Korean Job Discussion Forums

[widespread123]

So I am planning on doing a big trip at the end of my contract. My contract ends at the end of Janurary and I would like to travel Asia without taking a flight. I would like to take the ferry from Inchon to either Qingtao or Shanghai for the Chinese New Year. After hanging out with some friends, I would like to take a train straight down to Hanoi while possibly stopping in Guilin for a couple days.

I will stay in Hanoi for awhile to relax and see a lot of Northern Vietnam, then I will take a train down the coast to Ho Chi Minh where I am thinking about possibly taking a TEFL course to get certified. From there I want to see Cambodia, Laos and Thailand within 3 months. I don't have anyone else to do that trip with so I am flying solo, which doesn't bother me at all but makes me a little anxious and I have a lot of questions. So here they come:

-Has anyone ever done anything similar?

-Any good websites that can help me out? I would like to find some really comprehensive stuff, not just overviews.

-How much money do you think I would be looking to spend for 3 months (budget traveling)?

-Do I need to get malaria pills? If so, where can I get them in Korea?

-How did you handle the money situation? Did you have a back-up plan in case your card/money got lost or stolen?

-Things you regretted not seeing, things you would have done different?

-Really any advice on the best place to buy tickets in China. I understand it will be a very busy travel time in the year so I would like to get started planning early.

Any words of encouragement would be awesome. I know its a huge trip to do solo but it's once in a lifetime.

Thanks,
-Sean

[chickyabroad]

Though I'm not a seasoned backpacker and haven't done a trip like that, yet, I've found the forums at the www.bootsnall.com site very helpful in planning my own similar trip. There's a lot of information on the rest of the site as well, I've gotten the best, most specific information from asking all the seasoned travelers on the boards. Good luck!

[midgic]

Hi. I did that route in the fall of 2004. It was really really great. Don't worry about travelling solo as you'll meet lots of fellow travellers on the road.

If you have time, I would definitely recommend stopping in a few more places on the way.

In China, I started in Qingdao, took an overnight train to Nanjing where I spent the day. The lake park in Nanjing is lovely and the museum dedicated to the Nanjing Massacre is there, definitely worth a visit.

From there, it's a quick train ride to Huang Shan (Yellow Mountain). Absolutely beautiful!

Yangzou, near Guilin, is a great place to relax for a few days.
From Guilin, I took a bus to the border and caught another bus on the other side to Hanoi.

Halong Bay is obviously worth a visit.

In Hanoi, you can get a hop on-hop off bus ticket (about $20) which allows you to stop off in various places down the coast: Hue, Hoi-An, NaTrang, Dalat, and then on to HoChiMinh City. All of these places were lovely and well worth a couple of days each.

Highly recommend a boat tour through the Mekong Delta. You can finish up with a boat trip across the border and on to Phnom Penh.


Costs: Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos are all really cheap. Figure $5 to $10 for decent budget rooms, and food is also cheap. I budgeted $30/day and found that more than adequate. China is somewhat more expensive than SE Asia.


Anyway, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you might have and give you whatever tips I can think of. Feel free to send me a PM.
Happy Travels.

[midgic]

[badfish]

heres a good train site

http://www.seat61.com/

[desultude]

[midgic]

[dogshed]

I just got back from China. I found out that train tickets are difficult to get when it's the busy season. The high speed trains are cool but you can't
sleep on them so that costs you another night in a hotel.

The Qingdao ferry is OK. I took it second class to China. I got a bed with a curtain like on a train. Other people were on the floor in a room.

I took the ferry from Dailin back to Korea. I upgraded to first class and they gave me a room to myself with a shower. I'm not sure if giving me a room to myself is policy. The Dailin ferry is much larger and nicer than the Qingdao ferry.

I took a ferry from Tainjin to Dailin. I went third class and it was wooden bunk beds in the forward cargo holds. The bathrooms were disgusting, but I think the wooden beds were better than the metal ones in second class. I don't know what first class was like.

In two towns locals took me to a hotel and then the hotel insisted the local sign for the room. It was nice of these people to do this for me. I wonder what would have happened if I went by myself.

Never go with the huxsters trying to get you to go to a hotel. You'll get a crappy room that's way overpriced. I did that my first night in Beijing, and then found out that the Central City Youth Hostel was right across the street from the train station. I got a single hostel room for 125 yuen/night. That's about $16 I think.

I stayed at the foreign language university in Dailin. I don't know if non-students are supposed to stay there but they let me and for the price it was great.

[newintown]

what a fantastic trip. i was planning on doing SE asia when i finish, but have always fancied china. it didn't occur to me that i could combine the two. you have really inspired me.

[widespread123]

how was it traveling through China? As a non-Chinese speaker and doing this trip by myself I am a little nervous. I took a trip to Beijing from Shanghai two years ago and don't remember any problems. However, I remember traveling with a few people. I can't remember how we figured it out, hahaha!!!

Also, how early do I need to book train tickets if I am going to be traveling around the New Year? Where did you book your tickets, midgic and dogshed?