Southeast Asia
South-East Asia is the south-eastern section of Asia, a collection of dissimilar but not unrelated states squeezed between the twin giants of India and China.
Countries
- East Timor - one of the world's newest states, at the eastern tip of Indonesia
- Indonesia - the giant of the region, with more than 18,000 islands and a population of over 240 million
- Laos - the forgotten, but growing, country of South-East Asia, landlocked by Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam
- Malaysia - multicultural country covering the skyscrapers of KL and the jungle headhunters of Borneo
- Myanmar (Burma) - military dictatorship open to the adventurous traveller
- Philippines - freewheeling former Spanish and American colony
- Singapore - clean and orderly island-city state
- Thailand - the most popular destination in the region
- Vietnam - firmly marching down the long road to capitalism
Culture and History
Southeast Asia is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, and for a reason. Some of the countries here have it all: a tropical climate, warm (or hot!) all year around, rich culture, gorgeous beaches, wonderful food and last but not least, low prices.
History
Southeast Asian history is very diverse, and has to an important extent been shaped by European colonialism. The very term Southeast Asia was invented by American Naval strategists around 1940. Southeast Asia was prior to WWII referred to with reference to the colonial powers; farther India for Burma and Thailand, with reference to the main British colony of India, although Thailand was never formally colonized; Indochina referred to the French colonies of Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos and Indonesia and parts of maritime Southeast Asia was referred to as the Dutch East Indies.
Pre-historic Southeast Asia was largely underpopulated. A process of immigration from India across the Bay of Bengal is referred to as the process of Indianization. Exactly how and when it happened is contested; however, the population of the mainland region largely happened through immigration from India. The sanskrit script still used as the basis for modern Thai, Burmese and Khmer has its roots from this process.
Climate
Southeast Asia is tropical: the weather hovers around the 30°C mark throughout the year, humidity is high and it rains often.
The equatorial parts of Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, have only two seasons, wet and dry, with the dry season somewhat hotter (up to 40°C) and the wet season somewhat cooler (down to 25°C). The wet season usually occurs in winter, and the hot season in summer, although there are significant local variations. However, in Indochina (north/central Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam), the seasons can be broken down into hot, wet and dry, with the relatively cool dry season from November to February or so being the most popular with tourists. However, even in the "wet" season, the typical pattern is sunny mornings with a short (but torrential) shower in the afternoon, so this alone should not discourage you from travel.
In Malaysia, Singapore and parts of Indonesia (notably Sumatra and Borneo), haze from forest fires (usually set intentionally to clear land) is a frequent phenomenon in the dry season from May to October. Haze comes and goes rapidly with the wind, but Singapore's National Environment Agency has useful online maps [1] of the current situation in the entire region.
Talk
Most of Southeast Asia's major languages are not mutually intelligible. English is a traveller's most useful language overall, although for longer stays in any Southeast Asian country (except maybe Singapore), picking up at least some of the local language is useful, and may be essential.
Travel to Southeast_Asia, visa requirements
Southeast Asia's touristy countries (Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand) do not require visas from most visitors, but the rest do. However, Cambodia, Laos, and Indonesia offer visas on arrival at most points of entry, which minimizes the hassle involved. Vietnam and Myanmar require advance paperwork for almost everybody. Talk of unified ASEAN visas allowing entry into multiple countries remains just talk.
Flights to Southeast_Asia, airtickets
The main international gateways to Southeast Asia are Bangkok (Thailand) and Singapore, with Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) a distant third. Hong Kong also makes a good springboard into the region, with many low-cost carriers flying into Southeast Asian destinations.
By train
The only place in Southeast Asia reachable by train is Vietnam, which has rail connections with China and consequently also Russia and even Europe. Alas, Cambodia's network was badly hit by the civil war and it is not currently possible to transit all the way through Cambodia to Thailand by rail.
Get around
Flights to Southeast_Asia, airtickets
Much of Southeast Asia is now covered by a dense web of discount carriers, making this a fast and affordable way of getting around.
By train
Train services are generally a little limited and best experienced for their nostalgic value. Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are connected to each other by rail, but the networks in Cambodia, Indonesia and Myanmar are decrepit.
Southeast_Asia attractions and sightseeing
Itineraries
- One month in Southeast Asia
- Overland from Singapore to Shanghai (via Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Siem Reap, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Guangzhou)
City tours
Diving is a major draw for visitors to Southeast Asia, with the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia all boasting world-class diving locations.
Shopping, Southeast_Asia souvenirs
Every Southeast Asian country has its own currency, so frequent money exchange is an unavoidable hassle. However, the US dollar is the official currency of East Timor, the unofficial currency in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, and accepted in a pinch anywhere else, so this is often the traveller's monetary unit of choice. Exchange rates for Southeast Asian currencies tend to be very poor outside the region, so it's best to exchange (or use the ATM) only after arrival.
Costs
Southeast Asia is cheap, so much so that it is quite possibly the cheapest travel destination on the planet. US$20 is a perfectly serviceable daily backpacker budget in most countries in the region, while the savvy traveler can eat well, drink a lot and stay in five-star hotels for US$100/day.
Some exceptions do stand out. The rich city-states of Singapore and Brunei are about twice as expensive as their neighbors, while at the other end of the spectrum, the sheer difficulty of getting into and around underdeveloped places like Myanmar, East Timor and the backwoods of Indonesia drives up prices there too.
Good restaurants and cheap meals
Rice is the main Southeast Asian staple, with noodles of all sorts an important second option.
Fruit is available everywhere in all shapes and sizes. The giant spiky durian, perhaps the only unifying factor between South-East Asia's countries, is infamous for its pungent smell and has been likened to eating garlic ice cream next to an open sewer.
Street vendors or hawkers. Be careful of some, but most offer wonderful food at a very inexpensive cost.
Southeast_Asia nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.
Rice-based alcoholic drinks — Thai whisky, lao, tuak, arak and so on — are ubiquitous and potent, if rarely tasty. As a rule of thumb, local booze is cheap, but most countries levy very high taxes on imported stuff.
Stay safe
Get out
China travel tips: Language
pensions culture in Barcelona
cheap youth hostels singapore
hotels and hostels in Trastevere in Rome
Major Morocco tourist attractions
South Africa's political attractions
Vancouver visitors guide, culture & youth hostels
![[1]](http://www.nea.gov.sg/cms/mss/gif/rghz.gif){kind=link}