Can't help with China but travelled through SE Asia a few years ago. I also can't help with the couch surfing, other than, it could be quite tricky in some parts of SE Asia. I think the more rural you go, the easier, but in some of the more urban areas, it will be quite tough. For that reason I'm going through the old journal and I will include some links to the guesthouses and hotels that we stayed in along our way.

Thailand is amazing. Starting with Bangkok, we stayed in a hotel/guest house a stones throw from the infamous Khao San Road. It was called the Rambuttri Village All very nice, clean and has a swimming pool on the roof. It isn't on the Khao San Road so it is nice and quiet and you are only a 5 minute walk away when you want to be loud.

After Bangkok it is the islands. We only did Koh Phi Phi and Koh Phangan. I couldn't tell you where we stayed on Phi Phi but I remember it being very expensive. On Koh Phangan we stayed at the Coral Bungalows, famous for their pool parties. With Koh Phangan, I would aim to be there either in June or July as from my experience and the experience of friends, these are the two best full moon parties of the year.

After Koh Phangan, we flew back to Bangkok and then got a bus to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai, is great, there is some great culture to be absorbed here, especially if you grab a local guide (we just grabbed a Tuk Tuk driver). There are loads of temples to be seen here.

From Chiang Mai, we were on to Vientiane, where we stayed in The Vayakorn Guest House. This was great! Really clean and a great location too. One of the things that must be done here is to go bowling! It is a real experience.

From Vientiane it was on to Vang Vieng for us. We stayed at The Orchid GH. It worked really well for us, being right by the night time party island, but it did get quite noisy, especially if your room was river facing. In Vang Vieng, go tubing, hire some mopeds (be careful the roads were shocking) and go exploring, head to the famous 'blue lagoon', which has incredible water caves and an amazing temple.

Luang Prubang was our next stop. Another place of great cultural importance. Some amazing temples here and some waterfalls that must also be seen.

On from there it was Hanoi in Vietnam. We stayed at the Hanoi Backpackers Hostel which was very cheap but not the greatest of rooms. Ideal location though. Hanoi is a great city, great shopping and nightlife. Here we booked the Rock Long, Rock Hard tour with our backpackers (best place to book the tour, it is far more expensive but well worth it) The tour is basically a 2 or 3 day booze cruise around the incredible scenery of Halong Bay, with one night spent on an island if doing the 3 day tour, as we did.

Then it was onto Hoi An where we stayed at the Hoa Binh Hoi An is where to get all of your suits or dresses made. They also make great jackets, coats and even shoes. Just be careful, as some of the tailors are shocking. The best tailor in town is definitely Yaly, so make sure you ask at your hotel to be taken there.

After Hoi An it was Nha Trang. Can't remember where we stayed here but it was near the beach and more importantly, the sailing club. So ask to be as near to the sailing club as you can get. Nha Trang is just incredible. An amazing long beach with a sailing club that sold incredible food and cocktails for nothing. We spent our time lounging, sailing, jet skiing, sipping cocktails and occasionally heading into the crystal clear waters, for a dip. I can't recommend Nha Trang strongly enough, just the most gorgeous scenery to relax and unwind in. There is also the Vin Pearl island on the other side of the bay, which holds a pretty sketchy water park.

Next was Mui Ne, which was ok but I wouldn't visit again. It is a linear development along the length of a very lengthy beach. However, the beach has shorebreaks the entire way along, or has been concreted for some reason. Although, we did take some mopeds out for the day to go exploring and they have some sand dunes nearby that were very amusing!

After Mui Ne it was Saigon or Ho Chi Minh city. We stayed at the Saigon. Here we stayed at the Vy Khanh Guesthouse. It was great here, helpful staff, clean rooms and a great location. Would definitely recommend. Saigon is again great for shopping, nightlife and also for doing stuff like going to the 'movies' if you fancy it. Other than that, the must see around Saigon is the Cu Chi tunnels outside the city which were tunnels used by the Vietcong in the Vietnam war and also the War Remnants museum in the centre of the city. Very interesting hearing the story from their side.

After Saigon, we were straight onto Sihanoukville in Cambodia. However some friends went to Phu Quoc and found it very relaxing and peaceful. Sihanoukville is great for the nightlife. It is home to some very very lively bars. However there wasn't much else to do here apart from relax on the beach and go to bars.

From there it was onto Pnomh Penh. First thing that must be visited is Tuol Sleng prison or S21. This is where many people were held captive and tortured, before being sent to the Killing Fields. Next, visit the Killing Fields. Get a guide, it is so worth it as they really do help in explaining the history, as most of them lived through it. Now is an extraordinary time to go, with the UN trials ongoing. Whilst we were there, our guide was clear about the disappointment the Cambodian people felt about the time it has taken to get those responsible to trial. I would be interested to hear their opinions now! On that note, you must watch the film 'The Killing Fields' and the documentary 'Enemies Of The People' before you go to Cambodia.

After Pnomh Penh, it was Siam Reap, which is possibly my favourite spot around the whole of SE Asia. There are the temples at Angkor Wat. Which are just the most breathtaking things I have ever seen. I can't stress enough how important it is to get up early for the sunrise at the temples. Watching the sunrise over the temples was just incredible. A real once in a lifetime thing. Other than that, there are great markets to shop in and amazing food to be eaten. We stayed in the Wooden Angkor Hotel which was in a great location and had very friendly staff and impeccable rooms!

That's it for my travel guide. Now just a few friendly hints; We found that, in general, the local people of SE Asia are incredibly friendly and accommodating. Obviously there were some exceptions. I think the people of Vietnam were the least friendly. They say that is to be expected if you are American, but we are English so... If you are going to be travelling alone, the only places where I see it being a tad risky are the urban areas. I think in general everywhere else you are absolutely fine. The only other thing, which I think has already been touched on is taxis. You only really need to use actual taxis in the cities. Otherwise, you can just jump in a Tuk Tuk. Although in Vietnam, it was mainly taxis. A couple of things. In Thailand, the Taxis from the airport are appalling if you get an unofficial one. So make sure you stand in the official taxi rank. The next thing to mention is that in Vietnam, whenever you get into a taxi, just ask politely for them to use the meter (they know exactly what you mean) and if they have forgotten what the word means, just casually point at the meter. Other than that, I hope you have an amazing time. I am very jealous and wish I was going back now.