Malaysia or Philippines. Where is the best place to buy a ticket? Diving and other sports
Some of the most popular countries for tourism in Southeast Asia are Malaysia and the Philippines. These countries are very similar and at the same time have serious differences.
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia that is geographically divided into two parts: western and eastern. I also call West Malaysia Malaya. It occupies the territory of the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordered on the north by Thailand, on the south by Singapore and Indonesia. East Malaysia consists of two large regions, Sabah and Sarawak, and occupies the northern part of the island of Kalimantan.
Due to limited opportunities for economic development in Malaysia, tourism development is strongly supported. Now in Malaysia you can find a lot of luxury hotels, well-groomed beaches, and well-established tourist routes. Many people come to the country for the excellent diving or delicious cuisine.
The largest cities in Malaysia are the capital Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Georgetown, Kuantan. The main resorts in Malaysia include: Langkawi, Penang, Sipadan. Many tourists come to Malaysia specifically to visit the national parks here.
The climate in Malaysia, due to the fact that it is located close to the equator, is hot and humid almost all year round without seasonal changes. The coolest time here is from November to January, when the temperature drops to 26 degrees; in summer the temperature rises to 33 degrees. If we talk about the rainy season, it occurs at different times in different parts of the country. Heavy but short-lived downpours occur evenly throughout the year. The most favorable time to visit West Malaysia can be considered the period from late November to early February, and May-September is suitable for traveling around East Malaysia.
The Philippines is an island country in Southeast Asia. Once upon a time in the 16th century, Ferdinand Magellan discovered it for Europeans, Spanish colonization began, then later in the 19th and 20th centuries the Americans dominated the country. The cultural traditions of the Philippines are significantly influenced by the influence of these two civilizations: Spanish and American. More than 80% of the population is Catholic. In terms of population, the Philippines is significantly larger than Malaysia (105 million people and 28 million people, respectively), although the territory of Malaysia is larger than the territory of the Philippines. The Philippines has more large populated cities. In addition to the metropolitan conurbation of Metro Manila, which unites 16 large cities, the following cities are considered large:
- Davao,
- Cebu,
- Zamboanga,
- Antipolo.
The most interesting islands for tourism in the Philippines are:
- Luzon,
- Mindanao,
- Palawan,
- Mindoro,
- Bohol,
- Cebu.
In the Philippines, there are many destinations for tourism: beach holidays (the most famous resort is), active recreation (diving, snorkeling, surfing, windsurfing, rafting, mountaineering, golf and many others), exploring natural wonders (chocolate hills, underground river) and observing the flora and fauna in national reserves, getting acquainted with ancient monuments and the ruins of ancient Spanish fortresses, visiting museums,.
The Philippines has a tropical monsoon climate, turning into subequatorial in the south. The average temperature throughout the year remains at 26 – 27 degrees. There are two seasons. The rainy season lasts from late May to mid-November. This time is considered unfavorable for visiting the country, but it is still possible to identify several islands in the southern part of the archipelago, which are less susceptible to the influence of seasonality.
(archive) / IndonesiaAvailable with tickets and within the budget, the following set was obtained: Thailand Vietnam Indonesia Philippines Previously, I was only in Thailand. Important points for a wonderful holiday... at prices: Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines- what is the average budget per day? If Indonesia - fly to Jakarta - where to go from there - get to Bali, or There are good places at the very... time of year, what is the best way to get from the airport? If Philippines- where is the best place to go from Manila, which resort choose? In principle, you can combine accommodation in different places, maybe...
Anna I also looked at the tickets from the offers: Cambodia, Malaysia, and as luck would have it, the price for Thailand fell by 25%... well, how can you choose... I understand that Phuket will be cheap, but I’ve already been there... I really want to go to Cambodia, but according to various reviews it turns out that they should it's going to rain... is it so? There is also an insanely budget option to Taipei, but it seems like you need to get a visa there... Quote: Taking the north of Bali from Pemuteran to Amed is quite good, although the beaches are far from Bounty :) and where are the Bounty beaches in Bali? all at a loss... where to go?
Another popular holiday destination in Southeast Asia is Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia. These countries, on the one hand, are similar, and on the other, have their own unique attractions, natural features and unique attractiveness. Therefore, tours to Malaysia, Indonesia or the Philippines have become actively included in the plans of tourists, especially in the winter season.
The Philippines is a country scattered over 7,100 islands, each of which is rich in variety for recreation. The largest islands in the Philippines: Luzon, Mindanao, Samar, Negros, Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol, Masbate. Two islands in the north and south - Luzon and Mindanao - make up 66% of the country's territory. The archipelago is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire (this is a zone of increased seismic and volcanic activity), so there are many active and extinct volcanoes on the territory. The largest mountain range is Cordillera(central and northern parts of Luzon island). The highest peak in the country is Mount Apo Volcano(height 2954 m) on the island of Mindanao.
Sights of the Philippines
Philippines famous for their rice fields and modern megacities, volcanoes and Asian buffalos. Holidays in the Philippines are suitable for young people, for married couples, for lovers of active sports - diving and surfing.
Definitely worth a visit capital of the Philippines – Manila, which consists of 18 cities that form a large metropolis. Visit the Dr. Rizal Museum, visit the memorial with mosaic maps of battles in the Philippines, Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral, St. Augustine Cathedral. Roxas Boulevard is known for its adult entertainment.
In summer, the country's capital moves to Baguio- a city 250 km from Manila, in the province Benguet at an altitude of 1525 m. Mild climate, fresh air and many attractions - the Mansion (this, by the way, is the summer residence of the president), the “Temple of the Bell”, rocks and ancient burials.
Entertainment on the islands includes nightclubs, bars, discos, parties on the beaches, concerts and festivals, casinos and beaches.
Weather and climate in the Philippines
The tropical climate of the Philippines is divided into three seasons: a season with high temperatures (dry cold season, from December to February), a warm season - March-May and a season with high humidity and rain (from June to November). Best time to visit the Philippines– from December to May. You should beware of typhoons - the peak occurs in July-October, but they can happen at any time. Earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions are also not uncommon.
