There are very few times in my life where I’ve had both the means and the time to go out and explore. I’m working my way through various parts of the US, having covered all of the West Coast and the southern border, and slowly jumping around the East Coast. I used to visit family in Taiwan. But other than that, I haven’t had the chance to get around, to be in an unfamiliar place and have an adventure and learn to wing things.
I decided after graduation, Amy and I would go backpacking through Southeast Asia. It wasn’t as glamorous as Europe, and it wasn’t as familiar as going to a Mandarin speaking country, but I wanted to do something different. Despite my parents worrying that we would get kidnapped or worse, we made our circuit through SEA alive, unharmed, and for the better.
This is our 1 month self-guided trip around SEA (with stops in Taiwan and Hong Kong)
Our timeline was mid-May to mid-June, starting in Singapore and continuing on through Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, back to Thailand, and out to Hong Kong. Amy and I flew in and out of the area from Taiwan, which was our start/end point since we wanted to visit family as well.
Singapore (~2 days)
Malaysia (~3 days): Kuala Lumpur, Penang
Thailand (~5 days): Phuket, Bangkok, Pattaya
Cambodia (~5 days): Siem Reap, Phnom Penh