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Wild fun in Asia??

WanderLost Radical

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So I'm leaving for Asia this October, and I was wondering if some of you guys already went and saw stuff worth the detour or anything super cool I might have missed!

I am planning on going to India -» Nepal -» Thailand -» Laos -» Vietnam -» China

So far I only know the cities I'll visit in India and Nepal, but when backpacking, roads change all the times, you guys know that, So I'm open to anything :eek:
 
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MolotovMocktail

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I've only been to Thailand but I spent a month there so I saw a lot. Here are some thoughts (in no particular order) with a few links to more info on my blog:

-A lot of Thailand is blown up with young backpackers from Europe, Australia, etc. Some of the backpackers are cool but a lot of them are just traveling to get fucked up in new locales. I had a few nights like that but it's definitely not the reason I was traveling so I generally was on my own. If you can, try to make friends with locals or expats. They know the cool spots and generally care about more than just getting wasted all the time.

-Hitchhiking in Thailand is doable but not always easy. Locals probably won't understand what you're trying to do and might try to take you to a bus station. Having someone write a note out in Thai might be helpful. I met a lot of really cool people through hitching in Thailand so I would recommend it if you're not in a rush.

-You''ll probably start in Bangkok. Bangkok is super overwhelming but there's cool stuff to see there. Khao San Road is a total shitshow but it's worth seeing one night. The Grand Palace is kind of cool but admission is expensive and it's crowded with tourists so I would skip it if I were you. There are thousands of other temples to see in Thailand if you're into that.

-After Bangkok, you'll have to choose whether you want to go north or south. Most people go south to party on the islands but I went north to Chiang Mai. I travelled third-class on the train, which is pretty cheap. I stopped in a couple places in between Bangkok and Chiang Mai but there wasn't much to see besides more temples. If you go to Phitsanulok, there's a really great family I found through Couchsurfing that hosts travelers.

-I loved Chiang Mai so much that I spent several weeks there. There's a lot of expats around so there's a great art and music scene there as well as any type of food you can imagine. Every week there's a Couchsurfing meetup every Wednesday night at Bus Bar that usually has cool people.

-People might tell you to go to Pai after Chiang Mai but I didn't like it. People say it's a hippie city but it's really just another place for backpackers to get fucked up. There are some waterfalls outside of Pai that supposed to be cool but I didn't make it there.

-Chiang Rai is also pretty boring except for the White Temple, which is a really cool art project.

That's all I can think of right now. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!
 

wizehop

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Asia is epic as fuck, how long are you going for? cause I can say 4 months in India alone isnt even enough, so if your going for a month, cut down on the places you want to see, cause there is a lot there....
 
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WanderLost Radical

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Asia is epic as fuck, how long are you going for? cause I can say 4 months in India alone isnt even enough, so if your going for a month, cut down on the places you want to see, cause there is a lot there....

The visa info was pretty vague, so I cant tell. I'd like to spend 2 months in India, from Mumbai going north to Nepal. But I might only be able to get a 1 month visa so idk yet. Indian visa is fucked up to get
 

wizehop

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The visa info was pretty vague, so I cant tell. I'd like to spend 2 months in India, from Mumbai going north to Nepal. But I might only be able to get a 1 month visa so idk yet. Indian visa is fucked up to get

I think the visas are 6 months multiple entry, except for Nepal and Pakistan. At least that was the visa we ended up getting. India was a lot bigger than I expected. Excited for you man, but be ready for it...India is insane at times. If you can get out of the main cities life gets much nicer.
 
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WanderLost Radical

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I think the visas are 6 months multiple entry, except for Nepal and Pakistan. At least that was the visa we ended up getting. India was a lot bigger than I expected. Excited for you man, but be ready for it...India is insane at times. If you can get out of the main cities life gets much nicer.

Yeah, a while back visas were 3 or 6 months only. But now they switched their procedures to online application that only accord one month I think. Like I said, nothing's clear with Indian procedures... I guess I'll find out when I'll get my in-person interview with the embassy
 

WanderLost Radical

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Ahaha I know, its crazy!! Ahaha I've been warned a lot about Indians. How they keep harassing you to sell you stuff, how they wanna rip you off all the time and how complicated bureaucracy is with em
 

WanderLost Radical

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And I somehow thought it'd be a good idea to start with India for my first time ever backpacking experience lol ::dead::
 

wizehop

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And I somehow thought it'd be a good idea to start with India for my first time ever backpacking experience lol ::dead::

Your nuts! but it will be good for you man...

If you make it there PM me and Ill fill you in on some pretty amazing places that are along your route.
 
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kitkat

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Hey man you still around asia?
Don't know what your plan is but can i recommend you hitch/get a ride across the border from china - mongolia, fucking amazing ride and mongolia has got to be one of my favourite places, not now though, wait til may if you're still around

China - check out the abandoned sections of great wall and camp in the jungles there. provinces of XinJiang, KunMing and YunNan, vastly different to the rest of China somewhat, rich ethnic diversity and culture.
From china like I said mongolia or you can cross the border to kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan (amazing) to central asia

Vietnam - get a motorbike and head for the mountains!
Happy trails
 
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WanderLost Radical

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Hey man you still around asia?
Don't know what your plan is but can i recommend you hitch/get a ride across the border from china - mongolia, fucking amazing ride and mongolia has got to be one of my favourite places, not now though, wait til may if you're still around

China - check out the abandoned sections of great wall and camp in the jungles there. provinces of XinJiang, KunMing and YunNan, vastly different to the rest of China somewhat, rich ethnic diversity and culture.
From china like I said mongolia or you can cross the border to kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan (amazing) to central asia

Vietnam - get a motorbike and head for the mountains!
Happy trails

Yeah, I'm in Nepal right now, flying to Phuket on the 15th. I never really thought about Mongolia, but I kept hearing a lotabout itin the past few days, so now I want to go ahah but that'll be for another trip, cuz my budget is limited. I heard the best places are North and West. Do you agree?

And Thanks for the China advices, I don't know much about it, even though I still got plenty of time to look it up
 

kitkat

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Eiii!
For sure if budget is an issue then nepal is cheapest by far from my experience..
I'd definitely go north and west, could skip gobi if you're low on time or coins, didn't get to the east so I can't say, but the geography and culture of the far west are amazing, and anywhere you go in Mongol the hospitality is so so warm as that's how they survive across the harsh winters..
Fair winds wanderer!
 

kitkat

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Eiii!
For sure if budget is an issue then nepal is cheapest by far from my experience..
I'd definitely go north and west, could skip gobi if you're low on time or coins, didn't get to the east so I can't say, but the geography and culture of the far west are amazing, and anywhere you go in Mongol the hospitality is so so warm as that's how they survive across the harsh winters..
Fair winds wanderer!
 

WanderLost Radical

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Yeah I heard so much good about mongolia! Im gonna have to go one day for sure!!
 

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