Travellers Voice Magazine -- Traveller's Hubs in Asia

TRAVELLER HUBS FOR THE LONG HAUL ACROSS ASIA
by Mark Elliott

Photos by Patrick Spinks

Muesli, Vegemite and banana pancakes. Less than fifteen years ago I remember my excitement at eating these "delicacies" on Bangkok's Kao San Road, served up with a liberal helping of travel tips from fellow diners. Today at Kuta, Kao San and right across South East Asia these 'favourites' are hard to escape. Meanwhile making conversation above the din of video screenings has become increasingly difficult. Asking other travellers in Thailand for some practical advice now seems about as natural as asking a stranger in a pub if they'd like to buy you a beer.

Information? It's in the book. The Bible. The Lonely Planet. Fortunately, not all of Asia has become so overwhelmed. On the less trodden road from Azerbaijan to Kyrgyzstan to Xanadu to any village that the guide books neglect, sharing insights remains a passion. Best of all there are a few little towns or specific hotels whose quaintness, isolation, or lack of practical alternatives has turned it into something of abackpacker cross-roads. In any one of the places listed below, you are likely to find enough travellers to give you the latest tips on war zones, border hassles and great things to see, without feeling you've walked into your local boozer. And secretly, I' ll admit that every now and again, after some full-on cultural immersion, the traveller's oasis feel can be a necessary tonic. OK just one banana pancake then.

AZERBAIJAN Baku:
You'll rarely see a tourist but hundreds of western expats drink in the bars and cafes around the very cosmopolitan Fountains Square just beyond the attractive city's ancient core. At present THE meeting place is after 10pm at Escobar. But for sheer cool and great pizza try the Jazz cafe, or for medieval atmosphere, dine at the antique Caravansarai. NB None of these is cheap, but after the dismal $3 hotels elsewhere in the country, you deserve a break.

CHINA
The people's republic has more than its fair share of traveller meeting places. The constant renovation of once cheap hotels has left several bigger cities with only one or two realistic budget choices. Meanwhile the small size and idyllic settings of Dali, Yangshuo and to a lesser degree Jinghong keep these arch traveller hubs as surprising islands of backpackerism in an increasingly commercial tourist industry. Anyone staying in Guilin when they could be in or near Yangshuo has more money than sense.

Chengdu: The Traffic Hotel is THE place for scheming routes to Tibet and the only realistic budget dorm choice now that the Black Coffee has stopped hosting. Don't be palmed off with New Dali (Xiaguan).

Kunming: The Camelia Hotel is the classic meeting place and conveniently plays host to the Burmese and Lao consulates, but for travel tips try the little cafe called Wei's Place not far from the Kunhu hotel (which also has dorms).

Jinghong: Xishuangbanna's transport hub. Even if you stay at the much expanded Banna Hotel, the Good Companions Guest House/Restaurant is a good place to meet other backpackers with recent information on the state of the roads and borders in Laos.

Urumqi: In summer the Hongshan Hotel stuffs backpackers like sardines onto the floorspace of vacant meeting rooms. Hardly luxurious, but you can't help talking to the bodies around you who might be setting off next day for Kazakhstan.

Xiahe: A lot of interesting folk vie for the beds near the gurgling stream in the Labrang Guest Houserquote s formerly monastic dormitories. You may see the same faces in Langmus, Zoige and Songpan.

Xian: Xian is packed with tourists. "Mum's Home Cooking" (along with the spookily similar "Dad's Home Cooking" next door), are street restaurants filling the open space opposite the former Renmin Hostel. Travellers discussions here revolve around the hilariously poor package trips to see the Terracotta Warriors and the days spent waiting for a hard sleeper train ticket out of town.

Yangshuo:The little town has nothing going for it in terms of architecture but the food, the prices and the magnificent Karst pinnacle scenery are unbeatable.

INDIA
India has a traveller culture all of its own, and dozens of hangout, chill out and space out locales. Try Hampi, Pushkar, Manali, Rishikesh or Jaisalmer for starters rather than fighting off the touts of Agra or Jaipur.

