Help Choosing Location for 1st Trip to Asia!
Sep 19th, 2009, 10:35 AM
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Help Choosing Location for 1st Trip to Asia!
I have a 2-week break from March 22 thru April 11th. My husband and I would like to take our 1st trip to Asia together during that time. We both love hiking, nature, and good food! My husband is a photographer so he would love amazing sites and scenery to photograph. For me, experiencing the local culture first-hand is very important, and I am really drawn to the Buddhist temples I've seen in countless photos. We do not want to travel with an organized group. Right now, we are partial to Nepal and Thailand, but it may just be because we know the most about these places. I'd appreciate any advice and suggestions, particularly guidance about the best locations weather-wise during the time we would be there.
Sep 19th, 2009, 11:57 AM
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I was going to say Nepal or Mongolia. You could visit The Great Wall on your way to Mongolia as most flights stop in Beijing and then you fly or take a train to Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia.
I'll put in a link to a trip I did with a night spent on The Great Wall and then to Mongolia. The photos don't show many Buddhist temples but we visited several and the company I used could arrange for more in depth time at some of the monasteries. Most of my trip was independent but I also joined a group for parts, which you would not have to.
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...rip-report.cfm
I went in July. March would be much colder in Mongolia. Here are some weather charts for Mongolia and Nepal.
Mongolia
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/c...ml?tt=TT002630
Nepal
http://www.milaadventure.com/subcat.php?sid=6
For beautiful scenery, not too much tops Nepal.
Good luck!
I'll put in a link to a trip I did with a night spent on The Great Wall and then to Mongolia. The photos don't show many Buddhist temples but we visited several and the company I used could arrange for more in depth time at some of the monasteries. Most of my trip was independent but I also joined a group for parts, which you would not have to.
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...rip-report.cfm
I went in July. March would be much colder in Mongolia. Here are some weather charts for Mongolia and Nepal.
Mongolia
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/c...ml?tt=TT002630
Nepal
http://www.milaadventure.com/subcat.php?sid=6
For beautiful scenery, not too much tops Nepal.
Good luck!
Sep 19th, 2009, 07:23 PM
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if this is your first asian trip it might be easiest to start some place with a really good tourist infastructure like thailand and also a place where you english will not present a problem...
the problem with april is that it is the hottest month of the year in thailand, but one can adjust to this...
you will find lots written on this board on thailand and its pleasures....i'm about to start my 13th trip there in 15 years.
bangkok is a fabulous city. choosing your hotel there is very important and can often make a difference whether you end up liking the place or not....
food is not an issue at all....you can get any kind of food you want in bangkok and other tourist areas have a good smattering as well.
temples....you won't want for temples, there are hundreds and maybe thousands....they range from huge ones to tiny ones... most all are open to the public and the monks love to talk with people...
there is no shortage of photo ops in SE Asia...people, buildings, markets, animals, foliage, beaches, cliffs, you name it...
your money goes a long way in thailand....you can live there on most any budget...
with the exception of a couple of hotels in bkk, all hotels there are less than $200 per nite and many are much less...
look at these pre-pay sites for examples:
www.agoda.com
www.huahin.20m.com
www.asiarooms.com
these pre pay sites are fine when you know what you want as they include all taxes (17%) and often breakfasts....breakfast are usually elaborate buffets and really good...
many of us prefer to stay on the river in bkk, but most of these hotels range from $125-200. prices do start to drop about april 1 however.
there are beach resorts with easy access from bangkok, usually a short flight---phuket, khoa lak, krabi, koh samui and others....hua hin and pattaya are a car ride of 2-3 hours.
in the north of the country there are two areas which people favor, chiang mai and chiang rai....these offer an alternative to the south... these are both a 1 hour flight from bkk....flights are very cheap on air asia and slightly more on thai air...
bangkok is a hub for airlines in SE Asia so you have many choices, both american airline companies and foreign....unted, thai, singapore, korean, luftansa, british air, air france, northwest/delta, eva, cathy pacific, malay and many others....prices range from a low of maybe $900 to a normal of $1100 to 1500. many stop in japan.
to advise you more we would need to know your style of travelling and daily budget....like how much for a hotel per nite and what do you like to eat....tell us more and we are glad to advise...
hong kong is another natural place to visit and so is singapore....there are many places you can also visit from some of these hub cities...
the problem with april is that it is the hottest month of the year in thailand, but one can adjust to this...
you will find lots written on this board on thailand and its pleasures....i'm about to start my 13th trip there in 15 years.
bangkok is a fabulous city. choosing your hotel there is very important and can often make a difference whether you end up liking the place or not....
food is not an issue at all....you can get any kind of food you want in bangkok and other tourist areas have a good smattering as well.
temples....you won't want for temples, there are hundreds and maybe thousands....they range from huge ones to tiny ones... most all are open to the public and the monks love to talk with people...
there is no shortage of photo ops in SE Asia...people, buildings, markets, animals, foliage, beaches, cliffs, you name it...
your money goes a long way in thailand....you can live there on most any budget...
with the exception of a couple of hotels in bkk, all hotels there are less than $200 per nite and many are much less...
look at these pre-pay sites for examples:
www.agoda.com
www.huahin.20m.com
www.asiarooms.com
these pre pay sites are fine when you know what you want as they include all taxes (17%) and often breakfasts....breakfast are usually elaborate buffets and really good...
many of us prefer to stay on the river in bkk, but most of these hotels range from $125-200. prices do start to drop about april 1 however.
there are beach resorts with easy access from bangkok, usually a short flight---phuket, khoa lak, krabi, koh samui and others....hua hin and pattaya are a car ride of 2-3 hours.
in the north of the country there are two areas which people favor, chiang mai and chiang rai....these offer an alternative to the south... these are both a 1 hour flight from bkk....flights are very cheap on air asia and slightly more on thai air...
bangkok is a hub for airlines in SE Asia so you have many choices, both american airline companies and foreign....unted, thai, singapore, korean, luftansa, british air, air france, northwest/delta, eva, cathy pacific, malay and many others....prices range from a low of maybe $900 to a normal of $1100 to 1500. many stop in japan.
to advise you more we would need to know your style of travelling and daily budget....like how much for a hotel per nite and what do you like to eat....tell us more and we are glad to advise...
hong kong is another natural place to visit and so is singapore....there are many places you can also visit from some of these hub cities...
