Fly from Da Nang to Koh Samoui, Thailand. Stay ~3 weeks.
Fly from Koh Samui to Phuket, Thailand. Stay ~2 weeks.
Then make our way into Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and a possible medical screening due to KLM being a medical tourism hotspot with a couple extremely good private facilities that do concierge style health screens very cheaply and within a day. Stay ~1 week.
From Malaysia we plan a short stay of a week or so in Singapore. This is one of the premier 21st century cities worldwide and will be the most expensive portion of the trip. Stay ~1 week.
From Singapore we will fly home directly, or indirectly.
Fly from Seattle to Tokyo, Japan. Stay ~7 days.
Flyinto Thailand with possible stopover in Bangkok and onward to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Stay ~2 weeks. Special experience here.
Return to Chiang Mai after the special experience. Stay ~3 weeks.
From Thailand, a deluxe 2-day cruise down the Mekong River into the country of Laos, ending in Luang Prabang. Stay ~2 weeks.
From Laos, a flight into Hanoi, Vietnam for another Special experience in Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Stay ~1 week. Then, possibly shifting north to Sa Pa, Vietnam. Stay ~1-3 days.
Take an overnight bus or train to Hoi An, Vietnam. Stay ~3 weeks. Then shift to Da Nang, Vietnam. Stay ~1 week.
The Banana Pancake Trail is not a specific route. It dates back to the backpacking hippies of the 1950-1960’s per most stories. Western backpackers wanted cheap, recognizable and tasty food along the way and locals began to provide on request and later as a staple, Banana Pancakes. The route itself generally includes the same four countries, (Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam) with options to expand further, branch off, or skip some destinations. That’s what makes it interesting. What makes it doable and comfortable for us is that much of the logistics are already known, well used, and easily traversed by foreign travelers. A well-established route with known infrastructure and transportation options from backpacking and hostels to private limousine vans and five- star accommodations. Count us in!
So far, our plans are at the penciled-in stage with nations chosen and many major cities beginning to take shape. We have picked at least two very specific, very meaningful and one-of-a-kind experiences to center our schedule around. I won’t divulge those until they are booked and we are actually ready to go.
