Started planning next trip - extremely happy.

[The_Traveler]

I have decided that the end of next Jan or beginning of February, I will take a a trip, swinging through northern Laos and then a few days in Cambodia.
A good friend, a photographer who has traveled with me before, will be going along.
He is great to travel with, very easy going, intelligent and perfectly willing to spend any money necessary to make trip better.

Our basic plan is to fly to Bangkok, then go north first by by plane then bus and then minivan or truck/bus as far as Muang Sing (red arrow). Muang Sing is very close to the Chinese, Burmese, Lao border, is the main market town of many ethnic tribal villages and is the center of the well-known Golden Triangle.
Then, over the period of 10 days to 2 weeks, we will travel to Luang Prabang (blue arrow) and then fly to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat.
Then we go back to Bangkok and home. (We have both been in Bangkok a few times and don't need any time there except to get ready for the flight home - 22 hours)

 

[tirediron]

w00t! Sounds like an awesome trip; looking forward to some great images from that one Lew.

 

[The_Traveler]

This is a typical truck/bus that goes to even the smallest villages; we'll take this for the last 80-90 K.

THis is the kind of sight that is typical in very north Laos. Rice storage shed and shelter for lunch with pagoda overlooking.

And, of course, this is me on the steps up to the pagoda.
Note the fleece jacket. This is upland Laos and it gets pretty cool at night and in the mornings.

 

[tirediron]

This is a typical truck/bus that goes to even the smallest villages; we'll take this for the last 80-90 K.

Been there, done that... may I suggest this?

 

[mmaria]

extremely jealous and happy for you :thumbsup:

 

[The_Traveler]

No need to be jealous; you could go.
just meet us in Bangkok.

 

[mmaria]

No need to be jealous; you could go.
just meet us in Bangkok.

oh...yeah... you're right... I could dream about it...

snap just one picture for me while being there and I'll be happy

 

[ORourkeK]

Are these types of trips expensive?

 

[The_Traveler]

Are these types of trips expensive?

Not so much, especially staying in guesthouses rather than starred hotels that appeal to tourists.
Air fare to and from is the biggest lump.
Then any internal flights.
Since we will be flying to and from Siem Reap, Cambodia that will add another big lump because that's a huge tourist destination and prices are high.

Day to day room, board bus travel is trivial. Double room - 12-30, food $1-3/meal bus travel $8 for a 4 hour trip.
So if we are away for 20 days, the individual cost is <1000
Add all air transport - so trip might be 3000 total.

If you are thinking of this, in SEA Thailand is the easiest because of its terrific tourist infrastructure and general development, then Vietnam, then Laos and Myanmar.
(The big tourist spots in Myanmar are experiencing a huge visitor boom and that has strained the infrastructure and pushed up prices dramatically.)
Cambodia is not my favorite place and, except for Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) and Phnom Penh I wouldn't go back.
I would avoid the beach cities anywhere which are inundated with Europeans looking for cheap places to drink and screw.

I have found that the further one gets from big cities and popular tourist attractions the nicer fellow travelers will be.

If you are thinking of a trip, I'd be glad to talk to you on Skype about how to plan.
" " " " , start reading on the Thorn Tree Forums on Lonely Planet and Travelfish.

Lonely Planet books are great for general info but lodging information is generally out of date or overcrowded. Travelfish or tripadvisor is great for accomodations.
Wikitravel has bus and train schedules

Once you've gone to one place, you'll understand how to go to any place in Asia.

 

[SnappingShark]

What equipment are you taking, and how much would insurance be for the gear? I'm assuming you're taking the Olympus PEN?!

 

[manaheim]

Very cool!

 

[The_Traveler]

What equipment are you taking, and how much would insurance be for the gear? I'm assuming you're taking the Olympus PEN?!

All of my equipment is in a high-value personal property policy through my main insurer, USAA.
I get med insurance (including repatriation) through a company with an arrangement with USAA. (This was invaluable in 2010 when I took a very bad fall in Myanmar and was evaced from Thailand.)
I will take OMD-5, (if any rumors about new Olympus to replace E-M1 I'll get one for second body), EP-3, 12-35 2.8, 35-100 2.8, 20 1.7, 45 2.8 - all of these weigh essentially nothing and go in my messenger bag.
For backups I will take a portable HD and use Internet cafes to backup. I'll take about 60 gb of SD cards and will cull in camera at night.
All clothes go in an LL Bean roll-aboard. Nothing gets checked on the way over.
I will take some paperbacks for long trip over; books and manuals on iPad or Kindle.

 

[The_Traveler]

It doesn't take much effort to bring back experiences and stories that will last forever.

This was taken from a restaurant balcony that overlooks the Nam Ou. Sitting there drinking a Beer Lao was a wonderful experience for all my senses.

I remember thinking that I was so happy and at peace that if I died right then, except the the pain and inconvenience for my family, it would be OK.
Did I mention how much I like Beer Lao?

Young monks playing some sort of game, Luang Prabang.

 

[ORourkeK]

Thanks for the info Lew! I would love to go on a trip like this, unfortunately I have never been able to find anyone to go with. All of my friends and family prefer luxury vacations. It would also be hard to take 20 days vacation from work.

 

[The_Traveler]

Thanks for the info Lew! I would love to go on a trip like this, unfortunately I have never been able to find anyone to go with. All of my friends and family prefer luxury vacations. It would also be hard to take 20 days vacation from work.

Well, the vacation issue is a problem but, if you keep this in mind as a possibility, let me give you a couple of factoids to ruminate on.
The best time to go to SEA is in Nov-Feb; this is after the rainy season but not as hot as it does get in the summer.
This is unfortunately the most busy time for tourist-ing.
I tend to go in late January or February.
Two weeks is the minimum time to go just because the trip is so long.
Good, but fairly priced, connections are 22 hours and you lose a day; so if you leave on Sat AM you arrive there Sunday PM.
(Of course you get this back on the return; leave there Sunday morning and arrive home Sunday night.)

In regards, traveling with someone.
If you stay in guesthouses, it is very easy to hook up with someone to travel with. Except for a couple of times, that's what I've done; I travel with a person or two for a few days and then divert somewhere. It's easy and convenient.
If you make your first trip to Thailand, it is very easy to get acclimated. Bangkok is a big typical city and its relatively easy to understand how to get around. The tourist infrastructure is terrific and, as long as you don't fall for fake-gem scams or get drunk in Thai bars, you'll be fine.
I tend to go for 3 weeks because I usually go on from Thailand and it just takes more travel time to get there. (My trip in Feb will be 22 hours to Thailand, next day 3 hour flight to Chiang Rai and 4 hours on to Laos border town, next day 5 hours on big bus and another hour on a truck bus - so, if I leave here on Thursday I don't really get to my first destination until Sunday. )

Of course local travel on bus is part of the adventure.

All of the people above were on that one truck/bus and got off when they had to fix a tire.

You might read some of my travel blog posts and see if that sounds like fun.
If you want to get more real life background and see how people navigate their trips read the FAQs for the country and the posts on Thorn Tree forums on Lonelyplanet.com.

If you ever want to plan a trip like this, I'd be happy to help.

Lew