Any advice/tips about travelling around south-east Asia?

Question

In feb me and a mate are flying to Kuala-Lumpa,goin over to Borneo,then to Bangkok then to either Cambodia or Laos(cant decide which) for a 6-week S-E asia stint! I am excited/scared!Main concerns I am a veggie so food is guna be tough, and I'm also scared about getting sick from all the crazy stuff u can get out there!Is this a real prob? Any advice from anyone who has been to any of these places would be fab : )

Answer 1

I've been to all of the places you mention. I never had any problems with food (but, I'm not a veggie so I never thought about that aspect), but generally
- drink only bottled water
- avoid seafood
- enjoy yourself

Western Malaysia is great (real jungle) and I really enjoyed the friendly people in Laos.

Answer 2

pack really light, and if you get sick, wash a lemon with bottled water, then slice it in thin slices and eat it, rind and all. That works wonders for almost everything that might ail you. Food will be a treat because there is a large Buddhist population and a lot of influence. If you're strict vegan, you might have problems, simply because you won't always know the language to ask, and the locals might not be accustomed to answering that sort of thing. Leave the fear at home and go with an open mind. People get sick even in the West, so just be smart and enjoy your trip! Bangkok and Malaysia are both really easy for foreigners to adjust to, but Cambodia was full-on. It's a mind-trip, just being surrounded by so much abject poverty...certainly life-changing in a good way, but definitely NOT relaxing. Angkor Wat is definitely worth seeing, but check local conditions before taking a bus there. It took us 9 hours to go 100km when I went. There are "taxis" back to Thailand, and I suggest paying the small premium for the front seat,(~25usd from the capital to the border)--much better than 6 people in the backseat of a Toyota Camry:)

Answer 3

Food can be a little bit of a challenge depending on how "strictly" you adhere to being a vegetarian. It's easy enough to find meals with just rice/noodles and vegetables, but these most often are made in a sauce made from meat, eggs or seafood. If you can live with this, then you wont have any troubles. If this is a problem, then you might have a bit of a challenge to find food without this stuff in it.

People in these vegions, I noticed often dont grasp the concept of vegetarian food, and therefore may say that a dish is vegetarian because it doesnt have any pieces of meat in it, but might still have been made with meat based products. (They arent being dishonest, they just dont understand.)

Illness is not really something to worry about either. Because you're vegetarian, you've already eliminated a big possibility of getting sick: Meat. This is the main way of catching a stomach bug. Other than that, there are a few simple rules to remember with the food:

- Street food IS safe. And if IS very, very tasty. Just make sure that you buy it from a vendour who is doing a lot of trade. This ensure that the food hasnt sat there for too long, is fresh, and because it's so populat, will probably taste the best.

- Try and avoid ice in drinks. Often fruit juices sold on the street have ice in them, and this maybe dirty. To be honest, Ive never gotten sick from ice in Asia, BUT that's not to say it doesnt happen. Dont be paranoid about it, but just be aware that it can possibly make you ill.

- Other than that, you probably will get a bit of a stomach infection within the first 2 weeks or so of being there. This happens to everyone and isnt anything to worry about. Most of the time, it's not caused by bacteria but by your body adjusting to new foods/climate/timezone. Just take it a bit easy and stay well hydrated and it should clear up in a few days. If not, the chemists/pharmacists in Thailand/Cambodia/Laos are brilliant and will be able to give you some anti-biotics that will clear it up really quick. (Dont go for medicine unless it's really bad or you've had it for a few day though, otherwise you may make it worse later.)

Finally, you need to be a little careful of malaria and dengue fever. You probably know that these diseases are really serious and are transmitted by mosquitos. Just be aware that the anti-malarial medicines most doctors prescribe (doxycillin) tends to make a lot of people photosensitive. That means they get sunburnts really, really fast. Not a good thing under the tropical sun. So make sure you put on heaps of sunblock if you're taking anti-malarials. If you decide not to (I dont take them because of the sunburn), make sure you use a good insect repellent and try and wear loose fitting, light coloured long sleeved shirts. You still need to do this even if you DO take the anti-malarials to avoid dengue fever.

Other than that, have an awesome time. S.E Asia is absolutely brilliant. The people are friendly and helpful and you shouldnt have any problems.

Answer 4

I recently returned from a week of backpacking in Brunei & Sabah - I must say that their food culture isn't really suitable for vegeterians as very few restaurants offered vegeterian menus. Most of the cooks over there use beef stock/chicken stock in their cooking without realising that it's actually meat - so be careful! I would suggest that you stick to upscale restaurants that understand your requests, as I asked for a plate of veggies in a dingy cafe and found out that they cooked it in beef stock anyway. I wouldn't be too worried about sicknesses in Brunei - kitchens are always spotless, even in a street cafe (I think it's part of their religion), however you should always exercise caution in places like Sabah (if you stop over there), where they don't tend to emphasize hygeine much. Anyways I hope you have a lovely holiday over there, those places really are spectacular!

Answer 5

I travelled Thailand and Malaysia and veggie food was no problem for me.
Soups will always be meat stock even if it is a vegetable soup (in regular restaurants that is)
Look out for Chinese Buddhist vegetarian restaurants - they have great food.
I never once got sick (in several years) and ate street food wherever I could.
Don't worry - you will be fine, and you are going to have a fantastic time.
Make sure you visit Wat Po in Bangkok it is awesome (but wear long sleeves and trousers/skirt and go really really in the morning to avoid the hordes)
Lonely Planet guides helped me find lots of out of the way vegetarian places.

Answer 6

In KL and Bangkok it wont be a problem to find veggie,there's a lot of restaurant offer veggie meal. In borneo there not much restaurant offer veggie meal,however you can order your own veggie meal..its others culture,so,if you want to go here,be prepared,but most traveler didn't find any problem to mix with the local,food and culture..of course,there'r many differences you'll find.language wont be a problem b'coz most malaysian n thais cn speak english

Answer 7

Veggie food is real good in Thailand. Why not stop over in Bangkok or Chiang Mai? Anyway, I know veggie is not hard to find in those countries you mentioned.

Answer 8

Before planning her trip she should check the Korean embassy website of each country to confirm what the specific visa requirements are. Those countries that do a lot of trade and exchange with Korea may waive the visa requirement. Fred Wahl Matchmaker

Answer 9

check out Lonely Planet and the Thorn Tree


it is from people who have been there

Answer 10

don't carry someone else's teddy bears
don't say "I'm a friend of Gary Glitter"
shave your heads first, to save the prison warders the bother.