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I was able to snag a super, super cheap airfare to China for less than $500 this coming Thanksgiving. I have what is basically 9 days to account for. I'm starting to do research on what I want to see. I have 69 hours in Beijing to get around needing a visa. I also could potentially push the return flight back a day, (Going to Beijing on Thursday and back to Chicago on Sunday... though work would suck!)
Current Flights
Arrive in Hong Kong Sunday, November 22nd 7PM
Hong Kong to Beijing Wednesday, December 2nd - Leave at 5PM, Arrive at 8PM
Beijing to Chicago - Leave Saturday December 5th at 5PM
This will probably be my only chance to do an Asian trip like this.
Background on me: I've done 4 Euro trips between 2012-2014 hitting up Dublin, Paris, Madrid, Seville, Munich, Zurich, Istanbul, Amsterdam and Brussels. I've learned a lot each of those trips. My favorite was Spain this past time: Spent 3 days in Madrid, 5 days in Seville and another two days in Madrid. Took my time, went exploring, did a lot of small day trips etc. I love seeing architecture and ruins (did a lot of castle trips in Spain) Wondering and exploring are fun. I'll do museums and all, but after awhile, I get tired of art museums and such.
On my trips, I stay in hostels or couch surf if I can. I don't mind spending $$ on certain things, but I'm not a fan of spending to spend. Like in Paris, I found a small bistro that was mostly locals, away from the high priced tourist areas. Cheap but good food. The extra 15 EUR to the top of the Eiffel tower vs the midpoint was spent on trying new foods.
I'm not really sure how long to stay in Hong Kong, or which country would be best to visit afterwords during that 9 day break. I'd prefer somewhere warm(ish) as my time in Spain was a lot more fun when it was in the 60's (around 20C) than in Dublin or Paris that was around 35-40 (3-4C).
China would be a great place to explore for you but Im guessing you don't want to spend money on a visa.
Imo the most logical trip would be Taiwan...you can easily spend a few days in Taipei, and you can also see plenty of history and countryside in the rest of the island traveling by bullet train. I think even the most jaded traveler would find plenty to do for 5-6 days. The remainder would be left to spend in Hong Kong and Macau (though I really don't even think Macau is worth the trip)
I picked Taiwan because it's a very short flight and the easiest place to get to in that region besides Mainland China. But you could go a little further to the Phillipines if that interests you. Spend a few days in Manila and a few days at the beach.
If you want to leave the region, Thailand is a great cheap option. Vietnam requires a visa. South Korea and Japan could offer you a similar breadth of experiences, but it's not cheap or close.
Beijing will be cold, so you'll want to balance that with somewhere warm. Plus, no visa for Thailand, plus if you thought Spain was fun, wait until you get to Thailand.
China would be a great place to explore for you but Im guessing you don't want to spend money on a visa.
Imo the most logical trip would be Taiwan...you can easily spend a few days in Taipei, and you can also see plenty of history and countryside in the rest of the island traveling by bullet train. I think even the most jaded traveler would find plenty to do for 5-6 days. The remainder would be left to spend in Hong Kong and Macau (though I really don't even think Macau is worth the trip)
I picked Taiwan because it's a very short flight and the easiest place to get to in that region besides Mainland China. But you could go a little further to the Phillipines if that interests you. Spend a few days in Manila and a few days at the beach.
If you want to leave the region, Thailand is a great cheap option. Vietnam requires a visa. South Korea and Japan could offer you a similar breadth of experiences, but it's not cheap or close.
This was my first reaction, too. Taiwan. It's a beautiful island to explore, and there are hostels to stay in (if you can read the signs, haha!). Taiwan has the best Chinese food in all of Asia. Fabulous restaurants in Taipei (be sure to try one of the vegetarian restaurants, where they concoct imitation meat dishes out of tofu or poi (taro root), for something new and different. Taro root is delicious!), and even the street vendor food is good. Get vaccinated for Heptatis A and B before you go, though.
Honestly, 9 days isn't enough even for Taiwan, let alone the mainland. But it's better than nothing. You must see the national museum in Taipei.
Beijing will be cold, so you'll want to balance that with somewhere warm. Plus, no visa for Thailand, plus if you thought Spain was fun, wait until you get to Thailand.
I actually only went to two bars in Spain. I'm not much of a party person. I'd much rather go see historical/cultural things than drink. Probably my best night in Seville was going with some guys I met at a hostel to a Tapas place and seeing Flamanco afterwords.
My only concern about Bangkok is that it's a huge city. Worth staying for a day or two? Sure. But I'm not into strippers (heard a lot about those) or clubs.
It's like I liked my time in the smaller city of Delft, NL than in Amsterdam.
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