Asia Roundup

 

Our Asia travel route

At first it was a culture shock but we after spending four months in SE Asia, we got the hang of it and embraced the chaos. We absolutely loved the countries and experiences that we had here and the people we met. The cultures, food, and history were rich and vibrant, and offered something totally different than our first European leg of the trip. Without further ado, our ranking are below! We agreed on many of these this time around so we combined most of our lists.

Best Food:

1. Thailand
2. Vietnam
3. Cambodia
4. Laos
5. Singapore

Best Dish We Ate:

Melissa:

1. Khao Soi, Chiang Mai
2. Bun Cha, Hanoi 
3. Yellow Curry, Gili Air 
4. Beef Pho, Ho Chi Minh City 
5. Fish Amok, Siem Reap

Carson:

1. Khao Soi, Chiang Mai
2. Bun Cha, Hanoi 
3. Beef Pho, Ho Chi Minh City 
4. Daging Lapus, Gili Air
5. Pad Thai, Chiang Mai

Honorable Mentions: Everything we ate at our first night market in Chiang Mai, mango sticky rice, passionfruit mango smoothie

Best Hiking:

1. Laos
2. Indonesia
3. Vietnam

Best Architecture:

1. Cambodia
2. Singapore
3. Thailand

Friendliest Local People:

1. Laos
2. Indonesia
3. Singapore

Best Beaches:

1. Gili Air, Indonesia
2. Railey Beach, Thailand
3. Pink Beach, Indonesia

Best Accommodation:

1. Bali, Indonesia
2. Yogykarta, Indonesia
3. Komodo Boat Tour, Indonesia
4. Ha Giang, Vietnam
5. Gili Air, Indonesia

Most Picturesque:

1. Ha Giang, Vietnam
2. Ha Lan Bay, Vietnam
3. Komodo National Park, Indonesia
4. Nong Khiaw, Laos
5. Khao Sok National Park, Thailand

Worst Public Transportation:

1. Koh Tao Boat Ride
2. Nong Khiaw bus
3. Van ride on Lombok Island (where Carson puked)
4. Southern Thailand vans 

Best Activities:

1. Ha Giang Loop
2. Komodo boat tour
3. Scuba diving / birding
4. Angkor Wat tours with Mr. Kat 
5. Chinese New Year in Bangkok
6. Snorkeling with turtles on Gili Air
7. Loy Krathong and lantern festival
8. Ho Chi Minh City food tour by motorbike
9. Elephant sanctuary 
10. Cooking class in Chiang Mai

Honorable Mentions: Carson's haircut adventures, Grab scooter rides

Favorite Cities:

1. Gili Air, Indonesia
2. Chiang Mai, Thailand
3. Bangkok, Thailand
4. Singapore
5. Nong Khiaw, Laos

Least Favorite Cities (even though we still liked them):

1. Siem Reap, Cambodia
2. Hoi An, Vietnam
3. Pai, Thailand
4. Ubud, Indonesia
5. Da Nang, Vietnam

Best Bang for Your Buck:

1. Laos
2. Vietnam
3. Indonesia

Favorite Countries (the hardest to choose!):

1. Indonesia
2. Thailand
3. Vietnam
4. Laos
5. Cambodia
6. Singapore