business class tickets with points and we really want to do it correctly with a full two weeks minimum so it's been pushed until we can do that.
This post was edited on 4/6/18 at 10:43 am
Page 1 of 3
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News