Southeast Asia forum

I'll answer your last questions first. Are you insane? Yes - stark raving mad

Below I've summarised the above for easier comprehension for others - I think I got it all right, though point out anything where I'm off please.

March 23 - Dublin - Kuala Lumpur
March 24 - KL overnight at Matahari Lodge or Explorers G'hse
March 25 - KL - Da Nang - Hoi An Staying at An Hoi Hotel
March 26 - Hoi An
March 27 - Back to Da Nang then train to Hue and on to Hanoi
March 28 - midday arrival at Hanoi Stay Hanoi Guesthouse
March 29 - Ha Long Bay
March 30 - Back from Ha Long Bay evening flight to Luang Prabang, staying at Khoune & Khone
March 31 - Luang Prabang
April 1 - Luang Prabang
April 2 - Flight to Siem Reap, staying at Golden Temple Villa or Cashew Nut
April 3 - Siem Reap
April 4 - Siem Reap, evening flight to Bangkok staying at Hua Lamphong (You mean the train station?)
April 5 - Bangkok - then (train bus connection overnight to Krabi - Railey)
April 6 - Railay - staying at Railay Garden View or Andaman Nature Resort
April 7 - Railay
April 8 - Railay
April 9 - Fly Krabi to Kuala Lumpur
April 10 - Fly Kuala Lumpur to Medan transfer to Bukit Lawang accom: Kupu Kupu
April 11 - Bukit Lawang
April 12 - Bukit Lawang then fly to Kuala Lumpur
April 13 - Kuala Lumpur
April 14 - KL - Dublin

So, yes, the above is all possible, and while I understand the desire to fit in as much as you can, I think, yes, the above is a bit mental - I mean that in the nicest possible way of course!

The easiest way to make it a bit easier would be to drop Bukit Lawang -- I've not been there myself so perhaps others will chime in with an opinion, but if you drop it you get four days you can spread across the other destinations, which would make it more pleasurable.

You're already flying most of the legs I'd recommend in order to save time, really the only other flights you could fit in would be Bangkok - Krabi and Da Nang to Hanoi -- both of which I'd consider, particularly the latter.

Hoi An is probably the one spot that really jumps out at me as deserving more time -- especially with three boys their age. There is a lot to do there, but if you are set on Bukit Lawang, I'd take a day off Railay and give it to Hoi An.

Hope that helps!

Nah, there's a guesthouse nearly opp the station called 'At Hua Lamphong'! Thanks Somtam2000. Much clearer summary! Good advice too. The reason I have Bukit in there is to compensate for not doing the gibbon experience in Laos . Decided a 2 day river journey on the Mekong in the baking heat for the younger 2 lads would be too much to ask of them (typical western kids - incapable of sitting still, spoilt, suffering serious pc withdrawal etc). Will have to have a closer look at Hoi An. Had planned on a day's snorkelling off the islands, shopping for silk sleeping liners and renting bikes to get to beaches further afield. Was also thinking of dropping Hue entirely so they don't get 'templed out' of it too soon?

Well - the airport in Da Nang is very conveniently located, and a flight to Hanoi (if Halong Bay is a must) would be a good idea just to save some time. However, I do recommend the train trip from Da Nang to Hue as one of the best rides I've been on in SEA.

That said, I'd maybe recommend skipping Hoi'an/Da Nang and flying directly to Hanoi so that you can add an extra day exploring the city and then throw an extra day onto Luang Prabang or Siem Reap - if only so that you don't have to keep packing and unpacking all the time. For all the hassle of travel with three boys in tow (I'm one of four myself so I can remember how my mom felt) I don't think Hoi'an offers enough to make it worth it for you. Better to explore around LP and Siem Reap a little more and not be rushing back and forth to Hanoi to see Halong Bay.

Sorry, Exacto, I meant Northern Vietnam too.
Frankly, I've tried purposely to avoid big cities as much as possible mostly because of the difficulty in getting 5 people around - do they allow 5 in a taxi, I wonder? Negotiating the rate for 2-3 tuk tuks etc all the time would be a royal pain in the backside and I think xe oms and the like simply sound too scary to be considered. I'd be happy to avoid Hanoi and Bangkok completely if I could, but then, is there a better way to get from Hue to Halong Halong to Luang P or Siem Reap to Krabi?
We are flying into KL, but thereafter nothing is fixed. The places I'd like to get to are Luang Prabang, Siem Reap, Hoi An, Halong, Krabi, Bukit Lawang. Sure, it would be a shame to miss the sights of some of the big cities - I regret not being able to take in Saigon or Phnom Penh too, but these cities I reckon are hard work with 5 pp. Maybe I'm doing them in the wrong order?

What about spending time at the beach while you are in Vietnam and avoiding the trip through Thailand to Krabi and Railay? Or skip Bukit Lawang as somtam suggests above. The problem isn't that there is some smarter way to visit all these places in three weeks. Apart from possibly adding a few additional internal flights as somtam already mentioned, I think you've sorted that out well. The problem is that you want to visit all these places in three weeks -and- have it be less stressful and more enjoyable. I can't see how that's possible, since those two goals seem at odds to me. But some folks like their holiday to be face paced, and hopefully that includes you and your family. After you are done, I really would like to hear if it worked out well for you. Best wishes that it does. Cheers.

Well now, curse the lot of yiz! ... for being absolutely right!!
Grr, now I'll have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what to drop, and regrettably, I think it might just have to be the last leap over to Bukit. There was uproar from the eldest, when I suggested it earlier today (sshh .. haven't mentioned it to the others yet). They were all gutted when I told them the Gibbon experience might not be practical given our time constraints.
Will have to discuss it further with my travel-reluctant spouse, when he gets back from somewhere in Europe next week.
You've all been very helpful and I thank you sincerely.
TTFN

rashers,

Just because you mention it, we've just published a story, (including video) on the Gibbon Experience in Laos -- looks like out writer enjoyed it ... time to put in an extended leave form

Aargh! I posted a huge speel on the holiday and all the adventures we had - it took so long that it requested me to login again at the end and then when I did so, it disappeared!! Grrr! Not typing all that up again, so you'll just have to trust me when I say it was the holiday of a lifetime, which in spite of the ridiculous itinerary, worked a treat. It was thanks to travelfish.org that it worked so well. I couldn't have done it as well without you and I'm happily boasting to everybody about the best travel website ever.