gradvmedusa

Hi
I'm planning a trip to Asia in Mid-Summer (Mid July departure) for about 3-4 weeks. The only thing for certrain is I plan on spending about 7-10 days in Tokyo, from there on I'm all open, I plan on doing the inercontinetal airfare via CO miles btw. I have around $2,000 for the whole trip max .

So my questions are as follows?

Tokyo-What should I see/do here and any advice on how I can not blow my budget here(I have lodging for free with friends)

Where should I go from here?

I was thinking Singapore then taking the train up through Malaysia to Kuala Lampur- Is this a good idea? I saw in another thread that SIN is a good place to get cheap airfares out of so maybe I should fly out of here instead? Perhaps to visit Hong Kong?

Really I am very early in the planning stages so I am open to anything.
H

jpatokal

Tokyo is a budget-buster, although staying with friends will help ease the pain. I'm sure they will show you around the obligatory sights, so the rest is up to your own interests.

Asia is a darned big place, so you can forget about seeing it all in month. Pick a few places that sound interesting and keep things flexible, there's no need to plan everything in advance.

Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok all have excellent plane connectivity and supercheap flights on LCCs. The overnight train from Sing to KL is alright, especially if you're one of those people like me who hate sitting on buses, but it's not terribly exciting unless you like counting palm trees. From KL, fly out to Kota Bharu and head to the Perhentian Islands, one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

Darren

Cathay and Malaysian Airlines have tickets that give you travel throughout the region for a fixed amount of money for a fixed amount of time that you might want to look into. CX is called the All Asia Pass and the new pricing just came out. I don't remember what it is but I believe around $1100 for 21 days with a marginal amount more to extend it. Tokyo will indeed be a budget buster (as will Hong Kong and Singapore to a much much less degree) but otherwise most of Asia is fairly inexpensive to be in.

FlyingScott

I enjoy the lesser developed and less expensive areas of Asia such as Vietnam and Thailand. I would stay away from the more modern and pricey places and try to see Asia they way it was and still largely is, not where it is mostly a copy of western cities. The previous poster's idea about the Malaysian islands is a great idea. I would also recommend going to Bangkok and the north of Thailand, to Saigon and Hanoi in Vietnam (need a visa) and to the mountainous northern areas of VN which are still very wild, remote and beautiful.

gradvmedusa

Really I picture Thailand as being filled with backpackers, this isn't the case? What about Cambodia and Laos? I do like cities so I would at least like to see Singapore and Kula Lampore for a day or two each. I am thinking of a schedule something like this
2 Nights Singapore
2 Nights KL
2-3 Nights on the Malaysian Islands
14 Days split among Thailand/Vietnamn/Cambodia or Laos
I would really like to find a nice cheap relaxing spot somewhere and stay for a good 5 nights or so, can anybody recomend such a place in any of the countries listed?(I am sure they are numerous...but to narrow it down I am looking for something beachy, scenic, rural, cheap, and hopefully having a nice mellow party scene of some sort.)

Also it seems that it is somewhat controversial to travel to Myanmar, do you think it might be worth checking out anyway? I am looking for some get away from it all, genuine adventures on this trip(However short) and the name "Burma" evokes very nostalgic and interesting imagery.

gradvmedusa

Is it bad to reply to yourself?

Anyway I think I have ruled Myanmar out apparently it's extremly rainy there in July. I also didn't realize how affordable Thailand was, but I am concerned with the crowds, is it extremly crowded there in late July and Early Agust?

mario33

Burma is definitely the best kept secret in Asia. IMHO it beats Bali and Thailand which so many "western" tourists raves about.

gradvmedusa

Really, even in July? I read that the weather is miserable, with torrential downpours every single day.

mario33

We were there in February and the weather was perfect, clear blue sky and it was quite cool in the mornings and evenings.

While I am not suggesting that you should go in July, I would be quite surprised if the bad weather affects only Burma and not the region as a whole during this time of the year.

I am not a person who keeps track of regional weather, but perhaps you should also check the weather in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos in July

gradvmedusa

Your right it does seem to be a regional thing. I guess I will have to put it back on the table rain is rain I guess.

t0rne

Many of the "sights" in Burma are in the north around Mandalay where there should be much less rain than in Yangon.
I'm heading there in June and as you say rain is rain

jpatokal

Thailand is a big country with over 70 million people, backpackers are a drop in the pond. Yes, Khao San Road and Koh Samui will be full of the dreadlocked hippies who think that not showering is a fashion statement, but there's much more to the country...

There are major climate variations even per country, eg. in Thailand the west coast is rainy when the east coast is dry. July is in the transition period between the hot and the wet seasons, so weather is rather unpredictable. Bear in mind that anywhere in the tropics, "extremely rainy" does not mean a week of cold drizzle, it means a torrential downpour once a day that rarely lasts over an hour.

gradvmedusa

Thanks for all the advice everybody. I think I have shifted my focus somewhat from "Whirlwind tour of S.E. Asia" to picking one our two countries and really diving in, I'm thinking of a week in Burma and Two Weeks in either Thailand or Vietnamn or Malaysia/Singapore Decisions .