Hotels in the Philippines
Most hotels are bungalows, and there are practically no multi-storey buildings, as the authorities care about nature.
Getting to the Philippines You can fly with Korean Air with a transfer in Seoul, KLM with a transfer in Amsterdam, Qatar Airways via Bangkok, Amsterdam or Dubai. Planes arrive in the cities of Cebu, Angeles, Davao, Kalibo, Laoaga, Manila or Zamboang. Most flights operate through Cebu International Airport in the central Philippines. Low-cost airlines use Clark Angeles Airport (85 km from Manila). There are flights from Francisco Bangoy Airport or Davao Airport to Singapore, while Kalibo Airport connects the Philippines with Seoul, Shanghai or Taipei.
To visit the Philippines for up to 30 days, tourists from Russia do not need a visa. Citizens of Belarus you need to apply for a visa to the Philippines, which can be obtained at the Philippine Embassy in Moscow.
Malaysia is a relatively new destination for tourism, but the tourist flow here is growing every year. The number of hotels and resorts in Malaysia is increasing at a rapid pace, fully catering to the varied demands of tourists. People come here for diving, food and beaches. Main tourist cities in Malaysia- the capital is Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, George Town, Kuantan. And beach holidays in Malaysia can be found in resorts such as Langkawi, Penang, Sipadan. A separate area of tourism can be considered visiting national parks and natural attractions, because the nature of Malaysia cannot but surprise.
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia, which is geographically divided into two parts: western and eastern. I also call West Malaysia Malaya. It occupies the territory of the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordered on the north by Thailand, on the south by Singapore and Indonesia. East Malaysia consists of two large regions, Sabah and Sarawak, and occupies the northern part of the island of Kalimantan.
Weather and climate in Malaysia
Coolest time in Malaysia– November - January – air temperature drops to 26 degrees. In summer, the average daily temperature reaches 33 degrees. The rainy season in Malaysia occurs in different areas at different times. But heavy, short-term downpours occur throughout the year. The best time to visit Malaysia in the western regions is November-February, in the eastern regions - from May to September.
Sights of Malaysia
Malaysia will surprise you with its temple complexes, natural features and cultural traditions. Genting Highlands Mountain Resort can provide both cultural and entertainment holidays in Malaysia - this is a visit to the Chin Sui Temple, and for entertainment - Genting Highlands complex with an area of 6,000 hectares - the “Malayan Las Vegas”. Separate excursions are organized to tea plantations, orchards and farms. There are many ancient temples, caves and grottoes on the island of Penang.
The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur everyone is known for its twin towers Petrona’s Twin Towers, as well as mosques and temples. Explore theme parks and experience the world of flora and fauna. Kuala Lumpur has a vibrant nightlife - clubs and restaurants welcome guests around the clock.
Get to Malaysia It’s not possible to travel directly from Moscow, but there are charter flights that are organized during “peak seasons” - for the New Year and the May holidays. It is best to fly with Qatar Airways via Doha, Emirates Airlines via Dubai, Etihad via Abu Dhabi, Air China with a transfer in Beijing or Uzbekistan Airlines via Tashkent. Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines also fly to Kuala Lupur with connections in Bangkok and Singapore. In addition to flights from Russia, you can find any air tickets to Malaysia from any European capital. The flight duration may vary depending on transfers and the convenience of connections from 12 to 24 hours.
Citizens of Russia and Belarus do not need a visa to visit Malaysia for up to 30 days. After arrival, you must fill out a migration card and keep it until you leave Malaysia. Tourists are charged a registration fee of $8-10.
Holidays in Indonesia allow you to combine business with pleasure - there are beaches for every taste and great opportunities for active sports.
Weather and climate in Indonesia
The climate in Indonesia is tropical, divided into two seasons - dry from March to September and wet from November to March. During the wet season, precipitation occurs more often at night in the form of showers, making land travel around the islands difficult. The average annual air temperature is from 26 to 35 degrees, water - 26-27 degrees all year round. Hottest months– July and August.
Indonesia hotels
In Indonesia, hotels provide a wide range of services and a good level of service. There are cheaper hotels - 2-3 stars, and five-star ones belong to the “delux” category.
Souvenirs from Indonesia
Most often, batik, mother-of-pearl, masks, dragon figurines, jewelry and jewelry are brought from Indonesia.
The most popular attractions in Indonesia are the volcanic Lake Toba, the royal tombs, the palace on Samosir Island, the Mesjid Raya Mosque, the military museum in Medan, and the Gunung Leser Nature Reserve.
I’ve been asked to make this post for a very long time, and I promised to do it a bunch of times, but I still don’t have time.. Yesterday I felt like I was in the mood to quit everything and do it, and in a couple of days I mastered it. I tried to tell it very briefly, but the post still turned out to be huge.
Attention! These are all purely SUBJECTIVE sensations!) Although I lived in some countries for a year or two, everything is still based solely on my own experience, which may be very different from other people.
For more than 5 years of continuous travel, I have lived in basically all the main countries of Southeast Asia, where everyone goes on vacation or for the winter.
These are: Indonesia (Bali, Java and other islands), Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Nepal, India (Goa). Now - Vietnam.
I also spent several days in Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul, and lived in the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, for a month in total. Well, in general, I’ve been to all the capitals of all the main countries of Southeast Asia.
Now, in principle, I don’t care where to live, everything inside has long since changed and the whole planet is home. But a very desirable condition for me is the presence of an ocean nearby. Somehow it’s easier and more pleasant for me when he’s here, behind my back. We don't like cities and love the sea, even if we go to it once a month. Only once in five years did we live without the sea - in the north of Thailand, in Chiang Mai, and quite quickly moved south and lived the next year on the island of Koh Samui on the second line - with the sea within half a minute’s reach. We later returned to Koh Samui again, because the island is very pleasant and comfortable to live.
