BootsnAll Travel Community

If you could only visit THREE destinations in each of the following countries, what would you chose?

- Malaysia
- Thailand
- Indonesia

By destinations, I mean preferably 1 city or 1 area that you would want to spend about 3 days in, exploring.

The reason I ask is because I am going to be doing a student exchange in Singapore. The student exchange is for 4 months. I figure I will spend 1 month exploring each region (with Singapore being the first month of course), but I will only get to travel on the weekends (which I plan on making long weekends). So I figure three weekends of the month I will travel to a different destination in each country.

So... That said, what are your top three?

With your limit of only being able to travel on weekends, even when extended, kinda keeps your time short in each area!

For Thailand you have to see Bangkok of course, it's the capital city and should not be ignored. Also for Thailand you should see Chiang Mai too. In Thailand you can get tours from local travel agencies pretty easy or use local transportation.

For Indonesia Bali is nice. For Malaysia I like Penang and Kuala Lumpur was okay.

One problem you will have is that many places are not close together, if you have a lot money then you can fly, but These three countries are bigger than you think!

Good luck.

actually, you dont have to have a lot of money to get around these countries by air. Airasia or Asiaair, I cant remember...the company owned, at least partly, by Virgin operates over there for extremely cheap fares. Check them out.

Hi if you are going on a student exchange don't forget about the possibility of school holidays! Check that out... plus there are often public holidays to make use of as well...
There are a lot of cheap flights available in SE Asia, Air Asia and also Tiger Air and there are lots in Thailand too. That will help when travelling around.
In Thailand, definitely explore Bangkok. That will easily take 3 days, to get a feel for the place (it is much crazier than Singapore (in a good way) see the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun, take a trip on the river and wander around the markets... (go to Chatuchak Market if you are there on a weekend)
Just out of Bangkok you can see Ayuttaya (the old capital) which has lots of amazing old temples and is great for a weekend trip. And if you can get to Kanchanaburi ( abot 2 hours from BKK) there are waterfalls, hot springs, HellFire pass and other war memorials, and the Tiger Temple.
Chaing Mai is lovely and well worth exploring.
Head to the beaches (should be easy to get to krabi or Phuket from Singapore...)
So that will start you off

Jakarta, Indonesia – no one ever comes to Jakarta, it’s the coolest city in the world, many expats in Southeast Asia consider it the “secret” of Southeast Asia. I loved it so much in Jakarta that I moved there permanently.

Siem Reap, Cambodia – Seeing Angkor Wat was one of the most life changing and amazing experiences of my life. It was one of the first places that I traveled to alone. Cant really say more, you have to see it to understand.

Singapore – You have to see Singapore just because it is so different from the rest of Southeast Asia

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Great advice guys! Thanks a lot...

I will definitely add Bangkok, Chaing Mai, and Jakarta to my list. They sound amazing!

Bali is a bit away from where I will be, but if these air travel companies are as cheap as you say, then maybe I will be able to check it out... I have heard its amazing.

So, that means thus far I have for the top three:

Thailand:
1. Bangkok
2. Chaing Mai

Indonesia:
1. Jakarta
2. Bali

Malaysia:
1. Penang
2. Kuala Lumpur (?)

Anybody else have any other places to recommend for these countries? I am looking for both the most amazing places that are must-sees and also any less-known but charming places to see.

Thailand:
-Krabi area (not the town itself)
-Chiang Mai
-Bangkok

Malaysia:
-KL
-Cameron Highlands
-Perhentian Islands

Indonesia:
-Bali
-Flores
-Yogyakarta

Thailand- Bangkok, Chang Mai, Ko Samet, Ko Phang Nagn

My list:

Krabi, Thailand (specifically Railey Beach)
- because the beach is heavenly and way less crowded than the larger beaches, and there is awesome rock climbing, and easy access to Phi Phi or Phuket.

Hanoi, Vietnam
- sleepy town hidden in a big city. Safe, cheap, delicious.

Vientianne, Laos
- sleepy town hidden in a sleepy town with river rafting + beers in can cozies.

By the way, I live in Singapore so PM me when you get here!

Not sure if you've already decided on your choices, but I live in S'pore and these are my top three. Weekend getaways from S'pore's fairly common and I for one try to do it as often as I can. Pros and cons of a city state!

Thailand - Krabi, Phi-phi are a must. And Bangkok of course.
Indonesia - Bali and Jakarta
and instead of Malaysia I would much rather add Vietnam. I have yet to go there but I've heard only cool things about it., especially Hanoi.

Oh and travel is cheap. The budget airlines are extremely useful and there're enough of them to go around.

Drop a line when you get here!

quote:

Originally posted by Asheai:
If you could only visit THREE destinations in each of the following countries, what would you chose?

- Malaysia
- Thailand
- Indonesia

By destinations, I mean preferably 1 city or 1 area that you would want to spend about 3 days in, exploring.

The reason I ask is because I am going to be doing a student exchange in Singapore. The student exchange is for 4 months. I figure I will spend 1 month exploring each region (with Singapore being the first month of course), but I will only get to travel on the weekends (which I plan on making long weekends). So I figure three weekends of the month I will travel to a different destination in each country.

So... That said, what are your top three?

Thailand: Chiang Mai, Hat RaiLeh, and either Bangkok or Ayutthaya for the temples.

Malaysia: Perhentian Besar, Penang, Cameron Highlands

Indonesia: I've only been to Bali and Lombok so, um, those are my Indonesia picks...