Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with travel and asia

Travel Options w/a RT Ticket to Kuala Lumpur

gov_moonbeam — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:08:44 -0800

I jumped on a super cheap ticket on Air China to Kuala Lumpur next Spring. It'll be my first time in Asia and I have about 10 days. Should I stick to Malaysia & Singapore or is it worth it looking at other locations I can fly to from the airport? My #1 addiction is travel and after doing Peace Corps in the Caribbean and visiting almost all of Latin America, I'm ready to move on to a new part of the world. I've just bought a really cheap ticket on Air China to Kuala Lumpur in late April 2010. From what I've been told, Malaysia and Singapore are good "starter" countries for getting your feet wet in Asia.

I'm in the preliminary stages of reading about both places, but would love to hear from people who've been there. Having done exhaustive "hit every town on the tourist/backpacker route" trips before, I would rather be low key in my travels. So I'm hoping for advice from people who've either been there or who live there. Would you stick to Malaysia and Singapore or is it worth it seeing what other locations I can fly to out of KL? And if I just spent my time in M & S, what are the big "tourist traps*" that I could easily skip? I like wandering around and just getting a sense of people's lives in a place. And obviously I wouldn't have thought about the ticket i the first place if I didn't have an interest in street food. Also I love going to museums and being outdoors/hiking. I have one friend of a friend who lives in KL as a contact, but I'd love to hear from other people's experiences.

* I went to Brazil 3 years ago and thinking that speaking only Spanish would be a problem, I signed up for a tour through GAP Adventures. I really regret this decision because we hit all of the high cost "gringo route" locations in the country, plus the group I was with mostly cared about partying/finding the local disco. I didn't really feel like I'd had the experience of what life is actually like in that country outside of the hostel/backpack bubble.

Bait-and-Switch or ineptitude?... WTF Travelocity!?

blueberry — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:27:45 -0800

Buying a ticket to Bangkok—is there a dependable online ticket-searching service that is all about getting the truly cheapest fare? Skinflint-In-Coach.com? Argh!, I spent over an hour today working on the Travelocity site, trying to find a low-priced ticket from Portland to Bangkok. After noodling around with my Portland/Bangkok departure dates I finally found a reasonably priced ticket that I could afford. However when I clicked to order it Travelocity said Sorry, that ticket's not available, please go pick another one—all of the other tickets being at least $500 more. (And annoyingly, when I went back to look at the other tickets, that cheaper un-buyable ticket was still listed as being available)

So, I tried Kayak.com and found that while it searches across four different ticket sites, each site finds fares that differ from each other by thousands of dollars. That is, each site is saying "This is the absolute cheapest flight out there" but actually the ticket prices vary from $1900 to $4000. To my mind, there should be only one "cheapest flight"—you know, hence the "-est" suffix.

So tell me hive mind, is there one ticket-finding site that
A: doesn't advertise tickets that it doesn't have (Travelocity), and
B: searches all flights all through one interface—so you don't have to dig through several different sites and windows wasting time with their laughable ideas of what they call "the cheapest flight"?

[For reference, I'm looking to leave PDX on Dec 9th, and leave BKK on any of the days between Dec 31 and Jan 3]

Where to spend a 4-day weekend in SE Asia?

cosmonaught — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 04:54:07 -0800

I've found myself in SE Asia (KL, Malaysia) with a 4-day weekend (because of Raya) and nothing to do. I'm thinking I probably should travel somewhere, but really not sure where. Where is a good place for a solo traveler to go in the area (the area being anywhere in the eastern hemisphere I can get in a reasonable amount of time)? Cheap is good, but not essential.

Travelling with Swine flu risks: Safety vs Bargain

gttommy — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:12:08 -0800

Safety and budget -wise, should I buy a heavily discounted ticket now to SE Asia in January 2010? More details inside... Hi guys!

I am calling on the powers of mefi to help me in a time of swine flu fear...

I am afraid of the Swine flu getting worse and I hear it's pretty serious in those hot tropical countries.

While at the same time I would like to know whether there would be cheap flight deals leading up to Jan next year, based on historical trends. Any bargain travel shoppers here who can speak from experience?

