The Best and Worst of Asia

As we prepare to say goodbye to Asia tonight - madly trying to squash all our purchases into our backpacks - we thought we'd do a final web entry to sum up our impressions of the four countries we've ventured through. A bit of a best and worst list if you like before we board the plane to Budapest where the beer is expensive and the showers are hot. You see, there's good and bad everywhere you go, and we certainly won't miss the cold showers of Asia.
Thailand: As you know, our first and last stop was Thailand and we spent a total two months checking it out from Chiang Khong in the north to Kho Pha Ngan in the south. Thailand's food has to be mentioned under the "best" category - the Pad Thai, amazing curries, fresh fruit shakes and noodle soups. The mouth waters just thinking about it. Kanchanaburi to the north-west of Bangkok was one of our favourite regions, with the Tiger Temple and the amazing seven level waterfall at Erawan National Park. The Elephant Nature Park out of Chang Mai is also a place no visitor should miss. In the "worst" category, topping the list is the price of travelling through Thailand. When you arrive from Australia you think "this is amazingly cheap" but after visiting other Asian countries and returning it seems ludicrously expensive. I mean, $2 for a beer --- come on!
Laos: We found the people in Laos to be the friendliest of all the Asian countries we visited. They're so relaxed, they always smile and noone ever hassled us. The people really make Laos an amazing place to visit and their nature makes you feel like it's a place you want to return. Also, having been only opened to tourists since the late '90s, Laos' landscape is yet to be dominated by tourist infrastructure. For us, the scenery in Laos was the most raw and beautiful we encountered during our travels. Floating in a tube down the river in Vang Viang is a must. The big red mark against Laos would have to be its food. The local food is nothing to write home about and it is the one place we both got food poisoning several times. As Bol used to say "they need to really pull up their socks" in the kitchen hygiene department. Oh - and Pakbeng - the little town you stop at overnight during the two day slow boat trip down the Mekong is another "worst". That town really should be used to stage a horror film. Stay away if possible. It's very creepy. Buses in Laos were also a little scary. Sitting crammed alongside a row of armed guards is not exactly our idea of a relaxing journey.
Vietnam: What can we say.... Sapa in Vietnam's north next to the Chinese border was one of our favourite places in the entire four and a half months. The mountains with mist and thousands of rice fields were breathtaking. Other big ticks for Vietnam were:
Bia Hoi - sitting on the edge of the street drinking draught beer for 13 cents a glass. Nothing beats that;
Hoi An - any town with lines and lines of tailors just waiting to make you whatever clothes and shoes you want is okay by me;
Trains - it's the one country that is almost entirely serviced by trains so whenever you travel long distances you jump on a train, sleep in a bed and wake up as you pull into the station at your destination. Now that's cruisy travel.
The worst of Vietnam unfortunately has to be the people. Of course not everyone, but most people we encountered in the service industry caused us grief. Many of them were pretty rude and aggressive and after one month in the country, the constant calls of "Where you from?" "You buy, you buy" and "Why you not buy from meeee" started to do our heads in a bit. Of course there were exceptions but overall, they tainted our impressions of Vietnam.
Cambodia: Putting our heads together, the only negatives we could come up with for Cambodia were the hangovers encountered after our visits to Pub Street. I mean, come on, anywhere with a street called Pub Street is bound to give you a headache. And the child touts at Angkor Wat also left a lasting impression. For those who have seen Children of the Corn, you'll have an idea of what we mean. Our favourite aspects of Cambodia were:
Angkor Wat - obviously an amazing place, no explanation needed;
Sunrise Children's Village - the orphanage we visited in Siem Reap was really a highlight of our time in Cambodia;
The Lakeside District - the place we stayed in Phnom Penh was rustic and colourful and gave us endless days of entertainment;
Monika - the Laos woman who cooked for us in Phnom Penh. Truly a gem.

Okay -- I think we've exhausted it. Overall Asia has been an amazing experience. The countries have been very kind to us. Considering the horror stories you hear, we've had a really smooth and happy trip with lots of laughter each day. We're feeling a bit sad to leave but also excited about stage II of our travels through Europe. Now we have to go finish packing and head to the airport. We'll write again when in Hungary eating goulash. Take care XXXX