violet_gal

Hello Fodorites....Hello World....

I'm a newbie here and I just want to ask help from you guys. As a start, A gal who'll be spending her birthday travelling to her fave spots (Bangkok, malaysia, singapore and vietnam). Want to savor the different cuisines that this countries has to offer...Want also to have a rich culture fix but at the same time to check the MODERN side of the city. I want also to enroll on cooking classes since I do love to cook and bake.

Planning to go at this countries by june( my birth month), but it'll be on a budget trip. Say $50/day. 2-5 days per country. Can you pls recommend a safe and clean hostels, inns and guesthouses that suits my budget. Any cooking schools and places that is important to check out. and also a cheap way(trains,plane,bus,taxis) to be at this countries. And lastly, any fodorites out there who is travelling alone and has the same itinenary as mine....

Thanks.... hope to read suggestions...

Hanuman

If you're looking for travelling partner I think it would help if you tell people where you're from and your age. You might want or not want to travel with people of a certain age so the more information you give will help.

For Thailand, if your primary interest is in food then start using the search function here on food, street food, restaurant etc. Different part of Thailand have different cuisines so again what cities and how long are you planning to visit? If you're only planning on staying in Bangkok then perhaps a day at either Bon Mache market or Or Tor Kor market, both markets are clean and offer good food, will be good to see and sample local food. Then you can go to a food hall at the Siam Paragon mall or Central World to experience something more upscale in the comfort of A/C.

For cultural tour use the search function as well. For something unique I have the following suggestion:

1/. Amphawa weekend market. This is a UNESCO Heritage site and you will experience life on the river as well as good food. You can even consider to spend the night there at one of the bed and breakfast type hostels there.

2/. Koh Kred island. This is an island in the Chao Praya river just North of central Bangkok where the Mon community lives. Take a tour around the island and they have some nice little cafe type local restaurants there as well.

You can further research the two places I've mentioned above by Googling their names.

rhkkmk

are you suggesting $50 per day on hotel or on all daily expenditures??

violet_gal

Thank you Hanuman for the valuable information...

Im from the Philippines and am in my late 20's and early 30's....

Any walking tours or bus tours that I can be on?

thursdaysd

I averaged $50 for SEA in '04, but prices may have gone up since then. that got me rooms with AC

violet_gal

Hi there rhkkmk...

hmmmm $50 bucks for hotel, food and others....

thursdaysd

Hit the wrong key - $50 a day got me hotel rooms with AC and en-suite bath, plenty of good food including a few splurges, and transport - no flights, but I prefer to travel on the ground. I recommend trains for Vietnam, and long distance buses with perhaps a train as well for Malaysia. Singapore can be a budget-buster, though.

Hanuman

Mabuhay Viloet. Do you just want to spend time in Bangkok only?

violet_gal

Hello there thursdaysd...
Thank you for the info and do pls add some more suggestions....can you recommend any train company or buss company?

violet_gal

Mabuhay Hanuman...

Aside from Bangkok, Ill be spending time to singapore, malaysia and vietnam... any sites and accommodations that I check from this countries?

thursdaysd

No choice of train company (except for the very expensive Eastern and Oriental Express in Malaysia). Take a look at http://seat61.com/Malaysia.htm and http://seat61.com/Vietnam.htm . For buses I just stopped by the bus station and bought a ticket, not sure there was any choice there, either. See http://wilhelmswords.com/asia2002/index.html for my trip to Malaysia. Vietnam is there and on the RTW2004 section on the same site.

Afrojunkie

We returned from Vietnam (with a hop to Cambodia) last week. Can recommend the Church Hotel in Hanoi for a GREAT stay. Very central in the French quarter. We ate at several places, but I particularly enjoyed Quan An Gong (sp??), a very local VN restaurant in the Hoan Kiem region of the city. Outstanding food in a very novel environment, almost like a food court with vendor located around the edges of the resto. Food was very quick and superb! Cooking schools? My husband runs tours in the area and they use a school called Red Bridge in Hoi An (near Da Nang), but Morning Glory also offers a cooking school. In fact, most of the good restos in the Hoi An area offer cooking schools. Transport? We took the train to Sa Pa - no problems. And we used the Huang Long bus service from Hanoi to Hai Phong to get to Cat Ba Is. Very easy and inexpensive. I'm blogging the whole trip (slowly..!) and you're welcome to keep checking in for more info over the next week: http://activeinvietnam.wordpress.com

violet_gal

Hello everyone...

Made some research last night on Bangkok( read a 2005 ed. TIME OUT travel book)hehehehe, borrowed from a friend and I have noted some places that I bet is interesting to check.... Pls give me some info or insights about it.

PAK KHLONG TALAD- its a flower market
SAM YAN- food market/market
WAT ARUN- how much is the admission fee?
best time of the day to visit this place.
WAT PHO- admission fee?
what not to miss in this place?
GRAND PALACE- admission fee?
WAT PHRA KAEW- admission fee
GOLDEN MOUNT
BAIYOKE II TOWER- admission fee?

Do I still have to buy some train cards to be on places around the city? how much?

I want also to witness a traditional Thai dance.. any suggestions on where and how much?

where can I buy souvenirs to bring home? what do you think I should buy?

Want to explore bangkok's canals by boat? any suggestions?

I love to cook so, where can I buuy some THAI CURRY PASTE, KAFFIR LIME LEAVES and other Thai ingredients?

Pls bear with me since this trip will be the first grand one and I want it to be memorable.... Hope you could share some...Thanks alot...

violet_gal

Hello guys,

Been planning my trip with endless internet research and reading various books, articles and of course this forum...
I'm happy that things are getting clearer.

Ill be visiting BKK,Vietnam and Malaysia. 3days BKK,3days kuala lumpur and maybe a side trip to georgetown and 4 days vietnam...

Any sights I can see on georgetown? vietnam? Help Help

Kenstee

>I love to cook so, where can I buy some THAI CURRY PASTE, KAFFIR LIME LEAVES and other Thai ingredients?

No need to bring these home from Thailand. Fruits and vegs can be confiscated by customs anyway. You could get some pre-packaged curry to bring home though at a supermarket or grocery store.

Sources in US:
New York City:
Bangkok Market
(212) 234-1979
104 Mosco St
New York, NY

Also, lots of online places to get these things these days.

>Want to explore bangkok's canals by boat? any suggestions?

Avoid tour operators. Just go to one of the many docks and arrange an 2 or 3 hour private tour directly with the long tail boat operator. They know exactly what you want. Usually, someone knows enough English to make it happen. Maybe $20-30US or so at most for a couple hour private tour.

daawgon

You'll need a little more cash for Malaysia, Singapore and also Thailand. I spend $50. a day for everything in Vietnam (I'm a foodie too and usually spend more on food than a room). I think 2-5 days per country is a little unrealistic - sounds like your dreams are bigger than your budget, sorry!

AsiaExpert

For recommended cheap hotels and hostels in Singapore, yu can look here : http://www.metropolasia.com/Singapor...ls_and_hostels