I can't comment on cheap places in Asia because wherever I go, I seem to end up spending bushels (well, except for Philippines, but the political situation makes that a bad choice for you). However, I'm very good at staying online 24/7. My number one piece of advice is to invest in a GSM GPRS modem and research the rate plans in your prospective countries. I paid ~$200 for my modem and another $15/month for unlimited access within China and it's fantastic (only about 2x as fast as a dial-up though), even works on trains, buses, etc. I'm guessing other Asian countries have similar rate plans. It's also good to have a Wifi card of course.