The Backpackies - the good, the bad, and the cheap

  Auckland, New Zealand
Tuesday, June 21, 2005

So, thought I'd sum up a year in a page (or 2). Our take on the best and worst that is to be seen in Asia.








Touristy stuff

Best tourist attraction
Angkor Temples, Cambodia (39)

Nominated:
Great Wall of China (22)
Forbidden City, China (22)
Snow and Ice Festival, China (29)


Angkor Temples

Most over-hyped tourist attraction
Lijiang, China(50)

Nominated:
Taman Negara (9)
Penang Beaches (10)

Most bizarre tourist attraction
Tunnels at Wuxi, China (18)

Nominated:
Qing-era Palace, China (16)
Tourist tunnel on the Bund, China (19)
Tooth extraction, China (60)
About half the tourist attractions in China


Bund tourist tunnel

Best "you'd better get there before it disappears"
Stalactite caves, Thailand (13)

Nominated:
Plain of Jars, Laos (34)
Angkor Temples, Cambodia (39)
Minority areas of China

Best markets
Mengla Market, China (32)

Nominated:
Upal Market, China (59)
Panjiayuan Market, China (29)
Sunday Markets, Thailand (13)
Mekong Markets, Vietnam (43)


Mengla Market

Best show
Shanghai Acrobatics Troupe, China (19)

Nominated:
Water Puppets, Vietnam (46)


Shanghai Acrobatics Troupe

Best tour
Plain of Jars, Laos (34)

Nominated:
Cu chi tunnels, Vietnam (42)
Hill Trekking, Thailand (13)

Worst tour
City tour with coke addicted guide, Bangkok (1)

Nominated:
Boat cruise in Shanghai, China (19)

Tucker

Best ethnic dinner
Dinner on the beach, Koh Samui, Thailand(12)

Nominated:
Shusukha, Laos (37)
Hole-in-the-wall, Xining, China (56)
Fish'n'Chips, New Zealand (64)

Best western dinner
Murano's, Crown Plaza, Qingdao, after climbing Laoshan (twice!), China(23)

Nominated:
Pizza after Hill Treking, Thailand (13)


Pizza after Hill Treking

Most bizarre food eaten
Sliced pig's penis, Huangdao, China

Nominated:
Spiders, Cambodia (40)
Duck tongues, Suzhou, China

Worst ethnic food
Durians, Malaysia (8)

Nominated:
Bitter little tomato things, China (32)

Location, location, location

Best "Little gem"
Juara, Malaysia(6)

Nominated:
Ao Leuk, Koh Tao, Thailand (62)


Juara

Best place to chill out
Don Det, Laos (37)

Nominated:
Vang Vieng, Laos (35)
Juara, Malaysia (6)
Yangshuo, China (53)
Kashgar, China (59)


Working up a sweat in Don Det

Most attractive place
MaeNam beach, Koh Samui, Thailand(11)

Nominated:
Vang Vieng, Laos (35)
Don Det, Laos (37)
Halong Bay, Vietnam (47)


Halong Bay

City I'd most like to live in
Saigon, Vietnam (42)

Nominated:
Chiang Mai, Thailand (13)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (8)
Note absence of nominations in China...

Cheap bastards

Cheapest country
Vietnam

Nominated:
Laos

Cheapest hotel
$2 huts in Don Det, Laos (37)

Nominated:
Five Stars House, Thailand (13)
Mersing Jetty, Malaysia (6)
Anywhere in the southern half of Vietnam

Best thing you can do for free
Xiahe monastery village, China (57)

Nominated:
Shilin Stone Forest, China (52)
Small town markets
Watching morning alms in Laos (33)
Oldies exercising in Renmin Square, all over China (54)


Xiahe Monastery

Best purchase
DVDs in China

Nominated:
Suits in Hoi An, Vietnam (45)
Souvenirs in Saigon, Vietnam (42)

A bit of culture

Biggest Culture Shock
End of the bus ride to Suzhou, China (15)

Nominated:
Luang Prabang, Laos (33)

Most useful piece of advice
If you get sick of Chinese people looking at you, stare and snigger at their footware(?!?)

Nominated:
God is dead, this is a grasshopper (50)
Never trust a Thai tour agent.
If you don't feel like bargaining, don't - or start reducing your offer.
Wise man says "pessimist never disappointed in China".

Most traditional moment
Making dumplings in a hutong, China (27)

Nominated:
Morning Alms in Luang Praband, Laos (33)
Lunch with Lama Monks, China (50)
Getting conned in Bangkok, Thailand (2)


Morning alms

Best "God, I'm really over here"
Mao's portrait over Tianamen Square, China (22)

Nominated:
Khao San Rd, Bangkok (4)

The leftovers

Worst trip
The 653 corners up to the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia (9)

Nominated:
Trekking over Pulau Tioman, Malaysia (6)
China to Luang Prabang, Laos (33)
Speedboat in Cambodia (38)

Best sunset/sunrise
From top of Jinmao Building, China (19)

Nominated:
Don Det, Laos (37)
Crystal Dive Pool, Koh Tao, Thailand (62)


From top of Jinmao Building (beauty enhanced significantly by Heineken in hand at time)

Most stylie moment
Convertible red BMW tour of Laoshan, China (23)

Nominated:
Dropped off at our beach hut by 40ft launch, Thailand (11)


Brmmm brmm!!

Dodgiest moment
Speedboat in Cambodia (38)

Nominated:
Pulau Tioman night hike, Malaysia (6)
Sold into white slavery, China (16)
Caves at Vang Vieng, Laos (35)
Laughing at M when she had to eat meat, China (27)

Biggest rats
Georgetown, Malaysia (10)