SE Asia v South America

Summary

• South East Asia has a cheaper cost of living and travelling within SE Asia is also cheaper due to the shorter distances between countries in the area
• The topography of South America is incredible, with the Andes and other mountain ranges providing the backdrop to some incredible scenery
• SE Asia places significant importance on tourism and therefore locals are especially friendly and helpful. This is also true of large areas of South America, especially Peru
• SE Asia has more cultural gems over a smaller area, with Angkor Wat and northern Thailand being particularly special
• South America has vast areas of emptiness where you can feel completely disconnected from the 'real world'

South East Asia or South America. These two parts of the world have seen an explosion of popularity over the past decade and for most people the decision of where to visit first is often a difficult one. In this entry, I'll try and rate each of the locations on factors that are important to the average person and come up with an overall rating.

Things to consider

Before I get things started, its important to note that my experiences over the two locations will vary. I spent more time in South East Asia, and it was also the place I decided to visit first. There are important locations missing from both locations. I didn't visit Laos in SE Asia and I didn't visit Colombia and Argentina in South America. Personally, I feel that Argentina is a significant omission due to the size of the country and the number of things to see and do. Ratings and experiences are also very subjective, my experience could be significantly different from the experience of others so I'd bare this in mind when you make your decision.

Finally, a comparison between the two locations isn't an exact science. The phrase apples and oranges comes to mind. Peru and Brazil have completely different cultures, speak completely different languages, yet for the purpose of comparison they have been lumped together under a loose 'South American' category. This entry is a subjective rough overview of my experiences and can form part of your research into each location.

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