00:00Hello and welcome to Travel Smart, your weekly guide to the best of travel from
00:06the independent. We aim to inform, inspire and entertain you about the industry of
00:13human happiness, whether you're going on a day trip around Britain or a gap year
00:18around the world. Today we're focusing on a corner of the globe that's
00:22understandably popular with gap year travelers, Southeast Asia. It's a region
00:27where extraordinary natural beauty is combined with an ancient and rich
00:32culture. Add local people who are kind and friendly, some of the planet's most
00:37appealing cuisine and prices way below Western levels and it's hardly
00:42surprising so many people express a yearning for the Orient.
00:48So let's start by evaluating the three Southeast Asian nations that are most
01:00popular with British travelers. That's Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. For sheer
01:08indulgence and a certain spirituality, there's nowhere quite like Thailand.
01:13Explore the temples of the capital Bangkok and the northern city Chiang Mai,
01:19then head for the beautiful South. Many visitors make straight for Koh Samui, a
01:26gorgeous island in the Gulf of Thailand, though it's not quite the backpacker
01:31haven it once was. For lower prices and a stronger sense of nature, make for the
01:38west side of the mainland, the resort of Krabi, the sultry island of Koh Pipi and
01:44glorious Phuket, where rainforest in the high interior unravels to a shore
01:51speckled with great beaches. A cheap and quick one-hour flight takes you from
01:57Phuket to Penang, the spice island that provides the perfect start to any
02:02exploration of Malaysia. Check in to a beach hotel on the north coast for a
02:09couple of days, building in a visit to Georgetown, the isle's colonial hub, then
02:13move on to explore the rest of Malaysia. Don't linger too long in the capital
02:17Kuala Lumpur because there are many great places to discover. Malacca with
02:22its Portuguese ambience and the vast island of Borneo, location for two
02:26Malaysian states, Sarawak and Sabah. The latter offers some superb beaches, though
02:31be on the lookout for jellyfish and also the prospect of climbing Mount
02:35Kinabalu, the highest peak in Southeast Asia. Singapore is so much more than an
02:42airport with a city-state attached. The diamond-shaped island at the tip of the
02:48Southeast Asian Peninsula is a crossroads for the world, on the way to a
02:54vast range of destinations. Singapore deserves at least a week to make the
03:03most of its adventures, from cutting-edge architecture to raw Southeast Asian
03:09nature, plus a rich ethnic mix in which Peranakan culture is increasingly
03:16significant, being the heritage of the earliest Chinese settlers. The next
03:22territory along is Indonesia, a land of 17,000 islands and nearly 300 million
03:30people. You could easily spend a year exploring Indonesia, but on the basis
03:39that time is short, then focus on three locations. The exuberant Isle of Bali,
03:46whose beaches are just one small part of the island's story. Neighbouring Lombok,
03:52much quieter and less spoiled. And the impossibly beautiful and geographically
03:58implausible island of Sulawesi, where volcanoes and hundreds of miles of
04:04coastline compete for your attention.
04:14Before you conclude that your holidays for life are sorted, it's worth
04:18considering formerly French Indochina. Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam endured immense
04:24suffering at the end of the 20th century, but have blossomed into challenging yet
04:28rewarding destinations. As soon as you cross the border from Thailand to Laos
04:34and Cambodia, you'll feel you have entered a slower, more tranquil region
04:38with a simpler way of life. The Mekong River is central to both of these
04:42nations, and a boat trip downstream is well worthwhile for a day or two. Vietnam
04:48has the most advanced tourist industry and a spectrum of attractions. They start
04:52in the handsome capital Hanoi, a relatively serene Asian city full of
04:57parks and lakes. From the nearby port of Haiphong, take a boat trip into Halong
05:03Bay, the main tourist attraction in North Vietnam. The location is hauntingly
05:08beautiful, a dramatic seascape decorated by limestone pillars that rise from the
05:13water. Heading south, ideally by train, Hue is well worth a stop, a relaxed
05:19central Vietnam City filled with temples, pagodas and monasteries. A short way
05:24south, Hoi An has a Chinese quarter and French colonial architecture that earned
05:29it UNESCO World Heritage status. Ho Chi Minh City, the nation's energetic
05:35commercial hub, was the former capital of South Vietnam, Saigon. What's known here
05:41as the American War, but in the West as the Vietnam War, is described from the
05:45victor's perspective at the War Remnants Museum. Outside the city, visit the
05:50underground war tunnels of Cu Chi. They were dug by the Viet Cong army and were
05:55the scene of some brutal confrontations with American forces.
06:02We've got time for one quick question. Simon, as you can see, it's pretty wet and
06:07miserable here right now, but tell me when is the best time to go to Southeast
06:11Asia? It's a vast region and therefore the answer actually depends on where
06:16exactly you're going, but for my favorite parts of Southeast Asia, which is
06:21basically everywhere from the north of Vietnam down through Laos and Cambodia
06:26into Thailand and then even as far as northern Malaysia, a really good time to
06:33go is when the weather in the northern hemisphere and in particular in the UK
06:37is at its worst, say from November through till March. You'll find that the
06:43skies are clearer, it's less humid, there's lower rainfall, from all points of view
06:48it makes sense to be there then. However, once you get a bit further south and
06:53Singapore's sitting pretty much on the equator, then you find that actually the
06:59season's rather reverse and both in Singapore and in Bali, the best time to
07:05be there is in the northern summer, so really any time from May through to
07:10September, but any time of year you're not going to get cold, you are going to
07:16be happy. Brilliant, thank you very much.
07:23That's it for this episode, but do get in touch with your favorite Southeast Asia
07:28destinations and journeys. And for the latest travel news, reviews and advice go
07:34to independent.co.uk forward slash travel and perhaps check out my daily
07:40travel podcast. Bye for now!
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