Vacation advice request

[paulbaxter]

I've been planning a vacation with my girlfriend coming up at the end of January. We had been planning on going to Hong Kong, but she got spooked by the unrest that's been going on there. As an aside, you get get flights to Hong Kong now SUPER cheap. Anyhow we're looking to switch to a different destination. Possible places we're thinking about are Thailand/Bangkok, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, or conceivably, Hawaii.

Things I'm looking specifically for would be relatively reasonable cost (outside of the flight cost itself), nice scenery, and good hiking available. I ruled out Singapore as being a little too pricey for my tastes.

Would love suggestions from your experiences if you've been to any of those places! Bad experience stories would be welcome as well.

Thanks

[em2nought]

Well, the food is great in Thailand, and so are the foot massages for after the hiking. I kinda wish that's where I was right now instead of in a city that's about to have curfew for the night. LOL Most of the temples are a hike to the top. Haven't done any hiking there though, too hot for me.

On a completely different side of the world if I was looking to do some hiking with great scenery I'd think about going to Crete. Santorini is nice too. Food is great too. You can even hike into some snow on the White Mountains. Crete is kind of a dry New Zealand. There is the Samaria Gorge and if you can get to the bottom and back up to the top you're a better man than 25 year old me was. The smart people hiked down and then took the bus. Crete and particularly Santorini seem like good girlfriend locations.

Chania on Crete

Looks like some very good airbnb prices around Chania on Crete too

[Holman]

I've never been anywhere in Asia, but I'd think that Vietnam could be fascinating because of our troubled and shared history.

A viewing of the Ken Burns PBS series on the Vietnam War could make the trip very meaningful. My understanding is that, even though they are officially communist, the country is very welcoming to Americans because (a) our dollars matter a lot and (b) they've thrown in with us against their 2,000-year rival, China.

[em2nought]

I've never been anywhere in Asia, but I'd think that Vietnam could be fascinating because of our troubled and shared history.

A viewing of the Ken Burns PBS series on the Vietnam War could make the trip very meaningful. My understanding is that, even though they are officially communist, the country is very welcoming to Americans because (a) our dollars matter a lot and (b) they've thrown in with us against their 2,000-year rival, China.

I took a date to see "Das Boot" once, the concept is similar. LOL Vietnam has good food too I think. They've got a bit of the French mixed with their own. I know I've seen a sandwich that looked darned good.

[dbt1949]

I didn't have a very good time in Asia but I did love western Europe.
Folks took a small canal barge tour in England they were pretty happy with. Saw a show about it not too long ago about a guy that bought one the the boats and just living on it and cruising the canals.
Pretty cool.

[Victoria Raverna]

Surprised that you think Singapore is pricey when your original plan was to go to Hong Kong which is a very pricey place. If you want to go to countries at South East Asia, it is likely your flight will need to transit at Singapore, so maybe spend a few nights at Singapore on your way to or from your vacation destination.

From Singapore, you can go to Thailand, Malaysia, or Indonesia.

For Indonesia, most foreign tourist prefer place like Bali island but there are other nice places to visit. https://www.balitourismboard.org/

Local Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia) citizen like to go to Puncak for the weekend. My favorite is not actually Puncak but Taman Safari Bogor which is on the way to Puncak from Jakarta. Taman Safari is a animal park/zoo where you can ride around in car. They also have two Panda borrowed from China. For Taman Safari area, I prefer to stay at Pesona Alam. Pesona Alam has a private small pine forest/park that tourist can hike which is probably safer than just go hike at a more public location. http://pesonaalamresort.com/ https://tamansafaribogor.com/

You can also go to North Sumatra which has nice mountain area with Lake Toba which is a big lake that was from a giant ancient volcano crater. On the way to Lake Toba, you can spend a day or two in Medan for culinary tourism but you'll probably need a local guide to take you around Medan. https://www.indonesia.travel/gb/en/dest ... /lake-toba

[em2nought]

I didn't have a very good time in Asia

Vietnamese New Year 1968 was just the wrong time to visit.

[Scuzz]

I will be honest and say that I have never had the urge to visit southeast Asia. Maybe Australia or New Zealand. But I have seen shows lately that make Vietnam seem like it might be interesting.

Personally I would go to Spain or Portugal.