In five years, I have never been bored enough to want to come back. We flew to Russia for the first time this summer, to show off the child and see everyone. It was very pleasant, but after a couple of months I already wanted to go back, somewhere else, and we flew to the next new country for us - Vietnam.
Somewhere in the third year of traveling, a small camera broke down, plus at the same time the euphoria and the desire to share everything with everyone subsided, just life began, without a camera window, I stopped loving being photographed myself even more, and therefore there were very few photographs from the last countries.
In Vietnam, our current owner is a very cool guy, about 60 years old (although he looks 45), who lived in the USSR for 20 years in the 80s and 90s. Speaks Russian perfectly, listens to Lyube, Yuri Antonov and Alla Pugacheva. Our child’s name is “my dear Tymofey” and is generally very positive and easy to talk to.
All countries have a lot of tasty, fresh and natural vegetables and fruits; you can often live near fishing villages where there is a wide variety of fresh seafood. True, they became a little expensive after the dollar exchange rate jumped.
Regarding food, if you don’t like even a little spicy (like me), it’s better to ALWAYS say for each dish that you need absolutely “no spice” and convey to them with all your appearance that this is important to you) Even in this case in India they often brought me a very peppery dish, even if I said that it was for a child.
Most Southeast Asian countries have a bad situation with dairy products, except India and Nepal. But still, almost everywhere there is cottage cheese and sour cream, produced by Russians from fresh products. But it's expensive.
Internet approximately the same in all Southeast Asian countries with some nuances. Almost everywhere it’s mostly mobile and mostly there are no unlimited plans.
It’s difficult to say whether the Internet is weak or strong) Because... To me, compared to another 2-3 years of difference, in some other country it may seem wow. And if you compare it with Russia, of course, the Internet is weak everywhere.
Much depends on the place where you live, in particular, even in two different houses with a difference of 100 meters, the speed and stability may vary. We came up with a lot of things to strengthen the mobile Internet - a higher router, a modem on a cable and on a bamboo stick in a rain bag much higher under the roof. Such things were sometimes simply saved when it turned out that in a house rented for several months there was no Internet connection. And sometimes everything is fine and you get a long stable period with the Internet. And then you move somewhere and again it’s almost gone.
Nowadays the Internet situation in Thailand is getting better and better. In Goa, for example, we also provided unlimited internet to our home. Guest houses always have Wi-Fi, but a lot also depends on the number of residents and how much they like to watch movies online in the evenings.
People in Southeast Asia mostly very open and friendly, positive and relaxed. On the one hand, this is very, very pleasant. When you live for years, almost never encountering gloomy faces or aggression.
On the other hand, in business they are just as relaxed and they also have many religious and national holidays, and if you do some kind of business with them, then “tomorrow” can easily last for a month or even more.
Plus, they also have this “trick” - they really don’t like to say “no” and sometimes they can point in the wrong direction, but they don’t admit that they don’t know the way. Or they will say that they will do something - bring it into the house, or they will not do anything else.
For some reason, in Southeast Asia such a thing as karma is felt more strongly. There is no need to explain to all more or less adult and conscious people that the laws of the universe such as the boomerang, cause and effect and other laws of energy imbalances really operate, although sometimes delayed and therefore little realized. In general, the meaning is that if everything is in order with your karma, then you will live calmly and safely, and receive various pleasant miracles from Asian countries as a gift. If somewhere you have a bias with categoricality, such things as claims, bias, resentment, malicious intent and other inappropriateness are strongly expressed, then you will definitely receive an answer in some form. Although, of course, illnesses or difficult situations are not always the answer for something, and sometimes, on the contrary, a blessing with the goal that you reevaluate and change something in life. Everything here is subtle, but the fact that the energy of these countries is stronger and more mobile has been noted by everyone for a long time.
What else..
Most countries may require a return ticket(if you, for example, take a one-way ticket). You can make a return ticket, for example.
If you get into an accident in any Southeast Asian country and a local resident gets hurt, you can be almost sure that in any case the police will be on his side. And in some cases, you may also get seriously hurt by the locals. Drive very carefully! And be sure to always have insurance. This is really important, posts often appear in communities that someone has been in an accident and is in the hospital without insurance, where they issue huge bills and all the Russians start chipping in to help the person.
Insure for such trips, Liberty24 is usually the best advice now. There you can insure yourself even if you have not returned to Russia for a long time. But it’s difficult for me to judge the quality of their services - I haven’t had to use them yet. But despite this, I continue to insure myself every period of stay in a new country, although it has now become quite expensive.
A! I forgot to include insurance in the list above. But we can say that these are other expenses. It will cost approximately $50 per month. The longer the payment term, the cheaper.
And now, I’ll briefly go over the countries (exclusively my subjective feelings):
I am trying to write here only some things that have some practical use for understanding what awaits in this country. Without enthusiasm and descriptions of the best places.
THAILAND
Generally:
First, we flew to Phuket, were somehow disappointed (it was still New Year’s Eve, everything was expensive and somehow not comfortable) and immediately flew to the north of the country - to the city of Chiang Mai. We lived there for two months, basically a wonderful city, there is a wonderful zoo where there are pandas and you can feed many animals by hand. There are beautiful temples, in particular an excursion to this snow-white temple of one famous innovative master, excursions to the preserved villages of the Karen tribe (with long-necked women), which are actually more recreated for tourists. But then we celebrated the New Year in hats and jackets, froze our ears and went to the sea.
We mostly lived in Thailand on the island of Koh Samui for about a year.
In addition, we traveled around the south of the country on a motorcycle, made our own travels to Malaysia and Myanmar (Burma), traveled around the Golden Triangle, visited Krabi and other places, traveled a lot in the Muslim non-tourist south, where no one speaks English, lived a little on the island of Koh Lanta.
Koh Samui is a beautiful island, developed, but at the same time calm enough to feel relaxed, enjoy relaxing with children and, for example, drive a scooter, even if you don’t know how to do it well.
