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Are my plans doable or too ambitious?


juanarcin
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I have a cruise that ends in Singapore on Dec 29th. I will be flying to Thailand on the 2nd of January (this is flexible). that gives me 3 days (If I count the day the cruise ends at 8am) to explore before Thailand. I have so much I want to see and do!!

 

I imagine it may be too heavy of an itinerary, but ideally I would see the Singapore zoo, the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, and Siem Reap. So I imagine it going something like this:

  • Dec 29th: see the zoo for a bit on the day I arrive back into singapore. I know the zoo is huge. I just want pictures with some of the animals, doesnt have to be a full day. Then possibly flying out that night to Kuala Lumpur (short flight, about an hour I believe).
  • Dec 30th: see Batu Caves then stay one more night in Kuala Lumpur.
  • Dec 31st: Fly to Cambodia Early Morning and head out to Siem Reap.
  • Dec 1st: fly to Bangkok and stay there 4 days before heading home on the 5th.

My trip is flexible after the cruise from the 29th to the 5th (about 7 days since I leave on the 5th in the morning), nothing has been purchased. the reason I am trying to cram so much into those days between the cruise and Thailand is that I really want to spend time relaxing and enjoying Thailand. On the other hand, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Siem Reap, I only have one sight per country that is high on my list. I imagine one day per sight is enough. I know they are far apart, but they are a short (inexpensive) flight away. This makes me feel like I can set flights a day and a half or so apart.

 

 

In my mind, this is doable, but adding all the headaches of airports and transfers etc, it also seems like it may be too much to cram into those dates. But I have no idea how smooth or hectic those airports/transfers are. We will be a couple in our mid thirties, no health issues that would make this even more difficult, just a lot of exhaustion I'm sure.

 

 

So my questions:

  • Is this too much? is it doable?
  • If I do see the zoo in singapore after the cruise but before my flight (if I found a late flight at say 11pm or so) what are my options for my luggage during that time?
  • On the day in Cambodia to see Siem Reap, I plan on landing early. Is it normal for the hotel to allow me to leave my bags until I check in after the tour? If they do, is this safe to do?
  • Any advice? would you move things around a bit? eliminate something (hoping not, but preparing for a slap of reality)

Thanks!!

 

oh side note: The day before the cruise I land in Singapore at 6am, so it's safe to say I have a full day. I will be staying in the Marina Bay Sands and because of the price, I really want to enjoy it. This might be the best day to see the zoo. While I'd rather spend the day eating and exploring around the city and hotel, I would be willing to do the zoo on this day to leave right after the cruise and make the remaining countries more possible.

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Hi,

I would advise against one night in Siem Reap.

 

There are probably 6 or 7 "must see" temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park.

Plus many others still of great interest to many.

There is some travelling time between them.

To make the most of the site, research and a "temple plan of action" will pay off.

You really would be doing a disservice to yourself not to have 3 nights there.

Edited by Tranquility Base
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Hi,

I would advise against one night in Siem Reap.

 

There are probably 6 or 7 "must see" temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park.

Plus many others still of great interest to many.

There is some travelling time between them.

To make the most of the site, research and a "temple plan of action" will pay off.

You really would be doing a disservice to yourself not to have 3 nights there.

 

Thats heart breaking to hear! I had so much excitement for this! But I'm glad I heard it now and didn't find out after being there for one day. Now I have to rethink if I'd rather pass that day into one of the other stops, or if I d rather skip another place and do more time in Siem Reap. a lot to think about, thank you so much!

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Yes, that is a good approach.

 

Google something like "how long should I spend in Angkor Wat"

Download a map.

Search for different blogs as to people's opinions on the "must see"

Then, you'll be able to judge for yourself as to whether you should buy a 1 day or 3 day pass.

(note: unless it's changed there were no 2 day passes)

 

People have different priorities.

When we went we headed out with our private guide early in the morning.

He took us in a different order to what the tour busses took.

That way we sometimes were leaving as the crowds arrived.

 

We would relax in town during the heat of the afternoon.

 

So in summary, decide whether the effort of getting there is worthwhile for a 1 night.

If not, then only you can asses your own priorities & interests.

 

No matter what, enjoy Asia.

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I agree with Tranquility that more time in Siem Reap. Or even Singapore. For me I would forget Kuala Lumpur this time.

 

We just spent 5 days in Siem Reap in January and loved it with lots to see. As amazing as Angkor Wat is we found Angkor Thom and Bayon equally as interesting if not more so, because of all the carvings on the wall depicting everyday life. We had a guide with us and he pointed out many things and these explanations added to our enjoyment. The heat is quite intense because it is inland so you need to pace yourself. This is coming from someone who doesn't mind travelling in the Med in July and quite enjoys the heat.

