Southeast Asia Travel Blogs on RealTravel

Myanmar journal: Cycling Burma: You Say Bye-Bye, And I Say Mingalaba

2007-04-20T03:27:50Z

"At the Water Festival, there are no time-outs!"

a entry by Tole & Jessica from a trip to Myanmar, Mandalay.

MYANMAR TOURING HIGHLIGHTS

*Ecstatic children waving and yelling "Hello", or just as often, "Bye-Bye," as you ride or walk by.

*Amazing people who are not only friendly, but are always happy to help you and will accept nothing but smiles for their time and effort.

*Making long, loud smooching noises to call your waiter, and listening to a crowd of other patrons do the same.

*Now-you-see-it, now-you-don't electricity. The show can start, or stop, at any time.

*Inevitable bouts of food poisoning and traveler's tummy, just to keep things interesting.

*Crazy ...

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) journal: Vibrant Saigon with Wild Traffic

2008-04-13T08:09:21Z

a entry by Traveling Nomad from a trip to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.

We had the opportunity to disembark two days in a row in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), I suspect because the port is very close to the city and the ship can stock up on supplies. The temperature got to 36-37 degrees centigrade in Hue/Danang the previous day, and in Saigon, it was 32 degrees centigrade both days. Hot is hot.

The night before we arrived in Saigon, the ship had a very accomplished and cultured man, Mr. Anh, from DaNang speak to us about Vietnam, the people and their customs and culture, the history of the war and Vietnam's recovery and current political situation, and what to ...

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Ubud journal: Beautiful Bali

2008-03-07T06:44:56Z

a entry by Traveling Nomad from a trip to Ubud, Indonesia.

Well, I don't even know how to start describing Bali. After I was there for seven of my nine days, it felt like no time and a lifetime all at once.

To start my story of Bali, I have to start with the Balinese New Year's Eve. The people throughout Bali prepare extensively for this celebration and the following day of fasting, meditation and no business, no moving vehicles, no leaving your home, no electricity (not even the airport is open). The day, called Nyepi, is a day of reflection and introspection after a day of acknowledging and slaying of the bad spirits/demons that are exhibited ...

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Luang Prabang journal: Amazing Luang Prabang

2008-05-28T14:47:33Z

a entry by Career Suicide from a trip to Luang Prabang, Laos.

The title says it all. We loved in here. After the 2 day boat ride we finally arrived.. tired and weary into Luang Prabang. We found a place with Jason and Eleanor that was nice and comfy after our last night in a river side shack. It was already in the evening when we arrived.. so we all headed out for a quick bite to eat and along the way Krystal met her friend Michelle from Edmonton. Crazy.. I know. Not who you would expect running into in the back streets in Laos. She joined us for dinner and we agreed to meet for breakfast the next morning. After such a long boat ride we slept ...

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Vientiane journal: Vientiane

2008-05-28T15:22:43Z

a entry by Career Suicide from a trip to Vientiane, Laos.

The adventure continues. And boy did it. We got up super early, found a tuk tuk, found Michelle and headed to the bus station. Usually all the guesthouses and travel agents bump up the price.. so its best to get it from the source. Plus we got ripped in Phuket.. so we learned the hardway. We found a bus that claimed it had AC and left at 6:30am. We jumped on.. and pretty much fell asleep immediately. Krystal and I wanted to sit together and the only double seat was over the rear wheelwell.. so we took it. A little cramped. Just like the boat.. the bus was packed. The bus was ...

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Kuching journal: Cute ones, scary ones and ones with HUGE noses!

2007-06-18T12:42:56Z

"he was absolutely enormous and seriously hairy"

a entry by Ben and Gini from a trip to Kuching, Sarawak.

We flew into Kuching from Jonah Baru after getting the bus across the border from Singapore. We were met at the airport by Wesley, the owner of the hostel we were staying at. Sea Hare was a little hostel that hasn't been open for very long but it had everything we needed.

We spent the first night looking around Kuching. Went out for noodles, drank tea in a cafe and walked along the waterfront. Quite a nice town really, the people seemed very friendly.

The next day we caught an early bus to Bako National Park, an hour or two away from Kuching. We caught a boat across to the park ...

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Ko Ngai journal: Island Hopping Ko Kraddan, Ko Ngai

2008-02-25T06:11:53Z

a entry by dungroovin from a trip to Ko Ngai, Krabi.

