Thailand/South East Asia tips

[joehaynes1990]

thanks for all the help so far guys

[kay]

Malaysia - Perenthian Islands are the dogs bollocks. Absolute paradise with the clearest water and nicest beaches I have ever seen. Got to swim with Turtles too .

Perhentian Islands.

Anything you'd recommend doing or places worth visiting in or around KL?

Will also be heading out to that neck of the woods later on in the year and should be flying into KL to start with. So prob spend a couple of nights there before moving on

It's been a while since I lived there so I can't remember the names of the areas very well. But you should check out Petaling Street, which is essentially the Chinatown area. You'll find loads of foodstalls and shops etc. Usually, the grimier the better. This is where people get imitation goods too.

There should be a Night Market somewhere any day of the week. These are mixtures of food stalls and goods stalls. Worth visiting just for the atmosphere.

Ignore the random fusion restaurants, just go for the more traditional looking places. While most people consider Penang Island the foodies paradise, there's actually loads more variety in KL because you have equal measures of Chinese, Indian and Malay food. If something smells good, stop there and eat it. One time, I had no repeat meals for 3 weeks, just having something completely different every day.

After about 10pm when the shopping closes, you'll find tons of places where people congregate on the sidewalks to have supper. These are usually referred to as Mamak stalls. You'll get a mixture of spicy food e.g. roti canai to go with a bit of curry (the curries in Malaysia are different, they tend to be of a watery consistency rather than creamy).

For places to visit, I'd suggest venturing further out slightly. Batu Caves are nearby, they are massive limestone caves in which some buddhist temples have been built. There are also a number of fairly famous temples dotted around KL but I can't remember the names. Taman Negara (National Park) is only a couple hours away by car if you fancy a little jungle trek. If you head down south for a couple hours you'll get to Melaka (Malacca) which used to be the main port city in the region. There's still loads of Portuguese-influenced architecture there as well as culture and food.

Of course, there's always the Twin Towers right smack in the middle of the city. Can't remember whether people allowed across the sky bridge anymore though.

Night-life wise, there's quite a lot around the middle of KL. I think they tend towards trendy clubs rather than grimey underground places. Be warned though, alcohol isn't particularly cheap in Malaysia.

KL is really more about the food, shopping and friendly people than specific sights to see. Think of it as a midway point between Thailand and Singapore (which it also is, literally).

[isiahfire]

Whatever you do, WHATEVER YOU DO and this is fucking paramount, please do not come back and say "We 'did' so and so for a week "

I can't fucking stand it when people say that.

Otherwise, have fun.

[RandomEyez]

But if you did do it then you did though, didn't you though?

[isiahfire]

But if you did do it then you did though, didn't you though?

You did, but that phrase makes it seem as if the only goal/point/reason for travelling is to tick destinations off a list.

[RandomEyez]

I get ya.

And cheers for the info Kay, mouth is watering at the thought of the food already

[nousd]

re Thailand:
Go somewhere near east or west borders not in the tourist books & keep it that way.
Stay in a monastery.
Hold hands with your mate.
Savour the rich aroma of klong water.
Appreciate that many communities were destroyed to create those beachside tourist havens...
Don't bother with Patpong Road.
Beware pickpockets/ bag-slashers on Bangkok public transport.

[BaronVon]

The Baron is the one to ask. He's an expat living out there, he met my mother.

She was much larger than i expected
I fled to Laos to escape her

[autobot]

Everyone rates vietnam and Laos. Thailand - from what I hear is nice but touristy to the max.

I think its in Laos that you can go tubing - down the river and stop off at all these local pubs on the way and buy their moonshine. Sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon.

but yeah stay away from drugs, cos people will try and scam you, out of like 100k too. but my friend got valium real easy from the dr

[Mr Hyde]

The Baron is the one to ask. He's an expat living out there, he met my mother.

yeah, but who hasn't met your mum

[kay]

I get ya.

And cheers for the info Kay, mouth is watering at the thought of the food already

Oh, forgot 1 thing: Eat some satay while you're out there. The stuff you get over in the UK bears absolutely no resemblance to what it's supposed to taste like. One of the best places for it is a little suburb of KL called Kajang. Might be difficult to get to/find if you don't know locals though.

[RandomEyez]

I get ya.

And cheers for the info Kay, mouth is watering at the thought of the food already

Oh, forgot 1 thing: Eat some satay while you're out there. The stuff you get over in the UK bears absolutely no resemblance to what it's supposed to taste like. One of the best places for it is a little suburb of KL called Kajang. Might be difficult to get to/find if you don't know locals though.

Sounds like a mission worth pursuing

Gonna go on a two day eating frenzy by the look of things

[noam]

Everyone rates vietnam and Laos. Thailand - from what I hear is nice but touristy to the max.

I think its in Laos that you can go tubing - down the river and stop off at all these local pubs on the way and buy their moonshine. Sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon.

but yeah stay away from drugs, cos people will try and scam you, out of like 100k too. but my friend got valium real easy from the dr

listen to this person, if all else fails, consult this post for a thorough, step-by-step guide to all things S.E.Asian

[willis]

If your a studenty back packer type go do the thailand moon party thing.

If your a grown man looking to really get on it get yourself to Phnom Penh.

[noam]

If your a grown man looking to really get on it get yourself to Phnom Penh.

what do you mean 'get on it'