Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Riddle]

So I have two weeks of vacation I can take in the beginning of June and I'm thinking about doing the Beijing, Shanghai trip finally. I figure that would take about a week and would cover most of my sight-seeing desires. I'm looking for some ideas for my second week. Would Hong Kong / Macau be a good idea for the second week?

Part of me wants to have a relatively relaxing second week and was thinking Boracay though I've already been there once. I'm not a big fan of Phuket, Thailand. Are there any other good beach destinations that wouldn't be too far out of the way?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Riddle]

Any ideas everybody? I'm thinking about beijing to shanghai to hong kong to macau for two weeks. Has anybody else done something similar? Is a week for hong kong and macau too long?

[waynehead]

I've been to Beijing 3 times and I lived near Shanghai for a few months, and know it pretty well.

You could spend 2 weeks in Beijing alone. There's so much to see and do there. Shanghai is great to live in, but there's not much to see there on a visit. It is great for shopping tho if you have western features you will be hounded by touts trying to scam you in one of a few dozen different ways. The nightlife is much better in Shanghai, Beijing can be a little sleepy.

I've never been to Macau or Hong Kong, can't help you there.

I'd recommend Beijing for as much time as you can spend there. The Red Lantern hostel is a great place to stay.

[soviet_man]

I've been to Beijing twice, both times it was in the summer (June) and the pollution level was pretty bad. Half the time you couldn't see more than a few 100 feet in front of you. Literally.

Think carefully whether that is where you want to spend all your vacation.

Frankly 3 or 4 days of that would be enough for most people unless you really like dust, fumes and eternal noise.

A lot of first timers to mainland China (even seasoned Korea vets) will get sick there.

The one good thing about Beijing is the railways. Beautiful comfortable overnight trains from Beijing through the big central Chinese provinces to Shanghai and Hong Kong. Both trains I would highly recommend. Outstanding value for what you get.

Hong Kong is nice but expensive. Hotels there are exorbitant. Macau ok if you like casinos. Shenzhen is a passable alternative. All 3 have good transport links.

Two weeks in China, provided if not all of it is spent in Beijing, is quite passable if you are well prepared.

[Tobias]

Another idea:

Fly to Istanbul, Turkey, tour the city, and then travel around the Black Sea. You could head down to the Med coast instead of the Black Sea. Mersin and other cities on the Med are awesome. You could tour the site of Troy and other places, such as Cappadocia.

I'm doing this trip myself sometime this year, assuming the world doesn't end. I've already been to the 'Bul, so I know it's good. Now it's time to hit the interior.

[Riddle]

Thanks for the ideas everyboy, I'll probably soon pay for my tickets going with the original plan of beijing to shanghai to hong kong to Macau for 2 weeks. I'll be staying in hostels as much as possible along the way to keep expenses down. Really looking forward to this trip! What were your favorite things to do in Shanghai and or Hong Kong?