Youre not going to want to travel by bus. Flying is really the only way to do SE Asia unless you like to ride a motorcycle
Couple of the more interesting foods I've eaten this go round in China. The sashimi was actually really good, but the pic is because the fish on the far right that they plated with head and body actually started flopping around and the waitress had to run grab it off the plate. At least I know it was fresh.
That's been at the top of our list for a while too. We actually were planning a trip up there for that same time frame but that fell through. Looking forward to your review because I've heard that's the best time of year
Yeah, we went high end and spent way more than that. The nicest ones are way more expensive. We used Orchid Cruise. I think it was about $700 total for 2 nights 2 people.
I only bussed between thailand and cambodia. flying is better, bussing is cheap as shit but stressful
I bussed between Vietnam and Cambodia.... The customs office on the road there was a fucking experience. Chickens running around. Stray animals. I feel like I should have seen ragweed roll by. Shit was nuts.
Eh I've taken plenty of busses in Asia with minimal issues. Land travel in India, Nepal, Myanmar and Vietnam was very legit. Heard bad stuff about Cambodia and Laos. Have never had to do a border crossing on a bus, though. Traveling within a country in Asia---bus/train Traveling between countries--fly
Just an FYI, Barcelona airport is an absolute shit show right now with airport worker strike. Reports of security lines upwards of 5+ hours. Will probably last through August. Asshole Spanish and I consider myself one of them.
India write-up. Probably not going to sell a lot of people on it, but I loved it--if anything this might confirm people will never go there. Definitely more of an experience than a "vacation." Big Apple Duck India Part I Spoiler Arrived in Delhi like 3 AM from the US, caught a tuktuk to the train station to get to Rishikesh. Train travel in India is an awesome experience. More on that later. Didn’t spend any time in Delhi, but from what I heard from everyone it’s pretty awful. Rishikesh is probably not for most people ITT, but it’s one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. It’s impossible to prove this statement, but it’s allegedly where yoga was “invented.” It’s also where the Beatles went to get all weird for a while. Alcohol and meat is “illegal” (still possible to get), but weed and hash is everywhere. Stayed at a really cool hostel overlooking the river. You’ve probably heard about how disgusting the Ganges River is, which is mostly true. But up North in Rishikesh and Haridwar is where the Ganges starts from the Himalayas and it is incredible. Pretty close to where the glaciers feed it, you can get in the water, it's awesome. No crazy stories, woke up every day before sunrise for yoga/watch the sun rise on banks of the river, went to a yoga festival at a really cool ashram, ate amazing food. The meat thing didn’t bother me because I was already avoiding meat while in India. Would wake up and do yoga somewhere, meet up with a group from the hostel or class, and wander around, smoking a lot. Not really a nightlife to speak of, everything shuts down around 9. But I knew what I was getting into/wasn’t expecting a party and I absolutely loved it. Stayed here about 4-5 days and flew down to Southern India for a bit. Kind of a cool story—there was a cute redhead in my hostel from Italy that I became pretty good friends with. My last day in Rishikesh we woke up, went to the Ganges for sunrise, and started hooking up while watching the sun rise. Went back to the hostel and got weird before I had to fly back. Can confidently say that’s the first time I’ve had sex that early in the morning while sober. Flew to Bangalore and immediately caught a train to Hampi. This was one of the only sketchy experiences of my whole trip——I was looking at a map, and the Bangalore airport is like 1 1/2 hours from the city center. To save time, I bought a train ticket from the station right outside the airport/far away from the city center to avoid that drive. Turns out it’s in the middle of the fucking slums. Driver drops me off, it’s like 10-11 PM, and it’s pretty fucking scary. Walking up to the platform with everyone starting at me, so many homeless people like “what the fuck is this guy doing.” Went straight to my platform, sat under a light, and waited like an hour for my train. Thankfully nothing happened. Train to Hampi, which was incredible, but possibly the hottest weather I’ve ever experienced. It’s in the middle of the desert in Southern India, but the ruins and views are incredible: Stayed on a rooftop of a hostel for $1.50/night for about 4-5 nights. Met a really cool crew and we all just rented bikes and explored all day/went to the river when it got too hot. By like 2-3 PM you had to either be in shade or in the water because it was so damn hot, like 110-115 degrees. This was the beginning of summer, too, and they said it gets up to 120-125. I can’t fucking imagine. But Hampi probably had the best views of anywhere I went in India. Another just hippie town, but not as restricted as Rishikesh. Alcohol is technically still illegal (lots of drys states in India), but you could still buy it at hostels, so there was a little bit of a nightlife around the hostels at night—it’s a really small place so only one big hostel where everyone hangs out, it was legit and awesome food. Part of what made Hampi so cool was the crew at the hostel. It’s also one of the best places in the world for bouldering, but I didn’t try it. There were some people that had been there for weeks on end just climbing rocks. Also lots of broken arms and cuts, people were looking beat up. But absolutely recommend Hampi, it’s unlike most anywhere else in India. Caught an overnight train from Hampi to Goa, met my cousin there who flew