globalcitizen

• See the Malaysia Wikitravel page
• Malaysia is split between Peninsula Malaysia and Borneo Malaysia. Air Asia is the best bet for travel between the two.
• Kuala Lumpur – The capital; see the Tourist Board dance show and the Eye on Malaysia Ferris wheel and light show. Restaurants in the capital are great, and Chinatown is worth a visit. The Petronas Towers viewing platform is surprisingly underwhelming.
• Cameron Highlands – Take a tour and see the local farms, rose garden, waterfalls, jungles etc..
• Penang – Island off the north west, fantastic colonial history.
• Perhentian Islands – Two dreamy tropical islands off the north-east coast. Find a quieter beach than the main Long Beach and relax amongst the sea turtles, monitor lizards, crystal clear water and laidback atmosphere. Snorkelling and diving are great here, and it is accessible by direct tourist minivan. Unmissable.
• In Borneo Malaysia, the main cities are Kuching in the West (‘Cat city’ – see the orang-utan sanctuary and the excellent free museums), Miri (a stop off before Brunei) and Kota Kinabalu (the main hub for treks into the mountains, jungles and minority villages).

Download all of my Southeast Asia travel tips as a PDF.

• See the Indonesia Wikitravel page
• It is possible to enter overland from Singapore by taking a ferry to Batam in Sumatra. Beware of the persistent touts on the Indonesian side and make a beeline for the airport or the next city.
• Jakarta – The capital disappoints most visitors as it is mostly an administrative base with very little to do for tourists, beyond the national museums. I would suggest hopping on a train to Yogyakarta as soon as possible.
• Yogyakarta & Borobudur – Be sure to see gamelan music and a cultural performance either here or in Bali. A day trip to Borobudur will take you to the ‘Angkor’ of Indonesia – a splendid, recently resorted ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist monument.
• Bali – Split your time between the tourist and nightclubbing hub of Kuta (the ‘Kao San’ area of Indonesia, full of mainly Australian backpackers) and Ubud (the arts/crafts capital, very laidback, be sure to see a cultural song/dance performance and the Enchanted Monkey Forest). Bungee jumping, trekking, white-water rafting and other adventure sports are all possible in Indonesia’s tourist centre.
• Gilis and Lombock – Two beautiful islands near Bali, great to escape to and excellent diving.

• See the Singapore Wikitravel page
• It is possible to take a train to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur, but consider getting off the train at the border and walking through no-man’s land rather than waiting for several hours on board.
• Esplanade (the ‘Theatre on the Bay’) is a fantastic piece of architecture and is talking distance from the harbour, Raffles Hotel and iconic WWII memorial.
• Little India has a fantastic atmosphere and is near to the Thieves Market.
• A visit to the Judgement in Buddhist Hell exhibition at Haw Par Villa is an interesting and bizarre experience. Through gruesome models, it features the ten steps of judgement before reincarnation. Take SBS bus 200 from Buona Vista MRT Station (EW21).
• There are several temples – Buddhist and Hindu – worth visiting. Singapore is also a shopping hub and has endless malls, restaurants and markets.

Download my Southeast Asia travel tips as a PDF.

Costs

My tickets were booked on, or 1-3 days before departure either in person at the station or through my hostel. Tickets are generally cheaper during the off-peak season and for 3rd class (I generally travelled ‘kupe’ – 4-berth 2nd class). I had few problems travelling during the busy summer period, though a sleeper bus was necessary for the stretch from the Chinese border to Beijing, as the direct train was booked out for a week. Prices also vary depending on train number/speed. See seat61.com for more info.

Approx total distance travelled on train [Estonia to Hong Kong]:
6569miles/10,571km

*Tallin [Estonia] to St Petersburg [Russia] – 14/07/07
EEK336/EU21.46/US$28.87/UK£14.58
Seat – 6 hours – Approx 217 miles

*St Petersburg to Moscow – 18/07/07
R1928/EU55.62/US$74.80/UK£37.77
‘Kupe’ 2nd class – 1 night – Approx 375 miles

*Moscow to Irkutsk – 22/07/07
R7278.2/EU210/US$282.36/UK£142.591
Kupe 2nd’ class – 4 nights – Approx 4,735 miles from Moscow to Beijing

*Irkutsk to Ulaanbattaar [Mongolia] – 30/07/07
R1146.9/EU33.09/US$44.49/UK£22.46
‘Kupe’ 2nd class – 1 night

*Ulaanbattaar to Chinese border – 09/08/07
T34,370/EU21.75/US$29.25/UK£14.77
‘Kupe’ 2nd class – 1 night

*[Direct train fully booked, sleeper bus from border to Beijing] – 10/08/07
T47,630/EU30.15/US$40.54/UK£20.47
1 night

• See the Thailand Wikitravel page
• If you arrive in the middle of the night at Bangkok airport and the buses have finished, negotiate for a taxi – 400-500baht is reasonable, there may be road tolls too. When asked by the taxi driver, it’s worth claiming this is your ‘second or third’ visit to the country – see above for more safety/scams tips.
• Bangkok – See the Grand Palace, the huge Chatunchak weekend Market, Kao San area, Reclining Buddha monastery, Siam Square and its luxury cinemas, and the night markets. You may wish to avoid the dodgy sex shows/’ping pong’ shows – as working conditions for the girls are as dire as you imagine. See above regarding Kao San Road – it is cheaper to stay just off Kao San itself, Rambuttri is a great option (asked to be dropped off by the police station). The Kao San market is bigger, busier and cheaper at night.

