Tuesday, October 30, 2007

SE Asia Trip Itinerary

It's Tuesday night and I'm getting ready for the trip... It still hasn't sunk in that I'll be halfway around the world come Friday night. Here's the basic plan for my adventure -

Nov 2 - arrive in Bangkok after traveling for a long time.
Nov 3 - Tour Bangkok and meet up with my tour group in the early evening.
Nov 4-6 - After taking a long bus ride from Bangkok, Thailand, I arrive in Siem Reap, Cambodia. While staying in Siem Reap, I'll visit Angkor Wat and surrounding areas. It is a World Heritage site and sounds amazing!
Nov 7-8 - Fly to Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. Here I'll learn about Cambodia's tragic past and check out some of the other (less depressing) attractions.
Nov 9 - Traveling via boat, I enter into Vietnam and travel on to Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon).
Nov 10-12 - See the sights of Ho Chi Minh City and visit the Cu Chi tunnel network where the Viet Minh soldiers hid during the war.
Nov 13-14 - After a short flight to Danang, I take a bus to Hoi An which is known for its architecture, ceramics, wood-ware, paintings, and tailoring.
Nov 15-16 - Jump on another bus for a scenic ride to Hue. I'm looking forward to the dragon boat cruise on the Perfume River and visiting the plethora of pagodas and monasteries as Hue is the center of Buddhism and education in Vietnam. The last night in Hue I board an overnight train to Hanoi.
Nov 17 - Arriving at Hanoi in the morning, I'm ready to start my day of sight seeing.
Nov 18 - In the morning, I jump on a bus to Halong Bay, another World Heritage Site. Once at Halong Bay, we board a private boat to see some of the 3000 limestone karsts, enjoy the emerald waters, and explore some of the caves.
Nov 19-20 - After spending the night on the boat in Halong Bay, we take a bus back to Hanoi for another day and a half of sight seeing.
Nov 21 - I sadly must kiss Vietnam goodbye as I board my plane in the late morning back to Bangkok. But the adventure doesn't end there - I have a 9-hr layover in Bangkok so there's some time for another bowl of noodles and a little more shopping. That night I board another plane to begin the long trip home.
Nov 22 - Arrive back in the States! The weird thing is my 13hr 35min flight (an hour shorter on the return) from Korea to Dulles takes off a half hour after it lands (depart - 10am, arrive - 9:35am). Gotta love crossing the international date line!