One thing about traveling in Asia… this went against my normal nature but when I moved here I planned a 16 day trip in Vietnam and Cambodia and I basically booked flights 1-2 days before and hotels 1 night before or actually the same day throughout the trip. I’m normally a planner but I didn’t know what I would like and didn’t want to get stuck someplace I was bored. It was fun and great to have the freedom. I paid a little bit of a premium sometimes on the hotels ($40-$60 in Vietnam a night rather than $25-$30). If I liked a place and was having fun, I stayed longer…if not I left early. It was kind of fun to have that freedom and it taught me not to spend an insane amount of time planning ahead..just get the flight book and the rest will work itself out. Now I rarely book a trip more than a week in advance (even when traveling to Europe or the US!)
So for a lot of these places I already have a guide written but if you want a quick overview of Asia I’ve summarized my experiences, findings, and impressions below.
Hong Kong – It’s the center of Asia so you must see it! That being said a weekend is plenty. There are only a few major things to see in HK, it’s a fun place to party and shop. I have a guide specifically about HK which is rather detailed (from a tourist perspective).
Macau – This is the Vegas of the Far East. It’s only an hour away from HK by ferry so you could go for a day or spend the night at the Venetian and catch a Cirque Du Soleil show. The show called House of Dancing Water is supposed to be the best one, can’t remember what hotel it’s at. The food in Macau is supposedly the best in Asia, at the casino fine dining restaurants that is. But the Portuguese egg tarts in the market are awesome.
China – Okay, let’s face it. China is huge! Unfortunately I haven’t done nearly enough exploring here (yet)
Shanghai – Westernized city. The buildings have a cool architecture; There is an interesting contrast on both sides of the Bund between new skyscrapers with a very modern design against the old school European buildings. There’s not much for sightseeing, a 1-2 days worth but the partying in Shanghai is good. There are little water villages around Shanghai like Wu Zhen that may be worth checking out if you want a few quiet and serene nights. I have written a Shenzhen Guide.
Beijing – Less westernized city than Shanghai but since the Olympics it’s caught up in a number of ways. This is also where you’re most likely to travel to the Great Wall from (1-2 hours from the City). You could do a day trip at the Great Wall or spend week(s) hiking along it. Check out my specific Beijing Guide for more details. Also be mindful of the seasons as sometimes it is dust storm season and that could be less opportune time to see Beijing.
Xi’an – This is more in the center of China. This area is known for the Terracotta warriors.
Tianmen Mountains – These majestic mountains look really amazing to hike up. They are in the Hunan province so a little hard to get to from what I’m told but I haven’t really looked into it.
Guilin – I’ll have to come back and write about this but I wanted to quickly note it here as its definitly worth checking out from the pictures I’ve seen.
Yunnan/Kunming – Like Guilin, I’ll have to come back and write about this but I wanted to quickly note it here as its definitly worth checking out from the pictures I’ve seen.
Thailand –
Bangkok – Watch Hangover 2 and believe it. Bangkok (BKK) is an Asian Chaotic city meaning not as clean and trim as Singapore and KL. So a weekend here would be fun to experience. Good partying clean, unclean, and beyond filthy from what I’m told…I only spent 1 day here so I didn’t write a guide yet. I’ll go back I’m sure and pay more attention.
Phuket – This is Asia’s beach/resort destination. It’s an island off of Thailand that everyone loves to go to for some sun and relaxing. I had a great time here. You can go crazy and party or just lay back and relax. There are some nice excursions and great diving here. I have written a Phuket Guide.
Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai – Only recently learned about these two places in Northern Thailand. I believe they are smaller villages and have a relax-and-get-away-from-the-city atmosphere. I think there is some great climbing/caving in this area.
Taiwan – I went to the eastern side of Taiwan to a place called Hualien. It was a great trip! This is little town doesn’t have much going on but its right near the mountains and coast so we rented scooters and drove 500km in 3 days. We went to Taroko Gorge to do some hiking, river tracing and waterfall finding. Then we road down the eastern coast of Taiwan until just past the Tropic of Cancer marker and then took the mountain /farm road of Route 193 back to Hualien. Day 3 we went through Taroko Gorge again and kept going (100+ km) until we were in the mountains (above the tree-line) for some fantastic views. The last day I spent in Taipei which has some great food (Din Tai Fung!) and some awesome clubs (Myst).
Vietnam – I did a 2 week trip to Cambodia and Vietnam. I saw Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Da Nang, Hoi An, & Hue. What’s left for what I want to visit is Ha Long Bay and Hanoi. Vietnam was cool to see. I winged it but my friend just did a similar trip through a travel agent and I have their full itinerary as well as contact info for the travel agent which they recommended. Vietnam was fun but it’s good for like backpackers. At least Southern/Northern Vietnam is like that. I really want to see Ha Long Bay (in the north) but it was too cold when I was there. (I mean not really cold but not t-shirt weather)
Saigon (HCMC)– You can honestly do all the sightseeing in Saigon in like 2 days (1 day in the city and 1 day excursion to the Tunnels) but its a fun party city! You can also do a 2-3 day sailing trip down the Mekong Delta which is pretty cool. You see floating markets and more country life. I did a 1 day Mekong trip that was great value (10 hours for $7 and that included lunch). Saigon is VERY cheap! 1 hour body Massages are only $5 (and I don’t mean the sketchy kind). I have a guide to HCMC.
Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue – Da Nang is pretty industrial. Basically you fly into Da Nang and head to Hoi An (30 minutes away) but I rented a motorcycle and spent an afternoon riding through Da Nang’s coastline and mountains which was nice. China beach is there (the old TV show). But there are better beaches on Phuquoc (Vietnamese island south of HCMC). Hoi An is a small town that’s more relaxed. It’s known for its food. They have special dishes that you can’t find in North or South Vietnam. Very tasty. 2 days in Hoi An is plenty. It’s a nice place to walk around and just chill out and eat great food by the Japanese bridge at night (all lit with paper lanterns). 1 day in Hue is plenty. It’s more like a city with a few palaces/tombs to see but not really worth more than a day. It has an airport so you can fly out of Hue if you wanted to or head back to Da Nang (2 hours). I have guides for these places.
Hanoi/Ha Long Bay – I didn’t do Hanoi because I was told its pretty similar to cities like HCMC and once you’ve seen a city like that you’re pretty much over it. However Ha Long Bay is really beautiful and I’ve heard like a 2 day cruise there is worth doing. I plan on going back there to do it when it’s a little warmer.
Cambodia – People that go to Cambodia are generally pretty impressed with Siem Reap. I ended up skipping Phnom Penh (the capital) because I decided to save some time and flew out of Cambodia rather than taking the bus. I also wasn’t in the mood to see another city. IF you bus or take a river trip from Vietnam its worth spending a day in Phnom Penh to break the trip up to Siem Reap and you can see the Killing Fields. Otherwise fly to Siem Reap from HCMC, Hanoi or Da Nang or take the bus from Bangkok. Siem Reap was great! This is where all the temples (Hindu and Buddhist) are – Ta Prohm (Tomb Raider was filmed here) and the famous Angkor Wat (most known but least favorite). I hired a tour guide in Siem Reap and he was really great and really nice! I’ve already recommended him to 3 people that have already booked him. If you decide to go here I will give you more details on what to do/see and give you his info. There are a lot of temples but you really can’t do more than 2 days worth because you get templed out. But the weather is hot and sunny and you can spend a day at the hotel or getting massages so 3-4 days is good in Siem Reap. I stayed 6 nights here because I also ended up volunteering at an orphanage for kids rescued from Sex trafficking SO if you want to do that I could give you the details. It was a lot of fun (and of course sad at the same time). The kids were great though! I have a guide to Siem Reap. The other place in Cambodia is Sihanoukville. This is the beach/resort area in the South of Cambodia. I was going to go there (via Phnom Penh) but cancelled that leg of the trip so I could spend the time at the orphanage in Siem Reap.
Philippines –If you’re interested in Scuba Diving, the Philippines is the place to go. I’m told they have places that rival the Great Barrier Reef. IF you aren’t divers you can get certified in 2 days for like $200-300 (I highly recommend doing it! I used to be afraid of open water and I did it and now love it!).
Manila – Manila is alright but then again I’m always there for work so I’m over it. It’s a city, good western shopping and some knock-offs and stuff. I guess there is a volcano that you can hike down into which I’d like to do next time but otherwise, stick to the resort islands…
Cebu – I spent the weekend in Cebu. It’s a small island with beaches and resorts. I did 2 days of diving and eating. It was cheap and I had a great time! Cebu is a well known destination but supposedly Boracay is better. Cebu is jut easier to get to because you can take direct flights from HK.
Boracay –I haven’t been yet but I might go for Chinese New Year. It’s a beach/resort island like Cebu but supposedly nicer and better diving. It’s just a little harder to get to because there are no direct flights. You fly to Manila and then take another flight to Boracay.
Tubatahan & Palawan – Other diving destinations in the Philippines. Tubatahan is supposed to be some of the best diving in the world. I will have to get there someday to check it out.
Singapore – I haven’t been but know a lot of people that have. Singapore is a westernized city. If you’re into partying or shopping it’s probably a good stop but if you want to see anything it’s not really worth going to from what I’ve heard. I did Kuala Lumpur which is similar and I was disappointed. After the 1st day there was nothing more to see unless you’re really into malls that have Prada, Gucci and LV….I picture Singapore being the same.
Kuala Lumpur –As I said above, 1 day was enough for me here. I’d like to see Penang which is more historical or the beaches of Malaysia but there are better beaches in Asia. I have a guide to KL.
Japan –
Tokyo is a great party city (but expensive!). There are some cool temples and parks to see here, nothing to crazy. I’d like to see Kyoto and hike Mt. Fuji someday. There are areas in the mountains that are famous for the hot spring spa. Okinawa is nice and probably relaxing (unless you’re the Karate kid). I have a guide to Tokyo.
Indonesia – I don’t really know much about Indonesia but could find out some stuff if you’re interested
Bali – I had a great time in Bali, its beautiful. The beaches are fantastic, you can visit neighboring islands or go Diving. I actually ended up going to Komodo for a 7 day diving liveaboard and spent 2 weekends in Bali to relax before and after.
Fiji – From the commercials they have been playing all month on the HK television, this island looks like a beautiful place to visit!
French Polynesia –If I ever stayed in a relationship long enough to want to go on a trip with her, I’d definitely check out these islands. Bora Bora is the most famous destination but my friends went to Moorea for their honeymoon and they had a blast. Its less known and therefore more quiet. I imagine it’s like Kauai vs. Honolulu. One’s very remote and the other is San Francisco on an Island.
Laos – I don’t know much about Laos either other than I hear its beautiful. I imagine its much like Cambodia or Northern Vietnam.
Goa – I really want to see the beaches of Goa, India. Goa has Portuguese influence. I have known people to have a really great time here. On New Year’s it’s supposedly a crazy party!
Sri Lanka – I don’t have much to say about here because I haven’t been, just thought I’d mention it as possible destinations.
Here’s the actual guides I have written about Asia: