Travelling around Asia

Fizban140

Soon I will be stationed in Korea, during my time there I will be allowed 30 consecutive days to travel wherever I want to. I have never been outside of the US so I want to take full advantage of this. Where should I go and what should I see?

I was thinking of going to Tokyo and maybe Hong Kong on those 30 days but I am not sure what I would do there all by myself (might be possible to go with someone else if I can convince someone I meet over there, who happens to get to take their days the same time as me) and I do not think it would be too easy to get around either since I know only English.

I do not own a laptop, so I was considering purchasing one as it would likely come in handy many times. Besides that, those are my plans so what should I do? Also when I am in Korea is there any must see places? As nerdy as it is, I have to see a professional Starcraft match, how do I get to one? I know most are in Seoul but do you need tickets or anything?

I really am up for anything, I have never been outside the US so I will take any suggestions.

Jasconius

Get your shots, if you haven't already. You're gonna need em.

Fizban140

Medically I am good to go, I just got my passport too so I think that is everything I should need.

Ponge

You'll be fine in Hong Kong without any Cantonese. I live there and I get by on English. Sure it would be easier if you knew some of the language, and there are plenty of restaurants that dont have English menus (or they keep them hidden) but it's a great place to visit. Especially if you enjoy hiking.

Let me know if you do plan on going and I can recomend places to hang out/visit. Unfortunatly I'm moving away in a couple of weeks or I'd show you around.

Ponge

Also, think about picking up a netbook rather than a laptop. So much more convenient, and the battery life can be incredible.

krapst78

Where in Korea will you be stationed? As far as watching a professional Starcraft match, I think you can do so at the huge shopping center in Yongsan (in Seoul), which is located near the U.S. Army base. That neighborhood is also the location of the electronics district so if you need to pick up a computer, camera, game console, etc... you're all set. Of course, the best way to purchase anything in Korea is through the internet because of how compact and urban everything is. Many places will have your product delivered to you the next day and some places will have it delivered to you by the afternoon if you purchase it in the morning. That's one of the benefits of squeezing 20+ million people into such a small area.

Hong Kong was pretty do-able with just knowing English. Thailand and Philippines are also fairly English friendly. The US also has a bunch of old territories in the Pacific such as Guam and Saipan that are also accommodating to English. I visited Palau recently and I had no problems getting by using only English there.

Osaka & Kyoto, Japan and Shanghai, China are not as easy to get by with just English. When I went to Shanghai, it was on a business trip so I was lucky enough to stay at a business hotel catering to English speaking patrons. When I had to take a taxi, the concierge at the hotel would come out and explain in person to the taxi driver where to go. The funny thing is the business district our partners were located was right smack in the middle of some expatriate district. I saw more foreigners and more English spoken than Chinese when I was in that area. Unfortunately once you left this area, it was difficult to communicate with anyone that didn't rely on directly interacting with foreigners for their livelihood.

Fizban140

I will be stationed in Kunsan, from what I hear it isn't really near any cities.

Taya

I live in Korea too and since this is vacation week, I decided to go a short trip. We travelled to Boseong to see the green tea fields and the beach, and Damyang to see the bamboo forest and bamboo museum. It was a nice trip but I don't think either is a must-see location unless you're in the area.

I've also been to Daecheon Beach and Woraksan National Park. Both are very nice but probably nothing special unless you love beaches or hiking up mountains. Everland is a fun amusement park but I've heard Lotte World is better.

Reiten

If you don't plan on gaming, I second the netbook recommendation. Make sure to get something with a decent battery life.

MagicToaster

You haven't lived untill you've been to Tokyo!

Fizban140

So Hong Kong and Tokyo sound like where I might be going. How easy is it to get around Tokyo, without getting lost in a country that doesn't speak my language.

Reiten

All the train and subway stations in Japan have their names in English as well as Japanese. It's easy. If you grab a small tourist book, you'll do just fine.

npreecs

Reiten wrote: »

All the train and subway stations in Japan have their names in English as well as Japanese. It's easy. If you grab a small tourist book, you'll do just fine.

Just seconding this. It may be a little weird the first time you get on one or try and buy a ticket, but any good guidebook or website will give you the basics. And one you have those down, getting around Tokyo (and all of Japan, really) is just a breeze. All the places you want to go will have bilingual notation.

-N

poshniallo

I've never been to Korea, but a lot of people say that Seoul and Tokyo are very similar.

You could get a plane to Osaka and then visit Kyoto or Hiroshima or even Osaka. That might be more interesting.

simonwolf

As someone who lives in Kyoto, lemme tell you - Kyoto starts to get pretty boring after the first few days, unless you really enjoy temples and/or shopping. Understandably, you'd be wanting to see the sights and experience Japan, which is why I'd highly recommend you don't assume you'll spend all your time in a single city. Investing in a rail pass to travel around Japan would be your best option - Tokyo is a place you could spend a week in, easily, but Tokyo isn't a place I enjoy spending time in.

