Tim_and_Liz

Hi all,

We have traveled throughout the US, Caribbean, Europe, and the South Pacific but now want to try Asia.

The reasons we have not yet traveled to Asia include the following (completely irrational) reasons: stereotypes of hot, crowded, dirty cities, scary foods, no English spoken anywhere, and we won't be able to read signs that consist of only Asian characters.

We think of ourselves as culturally-sensitive, open-minded people... I just want to tell you where we are coming from. I don't mean to offend anyone and we want to travel to Asia to open our eyes and learn about a new culture(s).

That said:

We have an Aussie friend who is likely moving to HK later this year. My parents will be on a round-the-world cruise which stops in HK for two days over my spring break (I am a graduate student) next March. It seems that the stars are aligned for a trip to HK next March.

From what I've read, HK is a good introduction to Asia for the slightly apprehensive Western traveler (like us).

We will have approximately 10 days, not including travel to and from Asia. What city or location would you suggest for us in combination with HK? Our flights will go through Tokyo, so I was considering asking for a stopover there. We are also considering Singapore.

We are around 30 years old, no kids, work in health care/ academia, love great scenery, eating and drinking, culture, history, museums in that order. We don't need to spend too much time on a beach.

I would like to book FF tickets on NWA, which I will be able to do in a few weeks. So I want to get an itinerary down.

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions!

Liz

Craig

Bangkok -
Hot, yes
Crowded, yes but managable
Dirty, much better than some
Scary foods, no - some of the best and most reasonably-priced restaurants on the planet - all types of cuisines including (of course) great Thai food.
No English spoken - aside from taxi drivers, no problem.
Plus it meets all of your requirements.

goddessintl

Hi Liz,

HK is indeed great for those new to Asia. It's clean, signs to attractions are in English, the transit system is amazing, and the food is not scary. Give yourself at least 2 full days here, more if you can, so that you can enjoy it at a relaxed pace.
Victoria Peak is on most "must-do" lists and you should allow about 2 hours for this. Hong Kong island is where most of the action is, although there are some swanky restaurants in Kowloon, i.e. Felix in the Peninsula Hotel.
Victoria Park is at Tin Hau metro station and it's great. There is a pool, tennis courts and plenty of room to relax. The most surprising thing I found about HK is how much greenspace there is.

Singapore is more sedate than HK and you wouldn't need more than about a day and a half to appreciate it. The Night Safari at the zoo is a lot of fun and I would recommend it.

I haven't been to Japan but there are lots of posts regarding it on this site. My opinion is though, if you can swing a couple of days there with a tour or something, why not?

If you have any questions, post away!

Tim_and_Liz

Thank you Craig and goddessintl...

I need to read up on BKK, Tokyo and Singapore.

Do you think we have time for 3 places, or just two?

Liz

Kathie

With your limited time, opt for two places. I'd divide your time roughly in half so you get 5 days in each place. Hong Kong is rather expensive, while Bangkok is quite reasonably priced. This may make a difference in your decision-making.

goddessintl

I agree with Kathie, don't try to do too much. Five days in Singapore might be more than you want though, so you may want to look more closely at BKK or Tokyo.

If you are going to be flying between Hong Kong and Singapore, consider using JetStar Asia. This is a regional low-cost carrier, and it's great. Even the food is tasty! You have to pay for it (not expensive), but it worked for me one early morning. If you do end up deciding to attempt 3 spots, JetStar's resonable fares could make a stopover in Singapore worthwhile, provided you can redeem reward miles for a hotel room.

Have fun planning!

rkkwan

Singapore and Hong Kong are too similar. Since you are going to Hong Kong already, don't do Singapore. Bangkok or Tokyo only.

Tim_and_Liz

thanks kathie, rkkwan and goddess.

Price isn't a huge factor. HK prices are fine. I haven't researched prices in Tokyo but I have heard they are very high! If our flights are free, we won't worry too much about spending.

We have flown Jetstar from Sydney to NZ. I assume it is the same company as Jetstar Asia? We loved the flight and didn't mind purchasing our food at all

Thanks for the comment on Singapore being similar to HK.

I am leaning toward Tokyo just because it would be less chasing around since we connect through there anyway. But I don't know much about either Tokyo or Bangkok (yet).