INDONESIA
While the world watched Jakarta and several Sumatran cities self destruct in February 1998, the peaceful paradise island of Bali remained as calm and quiet as ever, just four times cheaper as the value of the rupiyah went through the floor. Indonesia is an amazing bargain at the moment, and the relative lack of tourists means that there's a new-found sense of camaraderie amongst those who've not been scared off. Avoid Kuta and the tourist beaches unless you want to surf near the Hard Rock Hotel, and head for peaceful Lovina beach. Ubud is delightful, but even in the heat of the troubles, attracted too many tourists to make it a real meeting place. The other unparalleled traveller meeting point is the restaurant of the Crater View Inn at Mt Bromo, Java which, as its name suggests sits at the gigantic volcano's outer lip. Since breakfast is included in the room fee, everyone that watched the sunrise gets the opportunity to swap tales over a jug of breakfast coffee.

IRAN
Don't believe the hype. Iran is absolutely fabulous - as long as you are a) able to get a visa, b) not an alcoholic c) don't like showing off your body (which for women claustrophobically includes wrists, ankles and hair). No dancing, but chess has been legalised. The very lack of entertainment means the handful of travellers tend to talk and make the most of the country's amazing variety of attractions. And as of November 1998 it seems that visas are going to be much easier for everyone.

Bam: The Tourist House is an unmarked building 2 mins walk from the fire station. Everyone seems to find eventually. It's Iran's only relaxed, youth hostel style guest house where women can walk around without the normal "bagging up" . Traveller tip books here overflow with information so if you've time to take notes, you'd barely need a guide book for the rest of the region. Bam itself is a brilliant oasis town which has one of Asia's most awesome mud citadels.

Isfahan: Iran's most glorious city has plenty of accommodation choices, but friendly, relaxed management and rational pricing means that knowing backpackers converge on the Amir Kabir Hotel. English speaking guides and taxi drivers have caught on and tout gently outside.

Tehran: Don't waste your valuable visa days on the traffic jams and pollution of Tehran. You can bypass it altogether thanks to direct buses between Tabriz and Isfahan. If you insist on a visit, the most popular budget accommodation is inexplicably the Khazar Sea but the Shiraz (next door) and many other options in the Khomeini Sq uare area are arguably better value.

NEPAL
On any of the main treks you'll probably find more travellers than you'd hoped to. However, Kathmandu is an unbeatable melange of live music pubs, ancient temples, patisseries, Newari architecture, carpet shops, tongba dives and chanting retreats. As is immediately apparent in the Thamel district of the city, the economy revolves around tourism yet does so with such a winning smile that it is all too easy to stay a week or two (or four months in my case).

PAKISTAN
Contra-intuitively, Pakistan is much more dangerous than Iran and travellers of either sex are prone to sexual harassment. The refreshing exception is the stunning northern mountain area which reaches its spectacular climax around the ancient Karakoram kingdom of Hunza. The main travellers centre is the village of Karimabad with dozens of little guest houses and a superb mountain backdrop. Or walk 1/2 hr to quieter Altit where the Altit Lodge has great local meals, an extensive hikers's tip book and the owner can take you up to the "Eagle's Nest".

TURKEY
Istanbul is awash with tourists - to meet the student-backpacker crowd, a useful first stop is the top floor bar of the Orient hostel in the Sultanahmet historic/budget accommodation area. Downstairs for the free belly dance show. Cappadocia is also firmly on the tourist map (though a stay in one of Goreme' s cave rooms or "fairy chimneys" is still delightful). If you head out to Yaprakhisar or Ihlara, you're likely to find a smaller but more discerning band of travellers.

UZBEKISTAN
Police states don't lend themselves to "hanging out" . But Uzbekistan' s great sights are isolated enough that you're likely to see the same faces watching sunset at the Regisatan (Samarkand), sipping tea at the Lyab I Khauz pool (Bukhara) and at breakfast in Khiva's excellent value hotel/homestay Orkanchi.

VIETNAM
Throughout Vietnam most travellers are following the same basic route and you're likely to meet time and time again in the "traveller cafes" such as New Darling in Hanoi and Sinh in Saigon. The Sinh Cafe's open ticket bus service to Hue via Dalat, Nha Trang and Hoi An is almost de rigeur. Sapa: Hikes, cool mountain air, colourful hill tribes, log fires in cheap hotel rooms and the Saturday night "love fest" have turned Sapa from forgotten hill station to cosy backpacker centre in the last couple of years.

Mark Elliott
is the co-author of Asia Overland, a route and planning guide covering 35 countries (including all the ex-Soviet states) with practical tips on border crossings, visas, cheap accommodation etc as well as providing instructive travel anecdotes, language notes and a dozen alphabets. It is intensely graphical with a remarkable 452 maps and schematic diagrams. It is also the only up to date guide to deal with the Caucasus countries of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.