As a side note, not every train station is marked with English - in the greater Kyoto area, the majority of stations are only named (on the official maps) with kanji. Investing in a guidebook would also be your best option in this case.

Fizban140

How much does a rail pass cost?

Hraka

I don't know how you feel about going to southeast Asia, but I was in Thailand in May and it was awesome. The food is great and the people are friendly. I only speak English and I was able to communicate fine. The islands are really beautiful and there are tons of activities for tourists, kayak, scuba, zip line, ride elephants etc etc. My only caveat is that it can be a little sleazy. . . and by a little I mean . . . it can be really sleazy.

MagicToaster

Fizban140 wrote: »

How much does a rail pass cost?

It's like Like $300. You need to purchase it in advance before you reach the train station on that web page. Make sure your info is correct, otherwise they might not let you get on the train.

simonwolf

The rail pass runs a fair amount, but if you're travelling around the country, buying individual shinkansen tickets it is just incredibly expensive - about $140 will get you a one-way ticket to Kyoto, from Tokyo. When you take into account that the rail pass also covers any JR non-bullet trains (which will get you just about everywhere in Tokyo), it's the most sensible option for travel.

Having lived in a lot of Asian countries, I'll also back up Hraka on the Thailand thing, as long as you try and avoid Bangkok. Some of the southern sections of Thailand are beautiful, but Bangkok is... the smell, alone, makes me never want to go back.

If you're pretty okay with feeling guilty about being white all the time, and also okay with being subjected to every possible scam/sleazy offer that they can throw at you, South-East Asia is a very nice place to visit!

krapst78

Seoul is not too bad depending on the neighborhood. Most of my friends that've been to both Seoul and Tokyo describe Tokyo as the 'cleaner' version of Seoul. If you want to hang out in Seoul, be prepared to drink a lot of alcohol. The night life in Seoul basically revolves around alcohol and going through the different stages of getting drunk. If you're coming up to Seoul, take the Bullet Train (KTX) which goes up to 300 KM/h. It'll probably cost you less than $30 USD for a one way ticket from where you're stationed. It's a nice way to take in the Korean countryside while travelling. If you're here during the summer, you'll also want to check out Busan (2nd largest city in Korea and one of the largest ports in the world) and visit 'Haewondae' where you can check out people walking around in their swim trunks and bikinis in the streets. It's far more laid back than Seoul and has it own nice vibe.

I also agree with Hraka and second visiting Thailand. Bangkok is hit or miss and the chances of encountering the sleazy parts there are rather high. If you want to stay away from the sleaze, stay far far away from Pataya. The best parts of Thailand is visiting the islands. My recommendation is Koh Samui (if you want some excitement visit Chaweng Beach there and check out the shows and Muay Thai arena). Phuket is ok but it's more of a tourist trap and everything costs an arm and a leg out there. You should be able to navigate both islands fairly easily by just simply speaking English.

Hraka

krapst78 wrote: »

Seoul is not too bad depending on the neighborhood. Most of my friends that've been to both Seoul and Tokyo describe Tokyo as the 'cleaner' version of Seoul. If you want to hang out in Seoul, be prepared to drink a lot of alcohol. The night life in Seoul basically revolves around alcohol and going through the different stages of getting drunk. If you're coming up to Seoul, take the Bullet Train (KTX) which goes up to 300 KM/h. It'll probably cost you less than $30 USD for a one way ticket from where you're stationed. It's a nice way to take in the Korean countryside while travelling. If you're here during the summer, you'll also want to check out Busan (2nd largest city in Korea and one of the largest ports in the world) and visit 'Haewondae' where you can check out people walking around in their swim trunks and bikinis in the streets. It's far more laid back than Seoul and has it own nice vibe.

I also agree with Hraka and second visiting Thailand. Bangkok is hit or miss and the chances of encountering the sleazy parts there are rather high. If you want to stay away from the sleaze, stay far far away from Pataya. The best parts of Thailand is visiting the islands. My recommendation is Koh Samui (if you want some excitement visit Chaweng Beach there and check out the shows and Muay Thai arena). Phuket is ok but it's more of a tourist trap and everything costs an arm and a leg out there. You should be able to navigate both islands fairly easily by just simply speaking English.

Bangkok is totally worth seeing but I would not recommend spending more than a full day there. I was there for 2 days and 3 nights and by the end of the second day I had enough.


I also went to koh samui, Chaweng is super touristy but it is also a lot of fun and it is not nearly as shady as Bangkok. Although if you are out late you will be approached by plenty of women and "women". It is also great in the sense that for 10 bucks a night you can have a beach side bungalow and for 100 bucks a night you can stay in a 4 star hotel.