February 15Feb 15 Ok, give me your recs. I argued we should do this December, but the GF is insisting we do it this summer. Planning to fly in to Tokyo first. I'm not really interested in visiting loud, crowded shitholes where everyone raves about the cheap beer and soups made from fish sauce, cilantro and mystery meat. I hate all that shit. Ideas so far: Japan - Tokyo, then Osaka, maybe somewhere else China - Shanghai or Hong Kong Thailand - want to see some cool islands Philippines - cheap diving Singapore - she has a list of stuff to do there Bali - sounds overrated and full of drunk aussies
February 18Feb 18 Japan all the fucking time. Last summer Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo. Summers in Japan are absolutely brutal esp since you will be outside. It's Houston humid Thailand - Go to Phuket then go stay on some cool resort on an island with your GF. Might suggest a few days up in Chang Mai or Rai No clue about the all the rest but don't skip Laos or Cambodia. Check the SE Asia thread. Seriously Cambodia. Siem Reap has hotels that will blow your mind and I am dying to get to the islands. Angkor Wat is one of the most amazing places I've ever been on earth. Luang Prabang, Laos is an absolute gem of a town. Such a great place to just wander around and have coffee or sit by the river and have a beer/eat. Cool tours esp Kuang Si waterfalls
February 18Feb 18 2 hours ago, midtown said: Japan all the fucking time. Last summer Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo. Summers in Japan are absolutely brutal esp since you will be outside. It's Houston humid Thailand - Go to Phuket then go stay on some cool resort on an island with your GF. Might suggest a few days up in Chang Mai or Rai No clue about the all the rest but don't skip Laos or Cambodia. Check the SE Asia thread. Seriously Cambodia. Siem Reap has hotels that will blow your mind and I am dying to get to the islands. Angkor Wat is one of the most amazing places I've ever been on earth. Luang Prabang, Laos is an absolute gem of a town. Such a great place to just wander around and have coffee or sit by the river and have a beer/eat. Cool tours esp Kuang Si waterfalls is Laos in China, or Japan?
February 18Feb 18 15 minutes ago, Gil Bang said: is Laos in China, or Japan? He mentioned other SE Asia places. Thought I'd throw out a few other options that a lot of people don't even think about
February 18Feb 18 21 minutes ago, midtown said: He mentioned other SE Asia places. Thought I'd throw out a few other options that a lot of people don't even think about dude.
February 18Feb 18 Nara Park in Japan. The deer have taught us to bow, then they bow and you give them a deer cracker. One of the coolest things we did there. We also took an underground tour of Osaka which showed us things most tourists don’t see. Tokyo has more Michelin starred restaurants than any other city in the world. Try to go to one or two through the Omakase reservation system( like open table). Go to Tsukiji, the largest fish market in the world
February 19Feb 19 I'm currently planning about a ten-week trip in Tokyo/SE Asia for April-July. Haven't been back in 6 years. Probably just hang out in Tokyo for 3 weeks hanging out with friends, hitting the izakaya's, baseball games, etc. Friend of mine who's been in Tokyo 30+ years wants to hit the World's Fair in Osaka. We'll see. Probably just chill in Hua Hin, BKK, Koh Phangan and Samui for a month or so. I used to live on Samui but I hear it's gotten even more touristy and pricey in the last couple of years. Bummer. I love Cambodia but I'm more of a Phnom Penh guy. Love Kampot and Kep area. Super chill. Curious what it looks like now. Can't wait to get back.
February 21Feb 21 First things first. When traveling to Asia during the summer, remember that it is typhoon season, and buy exchangeable tickets. I concur with anyone who prioritized Tokyo over all the others. That said ive only gone during winter. Ive never been in summer so take that for what its worth. I only know Singapore for expensive food, shopping, and all the shit you stated you hate. I don't know the beaches there. Philippines would be my first option for relaxation and remote beaches. Palawan at the top of the list and Boracay second. If you opt for Boracay stay in station 1 as it is the most remote part of the island and only walking distance to the night life. Think Isla Mujeres.
February 21Feb 21 Tokyo is a lot of fun and so is Osaka. If you can hit Kyoto it’s pretty awesome for traditional sites and ceremonies. Like a geisha show and tea ceremony. And their onsens are a great experience to the culture. Shanghai is really nice and vibrant but also check out Hangzhou which is a little south of there. Marco Polo (the OG) called it heaven on earth. West Lake there is beautiful. I went many years ago and called it the Austin of China. It’s blown up now. Where a lot of great tech was born (Alibaba). Beijing is cool and the Great Wall is a must see. Have fun…I could hit Asia every year!
February 21Feb 21 Your GF would probably love Nara and the deers but it seems like the kind of place that you dislike. Kobe is a nice short trip from Osaka for a chill and way less crowded getaway.
February 21Feb 21 7 hours ago, Tailgate said: Tokyo is a lot of fun and so is Osaka. If you can hit Kyoto it’s pretty awesome for traditional sites and ceremonies. Like a geisha show and tea ceremony. And their onsens are a great experience to the culture. Shanghai is really nice and vibrant but also check out Hangzhou which is a little south of there. Marco Polo (the OG) called it heaven on earth. West Lake there is beautiful. I went many years ago and called it the Austin of China. It’s blown up now. Where a lot of great tech was born (Alibaba). Beijing is cool and the Great Wall is a must see. Have fun…I could hit Asia every year! We had different experiences in Beijing. If you go to China, you need to do some advanced planning. For example, Google (including, importantly, Google maps) is banned, and therefore you can't google what to do if there isn't google. We used apple maps, which was shit. There are Chinese apps, but (at least 5 years ago) none of them were in English. Free wifi is also pretty rare there unless you have a Chinese number and it can be difficult to get cash because few of the banks will take your debit card. I would avoid a VPN, because if you get searched in the airport, they always look for it.
February 21Feb 21 1 hour ago, Keef said: We had different experiences in Beijing. If you go to China, you need to do some advanced planning. For example, Google (including, importantly, Google maps) is banned, and therefore you can't google what to do if there isn't google. We used apple maps, which was shit. There are Chinese apps, but (at least 5 years ago) none of them were in English. Free wifi is also pretty rare there unless you have a Chinese number and it can be difficult to get cash because few of the banks will take your debit card. I would avoid a VPN, because if you get searched in the airport, they always look for it. fify
February 21Feb 21 2 hours ago, Keef said: We had different experiences in Beijing. If you go to China, you need to do some advanced planning. For example, Google (including, importantly, Google maps) is banned, and therefore you can't google what to do if there isn't google. We used apple maps, which was shit. There are Chinese apps, but (at least 5 years ago) none of them were in English. Free wifi is also pretty rare there unless you have a Chinese number and it can be difficult to get cash because few of the banks will take your debit card. I would avoid a VPN, because if you get searched in the airport, they always look for it. Ah, the Great Firewall of China. Another fun attraction. Was fine for me as I intentionally did not do much online while I was there.
February 22Feb 22 Author 12 hours ago, YChang said: Your GF would probably love Nara and the deers but it seems like the kind of place that you dislike. Kobe is a nice short trip from Osaka for a chill and way less crowded getaway. We had already planned on seeing Nara. Not even close to "everyone raves about the cheap beer and soups made from fish sauce, cilantro and mystery meat.'
February 22Feb 22 1 hour ago, rage-a-holic said: We had already planned on seeing Nara. Not even close to "everyone raves about the cheap beer and soups made from fish sauce, cilantro and mystery meat.' Ahhh… my mistake! Your persona seem like such a misanthrope on this board I thought you would hate anything super touristy.
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