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An Adventurous Route For Backpacking South East Asia
Copyright (c) 2004 You have permission to publish this article free of chargeelectronically or in print, as long as the About the Authorbylines are included and all links remain active in electronicversions. You can remove the http://parryloeffler.com/ricecrustlinks PROVIDING you make the text "Rice Crust from the Bottom ofthe Pot: A Journey Across South East Asia" a hyperlink thatpoints to the same URL.A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. Pleasesend a note and a link if publishing on the Web toparryl@yahoo.comWord Count: 1,453An Adventurous Route for Backpacking South East AsiaBy The South East Asian region of the world - especially Thailand,Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos - has become increasingly popular asa destination for those travelers seeking a more adventurousholiday than can be had merely sipping fruity, ice-cold drinks atyour typical beach resort. However, an adventurous trip to thesedeveloping countries raises many questions and one of the firstis what route to take, which I will try to answer in thisarticle.Most people with enough time would like to get a taste for allfour that I've mentioned earlier, so I'll concentrate on a routethat includes all of them. It would take about three months ifyou spent a few days at each stop. Keep in mind that therecertainly are options available that would allow you to skipcountries or even shorten the trip to fit into a more constrainedtimeline, but this should give you a good starting point forfurther research.As far as getting around, travel by public bus, train, and boatis readily available and often full of adventure after all,traveling with a busload of chickens or the occasional box offrogs just adds to the fun, right? However, those looking for alittle more comfort will usually be able to find more upscaleoptions.Many people that intend on doing a circuit though South East Asiawill fly into Bangkok since it is a major hub. Bangkok is alsorich with markets, temples, and plenty of fabulous food. AroundBangkok, there are several options for some side trips whichallow you to get your feet wet. Kanchanaburi is a few hours awayand is the location of the infamous bridge over the River Kwaiand the Death Railway, the Erewan National Park, and the ThreePagodas Pass near the Myanmar border. If you are not going to thesouthern islands, but wouldn't mind checking out the beach scene,you could also take a few days and visit Ko Samet or Ko Chang(less expensive) to get a taste of island life. Both are only afew hours from Bangkok by bus.Once you've had your fill of the Bangkok area, work your waynorth to Chiang Mai. I like the train and it can be takenovernight, for those low on time, or during the day for thosethat wish to see some of the beautiful countryside. Chiang Mai ismuch less hectic than Bangkok, has some opportunities for greatsight seeing, and also has a great cooking school! If you want tocheck out some smaller towns in Thailand, you can do that fromChiang Mai with a little add-on side trip. It's a loop that goesby public bus to the wonderful village of Pai which is set up inthe misty valleys that are laden with lush rice paddies, and thencontinues by bus or boat to Mae Hong Son, then by bus back toChiang Mai.In any case, from Chiang Mai, continue your journey north toChiang Rai and onwards to Chiang Khong, which is the jumpingpoint into your second country, Laos. You cross the Mekong Riverwith a short boat ride and enter Laos on the opposite bank atHuay Xai. From there you immediately continue on to Luang Prabangby slow boat or fast boat (latter not recommended, unless youenjoy wearing a crash helmet), making an optional overnight stayin the rustic village of Pacbeng.After spending a few days in Luang Prabang you could do a sidetrip up north, exploring the small northern villages of Laos fora few days, or just head down to the chilled-out town of VangVieng by bus or air. The road route to Vang Vieng is sometimesthe target of bandits, so be sure to check what recent activityhas been like, and then make your decision - but the safetyrecord of air travel may not be much more inspiring!Vang Vieng is
full of fun kayaking, biking and cavingopportunities, so you'll want to plan for a few days there beforemoving on to the capital city of Vientiane. It doesn't seem tooexciting for a capital city, so I wouldn't plan to spend too muchtime there, other than to visit the strange, but interestingBuddha Park.Take the bus from Vientiane to Hanoi via the mountains and theCau Treo border crossing into Vietnam. Hanoi is a veryinteresting place with lots to do and also offers a fewinteresting side trips: Sapa is a beautiful village set in themountains, and Halong Bay, a Unesco World Heritage site, offersamazing views of thousands of mountainous karsts jutting up fromthe ocean waters.In Hanoi, you can buy an "Open Tour" bus ticket that gets you allthe way south to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). It has a standard set ofstops, but allows you to purchase add-ons for a few dollars each,two of which I highly recommend being Ninh Binh and Dalat. FromHanoi, the first stop will indeed be Ninh Binh. Not aparticularly touristy town, but the launching point to visit thespectacular Tam Coc park and/or the Cuc Phuong National Park.From Ninh Binh, move to Hue for a day or two, then on to Hoi Anto check out the amazing tailors and beaches, then to Nha Trang(a partying beach town that can be skipped if you wish), and thenon to your second add-on which is the mountain town of Dalat.From Dalat, you can do another addon stop in Mui Ne which is veryquiet and good if you just want to relax and maybe poke aroundthe local market a little bit.The last stop in Vietnam will be Ho Chi Minh which offers plentyto see and do including a massage at the Vietnamese TraditionalMedicine Institute for a couple of dollars. From there, you cancross into Cambodia in a couple ways. The first is a bus ridethrough some beautiful country to Phnom Penh, and the second is aboat tour through the Mekong Delta which also deposits you inPhnom Penh. Be warned though: the roads in Cambodia are dirt andvery slow going, but the scenery is incredible if your backsidecan take it.Phnom Penh gets mixed reviews but does have a couple of mustvisits before you continue: the Killing Fields and S-21. When youdo move on, you again have the choice of bus or boat up to SiemRiep. I prefer the bus because of the fantastic views and theinsight into the lives of the country folk - trust me, you'llnever forget it.After spending some time gawking at the awesome ruins of AngkorWat at Siem Riep, you can fly or bus it back to Bangkok, onceagain back where you started! Again, the bus is harsh, but worthit to see Poipet (I'll say it again: not to stay, but to see) andthe night-and-day change visible in a matter of a few meters whenyou cross from the poverty of Cambodia into developing Thailand.There you have it. That route can be done in 3 months if youdon't choose every side trip mentioned (to do it all you'll wantto add another couple of weeks). If you work it out, you'll findyou can spend a few nights in each place, but don't make themistake of creating some sort of concrete itinerary. Just beaware of your time, because you will want to spend lots of timein some places, while spending little in others and you reallywon't know which until you get there. Be flexible within reason,and remember: it's all about having fun!Once back in Bangkok, you now have the option to work your waysouth to the islands, and perhaps, onward to other countries likeMalaysia and Indonesia, or perhaps they will have to wait untilyour next trip, and yes, you will want to come back.One of the next logical questions is: What is it like to travelaround these countries on a route like this? That's preciselythe experience I detail in my book Rice Crust from the Bottom ofthe Pot: A Journey Across South East Asia(http://parryloeffler.com/ricecrust). It's full of crazyadventures, wonderful stories of my interactions with the locals,and even a few recipes collected directly from their kitchens.About the Author is the author of Rice Crust from the Bottom of thePot: A Journey Across South East Asiahttp://parryloeffler.com/ricecrustRead it today… and get excited about your trip!(end).
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