- SuitcasePacking -: FAVORITE SPOTS IN ASIA

For Sofie
en voor Lovisa,

who are also suffering from
being-stuck-in-Sweden-when-
you-want-to-explore-the-world
-aches

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OUR FAVORITE PLACES
IN ASIA

HONG KONG
Hong kong

Even though we barely were there a week - more like 4 days - we were completely amazed by the mere sight of the city. The skyline is breathtaking, with neverending blinking lights and skyscrapers from a futuristic fairytale, equally matched by the beautiful blue water that frames the picture perfect image perfectly.

Also, it has Disneyland.
'Nuf said.

PRICECLASS: Like Sweden (= expensive)

CHIANG MAI
Thailand

This one is a dear, dear place in our hearts, both for the many exciting excursions and daytrips, and for the chilled atmosphere. Chiang Mai is filled with cheap hotels, fantasitc views and buildings and great food, but maybe the biggest reason for loving Chiang Mai so much was our day with the elephants. Spending only a couple of hours with the magnificent creatures gave us a deeper understanding of the nature, animals and our responsabilities against them.

Wonderful creatures at Elephant Nature Park

The red sand dunes by Rabeang Pasak Treehouse

Doi Inthanon
Temples as from a disney movie

Chiang Mai is easy accessable with both train and airplane from Bangkok. The flight takes about 1-2 hours and the train ride takes 12 hours.

PRICECLASS: Like the rest of Thailand - cheap

HANOI
Vietnam

Bustling with people and coffee, this was our kind of oasis. Here we stayed for eight days (two of them in Ha Long bay, but we'll get to that), most of the time just eating us through the streets and drinking egg coffee until it was impossible to fit anymore in our bellies.
More than the food, the city was filled with genuine culture and nice people. Jonathan also bought a fantastic kashmere suit for a forth of what a Swedish tailor would ask.

Hanoian food, famous for looking disgusting and taste like heaven
- like all vietnamese food.

Whisked egg + condensed milk + strong vietnamese coffee
= a dessert/drink Felicia is still thinking about daily

PRICE CLASS: Even cheaper than Thailand for the most of the time.

HA LONG BAY
Vietnam

A couple of hours outside Hanoi lays a piece of paradise. With ethereal fog and turquoise waters you'll remember your cruise there for the rest of your life.
The fact that we had probably the most luxurious two nights in our life there also added to the out-of-this-world-feeling. Best food in my life? On Starlight Cruise this april, enjoyed every day to the view of something out of Pirates.

PRICECLASS: Ranges between a little expensive to very expensive, depending on what kind of tour you want to do. Two night-tours are recommended, but that is of course more pricey. We also went with a more luxurious brand (Starlight cruise) which is not necessary if you are on a tight budget, but if you have a couple of hundred dollars to lay on something special, this should be it.

ZHANGJIAJIE NATIONAL FOREST PARK
Wulingyuan, China

While this is not our favorite place as much as it is one if the most impressive sights we've ever seen; if you're up for adventure, we got one for you.
Not so much for the actual climb as it is a tourist park nowadays, but the adventure starts when you try to get there...
Traveling to the middle of China when you are new to the country and the language is something you'll have a hard time to forget.
Like charades? Then you'll have a great time!
When we say chinese people doesn't speak a word English, we mean. Not. A. Word.
In a country where no one speaks english, do you think there will be English signs?

Exactly.

And we have a hate/love-relationship to this part of our journey more than you can imagine, but you know what is priceless?
Climbing uphills for more than an hour to finally reach the viewpoints. Standing in front of the mountains and being reminded that our world is beyond beautiful. Looking back at the trip and realize you've made it. You been around the world and you came back and you survived and you grew.

That is absolutely mindblowing.

Just.. Don't forget to check closing times because when the busses stop go, there's not a single soul there to help you get out of there (unless you bribe a policeman, that is...)(not that we did any of that) (eller alltså...).

PRICECLASS: Wulingyuan is not very expensive to live of eat in (ask your hotel staff for tips on good and cheap restaurants!) but the park tickets are around 275 ¥ and that doesn't even included the cable cars or the glass elevator.

