Sorry, I think I got to wordy for Fodor's.

My hope;

To be pointed to good up to date resources

To hear about the places that you love

Any other suggestions that you feel are relevant

Lastly, if you're not already sick of me - we're slow travelers. We'd rather se it and taste it. Still, however, want to get a sense of a few regions.

The best resource for initial research which is both current and covers the countries yo mention is www.travelfish.org . What really matter is shot YOU like. Providing more info on your likes, dislikes and budget and the date of travel will elicit better responses.

I'm sorry to say that end of Sept into October is the worst time for weather in terms of rain. It's rainy all over the region at that time. Nov-Dec-Jan-Feb would be best.

In planning this trip, your task will be to narrow down where you want to go. You've listed four countries and you have three weeks. I'd advise against try to visit all four countries in your limited time. SE Asia is best taken at a slow pace. It's hot, you've probably traded day for night if you flew from N. America or Europe, and most importantly, if you move too fast, you may check of sights you've seen, but have had no real experience of the place.

I'd suggest you pause and consider, what are the most important things you want to do/see/experience on this trip? Start your planning from there. Twenty of us could answer that question and give a proposed itinerary and they would all be different.

It is easy to plan your own trip to this area of the world. Nothing complicated about the travel. No need to look at packaged trips at all.

First of all, is Hanoi your best entry into this area? Typically, Bangkok is the cheapest airport to fly into. It also has the best flights into places in this area. Also, if you fly into and out of Hanoi, you'll have to arrange for a multi-entry visa.

Some of my favorite places in the area: Bangkok, my favorite city in the world; the temples at Angkor, truly one of the wonders of the world; Luang Prabang, the sleepy cultural capital of Laos and a town filled with wats and monks.

But you will need to decide what interests you most. You might begin by checking out guidebooks for each country from your library. Lonely Planet guides are good and Fodors has an excellent Thailand guide. Also get a copy of Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous temples. Once you've narrowed down where to go, you'll want to buy the most recent editions of the guidebooks you liked best,

One other resource for you: www.marlandc.com is our photo website of a decade plus of travel, mostly in SE Asia. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

Kathy,
I'll look again at the weather. I thought it said that chances of rain were starting to decline at the beginning of Oct.
Thank you for indulging me with your likes.


I suspect that my likes may be similar to some. It's probably easier to tell you, as I did above that we like to pick a few areas and see and enjoy. As said, we're not big spenders but are willing to hear about an occasional splurge. Sometimes people tell you about things they like that are not something that you would have otherwise thought of. ie, cooking classes in Asia. It's something that I never would have thought of.
So our likes - food, architecture, nature, people, culture, water, land, scenery.
Not interested in spa days, have an interest in open markets but not western wares.

We were in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand early to mid Oct last year and only had two days of rain(one heavy) in Hanoi. Other wise,a very hot, humid and sunny three week trip.I guess we were lucky.
A few random thoughts:
We found excellent rates on Air Asia by booking far in advance(i.e. $50.00 Saigon to Bangkok).Our flight was on time; our friends flew same route, same day Vietnam Air for over $200., and it was several hours late.
We enjoyed www.bangkokfoodtours.com
Hotels in SE Asia are inexpensive, great bargains.
If it is a chain hotel, join their free loyalty program. Because of this, we were twicw able to upgrade to the concierge floors at a price less than a regular room due to a special they offered only to members.Because of these deals, we were able to stay five-six days at two wonderful hotels in Hanoi and Bangkok.
Happy planning. This is a great trip!

I've been in SE Asia in September and/or October the last three years. This past Oct was the driest of all, but I still had a couple of days where the rain prevented any driving in the countryside of Cambodia. The year before was so wet that trains and even flights were cancelled all over the place; I don't think I ever walked on dry streets and I was unable to do some side trips to Laos and in Thailand.

However, if you are okay with the risk of rain delays, I find Sept/October a lot prettier than the Nov- Mmar months. Everywhere is so green; temples are covered in moss, the new shoots in the rice fields are neon green, and even in the cities there isn't as much dust.

Your biggest expense in Asia is getting from country to country. Air Asia can be a great bargain, but read the details, e.g. flying from Siem Reap to Singapore involves a plane change in Kuala Lumpur. You will have to claim your luggage, check in again, and pay the baggage fee a second time. I always check Air Asia, then also compare the rest of the airlines on Kayak.com.

