South East Asia (SEA) is exotic and beautiful. It may the tropical beaches that are your calling or the dense undiscovered rainforest. Whatever the draw card was that made you want to visit this region there are a few things you should know about this amazing place before you go that may make your time more enjoyable.
Through Space and Time
Night Bus In Laos
The first thing you’ll notice when you visit SEA is that nothing is on time. Unless you are travelling 5-star all the way, most of your transport will often arrive late or may never arrive at all. Unfortunately, that is the nature of the beast and there is not much you can do about it (a reason why travelling without a heavily planned itinerary can work in your favour!)
A good habit to get into is always plan things about 2 hours later than what you have been told. That way when you’re waiting for your bus that is supposed to come at 6pm (but you’ve told yourself 8pm) you’ll be delighted when it comes at 7.30pm! This goes for distances travelled. If something is only 20kms away it is usually going to be longer as well as how many hours your train trip is supposed to be. A classic example of this happening to us was when we were in Laos. We stopped at a small town, Mung Khum, for the night and tried to figure out when the bus was supposed to come the following day. We were told by several people, several different times so we ended up waiting on the corner at 6pm. 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm all rolled by and we were starting to think the bus would never show. Finally at midnight we saw glaring headlights in the distance!
When VIP is not Very Important
Slow Boat To Laos
So you’ve organised your overnight bus, got your book and ipod and you’re ready to go. You’ve seen photos if it with its reclining seats, air conditioning and even your own blanket-luxury! Waiting at the bus stop you see an old bus pull up. Uh Oh…it’s your bus! No air-conditioning, no reclining seats, no blankets! Just a whole bunch of people crammed into the bus like sardines!
This scenario may come into reality somewhere along your travels, and once again, there isn’t much you can do no matter how much you double check with the travel agent before you leave. Sometimes the agent may even say your bus is ‘VVVIP’, but in reality is just an old bus with weak air con and plastic seats! If you are on a long bus trip that wasn’t like you pictured. Grin and bear it. It will make you appreciate the next time you do get on a good bus and make one hell of a story when you next Skype your family!
When everything goes Black
Frequent blackouts are a reality in South East Asia. Sometimes they may last for and hour or two, sometimes a day or two. So it is handy to be prepared. A head torch is a great item to carry with you. Not only for trekking and camping, but also when you want to put a bit of light on the situation in your room! That way you can still read your book in the dark. A small hand held fan is also great to have in your daypack too. (We bought two from MBK building in Thailand for $2 each). While not used that often, you’ll be thankful you picked it up when you are in your room at night with no fan or air conditioner that is working. It can provide some cool relief while you lie in the dark.
Be Ready for Negotiation
So Many Stalls! So Little Time!
In many parts of SEA prices are rarely what they seem for tourists-especially in markets. Whether it is a bottle of water or a wooden carving from a stall, chances are the price has been doubled even tripled because you are a traveller. So, be ready to haggle!
It may seem a little confronting at first trying to negotiate the price of a t-shirt (especially if you have never travelled before), but over time you will get used to it and it will become easier! A good rule is to halve or even third the first price straight away and work from there.
However, try to stop yourself if you are fighting over a few hundred Baht or two. Take a step back and think-‘How much is that in my curreny?’ Chances are it’s nothing. So let the stallholder take the extra cash. They most likely need it more than you do. The main thing to remember is to know when to haggle and also when to stop. Yes there may be many things that prices have been inflated just for you, but make sure you are not trying to negotiate the price of water or aspirin! Some things are better left alone-besides it all part of travelling in Asia. The fact of the matter is you are going to get ripped off every once in a while-BUT THAT’S OK! All in all, enjoy the markets, enjoy the negotiating and take it all in!
Hello, Anybody There?
Maybe I Can Kayak Off The Island?
So, you’re all excited because you’ve booked a few nights on a deserted island, a little beach bungalow, far away from the noise and pollution of the major city. You arrive in the boat all ready with your sarong and sun cream on! Stepping onto the island, you head to where you think reception is, but no one is there.
Actually, the whole island is looking a little too deserted. Running back to the boat before it leaves you try to communicate with the driver and ask ‘What’s the Deal?’ Places in Asia may often close for many reasons. Festivals, Public Holidays and, well, just because they feel like it! Sometimes they will shut down, go to visit their families or take a break without much prior notice or regardless of how many bookings they have. The above scenario is straight from what happened to my family and I when I was younger. Luckily the boat driver took us to another island he knew and we ended up having a great stay. Just keep this in mind and roll with the punches if this happens to you.
South East Asia is one of my favourite places to travel to. The people are friendly, the food, the culture, the landscapes-everything is so different to my own. So get out there and explore it!
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Good tips. And growing up in Indonesia, I know it’s true too. Especially about the blackouts. Used to have once a week blackout in Jakarta when I used to live there. Not as bad now… about once every 6 months or so
Once every 6 months is a huge improvement to once a week! When we were in Nepal we had them eveyday, some for up to 12 hours at a time!
I spent time in Indonesia and can relate very well to the ‘waiting for buses for hours’ as well as the blackout situation. However it is all part of the experience of traveling in a different country. I hate haggling and just feel everything is so cheap, they need the extra money more than I do. However some are disappointed if you don’t at least try to haggle with them. All good fun and a big learning curve on your first trip to an asian country.
I remember being in Kratie, Cambodia in the middle of my fist Southeast Asian thunderstorm. The town flooded within hours and then just as the daylight was fading, the electricity cut. Within a few minutes we had a knock on our door from the guesthouse owners, bringing us a couple of candles! The powercut lasted our entire time in Kratie – it was certainly a different experience
Sounds very familiar, when we were travelling through SEA the power would go out every second night. Even in Nepal the power is only turned on for 4 hours a day during the summer to save on electricity. But, what we found was that the owners of hotels in Asia were most helpful and apologetic when something like that went wrong. We were always humbled by the kindness of most Asian countries, it is a shame that Days Inn couldn’t show us the same kind of gesture.