10 day vacation...suggestions???

[winslobr]

Hi everyone!

Come the end of the year, I plan to take a 10 day vacation around Christmas/New years time. I may be going alone, but regardless I'm looking for a trip to Southeast Asia that is big on the outdoors, food, and unique experiences.

My current brainstorm is to motorbike through Vietnam for 2-3 days, fly to Chiang Mai in Thailand for a few days to trek then lastly head to southern Thailand for island hopping and snorkeling. I'd love to hear other suggestions, or things to do! I question if Vietnam will be worth 3 days so any experiences there would be greatly appreciated.

Hope to hear about your great vacations to these places. Thanks 
Brendan

[Grocer_Jack]

Do you plan on taking your motorbike from Singapore to Vietnam ?

[Something to consider]

Do check rainy seasons as they vary greatly across the area. You could do ALL of the things you want to do (and more) by just staying in Vietnam!

[Vacation thoughts]

In December Vietnam will be in the midst of its rainy season, which means not only rain but also possible mud slides. If you rent a motorcycle in Vietnam, or anywhere else, be extremely selective about the rental agency you use - proper maintenance is a big issue. If you plan to do 3 countries/regions in 10 days, subtract 1 day to travel from home to country A, another day to travel from country A to country B, another day to travel from country B to country C, and another day to get home, because packing, check-out, ground transport, airport security and immigration, flights, then getting settled into the next destination is time consuming. From a 10-day vacation you're left with 6 days of actual activity, about 2 days in each place.

If it were my trip, I might pick one country, find an internationally known, reputable motorcycle rental company, get my bike and just head out for 10 days - you could do this in Thailand very easily if you start in Chiang Mai, ride in the mountains for a few days (the area along the Mekong up there is especially pretty) then ride down to Sukhothai and Ayutthaya (you could even avoid Bangkok) then ride down to the south for your snorkeling.

You can always do Vietnam when the weather's better.

[britmum]

? PP, you mean the north of Vietnam, right? Been to Vietnam twice in December and once in January and had only fine weather