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| where should we go? |
| japan |
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18% |
[ 2 ] |
| thailand |
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9% |
[ 1 ] |
| philippines |
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18% |
[ 2 ] |
| other southeast asia (vietnam, cambodia, laos) |
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9% |
[ 1 ] |
| malaysia/singapore |
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9% |
[ 1 ] |
| taiwan |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| stay in and explore Korea (east and south coasts, jeju, etc) |
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18% |
[ 2 ] |
| other (post in reply) |
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18% |
[ 2 ] |
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| Total Votes : 11 |
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sheisaeval
Joined: 21 Nov 2008
Location: anseong, korea
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 Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 5:34 pm Post subject: where should I go for summer vacation - week and a half |
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So where should we go?
If it makes a difference, I live an hour from Seoul but haven't been to anywhere in Korea except where I live and Seoul and Daejeon.
We're (me and my fiance) are budget travelers - like to stay in hostels/cheap local hotels, eat local food/stand foods, etc. Love nature-y type places as well as historical buildings/attractions. Not really into the the party/drinking/shopping scene.
We would keep to keep the cost as low as possible while being comfortable and experience lots of things. Let us know what a reasonable budget is.
This will be at the end of July. |
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waynehead
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Location: Jongno
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| Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Based on the fact that you want to keep it as cheap as possible, I'd recommend staying in Korea. Rent a car or just hop on the next bus and go out and explore. It's a good time of year to do that. |
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oldtactics
Joined: 18 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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Southeast Asia is impossibly hot in the summer - I'd avoid it if you can.
Most of my friends and I are using summer vacation to tour around Korea and then using our winter break to go to Viet/Thailand/etc. |
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soviet_man
Joined: 23 Apr 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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I vote Japan.
Ferry Busan to Fukuoka, then head to Okinawah. |
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RJjr
Joined: 17 Aug 2006
Location: Turning on a Lamp
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| Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm partial to Vietnam, but I think I'd take soviet_man's advice. |
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Morgen
Joined: 02 Jul 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 10:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Have you thought about China? |
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sheisaeval
Joined: 21 Nov 2008
Location: anseong, korea
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| Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Morgen wrote: |
| Have you thought about China? |
Yes, last year I went to China for a month. I didn't get to go to and want to go to Chengdu and Guilin and Tibet, but I don't know if the visa fee is worth it for only a week and a half. |
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Morgen
Joined: 02 Jul 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 11:05 pm Post subject: |
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| True, but you'd make up the difference with one night in a Chinese hotel vs. a Japanese one, or on the flight to and from Southeast Asia. |
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thrylos
Joined: 10 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 3:05 am Post subject: |
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Philippines aren't too far away and getting there won't break a budget, and for 10 days you could see quite a lot. Transportation is pretty easy, as is the language issue. (Not that it's a big factor compared to everything else, but it helps)
Culture? It's got that. Craziest catholics around and their mix of local/Catholic festivals/rituals make it a must-see, much more interesting than the Mexican-Catholic version, IMO.
Nature? duh... relaxing? for sure. So many islands that hardly see the tourist crowd and (mostly) friendly people.
Good food? yes (interesting mix of spanish/asian cusine, doesn't always 'taste like burning'.)
Depending on where you end up, you can get good to OK weather.
For 2 people, excluding airfare, I'd say about $1000 US should be more than adequate. You don't sound like a big splurger. |
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sheisaeval
Joined: 21 Nov 2008
Location: anseong, korea
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| Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 3:13 am Post subject: |
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| thrylos wrote: |
Philippines aren't too far away and getting there won't break a budget, and for 10 days you could see quite a lot. Transportation is pretty easy, as is the language issue. (Not that it's a big factor compared to everything else, but it helps)
Culture? It's got that. Craziest catholics around and their mix of local/Catholic festivals/rituals make it a must-see, much more interesting than the Mexican-Catholic version, IMO.
Nature? duh... relaxing? for sure. So many islands that hardly see the tourist crowd and (mostly) friendly people.
Good food? yes (interesting mix of spanish/asian cusine, doesn't always 'taste like burning'.)
Depending on where you end up, you can get good to OK weather.
For 2 people, excluding airfare, I'd say about $1000 US should be more than adequate. You don't sound like a big splurger. |
Which places in Phillipnes would you recommend and any places to avoid? |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 5:25 am Post subject: |
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| let me be the third to suggest Vietnam |
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sheisaeval
Joined: 21 Nov 2008
Location: anseong, korea
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| Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 5:26 am Post subject: |
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| VanIslander wrote: |
| let me be the third to suggest Vietnam |
any suggestions of where in vietnam? |
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Kurtz
Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Location: ples bilong me
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| Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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Not good advice going to Vietnam at that time of year. Think the heat of Korea, and then crank it up to eleven. I know as I went in August and it was murder in the north, and I was lucky I didn't get caught in the massive landslides and be stranded in Sapa.
Maybe fly a bit further amd try Indonesia at the time of year. Korea will be hot, crowded and expensive and not too flash in the summer, it's only worth touring Korea in autumn IMHO. |
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thrylos
Joined: 10 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 3:07 am Post subject: |
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| sheisaeval wrote: |
| thrylos wrote: |
Philippines aren't too far away and getting there won't break a budget, and for 10 days you could see quite a lot. Transportation is pretty easy, as is the language issue. (Not that it's a big factor compared to everything else, but it helps)
Culture? It's got that. Craziest catholics around and their mix of local/Catholic festivals/rituals make it a must-see, much more interesting than the Mexican-Catholic version, IMO.
Nature? duh... relaxing? for sure. So many islands that hardly see the tourist crowd and (mostly) friendly people.
Good food? yes (interesting mix of spanish/asian cusine, doesn't always 'taste like burning'.)
Depending on where you end up, you can get good to OK weather.
For 2 people, excluding airfare, I'd say about $1000 US should be more than adequate. You don't sound like a big splurger. |
Which places in Phillipnes would you recommend and any places to avoid? |
Places to avoid (if you don't want crowds/parties) are obviously Boracay and the area around Cebu, which may include Bohol (the 'chocolate hills' island just nearby). That said, I was in Boracay in August, and except for the K-groups (eating kimchi chiggae and samgyupsal with soju at their resorts  ), even it was quiet (for Boracay) at that time. Palawan is simply amazing, but not so much in the middle of summer (too many errant downpours and rough seas getting there).
By just staying on Luzon (the main island, where Manila is) and heading towards the south-east coast (4-5 hours by bus from Manila), you can end up hiking an active volcano near Legazpi City/Tabaco City (forget the name) and in the same day, end by swimming on a virtually empty white-sand beach on the eastern coast. Also, there are a couple of islands just off the eastern side, like Bacacay and Batan/Rapu Rapu island or further off, Catanduandes island. Some basic online research can reveal awesome photos/blogs for all those places. Or, you can head up north, towards Dagupan/Bagio City, and explore the 100 islands national park- also mindboggling beautiful, as is the whole area around that bay. |
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