[noxiousdog]

I'm probably the only person in the world that thinks so, but Hawaii is overrated. Yes, it's pretty, but not significantly more so than other tropical islands. Its big pluses are the weather and it's American. The former is important if you're used to 70F/21C and other tropical locations will be oppressive. The latter is only important to spoiled Americans.

It's a wonderful place, but not anywhere close to worth the expense, imo.

[AWS260]

Of the places you named, I've only been to Vietnam, and it was great. Ha Long Bay is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in my life. The Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi is fascinating -- there's no shortage of propaganda, but also really interesting history about the communist movement in Vietnam before the "American War."

If you want to head in the opposite direction, Scotland is my favorite vacation destination. Great hiking and even better whisky.

[ImLawBoy]

Of those places I've only been to Hawaii. I was a teen when we went to Maui, and I don't remember much about hiking there. I went to Kauai for my honeymoon, and that seems to be most hiking friendly of the main islands. Hiking the Na Pali trail is supposed to be quite the challenge.

[Jeff V]

The Philippines speak American English in places you are likely to go, plus you can go to other countries from there dirt cheap (like $100 flights to Viet Nam, Hong Kong, Macao, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and I think even pretty cheap to Singapore). On my various trips there, I've been to the top of an active volcano (Taal); to beach resorts that rival Hawaii, to unimaginably gorgeous gardens, to a river trip scenery-wise straight out of Apocalypse Now (which was filmed there). Been to resorts with water parks and magnificent buffets, and rented a boat and crew to take us snorkeling off the coast and to a restaurant that was in the middle of the bay on stilts, serving fresh seafood that was still living when we ordered it's execution, and serenaded by a Filipino mariachi band.

[dbt1949]

You might visit our neighbors to the north. I've heard the scenery is pleasant and they are a tolerable people.

[Alefroth]

I didn't have a very good time in Asia but I did love western Europe.
Folks took a small canal barge tour in England they were pretty happy with. Saw a show about it not too long ago about a guy that bought one the the boats and just living on it and cruising the canals.
Pretty cool.

I've been fascinated with that boat lifestyle for a while. One of my retirement dreams is to get one and cruise the canals for a few years. Over the last year, I've watched 100+ hours of Youtube videos of various narrowboat vloggers.

[Alefroth]

Regarding an Indonesia vacation, Bali is someplace that has been on my list. It sounds like it has a bit less culture shock than other Indonesian destinations, and not quite as touristy as Thailand. It's quite small though and I don't know if there is much hiking.

[Scuzz]

I didn't have a very good time in Asia but I did love western Europe.
Folks took a small canal barge tour in England they were pretty happy with. Saw a show about it not too long ago about a guy that bought one the the boats and just living on it and cruising the canals.
Pretty cool.

I am trying to talk the wife into a river cruise in Europe.

[Alefroth]

I didn't have a very good time in Asia but I did love western Europe.
Folks took a small canal barge tour in England they were pretty happy with. Saw a show about it not too long ago about a guy that bought one the the boats and just living on it and cruising the canals.
Pretty cool.

I am trying to talk the wife into a river cruise in Europe.

I've got no interest at all in an ocean cruise, but I think a river cruise would be really fun.

[Victoria Raverna]

Regarding an Indonesia vacation, Bali is someplace that has been on my list. It sounds like it has a bit less culture shock than other Indonesian destinations, and not quite as touristy as Thailand. It's quite small though and I don't know if there is much hiking.

Bali is not small. The main tourist areas are small but Bali is more than that.

[Alefroth]

Regarding an Indonesia vacation, Bali is someplace that has been on my list. It sounds like it has a bit less culture shock than other Indonesian destinations, and not quite as touristy as Thailand. It's quite small though and I don't know if there is much hiking.

Bali is not small. The main tourist areas are small but Bali is more than that.

Thanks for the correction. It seemed like a small island to me. Do you think it's a good place to visit?

[pr0ner]

Hawaii is not overrated.

Signed,
Someone with a Hawaiian birth certificate.

[Victoria Raverna]

Regarding an Indonesia vacation, Bali is someplace that has been on my list. It sounds like it has a bit less culture shock than other Indonesian destinations, and not quite as touristy as Thailand. It's quite small though and I don't know if there is much hiking.

Bali is not small. The main tourist areas are small but Bali is more than that.

Thanks for the correction. It seemed like a small island to me. Do you think it's a good place to visit?

Of course. It is the main tourist destination in Indonesia.

