I recently given this blog a little revamp and though i'd reveal the insight to its new name. Whilst travelling around SE Asia i found some pretty pretentious people who constantly debated the traveller over the tourist. Apparently the tourist is a superficial holiday-maker looking to move around a country in a whirlwind, see the biggest and most expensive historical sight, stay in the most packed out area, and probably hunt out an irish bar. A traveller, on the other hand, somehow manages to go to a country and avoid the most popular areas, sights and restaurants, whilst seeing the most authentic side of a country.
Well, quite honestly, its just rubbish.
No sane person would go to Bangkok and not visit a temple, see Angkor Wat in Cambodia or ride an elephant in Laos, but apparently doing so makes you a tourist. If you have a truly authentic experience and see a country with a local they will undoubtedly take you to the best, and therefore most popular places. Some of my best experiences were definitely touristy- i drank a bucket in Koh Phangan, climbed a waterfall in Luang Prabang, went snorkelling in Malaysia- i even bought fake Prada in Kuala Lumpur!
In my experience, the true traveller was the person who was avoiding incredible experiences in an attempt to appear unique and was so worried about looking superficial all they did was sit around discussing the do's and don'ts of SE Asia. The essence of travelling is supposed to be enjoying yourself, letting yourself go and having complete freedom!
So, if that's a traveller, i certainly want to be a tourist.
One of the best things about travelling is being pleasantly surprised by a city. When you read about a destination you can usually gage whether its going to be your cup of tea, and its hard to not go there with these expectations.
I will happily admit that I wasn't excited about going to Vientiane, Laos. It was more of a transit, connection destination, a stop-over since there was no direct flight from Luang Prabang to Bangkok.
We arrived in the rain, exhausted after a sleeper bus and as my boyfriend rented a bike and cycled to see some temples I settled into bed with my ipad and HBO thinking I could take this opportunity to relax after a month of non-stop travelling.
The city looked pretty gloomy, there were barely any people around and I felt like my suspicions and expectations had been affirmed, but when we ventured to the river to try and get some cheap dinner we found that the city had completely come alive...
What seemed like an abandoned city had become full as the night market at the river had drawn in the city's population. Tourists had been pulled in to buy souvenirs, clothes, food and jewellery, and I could finally see that we weren't the only travellers in Vientiane. Rather than just clothes aimed at tourists- the obligatory elephant trousers and beer vests the market was full of clothes the locals wore, light silk shirts and flowing dresses, cute camisoles and tailored shorts. I could have replenished my wardrobe from them but i settled for a dress and a bracelet.
Staff beckoned us into restaurants, recommending their prideful Laos dishes, but nothing makes you feel more at home in a city than negotiating the price of your dinner on a market stall.
Locals had been pulled in by the huge group exercise routines on the river. Scores of people dressed in pink dancing in unison. Not something you'd see at home where women are usually too embarrassed to run in public and to put their body and rhythm on show without a drink!
The sense of community was grand and the sunset was the cherry on top.
Vientiane may have looked boring by day but by god it's not by night.
Student travelling automatically conjures up images of dorm rooms, shared bathrooms and interrupted sleep in my mind. Although I praise anyone who can live in shared quarters I know I couldn't do it myself. Don't take me as a solitary character or someone who can afford premium luxury, I just like my privacy- and possibly a fridge, safety deposit box, ac, wifi, hairdryer and satellite tv- am I asking for too much at a hostel price? Lets find out.
Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Golden Mango Inn is a good 10 minute drive from the centre of Siem Reap's lively backpacker centre, and this alone is likely to deter most travellers despite the hotel's excellent ratings. However, it's customer service wholly compensates for this geographical issue. The staff provide a free tuktuk shuttle service into town and a binder full of transport and tour options to book your excursion to Angkor Wat as soon as you arrive.
The hotel has a free breakfast, swimming pool, ensuites, cable tv, hairdryer, wifi, fridge and the biggest smiles on staff I've ever seen.
Price per night and per person based on 2 sharing: £8
5 stars.
Phnom Phen, Cambodia.
My stay at number 9 guesthouse was plagued by problems, and i still struggle to determine how sympathetic I should be to giving the hotel the benefit of the doubt. I had the normal travellers' first week bad belly and the city had a massive blackout. Admittedly, not the hotels fault, these problems were definitely perpetuated by the bad service provided by staff. When we checked in (in the blackout) the concierge made no mention of the pretty obvious problem - they didn't offer candles or torches for the room or for the treacherous pitch black walk up 4 flights of stairs to our room, which in addition, since being so high up, had no water either (not something you want to here after a sleeper bus).