If it is unlikely, I will have to just take up the bargain and hope that Swine flu doesn't get too bad in around 5 months time!
If likely, I will play the pragmatist and just wait it out a little more for the next hot airfare deal.

Many thanks.

Suggestions for traveling cheaply, and (mostly) comfortably within Asia?

dubitable — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:50:18 -0800

Suggestions for traveling cheaply, and (mostly) comfortably *within* Asia? Hi folks, we are planning a trip to Asia this summer, between end of June and beginning of July. We will be hitting three countries: Singapore, Thailand, and Japan, in that order. We will be going to Chiang Mai in Thailand. Our master plan was to buy tickets from Boston to Singapore and then, at the end, out of Narita back to Boston, and assume we could figure out how to get around cheaply from Singapore to Thailand and then Thailand to Japan. At least, we'd heard of other people doing this and it seemed reasonable, but...is this really feasible and economical? Has anyone done this? Which are the best Asia-regional airlines to get around? For recommending airlines, know that we'd rather pay a bit more (but not a lot more) and get some more service, comfort and security than go with the bottom of the bucket sort of airline (a la no Ryanair analogs, thank you very much...).

Help me travel SE Asia as cheaply and amazingly as possible, please

saul wright — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:27:43 -0800

So I'm going to be going over to SE Asia for the first time in a couple weeks and I'd love some advice on where to go and what to do... I've read previous questions here on metafilter but would love some more advice.

I will be spending time in Seoul and around Toyama, Japan to start with. I have friends and family in these places, so they should be able to tell me what's good to do. However, suggestions for things to do around these places are definitely welcome. I will then be traveling with my father and brother for January 22 - February 1st. (Tentatively Shanghai, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Vietnam.) I will then go off on my own, traveling by myself for about 2 weeks. I will then be in Seoul for about 10 days before I head home.

Questions:

1. I will have two days in Tokyo, one after I fly in, before I take the overnight bus to Toyama and another, after the bus from Toyama, before I fly out (Fri Jan 9th and Mon Jan 19th.) What to do in Tokyo during the day?

2. Where should I go when traveling on my own? I want to travel as cheaply as possible, so I reckon I will be taking buses. I'm thinking about Laos and Thailand (where to go within Thailand?) but I've heard now might now be a good time to go there. Can anyone tell me if it is a serious bad idea to go to Thailand now or is it just people being paranoid?

3. I will have some free time in Seoul (feb 18th - 21st) after my dad leaves. My brother will be there but he will be working during the day. I will have already done a lot of the main, typical things to do in Seoul with my dad. Any suggestions on what to do in Seoul? I'm not against travelin, but thinking about stickin around Seoul since I'll have a place to stay for free. I'll be in downtown by seoul station and city hall. I've checked out these previous questions.

4. Suggestions on packing? I'm a low maintenance kinda guy and will be taking just one moderately sized backpack. I've read onebag and these threads but those seem to be about the warmer season. I would love any more suggestions. I'm going to try and play it real light, guessing I can get pretty much anything I need when I'm there. Also, is it going to be crazy cold?

5. This will be my first time in Asia and my first time out of North America besides a week in Italy when I was in high school. Also, my first time doing serious traveling alone. I'm not foreseeing any problems but still, any general culture/travel advice?

6. If I am in a place where I can stay somewhere for real cheap, I will get a room. Otherwise, I'm going to try couchsurfing. Any suggestions for ways a broke stranger can say thank you for letting him stay on your couch? I'd love to cook a meal or draw some beautiful picture but I'm not much of a cook or artist.

Caveats:

1. While I won't be quite broke, I won't have very much money so the cheaper, the better. I don't get grossed out or uncomfortable easily.

2. I understand that it's impossible to see everything in just a few weeks but I am leaning more toward staying in each place just a couple days and moving on, to see as much as possible (without going crazy) as opposed to really getting to know one or two areas.

3. Anywhere I go when traveling on my own, I will have to get back the Vietnam-area (most likely Saigon) to fly back to Seoul so I can fly back to the US. Round trip tickets...

Any general travel advice is great too.

Sorry for the many questions and thanks so much in advance!

