When you are traveling four Asian countries in 16 days on a group tour. you realize you are going to be doing some heavy duty traveling. The first thought that enters my mind are the long flights! On my recent excursion to Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, I rode on many different vehicles My long journey included modes of transportation that I had never imagined I would travel on.
Starting with planes, we took 10 different plane flights on this adventure. I had never taken this many within a three week period! As expected, this was exhausting at times, although there was generally enough food on the international flights, and I managed to get a few hours of sleep at a time. It seemed that as soon as I would pack and get ready for the next flight, I would be re-packing to jump on another one! I must say that the Asian airlines generally have pleasant service and flight attendants, which I found superior to most domestic flights.
Other than planes, the majority of our traveling was on buses. These were primarily large buses that would hold the twenty plus members of our group. But at those times when large buses couldn't handle small country roads, were were divided into vans. While buses are the best way go get large groups of people around in large cities, they can be very uncomfortable, and produce cramped muscles. But this was the way our guides communicated with us about the history, culture, people, and food of the places that we were visiting. Surprisingly, the buses were beautifully decorated! And the bus drivers were amazing, weaving between cars, motorcycles, and pedestrians to get where we wanted to go.
Our boat trips were scenic and usually included meals. A favorite trip was one near Siem Reap, Cambodia, in which we viewed "floating" fishing villages. The local people lived in the floating houses, and children grew up completely surrounded by water! There was even a floating school! We enjoyed outings on boats, including a beautiful view of Halong Bay in Vietnam.
Asia includes many forms of alternative transportation for getting around locally. The "tuk tuk", a three wheel motorized vehicle, is a great way to "taxi" around the city. Although used very widely in Bangkok, we experienced riding them in Siem Reap, Cambodia. What a different way to see the city! On a similar note, we had the opportunity to jump on a rickshaw and ride to our local destination in Hanoi, Vietnam! The impressive point about the rickshaw is that it is pushed by a lone bicyclist! In our case, the poor man was pushing both Rich and myself!
The most prevalent form of transportation that we viewed in Asia was the motorcycle. Motorcycles abound everywhere, particularly in Cambodia and Hanoi. Whether one is on a bus, watching the cyclists from above, riding in a taxi, or walking and dodging motorcycles from every direction, you understand that motorcycles prevail in Asia. Being a pedestrian walking among all of these motorcycles can be overwhelming! In my personal opinion, I am glad that I was not forced to ride a motorcycle.. (Rich probably disagrees with me on this).
Speaking of walking, one of my most memorable experiences had to be a walk that our group took through the wet market of Hanoi. I really experienced first hand what is is like for locals everyday to be focused on getting to their destination with motorcycles surrounding them! It is hard to stay focused on buying food when you are trying not to get run over! And on the same subject of walking in Asian cities, crossing the streets in Bangkok and Hanoi is one of the more dangerous pursuits that I have tried in recent years! But to my amazement, I did eventually get the hang of it. And the traffic rules seem to work in these cities, for the most part!
We did taxis and Uber for nighttime transportation. Uber actually worked quite well, and was cheap in Hanoi! The key to taking a taxi in Asia it to always have a card with the name of your hotel to give to the driver. And if possible, have the native language name of the address on the card as well.
We have tradtionally ridden trains in other Asian cities in which we have traveled, such as Hong Kong and Singapore. We did ride the sky train in Bangkok, and were glad that we did. What a great way to get around in this energetic city, and the sky train was efficient and clean as well.
There were the truly unique excursions that involved traveling with animals. I had been prepared for the oxcart ride in Cambodia, and it did not disappoint! It was perfectly rickety and I really had to exercise my core muscles to sit upright. I think I was the only one in our group who actually liked this unusual ride. It helped that it was a relatively short ride.
Perhaps my favorite transportation memory will be the elephant ride that we took in Laos. The reason for this may be that I had emphatically stated prior to the trip that I would not do the elephant walk. I had visions on being alone on top of this huge animal, and managing to fall off on my head. As it turns out, we rode in pairs, with a bench atop the animal. It was very exciting to be on top of this majestic creature, and I was not afraid of falling, even when our elephant stepped off of the path to eat some alluring plants. It was definitely the chance of a lifetime to ride an elephant, and I am glad that I changed my mind!
Having experienced all of these methods of transport, I would offer a few tips for anyone who will be traveling to Asia, or anywhere else where you will not be simply hopping in the car on the highway.
1. Plane travel can be very exhausting, particularly when there are long flights involved. Through the years, I have learned that it helps to limit your consumption of food, and to drink very little, if any, alcohol. You are going to get dehydrated on a flight, and alcohol will ultimately make you feel worse. And eating too much will, again, not make you feel that great. I find that getting some sleep is more important on a long flight, so I bring a good book or too, and dose off easier.
2. I had not endured a lot of bus travel prior to this trip. Bus travel can make your back and hips tired - you are sitting for long periods of time. Taking the time to stretch in your hotel room sometime during the day does help. I noticed that I did this more at the beginning of the trip, and it made a difference. I became somewhat lazy during the end of the trip, and had more pain.
3. Taxis are cheap in Asia, and are a particularly good option for going out at night. Always carry a card with your hotel name. Also, make sure the meter is running. If not, then get out of the cab, because you are being scammed. We found that Uber was a particularly good option in Hanoi, and was cheaper than a taxi!
4. I am prone to extreme seasickness, and was nervous about the boat trips. I took Bonine the night before each trip, and experienced no sickness at all. This is an over the counter medication.
5. When walking in a large Asian city, it is important to pay attention to how the locals cross a busy street. I found that it is generally a good idea to cross when locals were crossing. Fortunately, even though there are hundreds of cars and motorcycles, they don't travel that fast, so crossing isn't as intimidating as it initially seems. But do cross only when the light changes, and always look before you cross, as a motorcycle can be coming around the corner!
5. If a city has a good train system, take it! It really is the best way to get around a huge city, particularly during the day.
6. Try something different in terms of local transport - ride the tuk tuk or rickshaw - this may be your only chance in your life to do so! Have fun!!
