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Where to go SOLO in (SE. Asia?) june/july (3-4 weeks)? Help me decide

Where to go SOLO in (SE. Asia?) june/july (3-4 weeks)? Help me decide

Old May 30th, 2016, 09:41 PM
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Where to go SOLO in (SE. Asia?) june/july (3-4 weeks)? Help me decide

Dear all.

I am a 25-year old guy living and working in Denmark. I have a vacation coming up, from june 22nd to july 20th and am deeply covered in thought trying to decide where I want to go. I have to buy my tickets soon, and hope some of you can point me in the right direction

Some info:

- I'm going to be traveling solo (for the first time)
- I'm backpacking from place to place (probably within a country, but potentially crossing borders as well)
- I have kinda settled on South East Asia, even though I'm not completely sure yet.
- I have 3-4 weeks at my disposal
- I'm not going to Thailand and Cambodia as I've already been there
- I would like to scuba dive and maybe kite surf and/or just surf during the trip
- I hope to meet other backpackers on the trip and party some
- I'm looking for a relatively cheap place, in order not to be limited by resources


I am mostly considering these countries at the moment:

- Vietnam/Laos: Sounds culturally interesting and easy for travel logistics. Beaches and scuba may not be optimal here though
- Philippines: Looks intriguing due to the many different islands, nice beaches, excellent scuba diving and potentially surfing. However, it sounds like wind is kinda low in june/july if I would like to kite surf.
- Sri Lanka: Wind is optimal for kite surfing in this period, but scuba not so much? Further, it seems relatively more expensive than the previous two and with a limited number of backpackers due to low season?
- Indonesia - Bali etc.: Sound nice for scuba and surfing, but more expensive and many young party tourists? Not that I don't want to party though...
- Others? Please provide suggestions, I'll really appreciate it!


Hope some of you can help me out, I'm beginning to stress out up here

Thanks so much
Johan
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Old May 31st, 2016, 06:32 AM
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I'd chose Indonesia. The weather will be good at that time of the year, especially for bali, Lombok and Java. Your idea that it is "more expensive and many young party tourists" is incorrect. It is one of the less expensive destinations in SE Asia. And the only place you'll find the Aussie party tourists is Kuta Beach in Bali. There are plenty of other, nicer places to visit on Bali. Also, Indonesia is huge and has something like 3000 islands, so there are plenty of other places to go. For beach, scuba and surfing consider Lombok, a quieter island. For historical sites, consider Java. Then there are places more off the tourist track like Sumatra, for instance. Pick up a good guidebook on Indonesia and take a look at the possibilities. The Lonely Planet Indonesia book is excellent.
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Old May 31st, 2016, 06:31 PM
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I think you have to look at destinations (islands, cities or places) rather than whole countries. Getting from place to place is what eats up money and time.

Bali would fulfill a lot of your requirements. You can definitely surf, scuba and windsurf. Most of the intense partying takes place in the Kuta area. If you stay in some of the other beach areas like Seminyak, Petitenget, Batu Belig, Batu Bolong, you will still meet a lot of 20 something travellers, but in a less frantic atmosphere. Batu Bolong is hipster centric, Seminyak more sophisticated.

These are all good surfing beaches. If you're a beginner, you'll want to start at Double 6 Beach. If you're advance, you'll want to try further south along the Bukit (Ulu Watu) and further north in Tabanan/Balian.

For scuba you have to go to north Bali -- Amed on the northeast coast and Pemuteran and Menjangan Island in the far northwest are both good locations and nice communities.

Then you'll want to spend a few days in the Ubud area for arts and nature. You'll see arts & crafts, performing arts, temple ceremonies and lots of outdoorsy activities like rafting, trekking, mountain climbing. Again, no shortage of kids your age with kind of a new age, wellness vibe.

The Gili Islands in nearby Lombok are also a good choice for laidback beaches and scuba. They are accessible by ferry from Bali.

I would suggest that you tie in a visit to Central and East Java, but be aware that the big Islamic holidays take place from roughly July 3-13 and this is not a good time to travel in Java. (Not so good for the Lombok ferry either.) In East Java you could visit the Mt. Bromo area and in Central Java Yogyakarta and the ancient temples of Borobudur and Prambanan.

There are low cost accommodations all over Bali and Java and food is very cheap. I don't think you'll have a problem staying within your budget, but since June-July is peak tourist season, you should make some reservations in advance.

I would also note that some of the best scuba on the planet is in North Sulawesi (Bunaken and Lembeh Strait) and West Papua (Raja Ampat) but these are a little harder to get to.

Lastly, be sure to get medical evacuation insurance before you go! DAN offers a good inexpensive policy for divers and non-divers.
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Old Jun 5th, 2016, 01:40 AM
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Thanks so much folks, really appreciate the advice
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