The young traveler, in Lahore, the teeth itching with the need of adventure that extends well beyond the domestic scenery of Pakistan, the call of Southeast Asia is especially strong. It is the land that murmurs about the exotic cultures, the natural beauty that is stunning, and the most important of all the possibility of having a truly meaningful travel on a budget that seems fantastic. In literal terms, when contrasted to flying to Europe or to the United States (or, at the very least, to the Toronto area), Southeast Asia holds out the instant promise of being the launching-pad towards the ultimate backpacker paradise, a place filled with energy, culture, friendliness, and an absolutely amazing cost-effectiveness that is merely a long flight away. It is a land of glistening temples, water that is turquoise blue, in mad yet lovable cities, and some of the most delicious food that would ever be found on the planet. A backpacking trip in this place is more of a rite of passage, an opportunity to learn your self-reliance, open your horizons, and have memories throughout your life. The following will give you some of the traditional trips and concepts that you could follow to do your grand adventure of Pakistan into the depth of this magical land.
Even before we draw a single line on a map, the most important thing when planning out a Pakistani passport holder is visas (this is essential). Contrary to the experience of most Western tourists being able to travel there without the need of getting a visa in advance, we will have to plan very carefully, and in advance. You can not just show up. In most of the countries on the traditional backpacking route such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and so on, you will actually have to obtain tourist visa of each country through the appropriate embassy or consulate there in Pakistan, long in advance before you even depart. The e-Visa or the visa on the arrival system can be very lax in countries like Malaysia and Indonesia but that can vary and so you must confirm the current requirements. This is your only first step since your entire itinerary is to be constructed according to the visas you manage to obtain.
To consider flights, you can plan your visa strategy. Bangkok (BKK) or Kuala Lumpur (KUL) tend to be the most logical and affordable way of entering the region either through Lahore (LHE), Karachi (KHI) or Islamabad (ISB). Direct or one-stop flights with such airlines as Thai Airways and Batik Air (previously known as Malindo Air) are also available, and it is possible to fly through such hubs in the Middle East as Dubai and Oman. You can book early, e.g. 3 months worth and obtain a return ticket at a very low cost. Budget is the next thing on your mind. Southeast Asia is beautiful at a good price. Even the daily budget of 6,000-8,000 Pakistani rupees (approximately 20-27 USDs) per person is easily achievable. It will happily include three yummy street food meals, local transport, an even a few activities and admission charges, all the way up to a bed in a hygienic and sociable hostel. Take a comfortable backpack with only necessary stuff. There is a hot and humid climate and hence breathable clothes are very important. A light rain jacket, dependable mosquito repellent, but, most importantly, some modest clothes (long pants or skirts and some cover over your shoulders) to visit all these sacred temples and pagodas. Lastly, make sure to organize travel insurance; it is the most important insurance cover to deal with unforeseen circumstances.
Having the preparations out of the way, it is time to look into some of the traditional routes. The Classic Mainland Loop is the not to be missed graceful entry into the diversity of the region to the first-time backpacker who has four-six weeks available. The first destination is the capital city of Thailand, Bangkok; the hectic city. Once you have gotten over your flight, slowly saturate yourself in its marvelous temples such as the Grand Palace and Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha) and get lost in the gigantic Chatuchak Weekend Market and the backpacker frenzy of Khao San Road. Train north instead of flying, on an overnight train to the Chiang Mai cultural centre. In this, the tempo takes a lag. You may attend ethical elephant sanctuaries, attend a Thai cooking course, discover ancient temples located in the walls of the old city and, maybe, you can even go on a multi-day trek in the countryside hills and visit the locals living in tribes. Note, that you should have your pre-booked Thai visa all throughout this leg.