GiftFilter: must-have objects for a year-long trip

XiBe — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:09:08 -0800

What are the must-have objects for a year-long trip in the World's south-east (India, Asia, Australia). So, my brother is about to embark for his year-long trip (previous questions) on a shoestring (15€/day, roughly $20), and I'd like to buy him something truly useful to take with him, something that he hasn't thought about yet.

He already has a good list of usual items (french, in english): Swiss-army knife, mosquito net, dynamo headlamp, ziplock bags, and then some.

Requisites: small and lightweight (has to take it around the world), cheap (can replace it easily if lost), very useful/needed/helpful...

Please give me your ideas, hivemind!

What should I do in Vietnam?

misterL — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:32:38 -0800

Does anyone have suggestions for me regarding my 14 day trip to Vietnam? I am in my late 20s, I am traveling alone, and I have never traveled in a foreign country before. I am flying into Ho Chi Minh City and would like to explore as much of Vietnam as possible. I was considering traveling by train and heading north. How easy/difficult is it to navigate the train system in Vietnam? Please, any suggestions, destinations, tips, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Victorian era travel journals and exploration books?

thewalrus — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:02:55 -0800

I'm looking for historical travel journals and books in the public domain. Specifically I'm interested in anything related to Victorian era exploration of the middle east and central Asia. About one month ago I came across the Project Gutenberg collection of books written by Arnold Henry Savage Landor, who seemed to delight in traveling "the hard way". As an example, in 1902 he decided to ride the train from Moscow to Baku, get on a Caspian lake steamer, travel to a port in Northern Iran and make his way over land through Iran to the western end of Balochistan, and from there to Quetta. In true Victorian era explorer fashion he brought a huge and unwieldy collection of scientific instruments, cameras, modern rifles, pistols and other things which baffled the local population. Reading any of his books one shifts between a sense of amusement (the guy believed in phrenology!) and genuine fascination at his observations of places and cultures that had rarely been explored or contacted by English speaking cultures. He goes into some detail about the historical, tribal and cultural background of the people in western Balochistan and southern / south-west Afghanistan.

Another example of a book in this genre is the Mark Twain non-fiction work Following the Equator in which he devotes a large section to describing his 1895 travels over-land throughout Australia, India and South Africa, with many amusing Twain-style anecdotes about the local cultures seen from the perspective of an American humor writer.

I'm looking for more public domain books in this style, although the Victorian era doesn't need to match exactly. Scientific observations aside, I found Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle to be a fascinating read. If it's something I can get from Project Gutenberg in plain TXT / HTML formats that would be a plus.

How to handle media upload when traveling far and light?

XiBe — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:09:12 -0800

My little brother will in a few months embark in a year-long trip around Asia (India, Vietnam, Thailand...), towards Australia as final destination. He asks me to set up a blog for him - easy does it, I'm a WordPress translator. But what about media? And in general, what should I not forgot to make sure we get the best from his experience while not making it hard for him to communicate? See, he'll be traveling light (so no laptop) and potentially deep in unknown territories, where there's little chance he'll cross any Internet cafe, let alone a computer with broadband - I might be wrong, of course, but I'm speaking with the experience of a friend who works at a resort in Laos valley, and he has limited (monthly) bandwidth at his workplace.

So, while it's gonna be easy for him to update said blog with text, media are another matter, and I have a few advices to ask for.
- How should he handle his files? With limited bandwidth, he cannot upload full size image, but he cannot edit them down either to take as few Mb as possible. Likewise, I don't want him to take pictures at minimal resolution just for this reason, since he'll certainly want to get them full size and on paper once he gets back home.
- He'll be carrying more than one X Gb cards for his camera, but those will run out quickly if he cannot dump them from time to time. I know there are dedicated card-dumping portable HDs these days, but I hear they're not reliable. Anyone has experience on this?
- Any tips on a light, good and sturdy camera, with standards cards that he can buy over there by the dozen?
- Videos are bound to be made, but weight way more than pictures. Should he avoid making them?
- More generally, what should I setup for him to ease the message transmission between his faraway land and the whole family back home? - again, with as little bandwidth use on his side as possible. Should I use my own server for hosting, or rely for instance on Flickr and it's (I suppose) many CDNs in the region?

Lastly, what are the cool traveler/around-the-world blog that you know?

