fsunoles80

Please help.....

My wife and I are trying to figure out what to do this summer. We are between going to Japan (Tokyo & Kyoto or Osaka) and China (Beijing & Hong Kong) or going to Thailand (Bangkok, Chang Rai, and Phuket) & Laos (if time permits).

We only know one person who has been to all those places to give us an opinion. Most people have been to one or the other and of course has great things to say.

Has anyone been to these places and provide us which place they believe is a better trip and why?

We will have about 10 days after flying over.

Thanks

L

unitoro

I've been to Beijing, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Chiang Rai (sorry not Phuket!) and Laos, and am planning a trip to Japan next spring...

I'd say it depends what you are looking for (and how much money you have). Also, 10 days is really not a lot!! I think it would be more worth it (meaning you'd get to see more instead of spend all this time travelling place to place) to do only Japan or only Beijing/HK (and maybe Shanghai) in that time. Thailand/Laos you could probably do in 10, but I'm not a huge Thailand fan in general...

Japan/China: Hong Kong has great shopping (not overly different from north america though) and very metropolitan and easy to get around with English. Beijing has lots of great historical sites as well as the olympic stadiums... but it is dirty and people are not known for being the friendliest there. In Japan I am looking forward to the crazy culture there - from tokyo's high tech automated everything, to the traditions that are propagated in kyoto.

Thailand/Laos: cheap!!! the beach in Thailand is supposedly beautiful. Laos is one of my favourite countries - so quaint and the people there are so nice. I wasn't overly impressed with Bangkok (would rather much do Hong Kong). I know it would be hard to do this trip and not do BKK since it's the main portal of entry though. Chiang Rai as a town itself is kind of boring too imo, but I think you can do hilltribe treks from there which I've heard was a great experience. I would add Cambodia if you're in this part of the world (Angkor Wat is lovely) and you have extra time...

i'm sure that didn't make things any easier! if you have specific questions please ask!

Hanuman

I've been to all the places you've mentioned but I must point out that I'm a Thai and live in Thailand. Fist of all, you should take into consideration that for the months of July/August, you are coming during the monsoon and typhoon season. In case of a typhoon, affects Hong Kong and Japan more than the other countries you've mentioned, it will be very hard to enjoy yourself if it happens while you're there. For China, Thailand and Laos you might experience a lot of rain but that's about it and you will be able to get around.

I feel that a combination of Thailand and Laos will be your best choice for culture, shopping, food and prices. Hong Kong and Beijing if you want high rise, big city adventure. Japan for culture and very modern infrastructure but expensive.

seemaskt

We've only been to Cambodia, but it's an amazing country. We spent 9 days there, so it's a country that you can definitely explore with the time you have.

Here is a link to our trip report and pictures.
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...ts-temples.cfm

We just returned 2 weeks ago. In addition to Siem Reap and the temples, we also went to Battambang, Kampong Chhnang and Phnom Penh. Getting off the beaten path gave us a chance to interact with the locals and explore the countryside and it provided some of the best memories of our trip.

You haven't said what you and your wife like - only urban or rural areas as well, so I'm not sure if this trip fits what you are looking for. But hopefully, this will give you some additional insight into Cambodia and help you make your decision.

Good luck with your planning!

WillJame

This is an impossible choice to advise on because personal preferences come into the picture so much. I've been to all of the places you list (except Chiang Mai rather than Chiang Rai), as well as to Cambodia, and wouldn't know how to begin to list the pros and cons.
BUT, let's take the two options you suggest: "Japan (Tokyo & Kyoto or Osaka) and China (Beijing & Hong Kong) or going to Thailand (Bangkok, Chang Rai, and Phuket) & Laos (if time permits)." I'd say that Option 2 is possible, but the first isn't. We did three parts of Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Ko Samui) in 10 days in 2000, and it worked fine for an overview. However, if you want a vote, my own preference--and you're not me--would be for ten days in Japan rather than ten days in Thailand. You shouldn't think of adding on China to Japan in a 10-day trip.
After a second visit to Thailand earlier this year, I'd have to echo Unitoro's view: "I'm not [any longer] a huge Thailand fan in general." That's certainly a sweeping judgment, and this forum has all kinds of Thailand boosters. As a third option, though, I'd suggest ten days in Laos and Cambodia instead, should you decide against Japan.
Why am I now giving advice when I said it was impossible to advise? I guess because you asked for it.

Hanuman

Thailand "boosters"? More like Thailand fans. How about people who make groundless accusation and make up stories about Thailand to hide their criminal activities? Here's one example: http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...corruption.cfm