Here’s the plan then: get from the UK (Birmingham) to Vietnam (to be precise, get to Ho Chi Minh City -henceforth to be known as HCMC or Saigon, depending on how lazy I am feeling) as cheaply as possible. Factoring in the cheapness factor, I figured it’s easiest to fly to somewhere else in SE Asia and then travel overland to HCMC.
Bearing all that mind, the route that makes most sense (to me at least) involves travelling through Thailand-Laos-Cambodia (in that order) before crossing to Vietnam. I need to check the current situation but my guidebook for the trip, Trailblazer’s “South-East Asia” by Mark Elliott (recommended for it’s sheer originality and slimness, although it’s horrendously overpriced on Amazon!), suggests the best place to get a Vietnam visa is in Cambodia.
I still can’t figure out whether it’s worth flying straight to Bangkok or, as I’ve been told, head to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur for marginally more expensive rates and an opportunity to experience some other cultures. Not sure. See the Maps page for an idea of the rough routes so far.
After Vietnam I’ll head to Hong Kong long enough to get a visa for China (gawd, I hate HK!) where I’ll either get a job teaching English or (maybe/probably) head to back to the UK via Pakistan and Iran (and, if I don’t chicken out or run out of money – western Afghanistan).
I plan to leave the UK at the end of June 2009, at the latest sometime mid-July 2009. And before some smartass mentions it: yes, during the rainy season.
That’s enough for now.
Filed under: asia , cambodia, china, ho chi minh city, hong kong, laos, saigon, thailand, vietnam