Leaving Chiang Mai, your trip is jumping to Vietnam. It is easier to fly in to the capital of Vietnam, the colorful and romantic city of Hanoi, on a budget airline. You will need a Vietnamese visa (again make sure you book it in advance). Hanoi is a city of lakes, old temples, and an amazing problem of a cafe culture. When you walk around the Old Quarter, full of its touching back streets and a perpetual tooting of the motorbikes, you cannot help feeling delighted. Leaving Hanoi, no visit would be complete without a over night cruise on the magnificent, emerald colored waters of the Halong Bay with its thousands of lime-stone karsts that rise dramatically out of the sea. And after Halong Bay, you will start travelling south by Vietnam, as the rule usually goes by overnight buses or trains. The next significant destination venue has to be the magical town of Hoi An. It was once a trading port and was well known due to its exquisitely preserved ancient town, (daily lit with hundreds of colourful lanterns at night). It is where one can relax, have some clothes custom-made cheaply, and feel the feel of riverside. Further down south you will enter Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) a busy modern city that is full of sad moments in its history. Meanwhile, have a strong impression on the Vietnam War by visiting the War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi Tunnels.
One leaves Ho Chi Minh city and travels by land to Cambodia (having your Cambodian visa in hand). A foreign bus will bring you to the capital Phnom Penh. In this case, you will have to face the dark history of the country by touring to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek Killing Fields. Though heartbreaking, it is an important endeavor to learning how strong Cambodian people are. One more bus ride will get you to Siem Reap, which boasts the entrance gate to one of the wonders of the ancient world: temples of Angkor. It is a big archaeological park and you will require at least three days in order to explore it. It is the experience of waking up early before the sunrise to watch the sunrise on the legendary shape of Angkor Wat that will be captured in your mind for life. Once you have seen the temples you can then ba back to Bangkok by flights Siem Reap back Siem Reap to have your completion to the loop to make the flight you have made the reservation back to Pakistan.
The traveler who always dreamed of white sand beaches and warm turquoise waters will find his/her place in the Island Hoppers Dream route as it normally takes them three to four weeks. This trip can be initiated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is excellent as it is a country with a simple visa regime and with a lot of Halal food on top of it. Even a few days can be spent in KL and you can visit the popular Petronas Towers and the Batu Caves. Fly backs to KL and hop on a cheap AirAsia flight to duty-free island of Langkawi. At this place you can soak on delightful beaches, ride cable to the top of mount Machincang, admire striking views and live in relaxed mood. A ferry in Langkawi will take you across the border into Thailand to Koh Lipe, the pristine Island. The small island belongs to marine park and provides one of the greatest snorkeling and diving in Thailand due to the crystal-clear water and brilliant coral reefs.
A number of ferry and buses will transport you along the northern route out of Koh Lipe to the Krabi province. In this region coastal Thailand is the ideal picture. Set yourself as close as possible to Railay Beach, a gorgeous peninsula that can only be reached by water, and is known because of its dramatic limestone cliffs, which draw international rock climbers. One can also come and make boat excursions to some well-known Phi Phi Islands (the setting of the Beach) and visit numerous secret lagoons and beaches. This part of the journey is easy and pleasant because the Halal food is everywhere in southern Thailand since there are many Muslims here. Another mode of transport which you can use to complete your island adventure are budget flights, which can fly you to Singapore, a future city-state. It is more costly, but two or three days here is a bizarre comparison to the rest of the region. Be amazed by the Gardens by the Bay, visit the variety of foods at its hawker centres, and have the sensation of being at one of the cleanest and most productive cities of the globe and later fly back home.
You have a limited amount of time, just say, two week leave of absence at work, and you can choose a so called, Quick Immersion whose benefits cannot be underestimated. Blending Cambodia and Thailand is a good idea. Take a flight to Bangkok and spend three days in the city highlighting it. And next, hop on an overnight train to Chiang Mai and get a two-day city experience of northern Thai culture. In Chiang Mai, you can take a direct flight to Siem Reap in Cambodia. Spend three days to visit Angkor Wat temple complex which is the number one must-see of the country. And on your last day, you may jet back to Bangkok to connect to your home respectively. The shorter itinerary gives you a chance to see in a bit less rushed time two entirely different and amazing cultures: the energy and vibe of Thailand and the ancient and serene grandeur of the Khmer empire.
