Southeast Asia forum

South East Asia December 2011 HELP!!

mattyoliver

newbie
Posts: 3

Hi Guys,

I’m planning a trip for early December to Asia. I have about 25 days to play with.

My plan so far is to fly into Bangkok & visit the Similan Islands on a liveaboard for a few days & then check out Ko Raya Island too. Would you recommend Ko Raya? I don’t know very much about it so if anybody can recommend any more islands close by that are worth visiting that would really help too.

I’ve already done Koh Tao, Phi Phi, Samui & would like to visit some different places!! I’m looking for chilled out idyllic places where you can still have a bit of a party or drink but not as full on.

From there I have all kinds of ideas and would love some input from people that may have been to these places before.

Last year I visited Bali, Lombok, Gilli Islands & Komodo, I was debating whether to head back to Indonesia for a couple of weeks & just find go with the flow, I love beaches & diving & checking out local food & meeting people. Would you say it was worth visiting Indo for a couple of weeks as I know the distances/ reliability of boats etc is a problem. Where would be do-able in a short amount of time that is similar to the Gilli’s e.g. beautiful beaches, crystal clear waters.

Another option I’m looking at is going back to Cambodia/Laos/Vietnam & maybe checking out the more rural parts on motorbike?

I also fell in love with India last year & that is another option, so many ideas, so little time!!!!!

With regards to the weather/ seasons.... Could a few of the above places be eliminated as it will be pissing down with rain the whole time? : )

Thanks!

#1 Posted: 3/8/2011 - 20:24
SBE

mahout
Posts: 1734
Located in:

Private message

Might well be pissing down in Indonesia so you can eliminate that. Three weeks isn't very much so I'd be inclined to stay in Thailand. Weather should be good on the islands on the Andaman coast and also Big Ko Chang and its satellite islands. There's a button at the top of the page with detailed descriptions of most of the islands so you could start by having a look at that.

Why not do the rural motorbiking in Thailand as well? The Mai Hong Song Loop is a classic. If I could ride a motorbike I think I'd go up to Nong Khai and explore the road along the Thai-Lao border but you could go anywhere you like . All you have to do is look at a road map, pick a route and then check out the places you'll be passing through. It's not rocket science! Travelfish has lots of info about non beach areas of Thailand too if you dig a bit and there's also search engine you could use for posts about different places.

I think I'd start with the beach thing and then, if I had enough energy to leave my hammock, do the motorbike trip and escape the invasion of the peak season Christmas hordes.

#2 Posted: 3/8/2011 - 21:50