If you read my 2017 travel plans post then you'll already know I'm planning a trip to SE Asia in April. I've done quite a lot of research already and have started to finalise a route. There's so many things to see and while I hope to see everything realistically I will probably have to miss some things. I thought I'd put together a bucket list of all the places I really don't want to miss.
1. Angkor Wat
This is probably the most famous temple in SE Asia. I'm so excited to visit and explore not only this temple but all of the others. At the moment I'm planning on spending two days exploring the temples.
2. Full Moon party
Some people love it and some people hate it. I'm not someone who constantly loves drinking and partying but I do like a good party (and drink) so this seems like the perfect party to go to! I'm expecting it to be a bit chaotic and crazy but I'll be there with a few friends so I'm hoping we'll have lots of fun!
3. Elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai
There's a lot on controversy surrounding elephant parks and sanctuaries. One thing I know I definitely won't be doing is going to Tiger Kingdom. However, I would really love to see some elephants. I'm currently researching the best sanctuaries because I really do not want to pay to go to one where they are mistreating the elephants and allowing tourists to ride them. I refused to ride elephants in India and won't be riding them anywhere else. There does seem to be a few sanctuaries which are actually sanctuaries so I'm hoping to visit one of these.
4. Temples of Bagan
I've actually already visited Bagan in 2015 but I'll be revisiting Myanmar on my SE Asia trip. This is partly because I don't feel I saw much of the country and partly because what I didn't fully enjoy what Idid see because I was constantly anxious and struggling with both the heat and anxiety. This time I hopefully won't have such bad anxiety and will be better at dealing with the heat. I saw the sunrise over the temples of Bagan but didn't get too explore them in the day which I'm hoping I can do this time.
5. Snorkelling
I'm not the biggest fan of the sea. Well, that's a slight understatement. I've only been in the sea once in the past 10 years. I used to love it when I was a child but now I avoid it. Considering I've been to a lot of beaches in the past two years I only went into the sea in Sri Lanka. I also chose a beach with really rough waves and ended up being a beached whale. But that's a story for another time. The point I'm trying to make it that I want to go in the sea more. SE Asia will have so many opportunities for snorkelling and I want to give it a go. If I hate it then I won't have to do it again but if I like it I'll have found another activity I can do on future travels.
6. Swim in a waterfall
I've seen a fair through waterfalls, mostly in India. I also swam in the one in Krkr national park in Croatia. However, the weather wasn't great so it was a rather quick dip. From my research there seems to be so many waterfalls in SE Asia so I want to make the most of it and visit a few. The one in Luang Prubang, Laos looks stunning!
7. Go on the circle train, Yangon
I skipped this last time I was in Yangon but after reading some blogposts about people's visits it's been added to this years itinerary.
8. Stay in a villa in Bali
Ok not quite so cultural. But I really want to stay in a villa whilst in Bali. I mean like the ones you see on Instagram and are just like wow. Obviously, price dependent. Most of the trip will be budget accommodation so a little treat shouldn't be too extravagant!
9. Visit James Bond Island and Maya Bay
From my research both of these seem like major tourist traps. But I guess places are touristy for a reason. Both look stunning so even though I'll be there with every other tourist under the sun they are a must visit. I think we'll do both as day trips and try and get there early!
This is something I did when I visited Indonesia in 2015. However, I wouldn't exactly call it an enjoyable experience. Much of it involved me having to take a break every minute and insisting that I'd much rather just wait in the car for everyone because I couldn't do it. Spoiler alert. I actually did do it. Just quite slowly. I want to do it again and hopefully enjoy it a bit more. Realistically I'll still moan a lot but I'm hoping I'll appreciate the beauty of the place a lot more.
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