eisemann

I am a 21 year old traveling with a friend for three weeks in August, and I am debating which region to go to. I will have already spent six weeks in tibet, so I'm debating between southeast asia (vietnam, thailand, cambodia) or China. I am concerned about the weather in this time, being that it is still monsoon season. I also am curious as to which would be a more meaningful trip. This summer will be my first trip to asia and my first true backpacking trip. In addition, it will be my first trip to any developing country. I've heard great things about both areas but am looking for more specifics about which would be most appropriate. I want to experience the culture rather than just see the spots in books, and I'de prefer not to spend most of my time getting from A to B. thanks for any and all help.

rhkkmk

as an easier place to travel, more geared to tourism at all levels, you might want to look at thailand....you can do it quite cheaply and move around a good deal for very little money...bkk, even for a huge city, has tons of economical places to stay...you could easily spend 3 weeks in thailand...

WeiLong

I wouldn't let the weather put you off. It will be quite wet in some areas at that time but it's not as if it rains all day, generally you get heavy downpours towards the end of the afternoon, it's not cold.

Three weeks would be suitable for Thailand, north or south Vietnam (or a tour of the highlights)Bangkok-Siem Reap-Phnom Penh-Bangkok. If you liked Tibet you ight find three weeks in Laos very pleasant. Plenty of options for China.

http://www.travelsinasia.com

susncrg

My niece and her husband (in their early thirties) spent many months travelling through Southeast Asia and China during their 14 month epic travels, and their blog may give you some ideas about things to do and see off the beaten track in both areas. It's beccabrian.blogspot.com. Hope that helps.

eisemann

thanks for the help. I guess doing a Nepal /India trip would be another option to the first two. Any ideas? I feel like all three have so many different things to offer. China will have the major cities like Hong Kong which give a whole other view of Asia. The beaches of Thailand sound very enticing, but during that time with the weather as it is, is it feasible? thanks again for any help.

Kathie

If it's beaches you want, August is high season in Koh Samui and the other islands on that side of Thailand. You may call it monsoon season in SE Asia, but it's not monsoon season for all of SE Asia.

www.weatherbase.com