Tales of the (Asian) City?

micketymoc — Sun, 04 May 2008 18:08:36 -0800

Reading yesterday’s Tales of the City post, I got to wondering: are there any books set in Southeast Asian locations that “sell” their settings the way Tales of the City does for San Francisco, or The Number One Ladies Detective Agency does for Botswana? I'm thinking about books that make you want to visit the setting depicted in the story; Alexander McCall Smith's books, for example, make me want to visit Botswana. You can feel the love of the place radiating off of each page.

I personally haven't read Tales of the City, but the post suggests that Maupin does the same thing for San Francisco.

Are there any books out there that make you "feel the love" for Bangkok, or Singapore, even Vientiane?

(Full disclosure: I'm the guide for Southeast Asia Travel on about.com - I'm thinking about reviewing any such books)

Help me pack for southeast asia!

Black_Umbrella — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:04:04 -0800

Help me pack for Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam for 2.5 weeks! In one week i am leaving for Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam for 2.5 weeks. I have a 60L backpack. I have no idea what to pack. I need to pack less then 20 kilo (less is even better). I am a little limited in what i can bring because i am on study abroad in australia so i have a limited supply of items.

Please! Any useful items or tips for southeast asia!

My head says "GO" but my budget-brain says "not yet"

Planet F — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:35:32 -0800

Help me to figure out a budget for some fairly extravagant backpacking travel. So i'm going to be doing an academic exchange next year, and there will be two periods of time where I'll have about a month and a half to do with as I want. I really REALLy want to spend these travelling to parts of the world (Asia and Australia/New Zealand mainly).

The problem (which, despite being maddening at times, is actually more of a benefit to myself in the long run) is that I'm a meticulous budgeter, so although the first of these trips won't be until mid-February of 2009, I'm already thinking about where to go/how much I'll have to spend. I'm not interested in how much flights will cost, that's easy enough to figure out for myself (I'm rather good with discount airline sites), I want to know how much I'll be able to do on what kind of rediculously low budget.

I know I can survive in Europe on 50 Euros (or less) per day while in Europe (including Paris), an amount which included all food, local transportation, and hostel costs, so I'm really good at living on the cheap. As long as I can afford a place to sleep, some food in my belly, and enterence into museums, I'm happy. I will walk for hours to get to the museums if it will save me money on transportation.

So finally my question. What can I expect to spend to be able to survive at a fairly meager level in the following countries:

-China (Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai mainly, but other suggestions appreciated)
-Japan (Tokio, or others)
-Singapore
-the Philippines
-Australia (Sydney, any others)
-New Zealand (here I have a small amount of family, so an idea about local transport and food prices would be nice, if not hostel prices)

Just to mention it again, I'm looking for approximate total budgets necessary for when I actually GET to the cities. Travel, visa and all other costs are very much a secondary budget which has it's own limit.

Thank you very much for helpful budget input!

Note: none of my plans are in any way in stone right now, so if there are suggestions, please pass them my way through comment or MeFi mail. I just want to make sure these trips are financially viable before I start booking things!

Time to eat my vegetables

bassjump — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:21:30 -0800

Vegetarian seeks advice for traveling in Korea and China. I'm going on two business trips this year that will take me to Korea and China. I'll spend a few days each in Shanghai and Seoul, and 2-3 weeks in Beijing. I'm also hoping to do a couple more weeks of more laid-back travel in the south of China (Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Yangshuo). I'm really excited for these trips, but I do want to ask what I can expect as a vegetarian.

I eat eggs and dairy. I do not eat fish, shellfish, chicken, beef, pork, etc. If a broth is meat- or fish-based, I generally eat it. I thought about trying to eat meat for the sake of convenience, but it's been about thirteen years. Recently I accidentally ate a bite of chicken that had sneaked into my tofu curry, and my brain registered it as "not food." So I just can't do it.

I don't know any Korean, but I will be with a bilingual colleague while I'm in Seoul. I'll be more on my own in China, but I've been making my way through the Rosetta Stone Mandarin lessons. Thanks to other AskMe threads, I've ordered "The Eater's Guide to Chinese Characters."

So, I'm looking for advice on what to eat, how to avoid things I don't eat, how to know what's what, and most of all how to be polite and respectful about this. Thanks in advance!