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AND WORST

Good to know is that we don't prefer inauthentic, expensive or 'just-laying-on-the-beach'-places

KUTA BEACH
Bali, Indonesia

Knowing that Bali is the top destiantion on basically anyone's bucketlist, it might be wierd to see it in the bottom of ours. We don't diss just for the sake of it, we actually do have a reason.
By some reason we had decided to stay our eight days in Bali only on Kuta, with a mere daytrip to the inner island. That might be one of the most stupid things we've ever done, as Indonesia, and definetely Bali as well, is bursting with culture and beauty - the whole country is so filled with it that it was simply none left for Kuta Beach.

Kuta beach's toursit are basically Swedes and Aussies, which usually is the number one reason we don't like a place - the prices are adapted to the clientele and the authenticity to airheads.

That being said, we've heard fantastic things about Seminyak and Ubud. Bali also has a temple called Tanah Lot, unreachable when high tide, that is supposed to be beautiful.

PRICE CLASS: Around double of rest of Indonesia, which is one of the cheapest places in the world though. Still, a meal on Kuta could cost around 7 USD when Felicia ate the very same course in Yogjakarta for 2 USD.

KOH LANTA
Thailand

Remember what we said about Kuta Beach? Read that again but take away the Aussies. Swedish books were sold. Swedish menues were handled to us. The waiter either was swedish or spoke swedish. And worst of all - the prices was more swedish than Thai, And if we're paying a lot a money to get to Thailand, we don't want to end up in Sweden.

PRICE CLASS: Pricier than the north of the country, but about the same as the more popular islands (Koh Tao and Koh Samui for example). The same as Krabi province in general.

HUA HIN
Thailand

Havn't you always longed for the epicenter of rich germans getting a thai wife? Wouldn't you like to stay in an area that sure has nice sand but seems to built for middle aged anti-adventurous Europeans?
Maybe in next life? And on second thought maybe not at all? That's what we thought.

This is an exellent example on why you should NOT listen to Lonely Planet. They have a whole chapter about this place, which is why we went there in the first place, but we decided to leave after 2 days.

PRICE CLASS: More expensive than Chiang Mai, about the same as Krabi and the islands since this is a tourist destination.

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OTHER PLACES TO VISIT

From our own wishlist

SINGAPORE
Singapore

Felicia only spent five days there of which she was sick two, but she got around enough to see the world-renowned cleanness. She also gladly and often tells people about that time in Singapore that she walked through mall after mall for seven metro stops.

Marina Bay Sands Galleria

one of the more exclusive ones.

It's the place for sown-after convenience, where everybody speak English perfectly, where there is no signs of litter on the streets and where there are rules. A lot of them. Don't bring gum.

PRICE CLASS: Expensive-ish. Not comparing to Europe, I don't think, but definetely pricier than rest of S.E asia.

CHIANG RAI/PAI REGION
Thailand

We havn't been there but it sure is on our list. The famous White Temple in Chiang Rai is one of the things we are most excited about (Read about on Wikipedia or google Wat Rong Khun for pictures) and the landscape of Pai seems to be perfect for achieving that oh-so-desirable inner peace.

HOI AN
Vietnam

Have not been there either but basically everybody (except us...) has stopped by for a couple of days in Hoi An on their Vietnam trip. Jonathan is very excited to go there so he can buy a new suit since Hoi An suppose to be the town for tailoring. Felicia is very excited to go there because of the pitoresque buildings and because it's in Vietnam and Vietnam has extremely good and rich coffee.
And we ~~like~~ adore coffee.

EL NIDO
Philippines

Kind of like paradise on earth tropical version, if Ha Long Bay is the ethereal version. It's lagoons for spending an eternity in, it's waters so blue you'll think they are photoshoped (OK so we've only seen it in pictures, so it might as well be, but we don't think a specific shade of blue will stop you from going there if you ever get the chance...)

GILI TRAWAGAN AND GILI MENO
Indonesia

Outside of the Bali-island lays a place worthy of the same description as El Nido, and like El Nido, we have not been here - yet? - but it's also supposed to be crystal clear waters and endless days of chilling on a beach that contrastes our daily life so to the point it's hard to understand you've been there when you return to everyday life again.
Or, you know, so we've heard.
Did we mention we failed quite hard with Bali?

SEOUL
South Korea

Wanna fika at a poop cafe? Or maybe have a dog as your waitor? Or maybe you're just obsessed with the thought of grilling your own food on the table? Do you want to be surrounded of the hybrid between traditional and hyper modern?
We sure do to after seing Felicia's sister's pictures.