Koh Samui
beaches of Koh Samui
It’s good there and on the small neighboring islands - we went there with friends to snorkel and just walk on the snow-white sand.
On Samui we even once took part in the annual international sailing regatta.
Visas:
Recently, everything has become very confusing with visas; now I don’t know exactly all the details. They promise to make more convenient long-term visas for Russians over the next few months.
So far there seems to be a single-entry tourist visa for 3 months and a double-entry one (when you need to leave the country once for another neighboring one). These visas must be obtained from the embassy or through a travel agency and then extended from travel agents in Thailand.
At home:
Thailand (in particular, I’m talking about Koh Samui) is wonderful because it’s possible to rent a house on the first line (that is, with the sea a few steps from the house). In addition, there is never a tsunami on Koh Samui thanks to the bay.
2017
Generally:
For a long time I thought that Vietnam was about the same as Cambodia. It turned out not at all. More civilized, more interesting and pleasant. The sea is better. In Mui Ne, where we settled, there are entertainments such as surfing, wind surfing and, of course, kiting (since the wind blows here most of the time, which makes the heat much better tolerated).
There are usually waves at sea, but not like, for example, in Sri Lanka, where it was often scary to enter the water. The sea is similar to Goa - good beaches, there are medium waves, and there are very calm beaches.
And the presence of a large number of Russians makes Mui Ne very similar to Goa. Mui Ne is also called a “Russian village”, this is true, there are a lot of Russians here and many locals know our language. There are Russian doctors and other specialists. But there is not that special spirit here, there are no freaks and hippies, like in Goa.
But in general, Vietnam is an excellent combination of comfort, cheaper prices than in most other Southeast Asian countries, also friendliness, new, clean houses, including within walking distance from the sea. That's why we stay here for more than six months.
There is a good live group in Russian on Telegram in Mui Ne - @real_muine_locals Contact us, they will always tell you everything!
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Visas:
To get a visa, it is best to issue an invitation online from a travel agency for $15 per person for 3 months. Then at the border they will give you a visa for 3 months free of charge (for Russians). Then we extend it with the help of a travel agency or make a visa to the border with a neighboring country. Not expensive. If you need a trusted agency to quickly make an invitation online, write to me and I’ll share.
In general, Vietnam is a comfortable country to live for a long time. I haven’t specified how long yet) But overall it’s cheap and loyal.
At home:
In Mui Ne you can easily rent a house or guesthouse within a five-minute walk by the sea. The main difference from Goa is that there are many more clean modern houses and guest houses, everything is comfortable and pleasant, a lot of greenery and flowers, pleasing to the eye, there is no devastation.
It is probably impossible to rent a house in Nha Trang, only expensive apartments. Or hotel rooms for long-term stays. Most hotels are located opposite the sea. There are offers from 100-150 dollars per month for a room or apartment.
Transport:
Regular scooters, motorcycles. Average rent is $100-150 per month. You can buy a scooter, the average price is 250-300 dollars. This time we didn’t rent, but bought it. Before leaving, we will sell it for the same price, it will turn out that we went for free.
People, language:
The language is difficult, the people are very friendly, but they hardly understand English. It’s good that some people speak Russian and in general there are a lot of Russians, otherwise with such English one can only explain oneself with one’s fingers, and that is rarely successful.
Food:
The first country where on every corner there are dishes from crocodiles, snakes, cobras, ostriches, kangaroos, frogs, insects and so on. I haven’t tried it and don’t plan to)
The same baguettes as in Cambodia (where there was also a French colony), Vietnamese coffee has its own brewing system and with condensed milk. Everything is delicious and varied. Mui Ne is a fishing village, so there is a lot of seafood. Lots of green tea - pu-erh and others. Natural 100% cocoa, own coffee, many different healthy products. Every pharmacy has honey with ginseng, “magic” lingzhi mushroom and much more. I like)
Prices are probably cheaper than in many other countries - Bali, Thailand.
Infrastructure, entertainment:
In Mui Ne it is still little understood. The seasonality here is quite pronounced - everything comes to life from November. There are clubs and restaurants with live music.
The main entertainment here is kiting, surfing, and windsurfing. There are a lot of schools and those who do this. They promise that the entire sea will be busy with skaters.
We also lived a little, for example, in Nha Trang - this is the most popular Vietnamese resort. There's plenty of fun to be had all year round. Clubs, restaurants, music, children's parks, etc.
INDONESIA (Bali and other islands)
Generally:
A beautiful country and the island of Bali is especially wonderful.
Bali is one of the favorites on my list, although when we live there for a long time, it’s tempting to go somewhere else.
On the one hand, this is such a curly island in every sense, such a hobbit village. It is much richer and much less populated than the other islands of Indonesia. In the same neighboring Java, the same number of people live as in Russia (150 million, only the density is enormous - 1061 people per 1 square km). In total, Indonesia has more than 17,000 islands and more than 250 million inhabitants. Bali itself has about 4 million inhabitants, the total area of the island is 6 thousand sq. km.
Bali has a lot of greenery and flowers, especially in tourist areas. Lots of frangipani flowers. There are a lot of beautiful carved houses. Tall multi-story buildings are not built here.
But Bali is not a bounty island at all.
It is huge and different. And there is also a downside to Bali - there is garbage on the roads, serious traffic, traffic jams, garbage in the sea (depending on the season, specific beaches, etc.), corruption, there are many ordinary, not the most beautiful, rather poor houses.
In addition, everywhere except the south the sand is black or gray.
There is a "South" in Bali is the peninsula and southern coast where surfers and tourists are concentrated. We mostly live in the south, but we also lived in Ubud for some time.
There is Ubud is a town where mostly yogis, raw foodists and vegetarians, and lovers of all kinds of creative activities like to live. Ubud is the bohemian capital of Bali, a town where artists and a variety of artisans live, exhibit, and sell their wares. There are many art galleries, pleasant interesting cafes and very beautiful carved stone houses in emerald moss. The Balinese in general are very talented people. In the evenings, many of their own free will gather in amateur groups, theaters, play, sing, and dance. All the houses are very beautiful, almost every house has its own beautiful temple in the yard. But Ubud is 1.5-2 hours from the sea, including traffic jams.