Going where the wind takes me.

laughinglikemad — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:09:58 -0800

I wish to travel the world, learning about renewable energy. Discuss. I have hopes to eventually get my European Master's in Renewable Energy with EUREC. In the meantime, however, I'm looking for leads on how to educate myself outside of the classroom. Room+board/volunteer programs would be ideal.

I'll be starting at the Earth Embassy, in Japan. There are ample amounts of solar-power NGOs in Nepal, like Swogun's Solar Aid or Himilayan Light Foundation. Australia seems like a ready-made solar powerhouse, but could I really expect to get a green-collar job with something like BUNAC?

And that's only solar power. What about wind, biodiesel, geothermal?

American citizen, best languages are English/Russian/German, fast learner.

Suggestions for wacky educational adventures like Thai massage courses are also appreciated.

surrealists in asia

arcadia — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 04:07:09 -0800

Which European artists and writers visited Asia between 1900 and 1950? I am researching the influence of Buddhism on Surrealism. I'm looking for information about who actually visited Asia (India, China, Japan, or other parts). If you know anything about this, especially if you can direct me to your source, it would be much appreciated. Particularly interested in Georges Bataille, Artaud, Breton, Tzara, Eluard, Ernst, Michaux, etc. I have info. on the travels of many of these people but am always looking for more.
Thanks!

BackpackingFilter: What items are must-takes for South East Asia (or generally)?

UbuRoivas — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:13:57 -0800

BackpackingFilter: What items are must-takes for South East Asia (or generally)? First up: I am *not* talking about "backpacking" in the sense that Americans often seem to use it (hiking or trekking in the wilderness), but in the sense of travelling about independently, relatively lightly & cheaply as a tourist, mostly town to town.

OK, I've done this kind of travel at least a dozen times before (anything from four weeks to nine months at a time, normally in developing countries) and every time my list of things to take is refined just that little bit more. I'm now down to a pretty-much settled list of handy / indispensable items, but I wonder if there's anything I am missing that's just too good to leave home without.

I am thinking of the nifty kinds of things that make travelling life simpler or more comfortable on a day-to-day basis, things that can save me grief in emergencies, things that are adaptable to multiple uses, that are generally light & don't take up much space - that kind of idea.

To give a few examples, here are some of my standard items:
* swiss army knife - enough said
* keyring with mini compass & tiny LED torch (for finding way around town / to toilet during a blackout)
* shiny emergency survival blanket (for unexpectedly chilly overnight transport or in case of extremely disgusting but unavoidable mattresses)
* light cotton sarong (to wear to the shower, cover nose & mouth against dust or particularly stinky toilets, use as a makeshift curtain or sunshade & 1001 other uses)
* 1.5L aluminium bottle (to decant bottled water into & avoid the bottle leaking & soaking everything in my daypack)
* gaffer tape (2002 uses)
* sturdy ziplock bag (to avoid leaving essentials like passport, tickets & currency lying around when going for a shower)

Anybody have any handy suggestions, along the lines above?

Travel ideas for East-Asia vacation?

superwillis — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:34:59 -0800

I'm planning 3 weeks this summer to travel with some friends (just out of college) to East Asia. Ideally, we'd like to fly from NY to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bangkok (in the cheapest possible order/arrangement). Any suggestions on attractions/lodgings/things-you-have-to-see at each destination (for the budget-conscious?) Spending approximately 4-5 days at each destination, hopefully spending a little time in the city and a little time exploring outside (i.e. I heard the beaches in Puket, near Bangkok, are very beautiful, so thats definitely planned).

Asia in winter?

rsk — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:26:48 -0800

Traveling in Asia in January. What are some good places to go for a week? I've got the 1st week in January off and I need some help deciding where to go. What are my best options in Asia in January for a week or so holiday? I'm based in Japan and will most likely be traveling alone.

I'm not big into winter sports (skiing, etc.) so that rules out Hokkaido. I was thinking about southern Japan, maybe Okinawa, or SE Asia -- Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam but I'm not sure to what to expect weather-wise. Any suggestions welcome!

Asia travel ideas for 18 yr old karate lover?