The amenities were excellent- small pool, cable tv, great location and comfy beds. I'd like to say that the problems were all situational, however I can't help thinking that I wouldn't have looked so enviably on the other hotels with generators if the staff had been more helpful.
Price per night, per person based on 2 sharing: £8.50
2 1/2 stars.
Sihanoukville, Cambodia.
Most enthusiastic travellers favourite companion is a Lonely Planet Guide and I am no exception. I booked The Cove Beach Bungalows- named the place to splurge on in the book - as a present to myself for enduring Phnom Pehn and the rooms didn't disappoint.
Basic but with an amazing view from a private balcony complete with hammock. Free breakfast, cable tv and luxuorius double bed.
The location was excellent since it was on the main, lively Serendipity beach but not a victim of the inevitable noise. Granted Otres beach was a more beautiful beach, and a good hours stroll to get to from the hotel. Nevertheless i think that the quietness and lack of sellers, locals and hustle and bustle on that beach made it less favourable and a little boring for more than a day. Serendipity was definitely more exciting.
Our stay might have been faultless had the owner not booked us on the worst transfer to Ho Ci Minh. When you think (based on the price and lack of warning) that you've booked a VIP direct bus and end up in a car stopping 20 times in different towns to pick up passengers, and only reach the sleeper bus after crossing the border you can't help but feel ripped off and exceptionally tired - leaving a sour taste in my mouth for the otherwise excellent Sihanoukville.
Price per night, per person based on 2 sharing: £9
4 stars.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Saigon's backpacker district 'Pham Ngu Laos' is full of family run guesthouses and I have a feeling that many share the same homely atmosphere as Ngoc Thao Guesthouse. Despite having excellent private amenities- luggage storage, cable tv, ac and good sized rooms and beds its the personal home stay touch that made this place so good.
The family's welcoming curiosity over your holiday, the tour desk, free maps and restaurant recommendations, watching cartoons with the kids, using their shower to refresh yourself hours after check-out for the sleeper bus. You wouldn't even get these things in five star resorts, hence the five stars I'm giving them.
Price per night, per person based on 2 sharing: £6.50
5 stars
Nha Trang, Vietnam.
Most hotel workers in Vietnam seem to have an outstanding work ethic but I've never seen anything quite like the receptionist at Golden Sea Hotel. She was there early morning, day time, late night, she never stopped working or smiling.
This was also one of the best rooms we'd had: power shower (a rarity so far), cable tv, hairdryer, balcony, safety deposit box, large comfy beds.
Most of the time you get service or amenities, but this place had both.
Nha Trang itself was disappointing- busy yet boring and built up yet with endless construction. Nevertheless, Golden Sea pulled it back for the team.
Price per night, per person based on 2 sharing: £7.50
4 stars.
Hoi An, Vietnam
Hoi An was a surprising favourite, it had a better beach than Nha Trang and had a more interesting culture, unspoilt by high rise hotels. We had an excellent roommate Vinh Hung 3: power shower, cable tv, hair dryer, big comfy bed, ac, pool, free breakfast, tour desk, and they were really helpful and flexible when we arrived 8 hours early from our sleeper bus. We rented a bike from them, booked further travel- they could have sold ice to the Eskimos they were so nice and trustworthy.
Price per night, per person based on 2 sharing: £9
5 stars.
Hanoi, Vietnam.
To this day I remain confused about this hotel, the staff were incredibly friendly but the hotels amenities were terrible and we found it very hard to communicate this to them. The tour desk had piles of brochures for trips that left us beyond confused, the breakfast lacked basics and we ended up miming milk and butter to complete our meals. The rooms had hairdryers, basic showers, wifi and cable tvs, but our bed was incredibly hard. At night upon investigation we found out why- wooden boards and styrofoam do not make for a good night sleep.
We addressed our concerns to the staff and they apologised, but had no other rooms or mattresses to swap, and a few days later we were emailed to be told that a new bed had been purchased. Helpful, if true, but not for our stay.
Despite the friendly staff, and room benefits, no English, no sleep and no breakfast staples do not a good stay make.
Price per night, per person based on 2 sharing: £7
3 stars.
Most places with hotel amenities at hostel prices inevitably come with a massive catch- hidden charges, scams, bad service. However, I've been surprised to find that most of the hotels have had an excellent balance of services. We haven't been living in premier hotels and certainly haven't been paying for it, but I'd say I've had the luxury of blow dryed hair, privacy, security and uninterrupted sleep whilst living a backpacker adventure! Originally hesitant about the travellers lifestyle, I'm now pretty confident I could travel forever.