My favorite spots are Siem Reap in Cambodia, Luang Prabang in Laos, Singapore, Bangkok, and anywhere in Japan. Favorite activities are eating, bike riding, and just wandering around local neighborhoods. I do enjoy walking or bicycling tours, food tours and classes such as cooking or weaving (in Luang Prabang)

kathie,
Just had time to look through most of your photos. Great shots and wonderful inspiration. You passion for SE Asia is contagious.Than
k you for sharing your photos and knowledge.


Happytrv,
Exc info. I'm guessing that 4 countries will be too much and was wondering abour seeing 3. Did you feel rushed? Also, do you have trip report or blog?
Tx

Absolutely no reason to take a tour in SEA, it is VERY easy to travel on your own. Also cheap to travel, sleep and eat, provided you don't insist on high-end places. In Vietnam you can take the train all the way from Hanoi to Saigon, or one of the open tour buses. Trains also work for Thailand, and you can take the train up to Lao border for easy connections on to Vientiane. These days I fly Vientiane to Luang Prabang, but on a first trip you should take the bus for the views. For Cambodia use talesofasia.com, as mentioned on you other thread.

I haven't blogged my more recent trips to SEA, but this should give you some ideas:
http://wilhelmswords.com/asia2002/index.html

Icuy,
Thank you for your invaluable info. It looks as though I might be able to catch flights mid Oct and return into Nov. Not sure if that matters much weather wise. I do want to see green but don't want to get drenched.

thursday,
I enjoyed and got a lot out of seeing your pictures and reading your insightful narratives.
This is just the kind of info that I was hoping for.

One more thought. We usually go away for most of the winter to Merida Mx.
Have any of you wintered in SE Asia? The more I research the more I think that this could be an interesting option. Thoughts or recommends?

Go for it! I know a number of people who spend most/all winter in SE Asia (usually Thailand) and quite a number of people here spend more than a month in SE Asia each winter. Most people choose a base (often Bangkok) and take some trips to other parts of the area. Very easy to arrange. You will likely want a serviced apartment in bangkok if you opt for this, and there are many. The other option is to travel slowly though the region, a week here, two weeks there.

Kathie,
My other half seems to also like this idea. Thusfar, all I've seen for rentals are through vbro. These are a bit costly. They also seem to be in a hotel district.
I guess being among hotels isn't such a bad thing if it's not too far removed from being with in the real Bangkok.

Any thoughts on where one can find inexpensive monthly or seasonal rentals in Bangkok?

We did a trip to Thailand and Cambodia in March 2007 and a trip to Vietnam in Dec. 2012. There is a lot to see in these amazing countries so you will have to narrow down your itinerary a bit.

I would have to say in all those countries our favorite things were:
1. All the things we did with Tong (www.tourwithtong.com)outside of Bangkok
2. The cooking classes we did (one at Anantara Golden Triangle in Chiang Rai and one with Van of Green Bamboo in Hoi An).
3. Our street food tour with Neville of TasteOfHoiAn.com

Here are links to my trip reports with pictures:

http://www.fromhometoroam.com/category/travels/asia/vietnam-christmas-2011/
http://www.fromhometoroam.com/category/travels/asia/thailand-cambodia/

We didn't feel we had enough time or energy to include Laos this trip and will go there in the future( we had already been in western China for over 2 weeks prior to arriving in Hanoi)We didn't feel rushed and actually found Bangkok relaxing at the end in our riverside hotel.We did not do the whole country in any of them, chose where we wanted to go.
Sorry, no blog,trip reports. I didn't take notes but kept restaurant cards and our itinerary.

jgg,
I'm enjoying your well done blog and photos (love the large size photos).
Lots of great info to ponder.

The people I know who spend months in Bangkok negotiate a rate directly with the serviced apartment they like. You can check booking sites like agoda for serviced apartments, but then contact them directly. There are literally hundreds of serviced apartment buildings in Bangkok. You would need to give us some guidance about rates and locations for us to be of assistance. All of the places will give you a better rate if you Stay a month or more. A friend of mine loves Emporium Suites, and I thought her apartment was the nicest I've seen in Bangkok.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you at this point which neighborhood interests me because I've never been there. I can tell you that a walking neighborhood that's close to amenities and transport would be a bonus.
Being in a semi quiet neighborhood is also nice.
I'm not sure if a pool is necessary at that time of year. Emporium Suites looks a bit out of my league.
I would hope to not pay more that 600. per month.
Appreciate any help.