kacollier

We are looking at our big fall trip (normally October or November). Right now we have narrowed it down to either: Cambodia/Vietnam/Laos; Borneo/Malaysia; Sri Lanka; or Namibia. Thought of Papua New Guinea but heard the government is unstable. We are active and adventurous in our 40s, but as the female...I do enjoy some creature comforts while traveling. We have done biking trips to China/Turkey/Morocco, hiked in Nepal, safaried in southern Africa so you can see that although we like culture, we also like to be active. Enjoy beaches but only for a short part of trip. So where should we go next????

waynehazle

"Go to Angkor My Friend, to it's ruins to it's dreams." - P. Jennerat de Beerski, 1924.

I wish I had also went to Vietnam and Laos when I was in Cambodia.

If course you should also add India to your list of desired places.

Kathie

There are lots of wonderful options in the places you've listed. I was in Borneo in November, stayed in a lodge in the jungle and saw oranugtans and lots of other animals in the wild. It would befinitely be an adventure trip. Read all about it - do a search on Kathie's Borneo Trip Report.

Angkor is stunning. I spent a week there and loved every minute of it. Certainly, visiting thte temples is active - many refer to it as strenuous, especially in the heat.

You're welcome to view our photos of Borneo and of Angkoor and of many other places in SE Asia at www.marlandc.com

hornbill

i can only suggest to you waht sort of adventurous things you can do in borneo.

in sabah, you can visit, like kathie did, a pristine rainforest. you can climb mount kinabalu (not easy but not too hard - at 14000+ feet, altitude sickness is possible), do snorkelling in the surrounding islands off kota kinabalu or go diving in layang layang or sipadan - two world class diving spots in malaysia.

there is also white water rafting somewhere near kk. then you could head down to mulu caves in sarawak and have a look at some amazing caves. they do have decent accomodation at the royal mulu resort. watch the bats, in millions fly out for their evening feed. if you want, you can even organise longer caving expeditions (msot people just do the usual 4 caves). if you are up to it, you can try to climb Mt Api (fire mountain) to view the limestone pinnacles ((about 3 storeys high) eroded over millions of years, hidden behind the mountain. this is a really tough climb (you climb 2.8km to reach 1 km height - so steep all the way), so you do have to be really fit to enjoy doing it. plus you have to walk about 8km through the jungle to get to the base camp.

another option is doing a trek to the highlands. apparently the highlands (bario and ba kelalan) is beautiful and cool. that one i havent done so i dont know how easy / hard it is. but it is over days and through jungle trails.

then head down south to kuching for relaxation. of course, along the way, you should try to visit longhouses to experience some of the local culture.

hope this gives you an idea what borneo can offer the adventurous traveller.

Guenmai

Ghana! Pick up the Bradt guide. Happy Travels!

rotaka

Please choose Cambodia/Vietnam/Laos. Angkor Wat is quite probably the most mystical beautiful religious site on earth and must be seen. If you choose those three countries you will not run out of things to see.

TravelTwiddle

May I can interest you with Perak, a state the size of New York and New Jersey, located in peninsula Malaysia. The world's oldest rainforest - older than Africa - which escaped the Ice Age is here. It is not in any tourist map but has all world class creature comfort one needs eg. 3-5 star hotels, internet cafes, TESCO hypermarket, McDonalds, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, A&W, medical facilities, mobile phone rental ... etc. Actress Michelle Yeoh who starred in the award winning movie "Memoirs of Geisha" was born and bred here.

Although relatively small, the place has all the accolades that could easily swallow up 10-14 days holiday. Every interesting vista is located nearby (about 1-2 hrs drive) and you can save lots of travel time going from place to place. Things to do or places to go include ...

- white water rafting (class 3) in Gopeng / 1 day
- limestone cave exploring / 1 day
- Pangkor island / 2 days (sun, sea and sand)
- Cameron highlands / 2 days (trek around Msia's largest cool climate farmland)
- Matang mangrove forest trekking / 1 day (see a magnificent forest where salt water and fresh water interwind)
- Heritage trail around Ipoh, Batu Gajah, Pusing / 1 day (beautiful sites used to film Jodie Foster's blockbuster "Anna and The King&quot
- Heritage trail in Taiping/ 1 day (a quaint town steeped in British history)
- Penang city island / 2 days (shopping, history, food .. etc)
- countryside hiking around fringes of Belum rainforest and visit native Orang Asli / 1 day. This indigenous native tribe is recent named by Glasgow university in UK (see June 2005 Traveler magazine by National Geographic) to be directly descended from the first homo erectus that ventured out of Africa to escape the Ice Age. Their DNA matched a 60,000 year old African sample!

So, there you are. Nature, heritage, adventure and human history - all in one place. And since, Perak is relatively untouched by tourism, lodging and food is still cheap.

Neil_Oz

I'll leave the positive recos to others and just mention that from what I hear you're right to be wary of PNG. I don't know that the government is unstable so much as that it doesn't seem to have the ability or maybe even the will to take control of the streets and deal with corruption in the police force. Australia has contributed Federal Police officers to help out, and one squad reported that on their first day in Port Moresby a gang of local cops tried to shake them down at a roadblock. Not promising, and a very great pity for the people of P-NG. I'm not a nervous-Nellie traveller, but I do have a well-developed sense of self-preservation, and I wouldn't go there.

marmot

Bali is a wonderful destination for profound natural beauty plus fascinating culture. Aside from the beaches and water sports there are a whole host of adventure activities available -- rafting, mountain climbing, exploring volcanoes, biking and hiking. Overarching all is the exquisite cultural experience -- temples, dances, festivals and all kinds of arts and crafts. No shortage of creature comforts at all price ranges.

A good combination with Bali is a visit to Central Java (about an hour away by air) to visit the 9th century Buddhist temple of Borobudur. Another scenic and culturally rich area.

fuzzylogic

Well - I have been to all the places you mention except Vietnam & PNG. I also adored Ghana, as suggested by a previous poster.

They are all wonderful. The Asian countries are subtly different; Namibia which, obviously, is out there very difhas aspects tis more different than the rest. The big question is how you will be travelling - on your own independently or on your own all pre-booked - or are you looking at a tour.








pre(or y woyugthe big

fuzzylogic

Well - I have been to all the places you mention except Vietnam & PNG. I also adored Ghana, as suggested by a previous poster.

They are all wonderful. The Asian countries are subtly different from each other; Namibia, obviously, is totally different from all of them.

The big questions are:

What really interests you?

How will you be travelling? - on your own independently or on your own all pre-booked - or are you looking at a tour.

Cheers.







pre(or y woyugthe big