Vang Vieng, Laos

[GuyInTaiwan]

mangoholic: You're probably right. Unfortunately, my only experiences with such things happened in Sabah state in Malaysian Borneo and were a massive tourist trap. I was very let down by the river trip and wildlife excursion we did (in short, it had rained heavily two weeks before and the river had flooded, which meant the animals had all buggered off, yet aside from not knowing that it had flooded, we were also openly lied to by the company that booked the trip for us).

In terms of wilderness, sure it's a different kind of wilderness, but I'd be more inclined to go to somewhere like Australia, Canada or the U.S., or even Scandinavia. I've been to Iceland, and I've also been to Copenhagen, Stockholm and a few places in Finland, but I'd like to see more of the remote parts of the Nordic Countries. I'd maybe also go back to Russia, but more outside the cities this time, perhaps to places such as Kamchatka or the Altai region. I've also heard great things about Patagonia (and Argentina has a lot of culture also). Not the same kind of wilderness, and certainly not the same kind of wildlife, but still along those lines. I'd also like to see more cultural/historical stuff in the West in the future. I'd like to go back to Vienna, and also go to Paris (went there as a kid, but don't remember it), Amsterdam, Florence, etc.

[Pingdong]

i notice the traveler thing too. the ones that really irritate me, and i rarely get irritated traveling, are the ones whinging to their friends how bad something is, then telling them how crazy they are on facebook. sometimes when i see a cell phone and hear the word facebook at the same time i just wanna slap a b....

find a forest, sit on a log and your mind will be blown in more ways than any rave in downtown Anycity.

I wonder what backpacking truly meant 40 years ago compared to today? i love to backpack, suitcases are just not good for travel in asia.

speaking of Laos. if you go to southern Laos (pakse and surrounding places) it is AMAZING to get a motorcycle and go around there. when we did that it changed my life, really. though even don det/4000 islands is pretty touristy, but its a cool place to go as well with very easy bus access. plus the border with cambodia was being built last summer, and is maybe even done now? so no more waiting a day or 2 for the buses to get out of the mud

[Abacus]

You just need to get off of the beaten path a little to get a better experience while backpacking. I had a great trek in Vieng Phouka Laos even though I could see commercialization affecting things. I also enjoyed Mae Sot, Umphang and bouncing around most of the Thai/burma border towns. I didn't do as much as I wanted to but I have some ideas for my next trip to Thailand. One thing that is definitely true is that I want to be on bicycle in Southeast Asia. that looks like a much different experience while being able to see and stop in the countryside vs cruising past in a bus.

This also reminds me of the two types of backpackers that I met in Peru/Ecuador in 2008. There were the slackers that stuck to the coast and major cities and then there were the active types that spent their time in the mountains.

[Pingdong]

bike for sure. we tried that a little in Laos. on those roads in rainy season with those bikes, its no easy task. we opted for motorcycle, then you can get far distances too. i love motorcycles, in taiwan especially.

[Abacus]

bike for sure. we tried that a little in Laos. on those roads in rainy season with those bikes, its no easy task. we opted for motorcycle, then you can get far distances too. i love motorcycles, in taiwan especially.

My solution for the rainy season: Don't go during the rainy season.

Personally I prefer bikes to motorcycles in Taiwan. Long motorcycle trips destroy my body and you're going fast enough that you can't really enjoy the countryside like you can on a bike. It is exhausting on a bike though

[Pingdong]

I hear you. but in dry season you get all the western tourists yapping about how much they can drink and facebook, i prefer rain and mud.

just as a note. the so called "blue lagoon" in Laos is not blue in rainy season....its lovely brown. still a nice swim though.

[Abacus]

I wrote this earlier. Part of the reason that a bike is great in SE Asia is that you go places that most foreigners don't.

You just need to get off of the beaten path a little to get a better experience while backpacking.