just bring lobsters and you are welcome any place..

thailand offers much of what you might be looking for and so does vietnam, but also hong kong and the major cities of china do as well.

burma is a beacon this year too.

it really depends on your interests. Thailand and vietnam might be the least expensive to travel in, all cost about the same to get to.

one thought... if you don't have your plane tickets already for HI, you might consider a flt. that would include HI as a stop on a longer round trip to asia. you would need to shop airlines carefully for this.. it might save you quite a bit of $$.

bangkok and hanoi are fabulous cities, full of things to do and fabulous foods.

bangkok hotels are a real bargain... shopping and eating are bargains too. staying along the river can't be beat.

If you have a sense of adventure, you might want to put Burma at the top of your list. It doesn't have the wonderful infrastructure of Thailand, nor does it have the number of visitors.

I have two trip reports here just click on my name - one from 2009 and one from 20112. Photos are at www.marlandc.com

Also consider Indonesia. A combination of Bali and Java would be a wonderful trip.

With cultural aspects in mind that would be a great time of year to visit Japan. SE Asia, especially Burma and Bangkok can be really oppressively hot at that time of the year.....at least to me and I live in the heat.

Aloha!

Thanks for the advice. We were planning because of the timing of the event in HI to go to Asia first and stop in HI on our way home.And also hoping to do some kind of linking between the cities.
Just read a blog on Burma,not yours,Kathie. I don't know if we're that adventurous.
It seems that China would warrant more time spent,so maybe another time.
Are Bali & Java mostly beaches? Also is May brutally hot everywhere?
Thanks again for any input.

Yes, that time of year will be very hot in SE Asia.

Both Bali and Java are cultural destinations, Bali has both beaches and culture.

If you haven't been scared off by the blog you read about Burma, do read my trip reports. The infrastructure is still developing, but it is quite possible to travel in relative comfort.

HT is quire right, the weather in Japan should be very nice at that time of the year.

Both Java and Bali are naturally beautiful and culturally rich. Tourist facilities are well developed and there are lots of places to stay in a range of prices.

Bali certainly has beaches (and surfers) but the real draw is the culture -- the religious ceremony, the music, the masked dance, the puppet theater, the processions, the temples, the offerings, the aesthetic of everyday life. It permeates everything, even the beach.

Central Java has both a thriving culture of arts and handicrafts and an ancient culture evidenced in the 9/10C monuments of Borobudur and Prambanan. East Java has Bromo a string of active and accessible volcanoes.

Indonesia straddles the equator and yes, it's hot in May and all year, but near the beach there are breezes and the upland areas are cooler.

Lots to think about! Thanks all, for the suggestions. Will start my homework in earnest.
Kathie,enjoyed your '09 blog,won't discount Burma!

Some issue was made with the seasonal temperature in some of the posts above; and you did ask "is May brutally hot everywhere?"

With countries such as Thailand and Indonesia being tropical countries, you will be dealing with very warm temperatures no matter which month of the year you choose to travel. Seasonal variation in temperature in these countries is not at all what you would have in mind.

Just looking at the Weather.com monthly averages chart for Bangkok - yes, the peak is in April, and it is hot at 94F; but if you went in cooler months such as Jan, Sep & Oct, you would be dealing with temperatures of 89F - barely much of an improvement, and I wouldn't say they qualify as "cooler" [ http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/THXX0002 ]. Temperatures are even more constant in Bali (Denpasar): yes, again April is a peak at 87F, but Nov is also a peak, and in fact in the 8 months from Oct through to May, there is only a one degree difference in the average high between any of those months, and the lowest month in July shows an average high of 83F - how much relief would you consider that is from 87F? [ http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/IDXX0019 ] For your information, Weather.com shows the average high for May in Honoluluy at 85F [ http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USHI0026 ]. Maybe just try to enjoy the heat of the tropics for what it is, and for the diference it offers to where you might come from.

If tropical temperatures were to banish you from countries in the world's tropical regions, then Japan was a good suggestion above (though the exchange rate is rather frightful). An added bonus is that April will be cherry blossom season somewhere in Japan (and early May perhaps further north in Japan) [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami ]. One country not so far mentioned is Korea (South Korea). Definitely more affordable - and they have plenty of their own cherry blossoms (though that doesn't gain so much publicity). It would also definitely qualify as a "cultural" destination. I wouldn't say it has as many preserved cultural sites as Japan; but even the modern culture of Korea is fascinating.

And rest assured that Bali & Java are not "mostly beaches", and both are very "cultural". Most people don't go to Java for its beaches, and Bali has many cultural gems inland and strung along the settlements in its mountain regions. There are resorts just about in every portion of Bali, and it is very possible (and many people do it) to spend your entire time enjoying the spiritual culture, the mountain greeness, and picture-perfect rural landscapes of Bali without stepping foot on a grain of wave-lapped sand. Just take Bali's Ubud as one example. Rough Guides has a good write-up on Ubud [ http://www.roughguides.com/travel/asia/bali/ubud.aspx ].

More questions?