A Two Week Travel Itinerary - An Introduction to Asia

A calm sea water, a boat, and a beautiful sunset sky

If you only had two weeks of vacation, and wanted to use them to visit Asia for the first time, where should you go? How should you spend your time?

This was a question I faced in 2013, when I was organizing a two week trip for – and with – my parents.

I shared the challenge with many friends who were seasoned travelers (special thanks to fellow bloggers James and Jodi) and eventually came up with the itinerary below.

Our idea was to have a mix of food, cultures, landscapes and level of development. I wanted to maximize what we saw (because it might be our only chance to go together), but also have enough time to kick back a little and enjoy each location.

The schedule we hit upon offers plenty of rest time to recover from jetlag on both ends of the trip. And 12 days gives you enough time to see three very different countries and cultures.

If you are planning on visiting the region, and have limited time, I hope you find the following useful – or, at least, a starting point!

The verdict:

  • Hong Kong. 3 days. Why? Spectacular cityscape. Developed, futuristic city. Great food and shopping.

  • Hanoi, Vietnam. 4 days. Why? Food, food, food. Frenetic and developing city. History everywhere.

  • Koh Samui, Thailand. 4 days. Picture postcard beaches. Opportunities for pampering. Snorkeling, boating, relaxing by the infinity pool.

  • Bangkok, Thailand. 1 day. Why? Street food, shopping, a modern Asian city that compliments Hong Kong and Hanoi’s different levels of development. A fabulously colorful culture and street life.

In retrospect, I would have cut one day off of HK and added it to Bangkok at the end.

Here’s some pics from the trip!

Days 1 to 3 - Hong Kong

An arial shot of buildings in HongKong

Pretty good looking Hong Kong.

A candid picture of grabbing a snack at street vendor

Stop and eat everything.

Markets and stores in Hongkong

Exploring the markets and streets of Kowloon island.

Butcher shop in Hongkong

Markets everywhere.

Nike Store in Hongkong

Love Nikes and started my career in ‘store fixture’ design. Both look pretty good here.

Four people at the office signing papers

Signing papers at my accountant’s office.

Fish Skin Chips and a Soda

First HK street food. Fish skin chips!

Junk Shop in Hongkong

Junk shopping on the street.

Jackfruit bought from a street vendor

Parents had never tasted jackfruit, one of my favorites.

Days 4 through 7 - Hanoi, Vietnam

Steak and a side dish of salad vegetables

Why not a great steak in Asia?

Four draft beer drinks in Vietnam

Draft beer on the street. That’ll be $.25 sir.

Street food store in the corner in Vietnam

Bun cha is a famous Hanoi dish. We sat down here and ordered a soup.

Flaming fish dish on the table

Flaming fish!

Soup and chillis in a bowl

Dat soup. 1 dolla.

Scrumptious soup and chillis

Bun cha!

Street vendor selling food

Commerce in Hanoi.

People in a long queue to see Ho Chi Minh

Waiting in line to see Ho Chi Minh himself, one of my favorite moments in Hanoi.

A picture of quick cyclo ride around the town

Surprise Cyclo ride. My travel philosophy when touring is just to jump on and jump in everything.

Egg coffee in a big cup

Egg coffee.

Draft beer and street food on table

Street food from a small table.

A  snack and drink

Late night treat.

A beautiful chandelier shot

Pampered spa experience.

The front desk of the hotel
Vendor roaming around the town selling different stuffs

Days 8 through 11 - Koh Samui, Thailand

A very relaxing view of the ocean

Not much you need to plan when you’ve got this.

Lantern lights and trees

Charming resorts in Koh Samui.

Beautiful view of Koh Nang Yuan

A day trip Koh Nang Yuan

A beach and a hill beside

Trying to beat the heat.

Three men doing snorkeling

Snorkeling off of Koh Tao.

Boat on the beach and beautiful sky

Dinner on the beach in Koh Samui. Ate a ton, bill came to around $50.

Thai Curry Paste in Koh Samui

Learned to make Thai curry paste in Koh Samui.

A curry paste and some ingredients

Curry paste!

Final Day - Bangkok

Street food and a chilli sauce

Street food in Bangkok. $1.50.

Outdoor kitchen in Bangkok

Outdoor kitchen in Bangkok.

Sunset view in Bangkok

Watching the sun go down from the Pullman G.

So how did it go? I consider this trip to be one of my greatest life accomplishments. Great memories, no great disasters. Family time made extra special by sharing places I’ve grown to love with those closest to me.

I’m going to shut my laptop now and get on a one way flight to Bangkok. Figured it would be a fitting time to post these photos which have been uploaded to, but unpublished on, my blog for a few years now.

Would love to hear your insights if you’ve ever done a similar trip. What would you do differently?

Safe travels,

Dan

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