Dear blog forgive us, for it is full 20 days since last we blogged.

We have been sorely tried as in thine wisdom thou hast seen fit to cast us upon mere specs of coral in the middle of the Andaman sea which are not troubled even by a road let alone thine wonderful wibbly wobbly web.

In fact I can't even find one of 'em in thine miraculous "database of most of the populated regions on the planet".

We set off from Trang with an hours bus trip then get loaded into a longtail boat, again it's a little nerve racking to see all you have in the world being chucked across river from ...

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Koh Phangan journal: Koh Phangan: North west serenity

2007-12-14T10:47:22Z

"gobsmackingly pretty from its aqualine water, right down to its lush tropical toes"

a entry by RollingStone from a trip to Koh Phangan, Surat Thani Province.

I've been on Phangan a couple of days now. I certainly picked the perfect location (by accident though). Caught the ferry over from Koh Samui, ended up being seated next to a couple of Canadian guys. I swear if I'd lit a match the whole boat would have gone up. They reeked of stale beer. Anyway all nose hairs and long legs....funny. I also saw my first ladyboy. Hair in bun, eyebrows perfectly plucked and tissue-stuffed boobs to boot...When I finally arrived in Phangan my ride seemed to have gone astray and I ended up flagging a pick-up and was eventually dropped at the end of an unsealed ...

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Vang Vieng journal: The Backpacker Capital of Laos

2008-04-23T09:26:03Z

a entry by The Sehrineau's from a trip to Vang Vieng, Laos.

After Champasak, we took a number of buses covering over 700km and ended up in Vang Vieng, the backpacker capital of Laos. Vang Vieng is set on the Mekong and is lined with breathtaking limestone cliffs. It also is home to a huge backpacker culture, a lot of drinking, drugs and strangely enough: continous Friends* episodes in many of the bars.

The thing to do in Vang Vieng is go tubing. For the lily-livered, this means you sit in an inner tube and laze down the Mekong (perhaps the world's best Lazy River). For an added challenge, there are bars approximately every 50 meters serving ...

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Bangkok journal: Songkran

2008-04-14T06:30:21Z

"By the time i got back to the hostel i had a face-wide grin flour-cemented into my face!"

a entry by James Bunting from a trip to Bangkok, Thailand.

Songkran Day; the Thai New Year; The Water Festival; The most fun I've had in ages!

Songkran Day runs from April 12th to April 15th. It is the Thai New Year (based on the Lunar Calendar) where the 12th is New years eve and the 13th New Years Day. To celebrate, the Thai people shut up shop for three days, most public services cease to run, and the Khoasan Road, including the surrounding few roads is cordoned off and decorated so the Thai people, and travellers a like, can partake in what can only be described as the biggest water-fight in the world!

We arrived on the 12th with a ...

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Siem Reap journal: Wat You Want? Baby I Got It!

2008-04-13T10:06:05Z

a entry by Four Explore from a trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

By Dan

Oh, yeah, there are some temple things near Siem Reap, right? Angkor Wat, etc.? That’s why we went there, right? Yep, and they were very cool. OK, here’s the long awaited description. . . .

First, some background. The area around Siem Reap was the capital of the Khmer Kingdom off and on for about 400 years, from the 9th through the 13th centuries. Various kings wanted to build their own cities, and the associated temples, and devoted enormous resources in the form of artisans and laborers to do so. At its height, there were a million people living in the area. Compare ...

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Bangkok journal: Magic banana

2008-04-06T13:37:23Z

a review of Sananwan Palace, a place to stay in Bangkok, Thailand.

Great people, firm bed, laid-back. Despite the internal room decor (rooms remind me of Transkei but are clean and tidy) the whole set-up is really professional with them more concerned about your getting your flight in time than their payment. The Banks and Bird family owned biz is a great night's crash, close to the airport.

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Kampong Cham journal: ''Holiday in CAMBODIA''

2008-04-09T11:12:10Z

"They also charged us extra for the stamp ink and a service charge because the officer had to get up early. He had a point it was a saturday !"

a entry by Zeke Coulter from a trip to Kampong Cham, Cambodia.