Ubud is famous for its rice fields.
There is "East"— Amed and other places where diving and snorkeling reign. It’s also very beautiful here, there are much fewer people. We traveled east to north during the rainy season and unlike the south where it rained daily, it was dry and very pleasant. The island is large, and the weather and beaches on it are very different.
There is "North"- This is Lavina, the old capital of Bali - Singharaja. There is already black sand on the beaches. People come here primarily to swim with dolphins - either on boats at dawn to look for dolphins in the sea, or to swim directly with small dolphins in the pool.
There is "West"— we haven’t been there yet) Tourists or expats rarely live there.
For many, Bali is all about surfing. There are a lot of Australian tourists here.
The highlight of Bali is its variety of beaches. There are many surfing, “secret”, in the rocks, almost none are identical in essence, all are very different. And a powerful ocean. These are big waves, strong sea smells, bright colors (boats, sailboats, kites, flags).
There are black beaches mixed with volcanic sand, but they are not pleasant for swimming or sunbathing.
There is some very dense, strong and kind energy in Bali. I felt it immediately when I arrived there, and I had the feeling that I had arrived home. We lived here for more than 2 years, and managed to experience and understand a lot during this period. And I think we will definitely come back. It is very good to raise a small child there - there are many excellent kindergartens, there are good international schools. There is a famous international Green School with very interesting innovative school teaching ideas.
Visas:
Now Russians can fly to Bali without a visa at all and stay for 1 month. But those who want to live longer need to immediately apply for a special tourist (social) visa, which can be extended for another 4 months directly in Bali with the help of agencies. There is a good detailed post about the what and how of this visa.
That is, Russians can live for 5-6 months, depending on how long this tourist (social) visa is initially given - for 1 or 2 months. Then fly out of the country to some neighboring country like Malaysia and again get the same visa and live again for 5-6 months. And so on. There are no restrictions on living a certain number of days a year for Russians.
At home:
Living very close to the sea is not realistic.
But you can settle 5-10 minutes from the sea on a bike. If you plan to surf, then it is most convenient to stay somewhere “on Bukit” - i.e. on a peninsula where surfer beaches are concentrated. If you have a family vacation with children, Nusa Dua and Seminyak are the best. If you want to rock the party scene, this is Kuta.
In Bali you can rent good houses with 2-3 bedrooms, with a pool for 400-500 dollars. We rented houses on average for somewhere between 250-400 dollars, rented both guest houses (a floor or apartment in a guest house), and studio apartments, different options.
Once we rented an excellent house with 4 bedrooms and a huge hall and a beautiful garden and swimming pool for $400 per month for a group. But it was located quite far from the sea (2 hours away) and was in an ordinary local village, where there were no other tourists or whites, and almost none of the residents understood English.
One of the guesthouses we stayed in in Ubud:
Transport:
You can rent almost any scooter, motorcycle, or car. The police stop quite often and raid tourists without international licenses or without helmets. But usually you can get away with a fine of about 300 rubles. The traffic is quite intense and there are often traffic jams in the center. Although, we must pay tribute to the Balinese - they recently built a big road across the sea, they are doing something, unloading the main road.
Riding a bicycle is unrealistic - heavy traffic, no paths for cyclists. There are public buses "Kura Kura". Taxi is a bit expensive.
People, language:
Few locals speak Russian, unlike in Cambodia and Vietnam. But their own language is very simple.
There is a common language - Indonesian. And there is also Balinese. In general, in Indonesia, each island has its own language and a person from Bali will not understand the own language of the neighboring island of Lombok. Therefore, in all the islands of Indonesia, everyone mostly speaks Indonesian. The language has no declensions, conjugations, articles, practically no tenses and very, very simple pronunciation. For example, “kaki” is a leg, “lacki” is a man, “kaki laki” is a man’s leg) You can learn Indonesian, at least for conversations on everyday topics, very quickly. This is a huge plus for the country.
The Balinese are amazing with their attitude towards spirits - they make offerings to spirits once or twice a day, with their attitude towards death - with festive cremations (we once attended the cremation of a member of the royal family) and with their constant ceremonies, holidays, and festivals.
They also have their own religion on each island. We rode a motorbike to different islands east of Bali (using a ferry to move the motorbike between islands). These are the so-called Lesser Sunda Islands - Lombok, Sumba, Flores, Komodo and Rinca (where the giant Komodo dragons live). We traveled around Java for a month (we also got married there and registered a child - in the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta). And when you travel from Bali, you see the following picture: Bali (mostly Hinduism plus its own beliefs in spirits) - Lombok (mostly Islam) - Sumba (Christians, their own religion, a little Islam) - Flores (mostly Catholicism).
We traveled around these islands for about a month and it was the best trip in all five years, very interesting. We saw the Komodo dragons, even managed to go to an island with an erupting volcano, got caught in an earthquake on the island of Flores, which often happens there (after all, this is the “Ring of Fire” of volcanoes bordering the Pacific Ocean), looked at the colorful lakes in the crater of the Kelimutu volcano, We almost reached the Indonesian Papuans (half of the island of Papua belongs to Indonesia) and there was a lot more interesting things.
We also spent a total of a month in Java and saw the famous temple complexes of Borobodur and Prambanan, drove up close to the recently erupting Merapi volcano, visited the city of Jogjakarta, looked at the huge tea plantations, there was a lot of interesting things.
Borobodur temple complex
stroked the Komodo dragon in the capital of Indonesia - Jakarta
Prambanan temple complex in Java
at the site of a major eruption of Mount Merapi in Java
But, of course, the best place to live is in Bali.
Food:
There are a lot of delicious things in tourist cafes, in a variety of directions.
