A giant question for a giant continent: one month in Asia - where to begin?
Jul 10th, 2010, 08:27 AM
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A giant question for a giant continent: one month in Asia - where to begin?
Hi all,
The world is a big place and there are so many parts I want to see, but narrowing it down is a challenge. I am looking to plan a trip for myself for the month of November. The little bit of narrowing down I've done is to choose Asia. Not much help, I know.
A little about me and my travel MO:
*34 year old, petite woman; will be travelling solo
*love art, culture, food - want to experience life of the locals when I travel
*don't speak any Asian languages and am a little nervous about navigating
*would like to visit places of natural beauty and other sacred spaces - quiet time to photograph and meditate
*am self-employed so budget is a real consideration
*have extreme fear of tarantulas
*prefer to be warm over cold
I would love to go to India. But I also feel drawn to parts of Thailand. Turkey. Macau. And.. and.. and...
So what I really need is a way in.. someplace to start. I know the question is a bit open, but hopefully having some sense of my travel likes will inspire you to share some of your favourites from this part of the world. (Or should I go to Australia, or South America... See? I need help.)
Thanks, everybody.
The world is a big place and there are so many parts I want to see, but narrowing it down is a challenge. I am looking to plan a trip for myself for the month of November. The little bit of narrowing down I've done is to choose Asia. Not much help, I know.
A little about me and my travel MO:
*34 year old, petite woman; will be travelling solo
*love art, culture, food - want to experience life of the locals when I travel
*don't speak any Asian languages and am a little nervous about navigating
*would like to visit places of natural beauty and other sacred spaces - quiet time to photograph and meditate
*am self-employed so budget is a real consideration
*have extreme fear of tarantulas
*prefer to be warm over cold
I would love to go to India. But I also feel drawn to parts of Thailand. Turkey. Macau. And.. and.. and...
So what I really need is a way in.. someplace to start. I know the question is a bit open, but hopefully having some sense of my travel likes will inspire you to share some of your favourites from this part of the world. (Or should I go to Australia, or South America... See? I need help.)
Thanks, everybody.
Jul 10th, 2010, 08:41 AM
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Start by deciding which part of Asia you want to visit. While you can certainly visit several countries, you will spend less travel time if you choose a geographic area, as flights within Asia can be quite long, Narita to Singapore is about 8 hours.
SE Asia is a good place to start. Consider some combination of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Beautiful places with lovely Buddhist temples and some of the most spectacular religious ruins in the world: the temples at Angkor. Also, this area of the world is pretty easy on the budget.
Take a look at our photos: www.marlandc.com Often photos can inspire more than words.
SE Asia is a good place to start. Consider some combination of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Beautiful places with lovely Buddhist temples and some of the most spectacular religious ruins in the world: the temples at Angkor. Also, this area of the world is pretty easy on the budget.
Take a look at our photos: www.marlandc.com Often photos can inspire more than words.
Jul 10th, 2010, 12:26 PM
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Before even reading Kathie's reply, I was thinking Southeast Asia as well. My first (solo, female) trip to Asia was to Vietnam and Cambodia: lovely, reasonably easy, warm for sure, the food is terrific, and it's not bad on the budget.
Later I traveled solo to China and to India on two different occasions, but I was glad that I'd chosen SE Asia to "break in", so to speak. (I found China a bit easier than India, truth be told.)
Later I traveled solo to China and to India on two different occasions, but I was glad that I'd chosen SE Asia to "break in", so to speak. (I found China a bit easier than India, truth be told.)
Jul 10th, 2010, 12:50 PM
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as the ladies have said, SEA is easy in so many ways: budget, infa-structure, food, comfort, scenery, diversity of activities and safety for women travelling alone...
many of us feel that either bangkok or singapore make good starting points or centers from which to work... myself i prefer bangkok if for no other reason than it is the most affordable... from there it is very easy to visit places like: siem reap cambodia (angkor wat), laos (luang prabang and vientienne), veitnam, burma (myanmar), singapore, malaysia, indonesia, even india and sri lanka, just to name the main ones....
accomodations come in form, shape and cost.... with everything from a flea bag to lux 5* places, at affordable prices...
the beaches are fantastic, there is white water rafting, there are horses, mountains--well at least large hills, countryside, rivers, quiet places and noisy places, etc.
november is the perfect month for SEA also... many of us prefer the months from mid-october to early february as our preferred time to visit SEA.... in thailand hotel prices rise on nov 1 each year and peak at christmas/new years and fall after april.... generally this is true of the other countries in the region as well...
even in november and december, the cooler months, expect temps to be realatively high with large amounts of humidity, 24/7. yoyu learn to live with it and you seek air conditioning at least in your bedroom each day...
