Tourist Guest House, Georgetown, Malaysia

Arrived here yesterday after a 5 hour bumpy ferry ride. The ferry was almost empty, probably everybody else flies this distance as the prices offered by Lion Air and Air Asia are almost the same as the ferry prices. Also, the Medan airport is right in the middle of Medan, so when flying one does not need to take a minibus to the Belawan port (duration 2h!).

Georgetown is pleasant: there is no traffic chaos as in Indonesia, people speak better English, there is free wireless, no giggling schoolgirls who call you "Hello Misterrr!", etc. Even the climate felt acceptable when we arrived yesterday, but based on today this was probably misleading. Only beer is unacceptably expensive, so switched to drinking fruit juices, counted 30 different kinds at one stall (Tangerine/Sour plum was a bit too sour for my taste).

Now thinking how to best visit Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam. These are our constraints:

• we are now in Georgetown, Malaysia
• at some point we need to end up in Bangkok to catch a flight to Bombay (flexible date)
• we have about 1.5 months to spend
• the entry regulations to each of these four countries are complex, e.g. not every border can be crossed with an e-visa
• we want to visit Buddha and Hindu temples, relax on beaches, trek in national parks, see animals (e.g. Irrawaddy dolphins), visit indigenous tribes, ride on railways and rivers, learn the rice growing technology, buy a new cell phone cheap, etc., etc.

Dear readers, if you have suggestions for the most optimal itinerary through these 4 countries, please let us know.