in from the US for a few weeks. Goa was weird. My least favorite spot in India, but still a solid experience. The good: amazing beaches and views and great party scene. The bad: it’s insanely over-run by both (a) tourists, and (b) young Indian guys from dry states that have, literally, never had alcohol before, so you see so many 18-20 year old Indian guys just high-school falling over wasted. Went to some really cool trance raves, ate some good acid, enjoyed amazing views. I was also going on almost 2 weeks in India without really partying, so it was good to let loose. Stayed in these 3-story shacks that just overlooked the Indian Ocean, it was pretty incredible. My view every morning and night: It was fun to rent motorbikes and explore Goa, which is actually a really large state. One thing that was really fucking annoying was the police would stop white people they see on scooters, ask for your international drivers’ license (which nobody has), and then give you a “ticket” for 1,000 rupees (like $15). They just put the money in their pocket, don’t give you a ticket, and walk off. After talking to some people though, you can literally just drive around them when they try to stop you, I guess because they know what they’re doing is crooked AF. It was pretty fun swerving around them to avoid them, they didn’t really mind you and just flagged down the next unsuspecting Westerner. Took a plane from Goa to Mumbai. This was my only time getting sick in India, the morning we left Goa. Was awful. First time I’ve ever thrown up on a plane into one of those barf bags. But we also got a baller ass hotel in downtown Mumbai, so crashed early that evening and felt fine the next day. Mumbai was really cool, actually wish we would’ve stayed longer. Just another massive city, complete chaos. I wasn't aware that India has a large Muslim population, I though it was primarily Hindu. I think Hindu is still the majority, but you see more Muslim religion than I expected. Maybe that’s just my own ignorance. Did the tourist stuff around Mumbai, ate some awesome food, didn't really go out though. Saw snake charmers, went to the spice markets. Wish I had more time there.
India part II Spoiler After 2-3 days there we flew from Mumbai to Varanasi, which I’ve been wanting to do my whole life. I think it’s mentioned somewhere in this thread, but Varanasi is one of the holiest cities in India, and it’s where people come to die. In the Hindu religion, if you die on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi, you achieve eternal bliss. Varanasi is intense. One of the oldest cities in the entire world. There are cremations going 24/7, unreal amount of trash, unreal amount of animals, but I loved it. It’s fucking madness My cousin, not so much, he was a little overwhelmed. Would wake up for yoga/other stuff every morning on the river, which was awesome. Holy men everywhere. It was insane to see cremations going on, and then literally 100 feet down the river was somebody bathing in the same water, and then a few feet further kids playing in the water. You’ll see lots of dead bodies and some truly disgusting stuff. This is the same Ganges River that starts up near Rishikesh. I know I’m not exactly painting a pretty picture of Varanasi, but it was an awesome experience. If you're not spiritual/into yoga and meditation it probably wouldn’t do much for you, but it’s one of the best places in the world for that kind of stuff. Stayed in a really cool hostel with some dope people, did a sunrise boat tour which was amazing, and some of the best food of the whole trip. Varanasi was the primary reason I chose India, and it lived up to the hype for me. Caught an overnight train after 5-6 nights to Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located. Agra itself is an awful city, but the Taj is amazing: Only stayed about 4-5 hours in Agra to tour the Taj, then we had hired a private driver to take us to Jaipur. Jaipur was really cool. Tons of history, I think Big Apple Duck mentioned an “Arabian Nights” feel and I completely agree. Awesome forts, big city, tons of stuff to see. It’s not as big as Mumbai/Bangkok/etc., probably closer in size to Hanoi, but there is a ton to do. Did tourist stuff for 3-4 days, met some really cool British chicks that we hung out with for most of the time. Highly recommend. After Jaipur flew to Kathmandu, Nepal. Thoughts: -Train travel is a lot of fun. If you get a 1st or 2nd class ticket, you have your own bunk and it’s actually pretty clean. They serve complimentary chai tea and they run roughly on schedule. -authentic Indian chai tea is really good. -There is weed/hash virtually everywhere in India, you can smoke it wherever you want. Was surprised by how prevalent it was. -Indian beer is absolutely awful. Some places had Carlsberg/european beer, but most places only had shitty Indian beer -Food lived up to the hype, but does a number on your stomach. My last 4-5 days in India I ate mostly western food because my stomach was wrecked and I was going to the bathroom 4-5 times/day -India has a milkshake called “lassi” that is amazing. Can also get weed lassis, which are called “bang lassi” -people were amazing, so friendly. Hardly any bad experiences. -you get what you pay for in regard to lodging. You can stay in a plenty nice place for like 40-50, but I was cheap at the beginning and was staying in hostels for 2-3/night. But they were pretty rough. Towards the end I averages about 20-25/night for something a little nicer. -India is intense. Unreal pollution, unreal poverty, but is unlike anywhere in the world. It’s also absurdly cheap, maybe the cheapest country I’ve ever visited. It’s definitely not for everybody, I even met plenty people along the way that were not enjoying themselves. It’s polarizing, I think you’ll either love it or hate it, no real in between. It’s more of an “experience” than a “vacation,” if that makes sense.
