tokyo/hong kong novice
Dec 7th, 2010, 03:10 AM
#1
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tokyo/hong kong novice
is there a japan/hong kong thread for this asia novice?
asia (using the asia pass with cx for hong kong plus two additional cities) is the front runner for a spring vacation for the husband and i.
thank you.
asia (using the asia pass with cx for hong kong plus two additional cities) is the front runner for a spring vacation for the husband and i.
thank you.
Dec 8th, 2010, 11:02 PM
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Sorry but I didn't make myself clear. I meant to say that if you're coming from the USA you will have to land in Hong Kong first when flying with CX. In order to save time without having to backtrack through Hong Kong after you've finished with your second destination you could fly from there(Bangkok etc) to a city in India, Sri Lanka or Singapore with CX directly.
If you wish to go to Japan after Hong Kong then there's no choice but to fly back to Hong Kong before changing plane to another destination. Minor inconvenience but time consuming IMO.
If you wish to go to Japan after Hong Kong then there's no choice but to fly back to Hong Kong before changing plane to another destination. Minor inconvenience but time consuming IMO.
Dec 9th, 2010, 03:11 AM
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thank you hanuman, yes it does seem the asia pass over hong kong is a good deal, but will have to use hong kong has a jump off point a few times. also looking for unique, off the beaten path not to miss experiences in both tokyo and hong kong. (our third city is yet to be determined, perhaps thailand somewhere...)
Dec 9th, 2010, 07:15 AM
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When deciding on where to go on vacation, it strikes me as odd that the decision making follows the path of "Step 1: Which air pass shall I buy," followed by "Step 2: Now that I have the air pass, which places shall I visit?"
I would have used the process of first choosing the places where I'd want to visit, and then choosing the best formula that would take me there. If that formula also allowed me to visit additional places, so much the better. But first things first.
I would have used the process of first choosing the places where I'd want to visit, and then choosing the best formula that would take me there. If that formula also allowed me to visit additional places, so much the better. But first things first.
Dec 9th, 2010, 09:20 PM
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Some questions I would have are:
1. How long is the trip? If only a week or so, you may find the flights between Japan and Hong Kong will eat into your time, as they take 4 hours, and CX’s flights to/from Tokyo are all during the day which means you would lose basically all of a day in travel each way. (CX does have a late afternoon flight to Osaka and an evening return which might work a bit better if you just went to Osaka.)
2. What time of year? I love Hong Kong, but not in March. Too foggy and damp. April is a bit better, but still not an ideal month. February is either crappy or great, it’s a matter of luck. April in Tokyo could be nice with cherry blossoms. But perhaps then pick another city which is closer to Tokyo, perhaps staying in Japan and going to Osaka or Kyoto or Hakone. (Or go to Beijing, which can be dusty in April and March as well as cool, but not crowded like the summer).
3. What are your interests? Beach, city, countryside? Museums, cultural sights, shopping or outdoor activities? Time of year and the amount of time you have for this trip will play a role in your choices, but you should be able to get to where your interests would be best served. Bali is a fairly easy flight on CX from Hong Kong, as is Phuket. Bangkok and Singapore are close. Hanoi is an easy trip and very interesting destination for a few days. I am not a huge fan of KL (nor of Tokyo), but you can get there pretty easily on CX and then see other parts of Malaysia. And there is the whole PRC to be considered.
4. If you want off the beaten path, you can hardly beat Taiwan, which has far fewer Western tourists than any place named so far. But again in March this may not be the ideal month weather-wise. But just for Taipei it is probably OK as you aren’t trying to have clear harbour views like you would in Hong Kong. For ideas on Hong Kong see http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...l-night-ma.cfm http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...eels-alm-1.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...agons-back.cfm and at http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...d-the-peak.cfm
5. If you are thinking of India as part of a spring trip, you really, really better like searing heat. Because that is what you will get in most of India in the spring months. And I would not include Japan, Hong Kong and then India in something like a 2-week vacation where you are required to fly into and out of Hong Kong on all the legs. Too much distance to cover, and not enough time to really see India. Sri Lanka would have the same disadvantage as far as distance is concerned although it is smaller than India so perhaps easier to cover in a shorter amount of time.
1. How long is the trip? If only a week or so, you may find the flights between Japan and Hong Kong will eat into your time, as they take 4 hours, and CX’s flights to/from Tokyo are all during the day which means you would lose basically all of a day in travel each way. (CX does have a late afternoon flight to Osaka and an evening return which might work a bit better if you just went to Osaka.)
2. What time of year? I love Hong Kong, but not in March. Too foggy and damp. April is a bit better, but still not an ideal month. February is either crappy or great, it’s a matter of luck. April in Tokyo could be nice with cherry blossoms. But perhaps then pick another city which is closer to Tokyo, perhaps staying in Japan and going to Osaka or Kyoto or Hakone. (Or go to Beijing, which can be dusty in April and March as well as cool, but not crowded like the summer).
3. What are your interests? Beach, city, countryside? Museums, cultural sights, shopping or outdoor activities? Time of year and the amount of time you have for this trip will play a role in your choices, but you should be able to get to where your interests would be best served. Bali is a fairly easy flight on CX from Hong Kong, as is Phuket. Bangkok and Singapore are close. Hanoi is an easy trip and very interesting destination for a few days. I am not a huge fan of KL (nor of Tokyo), but you can get there pretty easily on CX and then see other parts of Malaysia. And there is the whole PRC to be considered.
4. If you want off the beaten path, you can hardly beat Taiwan, which has far fewer Western tourists than any place named so far. But again in March this may not be the ideal month weather-wise. But just for Taipei it is probably OK as you aren’t trying to have clear harbour views like you would in Hong Kong. For ideas on Hong Kong see http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...l-night-ma.cfm http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...eels-alm-1.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...agons-back.cfm and at http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...d-the-peak.cfm
5. If you are thinking of India as part of a spring trip, you really, really better like searing heat. Because that is what you will get in most of India in the spring months. And I would not include Japan, Hong Kong and then India in something like a 2-week vacation where you are required to fly into and out of Hong Kong on all the legs. Too much distance to cover, and not enough time to really see India. Sri Lanka would have the same disadvantage as far as distance is concerned although it is smaller than India so perhaps easier to cover in a shorter amount of time.
Dec 10th, 2010, 03:09 AM
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thanks rkkwan, really are in just the beginning stages, and working out the trip...
thank you for your notes cicerone. it would be for a full two weeks, the last week in march and first week of april. i understand that is the peak season for the cherry blossoms in japan, so it would be great to see that. the interest in this vacation would be cultural, adventure... really want to see and experience something new entirely. (some vacations we take are beach, some are city, some are country...)
thank you for your notes cicerone. it would be for a full two weeks, the last week in march and first week of april. i understand that is the peak season for the cherry blossoms in japan, so it would be great to see that. the interest in this vacation would be cultural, adventure... really want to see and experience something new entirely. (some vacations we take are beach, some are city, some are country...)
