hey people,

on nov. 11th, i depart for the orient. i will spend 15 leisure days exploring a variety of nations. ive never been to asia and dont have a clue what to expect.

is anyone from there or has been there? maybe somebody can pass on some tips or even if anyone resides there, we can hook up. itd be super cool to hang out in a foreign country.

hope to hear from you guys soon.

Hey deltaboy,

How was your trip

-kwag

deadly my friend!!! absolute, life changing experience. met so many people and made many new friends.

hong kong was all lights and shopping. there was high class regions as well as your typical slums. the people were fairly nice, but they would rather ignore you. i lucked out because on the plane, i sat with a guy who graduated from a university in my area. he showed me around and i hung out with his friends.

i did a day of shopping in china and it was crazy! a place called shenzhen, which is about an hour train out of hong kong. all i had to do was pay a guard $20 CAD to get my visa pass there, go figure. one massive shopping complex and there are no prices. you have to bargain for a deal. i scored huge... i think.

hooked up with a tour group to thailand because it way like 1/3 of the cost if i would have bought the ticket at home, plus it included transportion and hotels and meals. i felt bad because i pretty much used it for the rides, then i would go off on my own. went to a beach resort called pattaya and all i did was tan, drink, party, and get massages.

bangkok was a delight. an amazing culture, very religious. lucked out again. met a girl who worked at the hotel i was staying at. we did stuff everyday and she showed me around the city. it was so cool because, im sure, i probably got to do most things tourists would never do. it was hard to leave and i only had so much time to spend there.

korea was a bust. it was only a stoppover on my way home and i had to kill 11 hours there. the people were kind of rude, every single person was busy on their cellulars.
conclusion: korean food is horrible and thai food is so damn good, pad thai is the best dish ever!!! i loved my trip so much, i am working on finding my way back there. maybe try to do some teaching esl or something. i learned that next time i go, i wont overpack! now knowing that it is like a constant 30 degrees C in that area, i will bring just my shorts, sandals, and Ts in a backpack and buy the rest there. too much luggage is a little restricting, especially for a place like thailand.

dont know if i missed anything, i dont want to write a freakin novel. you can check out my pics here if you like: http://www.pbase.com/deltaboy/asia
cant wait til my next departure...

Hey deltaboy,

It looks like you had a lot of fun
The pictures are really great

-kwag

Did I just see an elephant riding a bike?? That looks like a fun trip.

Poor bike ( And poor elephant )

Hi Deltaboy and other,
If you people have a chance to Hong Kong again, don't forget to drop by "Sham Shui Po" (Golden Computer Centre) and "Lan Kwai Fong" (a paradise to meet visitors and local people while drinking.

cool, thanks SYK2C11!!! i am definately going back there, hopefully next oct/nov. is lan kwai fong accessible by either the KCR or MTR? ill ask my friends over there about it.

You can go both places by taking MTR. For Lan Kwai Fong, you get off at "Central" station, for Sham Shui Po's Golden Computer Centre, you get off at "Sham Shui Po" station.