Attractions

The Harbour
See the best skyline in the world light up and take a stroll down the Avenue of Stars. Nightly music and light shows at 8pm.

The Peak
A mountain to the South West of the Island and the biggest tourist attraction in Hong Kong with spectacular views of the city and bay. The Peak Tram is worth the visit alone, though be sure to skip the official viewing platform in favour of ‘Governor’s Walk’, which – after 10 minutes – will bring you to a magnificent clearing with the best view of the city. The Peak also has a branch of Madame Tussards and several restaurants.

Lamma Island
Peaceful and tranquil, a small chilled out outlying island (one of Hong Kong’s 248 islands) with no cars or multinationals – just small shops, restaurants, clean air and a beach.

The Big Buddha
The famous monastery on Lantau Island features the biggest bronze, seated outdoor Buddha in the world. Free to see, and great for an afternoon trip. Accessible by ferry, cable car or MTR – reserve at least half a day to get there, explore the complex and return.

• See the Laos Wikitravel Page
• Hardcore bargaining is not necessary in Laos and may cause embarrassment. Decent medical facilities are near non-existent in Laos, you’d need to go to Thailand.
• The local currency ‘kip’ is used for cheaper items, ‘Thai Baht’ for more expensive things and US dollars are the top tier currency. It’s best to travel with a stash of all three, but try and support the local currency, you’d be doing a favour to the economy.
• Vang Vieng – Backpacker slum, all your guidebook says about it is true, it’s a Westerner’s party town and little else, go ‘inner-tubing’ on the river.
• Luang Prabang – Gorgeous place, adventure sports available, see the waterfalls and beautiful temples – some of the best tourist tat for sale here at great prices. Do your shopping here; they have some lovely handmade things on sale.
• Vientiane – Great food, a sleepy riverside capital, check out the museums and temples, perhaps hire a scooter.
• Savannakhet – Last stop before Vietnam, a very chilled out riverside town with amazing crumbling French colonial architecture. See the Dinosaur Museum and temples.

• See the Vietnam Wikitravel page
• To cross the roads in Vietnam, slowly walk into the traffic allowing it to flow around you – if you move too fast or hesitate, it’ll confuse the drivers. I hired a scooter for 75,000 Vietnam Dong per day, but you may not share my death wish.
• The quickest overland route between Hanoi in the north, and Ho Chi Minh City in the south, is by train and it takes over 17 hours. Most tourists take the bus and stop along the way. If you’ve only a couple of weeks, consider sticking to either the north or south. Hanoi is a good base for visiting the attractions up north, and is generally preferred to the south.

• See the Cambodia Wikitravel page
• Siem Reap/Angkor – Home to one of the wonders of the world, Angkor Wat. Find a hostel around Bar Street. The Landmine Museum is a must-see. And it may not be in your guidebook, but research seeing the temples by electric bike – it’s the best way. They’re available about 100 metres before the main entrance. Save your money and go for the Angkor day-pass – guidebooks suggest this is a crime, cramming into one day what should take 3. However, I and many fellow travellers found that 2 days was too much and 1 full day would’ve been fine – particularly as 90% of the very-expensive ticket price goes to a Vietnamese oil company, rather than to conservation. Also, the people who live amongst the temples do not see any of this money, so support them (however much they hassle you)!
• Phnom Penh – Check out the last of the Cambodian trains and go on the one remaining (if it’s running) – it’s a unique experience. Also, see the S-21 Torture Museum and the Killing Fields – prepare to be horrified. Avoid any ‘shooting ranges’ and stay at a cheap hostel on the riverside.

It’s a great adventure and according my calculations, you’ll save 0.84 acres of forest by not flying! There are three main legs of the journey which should take around 30 hours
1) Hong Kong to Guangzhou
2) Guangzhou to Nanning
3) Nanning to Hanoi

You don’t need to book anything, but try to arrive at the Guangzhou and Nanning at least two hours before departure. Remember that travel during New Year or Golden Week is likely to be impossible considering.

Print some currency converters from oanda.com

1) Hong Kong to Guangzhou

• Take the special Guangzhou train from Hong Hom KCR station (next to Tsim Sha Tsui). The immigration process can take over an hour. Ensure you have your HK ID on hand.
• There are cash points on the China side of the station.

2) Guangzhou to Nanning

Below are the schedules at the time of writing…

• Leave Guangzhou 7:05, Arrive Nanning 18:54
• Leave Guangzhou 14:30, Arrive Nanning 1:45
• Leave Guangzhou 16:02 Arrive Nanning 5:50

• The latter is the one to aim for – there will be a counter catering to ‘foreign tourists’.