Any roleplaying travellers out here?

[Charlie]

Hi!
Are there any fellow travellers here who have done South East Asia?
I'm looking for tips about Thailand and/or Cambodia, but Philippines, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, and China are all viable destinations thereinafter, and I'm open to tales and tips from everywhere in SEA. What about teaching English and/or getting TESOL/TEFL certification? Anyone done it? I was going to join a program, but they ask for a lot of money, and I'm wondering whether it's not smarter to just find a private school when I'm there.

I'm in the planning stages right now, and am looking for any guidance and/or recommendations, be it bargain resorts, chill hostels, diving clubs (need to finish my advanced diving course), great food stalls and hubs, best forms of transportation... budgeting, cultural stuff? A good school to get some Muay Thai lessons?

I figured I'd throw this out there.
Maybe there are some fellow wanderlust-stricken roleplayers out here.
..or, you know, if you live in the area and want to grab a bite/beer/tour.

Come out come out wherever you are <<
I can use all the help I can get >>

Woooooooop woop

[Pi dArtois]

I've been to Hong Kong, I have couple friends that have done the ESL route. But we have specific programs through our University that send new grads over to teach.

I don't have any personal information about the process though, so I will probably prove unhelpful.

[Hantu Raya]

I've been to Cambodia last year. Also been to Malaysia (which I always highly recommend), Singapore and Bali.

I only was for a week in Cambodia, and did just sightseeing, so can't say anything about diving or teaching English.

For hotels I can highly recommend the Billabong in Phnom Penh and the Golden Tempel Villa in Siem Reap.

Both are excellent places for a rather low price. For getting around from city to city in Cambodia I recommend Golden Ibis busses. There are other busses that offer cheaper rates, but are said to be less comfortable and reliable, and its only a couple of dollars difference in price.

For cultural stuff Angkor Wat is an absolute must when going to Cambodia. Absolutely amazing sight. If you come there during rain season it isn't even too crowded there. I was there in early June last year.

Hope that helps some, just ask if there are any more questions.

[Charlie]

A belated thank you! - I've actually come and gone to Thailand. Turned out it wasn't much my scene. I think I didn't plan it and had much higher expectations. I'll return in the future sometime and see the neighbouring countries, particularly Cambodia. Angkor Wat at dawn must be amazing. Thanks for the information! I've saved it in a txt file to refer back to whenever I get a chance to plan another trip.

[Nikolae]

Was not in SE, but lived in Japan and South Korea for a while (military) and have a friend who lived in China as a teacher for years. A lot of schools want English speakers, but my friend said you have to bring your own curriculum and don't expect to get paid much. He found the job via a posting at his own university in the US so I'd look there for info. :). Hope you have fun, I've always wanted to see Angkor Wat!