Hi all,

Is anyone going on the April 1st Asian Adventure? I'm booking everything today and I'm really excited!
I'm a 23 year old female travelling solo and it will be my first SEA trip. I have travelled Contiki before - I did the European Adventurer in 2007 and I loved it.
Looking forward to meeting my tour mates and seeing a fascinating part of the world.

Elise

Try looking in the Asia Meeting Place section of the board.

Hi Elise,

I´m also going on this tour and also travelling on my own. See you in Bangkok. Will you stay the night before in Bangkok as well?

I´m a girl from Germany, 29 years old.

Cheers,
Fabi Smiler

Hi Elise and Fabi,

I'll be traveling solo as well. I'm a 26 year old female from Chicago. I'll be in Bangkok 2 days before the tour. How are you handling your Cambodia and Laos visas? I was thinking of getting them in Thailand?

Beth

Fabi, Beth, and Elise!!!
This is my first Contiki Tour and am excited to meet everyone! I'm traveling solo as well. I'll be in Bangkok before we leave for the tour April 1. I'm from California and am 29 yrs old.


Cheers guys!
-Dan

hey Elise, Fabi, Beth and Dan

i am also travelling solo on this trip, i booked two days ago and cant wait, im from New Zealand, 23yo male. i'll be arriving a day before the tour so the 31st march and hopefully staying in the same hotel that we will all be staying at. i will also be going back to thailand after the tour and spending a few weeks on the beach

I'm not sure about the visas either. Do we need more than just a passport? How would we handle the visas if needed?

The visa options for Americans that I've found are:
1. pay $300 and send you passport to DC or Seattle to get visas for Cambodia and Laos before the trip.
2. Wait until we get to the Cambodian airport and where we cross into Laos and get them there. Problem is we dont know when we're getting to those destinations and if the visa places will be open.
3. Go while in Bangkok to the consulates there and hope they don't take too long to process. $45 for a Laos visa in an hour. I don't know how long it will take for a cambodian visa, but I'm going to guess less time since they accept photocopies of your passport.

I'm leaning toward #3 since I have some time in Bangkok before the trip.

Does anyone else have any ideas?

Beth

Hey everyone,

I'm actually traveling on the 3 March tour, so I hope someone else will be joining me! haha

I'm a solo traveler: male, 18 years of age. I'm currently living in Australia (after 4 years in Indonesia and 5 in Dubai) and really excited to meet up with everyone! Although I'll admit I'm slightly scared that I won't know anyone, haha.

I'm spending a week in Singapore before the trip, arrive in Bangkok on 1 March, and have 10 days in Cambodia after the tour, before I spend 2 weeks in China, take the Trans-Siberian Railway through Mongolia and Russia, before arriving in Finland 25 days later. I'll then spend some time traveling through Germany, France and the UK.

Please add me on facebook: hostime@gmail.com, if you'll be traveling with me!

If anyone has read Dave Challengers travelogue - the one from Scandi and Russia, he did an intrepid tour of asia. He got his visa for Laos in Bangkok, I think he said it took about an hour.

For Cambodia, its visa upon entry at a cost of USD 25 for Australians and also most nationalities. They do have a e-mail electronic visa system but I would recommend just getting it at point of entry. Just bring a few passport photos which will speed up the process.At the borders they have digital photography facilites but some of the operators are very corrupt and expect payment which should be free and can ask for a few USD.

Since some of you are going to Thailand its important to realise that there are many scams operating there. This website can give you an idea of how they operate.Nobody wants to be the April fool- Get it?

http://www.bangkokscams.com/

Anybody doing the Big Indochina Adventure April 1, 2009? (28 days)

Hello, I am doing the big indochina adventure starting april 1st. I am travelling alone from Nova Scotia, Canada. I am excited, but quite nervous!!
I may do a weeks travel down to southern thailand after the tour.
Sarah

Hi Dan and Sarah,

I’m doing the Vietnam Explorer tour starting the 14th of April and I believe you hook up with us after you’ve done the Asian Adventure part of your tour. I’ve started a new thread for the Vietnam Explorer tour in the General Asia Meeting Place part of the forums and so far there are two of us confirmed for it.

I can’t wait!

Hi, Elise Fabe Beth Dan and NikorA

Im also on the 1st april I will be in Bangkok on the 29th and staying in the hotel we start from. would love to meet some of you b4 the tour as I am also on my own and could go for some company while waititng for the tour to start.
I am a 28yo f/m from Australia

Jacqui