But ordinary Indonesian food itself is not quite varied, mainly fried rice with seafood, chicken or vegetables, all sorts of fried overcooked pieces of meat or dough, dishes with tofu. Nothing particularly interesting.
Infrastructure, entertainment:
In Bali there are fashionable shopping centers, huge supermarkets, art parties, nightclubs, pool parties, concerts are held (for example, during the Old New Year, Shnur began to come and perform for free, etc.). Of all the countries in Southeast Asia, Bali is probably the most suitable place if you want to live a fairly fun and varied life. Lots of foreigners. Lots of Australian kids who come here to surf and drink.
Bali is such a mixture of preserved, rather little spoiled culture and life and modern amenities, tourists, surfers and party-goers.
In Bali, my husband and I did a course on how to go to Bali for a long time. The course is not finished yet, I don’t have time to finish a number of chapters, but even now there is already a huge amount of interesting and valuable practical information, including details about renting houses, etc. But due to the fact that it is a little unfinished, it costs only $30, plus my help and answers to questions. If anything, write to my contacts.
GOA (INDIA)
Generally:
I didn’t really like Goa at first, but then I really liked it. We lived there last season for 9 months (although the season is officially 6). I am talking about North Goa - this is what is usually meant by “Goa”. But there is also South Goa, where there are less populated areas and beaches.
We arrived there in September, when another 2/3 of the shops, cafes, and shops were closed. In early November, everything opened up and started working as if by magic. But there was almost no rain, even at the beginning of autumn, it was quite pleasant to live. The further into winter it became, the more interesting and lively it became, the sea and beaches became cleaner. Supermarkets opened with delicious products, such as fresh dairy products and all kinds of organic products, with Ayurvedic cosmetics.
Goa is a very relaxed place. Most of all I like long beaches with sheks - open cafes with mattresses and sun loungers. Many people gather for sunset, music starts playing, some do yoga, some spin poi or something else. When we arrived in Goa, we almost didn’t work for the entire first month, we just went to cafes and beaches every day. The child was also very comfortable there, both on the beach and in the sheks - he was about 6 months old at the time.
We left Goa in June. The weather there is very comfortable during the season, no high humidity or extreme heat - from November to March it’s just wonderful. In January it gets quite cold in the evenings, but jackets and pants are sufficient. In March the heat begins to slowly begin. In May-June it is really already strong, but in general it is quite possible to live. The main rains occur in July-September.
There are several distinct districts (villages) in Goa - Arambol, Ashvem, Mandrem, Morjim, Siolim, Vagator, Baga, Calangute, etc. They all differ in their spirit, people, and prices. We also lived in the center - Siolim, Mandrem, and spent a lot of time in Arambol - there are the hippest beaches with sheks, where most people come to watch the sunset. Baga, Candolim, Calangute and other areas - charter package tourists are usually brought there and in spirit these areas are very different from Arambol and others. It turns out that you can visit Goa and not even feel its real hippie atmosphere.
Arambol
Visas:
An Indian visa can only be obtained at the embassy for 3 or 6 months. In Russia, an Indian visa is usually issued for 6 months. In other countries they can only give it for 3 months. We specifically went to Sri Lanka again to the town of Kandy in the mountains to get a 6, because in the capital of Sri Lanka we were given a visa for the first time only for 3. We thought 3 would be enough for us, but we wanted to stay longer . We ended up living in Goa for 9 months. The cost of a 6-month visa for 1 person is $100.
At home:
There are many two-story houses where you can rent an apartment with 1-2 bedrooms. You can live right by the sea in a guesthouse or in a house or apartment.
We expected lower prices. My husband lived in Goa about five years ago and according to his recollections, everything was cheaper. At first we rented a large apartment with a good, new renovation for about 400 dollars, almost opposite the sea.
Then, with the onset of the season, it became very noisy there - constant music, fireworks, drunken Russians singing “it’s time, it’s time, let’s rejoice,” and it was expensive, given the recent doubling of the dollar. And we moved to a house in the village (outside the tourist areas) for about 250-300 dollars. There we had our own large yard, where we could light a fire and bake something in the evenings; there was a river right behind the yard. Cows, dogs, monkeys, chickens came to visit us, beautiful birds flew in - the child found life interesting.
Transport:
You can rent scooters, or you can buy more expensive legendary, beautiful Indian Royal Enfield motorcycles. We filmed different scooters and motorcycles. The price, as everywhere else, is 100-200 dollars per month.
People, language:
Indians often speak good English, albeit with a strong accent. It is sometimes difficult to understand them, but in general you can communicate normally.
People are very kind and open. Goa is mostly Catholic. Our landlady repeated to us a hundred times that she happily rented the house to us, because this way little Jizas would live in her house - well, that is, Jesus, that is, a white child) And now I will be like a daughter to her. They constantly brought something “tasty” to the 6-month-old baby - for example, soda, chips, spicy fried pies. But in general, the owners were the nicest people, we even thought of coming next year to Goa and to the same house, so we agreed with them, but now we liked Vietnam so much that we decided to stay here to live.
Indians are very open in expressing their emotions - not only women, but also men happily ran up to the child, they even took photos and videos of him alone, took him in their arms, and glowed with happiness.
Food:
The food is very tasty. I immediately fell for the flatbreads; after Nepal I had a weakness for them. The cafe has a wide variety of cuisines, including, of course, Russian and, for example, Israeli, because... many Israelis come to Goa.
But it’s often very spicy, and in Goa they didn’t want to hear me say that I wanted something that wasn’t spicy at all. Even kefir and vegetables were peppered.
Delicious pressed cottage cheese - paneer. Well, in general, everything is fine with dairy products - our neighbors brought fresh milk from the cow to our house every morning.
Infrastructure, entertainment:
Trance parties, freak festivals, concerts, all kinds of Russian parties and more. There are many interesting Russian people in Goa. For fun, my husband starred with friends in an Indian movie, which was already released, he was still paid quite well for it.
