Everywhere is very similar so I touched on some of the most well known places to give you an idea of what they are like and also what your getting into.
Bali is an amazing place to go but you can have your eyes opened when you get there. Straight off the plane people will try to grab your bag from baggage claim and then ask for a tip. Then when you come outside a million of taxi drivers will follow you trying to ask you where you are going and will charge you quadriple the cost of what it really costs. I would recommend getting a motorbike or scooter there so when you return you can bring it right back to the airport and fly out but they will try to charge you more than expected so try to get them to 3-4us dollars a day depending on how long you are staying. There are so many places to go in Bali, from relaxing to surfing and yoga, to have an amazing time and the people there are amazingly spiritual with good hearts but some taste greed so expect to bargain for transport or clothes to goods.
Singapore is very expensive to stay and even some hostels are higher than 20us a night but if you find the local hidden picture food sign restaurant places that are very similar to food court but with an Asian twist you'll find that the food is dirt cheap. Transportation around Singapore on the local metro is really easy to use and not a grab in your pocket to make you squeal. The buses are really easy to use and cost near to nothing when traveling to Malaysia or even around the city. Also the people in general are very nice and everyone mostly speaks English.
Malaysia is about the same when it comes to getting cheap transport from one area to the next and in Kuala Lumpur the metro system is very easy to use and is cheaper than Singapore. Trains in and out are a little more of a price but are not severely expensive especially if you get a sleeper train which means your getting accommodation and transportation all in one which is a smart choice.
Thailand is the hub right now for SE Asia and is still exploding in tourism so be prepared to change your whole mentality of what to do when you get there. First thing is don't trust anyone, tuk tuk drivers trying to take you to buy a suit or dresses to people trying to set you up with transportation, taxi drivers not turning on their meter, accommodation, and people selling food to clothes or goods. Everyone there sees you as a ticket to get money out of you and an extra dollar is an extra dollar that adds up in the long run that you could be using towards something else. Second thing is buy from the source, as in buy at bus stops, metro terminals, ferry terminals, train stations, and in doing so you will cut out the middle man and be saving huge amounts of money because real transport costs near to nothing there. So be smart and save your chips for a Thai massage that doesn't have a happy ending or another small snack at a corner Pad Thai joint.
The people are very nice once you get to know them but since so many tourists are going there all the time the flow of greed in taking extra money out of you is getting smarter and higher.
Cambodia is also another destination to see when your in Asia with amazing temples in Siem Reap to complete sadness about their history in the 1970's in Phnom Penh and all over the country.
But have in mind that it is a third world country and it isn't as nice as you may think because the streets can be dirty with trash everywhere or people like to burn plastic or take a dump in the street. Also keep in mind what you learned from Thailand and that you should be ready to bargain for everything and anything. Stay away from kids trying to get food from you or trying to get money from you and if you do give them food make sure you open whatever your buying them because they will take it back to wherever you bought it and get the money back, really sneaky. Transportation around there is really cheap and accommodation is as well so keep in mind saving money and waiting till you find the right place or doing your research online but not all the hidden cheap nice places are on the web. The people there are really nice and very outgoing but greed is high and they get smarter when they get a taste of getting an extra buck out of you.
Vietnam is one place you cannot miss and have to see if your around the area. It is a little worse than Cambodia in the sense of third world countries because you add in petrol with oil smells to the trash and doo doo smells to make quite a concoction. Traveling around is very easy by bus or even buying a motorbike in Ho Chi Minh and selling it in Hanoi or vice versa is easy but check what your buying and test drive it before buying it and if your not a motorcycle expert than I wouldn't recommend riding one because it is quite dangerous. There are no regulations on traffic laws there as what it seems or isn't enforced and everyone drives on both sides of the road without looking so be aware even if you do take a bus that it might be an eye opener. Everything is cheap there as well but use your bargaining to get prices down on everything. Some tricks I learned here where to just touch whatever you wanted to buy, clothes, backpacks, jewelry without saying a thing and the person will start to come down on prices. Accommodation is tricky too all throughout but if you find hostels for 4-5us a night that's hitting the bottom as it is. The people there are very nice once you smile at them and try to learn the language, but again the ones dealing in the money market know how to jack up prices or have a taste of greed in getting extra coins from you.
Laos is right in the middle and is super easy to cross through and isn't something you really want to miss but can if you want to enjoy more of the parts of the other countries around. It has amazing waterfalls to open scenery and elephant riding without chains to the people living there are just like the people in Bali, genuinely nice. But the ones driving or dealing with tourists understand that you can pay more than what the real prices are so they will jack them up and bargain is always involved.
So the biggest highlights of what to look for once your in or looking to go to SE Asia are: bargaining, not trusting anyone, buying transportation at the source, having a good time, traveling light, being ready for any food poisoning, sleeping on a bus or train so you get accommodation and travel, having your smell senses on overload or at sometimes all senses, learning the languages so the people open up more to you, and being ready for really anything.
And if your traveling to India, China or anywhere else in the world this will be the building blocks to helping you travel easier with saving more money in your pocket.
Hope this might help.
Bye for now...
Great tips and suggestions, we all could use a travel guide and look at what you have learned and are learning.
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