Either way it follows, backpacking in Southeast Asia is an investment on yourself. It will be an adventure where you learn how to be strong when you endure a long overnight bus fare, courage when you disagree on a price in a crowded market and appreciate where you are when you see people of other religions, cuisines and lifestyles harmoniously coexisting. To the Lahori traveler, it is an opportunity to enter a place that is exhilaratingly other and at the same time extremely comforting. The path is well established, the facilities are tourist friendly, and the payoff is beyond reckon. It awaits you, it is an adventure and it is easily more attainable than you thought it could be.
A prepared route is a useful map that aids you make your adventure but the best part of a backpacker is the route through the adventure. The real experience is made during the minor everyday choices, the cultural exchanges, and the on-site skills attained. To the novice that has flown into Lahore, the heat of a place such as Bangkok which is humid and filled with smell is an attack on the senses that can be oceanic. This is the point your journey goes out of the paper and becomes rich and living. Understanding the logistics of travel on the road will not only make you save time and money but also enable you, having learned the tricks of the trade, to live another life more engaged with the tremendous variety of Asian Southeast.
Your first obstacle and opportunity will come in at the moment of landing. Your first trip in an international airport like Bangkok in Suvarnabhumi (BKK) or Kuala Lumpur in KUL makes your trip either good or bad. The main thing first is to get hooked up and get cashed up. Avoid exchanging at the currency exchange desks where the exchange rates are not favourable; they are just very convenient at a very high price. Rather, find an official bank ATM in this airport or the next one, enter your debit card and receive a decent amount of the local currency, say 5,000 to 10,000 Thai Baht. This will save you the best exchange rate as well as provide you with adequate cash that can help you comfortably manage your initial costs. The next step that you should take is to make it to any of the official mobile provider kiosks in the arrivals hall. Buy a SIM card of a tourist. You are going to receive an excellent data package ample to last you weeks at a very low price. This SIM card is your lifeline: it charges your Google maps; your Grab (the local version of primary Uber); your Agoda booking app and your video chats home to Lahore. Having both money in your hands and the ability to figure the best and cheapest way to get into town on your phone, you can be assured to find the most economical and effective transport means to town, such as the Bangkok Airport The Airport Rail Link, and not paying high airport taxi prices.
Although it is good to book your initial couple of nights of accommodation in advance, some of the fun of backpacking is that you have the possibility to be flexible. There is no need to have each and every one of the nights of your six-week vacation scheduled. After landing, you can spend a day or two to book a hostel or guest house in the next destination using the booking apps such as Agoda or Booking. This will enable your plans to change; just because you find a group of other travelers and think you should take a side trip with them, or you just fell in love with some town, so you want to extend your stay there. The old skool approach is also the best, go to a new town, go to the central backpacker section and have a look around a couple of hostels and then pick one. This would enable you to scan the cleanliness, get the vibe of the common room as well as choose a position that suits you.
A backpacker always moves to the beat of food and SE Asia is a food paradise where one can live like kings and queens on a shoe-string budget. The trick is to just appreciate street food. It is not only the cheapest one, but, definitely the most genuine and yummy. It is intimidating to the uninitiated but selecting a safe vendor is something simple to observe. Find premises where the customers are changing rapidly, particularly the locals. Check whether the food is prepared fresh to order before your eyes on a hot wok or a grill. If the stall is clean, busy with real good-looking and smelling food, jump in. In Thailand, you can have a life changing plate of Pad Thai that will cost you less than 500 Pakistani Rupees, a steaming bowl of Pho in Vietnam or a fragrant packet of Nasi Lemak in Malaysia. Another experience that is not to be missed is the night market where thousands of food choices mix in an exciting and social scene. Rice-based food is the cornerstone of the whole region,and to the Pakistani palate, it is a comforting and familiar source of food, and in nations with a large Muslim population such as Malaysia and Indonesia, or in Thailand in the south of the country, there are numerous and wonderful options of good and certified Halal food, and it is extremely easy to get. Elsewhere, it is easy to maneuver the menu by confining yourself to the seafood and also vegetarian dishes, which are quite prevalent.