CAMBODIA
Generally:
In Cambodia, the sea is only in one part of it - in the well-known Sihanoukville. We lived there for several months. The sea is calm, nothing special. The town itself is not big, it is geared towards tourism, there are a lot of guest houses. Quite a lot of Russian restaurants.
We were in the capital Phnom Penh, and in the famous temple complex of Angkor Wat, and in a floating village, and in other interesting places.
But in general, Cambodia somehow didn’t appeal to me for a long-term stay. In general, I have no desire to return there.
Visas:
I don’t really know what it’s like with visas. We were offered and we took an inexpensive business visa right at the border and lived peacefully for six months. I don’t know what’s next with the extension, there’s no time to look for conditions now, see for yourself. But it seems that you can easily leave and move in or extend it for a long period.
At home:
With houses in Sihanoukville, everything turned out to be more complicated than it seemed like it should be in Cambodia. Maybe because we were there during the high season - we celebrated New Year there. We went there in the hope that everything would be much cheaper than Thailand. I don’t remember how much we rented there, for 200-odd dollars, but the cheapest solution for us was to stay in a hotel room. Houses were more expensive and there were almost none. The houses all have a touch of abandonment, compared to Thailand, devastation. It is also impossible to rent a house by the sea. But the hotel was half empty, overlooking the sea from the mountain, with its own large terrace, and everything was quite pleasant.
Transport:
Transport is so-so. Jungle and off-road riding and enduro bikes are common in Cambodia, we filmed one of these for a while.
People, language:
It’s hard to really learn the Khmer language, we haven’t tried. The people are simple, smiling, laugh a lot, despite their difficult military past.
Food:
The French colonial style is felt both in the houses and in the food. Only there, in a simple small shop, I saw a couple of options for brut champagne, cheese, salami - this was not the case in Thailand or Bali, I was surprised. Plus, of course, baguettes, frogs, a variety of very large menus in restaurants, Cambodian coffee with condensed milk and ice (like in Vietnam). Everything is quite interesting and tasty.
Infrastructure, entertainment:
There is not much to do in Sihanoukville in terms of entertainment; the infrastructure is underdeveloped. There are quite a lot of Russian restaurants, and Russian in general.
PHILIPPINES
Generally:
The first feeling from the Philippines is devastation. Moreover, the devastation is in some Mexican style. Well, perhaps because it is a former Spanish colony, there are figures of Christ the Virgin Mary everywhere, names and names of people like Jose, Pedro and so on. And everything is colorful, the same jeepneys - bright buses converted from American jeeps, painted, decorated, each is a completely unique work of art.
We lived on the island of Panglao, next to the island of Bohol, where we also visited often. We were in the capital - Manila.
We did not get to the popular islands of Boracay, etc. Didn't swim with whale sharks. But the famous “chocolate hills” with tarsiers were seen and eaten raw sea urchins.
Incredibly clear sea, I have never seen anything like it anywhere else. But often there are rocks and corrals at the bottom of the beaches - on many beaches it is almost impossible to swim without slippers. Although the main beach of Panglao - Alona has a sandy bottom.
There we had a wonderful snorkel over a huge depression and went to very beautiful islands. In principle, we don’t do diving yet and haven’t tried it there either.
There is quite a high crime rate in this country - there are bars on the windows of kiosks and shops, there are security guards with machine guns in shopping centers, and it is not recommended to leave things unattended on the beach. I don’t know whether it’s because of Catholicism that there is such a difference with other Southeast Asian countries, or because of something else... But everything was fine with us.
For some reason I am still drawn to come there; for some reason I still have warm feelings from the Philippines. But often the memories and aftertaste of a country are also associated with the people with whom you spent time there. We were good friends there with both a local guy and a Norwegian, and friends came to us and lived nearby for quite a long time.
There is no direct flight to Panglao and other popular islands, so Russians fly there less often than to many other Southeast Asian countries. But still, there were a lot of Russians.
I also remember the wonderful Filipino street dogs. Very lazy and kind. We also picked up a wonderful, very smart dog there, who we later had to leave behind. We were flying to Bali, and it’s almost impossible to bring dogs to Bali, and it’s difficult to travel with a dog.
Visas:
Visas can be extended on the spot; as a result, you can live in the Philippines for about two years without leaving. Convenient for long stays.
At home:
We looked for houses only on Panglao Island. Therefore, I can only talk about this island. It was quite easy to find a house near the sea (you can also find it within walking distance, but it will be more expensive), average prices are 200-400 dollars per house. We had a huge garden, a big house, our own fruits on the trees, three coconut palms - my husband often climbed for coconuts in the morning, and silence. It was very pleasant to live there.
We only had mobile Internet, it was very complicated - you had to pay every five days, there was no longer term, but overall it was quite stable.
Our home in Panglao
Transport:
I do not remember. Some usual conditions for scooters.
People, language:
A country where they speak excellent English. I’m so used to the fact that I have to distort my pronunciation, simplify it so that the local population in other countries understands me, but here any saleswoman could correct my pronunciation towards the correct one.
They are very musical people - they sing a lot in karaoke, bars and clubs, organize festivals, constantly sing, clearly and in good English.
The main religion is Catholic Christianity. And there was a feeling that they really believed. At the same time, in the Philippines, for example, you can easily go to well-known healers.
Very cheap alcohol, even the local population drinks quite a lot of drinks like rum and Coca-Cola and beer. But at the same time, hardworking people, drinking the night before does not stop them from working in the morning.
Food:
The food is simple. They love pork very much, and they like to cook a lot of dishes for the holidays. But in general, the food is very simple; I didn’t remember some of the nuances of Filipino cuisine.
SRI LANKA
Generally:
Sri Lanka (formerly the island of Ceylon) is huge. The part of Sri Lanka where everyone goes is a long coastal zone, where there are several villages, the most famous of which is Hikkaduwa, then after some interval there is the no less famous Unawatuna. We lived for almost six months in Hikkaduwa. Plus we went to a famous hotel with elephants - this is the view we had from the window:
You could look at the elephants there as much as you wanted and as close as you wanted, wash them and touch them.
