My Southeast Asia Itinerary

On May 4th (aka Star Wars day- "May the fourth be with you...":) ) I will be leaving the rainy albeit cozy comforts of home in Seattle to embark on my journey through Southeast Asia!  The journey from "SEA to SEA" is a long one-- I will be flying nearly non-stop for 24 hours (one short stop in San Francisco, another short stop in Taipei).  As someone who has some A.D.D. tendencies, we'll see how that goes...

Day 1-2:  I arrive in Bangkok, Thailand on the morning of May 6th and have set transportation to my hotel near Chinatown.  (One less thing to worry about upon arrival- I like it.) In the afternoon I'm meeting my fellow travelers and the rest of our time in Bangkok is wide open to spend how we decide!

What I'm most excited for:  My first impressions of being by myself in a culture that feels completely foreign (Scary? Liberating? A rush of various emotions?),  The FOOD!, Khao San Road (apparently popular with backpackers, full of shops, street food, bars, dancing, etc.), experiencing the bustle of this huge capital of Thailand.

The evening of Day 2 will be spent on a sleeper train to Surat Thani in the south of Thailand, which really just serves as a take-off point to get to Koh Phangan.

Day 3-4: Koh Pha Ngan.  

Yep.  That's it.  Need I say more?

The 'Ngan' of "Koh Pha Ngan" means sandbar, of which, I am assuming, are bountiful here.  Koh Pha Ngan is the home of the infamous "Full Moon Party"... which I will miss... (but now I have a reason to make my way back in the future).

What I'm most excited for: The beauty.  Snorkeling, hiking, yoga class, meditation... I want to soak in absolutely everything this beautiful tropical island has to offer.

Day 5: Koh Samui. The largest of about the 80 islands that are here. Known for its tropical island beauty, not unlike Koh Pha Ngan.

Day 6: Nakhon Si Thammarat.  This city used to be a major trading hub in the 17th Century.  It is apparently a beautiful blend of Muslim Mosques, Buddhist Temples and old factories and houses.

Day 7: Penang, Malaysia. This will be a long bus riding day, but I'm excited to shop and eat here (apparently Malay food is a delectable blend of Thai, Chinese, Indian...)

Day 8-9: Cameron Highlands. Established in 1885 by William Cameron, a British surveyor.  A drive up through the mountains.  

Lots of tea plantations!  I'm excited to take a serene walk and feel a different climate.

Day 10-11: Kuala Lumpur. A busy city and a change of pace.  Night markets! (That means food!)  The Petronas Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world, are here. 

Day 12: Melaka. An old port town.  It was the most important trading port in S.E. Asia in the early 15th Century when China began to trade here, followed by India.  Islam soon came to Melaka, and thereafter the Portuguese, Dutch, and British came to join the trading party.  Melaka sounds like a crazy mix of cultures and times, as it has experienced both important history and recent economic growth.  Temples, churches, mosques, museums, forts... Looking forward to soaking up the history as well as the hustle and bustle.

Day 13: Singapore. 

Singapore has a night safari which I really hope I get a chance to see!  It's like the nocturnal section they have at the zoo where they trick the animals through lighting that it's night time when it's really day time.  (However, not everyone likes the game of night-time, day-time....)

...wut?

Day 14-15: Jakarta, Indonesia. I'm flying here from Singapore in the morning on a flight that cost me less than a decent pair of shoes.  I'll be sure to bring my parachute!  Morbid jokes aside, Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia and is the economic heart of Java.  Definitely on the search for some coffee here!  (As a Seattleite, Java is going to have a tough critic on their hands...)

Day 16-17: Cianjur. Going to visit a 100 year old "Gunung Mas" ('Golden Mountain') Tea Plantation.  There is also a ton of rice production here.  A lot less tourism here, and we will be doing a homestay with locals, which I find incredibly exciting.

Day 18-20: Yogyakarta. 

Borobudur is the famous Buddhist Temple in "Yogya", built in the 8th century.  This temple was undiscovered under volcanic ash layers (lying in the shadow of Mt. Merapi), until 1815!  Art markets, dance performances, Kraton, and old 18th century palace built by the Sultans of Yogya... 

Day 21: Solo. Also known as Surakarta.  Hindu temples, art, the "heart" of Javanese culture.  Kraton Surakarta is an 18th Century palace.

Day 22: Malang. The second largest city in East Java.  Cooler temperatures and higher altitudes.  Many parks, a bird and flower market, Singosari temple.

Day 23: Mt. Bromo. Mt. Bromo is part of the Tengger Caldera, which is the largest volcanic range in the area.  It's top has been completely blown off and is constantly smouldering with white smoke!  

Day 24: Kalibaru.  Coffee plantations!  Coffee was brought to Java by the Dutch and now Indonesia is the fourth largest coffee grower in the world!

Day 25-26: Pemutaran.  Hello, Bali.

Apparently the diving here is pretty amazing.  I will at least snorkel around and explore some rainforest.  I really want to see some monkeys. 

Day 27: Sanur. The drive through Bali from Pemutaran to Sanur is supposed to be spectacular.  My plan is to try to soak the last of everything in before I take off on Day 28.

Day 28:  Back to Seattle.  Or at least starting that journey.. which will take another, oh, 30 hours of travel time...

Writing out my itinerary makes my excitement exponential!!  The fact that everything is already planned out has its good side and bad side; it calms my frenetic nerves, especially being new to traveling this long with nobody I know.  Yet I don't have the freedom to decide to stay longer in a particular spot that I might really dig... Then again, I have a feeling this won't be my last time to S.E. Asia, and next time I will have an idea of where I would like to spend more time!

I'm posting my itinerary early so I can get some feedback; has anyone been to any of these places? Words of advice? Tips?  Warnings?

Disclaimer:  I don't own, nor did I take any of the photos in this post.  I WILL, however, be taking my camera along with me on my trip to post photos from my experience.