Vietnam/Cambodia

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Drakescoffeecake said:
Visas sorted - was told it was about $30 so got the shock of my life when I saw it was $95!

Have heard about the whole US dollars thing in Cambodia... think instead of using ATM'S I'll just take a bunch of US dollars into Cambodia to avoid all that.

Worried about bus travel from PP > Siem Reap having heard the state of the roads over there isn't too flash - what mode of transport to use when commuting between cities is probably my main issue right now!

Thanks for the advice, 6 weeks to go... better get onto some accom! :thumbsu:
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You COULD get accom, but in those countries you can basicall;y rock up and find a joint. I tend to just wait til I land, log onto agoda.com and book something there and then.

Or if going to a major tourist destination like SR I just rock up, get off the bus and pick the funniest and/or least dodgy looking tout and go with it.
 
If you are only doing Vientiane and Luang Prabang in Laos, I'd fly. The bus between the 2 is a bloody long way, ~8hrs, but does have scenery. The plane trip is obviously more pricey ( around $100US & decebt service with a quick snack and drink), but only a 35min trip. The scenery you would see on the bus trip will quickly be substituted by the scenery of Luang Prabang. The last time we flew into Vientiane we didnt really have any schedule, and decided in the arrival hall of the airport that we'd fly to Luang Prabang. Booked a flight there and then and were on a plane in about 40mins, and drinking cold Beer Laos on the banks of the Mekong another 50mins later.

If you can stay along the road that runs along the next to the Mekong, the accommodation all have restaurants on the river side of the road overlooking the river from the cliffs above. Its about a block back from the main drag and easy to walk, ride anywhere from there. We walked in off the street and got the whole top floor of a little b&b for about $20 a night with balcony.

Everyone should go to Laos at least once in their lifetime, it is an amazing place. Hire a moped and do the waterfalls yourself. The night market in Luang Prabang (for the little food alley mainly), the friendly people, the countryside, the rivers, the temples. It is the bomb!
 

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For those who've been to Vietnam, has anyone done a trip with World Expeditions? I've been looking at doing a cycling trip but not entirely sure what it'd like, if its worth the money etc. Cheers
 
Great fun but back to reality next Monday :(

Hoi An - the BEST. Could've easily stayed another month. Gold Coast feel to it. Great food & drink prices. Went to a place called "Streets" which was set up by an American to train street kids in the hospitality industry. Everyone that worked there was homeless at some point. Really touching to listen to some of their stories. Lovely people. Probably the nicest throughout the entire trip. Will be going back.

Didn't really enjoy myself in Hanoi. Stayed in the Old Quarter and it was just dirty and the people really couldn't be any more rude. Did eat the best banh mi in history though.

Loved Siem Reap but becoming waaay too touristy. I ran into some guy and it turns out he lives two streets over from me! So many Aussies and Pub Street did remind me a little of Bangla Rd unfortunately. Angkor Wat was incredible but as people have said when they went, it was ridiculously hot and sweated my way through it all. Did the one whole day due to time restrictions but could've easily done a few more. Quite amazing to see up close :thumbsu:

Could quite easily have skipped PP. Not much to do except the killing fields, genocide museum and to riverfront for drinks and dinner.

Got robbed in HCMC by a rickshaw rider who wanted 2,000,000 dong for a ride around the city. We only went 10 minutes and then he demanded all of our money, despite agreeing on 20,000 dong before we got on board! Absolute psycho but managed to at least get him down to 500,000. Fuming for the rest of the day, moreso because I wasn't switched on so I was pissed at myself!

Great trip overall. Don't need to do it again though. Sa Pa was beautiful but the train was a nightmare and the road from PP to Siem Reap was unsurfaced most of the way so it was a bumpy 7 hour bus trip! Will do Hoi An again but done with the bigger cities in Vietnam.
 
Drakescoffeecake said:
Great fun but back to reality next Monday :(

Hoi An - the BEST. Could've easily stayed another month. Gold Coast feel to it. Great food & drink prices. Went to a place called "Streets" which was set up by an American to train street kids in the hospitality industry. Everyone that worked there was homeless at some point. Really touching to listen to some of their stories. Lovely people. Probably the nicest throughout the entire trip. Will be going back.
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Agreed. This place is a hidden gem.
 
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