October 2009?
Dec 1st, 2008, 07:33 AM
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October 2009?
Hello everyone...
I haven't been on the board in awhile, but Tim and I really enjoyed our first trip to Asia in March 2008.
We spent 2 nights in Tokyo, 3 in Hong Kong, 3 in Siem Reap, and 5 in Bangkok.
We will have 10-11 nights in late October 2009.
We'd like to stop in Tokyo again (which is very convenient due to living in Minneapolis with nonstop flights), then HK, then ??
I am thinking
2 nights Tokyo
3 nights Hong Kong
3 nights ? (Chiang Mai?)
3 nights Bangkok
or we could do
3-4 nights Tokyo
3 nights HK
4-5 nights Bangkok
I am guessing most people would prefer the latter.
We had no problems with the fast pace of our previous trip. We don't really care about beaches. Tim missed most of HK last time due to being ill, so we'd like to go back.
Any comments or suggestions on good places to travel in October?
Thanks in advance.
Liz
I haven't been on the board in awhile, but Tim and I really enjoyed our first trip to Asia in March 2008.
We spent 2 nights in Tokyo, 3 in Hong Kong, 3 in Siem Reap, and 5 in Bangkok.
We will have 10-11 nights in late October 2009.
We'd like to stop in Tokyo again (which is very convenient due to living in Minneapolis with nonstop flights), then HK, then ??
I am thinking
2 nights Tokyo
3 nights Hong Kong
3 nights ? (Chiang Mai?)
3 nights Bangkok
or we could do
3-4 nights Tokyo
3 nights HK
4-5 nights Bangkok
I am guessing most people would prefer the latter.
We had no problems with the fast pace of our previous trip. We don't really care about beaches. Tim missed most of HK last time due to being ill, so we'd like to go back.
Any comments or suggestions on good places to travel in October?
Thanks in advance.
Liz
Dec 1st, 2008, 08:40 AM
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I prefer the second itinerary, as you guessed. Personally, I'm not a fan of CM, though some are.
WHile Bangkok is my favorite city and we return almost annuall, we always add in something new. What about choosing a different destination - some place new? There is so much in SE Asia.
Depending on your interests, you could choose Bali or Luang Prabang, Laos as examples. If you love cities, perhaps consider Hanoi.
WHile Bangkok is my favorite city and we return almost annuall, we always add in something new. What about choosing a different destination - some place new? There is so much in SE Asia.
Depending on your interests, you could choose Bali or Luang Prabang, Laos as examples. If you love cities, perhaps consider Hanoi.
Dec 1st, 2008, 05:16 PM
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I have no problem going back time and again to the same place, IMO, that is really the only way you will get to know it; I am a much more of a see one cathedral 1,000 times rather than see 1,000 cathedrals once kind of gal. (I often go to the extreme and <i>move</i> to a place I like but realize that is not for everyone). So, either itin looks good to me; you will find the Hong Kong weather to be just about perfect in October, and considerably better than in March (air pollution notwithstanding). Great hiking/walking weather.
4 places in less than 2 weeks is a lot of moving, but look at flights and see what works. As you know the flights from Japan to Hong Kong are a bit on the long side, and generally only during the day, so you kind of “lose” a day there; but see what the other flights look like and how much real time you have on the ground and then see if that is worth it as far as CM.
You do have lots of possibilities if you want to experience a new place: you could go to Beijing or Xian or Lijiiang rather than CM; or go to Luang Prabang which has been mentioned above and which is another good option. Or you could stay in Japan and go to someplace much more traditionally Japanese like Kyoto and stay at a small inn. I think the weather in October in Japan will be really lovely (as it would be in the PRC). I think 4 nights is a longish time in Tokyo, but you could break it up with the fast train to Kyoto; that may give you more time there than if you tried to fly to CM or Luang Prabang for the same period.
Another idea is to simply drive down from Bangkok to Hua Hin and spend 3-4 days at the Chiva Som spa, which is a spa resort on the beach with tons of treatments, great spa food, yoga, Pilates, acupuncture, cooking classes, and just about every other kind of class you can imagine. It would not really be a tourist vacation, but a health retreat. It’s a very peaceful place, and could be a good break in the middle of a trip, IMO. I normally am not a huge fan of Hua Hin, but make an exception for this place, see chivasom.com.
You also can consider a place like Singapore, which fits into the triangle of Bangkok and Hong Kong quite nicely, or magical Bali (which is <i>not at all</i> about beaches), which you can get to from Hong Kong (and often Japan) quite easily; although non-stops to Bangkok are less available, but look at schedules. If you include Bali, you may just want to include 2 other places in order to give adequate time in Bali and for the trip down there.
Vietnam tends to be more on the rainy side in October, esp coastal areas (e.g. Hue), as is the superb eastern shore of Malaysia, so I would probably leave those off the list. See weatherbase.com for ideas of weather in various places.
4 places in less than 2 weeks is a lot of moving, but look at flights and see what works. As you know the flights from Japan to Hong Kong are a bit on the long side, and generally only during the day, so you kind of “lose” a day there; but see what the other flights look like and how much real time you have on the ground and then see if that is worth it as far as CM.
You do have lots of possibilities if you want to experience a new place: you could go to Beijing or Xian or Lijiiang rather than CM; or go to Luang Prabang which has been mentioned above and which is another good option. Or you could stay in Japan and go to someplace much more traditionally Japanese like Kyoto and stay at a small inn. I think the weather in October in Japan will be really lovely (as it would be in the PRC). I think 4 nights is a longish time in Tokyo, but you could break it up with the fast train to Kyoto; that may give you more time there than if you tried to fly to CM or Luang Prabang for the same period.
Another idea is to simply drive down from Bangkok to Hua Hin and spend 3-4 days at the Chiva Som spa, which is a spa resort on the beach with tons of treatments, great spa food, yoga, Pilates, acupuncture, cooking classes, and just about every other kind of class you can imagine. It would not really be a tourist vacation, but a health retreat. It’s a very peaceful place, and could be a good break in the middle of a trip, IMO. I normally am not a huge fan of Hua Hin, but make an exception for this place, see chivasom.com.
You also can consider a place like Singapore, which fits into the triangle of Bangkok and Hong Kong quite nicely, or magical Bali (which is <i>not at all</i> about beaches), which you can get to from Hong Kong (and often Japan) quite easily; although non-stops to Bangkok are less available, but look at schedules. If you include Bali, you may just want to include 2 other places in order to give adequate time in Bali and for the trip down there.
Vietnam tends to be more on the rainy side in October, esp coastal areas (e.g. Hue), as is the superb eastern shore of Malaysia, so I would probably leave those off the list. See weatherbase.com for ideas of weather in various places.
Dec 1st, 2008, 05:36 PM
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my vote is 3 nite tokyo....as many nites in HK as you can handle and a few nites in singapore or K/L with N/W flights direct back through japan...
but if you want some downtime then perhaps LP would fit the bill...it is lovely....get res now at la residence
but if you want some downtime then perhaps LP would fit the bill...it is lovely....get res now at la residence
