Originally Posted by
TheBagman
You probably are, and that's the difference.
To an extent yes.
Originally Posted by
TheBagman
When you know the area so well, it's easy to plan in advance an exact number of days between flights. It's easy (and valid) to see things like riding the day bus across Lao as boring routine. On the other extreme, my perception (and probably some others) is shaped by my one experience: when I arrived in KUL, the only thing I had planned or read about was 1) medical preparation 2) that my outbound flight was 5weeks away from BKK. Armed only with a guidebook I picked up at KUL, I managed to have one of the best 5 weeks of my life taking things one day at a time, talking to other travelers about what they liked/disliked, not rushing things but also not trying to fill empty days created by advance flight planning. I am weird, but one of the parts I enjoyed most (and remember the most) are all of the over-land trips I took on the 'local' transportation.
To each his own.
No, actually I love all of that. But I'll use miles to get to DPS or SIN before heading out beyond. And when, as with the OP, or as with family out here, there are ways to maximize the value of your miles. The last few years I did bemoan the inability to alter awards once set and embarked upon. That is no longer a problem. Yes, availability has the potential to throw a wrench into the cogs if you attempt to change, but with the possible exception of SIN/BKK-DPS that is not a problem with any of these cities. Especially at this time of the year, when SE Asia is in monsoon and in low tourist season (my favorite) but Indo (CGK and DPS) is in it's height of touristy-ness.
A 6 hour bus ride in Laos in fun.. usually.
Just stay clear of the 24 hour (forced overnight on the bus) from Luang Prabang to Phongsali.