Countries to visit in Asia....?????
 

Hello All, I will have 8 days holidays in November and I am planning a trip with my girlfriend to Asia. We are travelling from <BR>Switzerland and we would like to decide which countries we should visit and how many days we should stay in each country. Would any of you advise and recommend at least two countries to go? Cheers. JV

Frankly, in 8 days, you are best to stay in one country. Thailand is perhaps the easiest to visit. There is lots of infrastructure for travelers, and the transportation system in the country is efficient. In eight days, you could sample two parts of Thailand, such as Bangkok and the Chang Mai - Chaing Rai areas or Bangkok and a beach in the south. <BR><BR>If you are up for something more adventuresome, you could fly into Bangkok, then on to Siem Reap, Cambodia for the temples at Angkor. I spent a week there and loved it, but you could stay 3 or 4 days and spend the rest of your time in Bangkok. You can look at the photos from my trip at www.marlandc.com to see if the temples might be something you'd like to see.

do you have any special interests.. <BR>are you adventures or not.. <BR><BR>HK, china<BR><BR>thailand. laos or cambodia.. <BR><BR>it all depends <BR><BR>north asia is kind of nippy now..

We agree with the first response. 8 days is only enough to do a bit of one country. In China for example, you could visit one or two major cities, maybe in the warmer south, like the famous Guilin or Kunming. You could fly between them and then exit via Hong Kong perhaps. It would be a rushed view, but it would give you a fair feel of this country. Good luck with your trip.

Welcome to Thailand........!!!<BR>From friendly Thai...

Hi<BR><BR>I would suggest India

Thailand can give you quite a lot even in 8 days. You can see temples, stay on a river raft in the jungle, elephant ride and have a few days at the beach. In and around Bangkok within a few hours are excellent places.

JV, if you're a first timer in Asia, I'd suggest Thailand as well. It's quite an easy country to start with.<BR>Stay 2-3 nights in Bangkok, then go northwards (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai) or Southwards (any island) depending on your interests and to save time do it by air, unless you decide for Hua Hin (about 3 hours south of Bangkok.<BR>With so little time available, I would forget about 'doing' more than one country. Don't forget, you'll be jetlagged upon arrival (usually night flights out of Zurich/Geneva) and you will have to get used to the hot and humid temperatures, different food, etc.<BR><BR>If you have been to Asia before, I suggest Vietnam. Amazing country, not yet overly touristy, depending on where you go. Stay 2-3 nights in Hanoi, make a trip to the Halong Bay (stay overnight) and head southwards then (Hue, Hoi An), fly out of Ho Chi Minh City. If time allows, visit the Mekong Delta as well.<BR><BR>Have a great trip!<BR>The time you'll be fine, you'll have to leave.<BR>Did you check out the good deals with Kuoni, Hotelplan, Voegele, etc. here in Switzerland?<BR>Have a great trip.