Today was the day. I had to leave Loas. I have had the greatest time in Laos. The people are so chilled, the food is amazing, and the country is so beautiful ! If you are ever over that side of the world make sure you pop into Laos and say hello.

The two guys from holland had to cross the boarder today as well. We got a boat off Don Det and headed for the mainland. We got in A mini Van and headed for the Laos / Cambodian border. It was the funniest border crossing i have ever seen. The customs office was a little shed. They would gladly take your $20 for the visa. They also ...

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Don Det journal: road to the 4000 Islands

2008-04-07T15:11:55Z

"Any way we arrived 3 hours late not that any one cared."

a entry by Zeke Coulter from a trip to Don Det, Laos.

I met two dudes from holland that were heading from pakse to 4000 islands as well. We got to the local bus station ( a dirt field) where we got a ticket to the place you get a boat over to the islands. I cant remember the name if the place. We were told should take around 2 1/2 hours. We were on a local bus. Before we left i estimated there would be around 20 people traveling with us. I was very wrong. I counted 45 people. I really should not say it was a bus either. More like an over sized tuktuk. They jamed us in like sardines. Its was wicked.

We seemed to be stopping at ...

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Don Det journal: 4000 Islands - Laos - Don Det

2008-04-07T15:37:23Z

"A few beers, Lao Lao whisky & live music."

a entry by Zeke Coulter from a trip to Don Det, Laos.

The 4000 islands is where the Mekong enlarges to a 14 km width where a lot of small and not so small islands emerge. Most of them are not reachable unless you have your own boat but the main two, Don Kong and Don Det are easily. Don Kong and Don Det are joined buy a bridge.

I had picked a bungalow to stay on the sun set side of Don Det. It was wicked, I stayed there about 6 days. The islands have no electricity. The have generators to give the islands power between 6 and 10pm. I spent my time relaxing, reading, playing cards, fishing, sleeping in the hammock. After the restaurants ...

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Siem Reap journal: Don’t Fear the Reaper

2008-04-08T10:53:22Z

a entry by Four Explore from a trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

By Dan

. . . The Siem Reaper, that is, as in Siem Reap, the Cambodian city that is home to one of the world’s most amazing collections of temples. Angkor Wat and its companions were high on the list of things I was most excited to see and do and experience when we left on this trip, and Christina and I grew increasingly excited as we got closer. (To heighten the anticipation, I’m going to save my description of the temples for a separate blog entry. Read on, for a description of Siem Reap and the rest of the things we did there.)

First we had to get from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. ...

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Gili Air journal: Welcome to my paradise

2008-04-08T08:46:19Z

a entry by Princess Bunny from a trip to Gili Air, Indonesia.

Our trip to gili air started in usual southeast-Asia style – we were picked up from our hotel by a taxi which spent 20mins weaving around backstreets only to drop us off at a travel agency only 5mins walk from our hotel!

We then hung around there for 45mins before being collected by minibus which drove us to bus station on the outskirts of kuta; we waited for a further 30mins before our bus arrived to take us to the port. At the port we had an hour wait for the boat!

The 4hour boat ride was lovely with clear blue skies all the way and they even gave us a rather delicious free ...

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Phnom Penh journal: Darkness on the Edge of Town

2008-04-07T09:52:03Z

a entry by Four Explore from a trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

By Christina

The legacy of the Khmer Rouge resonates in Cambodia to this day and is like a dark shadow lurking in the corners of Cambodian homes and shops. From roughly 1975 to 1979, hundreds of thousands of Cambodians were relocated to agricultural cooperatives in the countryside, where they were forced to farm “for the greater good”. Following a warped interpretation of communism, Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge cronies were particularly harsh on the educated class, torturing and executing lawyers, doctors, and the like, as well as anyone who spoke foreign languages, wore glasses, or ...

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Phnom Penh journal: Crossroad Blues

2008-04-06T11:35:57Z

a entry by Four Explore from a trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

By: Christina

Arriving in bustling, hustling Cambodia after mellow Laos and pristine Thailand was a big change. There are lots of people everywhere and the streets are darn crowded. There is also quite a bit of pollution and litter, and both the Mekong and the Tonle Sap rivers (Phnom Penh is where they meet) are fairly stinky and nasty looking. The drivers – in cars, on motor scooters, or in tuk tuks –make crossing the street a major challenge and there definitely is a sense of chaos in the air. The place feels reminiscent of India rather than Laos and Thailand, which is not surprising ...