Thanks again, all!

wolfmisc

Nice to meet Craig and Kathie again.
I myself are a Singapore hater (too clean and snobbish people}, but this is my private opinion.
For beginners Bangkok and Hong Kong should be ok. Even, if in both cities is not so much left of real old Asia.
After 10 years I went to HK
the other week and was surprised regarding prices. The big 5star hotels are still out of my budget, but we stayed at the Ramada Hongkong Island for just 800 HKD (100US). Good rooms, only the bathroom somewhat tiny. And had our dinner at Amy s Kitchen nearby the hotel. Surf and Turf, i.e. 200g or more of tenderloin and a big tiger prawn, for under 15 bucks.
Going with the other postings, try it out and your stereotypes will melt like wax under the hot Asian sun. By the way, Hong Kong was quite cold in March, especially during evening.

Tim_and_Liz

We prefer cold to hot. I am not sure that Tim is going to lean towards the hot hot temperatures of BKK and high dewpoint. (We live in Minnesota and prefer cooler weather!)

The award tickets are available on nwa.com for only 60,000 miles each. Yikes! The pressure is on to make a decision!

Thanks for your comments!

glorialf

Skip Singapore. Hong Kong and Bangkok are the two you should do and I'd divide the time by spending 6 days in Bangkok and 4 in Hong Kong -- there's more to do in Bangkok.

Tim_and_Liz

Thank you.

We are looking at flying into HKG and out of BKK. We can do a 2-day stopover in Tokyo. Yes or No?

48 hours in Tokyo

plus an additional 10 nights to split between Hong Kong and BKK.

Too much rigamaroll?

rhkkmk

i call HK upscale new york....you will love it and it is a perfect first asia stop...tons of sights, museums, etc...interesting buildings, great shopping, english is easy....fabulous foods...perfect...

japan will be cooler than bangkok but for something totally different i would go with bangkok...it is also very easy to deal with as a tourist...


japan is good too but your time is really too short...its a trip in itself, imo....

i do the bkk flights on nwa all the time....go for row 63 or 64 either side ---the only two seaters on the plane...well worth seeking out....that is usa to japan on the 747's...after that it is air buses...

Elizabeth_S

Hi Tim and Liz

We're in Sydney now - spent the month of January in SE Asia - had many of your concerns going into it but none of them were realized.

We loved Hong Kong - would recommend you skip Singapore as others have (actually we found it to be a lot like Chicago!) and if you have time we would highly recommend Luang Prabang, Lao. It's a wonderful place to spend a few days.

Here's a link to our blog

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/2...age/index.html

Happy to answer any questions.

Tim_and_Liz

We booked our flights! Only 60,000 miles and $58 per person. I am so excited!

48 hours in Tokyo followed by

10 nights to split between HK and BKK.

Thank you for your help today!

We still need to book the HK-BKK flight. Should we expect to pay around $350pp or wait for a sale? I need to read a lot more about the two cities/ countries before I can figure out how to split up our time.

Thanks again!

rkkwan

Next March, right? Don't worry about it. Wait until a month or so before, and then check various online site like zuji.com.

Or just wait until you get to Hong Kong before getting the tickets from a local travel agent. HKG-BKK is a route that has the most airlines running in the world - I like like 7 or 8 at the least. Always competitive.

You should get it for about $250-280.

rhkkmk

also check out bangkok air....they had a flight to hong kong added last year i think....

i think you will be very happy with this...

now come back here as often as you wish and pump us for info....we have tons of info on hotels etc....restaurants and so on....

Tim_and_Liz

I have to laugh at myself... I wrote this post only 15 days ago. Now that I have read so much about Thailand and HK (and a bit about Tokyo) I realize how ignorant I was. Especially about Thailand. I know we are going to LOVE it there. Thank you to everyone for answering this post in a supportive way. I cannot wait to go!

Bob... do you reserve rows 63 and 64 at 90 days out or even earlier? We had those rows on our way to Australia (on Qantas) and agree they are the best seats... We are not elites right now but should be by the end of the year. Are those rows reserved for NW elites?

Thanks again.

Liz

Tim_and_Liz

topping for Bob (see post just previous to this one)