Countrying Around

Best of IgoUgo

A travel journal to Asia by SeenThat

Quote: Balancing between winter and summer, Dashain and Indra Jatra is an art; those mastering it would be fully rewarded with what would probably be one of their best trips. On five countries and five different travel styles.

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Laos

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For many years Laos was a mystery for me. Finding information was difficult; visiting it was unthinkable. Moreover, it just wasn’t important. Then I found myself in the Golden Triangle and made a short visit to the island of Don Sao, hardly the best place to experience Laos. During the following months I couldn’t forget the tiny huts and downscaled farm animals. I waited a whole year for my next visit to the area, and then gave priority to Laos.Priority, but I didn’t race around. Arriving ...Read More

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Cambodia

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There is something unsettling about Cambodia. The country’s tragic history adds an important dimension to a trip in Southeast Asia; even without reading any historical accounts of the events the scars are still fresh everywhere, as if the country was an open encyclopedia. Moreover, traveling to Cambodia means also a trip back into the Khmer civilization. Since it is far less developed than the surrounding countries, it imparts a feel of being closer to the nature and to their ancestral culture. The country obviously belongs to Southeast Asia to the extent that its ...Read More

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Vietnam

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Hai Van Pass - Vietnam Photo - Vietnam, Asia

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Vietnam is different from its neighbors, living in its own frenzied pace, which may tempt the traveler to rush ahead before the attractions were properly explored. Crossing a street in Saigon is an adventure in itself, and not necessarily a pleasant one; though it proved a proper preparation for wilder places like La Paz and El Alto in Bolivia.Any country with such a...Read More

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Myanmar

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Few Asian countries remain as inaccessible as Myanmar. Most of it is closed to visitors, only a few islands are open in this vast green jungle. The traveler must decide which part of the country he would visit and content himself with one zone at a time, since most of them are isolated from each other. More than any other country reviewed here, Myanmar still has an air of unexplored territory. Far less developed than Thailand and with internal problems closing most of its territory to visitors, entering Myanmar is getting ...Read More

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Nepal

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"So, how long does it take seeing Nepal?" is probably the most annoying type of question a traveler may be asked. The only possible answer is "as long as you want." There are so many factors influencing the answer that any other response would be an educated lie.Few countries provide the exciting mix Nepal does: the highest mountains on earth, friendly trekking paths, awesome Hindu cities and Tibetan refugees offering cultural glimpses of the Himalaya’s other side. Thus, it is difficult to visit substantial parts of this country in a short visit. Simply, seeing some of its attractions demands lengthy treks, thus unless restricting the trip to the Kathmandu Valley, planning a substantial st...Read More