Travelling to places of origins is quite an experience. The bus or train you take overnight is a sacred institution on the Southeast Asian traveller route. During the trip between one city to the other, its a model of efficiency, having two functions viz., it takes you to your destination city and you have also saved a night of your stay because you are sleeping during the time. Another crucial aspect of the experience, it is not always the most comfortable night of sleep. Nevertheless, stay with well-known bus companies, even though they might be a bit pricier, and pack an extra warm jacket or sweater, because the air conditioning might be notoriously, and arctically efficient. To tour a local region, such as the region in and around Pai in northern Thailand (mountainous countryside) or the hilly coastal roads of a tropical island, motor scooter rental is a common and largely available solution which provides possibly more freedom than is imaginable. But this has a very critical warning attached to it. Scooter is to be rented only by an experienced licensed driver. The situations on the roads may be hectic and the incidents of accidents on tourists are unfortunate. Never leave the helmet behind, inspect the bike that you go to rent, and ensure that your travel insurance covers these activities.
More than the logistics, the real richness of your trip will be found in the people you meet; the people you may travel with and the people of the place you visit. The backpacking universe common room is its social center. Shyness is out of place. A casual and friendly greeting like Hi, where you are from? it can be the beginning of some great conversation, a temple visit you will share tomorrow or even a friendship that you will experience with the other that you will be on a tour with in the next two weeks. One of the most beautiful parts of the life on the road, is this global community. In dealing with the local culture, humility and respect is the ultimate. Haggling is sometimes expected in markets, and it should be taken, as a form of entertainment, not as a test of strength. Negotiate, smile, be fair, and you may do not become pushy in order to receive a little money to a vendor, that is more precious to him/her than to you. Awareness of the saving face concept should be taken into consideration since it is important in Asia. Losing temper or making a scene is greatly undesirable. Your most powerful weapon will be a calm polite smile. Respect should be observed wherever there is photography. Proceed to take a close-up shot of someone especially of a very old person or a monk with their permission.
The thoughts of home-sickness may strike at the most exciting adventure. It is not easy living thousands of miles away and not being able to feel the familiar comforts back at home in Lahore. It is at this point that your local and cheap SIM becomes your emotional lifeline. Organize video conference with relatives and friends regularly. A session with their familiar faces and accompanying you to share your stories may be the panacea to a case of loneliness. You should also be health and safety conscious. Food and water mantra is simple, boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it. Do not take tap water. Watch out in general tourists scams, such as a tuk-tuk driver that offers you a tour at a ridiculously cheap price, and as soon as you get in, will drive you around various gem or tailor shops where he has a commission. The intimidating and yet polite touch would be the best line of defense, a straight up: No, thank you. Store your valuable things safely, and save digital versions of your passport and visas in your phone and save it in cloud storage such as Google Drive.
You will see that you got much more than a certain set of photos and souvenirs, as your trip ends and you are about to return to home. With this, you have acquired talents and identity. You have picked up the skills of orientating yourself in a new city, of overcoming language barriers and of being self-reliant and making things up as you go along when the bus is delayed or the arrangement falls through. The latter are not trifles, they are constituents of resilience and character. You will leave Lahore with a wider vision, a new understanding of diversity in the world around you and maybe even you will love home more because it is what you said you loved about it. This initial mind-blowing trip of backpacking is hardly a one-time affair. It is the start of a life-long interest, a learning that nothing in university will teach. It is the confidence, the friendships and the life lessons that you can never forget that you pick up on the roads in Southeast Asia, that will be the real rewards and that will be an investment in you that you can never put a price upon.
