Southeast Asia Top 10

Coming to Southeast Asia is, admittedly, for many ‘travellers’, not even considered a privilege any more. One of the reasons I avoided ‘travelling’ for so long (aside from the no money to do it), was the fact that I’d met so many people who talked about the time they went travelling as if it was their entitlement. Even though I wanted to visit some of the countries for their natural beauty, food or culture, I was hesitant because of the laddish culture that I thought British people brought with them to these places. 
I’ve always felt a bit uncomfortable about visiting a foreign country (especially one significantly poorer than ours) and bringing shit loads of money with me to spend on getting off my face on buckets. That’s not to say that I haven’t been on holiday and been drunk, I’ve just sometimes felt that whenever we did, we were always looked down upon by the locals. It’s the reason an 18-30s has never appealed to me. Thankfully most of the friends I’ve made along the way have never coaxed me into going on one, or even had the desire to go themselves. Watching an episode of booze Britain has had the desired effect on me. I’m also rapidly approaching the cut off age (who’d have thought I’d ever get THERE!)
For the reasons above, we both decided to skip Ko Phangan, to our loss or not, we’ll never know.
Not only the booze, but also the nature of travelling is inherently a ‘rich’ endeavour. Rarely on our travels did we meet a Southeast Asian tourist travelling outside of their home country. That said, we did meet the odd Thai person, and I think one or two Vietnamese people. Thailand is the exception to the rule in this region – it is a country that has embraced tourism with open arms, and seems to have prospered as a consequence. Some ‘travellers’ say that this is to its detriment. Only yesterday I overheard a hippy proclaiming that Thailand is dead (I now really despise ‘travellers’ who say this). I was however afraid to see Thailand for the themes explored in the book The Beach. I was afraid to see Britons running riot over Thailand like it was Broad Street, completely changing the culture of a country. I was wrong about this. For the most part, tourists are kept on a leash. 

What I’ve learned is that Thailand is very much not dead, and in parts unbelievably beautiful and peaceful. There is poverty there for sure, but some people are really prospering from the affects of tourism (and not just tourism probably). Good or bad, who am I to denounce a place based on how much it has succumbed to tourism? ‘Touristic’, as we feel now, doesn’t always mean ‘dead’ or ‘shit’.
That said, a tourist should uphold a certain amount of responsibility. You only have to get right up close to an elephant with a chain around its leg to question whether you should be riding them or not.

Meeting people from the different countries we’ve visited, and telling them how long we’re travelling for has really been the most affecting thing for us. Most of the people we met in their countries hadn’t even travelled outside of their state in their home country, let alone travelled to Thailand. It’s something that is so important to remember, and something that me and Bec have always tried to maintain in the forefront of our minds. That although we worked bloody hard and sacrificed one or two parties to get to where we are, we are still very fortunate to be able to travel. It broadens your mind in more ways than I can even imagine now at the time of writing. I would like to hope that in writing this blog, even though I may sound cynical or facetious, I am maintaining the broadest of minds in experiencing often strange and beautiful cultures. Even though something may seem queer to me, it does not mean it is wrong. For me it is much more important to question why something is the way it is, as opposed to why something is not the way we do it back home. 
So with that all out of the way, here’s a roundup of our highlights of our 4 months in Southeast Asia. We had originally planned to go to Cambodia on our tour of this region, but enjoyed Vietnam too much to leave, and also decided to take longer to explore the other countries we visited. Hopefully one day we’ll return to see Angkor Wat, which may well have featured on this list, had we have seen it. Perhaps the thought provoking Killing Fields, perhaps not. However, we have included Myanmar on this list, even though some may contend that it’s not Southeast Asia. But considering a lot of tourists enter Myanmar through Southeast Asia, we’ll place it there. Hope you enjoy the list, and that it inspires you in making your decision for your next holiday.

1. The Gibbon Experience, Laos.

Everyone mentions the price about this place, but you pay for the untouched beauty that it is. You, and a handful of others, get to share the whole jungle with just the animals that surround you. Plus the zip lines are some of the most exhilarating things we’ve ever done!

2. Erawan Falls, Thailand.

Yes, Thailand makes it on the number two slot. Our memories are partly due to the magnificent beauty of the place, and partly due to friends made along the way. Sharing that hour together at the top falls in complete seclusion is a memory that will last a lifetime.

3. Motorbike tour through central Vietnam.

It may have rained when we approached the Hai Van pass that i was so excited to see, so much so that all we saw was grey, but we saw so much that I didn’t expect, meeting some truly lovely people on the way. A must do.

4. Scuba Diving in Koh Tao, Thailand

Perhaps one of mine more than Becki’s for obvious reasons. But a truly amazing experience to be in the most surreal natural habitats ever. Only bummer was that me and Becki experienced something different.

5. Sunrise over Bagan, Myanmar

We’d hoped that it would be as good as it actually was. Driving through the unknown, and gradually watching the sun reveal more of the landscape that you never knew existed.

6. Boat ride in Tam Coc, Vietnam.

An unexpected part of our journey through Vietnam and it actually was more beautiful than the much anticipated Halong Bay (although the bay was still fantastic). 

7. Floating markets of Mekong Delta, Vietnam

An experience that delivered on all accounts for Becki. Getting up very early, and travelling on a small boat made us feel like locals going to market. Especially eating Pho on our own make shift restaurant.

8, Hanoi, Vietnam

Chris’s favourite city of Southeast Asia. Busy, mad and charming. It was everything I wanted it to be, especially the food. Plus it has some great museums too.

9. Koh Lanta, Thailand

Becki’s favourite place we’ve visited. It is the perfect mixture of beautiful beaches – a get away from it all holiday, large enough not to feel bored, and amazing Thai food, plus some great western places if you don’t want green curry every night.

10. Bat Cave, Hpa-An, Myanmar

One of favourite nature moments, and one that we didn’t specifically expect. One of those moments that was just ‘this is amazing!’

We had to add one more to our ‘top 10’, just because…

11. Chiang Mai, Thailand

The most liveable city that we visited in SE Asia. All the home comforts in terms of shopping and food, especially for vegetarians, yet still feels very ‘Thai’. The cute old town could’ve kept us occupied for weeks.