In general, it turned out to be, one might say, a little more civilized and more expensive India.
A country in which, for all its advantages, there are also quite large disadvantages for long-term residence:
- everything is quite expensive, expensive houses. We rented a rather large house, two-story, with a garden and monitor lizards and mongooses to boot, but it cost us $400 a month (including electricity and everything).
— not very good with local cheap cafes, there are practically no “eating” places open during the day
- we lived from spring to August and all this time there were very strong waves - it was unrealistic to go into the sea without fear, there were rescuers everywhere and drove out tourists. With a small child it was somehow possible to swim in only one bay.
Although, as readers write to me, this is only during this period, and from autumn to winter the waves are completely normal)
The waves were deafeningly loud, plus in 2004 the tsunami, which seriously affected Thailand, Indonesia and other countries, also claimed about 50 thousand lives. This coastal area was covered by waves more than 15 meters high, it was very scary - we looked at photographs in the Tsunami Museum. Therefore, due to the noise of the waves and the fear of a tsunami, it was impossible to force ourselves to settle on the first line and we settled on the other side of the road, but even there the sound of the waves was clearly audible. Plus, a train passes along the road several times a day and its whistles were also constantly heard.
Visas:
You can stay here for up to six months - you will need to extend your initial visa at a travel agency or immigration center.
At home:
The houses, as I already said, are quite expensive, on average 400-500 dollars, and the owners did not want to reduce the price, despite the fact that it was not the season. Almost none with modern renovation. Frequent residents of the garden are quite large monitor lizards and mongooses, but they are quite safe and protect against snakes.
Transport:
I vaguely remember, it seems like a common situation - there are basic scooters and motorcycles.
People, language:
The people are very open, everyone carried the child in their arms from three months and try not to let these smiling people who immediately took him in their arms. Timosha cried at first, maybe because of his dark skin color, but then he really liked it and smiled.
So he grew up in the arms of one or another village and has already become a very open and cheerful child, for which I am very grateful to Asia and in particular to Sri Lanka and India.
Food:
The food is spicy, red pepper is added everywhere. The main Sri Lankan dishes are curry rice and kotu (a dish of dough or noodles, chopped vegetables and meat). In general, I don’t remember anything particularly interesting in the national cuisine. Except, perhaps, for large clay bowls of buffalo yogurt. That’s how they were sold - in these thick-walled bowls, which were then not clear where to put them.
Infrastructure, entertainment:
In Sri Lanka, it was not entirely clear to me what tourists should do here for a long time... Swimming, at least at this time (from spring to late summer) - mostly only in the pool or in some quieter place, in bay, which still needs to be reached every time. Excursions - through the mines with semi-precious stones, look at the elephants, the turtle farm, look at the sometimes large turtles swimming. There are quite a few attractions, there are probably practically no entertainment such as clubs, cafes with live music - I don’t remember those. Is it just to live and live, as we did. But spending a lot of money on Sri Lanka - I would rather recommend another country. Although in Unawatuna the waves were smaller and it was more touristy.
A swimming pool and the sea nearby are often found in this area of Sri Lanka. But it’s easier in the pool; it was often scary to swim in the sea in the months when we were there - from spring to late summer.
NEPAL
Generally:
A very, very colorful country - the most interesting and original of all where I have been. The first feeling is that it’s the poorest and most destroyed place I’ve ever been. Now after the big earthquake, I’m scared to imagine what’s happening there. There is dust and broken roads everywhere.
We lived for a couple of weeks in the capital, Kathmandu. Bright and pleasant impressions, very, very tasty, small restaurants on the roofs of old colorful houses. Beautiful products from local craftsmen. Music with the mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum” is heard everywhere.
Then we went to a quieter place - Pokhara. About 6 hours on a difficult road along serpentine roads and we are in a town stretched out in a valley at the foot of high mountains. We lived there for a couple of months
Usually everyone goes to Nepal to trek to the highest peaks in the world - multi-thousand-meter peaks, because... In Nepal, out of the world's 14 8,000-meter peaks, there are 8 of them. Conquering all 14 eight-thousanders on the planet is a very cool achievement for climbers and is called the “Crown of the Earth” - so far only a few dozen people have been able to do this. And including Everest (Qomolungma) is also located in Nepal. And it is from Pokhara that all the treks leave; many tourists come here just to live, and for this purpose. You don’t have to climb to the top; you can just take a short trek near the bottom.
We only saw multi-thousand-meter peaks like this from an airplane. The rest of the time they were covered by clouds. They begin to disperse in October.
In Nepal there are famous, very beautiful stupas, temples, we also visited a temple with a crematorium in Kathmandu, and saw how the dead were burned at the stake on the river bank. There are a lot of red bricks, all kinds of antique products and decorative elements, colorful people, women in saris, people from Tibet.
my husband took a time lapse at the most famous stupa square in Kathmandu. Now, after the earthquake, it is partially destroyed.
Tours to the mountains begin in October-November. We were there in August-September, and I was pregnant, so even though there seemed to be such a chance, we didn’t take advantage of it. Yes, and I’m not exactly a fan of tracks)
The lights are constantly turned off. Often. If it is not yet the season, then some hotels or houses do not turn on generators and as a result you have to sit without electricity up to 5 times a day, on average from 1 to several hours. In general, the feeling is that there is always no light, it is impossible to work. At that time I only had one battery with a drained life. It was after Nepal that I ordered myself another new one and a second new double (!) and they save me perfectly now in similar situations.
In general, living in Nepal is not as comfortable as in other countries, but, in principle, it is possible to get comfortable and get used to turning off the lights or having batteries.
Another disadvantage of Nepal is that it is not a warm country all year round - the cold starts around October-November, and in winter it is generally very cold. That is why they sell so many warm jackets, hats, pants and blankets here - Nepalese wear all this at home, because their houses are not heated.
But it is a very cheap country compared to many others. You can get a job here even for $100 a month, or you can find something very, very simple, like a room, even for $50.