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Penang journal: Culture

2008-04-05T07:02:12Z

"When i saw short-cut i don't mean little back street only the locals know about. I mean ignoring the obviously tedios one way system"

a entry by James Bunting from a trip to Penang, Malaysia.

Penang... what to say about Penang. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. You could walk down the street, smells of strange fish roasting on carts stood at the croner of every street, past big warehouses and markets, then suddenly a beautiful, British colonial building which used to be a bank, or school or administration building or similar would spring up, then back to the shops and shacks of the rest of the city. It was surreal.

The guesthouse i had found on the internet, for pennys i may add, was very nice in a wonderful sort of mini-manor style to it. I*t was set back from the ...

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Chiang Mai journal: Life in Chiang Mai

2008-04-03T14:44:41Z

a entry by Bates' big trip from a trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand.

This morning we took a tuk tuk to the Immigration Office by the airport to extend our visas. Originally we expected to be out of Thailand by now but with Sam being away we’ve decided to wait for her before we move on to Laos. We failed to get the kid’s visa extended for free even though they were dressed as smart as possible and had been told to smile and look adorable in order to extract sympathy from the authorities, and so we had to pay 1,900 Baht each, a severe dent to our budget. Fortunately, Chiang Mai in comparison to everywhere else we have been to in Asia is very cheap. Whereas before ...

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Ko Phangan journal: Koh Phangan

2008-04-03T08:49:23Z

"Rick abstained from being painted but was obliging when it came to painting a two-tone handlebar moustache on Richard!"

a entry by Hollie & Richard from a trip to Ko Phangan, Thailand.

We caught the 19.30 night train down from Bangkok to Surat Thani to make our way to Koh Phangan. We arrived about an hour beforehand so we passed the time playing cards on the floor of the station. The guy who was sat next to us asked if we would mind his bags for a minute so we obliged. When he came back we got chatting and found out that he was going to not just the same island, but the same resort (Weangthai Resort) as us! We forgot to get his name though!

The train arrived around 7 o'clock in the morning and caught a bus to the coast, where we were reunited with our new friend ...

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Waikabubak journal: Sumba

2008-04-03T04:46:26Z

"An incredible culture with bloody funerals and amazing scenery to boot!"

a entry by The Sehrineau's from a trip to Waikabubak, Nusa Tenggara Timur.

Getting to Sumba required yet another long voyage, this time 26 hours on ferries from Flores. Luckily we managed to snag benches we could lie on overnight as the one ferry a week that goes to Sumba was completely packed with livestock, goods and of course people.

Sumba is an island that does not receive a lot of tourists. An Irishman we met living there reckons it gets more anthropologists visiting than tourists. It's a mystery to us how it has remained so isolated as the island (like all the ones we've seen in Indonesia) is stunning, and its people have an incredible and vibrant ...

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Chiang Mai journal: Our journey to Chiang Mai

2008-04-03T04:58:38Z

a entry by Bates' big trip from a trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand.

We flew to a city called Singapore and then three days later we got a coach to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Everywhere it is very hot, a lot hotter than it ever is in England. We have to drink lots of water so we don’t get dehydrated and we need to put on lots of sun cream and wear our hats.

At the Perhentian Islands we made 3 friends called Izzy, Abbie and Max and we went snorkelling with them and saw loads of fish. At a different beach we found a big rope swing. Our Dad lifted us up to it and pushed us so we nearly hit the tree the rope was hanging from.

In Thailand we spent a week ...

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Labuanbajo journal: Komodo National Park

2008-04-03T04:24:09Z

"Mythical creatures on land and under the sea"

a entry by The Sehrineau's from a trip to Labuanbajo, Nusa Tenggara Timur.

After the Gili Islands our next destination was theisland of Flores and it's famed neighbor the KomodoIslands. To get to Flores required taking a boat, car,car, bus, ferry, bus, minibus and ferry across severalislands. Add to that the numerous touts trying toconvince us our tickets weren't valid so we'd pay themsome money and ferries and buses that left hoursbehind schedule it was quite the odyssey! However 38hours after departing we finally arrived in LabuanBajo, the western port on Flores.

The area around Labuan Bajo is stunning, with verdantgreen hills arching out of the sea and the ...

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