As above really. Never been to the Far East & Thailand appears to have got less attractive lately (according to 2 mates who have plenty of ‘experience’ there)
Any thoughts?

Thailand is mourning for the King which will last for at least one year.

Not sure about Cambodia as I have only been to the boarder town.

Been a few times. Angkor Wat is obviously the star of the show. We did a long trip to Laos last Jan / Feb with a few days for the temples in Cambodia (I posted on a thread a few months ago). Thailand – lots to see and do away from the flesh pots.

Laos thread, the first bit we visited (1000 Islands) was a bus ride from Angkor Wat

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/laos-whos-been-please-tell-me-about-it

My regional favourites are Vietnam (centre and South) and Borneo to see what’s left of the rainforest. Nostaligia isn’t what it used to be but they have changed massively in 25 years. It is what it is.

Pretty much everyone starts with Lonley Planet

Definitely go and the more time you have the better, can be cheaper there than staying at home.

Vietnam – should have said center and North

We stayed in Cambodia for a couple of weeks in 2011.

Started off in Phnom Penh and stayed for 3 nights. It was quite enjoyable, a bustling city during the day, lots to see and do and walk around, and then quite chilled in the evening. Some decent “western”-ish bars/restaurants if that’s your thing. Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal Crimes and the National Museum of Cambodia all worth a visit.

Went from Phnom Penh down to Otres Beach, near Sihanoukville. 9 days here, and loved it. Otres was really, really chilled. Just beach huts (we stayed at Mushroom Point, highly recommended) on a fairly deserted beach other than maybe 9 or 10 bar/restaurant/”hotel” type places set back off the dirt track that serves as the road in and out. All local run, everyone exceptionally friendly, would go back there in a heartbeat. Sihanoukville was a bit chavvy, but thankfully just far enough away that it didn’t bother you. Close enough for supplies if you needed, as there were no shops at all in Otres.

From Otres we went to Siem Reap. Much smaller, local feel than Phnom Penh, and all the better for it. A good selection of restaurants, bars, hotels, and obviously good for Angkor Wat & other temples. Angkor Wat itself is slightly underwhelming, despite having arrived before dawn to sit on the lakeside and watch the sun rise above its towers. Maybe it was the other 3000 folk there, or maybe it was the locals trying to hawk prime sitting spots right at the waters edge, I don’t know. Impressive without a doubt, but just felt a bit too touristy. The whole Angkor Wat site though is absolutely gigantic. Realistically two days would be required to have a good look at everything.

The wife also went on a week trip to Kampot before I arrived in Cambodia. She did a bit of pepper picking and spent some time at a school teaching a couple of classes as a “guest teacher”, which she thoroughly enjoyed. She stayed with a local family from the school and learned a lot about the Pol Pot regime that the museums in Phnom Penh couldn’t quite do with the same authenticity.

Overall, a lovely place and one I would have no qualms revisiting.

Top Tips:
– Police will “fine” you if they catch you riding a scooter – keep a pocket solely for $1 bills to pay the bribe fine.
– Ignore all the tuk-tuk drivers who know a great bar/hotel/restaurant you should visit. Just pick a driver from the back of the crowd and ask him to be your driver for the length of your stay. We did this in both Otres and Siem Reap, the bonus being that in Siem Reap he was an excellent guide round Angkor Wat. Cost for us was ~$20/day in Siem Reap, $15/day in Otres.
– There are young girls walking up and down the beaches selling fruit, friendship bracelets, manicures/pedicures, etc. They’re very friendly (we went to have tea with one of their families) but once you’ve bought something from one then don’t even think about buying from the others: it causes a lot of friction between them, we saw this first hand and is how we ended up going for tea at “our” girl’s family home.
– If you go to Angkor Wat, take LOTS and LOTS of water – tuk tuks normally have a cool box on the back. It can get unbearably hot, and you can’t get it once inside the temple grounds.

Hired bikes to ride round temples of Angkor was good fun. Didn’t visit the killing fields as felt I would be going for a gore fest and not a good reason to go. The whole area has changed massively in 15 years but if you’ve never been its a great place to visit and experience. Don’tget sucked Iinto Lonely Planet trip though some of my best times are just following your nose and wandering about. It’s what you make it. Boring pissed up gap year sleazer fest or fascinating culture contrast fun. Have a great time whichever you choose.

@flying, very interesting never been to the coast (lakeside chair cists $3 with a coffee whuch I thiught was well worth it 😉 – we did an air con car and driver with guide – much more expensive but worth it when hot)

OP take a trip now and then when you are fully retired go to SE Asia for 2-3 months

Thanks for those inputs chaps, good stuff!