You could pretty much say the same for parts of london =/
Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia
- Thread starter Ripper
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You could pretty much say the same for parts of london =/
You're an idiot and your reply is not even worth debating because its so ridiculous.
You're not a very happy person are you?
Every city/country in the world has good points and bad points. Just need to see which outweigh the other.
I've been to KL a couple of times, and loved it both times. Absolutely great.
You're not a very happy person are you?
LOL, I'm a happy person who doesn't like a few places, that's all.
Fair enough, but if you discount that part of the world, and london and all places similar to it, you have basically discounted a pretty large part of the world you would be happy visiting?
I haven't "discounted" anything. I've merely expressed an opinion.
Which is largely a negative opinion implying you would not enjoy those places. If you go to them knowing you won't enjoy them, then that's just silly. In effect, you have discounted them.
However we can all discount your opinion because its based upon speculation due to your lack of exposure to any of the countries mentioned.
Yes it is. Surely I'm entitled to an opinion?
I haven't been to Laos, Cambodia or Malaysia (though I do have Cambodian and Malaysian friends who've told me all about their home countries). I have been to London, and thought I would enjoy it but I didn't.
Of course it is.
Not entirely. I am open to correction.
Thank you.
I found similar problems when I visited Istanbul - which is a shame, because I actually loved the place itself, but hated the environment because the entire city is awash with socio-economic disasters of varying kinds.
But surely to be open to correction, you would need to visit them? Which is not gonna happen since you already think you wouldn't enjoy it? Unless you mean that you would be convinced solely by hearing peoples experiences? In which case i'm sure plenty of people here would post about the fantastic times they've had.
I am sure I would enjoy the scenery. I don't think this would compensate for the other problems.
Tourist go to these places, hang around western hotels and resorts for a week, maybe do a bit of hiking through the outskirts of a jungle, and then come home raving about what a beautiful place Malaysia is, how polite the people in Laos are, and how easy it is to get into bed with Cambodian bar girls.
This is not a balanced picture.
True enough that its a touristy view. But surely you're going there as a tourist and not to settle down permenantly? Obviously the deeper socio-economic problems exist there, as they do in mostly any country. With that assumption, it's possibly not the best place to settle down in when compared to other countries. But if you go there, it would be as a tourist wouldn't it? Even people who have gone there and done the 'non-touristy' things, have enjoyed it (or so i've heard in any case. My personal experience is limited to malaysia (among the 3 mentioned here) and then limited to touristy things). I fully understand the problems you have with the place if you were planning to live there, but not so much since we're just discussing holidays here.
Some people don't want to be spoon-fed a pretend tourist package though.
Yes, Laos has beautiful scenery and you can go down the river getting smashed with other tourists on rubber tubes, but for some people that doesn't compensate for the fact that in reality it's a country reeling from colonisation, a 20 year civil war and a subsequent massive US bombing campaign, with an oppressive government and very limited economic opportunities.
Similarly, Cambodia has a rich history and beautiful monuments, but it's stuffed with landmines and resulting amputees, had about 25% of it's population killed during the 1970s and is now grindingly poor.
So although these countries do have some really beautiful facets, a lot about them is horrible. I'd still absolutely recommend that people go because you learn and experience a lot.
Yes, Laos has beautiful scenery and you can go down the river getting smashed with other tourists on rubber tubes, but for some people that doesn't compensate for the fact that in reality it's a country reeling from colonisation, a 20 year civil war and a subsequent massive US bombing campaign, with an oppressive government and very limited economic opportunities.
Similarly, Cambodia has a rich history and beautiful monuments, but it's stuffed with landmines and resulting amputees, had about 25% of it's population killed during the 1970s and is now grindingly poor.
So although these countries do have some really beautiful facets, a lot about them is horrible. I'd still absolutely recommend that people go because you learn and experience a lot.
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Cambodia - Kampot, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh & Sihanoukville are all awesome
Laos - Heard amazing things, used to be only able to get a 14day visa though
Thailand - Pai, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Koh Chang
I'd recommend all of the places I've visted above.
If you fancy popping over to Vietnam I'd also recommend Saigon, Nha Trang, Hue, Hoi An and Hanoi.
To be honest all of S.E Asia is amazing and beautiful, just be sure to get off the beaten track away from the big tour groups and tourist hubs of major towns and cities if you want to see the 'real' country and people.
Enjoy!
Laos - Heard amazing things, used to be only able to get a 14day visa though
Thailand - Pai, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Koh Chang
I'd recommend all of the places I've visted above.
If you fancy popping over to Vietnam I'd also recommend Saigon, Nha Trang, Hue, Hoi An and Hanoi.
To be honest all of S.E Asia is amazing and beautiful, just be sure to get off the beaten track away from the big tour groups and tourist hubs of major towns and cities if you want to see the 'real' country and people.
Enjoy!
Laos is a place I highly recommend going to see to all my friends. Lovely place with lots to do, be it drinking (beer laos and dark beer laos being very tasty drinks indeed) or sightseeing and trekking. You have a good mix of events and its easy to hop the boarder and see more places if you wish.
The time to travel around the towns is long so make sure you plan for 8hr long bus rides etc.
The time to travel around the towns is long so make sure you plan for 8hr long bus rides etc.