Our first foray into Asia included stops in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and South Korea. We kicked off in Vietnam. After a full 24 hours of traveling, we landed in Hanoi at night. First impression: Hanoi is crazy! Motorbikes everywhere, loaded with everything up to families of four (with infants!), defensively honking horns and whizzing around at full speed on the highway and through the tiny old-quarter streets. Madness. Learning to navigate on foot was initially a challenge, but we learned to just walk out into the street and everyone somehow (you hope) goes around you.

We spent our only day in Hanoi walking around the city, which was filled with street markets with fresh local produce (sold by women in pointy rice hats!), delicious cooked delights, and fresh beer (bia hoi) that must get drank that day or it goes bad. We hit up an outdoor beer garden that evening filled with locals, where they served bia hoi out of a huge vat at a rapid pace and at an unbelievable cost of 30 cents a beer. Everyone sits on tiny, kid-size stools with accompanying tables on the sidewalks to drink beer and eat meals and/or sell their goods all day. Definitely a sidewalk culture. If not on a sidewalk, people are selling everything you can imagine on their bikes, from flower bouquets to even goldfish in plastic baggies (a wonder they don’t pop on the bumpy ride!).

We went to our first temple that day, which was on an island in the middle of the lake in the city, and could feel the spirituality within as people prayed to their gods and offered up fruit and other cherished goods. We then walked through the French quarter, got Vietnamese coffee (best coffee in the entire world) and snacked on the freshest sweetest pineapple and mango and other just-picked fruits that were sold on the streets at sunrise. Another highlight was our super tasty dinner of Cha Ca – a fish from the Red River (flows right through Hanoi). It’s the only food served at the appropriately named Cha Ca restaurant, a tiny joint that has been run by one family for five generations. You cook it in a pan over charcoal on the table, and then add fresh dill and cilantro, some fresh hot peppers, peanuts, and noodles. Heaven in a bowl. Overall, we really enjoyed Hanoi. The city is boisterous, bustling, and pretty intimidating at first, but also very welcoming and intriguing, with lots of very kind people, unique French style and classic Vietnamese culture.

We headed out the next morning for Halong Bay, on the north coast of Vietnam, driving through rice paddies and eating the typical Vietnamese breakfast of pho loaded with unknown delicious meats. We were embarking on a kayak/camping trip with Handspan, staying on a deserted island and then kayaking through the more than 2,000 mountainous islands that make up the area. Being the low season, we were the only people on this tour, so it was us and our guide. This place was nuts. So breathtakingly beautiful. Massive lush green limestone mountains jutting out of the crystal-clear teal sea. Scattered within are floating fishing villages that catch everything from mussels to squid and bring it to the mainland to sell. We were able to indulge in these local sea offerings, eating fresh fish, squid, shrimp and more (with either sticky rice or noodles, always) every day for our meals. We camped at night under mosquito nets in little huts on the beach – very cool, but very hot and humid. Which can be said for this entire region. Hot and humid – always. And minimal refrigeration available, so warm/hot drinking water was the norm. This also meant wild frizzy hair, swollen dirty feet and drenched clothes, but obviously all was worth it.

The rest of our time in Halong Bay was incredible. We were able to kayak around for two days, stopping at remote, empty beaches and two enclosed swimming holes that could only be accessed by swimming under a wall or going through a pitch-black cave filled with bats. But they both opened up to huge isolated water holes inaccessible to the rest of the world. We felt like we were the only ones on the planet, trapped in paradise.

Another quick digression: we can say that we felt this way for most of our trip – very much in the minority and removed from most tourist crowds. This was mainly due to it being the low season (i.e. hot and sticky with a few monsoonal showers from time to time) but it totally turned us on to low season traveling. We felt like we were off the tourist map the entire time, which cannot be said in other times of the year, as we were in some highly targeted spots. This was a huge benefit. Almost all of Halong Bay felt like it was our own, which made the experience so much richer. Two big thumbs up.

The next day we headed to Laos. We maintain that this is one of our most favorite places yet. Luang Prabang is set in a peaceful mountainous valley, filled with temples, monks in bright orange robes, and seriously, the nicest locals we’ve ever encountered. These people are the real deal; unbelievably kind and full of smiles. The town is teeny, perched on the Mekong River. We were able to walk along the river and through dozens of exquisite temples, talking to monks, playing cards with local kids, and eating the best street food of our lives. Ah, the street food. We’re talking full meals with spring rolls and spicy noodles and stir fried morning glories for about 50 cents. Similarly, the night market was loaded with so many amazing vendors and we perfected our bargaining skills and had a ton of fun with the locals in the process.

Other highlights were heading to the Kuang Si waterfalls outside of town via tuk tuk. The falls and pools were milky light blue in color, cascading down a mountain with tons of swimming holes and even a rope swing. We hiked up and found a swimming hole off the beaten trail that had a natural infinity pool overlooking the green mountains and other waterfalls below. A magical, magical place.

Next we headed to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. The town of Angkor is filled with wats, wats and more wats (temples). But there’s not a lot in Siem Reap, the main town by Angkor, which clearly exists for tourists to plant themselves and is by far the most developed stretch we’ve seen. Not our favorite, but the temples themselves were exquisite and totally worth a stop.

