Travelers Notes South-East Asia

	Travelers Notes South-East Asia 99. 9-10
I: Travel Info.	O : Opinion	?: Questions
Source of information
Other Media	Own Experience	Reported


?	99.10.24: Reese
		Travel companion wanted My friend and I are going to Vietnam from December 21, 1999 to January 12. We are 2 American males aged 26 and 29. If you want to travel with us you are welcome to join. We're also thinking of going to Cambodia and Laos.


?	99.10.24: Reese
		Pirated travel book in Vietnam Can anyone tell me if pirated copies of English version travel guidebooks for Vietnam are available in Ho Chi Minh City? Are there any places to avoid because of malaria, social unrest etc.? Cheers, From Editorial You can buy pirated Lonelyplanet Vietnam and China at least in HCMC, also Language books and more


O	99.10.24: Reese Vogel <enkatsu@yahoo.com>
		We go to Vietnam My friend and I are going to Vietnam from December 21,1999 to January 12. We are 2 American males aged 26 and 29. If you want to travel with us you are welcome to join. We're also thinking of going to Cambodia and Laos. Can anyone tell me if pirated copies of English version travel guidebooks for Vietnam are available in Ho Chi Minh City? Are there any places to avoid because of malaria, social unrest etc.? Cheers, Reese


I	99.10.10: David Stanley<davidstanley@guidebookwriters.com>
		David Stanley's South Pacific http://www.southpacific.org The author of the South Pacific Handbook provides links to all regionaltourist offices and airlines, plus information about his travel guides.

99.10.10: Evan Jones<iabookings@post1.com>

New Site for INDONESIA - BATAM
Here is a new link for your site .. http://www.riau-islands.com/gobatam/
It contains maps, photos and a lot of background info about beach resort holidays and adventure tours Batam (Indonesia).

Evan Jones
Riau Island Adventures
(PT Bahari Riau Tualang)
Blok D No 10, Komplex Batam Plaza,
Nagoya, Batam, Indonesia

Singapore Lines: Tel: (65) 270 9937 Fax: 234 2305
Batam Lines: Tel: (62)(778) 425 640 Fax: 425 639
USA Fax Line: Fax: (1) (707) 988-0727
Handphone: (62) 811 70 2203 (Evan Jones)
Booking Office: <iabookings@post1.com>
Website: <www.riau-islands.com>


?	99.10.10: Jerry <jmgaudet@mindspring.com>
		Angkor Wat, Cambodia and Others I am a retired individual, traveling with my wife to Angkor Wat on Nov 1,2,3, and request information on hotels in the area. Middle class hotel will do, as long as clean. Thanks to anyone who can make recommendations.

99.9.19 :Dave Rayner<gobuds48@hotmail.com>

Cambodia and Others
I want to travel Cambodia in December for about a week and i am looking for somewhere else to go (i have about 2 to 21/2 week vacation. My first choice was to go Laos but i hear that there is no overland border crossing. Does anyone have any suggestions of a route to from Cambodia to another country. I have been to Thailand and Vietnam but wouldn't hesitate to go to Thailand again. Any suggestions would be much appreciated as well as visa costs.

From Editorial
If you have 2 and a half weeks, want to visit Cambodia and don't want to travel Thailand, you don't have much choice. From Cambodia you can go either Vietnam or Thailand. If you have only 1 and a half week left, I don't think you can enjoy Vietnam so much. Angkor Wat is not only place to visit in
Cambodia and 2 and a half weeks is perfect length to travel Cambodia. So my
recommendation is "Stick to Cambodia".
For Visa Cost, Cambodia is $20, Vietnam about $50, Laos about $30. Please check BKK page for more details.


I	99.9.8 .cleo
		Myanmer Visa According to an article by the Associated Press in Bangkok dated September 6, the Myanmar government has stopped issuing visas to foreign independant travelers in advance of their worry over demonstrations on 9/9/99. They ARE still issuing visas for group tours and business visas. The government says this is a temporary ban.

99.8.X: From Net

Is Myanmer cheaper than Thailand????
I want to travel Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia for 4 weeks overland? Any tip?

From Editorial
You need much more time to travel. With 4 weeks, you can pass them though, but not enjoy them.

The route is not so good either.
From Laos to Vietnam, there are only 2 borders opened to foreigners, Lao Bao and Cau Treo. Both are middle of Vietnam. Either you go up to Hanoi or down Saigon, you have to have a 24 hours backtrack.
flying back from Vietnam is also expensive.

If you know more about traveling Laos.
http://www.itisnet.com/english/asia/laos/laostop.htm

For Vietnam
http://www.itisnet.com/english/asia/vietnam/viettop.htm

99.9.6: mathew galvin<galvinmatthew@hotmail.com>

Taipei, Taiwan
looking for apartments in taipei, taiwan..don't want to get holed as an American/foreigner...want to live with local to learn more about place and practice my mandarin...advice?
Regarding to your question, you are looking for homestay system.

From Editorial
Our site is for travelers and we don't have any information for homestay. Many peopleare learning Chinese in Taiwan. Many start from staying GHs, get to know people and move to apartment or homes of local people. I think it is easier
than planning everything before you go to Taiwan

99.9.3: Nik Thom<Tomba_50@hotmail.com>

Thailand/Cambodia/Laos/Vietnam/Aus & NZ
Hey there who ever is reading this
I'm off to Thailand/Cambodia/Laos/Vietnam/Auswtralia & New Zealand and I would like some tips and info.

From Editorial
I will recommend to travel from Thai - Laos -Thai-Vietnam - Cambodia - Thai - Aust/NZ.
If you visit Vietnam at last in Asia, you have to fly from Hanoi/Saigon to BKK. No discount fare for this route. No route between Laos and Cambodia. Very hard route between Vietnam and Laos. If you take Vietnam and Laos, you have to take a long back truck twice.
And it is very good idea to visit Angkor Wat as the last trip of SE Asia because this is the best place to see and if you see this first, the rest of the SE Asia ruins will be nothing for you.