Sinjin and I are planning a vacation to Malaysia in October, we plan to be there for 21 to 30 days... We are going to Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bali, Java and possibly the Maldives..
My question is, Have any of you been to any of these places and if so what did you enjoy or recommend?
We are backpacking and traveling very light, we have an All Asia pass which will allow us to fly to any or all cities that are on the list..But upon purchase we have to have our full schedule booked so I was hoping to hear things I may have not read about
Thanks is advance for your thoughts

 

Never been there but always wanted to go to Malaysia to see the Petronas Towers. Tallest buildings in the world right now, side by side, and very cool looking too. Taiwan is in the process of building a taller structure but would you trust your life to anything that big that was made in Taiwan?

Okay, now I'm getting off subject.

 

We will see those, we are flying into Kuala Lumpur first sp?

 

make sure to take the river boat tour! in bangkok, very worth while, and get a massage while your there, remember the song "One Night in Bangkok, Will make a hard man humble" i forget who sings it, but it is very true. WARNING: do not stray off the beaten path, don't carry a wallet, watch on the wrist, carry a mimnal amout of cash, use travers checks, make a copy of your passport, and other important documents, keep them in a seprate place, and enjoy.
and tip for you, find a good taxi driver,in each country, tip him well, and use him thoughout your stay, your hotel should be able to locate a trustwothy one for you, well worth doing this, they know the good places to visit. when i was their, just hired one for the week, and he was thier at our beck and call.

 

i have had a lot of friends pass through thailand on different missions. they have had nothing but good things to say about it. ( most things they tell me about we cant discuss in this forum, if you get my drift.)
they did a buuunch of drinking and partying over there.
the best advice i can give you is if you do (not sayin you will, dont get me wrong) decide to go to a girlie bar... dont make mama-son mad.... she hooked a old friend of mine right up. she made sure to give him the girl with the stds.

other than that ive heard nothing but good things about it.

 

been to Thailand twice. Loved it both times. The food is fabulous, the girlie shows were classic and the weather is hot. There are a multitude of places to get a legitimate massage, too. I didn't try the foot massage, but it looked like a little lice of heaven!
Been to Bali- the place is cheap! You can easily live off the economy there for a fraction of what it costs in the states. The poor folks there will pester you to no end- but the store and restaurant owners will shoo them away while you are in their shops. Word of advice: ignore all the street vendors, because as soon as you stop to look at one's merchandise, the rest think you are fair game. The weather in Indonesia is great. right on the equator, so sunrise at 6am and sunset at 6pm- every day! It is hot, but there is no shortage of cheap beer and water to be bought. Travel light, just as f=2504by497 says. Keep one hand on your wallet (better to just carry the cash you need in a free pocket), and your valuables in your room. Some friends of mine hired a taxi driver for the whole day while we were there. They paid him about $40 for the day and he drove them all over the island. They said it was an awesome experience.

Have fun. be careful. Don't be a statistic.

STU

 

I have been to all of them, best advice do a lot of research and know where you are going and who (meaning locals) you are going with.

Do you speak any of the languages?
Be VERY CAREFUL, if you’re nationality is not that of the locals you will stand out. REMEMBER that.
Call the US state department they will give you very good advice about current conditions of each country you are visiting.

 

WE are pretty savy in that department, so I am not too worried.. what about visa's in Burma anyone know?

 

They don't take American Express.

 

I have always wanted to take the foot ferry out of Puket and go to Phi Phi island....that place looked so relaxing. No motor vehicals and the only way there is by boat....ahhhhhh I need a vacation!

 

we are going to Phi Phi island.. how could we make it all the way out there and not visit that place I cant wait!