by Naomi Rubine

Created on: November 15, 2008

Taking a "short break" in Southeast Asia is difficult, only in the sense that there are so many places to choose from.

In Thailand, Bangkok itself is worth exploring for a few days. Between the river ferries, the street food vendors, the National Museum and old Palace, the Emerald Buddha (and dozens of other amazing Buddhist temples), and the endless shopping possibilities, one can happily spend three or four days in the capital city...before the air pollution begins to take its toll.

At that point, it's time to head South to some of the best beaches in the world. Several have been "had" (over-run with tourists), but a few special ones remain: Krabi on the West Coast, with its fabulous rock formations, and Koh Samet, just a four-hour mini-bus ride from Bangkok (plus a ferry to the island). The beauty of Koh Samet, as opposed to most islands in Thailand, is not only its proximity to Bangkok, but the fact that there are dozens of small beach coves where one can feel relatively secluded (depending on the time of year.) Don't even attempt a trip to Samet during Chinese New Year unless you have hotel reservations months in advance.

If you're in Laos, head to Luang Prabang in the North, a lovely town on the banks of two rivers, the Nam Khan and the well-known Mekong. Due to its many historic temples, the UN made it a World Heritage Site in 1996. A boat ride up or down the Mekong, especially in early morning, will make you feel as though you've just stepped into a sumie (italics) painting. The misty low clouds hang over the hills, the stands of bamboo wave like giant feather-dusters, and the monks parade through the forest on the way to the temple for sunrise meditation.

In Cambodia, the choice is clear. Not only a "short break", but one of the most impressive Buddhist centers in S.E. Asia, the Temples of Angkor deserve at least three days of your attention. Angkor Wat, the most famous, is monumental in size, but many folks "admit" to being more impressed by the Bayon, stone-sculpted with 200 faces of the Compassionate Buddha. Overwhelming!

In South Vietnam, Dalat, a quaint, French-styled village (since the French colonized Vietnam in the mid-1800's and stayed over a hundred years) is both charming and funny! Situated about 300 kilometers N.E. of Saigon, at a height of nearly 5,000 feet, the town was spared during the Vietnam War (known in Vietnam as The American War) because the big-whigs on both sides had villas in the surrounding mountains; a pact was made, therefore,

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