been to Phuket , good place

Sadly Bali is way too commercialized thanks mainly to the film industry.

Why don't you try Penang in Malaysia, its a small island off the Malaysian peninsula, people are great, food is fantastic and the hotels are amazing. Mostly run / operated by Germans so everything is expertly done.

Only problem i had in 10 years of vacationing there was that the German tourists get up at 5 am to secure the best location for there poolside loungers . I stopped this by chucking their books towels and shoes into the pool and took over their place at a more reasonable time. Other wise they would strole down after breakfast at 11am all the while keeping guests from enjoying a nice spot by the pool. Shortly after this incident the hotel stopped people saving loungers for themselves or for their friends:thumbsup
I should add i didn't just through one persons belongings in the pool i threw all of them, so 20 or so guests got real pissed, it was funny to see. :1orglaugh:1orglaugh

I used to stop off in Bangkok for a few days and then on to Penang for a nice 10 day rest. The lobster and Tiger prawns are huge:upsidedow

When are you going? We have been planning to go this year as well

I have been to Bali Twice. I even have made a simple site for a homestay i stayed in Lovina for only 5 dollar a nigh (now it is 15). That was the cheapest, but best most interesting place i stayed. http://no.nl/4Hd Don't go to Bali and stay in one place. There are cheap and good homestay everywhere. For 25-50 dollar you have your own bungalow. if you stay in sanur a taxi can bring you to Kuta in 20 minutes.

I suggest to do: Kuta, Lovina, Ubud, Sanur. Than take the speedboat to the Gili Islands and go scuba diving. White beaches, clear water, bars, good hotels. It is more luxurious know then 10 years ago, but also fun. Than take a tour Lombok (Gili Islands are 10 minutes from Lombok). There was not much to do when i was there cuase of the bombing.

Malaysia is also great to go to. You can go to Borneo or the beaches at the mainland. Also a beutifull country. You can also go to Bangkok and travel to Malaysia and leave from Kuala Lumpur (done that also), than you can see Penang / lankawi. Or go to Cambodia for a few days, flying is cheap in asia.

I mostly take a look at the ticket prices. 2 years ago flights to Malaysia hit the bottom, so we went there. I don't mind in what order i visit those countries, as long i can see them all it is ok.


But wherever you go, if you just want to stay at the beach you can also go to the Bahamas or Mexico. If you fly to Kualu Lumpur, Thailand, vietnam you can always make a stop over in Hong Kong, Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur for a few days. Book your tickets online and choose your route.

ps, the sate on the street is the best!

I'm in London right now. Heading back to banger on Tuesday. I'm thinking it's going to be the next Egypt....FML

sounds like you had a good time there ! hope your holiday in Indonesia will be just as much fun , ... however .. you do realise that this kind of behavior is not advisable in SE Asia ? You should not go with strangers, wether it is locals or foreigners .. so many people end up in serious trouble doing what you just stated .. dont want too sound too paranoid . . but bad things happen if you just wander about like that :2 cents:

really good advice.
Especially considering the illegal drug use.

Heh, we are leaving from San Fran (Cybernet Expo) on the 25th of June - or that's the plan. Flying back on the 4th of July. Let's go!! (:

No, I know it's very different and the experiences we had were probably not gonna happen. I know that my goal of finding weed at any place I go to in 48 hours will also not be doable. I really don't plan on doing anything to get my ass in trouble over there, just not worth it. Really just want to experience a nice vacation that will be worth the 20+ hours of travel.

I do appreciate all the advice though.

you are out of your mind if you even think about looking for weed over there


Bali= Legislation: Possession, Sale, and Consumption of Marijuana is Illegal and punishable with prison 10 years prison and the death penalty is given for trafficking.

We were looking at doing Thailand (Bangkok, Phuket and Koh Samui), Bali, Singapore this year. Staying 3 days in each place, then finishing in either Hong Kong or Tokyo for 5 days. Not sure if we will do it now, thinking more of hitting South America, with Argentina, Brazil, Panama on the list.

I want to do vacations where I see 2-3 different countries and maybe 5 different places, in the one trip. Makes sense.

I'm not - hence why my normal goal is not doable.

Promise I'll be on my best behavior over there.

We can only take off 10 days consecutively at TB, so that limits us in the duration.

My kids will be out of my house in 12 years and that's when I really plan on doing traveling - multiple countries at once, months at a time.

This is just to get my feet wet, trust me people - if I had the option to do many countries in one visit, I would.

Keep me posted on what you decide, I wanna see pics. :)

Lovina has cool black sand beaches. VERY chill there.

I forget the name of the place but we had a HUGE beachfront room in an excellent place for about $20 a night. I wiped out on a scooter there. :Oh crap

I wouldn't do both Phuket AND Samui. Pick one and spend more time there.

That's a tough choice though. I guess it depends on what you want to do.

Hong Kong is dope. Be sure to squeeze that in.

ok good thanks :-)

For our first wedding anniversary I took this package

http://www.amanresorts.com/exclusive...&LangType=1033

The prices have come down a lot. Bali is an amazing place

Jay

Ya Kuta Beach is tourist central there, the cops flag you down to extort money out of you randomly. (Adds up to usually $1 or $2 but gets to be a real pain in the ass)

Not really. It's SE Asia. If you're white, more than likely all that's going to happen is they'll scare you, then extort money out of you, then let you go on your merry way.

Well, I don't know about Bali so much, but that's how it works in Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam at least. Laws are viewed moreso as suggestions in this part of the world. There's loads of laws on the books, but they're selectively enforced. If a cop catches you for smoking a joint, more than likely the only thing that'll be going through his mind is, "Fucken eh, white guy smoking weed! Free karaoke night for me and my buddies tonight!"

There's only a small number of laws you can't get yourself out of with a donation. Murder, robbery, selling / traffic hard drugs, pedophilia, etc. For the most part, things can be handled informally though if you have a decent sized wallet.

I had a buddy who lived in Bangkok for 2.5 years, he told me I might as well just do all three (Samui, Phuket, Bangkok) as it might be a while before I head back to Thailand since I'm all about visiting new countries these days.

He did say tho if it was a choice, he'd hit Koh Samui over Phuket, so I may just do that. And Hong Kong is absolutely on my list, I have a friend who is a Pilot and is based out of Hong Kong, so I'll just stay with him while in town and hopefully he can show me around.

make sure to set aside some cash with your family in case you get kidnapped and they want a ransom.

fyi, the "turmoil" bs is overrated, you are fine to go anywhere

Unless they shut down the airport like they did the last time.

Suvarnabhumi is not the only airport in Thailand :)

I contracted amoebic dysentary in Bali, so watch what you eat ;-)

2 tips: local drivers / guides (gypsy cabs) can be had cheaply by the day and can show you "the real Bali" better than any tour bus, but I'd avoid rental cars / wandering due to real security issues today -- Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim nation and Westerners are not welcome in some places -- Bali itself is mostly Hindu, however.

Also, have your driver take you to a place called "sukawati" (spelling is likely off)
If you ask for souveniers / masks / kris / etc. you'll always end up at a pricey tourist shop, but sukawati is "the wholesale district."

In a past life (pre-porn) my ex and I used to bring in container loads of furnishings, homeware, etc. from there, and business can still be "bagus" even today... If you think "Pier 1" has cool stuff, you would love sukawati.

The Bali I had hoped to see, however, died in WWII (there are far more maniacs on motor scooters clogging the roads than there are water buffalo in the rice paddies).