Hi all!
I'm going to SE Asia for my first time in August of 2008. I'm going for three weeks and my priority for the trip is to see temples and jungle! Now I am not one who wants to rush and see how much i can fit in...I have decided to limit my three weeks to visiting one country but now I can't decide which to go to: Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia or Vietnam...I would actually do Cambodia and Vietnam in the same trip...what are your opinions?
Much obliged for your responses

August is the "avoid" season in SE Asia, so, from a weather perspective, Indonesia is by far your best bet.

You can do 3 weeks in Indonesia, in the parts where the rains aren't an issue (north and south of the equator differ) - but realize that Indonesia is huge and you'll be doing a lot of flying to get from island to island.

Rains don't just mean humidity, at a level you can't imagine, but also increases in malaria and dengue. Plus road problems, etc.

You will DIE from the heat in Siem Reap in August. I was there in January, the "cool" season, and we hid in our rooms from noon until 5PM.

Figure 4 days for Siem Reap, 2 for Phonm Penh in Cambodia. That's really all you need to do there. What you could do, easily, is combine Cambodia with Laos - three weeks is more than enough. You could go to Vientiane, Luang Prabang and somewhere in central/south Laos. Food in Cambodia is good, incredible in Laos.

3 weeks in Vietnam is a good duration, but check when the "avoid" season is in Hue - I recall that it floods and gets an unimaginable amount of rain during its rainy season.

It's my first time too. I do not do real well in hot/humid weather at all, so I picked March for Vietnam (still hot but less humid!) I'm a little heavy and am slimming down so I'll be more comfortable - still remember the week I spent in American Samoa and sweating at 8:30AM. I'm taking the minimum amount of stuff - just an 1830 cubic in daypack with nylon clothes and extra comfy shoes. I think the real problem is just to take it easy at first and adjust to the locale slowly.

Here is another opinion. You could go directly to Thailand from your home country. Flights to Bangkok are often cheaper than some of the other countries if you look around. In August you are still in "high price season" for airfares. Usually the prices go up when the kids get out of school in June and get a little lower after September when they go back to school. You can sometimes find a good fare when cancellations come up from time to time but you have to check often.

Thailand is very organized as far as transportation and tourism goes. There are lots of temples in Thailand as well as modern malls and good shopping. Hotels are real cheap compared to some other places. From around May to September most of the hotels in Thailand will be in the "low season" pricing.

From Thailand you can easily find transportation to other countries at a discount. For Laos and Cambodia you can also use ground transportation, depending on your time and available money. I have often made my trips a "twofer" by starting in Thailand and visiting another country for a week or so, and then return back to Thailand. You could visit Thailand and from there do a side trip to Siem Reap and visit the temples at Angkor Wat.

Remember Communist countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos require visas that you pay for. For Thailand and Malaysia you can enter and receive a stamp in your passport allowing you to stay without a visa fee for short periods. Thailand give you 30 days free for many countries which include Australia, USA, NZ, UK, Canada, and most of the EU countries. Some political unrest in parts of Indonesia, check with your state department or similar source for current warnings.

Other sources of information that doesn't involve a lot of shoe offers are:

www.thaivisa.com
www.virtualtourist.com
www.tripadvisor.com

Good luck.

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