An Adventurous Route for Backpacking South East Asia

Written by Parry Loeffler


Copyright (c) 2004 Parry Loeffler

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An Adventurous Route for Backpacking South East Asia By Parry Loeffler

The South East Asian region ofrepparttar 134085 world - especially Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos - has become increasingly popular as a destination for those travelers seeking a more adventurous holiday than can be had merely sipping fruity, ice-cold drinks at your typical beach resort. However, an adventurous trip to these developing countries raises many questions and one ofrepparttar 134086 first is what route to take, which I will try to answer in this article.

Most people with enough time would like to get a taste for all four that I’ve mentioned earlier, so I’ll concentrate on a route that includes all of them. It would take about three months if you spent a few days at each stop. Keep in mind that there certainly are options available that would allow you to skip countries or even shortenrepparttar 134087 trip to fit into a more constrained timeline, but this should give you a good starting point for further research.

As far as getting around, travel by public bus, train, and boat is readily available and often full of adventure after all, traveling with a busload of chickens orrepparttar 134088 occasional box of frogs just adds torepparttar 134089 fun, right? However, those looking for a little more comfort will usually be able to find more upscale options.

Many people that intend on doing a circuit though South East Asia will fly into Bangkok since it is a major hub. Bangkok is also rich with markets, temples, and plenty of fabulous food. Around Bangkok, there are several options for some side trips which allow you to get your feet wet. Kanchanaburi is a few hours away and isrepparttar 134090 location ofrepparttar 134091 infamous bridge overrepparttar 134092 River Kwai andrepparttar 134093 Death Railway,repparttar 134094 Erewan National Park, andrepparttar 134095 Three Pagodas Pass nearrepparttar 134096 Myanmar border. If you are not going torepparttar 134097 southern islands, but wouldn’t mind checking outrepparttar 134098 beach scene, you could also take a few days and visit Ko Samet or Ko Chang (less expensive) to get a taste of island life. Both are only a few hours from Bangkok by bus.

Once you’ve had your fill ofrepparttar 134099 Bangkok area, work your way north to Chiang Mai. I likerepparttar 134100 train and it can be taken overnight, for those low on time, or duringrepparttar 134101 day for those that wish to see some ofrepparttar 134102 beautiful countryside. Chiang Mai is much less hectic than Bangkok, has some opportunities for great sight seeing, and also has a great cooking school! If you want to check out some smaller towns in Thailand, you can do that from Chiang Mai with a little add-on side trip. It’s a loop that goes by public bus torepparttar 134103 wonderful village of Pai which is set up inrepparttar 134104 misty valleys that are laden with lush rice paddies, and then continues by bus or boat to Mae Hong Son, then by bus back to Chiang Mai.

In any case, from Chiang Mai, continue your journey north to Chiang Rai and onwards to Chiang Khong, which isrepparttar 134105 jumping point into your second country, Laos. You crossrepparttar 134106 Mekong River with a short boat ride and enter Laos onrepparttar 134107 opposite bank at Huay Xai. From there you immediately continue on to Luang Prabang by slow boat or fast boat (latter not recommended, unless you enjoy wearing a crash helmet), making an optional overnight stay inrepparttar 134108 rustic village of Pacbeng.

After spending a few days in Luang Prabang you could do a side trip up north, exploringrepparttar 134109 small northern villages of Laos for a few days, or just head down torepparttar 134110 chilled-out town of Vang Vieng by bus or air. The road route to Vang Vieng is sometimesrepparttar 134111 target of bandits, so be sure to check what recent activity has been like, and then make your decision - butrepparttar 134112 safety record of air travel may not be much more inspiring!

Vang Vieng is full of fun kayaking, biking and caving opportunities, so you’ll want to plan for a few days there before moving on torepparttar 134113 capital city of Vientiane. It doesn’t seem too exciting for a capital city, so I wouldn’t plan to spend too much time there, other than to visitrepparttar 134114 strange, but interesting Buddha Park.

Playing your cards right – tips for traveling with credit cards

Written by Gail Corwin


Using credit cards while traveling is a good idea for a number of reasons:

--You have a record of your expenditures for record-keeping and tax purposes (especially important if you travel for business) --You may get a better exchange rate when obtaining foreign currency when using your credit card. --Credit card companies can refund disputed charges and may offer extra guarantees, special deals or warranties. --Your liability inrepparttar case of a stolen credit card is limited to $50

But, traveling these days is often a juggling act of luggage, boarding passes, identification cards, passports and a gauntlet of security measures. These identification acrobatics can leave one slightly addled and perhaps more at risk of being targeted by an enterprising pickpocket or purse snatcher.

And, even though your liability is limited, costs can quickly add up if multiple cards are involved. Factor inrepparttar 134077 hassle and increased risk of identity theft, and it is apparent a few preemptive measures can save you from a boatload of heartache. Considerrepparttar 134078 following tips as guidelines to traveling safely and affordably with your credit cards….

Plan Ahead:

Anytime you travel you should make photo copies of all of your credit cards airline tickets and documents, both front and back. You should leave these photocopies with a friend or family member. Be aware that if you make copies of your cards and documents to take with you, you may be giving thieves another opportunity to rip off your personal information. Consider blacking out details such as expiration dates, verification codes and social security numbers.

If you decide not to carry photocopies of your credit cards, be sure to haverepparttar 134079 card cancellation numbers fromrepparttar 134080 backs ofrepparttar 134081 cards written down and stashed in your luggage.

Leave a Paper Trail:

Save receipts and keep track ofrepparttar 134082 places you used your card. Make sure receipts are stored in a safe place so they can be checked against your credit card statement to ensure unauthorized charges have not been made and/or gone unnoticed.

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