Southeast Asia forum

SBE

How far into China is SE Asia?

Coz, there's some good one's up there...

Cheers

I'd have to cast a vote for the coastal highways in Vietnam. When I made the drive from Saigon to Tuy Hoa, we must have gone the more central route with the mountain view to the west for several hours, then all of a sudden the ocean appearred to the east and at some points the mountains seem to shoot out over the ocean, full with beautiful ocean fog; it was breathtaking... On a separate trip the opposite way I remember seeing probably the most incredible sunrise I've ever seen over the mountainous oceans. All of the little fishing villages and bays dotted with boats add to the scenery as well.

Another good one, although slow-going, is the cliffride drive next to the ocean between Hoi An and Hue.

Ash

There's no station at Hoi An, nearest is DaNang.

For mine, it matters little whether it's a bus or train: both speed through at a zillion miles an hour. Also, the bus doesn't now go across Hai Van Pass, but through a tunnel. I say this as I've done the trip on both the bus and a motorcycle.

If you choose a train, the route is generally more elevated so you see more of the coastline than from a bus. But, also, you MUST have a seat on the left hand side (facing the front, as the train heads south) or it will be a less than spectacular journey. The buses generally stop at Lang Co beach, so that's a plus.

- - -

"A few overnight trains in China too but not sure there is much to see on these'.

Be very prepared to be proved wrong - you will be.

Cheers

SBE

I nearly completed a long post on memorable journeys. Then, a power failure obliterated the lost. Oh, well, that's life.

When I started remembering the various journey's I've undertaken, etc., I wrote that the most memorable journey's were those undertaken at a slow pace - especially where I was in control and could stop to savour the scenery.

As for the most scenic journey's, there are just so may - too many.

But, the more I look back, the more I realise that public bus / train journey's are not what I'd call scenic. The train /bus speeds through in a way that doesn't allow me to enjoy the journey (at least as afar as scenery).

Perhaps the exceptions are those undertaken at slow slow speed, and/or those where the vista was large. So, from Muang Khiaw to Dien Bien Phu was a great bus trip as the bus went very very slowly. The most jawdropping section of a bus journey is from Binh Lu to SaPa via the Tram Ton Pass (despite the appeal of the Hai Van Pass).

The best train trip was from Wuhan to Guilin.

But, upon reflection, it has been the boat journey's that have rocked my socks.

A private boat journey journey along the Li Jiang was amazingly scenic. And, from a different perspective, a journey in a small boat along the Daning Jiang from Wushan was one that knocked me tits off - so to speak.

Then, there are the motorbike journey's. Hue to Aluoi via Ashau Valley is pretty scenery, but the nearby trip up Nui Son Tra from China Beach and down to Danang is unreal. Luang Nam Tha to Muang Sing is memorable, as is LNM to Nalia. Also, the road trip between Um Phang and Lao Yang knocks the eyeballs around. As do the sections between Sakhon Nakhon to Amnat Charoen.

I could go on...

Cheers

The train from Nairobi to Mombassa is fantastic. But it's not exactly in southeast Asia.

SBE

Be careful on 'interpretation'.

Just to put things into perspective...

Here in Australia, we have a coast road from Melbourne to Cairns. When travelling on that road, one gets to see the ocean just 9 times, and from Sydney to Cairns it is 3 times.


I've travelled a goodly part of the coast road in Vietnam. There are more 'sightings' over a shorter distance, but not many.

DLuek's "cliffride drive" on Hwy 1A between Hue & Hoi An is but one view only. The highway no longer passes over the Hai Van Pass (instead through a tunnnel). When the bus leaves hwy 1A at DaNang and heads for Hoi An, it traverses a road that fronts what is now known as China Beach (in DaNang). At present, that is it. When the new bridge is built over the Han River at DaNang, one will then have three glimpses of the ocean.

Cheers