Sep 19th, 2009, 10:36 PM
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Have you considered Japan? It really is Nirvana for the keen photographer with countless amazing sights to see (Kyoto alone has something like 18 UNESCO World Heritage sites!Weatherwise, March/April would be good (it is usually a bit too early for the Cherry blossom but you could be lucky). There are temples and shrines all over the country, differnt to the buddhist temples of SE Asia but IMHO even more stunning.
Sep 20th, 2009, 01:19 PM
#7
That would be prime time for cherry blossoms in the southern half of Japan. Like many Japanese lists by location the following one is from north to south:
http://gojapan.about.com/library/spe...ayosou2009.htm
The last week of the March sumo tournament in Osaka would coincide with the first 5 or so days of your trip. The last week of your trip would coincide with the first week of the pro baseball season. Lots of amazing sights like castles, Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines. Beautiful traditional farmhouses in Shirakawago. Lots of natural beauty all over Japan, easily accessible is Fuji-Hakone National Park from Tokyo.
http://gojapan.about.com/library/spe...ayosou2009.htm
The last week of the March sumo tournament in Osaka would coincide with the first 5 or so days of your trip. The last week of your trip would coincide with the first week of the pro baseball season. Lots of amazing sights like castles, Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines. Beautiful traditional farmhouses in Shirakawago. Lots of natural beauty all over Japan, easily accessible is Fuji-Hakone National Park from Tokyo.
Sep 21st, 2009, 05:04 AM
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Thank you for the suggestions everyone! Japan sounds wonderful but I think it may bo too expensive for us. We are looking to get the most bang for our buck, and it seems like southeast Asia would fit that bill moreso than Japan (though Japan is a culture we definitely plan on experiencing fully someday).
As for the questions regarding our "style of traveling" and budget: we are typically pretty low-budget! our last vacation was tent camping in us national parks and the canadian rockies for 3 weeks. Before that, we went to Tulum, Mexico and stayed in a $42/night hut on the beach without electricity. So, I guess you could say "rustic" is okay with us. We are fine without fancy western-style hotels and in fact, feel it would likely make for a more meaningful cultural experience to stay in smaller, cheaper places. As for a budget, I'd say $100-$150/day for food and lodging. Thailand and Vietnam seem like they would both fit that bill. My only concern would be that April is the hottest month! we live in NJ and are used to humid summers, but can anyone comment on how it actually feels to be there in April?
As for the questions regarding our "style of traveling" and budget: we are typically pretty low-budget! our last vacation was tent camping in us national parks and the canadian rockies for 3 weeks. Before that, we went to Tulum, Mexico and stayed in a $42/night hut on the beach without electricity. So, I guess you could say "rustic" is okay with us. We are fine without fancy western-style hotels and in fact, feel it would likely make for a more meaningful cultural experience to stay in smaller, cheaper places. As for a budget, I'd say $100-$150/day for food and lodging. Thailand and Vietnam seem like they would both fit that bill. My only concern would be that April is the hottest month! we live in NJ and are used to humid summers, but can anyone comment on how it actually feels to be there in April?
Sep 21st, 2009, 05:51 AM
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ok, humidity....think in these terms...the worst day you have ever had in NJ in july or august is how SEA is 24/7 365 days per year....sometimes in december and january there is a small break but not always...april will be HOT and more humidity than you have ever experienced....that said go and enjoy...
$42 hotels are available but personally i would be very careful about picking one....i would rather spend $75-125 and feel a bit safer about the type of accomodations....take a look at centre point properties....cp silom is a very convenient one in bangkok... majestic grande hotel is a good bet as is the marriott courtyard, the bangkok holiday inn on plenochit (the other HI is ok, but not fab--its on silom) and many others....pick a central location near to the skytrain...use the references given above...
you can easily eat cheaply in thailand and eat well...
$42 hotels are available but personally i would be very careful about picking one....i would rather spend $75-125 and feel a bit safer about the type of accomodations....take a look at centre point properties....cp silom is a very convenient one in bangkok... majestic grande hotel is a good bet as is the marriott courtyard, the bangkok holiday inn on plenochit (the other HI is ok, but not fab--its on silom) and many others....pick a central location near to the skytrain...use the references given above...
you can easily eat cheaply in thailand and eat well...
Sep 21st, 2009, 07:54 AM
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Despite what Bob says it $42 will get you a nice aircon, en-suite room in Bangkok, Saigon or Hanoi and a very nice room in places outside of the capital. For budget accomodationcheck out www.hostelworld.com or www hostelbookers.com both are easy to use sites and have online booking capability. You budget of $100-$150 will be plenty for this type of travel in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Sep 22nd, 2009, 06:37 AM
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Thank you to everyone for the information and advice! We are waiting to see how the airfares go, but it looks like Thailand will probably be our pick, especially for us "newbies" to Asia.
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