As I sit down and write this wearing my Thailand elephant trousers, what I am about to say is probably quite ironic. As many of you may or may not know. I recently spent a month or so in Hong Kong and Thailand. I have different opinions on each which I will re cap on later. Overall however, although I had some great experiences its safe to say that I wasn’t overwhelmed.
Hong Kong- After deciding to plan a Contiki tour to Australia, which was awesome, my travel companion, Katie and I thought we might as well stop off in Hong Kong and explore further than just the airport. We had booked into a hostel in Kowloon for 4 nights which I guess served a purpose…haha. Anyway… Upon arriving we were hit by the heat, smog, millions of people and god knows how many cars. It was a bit of a wow moment. Don’t get me wrong HK is a magical place, and one day I will go back as I am sure that there is plenty more to discover. What with the jet lag and the struggle to find something edible for breakfast, I feel like I could have had a better experience.
Thailand– Now, my Thailand experience was completely different. After almost crying after leaving Australia, I knew then, that nothing would quite live up to it. Now maybe its my fault for being negative from the start but again there was just something about the place which didn’t quite live up to my perhaps romanticized idea of it. To add yet another spark to the flame, Thailand was my final destination and after being covered in mosquito bites from the jungle and the North, I was probably ready to go home.
Now most people that I have spoken to, 1 think that I am crazy ( they haven’t been to Australia.. or at least visited Thailand & SE Asia before) and 2) They have actually said that I should have gone to Cambodia, Vietnam or Laos…. And here’s why.
1)less tourists, ultimately meaning less commercialized and tacky.
2) its generally cleaner, due to a smaller population.
3)There are less idiots in vests.
4) less noisy , but yeah you probably knew that.
While we are in that part of the world it makes sense to have a little chat about ‘Holiday Plans’ I say that like I actually have a plan. Realistically, I wont be going on any long hall ‘holidays’ any time soon.. seeing as a can’t even make it to Amsterdam or Paris for 2 days at the moment. Still one can dream. Anyway, I don’t know what it is about Bali, Indonesia but I’ve always wanted to go. Despite the recent terrorist attacks I still wouldn’t mind a week at an all inclusive, throw in some attractions too. That would be great. thanks. Furthermore realistically, when I fly back to Australia at the end of next year I would like to have a stop off in Singapore and see how it compares to HK.
ANYWAY..
Since starting this post and editing it many times, I’ve done a fair bit of research into what you guys out there think is better on the whole Cambodia/Thailand debate. Thailand actually comes out pretty well as an overall travel destination. I stand corrected. . All in all however, its just clarified, why my rucksack and I will go back.. just not anytime soon.
For more on my travels to South East Asia and HK.
The Full Moon Party. Is it worth it?
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