Great writeup. Really enjoyed reading about somewhere different. India is a place I always assumed I would go at some point to but was never high on my list. I may get to go there next year though. A good friend of my girlfriend is Indian and will be getting married around xmas next year. Can't think of a better reason to go. I know they are planning around Chennai, but we would probably spend another few weeks seeing other parts of the country. Only place I've heard is a must go would be Taj Mahal. Where would be your top places BamaNug if say you had a week to see something besides Chennai and Taj?
Having five beers and dinner for under $3 is amazing. A welcome sight after Japan and South Korea. Great review BamaNug although I still don't know if I could do India. It sounds like morocco times 10.
bus border crossings are a fucking experience, man. I heard about all the little ways they try and grub a few bucks of you and was hella prepared. got my visa in advance, too. I even offered the guys $20 up front if they just left me alone and took me to cambodia without all the bullshit. they insisted there was no bullshit and because I booked through an expensive resort, I kind of believed them they stopped us maybe 8 times to try and rip us off. oh we're stopping at this restaurant for 2 hours to change busses, why don't you eat? oh you don't have a visa? we'll do it for you for $5. oh we also need $2 to slip the customs guys so you get through. oh we have a bus fee. PS all the ATMs are broken on the other side of the border, you should change your money here. just over and over and over I was prepared so I said no. I was the only one of 15-ish people that had a visa so they constantly tried to seclude me so I couldn't tell the others about the scams. "oh the people with visas wait over there" while they took the 14 others to the "money changing station" where they got conned out of 20%. "oh americans have different visas, go over there" as the 14 of them went to the "only working ATM." they tried to ditch me twice but I was aware of what they were doing so I just kept appearing and they kept being mad about it eventually they got me there but...what a weird coincidence...we ended up at a bus stop 2 miles outside of town and there were tuktuks waiting for us with surprisingly high prices. I wanted to get laid so I paid the extra $5 to get four of us into town, but that's the only money they got out of me, besides $4 for food earlier. I offered $20 and would've been just fine...smh
Chennai and the Taj are really far away from each other, so you'd need to take that into account. You'd probably want to decide on doing the South (Channai) or the North (Taj, etc.), depending on your schedule. In the North the popular route is the "Golden Triangle"--> Delhi--Varanasi--Agra(Taj)--Jaipur--Jodhpur. I only went to Goa and Hampi in the South, which were amazing, but depending on the time of year the heat can be unbearable. I heard Kerala and the rest of Southern India were just as great. I think Goa can still be a great time, and after talking to folks I think I just went to the wrong beaches and villages. I loved Northern India, Jaipur is a top tier city.
I know several in this thread have been to Brazil; how was the visa process? Anyone have a business visa? I'm not currently in possession of my passport (it filled up and since they don't add pages anymore I had to do a renewal) but I will have it back next week since I used an expediting service. I need to go to Brazil in late September for work and I'm thinking a day trip to Houston may be easier/faster than using another expediting service. I googled a few services and they say that if I started the process with them today I could have my passport back with a visa as soon as 8/31, which makes me think it's a long process using a third party. Back when I was going to India we would send somebody down to Houston with a group of applications and they were able to turn it around in a day. Looks like you have to make a reservation with the Brazilian consulate two weeks in advance but no indication of how long it takes after your appointment... Edit: found a bit more info. Fucking woof.
