I am curious what everyone’s favorite getaway is. I am talking about 1 or 2 week visits on somewhat of a budget. I have made trips from Taiwan to Bali and Singapore, but I am curious where everyone else goes.
Thailand is a personal favorite. Lots to do (beaches, cities, temples, history), relatively inexpensive, and very tourist friendly. And hot. Damn hot.
For a fascinating trip, go to Cambodia. See the former Khmer Rouge prison and killing fields in Phnom Penh, and ancient architectural relics at the national museum. Stroll along the riverfront promenade at sunset. Fly (or take an uncomfortable speedboat) up to Siem Reap to visit the Angkor Wat temples. A MUST if you go to Cambodia. Unfortunately, most of the money for your Angkor Wat pass goes to some Vietnamese oil company and not the people of Cambodia. You will encounter a LOT of begging in this country, but also some very genuine friendliness.
CNN recently showed a news clip of Phnom Penh’s new mall (the only mall in the country) and how people came from hundreds of miles to ride the escalator. An escalator assistant was on hand to make sure nobody got hurt, because most people had never seen a real escalator before. Cambodia is quite rustic, and if you go, make sure you can get out into the countryside with a moto-guide–it’s really very beautiful to see rice fields, palm trees, masses of kids in uniform on bicycles, ancient temples off dirt roads, and sadly, many former Khmer Rouge killing fields. Beautiful place, rich in history both magnificent (Angkor) and tragic (Vietnam war days). It’s a sad place too, but I found it to be more bustling than I expected. It’s a good time to see this country as it’s on the mend.
I’m heading to Cambodia at the end of August, mainly to spend some time at Angkor Wat. Hopefully it will inspire me before the new Tomb Raider movie comes out…
We’ve got about 5-7 days for this trip; pretty short, but if i don’t sleep it’ll feel like 14 days.
WorkingVaca, could you please provide a few more details about your trip? We’re thinking about taking a motorbike around the area, whereas you took a guided driver. Did you fly from Taipei to Pnom Penh or to Siam Reap?
Did you get to any of the beaches or islands?
Cheers,
The Big Babou
That is great you have week or two to spend. I would sugg. Hawaii, which is a place to be! (IMO) You can spend a few days at Oahu and few more days at Maui. In Oahu, you can go to the beaches in the day and clubs at night. Maui is purely for relaxation. You can rent a small condo and do a lot of water activies, hiking in the mountain…etc.
Guam is not a bad idea as well.
:shock:
What? Hawai’i? What?
Japanese and Korean businessmen looking for hookers, locals who hate white people (‘Haole’ is the racist epithet you might hear if you pay attention), and fake, artificial culture (hula dance shows for tourists). That’s Haiwai’i
A local Hawai’ian knucklehead gives his two cents (actually worth much less):
kaleo.org/vnews/display.v/AR … 495231de1c
Visit Hawai’i? 
Forget about it. Go to Bali, go to Thailand, go to the Gold Coast in Australia. Do not go to the Aloha State (Aloha means ‘goodbye’, too).