Travel Question/Advice about Asia traveling

tatsu_k

tatsu_k

Member
Nov 17, 2010
502
10
#1
Hello Ladies,

I want an advice if possible, as I am in a situation no one of people i know could help me with information :smile:. I live in NYC and travel home to E Europe to visit my father once in every two years, when im visiting we travel together. We never went anywhere outside Europe and we've been quit to a few countries there.

Now, I am really considering going to Asia. I am ready to see something totally different and new and share it with my father. Here is the question: which country should we go? I know its a tricky question, but then again, no Maldives or any romantic destinations lol,. We are planning to go in fall 2015. I was thinking between Sri Lanka, Vietnam, maybe Beijing/Shanghai (China) or South Korea. What are your thoughts? Few things: i would love it to be $ friendly (i heard Singapore is expensive), not super hot, no crazy long walks (again, because of my dad's health). And mostly im looking for cultural treasures, something unforgettable.

I've never been to Asia, never did any research on countries there. Maybe if you visited/lived/live in any of those countries, you can share little experience?

I would really appreciate any thoughts. Last time when i traveled to Portugal, ladies here gave few tips that worked out great, so im here for the second time :smile:

Thanks!
 
#2
I always have a lot of fun when I travel to Asia. Japan is a great country to start your trips to Asia. It's clean, organized, and full of cultural treasures. Kyoto is an amazing city.

What did you like most about your trip to Portugal? I love Lisbon and the great food there.
 
#3
Japan is very expensive. I'd recommend China. The cost is reasonable, the people are wonderful and like Westerners. There is so much to choose from--Beijing with the Forbidden City, Pearl Market, short trip to the Great Wall; Shanghai with it's European influence; the River cruises; the Panda reserve; Xian with the Terra Cotta Warriors. It's almost endless what you can see and do in China.
 
#4
Ladies, thank you for your replies! I actually wanted to go to Japan for some time, but i kinda think its too far away and a bit more on $ side.

Chanbal, In Portugal we visited Lisboa, Sintra and then by car we went to Porto. the most thing i liked possibly were the castles, there are plenty of them and also Porto, with center of city located on a river, really beautiful. Oh yeah, and cheap good wine lol

Has anyone been to Sri Lanka im wondering?
 
#5
boxermom said:
Japan is very expensive. I'd recommend China. The cost is reasonable, the people are wonderful and like Westerners. There is so much to choose from--Beijing with the Forbidden City, Pearl Market, short trip to the Great Wall; Shanghai with it's European influence; the River cruises; the Panda reserve; Xian with the Terra Cotta Warriors. It's almost endless what you can see and do in China.
Click to expand...

was it hard to travel from city to city there, for example from Beijing to Shanghai? We usually take rental car, but i guess it would be best to skip. I love the idea of China, my father actually visited China, but long before i was born :smile:
 
#6
I've been to China, agree with others must see destination, much more than Japan.

I have my sights set on Vietnam and Cambodia early winter this year and I'm more intrigued than I was with the priors I mentioned.
 
#7
tatsu_k said:
was it hard to travel from city to city there, for example from Beijing to Shanghai? We usually take rental car, but i guess it would be best to skip. I love the idea of China, my father actually visited China, but long before i was born :smile:
Click to expand...

It's about a 2 hour flight from BJ to SH, or you can opt to take the high speed train that connect the 2 cities.

There is a lot of walking involved to see the ancient sites in Beijing, especially going through the Forbidden City.
 
#8
Another vote for China although I do love Japan too except it's very expensive. Just be aware that China is very polluted since you mentioned your dad's health. My mom was in China for 3 months and developed a cough there; hopefully, it will go away now that she's home.

Yes, just take trains or planes when travelling between cities, and take the metro in town. You don't want to drive there!
 
#9
You can walk as much or as little as you want in any city. You can hire a car to drop you off and pick you up at different sites. I agree that the pollution in Beijing is an issue but I thought they cleaned it up a lot before the Olympics?

It's not required but I would recommend Hep A vaccine before going. No one told me and dh forgot to mention it; I came back sick with it from either accidentally drinking a tiny bit of tap water (a big no-no) or one dinner at a small café. I was suspicious of the chicken but dh said he'd never gotten sick there so go ahead and eat up. Big mistake.

The Chinese people are generally awesome--friendly and welcoming to their country. If you go to one of the open air markets with lots of vendors they love to haggle over price. I swear they find it enjoyable to go back and forth about the price!
 
#11
god I would never in a million years choose China over Japan. Japan is everything that is wonderful in this world.

Hong Kong is worthwhile, beautiful, and a great trip, but I have zero desire to step foot in Beijing ever again. I loved seeing the historical sights, but that was about it. everything else was difficult and unpleasant, pretty much the opposite of boxermom's experience.
 
#12
tatsu_k said:
was it hard to travel from city to city there, for example from Beijing to Shanghai?
Click to expand...

Distances are far between many of the major city destinations. For cities that aren't connected by the high-speed rail, you can fly. I've taken flights within China, and the airlines are modern and ticket prices are reasonable, and it's easy to book.

I agree with Boxermom about China as a wonderful, fascinating country, especially in terms of hospitality. I'm going back next fall. Must say I'm eager to get to Japan and have heard great things about it, most recently from relatives just back who had a spectacular trip.
 
#13
I would recommend Cambodia. It meets your requirements: cultural treasures at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, something different, and affordable. It gets enough tourist that you can be comfortable, with plenty of hotels and businesses catering to tourists, but not enough that it's overrun.
 
#15
boxermom said:
You can walk as much or as little as you want in any city. You can hire a car to drop you off and pick you up at different sites. I agree that the pollution in Beijing is an issue but I thought they cleaned it up a lot before the Olympics?

It's not required but I would recommend Hep A vaccine before going. No one told me and dh forgot to mention it; I came back sick with it from either accidentally drinking a tiny bit of tap water (a big no-no) or one dinner at a small café. I was suspicious of the chicken but dh said he'd never gotten sick there so go ahead and eat up. Big mistake.

The Chinese people are generally awesome--friendly and welcoming to their country. If you go to one of the open air markets with lots of vendors they love to haggle over price. I swear they find it enjoyable to go back and forth about the price!
Click to expand...

This (highlighted in blue) is also why I have recommended Japan as a first destination in Asia. It is so easy to travel in Japan; I have been there several times and I don't get tired of it.

I also love to travel in China, and I always have a lot of fun in Beijing, but getting sick it's not difficult there. Haggling is a must, particularly in the silk market. Hong Kong is also a fun destination.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Back