First time Asia - Questions
 

Hello, I am off to Asia for the first time in a couple of weeks. I have read a lot of reports and information on these boards.. thank you for sharing your trips. I promise to share mine once I get back.

Are there any cant miss places to see / visit in Beijing, Bangkok, and Siem Reap? I will be spending 3 - 4 days in each location, and have Tong and crew in Thailand, and Ponheary and brother in Cambodia as guides. For China, will be there be one part of the wall that is better to go to (and less touristy) than the others? Anyone have a guide they can recommend for Beijing?

Finally, I have 3 days that I would like to spend in Borneo. Would love to see some Orangutan, and have a rain forest visit. What do you think? Kuching or Kota Kinabalu? I have looked at the Shangri-La properties in KK. Alternatively, is there another good place to stay that will give me a taste of Borneo?

Anything else? Thanks for your help and suggestions? My departure date of Aug 28th is coming up fast...

Richard

Well, I think you know the must-see places in Bangkok, Siem Reap and Beijing. You have guides in Siem Reap and Bangkok, so I don't know what more you want on those locations. Do have good guidebooks? If not, get some. There is no substitute for good information.

You have three days and want to see Orangutans in Borneo... I have to say, it's really not enough time. You would be far better off adding a day to each of the locations you already have.

The Shangri-La properties really aren't places to give you "a taste of Borneo." One of the properties does have a few orangutans on the property, in a "rehab" center, but basically, they are captive. You can see a better rehab center in Sandakan (you'd fly into KK then take another flight from there). The absolute best place to see Orangutans in the wild is the Borneo Rainforest Lodge in the Danum Valley. We had a fabulous time there and I'd highly recommend it. The problem? You don't have enough time.

Here are the logistics: from Bangkok, you fly to KL, then you fly to Kota Kinabalu. You'll have to wait until the next day to fly into Lahad Datu, and it's a couple of hours by jeep to the Rainforest Lodge. Minimum stay is two nights, and when you return, again, it's a couple of hours by jeep, the flight to KK, and you really can't fly out until the next day. It would be most of a day to get back to Bangkok.

You could do Sandakan as a day trip from KK, but it would be the merest glimpse of Borneo.

Asia lends itself best to slow travel. You say you have 3-4 days in each of the locations you've chosen, but have you figured in travel time?

Save Borneo for another trip - it's well worth it! You can read my trip report
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34716301

I agree with Kathie. I think you should save Borneo for another trip. Seeing Beijing, BKK and Siem Riep will be plenty for a first trip. I think you will enjoy these places much more if you add a day in each.

Sounds like a great trip.

i think air asia now has a flt from bkk to KK...that might help??

Bob, so far as I know, it goes through KL, so no different from taking Malaysian Air.

i think they have added a newish flt directly from bkk to KK

Bob, the AirAsia site lists no direct flight from Bangkok to Kota Kinabalu. It has a flight from Bangkok to KL and another from KL to KK. You change planes, and because it is Air Asia, you have to pick up your luggage, go though customs and immigration and recheck your luggage for the next flight.

Don't know if this is out of date but they appear to list a direct flight.
Bangkok to Kota Kinabalu.


http://tiny.cc/61A4R

Leigh, that's a 2004 press release. If you input Bangkok as your starting point on the Air Asia site, you don't get an option to go to KK. Likewise, if you input KK as your starting point, you don't get an option to go to Bangkok. In both cases, you have to fly through KL.

Apparently, Air Asia had a flight between the two at one time. The flight is no longer on their schedule. It is possible that it is seasonal, so it may reappear.

Nonetheless, even if you could fly non-stop from BKK to KK, I still wouldn't recommend trying to get a taste of Borneo in three days including travel time.