RoadTripPlanner — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 03:48:39 -0800

Can anyone recommend any martial arts learning opportunities (camps, workshops, lessons, etc) in Asia that an 18 year old would enjoy? My nephew in the US is a karate brown belt and he would like to travel to Asia when he graduates from high school this year. I am trying to help him find some interesting travel opportunities which relate to karate. He loves karate and has been searching for something to do in Japan or India for Summer 2008 but we haven't found anything yet. Thanks for any tips.

Make me want to go to Asia.

djstig — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 08:18:35 -0800

Make me want to go to Asia. Next summer I will be heading off to Singapore for a really good friends wedding, however it is only for a couple of days. The vague problem is that most of the other friends of the wedding party are planning on travelling around that part of the world for a few weeks afterwards.

However I have had very little interest in looking to travel in that part of the world. As in Malaysia, Burma, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia etc. So I am asking the Uncle Travelling Matt types of AskMe to sell Asia to me.

Interests include walking, swimming, historic sites, food that kind of thing. All of which I know are plentiful around those parts, but because I've not ever fancied Asia then I'm kind of clueless.

Need help finding cheap one-way flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hong Kong

oh_do_shutup — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 04:05:18 -0800

Cheap flights between Ho Chi Minh and Hong Kong, one-way only. Leaving around September 16th. Any recommendations? So far the cheapest found is £199 ($407) from expedia. Are there any other cheaper airlines?

Traveller looking for ideas to further finance trip beyond the 40 hour work week...

ageispolis — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 13:44:33 -0800

How can I access/acquire more funds for my upcoming trip to Asia? I am currently working fulltime with as much overtime as I can trying to save enough money to travel to India/Thailand in January 2008. I've crunched some numbers and realize that in order for me to be able to comfortably backpack for 6+ months, I am going to need a considerable amount of money on top of what I will be making in order to fulfill my plans.

What are my options to fund this trip beyond what I am already doing? Specifically, are there grants or bursaries for students taking a year off to travel? I am a Canadian Citizen, if that matters. Should I consider a work visa and is it helpful in Asia (mainly India, Thailand, Turkey, etc)?

I intend to keep an extensive travel journal as well as take photographs. I have skill in both these areas. Is that worth anything as far as sponsorships go? I've heard of companies sponsoring individuals who later come back and "present" how great of an investment their company made in you. Will companies actually do this?

Any other ideas? I'm open-minded and willing to take that extra mile to make that extra buck. Thanks.

Businiess travel tips for Manila - the city, not the folders

buildmyworld — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 10:31:06 -0800

It looks like I'll be spending 1 or 2 weeks in Manila next month, and I've got lots of questions. There will be two of us traveling on business, both women from Southern California, and it's likely we will be working pretty much the entire time - I doubt we'll have time to explore or check things out. Unless we do go for two weeks (it's still up in the air) and have a weekend day free maybe.

I've never left the US except for Europe, so I have no idea what to expect.

I've just read this post which has me a wee bit scared - how worried should we be? I had never discussed anything like this from my Filipino friends back in school or in the office, but then they wouldn't have stood out there like the two of us (both blondish and chubby) will. I'm not sure how to go about asking my coworkers who might have been there "excuse me, but will people hate me for being American when I go to Manila?" seems like a question that would get me in trouble with HR.

My specific questions are:

Are we likely to experience hostility based on our appearance/nationality?
Are we going to have trouble getting around speaking only English?
What's the weather like in Manila in May?
Are we likely to experience any particular culture shock?
What's the standard dress code for female office workers? (our office wears jeans every day except special occasions)
Are there any warnings we should keep in mind?
What's the tipping etiquette?
How likely are hotels to have Internet availability?

and any other helpful hints you can think of. Thank you!

Where should I travel in Asia

hazyspring — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 21:41:32 -0800

What country should I visit in Asia? My brother is currently teaching English in South Korea, so I'm going to fly there and spend a few days, and then he is able to take 5 days off. We are mostly interested in nature and cultural things. I'm also a major foodie (which would make China a plus, but I'm worried about the big cities being too much.)

Initially we were thinking Thailand, but I'm concerned because of the fighting that is going on right now and the political unrest. I'm also a little concerned that it may be a little too far to travel with only 5 days off.

Any thoughts?