2 months in Asia - advice?

oh the boat was fine. I was not.

Originally Posted by m@T

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dinner with me (highlight of the whole trip

)

I can sort of vouch for this.. if only because Matt paid.



Great thread btw. India sounds awesome, going there is definitely up on my to-do list now.

Originally Posted by whacked

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I can sort of vouch for this.. if only because Matt paid.

Bobby Chinn's closed down by the way. Shame. Landlord like tripled the rent on him. It was then going to be the first McDonalds in the country, but evidently even Ronald McDonald could see that he was about to be ripped off in a way that not even the Hamburgler could get away with. Soo...now it is empty and rumored to be turning into a Vietnamese bank - which ironically, I can't imagine is paying anywhere near what Bobby was before. Bobby in turn can't find a site, cos as soon as a venue hears his name, they multiply their rent several-fold - and he is not dumb enough to take it. ******* Ha Loi.

Good luck! Have fun MS! Bring a journal.

Anyone got any neat tricks for keeping a journal? I write best when I type, so I am considering bringing my iPhone and transferring notes to my email when I am at an internet cafe. This way I can't "lose everything" if my bag gets stolen. But I figure an iPhone will make me a target.

Or I could just write from internet cafes, but that is inconvenient. I could keep notes but honestly my handwriting is so poor and so slow.

I think a little moleskin-type book is good for notes, but also for drawing pictures, pressing flowers, storing receipts, etc.

what about one of those little netbook jobs?

oh, but in Vietnam an iPhone will help you blend. Everyone has em. Piece of crap. Gave mine away....

Originally Posted by m@T

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Bobby Chinn's closed down by the way. Shame. Landlord like tripled the rent on him. It was then going to be the first McDonalds in the country, but evidently even Ronald McDonald could see that he was about to be ripped off in a way that not even the Hamburgler could get away with. Soo...now it is empty and rumored to be turning into a Vietnamese bank - which ironically, I can't imagine is paying anywhere near what Bobby was before.

Bobby in turn can't find a site, cos as soon as a venue hears his name, they multiply their rent several-fold - and he is not dumb enough to take it.

******* Ha Loi.

Wow that really blows. Didn't have the chance to eat there during my Christmas visit, but I know a few people who really dig that place. Good food + hookah + atmostphere = win.

If you are going to South India I highly recommend heading to Sri Lanka. It is very cheap because there are no tourists as everyone is afraid of the civil war. However, the war is confined to a very small area in the north of the country. It is incredibly beautiful and I can't recommend it highly enough.

No, guess I hasn't had the luck, care to name a few for me to try next time?

Originally Posted by cchen

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are you freakin kidding me? food is amazing, cheap, diverse, and plentiful in singapore. bourdain's favorite place IN THE WORLD to eat

I don't think you will have to worry about safety in China in general. Some kind of ripping off will be there, just have to take it, it's still cheap, but not just as cheap as it can be. If you go to some true rural chinese are, you are talking about the difference between 2 dollars and 1 dollar, ya, you got ripped off big time in terms of percentage, but not that bad...

So if you really want to go solo for 2 month, China might be a good place, the question is do you want to stay all 2 month in China. You could do that (China is big enough for you to go around a whole year), but not sure if you should, I would do some hopping around if I were you.

Seriously I myself is pretty tierd mentally as well. I have been thinking about starting from China, going through mongolia, central Asia, Russia then Europe, but it's just dreaming, will take a lot planning, and probably quit my job to do that...

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

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Thanks clee.

I am going by myself - solo trip. Not too interested in packaged tours but the local guide option sounds enticing. I am trying to avoid the American tourist tax wherever possible. Chinese cities sound nice and I'll surely roll through, but it is more the remote places that I'm interested in - as long as it is reasonably safe and I won't be paying an arm and a leg. I am prepared to have a language barrier and to be pretty lonely when in the more remote areas. I'm not looking for a vacation, rather an experience.

June 1st, not much time before that then, good luck and have a meaningful journey.

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

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Wow guys thanks for all the replies. I am definitely going, from around June 1 to around August 5. However, I was not expecting so much help. I am utterly overwhelmed with all this info right now...

Originally Posted by clee1982

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June 1st, not much time before that then, good luck and have a meaningful journey.

Thanks clee. I'm trying to figure out my itinerary over the next couple of days and then apply for any visas I might need. There is so much to see and its stressful because supposedly a lot of the countries will ask when you are leaving - which means you can't just go in with no plan. Making a whole itinerary instead of winging it sucks, but looks like it might be necessary.

when i was young i owned a little league team in singapore. god those buggers were great. hearts of gold they had, hearts of gold.

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

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Thanks clee. I'm trying to figure out my itinerary over the next couple of days and then apply for any visas I might need. There is so much to see and its stressful because supposedly a lot of the countries will ask when you are leaving - which means you can't just go in with no plan. Making a whole itinerary instead of winging it sucks, but looks like it might be necessary.

Do not forget some lead time for vaccines. You will need some extra for certain countries.