In the very early stages of planning a trip to VietNam, Cambodia %26amp;/or Thailand. The problem is we probably have about 3 weeks. First issue we need to decide on is where to spend more time - Cambodia or Thailand? What are the pro%26#39;s %26amp; con%26#39;s?
We are early 60s, quite fit, and have been to a lot of countries but not in Asia (except as a VN vet). Have never done a tour (but thinking here is the place to do it for the convenience) enjoy culture more than ';things';, dive, willing to get lost. However, also enjoy a comfortable bed and willing to spend a fair $ for it.
Sure would be interested in hearing your opinions.
Thanks for your time %26amp; input!!!!
Cambodia vs. Thailand
If you only have 3 weeks, then I%26#39;d be inclined to say I%26#39;d stick to cambodia and vietnam, and depending on where you fly/out of, then 1 or 2 nights in Bangkok
As you are quite well travelled, I wouldn%26#39;t think that you would need to consider a tour group, it is very easy to travel yourself - get a good tuk tuk or driver, and it will be fine!
There is a wide variety of accomodations to suit all budgets, so I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll find something you like - what sort of price are you looking at? There are comfy guest houses from under 30$ a night, or upwards of 100
if you search through the posts here, you%26#39;ll see that the bare minimum people would suggest for Cambodia is 3 days in SR and 2 days in PP, that will enable you to see the main sites, and get a bit of shopping in. Some people can spend less time, others much more. And there is much more to see than just SR and PP
Cambodia vs. Thailand
I agree with previous posteer regarding itinerary, but to really get the most out of Vietnam, I%26#39;d spend all 3 weeks there. Once you%26#39;re in Vietnam, you%26#39;ll understand why.
doomo arigatoo! I appreciate your input. I think we can stretch it out to 4 weeks. Figure we will only take this one opportunity to travel to that part of the world and want to experience more than just VietNam. I have to admit that I am rather nervous about going back to VietNam (bad memories), but am confident I will get through it.
Well if you%26#39;ve got 4 weeks then, definitely head to Siem Reap, to see the Angkor Wat area (spend 4 days there) and then down to Phnom Penh for the remainder of the trip.
We were in our mid 60%26#39;s and doing a first ever trip to Asia last year. We took 5 weeks and decided to see as much as we could as we might not get back again. We only spent 3 nights/4 days in Siem Reap but they were the highlight of our trip. We considered a tour from Bangkok but after reading the recommendations on this forum we went on our own, booking our hotel on line. We also booked a guide and driver, which made our trip more special, but it is not really necessary - we just like the security of having things preplanned. We spent 11 nights in Thailand and chose to spend most of that in Khao Lak so we could snorkel the Similan Islands. Thailand has so many places to visit it was hard to limit ourselves but felt we got a sense of what Thailand was like even with the short time there - the same can be said of our Cambodia trip. Unfortunately, we did not include Vietnam in our trip, so maybe we will have to head back that way again as it is supposed to be spectacular!
Hi Jocko,
You will be amazed how your trepidation about going back to vietnam will just vanish once you are there. I%26#39;m not a vet (too young) but we found the vietnamese people so lovely. they do not appear to harbour any anamosity towards those involved in the %26#39;american war%26#39; as they call it. Perhaps it is their Buddhist faith which calms their lives. I felt very safe and very comfortable in vietnam, and until our trip to Cambodia, it was my favourite holiday destination in Asia.
If you have 4 weeks - spend 3 in vietnam and 1 in Cambodia - and you won%26#39;t regret a minute.
forget also, the %26#39;convenience%26#39; of a tour and go it alone - there are enough people on TA to provide you all the info you will need and now with the internet, you can book online at ease.
for cambodia check out
canbypublications.com/siemreap/sritinerary.h…
- a great site for getting all that %26#39;early info%26#39; planning done.
we stayed at the Day Inn - we too like to have our creature comforts at the end of the day but are quite happy to rough it during the day. We rarely eat in hotel restaurants - prefering to explore the streets and see what takes our fancy.
can email you (or PM) a contact for our tuk-tuk driver if you wish. also check out my JBR %26#39;Cambodia Just wonderful%26#39; for what we did in our 4 days in SR (wish we had more and are planning on returning in march or april 2010)
happy planning
Helen
Thanks for the info and the encouragement. Any and all information, referrrals, suggestions, etc will be taken seriously and greatly appreciated.
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