Robsons-Adventures_FarEast_Holiday Reports-Outline

Thailand
The first thing to say about Thailand is that it is the land of great beauty (and that includes the ladies) but it is also the land of great contrasts. The land of Smiles is perhaps losing some of the smiles and starting to get too many tourists; so don't go expecting to see unspoilt tropical paradise beaches, you will not be on your own on the beach! The country seems to have largely recovered from the Tsunamis of 26th December 2004 and they are cashing in on the disaster, by selling T-shirts and DVDs on the Tsunami - it's all money money!

Cambodia
I have just made my first trip to Cambodia and I was both shocked and surprised. I was expecting it to still look like a 3rd world country, but Phnom Penh surprised me a little; yes it is behind Thailand, but a lot of the infrastructure is developing quickly; I understand as a result of being in WTO. The Royal Palace is probably more beautiful than Bangkok's and certainly quieter, but a down side was the dimly lit streets with the bars spread out across the city - you didn't feel so safe walking around at night. There are a lot of people living on the streets and the sex scene is really in your face. My hotel even offered, "girl for night" on the minibar price list.
Moving onto Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, what a contrast, very laid back, very friendly and with lots of 5 Star hotels! The temples of Angkor are a must to see, but do spend longer than I did (2 nights only). I will just have to return again some day.

Vietnam
I have now been to Vietnam 5 times, so there is obviously an attraction (yes the ladies are an obvious attraction). The city I know best is Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC or Saigon) where I have a number of friends now. I do have to say that the city is developing rather slowly, but their ambition is to build it like Singapore. Each year I go back more buildings have been demolished to make way for new taller buildings. The traffic is crazy in Saigon, but an amazing experience, especially on the back of a motorbike.
If you are looking for lovely beaches, then probably the best place to head to is Phu Quoc island, short flight, but it can be done by road and ferry. There are spectacular beaches to be found, but again the island is developing very fast at the moment, so go soon before too many hotels are built.