3, 4, and 4* accomodations can be very affordable....in places like bangkok you can have very nice accomodations from between $50-150 per nite and often this comes with a delicious breakfast... eating is relatively cheap and very good.... a local meal could be had for $5 or up to about $15 and include a beer or two... lux meals can be had for as little as $15-25. a typical thai meal at a decent restaurant with a couple of beers is about $20-25 for two... western menus are also available in many places.... lots of english sub-titles too on menus...
shopping is unbelievable in all of these areas and very cheap...
most cities have serviced apartments available which essentially are hotels without all the hotel services...most are exceptionally nice and comfortable...
come up with a loose plan and come back here and we delight in helping you perfect it..
many of us feel that either bangkok or singapore make good starting points or centers from which to work... myself i prefer bangkok if for no other reason than it is the most affordable... from there it is very easy to visit places like: siem reap cambodia (angkor wat), laos (luang prabang and vientienne), veitnam, burma (myanmar), singapore, malaysia, indonesia, even india and sri lanka, just to name the main ones....
accomodations come in form, shape and cost.... with everything from a flea bag to lux 5* places, at affordable prices...
the beaches are fantastic, there is white water rafting, there are horses, mountains--well at least large hills, countryside, rivers, quiet places and noisy places, etc.
november is the perfect month for SEA also... many of us prefer the months from mid-october to early february as our preferred time to visit SEA.... in thailand hotel prices rise on nov 1 each year and peak at christmas/new years and fall after april.... generally this is true of the other countries in the region as well...
even in november and december, the cooler months, expect temps to be realatively high with large amounts of humidity, 24/7. yoyu learn to live with it and you seek air conditioning at least in your bedroom each day...
3, 4, and 4* accomodations can be very affordable....in places like bangkok you can have very nice accomodations from between $50-150 per nite and often this comes with a delicious breakfast... eating is relatively cheap and very good.... a local meal could be had for $5 or up to about $15 and include a beer or two... lux meals can be had for as little as $15-25. a typical thai meal at a decent restaurant with a couple of beers is about $20-25 for two... western menus are also available in many places.... lots of english sub-titles too on menus...
shopping is unbelievable in all of these areas and very cheap...
most cities have serviced apartments available which essentially are hotels without all the hotel services...most are exceptionally nice and comfortable...
come up with a loose plan and come back here and we delight in helping you perfect it..
Jul 10th, 2010, 03:45 PM
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Another vote for Southeast Asia. Every Asian country has its
attractions, but it will be cold in Japan and most of China.
For a monthlong trip I'd choose Singapore, Siem Reap (Angkor), Bangkok and Bali.
November is a good month for Bali. Not too busy. Some rain but you can work around it. You sound like an Ubud person -- plenty of spiritualism, great natural beauty, fascinating culture, performing arts & handicrafts.
Bali's still a good value. Food is inexpensive (except alcohol) and there's a wide range in the price of accommodation.
A little more difficult for the solo traveler but very rewarding is Central Java -- Yogyakarta and Borobudur. For me, Borobudur is one of the most meditative and spiritual sites in Asia or anywhere.
I would use Singapore as your hub and starting place. It's a good first time transition -- accessible, clean, safe but also culturally diverse. From there you can easily connect to other countries.
attractions, but it will be cold in Japan and most of China.
For a monthlong trip I'd choose Singapore, Siem Reap (Angkor), Bangkok and Bali.
November is a good month for Bali. Not too busy. Some rain but you can work around it. You sound like an Ubud person -- plenty of spiritualism, great natural beauty, fascinating culture, performing arts & handicrafts.
Bali's still a good value. Food is inexpensive (except alcohol) and there's a wide range in the price of accommodation.
A little more difficult for the solo traveler but very rewarding is Central Java -- Yogyakarta and Borobudur. For me, Borobudur is one of the most meditative and spiritual sites in Asia or anywhere.
I would use Singapore as your hub and starting place. It's a good first time transition -- accessible, clean, safe but also culturally diverse. From there you can easily connect to other countries.
Jul 10th, 2010, 04:46 PM
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Hi,
You're going to get a myriad of responses, so here's my two cents worth:
I would mix it up a little and perhaps do Japan and Thailand.
I've heard that Fall in Kyoto is simply amazing. Kyoto has its traditional temples, rock gardens and palaces as well as great restaurants and malls that are accessible for us foreigners.
Then fly to Bangkok for a flavor of Southeast Asia and perhaps hop over to an exotic beach destination like Koh Samet/Samed which is only a 3 hour drive from Bangkok.
Happy travels!
Wendy Brians
Naples, FL
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." - Mark Twain
---
You're going to get a myriad of responses, so here's my two cents worth:
I would mix it up a little and perhaps do Japan and Thailand.
I've heard that Fall in Kyoto is simply amazing. Kyoto has its traditional temples, rock gardens and palaces as well as great restaurants and malls that are accessible for us foreigners.
Then fly to Bangkok for a flavor of Southeast Asia and perhaps hop over to an exotic beach destination like Koh Samet/Samed which is only a 3 hour drive from Bangkok.
Happy travels!
Wendy Brians
Naples, FL
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." - Mark Twain
---
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