We traveled around by tuk tuk to visit each temple and in the process were able to see some of the local countryside too. First stop: Angkor Wat. It was impressive and beautiful, as expected. It’s the biggest temple in the world, for those rusty on history, and it is still a powerful sight, almost spooky to see it in shambles knowing that it was once one of the most populated and powerful kingdoms in the world. The other wats were unique and amazing too. Some had a blend of pink, moss green and black colored stone (Bantaey Srei and Terrace of the Elephants), some had giant faces pieced together from carved stones in doorways and passages (Bayon and Angkor Thom), some had huge dinosaur-like trees growing out of them (Ta Prohm), all with buddhas inside and people still praying to them. It was all quite a sight and certainly worth seeing. Getting “lost” in a thick jungle with ancient ruins is like being a kid again and exploring unchartered territories by yourself for the first time (also, furthered by the low-season lack of tourists). It’s mysterious and mystical and invigorating – there’s nothing quite like it.

Our last stop was Thailand. Maybe it’s the fact that we were so outrageously blown away by the countries before it, but this was probably our least favorite stop. Don’t get me wrong, we’re glad we went. Walking down crazy Khaosan Road at night, meeting gracious locals, eating pad thai and spicy green curry with fresh chilies on the street, getting one cheap Thai massage after another, drinking Singha beers and exploring the bedazzled temples (Grand Palace, Reclining Buddha, etc.) were experiences we’ll never forget. But unfortunately we could not escape the tourist bubble here, and it felt a bit more manufactured.

After a day in Bangkok, we flew to Ko Samui took a ferry to the island of Ko Phang Nan for four days, specifically the beach of Thong Nai Pan Noi. We landed in our beach bungalow for some relaxation time and were yet again surprised by the bumping music and college crowd – again, even in low season when half the hotels weren’t even open (nor a Full Moon party on tap). We often hopped over to our sister beach, Thong Nai Pan Yai, which also had shuttered most of its hotels for the quiet season and was way more low-key. We made the most of it and continued to indulge in delicious Thai food and drink, rode some elephants, hiked around and ended our magnificent trip on a solid note.

Not to be overlooked, we had a 12 hour layover during the day in Seoul, South Korea. Of course, we had to make the most of that time, so we hopped on a bus from the airport and walked around the city. We couldn’t see too much of it considering our time limitations and lack of savvy transport, but of utmost importance was getting delicious Bi Bim Bap for lunch. It was a success, and we were glad to get out and check it out while we had the time.

HIGHLIGHTS: Vietnam and Laos were our favorites. Luang Prabang is one of the most special places we’ve visited. We loved Halong Bay so much, but think much of the impact it had on us was due to our solitude and intimate experience with the landscape. We’ve heard in high season it’s loaded with tour boats and their inevitable tourists. I’m not sure it would have felt quite as special, though it is still definitely beautiful and worth a stop. The Kuang Si waterfalls were also so incredible, but again could have been a totally different experience if packed with people. Everything mentioned earlier counts as a highlight. Also, Vietnamese coffee is life-changing. Southeast Asia is awesome and SO much more than we ever expected.

HINDSIGHT: We thought it would be really hard to fit four countries into two weeks. Would the flights be on time? Would it ruin everything if they weren’t? Thankfully we’ve never seen more efficient air travel. And the time we spent in each destination felt totally right (knowing that we tend to get a bit antsy anywhere… but we really never felt rushed.) Street food is delicious and totally worth eating but we did pay for it with some kind of bacteria or parasite that took a few weeks to work out. On the plus side, it didn’t keep us from eating more good (and potentially contaminated, who knows!) local food. While we’re glad we saw Thailand, for people more pressed on time who want to see Southeast Asia, we almost always suggest skipping it. The experiences and landscapes in the surrounding countries feel much more authentic and richer. (Though we recognize we missed northern Thailand and other areas that are sure to be special.) Big tip: travel in shoulder/low seasons!!! Our eternal advice. Yes you might face a little rain here and there, but it is so worth it. Eat off the local menu, not the English menu. Add hot chiles when you can. Learn how to say “hi” and “thank you” in the local language (that goes for all destinations, for that matter). Good bargaining at the markets means having some fun – don’t be rude or present offensively low offers, but know they want to have fun with bartering and you can have a great exchange with a local as you play the game. There’s a lady in Luang Prabang who walks around the night market with a cart of noodles and serves them in a giant leaf, known to us as “Noodle Lady.” Find her! Best noodles of your life. Bring clothes that aren’t too revealing if you want to visit the temples. Stay in hotels that have non-squat toilets, if you can. Mosquito repellent doesn’t work, just embrace the bugs and focus on the wonder around you.

Date: Summer 2009; Timing: Two weeks

Accommodations: Hanoi – Especen Hotel; Halong Bay – Handspan Tours; Luang Prabang – Villa Laodeum ; Cambodia: Golden Temple Villa; Bangkok: Lamphu House; Ko Phagnan: Baan Panburi Village.

ITINERARY: Hanoi (1 day) > Halong Bay (2 days) > Hanoi > Luang Prabang (2 days) > Siem Reap (2 days) > Bangkok (1 day) > Ko Phag Nan (4 days) > Bangkok > Seoul