Look at this page and see if you think you want to visit some of these places in Bali: https://www.thrillophilia.com/places-to-visit-in-bali

Bali is about half the size of the Big Island of Hawaii.

There are other places in Indonesia that are interesting but Bali is still the most tourist friendly destination in Indonesia.

[disarm]

Hawaii is one of the most incredible places I've visited, and I've traveled quite a bit. I have a feeling that many who visit don't really experience the best that the islands have to offer. If the majority of one's experience is the popular touristy areas of Oahu or Maui, then you're barely scratching the surface.

My wife and I visited the four major islands during our trip and made a point to venture off the usual path. We spent most of our time either hiking or snorkeling in secluded areas, and the sights were always breathtaking. I've never been anyplace else that compares to Kauai. Hiking to the top of an 800-foot waterfall in Waimea Canyon, standing at the top of Kalalau valley in the Na'Pali coast, and flying over remote areas of Kauai in a helicopter that are otherwise inaccessible are experiences that I'll never forget.

[em2nought]

On the way to Lake Toba, you can spend a day or two in Medan for culinary tourism but you'll probably need a local guide to take you around Medan. https://www.indonesia.travel/gb/en/dest ... /lake-toba

Oh man, all those dishes looked yummy, except the Durian. LOL

[Victoria Raverna]

On the way to Lake Toba, you can spend a day or two in Medan for culinary tourism but you'll probably need a local guide to take you around Medan. https://www.indonesia.travel/gb/en/dest ... /lake-toba

Oh man, all those dishes looked yummy, except the Durian. LOL

With Durian, you need to taste it not smell it. Some people can't stand durian's smell.

I grew up at Medan, so I missed those dishes. Jakarta has a lot of people from Medan that sell Medan dishes but not taste as good.

[Scuzz]

Hawaii is one of the most incredible places I've visited, and I've traveled quite a bit. I have a feeling that many who visit don't really experience the best that the islands have to offer. If the majority of one's experience is the popular touristy areas of Oahu or Maui, then you're barely scratching the surface.

My wife and I visited the four major islands during our trip and made a point to venture off the usual path. We spent most of our time either hiking or snorkeling in secluded areas, and the sights were always breathtaking. I've never been anyplace else that compares to Kauai. Hiking to the top of an 800-foot waterfall in Waimea Canyon, standing at the top of Kalalau valley in the Na'Pali coast, and flying over remote areas of Kauai in a helicopter that are otherwise inaccessible are experiences that I'll never forget.

Hawaii is a lot more than Honolulu or Lahaina. I have been there twice and would love to go again. But yes, get somewhere off the beaten path.

[paulbaxter]

Post-vacation update.

We ended up going to Hong Kong after all, and I'm really glad we did. Due to ongoing news about protests, flights and hotel rooms were ridiculously cheap.

I found Hong Kong to be an absolutely wonderful place to vacation and would go back in a heartbeat to try to do SOME of the things I wasn't able to fit in last week. Don't think I'd want to go in the summer though. The city is very clean (for a big crowded city), easy to navigate, and the people were very polite and friendly. Nearly every sign in town is printed in both Cantonese and English. Took a side trip to Macau as well.

Hong Kong is a bit like someone did a mash up of Manhattan and Hawaii. Lots of skyscrapers and shopping and nightlife, but also lots of beautiful green mountains to hike and explore and big and little islands if you want to explore those as well. We got to see wild monkeys and had a close encounter with a wild pig during one hike. Looked over and the big guy was about ten feet away from us, but he was busy chomping on some trash and didn't pay us any attention.

The only evidence we ran into of protests was that a few subway turnstiles had been vandalized such that the screen that showed how much was left on your subway card wasn't working. That and a minimal amount of graffiti. Of course the big event there now is concern over the coronavirus, so lots of people wearing masks in public areas. I didn't bother myself, but nearly everyone on the plane ride back had a mask on. I suppose I'm fortunate that they didn't cancel all flights out. My girlfriend was also able to fly back to Beijing, but I don't think she'll be able to travel to other parts of China for the rest of her vacation d/t the travel ban in China.

[LordMortis]

I assume you beat the Coronavirus lockdowns?

[paulbaxter]

So far Hong Kong is still open, though some of the young protesters were specifically protesting that recently. Mainland China, OTOH, has really gone all out. One of the "benefits" of an authoritarian government, I suppose.