Basic Beaches: Southeast Asia 2016

It’s finally time for David and I to head out on another trip!  For this trip, we are taking more of a well trodden tourist path through the Southeast Asian nations of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.  All in twelve days, because that’s how I party.
I’m particularly excited for two reasons.  First, because I have a lot of history with Southeast Asia.  I know this trope isn’t new amongst the younger whippersnappers of the Millennial Travel Blogger Generation (an organization I just created with my imagination), but it just so happens to ring true for me – albeit starting in 2003 rather than 2012.  Southeast Asia and my experiences there form the foundation of my love of independent travel.  

I first traveled in the region for five days, while on Spring Break from my college study abroad program in Japan – way back in 2003. Bangkok is where I fell in love with the hustle and bustle (and dare I say “authenticity”) of places not yet on the mainstream tourist radar.  And while that sort of vibe is harder to come by now than it was nearly 15 years ago in places like Bangkok and Siem Reap, I have fond nostalgia when I think about my younger travel experiences there.

I’m also excited because I get to introduce my husband, David, to the region.  He’s never been there, and I’m convinced he’s going to love it (in fact, he’s found a pair of my old backpacker pants and has taken to wearing them around the house).  He was stationed on Guam in the Navy at around the same time I was living in Japan, but never made it that far south.  The relative ease of travel there, especially compared to some of the more off the beaten path types of places we’ve been in the past year, should also be a welcome respite.  And, well, who doesn’t love some good tropical weather?

Ah that.  Well, we’re going in monsoon season.  

---

We had actually originally hoped to spend this vacation in the Ukraine, but Lufthansa miles fell through.  So when we found an open jaw fare in to Phnom Penh and out of Hanoi for under $800RT, we jumped on it. To be honest, I’ve kind of been beating myself up about the choice to go back to Southeast Asia.  I’ve been on the Eastern European drugs (figurative, obviously) for such a long time, Southeast Asia seemed less exotic, less enticing.  It is for this reason that I have left planning to the last minute – I’ve been more excited about my fall trip, so have left details to the last minute for the more impending one!

So, I tried to spice up the tried and true Bangkok – Chiang Mai – Ko Samui – Siem Reap itinerary a bit in an effort to engage myself more in planning.  Here’s what we’ve planned so far:

We’ll be flying out of Seattle in the middle of the night and connecting through Taipei before arriving in Phnom Penh about 20 hours later.  It will be around noon, and I am immediately dragging David on a tour of Khmer Modern Architecture.  The things I do to him…fingers crossed, no divorce!  I am debating a trip to one of the North Korean state-run restaurants, but have complicated ethical feelings about it.  We’ll see if my mind can develop some suitable mental gymnastics to justify that one.

The next day we’ll bus down to Sihanoukville and catch a boat to Koh Rong Samloem.  We’ll be vegging on the beach for about 36 hours before we catch a bus back and figure out a way to get to Kampot.  Once there, we’ll hang out for a night, and maybe rent motorbikes to head up to the Bokor Hill Station.  The former Bokor Palace Hotel is a structure that was introduced to me in the nascency of my urbex interest.  I’ve heard there is a lot of development happening in the area, and the old hotel isn’t what it used to be, but I’m keen to check it out.

We’ll then get back to Sihanoukville to catch a flight to Siem Reap, where we’ll stay at the fabulous, gay-owned Rambutan Resort (a place I stayed the last time I was in SE Asia – with a long ex-boyfiend).  We’ll check out a few outlying temples – Koh Ker and Beng Mealea probably.  Or we’ll take a bus to Kampong Thom and see Sambor Prei Kuk.  Nothing’s solid with our time there yet.  We’ll in all likelihood end up eating happy pizza and getting massages, to be perfectly honest.

After that we’ll fly to Luang Prabang and hang out there for a few days.  Other than to see the Bear Sanctuary there (who doesn’t love a rescue bear?!), and sideye tourists taking pictures of the alms ceremony, we have no plans.

At the tail end of the trip, we’ll fly to Hanoi for a day, where I’m guessing we’ll eat everything and get scammed a lot, then back to Seattle via a nine hour layover in Taipei.  If you have tips about Taipei, let me know — right now I’m thinking we’ll go into town for the night market, but if there’s something a little less basic to do, I’m all ears.

So technically almost everywhere we’re visiting will be completely new to me – I’ve only spent time in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh of all these places.  I’m excited to share some of my old stomping grounds with my new partner (and explore new ones!) even though they may be on the more “discovered” side of things.  I do believe that I’m steering us clear of the more basic backpacker bitch activities – like cocktail buckets, full moon parties, and elephant treks (do not ride elephants in SE Asia).  Instead, I sniffed out a brutal architecture tour of Phnom Penh and found a bear sanctuary to visit. Who am I kidding, this trip will be right up our alleys.

Ultimately, all that matters is that we have a good time, and a good time is something I can always count on from Southeast Asia.  I can’t imagine it will be any different from the times I spent there before, in 2009, 2006, and 2003 – the people will be friendly, the weather hot, and the food delicious and spicy.

---

Follow me on instagram if you don’t already! I am much more diligent at posting there because, duh, it’s just pictures.

and PIN ME, dammit!