Indonesia

Sites to see:

Coach Travel
Though I like train travel, Indonesia has many luxury coach services. Juragan 99 Trans, Pandawa 87, DAMRI Imperial Suites, and Sinar Jaya Shuttle provide premium services that compete with, or exceed air travel comfort on the Trans-Java road that covers cities like Jakarta, Surabaya, Malang, and, Bali. Most have reclining luxury seats like first class seating on an airplane, and some include individual suites like first class suites on long-haul international flights. 

I would use Juragan 99 Trans first: they have a proper website whereas DAMRI have only an Instagtam page though they supposedly have an app (as Juragan 99 Trans do). Pandawa and Sinar Jaya Shuttle have none of those, only a third party booking site. Pandawa 87 is the only one of these coach services without onboard toilets..

Juragan 99 Trans is known for "first-class" sleeper cabins with private, fully-enclosed pods, large screens, and excellent service (e.g., Jakarta to Malang/Surabaya/Bali). They also have an app for easy booking.

DAMRI Imperial Suites are luxury double-decker sleeper buses operating between Jakarta and Surabaya, featuring private lower-level sleeping pods and upper-level Royal Class seats. Passengers enjoy premium amenities like personal entertainment screens, snack boxes, amenity kits, hot meals, and a lavatory,

Lower Level (Suites): Features leather reclining seats (not fully lie-flat) with privacy curtains, window curtains, and storage compartments.

Upper Level (Royal Class): Offers 30 reclining seats with individual entertainment screens and pillows.

Service & Comfort: Includes a hospitality bar (coffee/tea), hot meals, and amenity kits containing slippers, a dental kit, wet wipes, and an eye mask.

Sinar Jaya Shuttle's Suite Class is a premier luxury sleeper bus service in Indonesia, operating primarily on Java routes like Jakarta-Surabaya, featuring 21 private, near-flat sleeping pods in a double-decker configuration. Known for affordability compared to trains, these buses utilize the Trans Java toll road for efficient travel.

Juragan 99 Suite

 

Sinar Jaya Suites

 

DAMRI Suites

DAMRI Royal Class

Vietnam

There is a comfortable overnight train from Hanoi to Sapa (Lao Cai) and Hanoi to Da Namg run by Chapa Express.

For a first class luxury ride try Sjourney. They have from 2 to 8 day journeys, and include excursions. The 8 day Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh Southbound Legacy looks very interesting and is priced at $USD9,890 pp. The 4 day Trail of the Dragon’s back from Hanoi visits Sapa and Ha Long Bay for $USD3,890 pp.

Sites to Visit 

Trang An temple and cave system

Ha Long Bay 

Thailand

So many sites to see in Thailand: Chang Mai, Phuket, Krabi (see below).

One from a travel article is Phang Nga Bay in Krabi as seen in The Man With the Golden Gun.

Phang Nga Bay

From Google AI: "Thailand's best railway journeys offer iconic experiences like the historic Death Railway to Kanchanaburi, the scenic overnight trip from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, coastal views on the way to Hua Hin, unique market stops like the Maeklong Railway Market, and special excursion trains to places like the Pasak Chonlasit Dam." This will need further research to decide on the best ones to try.

Singapore

Part of a return to East Asia and especially Malaysia (see Malaysia post below) would be Singapore.

I would like to try Raffles Hotel.

 

Georgia

I really enjoyed my visit to Tbilisi, Georgia. The combination of old and new and the geography are interesting. The river running through the city adds to the appeal (as it does in Ljubljana).

I stayed at the very nice Mukhrantubani Boutique Hotel. It had a very good restaurant and breakfast was included. Located at 23 Nikoloz Baratashvili Street 23, 0105. Ph +995 322 99 74 74.

I ate a great meal of braised beef cheeks at Otsy, 20 Ioane Shavteli Street. Anthony Bordain recommended Gabriadze, 13 Ioane Shavteli St, a café that offers traditional Georgian fare.

Mukhrantubani atrium

Mukhrantubani restaurant

Mukhrantubani patio

Mukhrantubani room

Otsy Restaurant

Central Asia 2026

Itinerary around the 5 "stans" tour. Begin in Eastern Europe to at least some of the remaining European countries I haven't visited, take a break in Vienna then on to a couple a places adjacent to the tour — Yerevan, Armenia and Baku, Azerbaijan. For the 9 below, if staying 2 days per country then it would require 28 days in total. I cannot get currency for any of the 5 Stans prior to the tour; they are controlled.

For entry requirements to Eastern Europe, see here. For entry requirements to Central Asia, see here.

Flights to Chişinău, Moldova require a stopover in Warsaw so I could add a brief stop there.

Below is the most efficient order and can be reversed depending on overall trip plan:

• Belgrade, Serbia
• Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Podgorica, Montenegro
• Tirane, Albania
• Pristina, Kosovo
• Skopje, North Macedonia
• Sofia, Bulgaria
• Bucharest, Romania
• Chişinău, Moldova (sleeper train from Chişinău to Bucharest)

I could go to Pakistan just prior to travelling to Bishkek. A visa is required before entering Pakistan.

See itinerary spreadsheet here.

Sleeper Train: Chişinău to Bucharest)

River Cruises

Look at Pandaw who have river cruises throughout East Asia (as well as India) Mekong, Red, Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Halong Bay.