| Country | Internet | Food | People | Public Transport | Ride hailing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nepal | Better buy the sim. | Local food is different. | Extremely kind and polite. | I think everything is private and even locals prefer to use inDrive bike taxi. | InDrive |
| Vietnam | No need to buy sim card. Internet available everywhere for free. | There is veg food available but it’s hard to know the ingredients without knowing the language. | Extremely kind and polite. | Metro is extremely crowded in Ho Chi Minh City and I didn’t take any bus. We rented a bike at approx 1000 Rs per day and the road are extremely good. | Grab |
| Cambodia | No need to buy sim card. Wifi available but you need to ask for password. | Banana fritters and sweet potato fritters are only veg local food I could find. And these are sweet compared to Indian pokoras/bhajis. | Extremely kind and polite. | Public transport is almost non existent. | Grab |
| Thailand | Just buy the sim card. No free wifi at all. Pretty bad in terms of wifi. | Could not understand the food at all. Indian restaurants available. So ate at Indian restaurants only. | Not so polite to Indians. | Extremely good in Bangkok. Daily unlimited metro rides pass available at 400 Rs per day. | Grab |
| Malaysia | Again, just buy the sim card. wifi is available at some places. | Local version of Indian tea is available. (Teh Tarik) it’s much sweeter than in India. Bananas available on every table at most food outlets. (cost 20 to 30 Rs per banana) Dosa/idli/vada shops are available as there is a big Tamil population in Malaysia. | Okayish. Similar to what you see in India. | Very good in Kuala Lumpur but not so great from Batu Caves to Gentings Highlands. Got the TouchNGo card first thing in the city. | Grab |
| Indonesia | Buy the sim, wifi is sparely available and mostly locked with password. | Iced Cold Coffee with milk is very popular here. And again couldn’t understand the food because veg and non-veg was mixed everywhere. | Extremely kind and polite. | Extremely good in Jakarta. Extremely cheap bus, train and metro rides. Got the Emoney card. | Grab |
| Sri Lanka | It’s better to buy the sim. | Indian food available everywhere. | Similar to India or more polite. | Very less info is available online. There is a general lack of public transport. | Uber. |
First things first, everything felt more expensive than in India in all the countries I visited. Except the Accommodation. Accommodation was cheaper in all the countries compared to India. And Public Transport was extremely cheap in Jakarta even compared to India.
Jakarta, Indonesia felt really cheap for food as well. We had the “Subway Veggie Delight” 6 inch for approx 140 Indian Rupees which costs 200 + taxes in India. And even the Domino’s Margherita Small (Regular) Pizza costed around 140 Indian Rupees. Which is almost as same as India.
Nepal
Bharatpur
Kathmandu
Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City
Cambodia
Phnom Penh
Sihanoukville
Sihanoukville is a staycation paradise. And it is filled with Chinese people and Pakistani people. I ate all the times at an Pakistani restaurant. I learned that they use the word “Sabzi Khor” in Pakistan to point to a vegetarian person.
They even gave me a free Kheer made of rice.
Very good and kind people. They spoke Punjabi among themselves, which was great to hear. They thought that I was a Pakistani too!
So Sihanoukville is located on the Sea Shore. The Chinese have built huge buildings there which are mostly empty. So it looks like a Ghost town from outside. Also there are Casinos everywhere. The Chinese come to Sihanoukville to play at Casinos.
But the hostel scene was really good. Mostly filled with westerners, some who were to stay for staycation and some to just enjoy the beaches.
Many IT and Tech Support employees from India and Pakistan work for betting sites located in Sihanoukville. I met a Pakistani guy in my van from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh who told me about this.
Siam Reap
Thailand
Bangkok
Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur
Gentings Highlands
Indonesia
Jakarta
Sri Lanka
Colombo City
Kolkata to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Phnom Penh Cambodia to Sihanoukville Cambodia and back.
Phnom Penh to Siam Reap by First Class Bus.
Siam Reap to Bangkok Thailand.
Bangkok Thailand to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
Kuala Lumpur to Batu Caves and Gentings Highlands and back.
Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta Indonesia.
Jakarta Indonesia to Chennai via Singapore.
Jakarta to Mumbai via Colombo, Sri Lanka.