In Seattle next few nights. Any dinner recommendations? Will probably be solo each night and am looking for cool/unique places to eat each night.
What part of town are you in? Some top spots: -Walrus and Carpenter (seafood/oysters, in Ballard) -Stateside (French-Vietnamese fusion, in Capitol Hill) -Un Bein (amazing sandwich spot in Fremont, good for lunch) -Joule (American-Korean in Fremont/Wallingford---are here for the first time a week ago and was very impressed) -walking around Pike Place and munching on random finger food is always a good bet -try some Poke from somewhere, there are a million places and most are great. Huge Hawaiin population in Seattle and arguably the best Poke stateside
walrus and carpenter is a tiny place so solo you'll probably be fine but might still try and dodge high traffic times
Got ya. I'll try to think of some more places. Issaquah is cool, though. Youre right next door to a ton of really cool hikes if you have time, but all the damn smoke in the city might make that tough. Cougar Mountain State Park is really cool, right next to you.
But you are the main 48 states, there's one higher and one lower. And they came about the same year. Why the *lower* 48
Anyone familiar with Brussels? I'll be spending one night there solo on a layover in a couple weeks. Any suggestions on what part of the city to stay in? Would just be looking to take in the food and culture, nothing crazy.
I'm off to Istanbul tomorrow for work (only 2 days there). I may have some time after my last meeting to check out the Blue Mosque - that's basically the only sightseeing I've got on the radar/will have time for Hoping to come back in one piece
I think I told this story itt, but we had a customer who wanted 4 of us to come to Istanbul to meet with them last summer. The other 3 yaofaced the idea of going there and I ragged on them pretty bad about how they believe too much of what they see on TV and that nothing was going to happen to us in our travel from the airport to a 4 star hotel then to the customer's very nice offices and back. Turned out the customer changed the meeting location to Washington DC due to their other travel. The day we would have been flying back home from Istanbul the airport attack and bombing happened. I'm sure you'll be fine.
Hagia Sofia is right across from the Blue mosque so you should definitely go there as well. Grand Bazaar and spice bazaar are not far either and worth a trip.
As posted before me, go to hagia Sofia and blue mosque. Grand bazaar was an experience. Hit up a nargile cafe and get some chai. Get some kebab. Turkish bath was an interesting experience as well.
It was in like 2008, but Istanbul is one of the coolest places I've ever been. Granted a lot has changed since then.
Yeah. I was there in 2007 and loved it. I really liked the Taksim area, but I think thats kinda been the center of a lot of protests and violence recently so probably better to avoid.
haven't been, but hope this helps: http://wikitravel.org/en/Brussels Boroughs[edit] Brussels is split into nineteen communes or gemeenten (municipalities/boroughs): Bruxelles/Brussel - Brussels encompasses many charming and beautiful attractions, with deeply ornate buildings on the Grand Place/Grote Markt, and a fish-and-crustacean overdose of St. Catherine's Square (Place St-Catherine/Sint-Katelijneplein). Stroll along, (and stop in for a drink) at one of the many bars on Place St-Géry/Sint-Goriksplein, or max out your credit card on the trendy Rue Antoine Dansaert/Antoine Dansaertstraat. Marolles/Marollen - A neighborhood of Brussels close to the city's heart, one of the few places where the Brussels dialect of Dutch (Flemish) could still be heard. The area is best known for the flea market held daily on the Place du Jeu de Balle/Vossenplein as well as a plethora of shops selling everything from old radios and bent wipers to fine china and expensive Art Nouveau trinkets. Visit on Saturdays or Sundays. Ixelles/Elsene - A vibrant part of town with a high concentration of restaurants, bars and other services to satisfy the good-looking or the heavy-spending. Some wandering around will reveal small bookshops, affordable ethnic restaurants or independent record shops tucked away in side streets. The Matongé district just off Chaussée d'Ixelles/Elsenesteenweg is the city's main African neighborhood. It is a large district in the South of Brussels spreading from newly gentrified immigrant neighborhoods off the Chaussée d'Ixelles/Elsenesteenweg near the town center to leafy suburbs close to the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos. The district is split in two by Avenue Louise/Louizalaan, which is technically part of the Bruxelles/Brussel district of the city. Molenbeek-Saint-Jean/Sint-Jans-Molenbeek - Commonly known as Molenbeek. A commune with a very large Moroccan and, lately, Romani (Gypsy) population. Saint-Gilles/Sint-Gillis - The city's bohemian epicenter with thriving French, Portuguese, Spanish, Maghrebi and Polish communities. The area around the Parvis de St-Gilles/St-Gillisvoorplein is the arty part, with the area around the Chatelain/Kastelein and the Church of the Holy Trinity being decidedly more yuppified. Like Schaarbeek, Saint-Gilles boasts several Art Nouveau and Haussmann-style buildings. St-Josse/Sint-Joost - The smallest and poorest commune not only of Brussels, but of all Belgium, this commune might not always be too pleasing on the eye but does have a few small, welcoming streets. The mid-part of the Chaussée de Louvain/Leuvensesteenweg is also home to a relatively small Indo-Pakistani community, so this is the place to head to for a tikka masala. The Turkish community which was the largest community only a few years ago has declined rapidly, as they moved to relatively wealthier communes by St-Josse/Sint-Joost standards. Uccle/Ukkel - Brussels' poshest commune. Green, bourgeois and starched like all posh communes should be. Uccle has retained many of its charming medieval cul-de-sacs, tiny squares and small townhouses as has nearby Watermael-Boitsfort/Watermaal-Bosvoorde. Woluwé-Saint-Pierre/Sint-Pieters-Woluwe and Woluwé-Saint-Lambert/Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe are two communes at the eastern end of the city. Mainly residential, with a mixture of housing blocks, quaint neighborhoods and green areas this place is well-loved by Eurocrats and other professional types. The enormous Wolubilis cultural complex is well worth a visit. Entire section on places to stay listed lower as well
Hagia Sophia is amazing because it's been both a Christian Church and an Islamic Mosque during its history. In Islam, it's blasphemous to depict Allah, so that's why you always see words and calligraphy instead of the standard Christian paintings. In the Hagia Sophia you'll see a Christian depiction of Jesus right next to Islam scripture from the Koran, and then some Islamic paintings chipped away to show Christian paintings underneath.
I have been, pal. Stay near enough to Grand Place that you can walk. Go to Delerium Cafe if you like beer. The pissing girl is outside Delerium Cafe and the pissing boy is somewhere else near the square (Google it) . Would just do touristy stuff since you're only there one night. I actually really like Brussels, they have beautiful churches, a beautiful Palace, and nice parks.
If If you had longer I'd say head over to Leuven. Really awesome smaller town built around the original Stella factory and a university.
Thanks. I booked the Marriott on Grand Place, seemed like the spot to be. Planning on just wandering around aimlessly for a little bit and finding a spot with local food and beer.
KJROD20 and jaimej were there not too long ago. Brasserie Cantillon is a pilgrimage destination for beer geeks if you're into lambics at all. If you're not, go anyway and buy a bunch of bottles and send them to me
Think thats a perfect spot. We were there for a night in April, stayed near the Palace and just walked around to see all the sights. I second Cantillon as a move. Fries live up to hype as well.
!!!! Oh man, I loved Brussels! We stopped there as part of a multi-city trip on our honeymoon (London - Paris - Brussels - Amsterdam). Good choice on location - it's a small city but central to everything is key; especially when you're only there for a short time. Are you into beer? It's a beer mecca, basically. Brasserie Cantillon is the best of it's kind. For food, we didn't get to eat at Nüetnigenough but it's my biggest regret of the trip - everything I have heard is phenomenal. Going to prioritize it for our next trip (we're definitely going back).We did eat at Bier Circus which was a weird little place but the food and beer were great. Moeder Lambic is a world class beer bar with food (small bites - I wouldn't have dinner there but a snack before/after). Our favorite bar of our whole trip was La Porte Noir - they have a ton of beers and whiskeys, located in a 16th century cellar (all brick - its incredible). Delerium Cafe is also close to your hotel so I would check it out if you can, it's on a brick pedestrian only street - super touristy but worth perusing through. The best thing about Brussels is that all of this is walkable - especially from your hotel (with the exception of Cantillon, but you can be there from your hotel in <10 mins on the light rail). Public transportation in Brussels is super easy to use. KJROD20 did I forget anything?
I will just add in that of the four cities we went to on our honeymoon, we only went a small number of places more than once and two of them were Cantillon and La Porte Noir.
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I thought the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba was incredible for similar reasons. Obviously on a smaller scale, though