 

In Singapore we preferred the visit during the morning rather then the night zoo. But everyone is different. If you go when the zoo first opens it is cooler. While walking around if you look up you might be lucky like we were mid morning and see some of the orang-utans traversing the ropes and trapezes the zoo has strung in the tree tops for them.

 

There is also Gardens by the Bay with the amazing sculptural Super Trees, Botanic Gardens, Jurong Bird park, The Asian Civilisation museum and so much more. We will be there again next week and we still have new things on our list of things to do.

 

Enjoy your time in Asia.

 

Julie

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We just spent 5 days in Siem Reap in January and loved it with lots to see.

Julie

Hi Julie,

It's quite a while since we were there, and I've been toying with the idea of going back.

 

How were the crowds ?

Did you use a driver / guide ?

Did you stay right in Siem Reap or out of town a bit ?

 

When we arrived we lucked in as our taxi driver from the airport asked us our plans.

We had our list of "must see" and "nice to see" already written out so he planned our days for us. He was very good.

It's many years ago now, so that contact has been lost.

 

Thanks

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Hi Julie,

It's quite a while since we were there, and I've been toying with the idea of going back.

 

How were the crowds ?

Did you use a driver / guide ?

Did you stay right in Siem Reap or out of town a bit ?

 

When we arrived we lucked in as our taxi driver from the airport asked us our plans.

We had our list of "must see" and "nice to see" already written out so he planned our days for us. He was very good.

It's many years ago now, so that contact has been lost.

 

Thanks

 

Hi Tranquility,

 

I must admit we took the easy option and organised a tour with Exo-Travel beforehand through my travel agent. Though I have booked with them directly before when I did tours in Myanmar. Thus we had both a driver and a guide. This meant our guide could walk us through the temples and point out things for us on the carvings as well as give us the history.

 

We liked the fact they were also flexible so on the day we were supposed to visit Angkor Wat for sunset the top level was closed due to a religious observance so they changed it to the next day. We did the trip to Kampong Kleang on the lake instead. I am so glad we did this village on the lake. We had heard horror stories about the usual village on the lake being very hard sell re donations etc. Kampong Kleang was interesting and no hard sell, apart from a few children trying to sell postcards etc.:)

 

We stayed in town in Belmond De L'Angkor which made it easy to get around both by Tuk-tuk and walking.

 

Apart from Angkor Wat and Bantay Srie the crowds were not bad at all. Even in Angkor Wat, apart from the queue to get up to the third level it is so big the crowd was quite manageable. We were there about 8.30am.

 

We also visited the Kulen Ranges with our guide to see the birth place of the Angkor Dynasty. That was fascinating and the waterfall and area to swim was very clean.

 

I'm so very glad we finally made it to Siem Reap.

 

Julie

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  • If I do see the zoo in singapore after the cruise but before my flight (if I found a late flight at say 11pm or so) what are my options for my luggage during that time?

You mentioned you would be in Marina Bay Sands for 1 night prior, which you can certainly leave at the hotel after check-in. An alternative is to keep it in the luggage storage at the airport (see image for rates). I was told by the staff at the counter there that the rates would be halved for a 12 hour period. This might give you some additional time to take in just that bit more sights.

2018-03-03-PHOTO-00000495_opt.jpg.5937c4bb21b9d7d8bad4775e5dab38ca.jpg

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Yes, your plans are doable and ambitious! I think your Singapore plan is the best option for you. Personally, I think you should have more on the agenda for KL; it’s a fantastic city! One night in Siem Reap is really pushing it. I’d stay minimum

2N. Keep in mind the time you clear customs and immigration, get to your hotel, you’ll have to get transportation to the place to buy your temple pass. We waited in line about 1/2 hour to buy our passes. You may not get to see anything if your flight is delayed. We bought a three day temple pass, but only used it one day (that was more than adequate for us). The thing is, you need many hours to explore. The place you buy your pass is not near the temple. Oh, visiting Siem

Reap (the night markets and Pub Street) is worth seeing.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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...We bought a three day temple pass, but only used it one day (that was more than adequate for us). The thing is, you need many hours to explore. The place you buy your pass is not near the temple. Oh, visiting Siem

Reap (the night markets and Pub Street) is worth seeing.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Thanks for the feedback, After reading everyones suggestion I actually decided to skip Kuala Lumpur, and to remove a day from Bangkok, so I will be having 2 nights in Siem Reap. We got a hotel at the end of the street that (according to the reviews) is really close to all the fun, but off to the side enough to be quiet at night. I also got a full day tour package that cover a lot of the temples I wanted to see. So my plan will be to arrive around 5pm spend the night having fun on Pub Street and the next day we have our tour driver picking us up at the hotel, taking us on the tour then dropping us off for one last night of fun on Pub Street. The next day I'm off to Bangkok!

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