Thinking of going on a holiday. I like to do stuff, hike, bike, sail etc rather then just laze around a pool. Like to eat local food
(not hotel restaurant food...yawn), hangout with the locals and do a bit of photography, don't mind going off the beaten track, cheap or roughing it. I'd like to go anywhere apart from Europe or USA, somewhere where life is really different to how we live in Aust. Any suggestions, ideas or experiences to relate would be great, thanks .

Vietnam. People, food, history, geography are just a few brilliant things to experience. Oh it's very cheap too.

Been a few laps around SE Asia.

Thailand is great, I love it, will go again, it's easy but a bit less adventurous than others
Vietnam: Interesting, cheap, does get a bit samey - they tend to be quite conformist so everything's much the same in one region (food/shops/etc) so you have to travel for a difference. Stayed a month or so here which was a highlight www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=vietnam%20phu%20quoc

Cambodia: interesting, lots of history, slightly edgier like when you pull into Pnomh Phen (sp?) they have lots of guards around bus and give lots of theft warnings etc. Stayed in worst room ever, a $5/night on stilts over the lake (now filled in) with a rat highway thru it in the middle of the night.

My pick: Laos.
We stayed somewhere about $35/night US for double massive hut with bathroom & balcony w river view. Included 3 hot meals /day for 2 of us, french cooks, homemade bread & local coffee for breakfast, etc. Free bikes, fishing rods, kayaks. One of the only rivers in SE asia totally clean and inviting to dive in. Lots of local trips organised etc. Could have happily stayed weeks.
Can't put my finger on the exact one but this kinda thing is representative of what you can find..
http://ecotourismlaos.com/eco_accommodation/index.html

Mt. Druitt

If you've got 2-3 weeks in Vietnam i'd travel from North to South (a well travelled trail) but i'd skip Vietnam and go to Laos or Cambodia. Places less travelled but Vietnam was pretty ordinary i thought. Maybe it was the dengue fever but i'd never go back.