Blitzers are loaded!
Long day but finally arrived in Bangkok about an hour ago. Flight out of Melbourne was delayed by just over an hour last night but a very smooth flight and got nearly 6 hours of sleep on Virginās very good flat bed. Had just over 5 hours to kill at Hong Kong airport but thankfully had the two Cathay First lounges to visit so had a great shower, massage and a very good meal. Had a stack of FF points so decided to book Hong Kong to Bangkok first class with Cathay and it was under $200 return for two pax. Was stoked to see availability in first class even though itās only a 2 and a bit hour flight. Just a pity the reward flights from Australia are so hard to get
1 Like
Staying at the Lebua which is our normal go to hotel in Bangkok. A bit smoggy today but the view from our balcony on the 55th floor is still pretty cool.
6 Likes
And what trade news have they heard there?
1 Like
Itās not frigging Dubbo.
2 Likes
German beer gardens - superb. Big or small they make them inviting. Tree, tables and a great attitude by the locals. If the weather is ādankeā then itās as good as it gets. And there is a wonderful family atmosphere with people there to socialise and enjoy.
3 Likes
Hey @mcdav since you were not impressed with the burger, how about this schnitzel?
and yes itās soy based. It was very tasty, so happy I could get a schnitzel fix.
4 Likes
The schnitzel to salad ratio is way out.
4 Likes
Do agree. Another schnitzel would have been appreciated.
Fricken alfalfa? WTF. Donāt think Iāve seen that on a dish since 1985.
The beer looks mint though.
With all this beer and fried food you seem to be posting for breakfast, lunch & dinner, you are going to come home being bigger than a house @bomb_doe
Iām still very jealous though!! All looks amazing!
1 Like
Has anyone been to Quy Nhon in Vietnam? Iām heading to VN for work in December and have 3 or 4 days free time while Iām there. A few peeps recommend I stay there on my way from Da Lat to Hanoi.
How late in December? It may still be storm season if youāre early.
Sign in Hoi An from last year:
1 Like
I better take my waders.
Early Dec. Arrive HCMC Dec 3. Head to DaLat for 4 days work, then have to be in Hanoi for a conference/debrief Dec 17.
Hey @mrjez, @JohnRain & other Japanites, a question if you please -
Next April we fly home from Itami airport via Narita departing 8am, so time will be tight that morning. Where would be the best area to stay in Osaka to give us easy access to the airport?
Maybe stay near Osaka Station (Umeda) and catch either the train / monorail (via Hotarugaike) or the Limosine Airport Bus? Sound about right?
Edit-1: looks like the bus takes about the same amount of time whether you leave from Umeda or Namba, which is a bit counter-intuitive given Namba is further away.
Edit-2: FYI we will have spent 2 nights / 1 day in Osaka after finishing the Kumano Kodo trek. Think my daughter will want to go to Universal Studios for Harry Potter.
I intend to visit China next year. Minimum 2 weeks, maximum 4. It will be my first time and I am woefully ignorant of Chinese geography, history, culture and language. Iād be grateful for tips as to the best time of year to visit (Iām leaning towards April) and things to take with me (or to leave behind).
The most important thing to do is to take a boomerang and throw and catch it in Tiananmen Square.
I did that, and I really enjoyed my 4 weeks in China.
Um, itās a big place. Care to narrow down your motivation and any must-visits?
If like me you get a bit of asthma, take appropriate puffers etc. I gather youāre aware of the conventional pollution but they literally smoke everywhere. Worse than Europe. We had to leave several cafes when we decided to preference air over food.
It is an incredible place and often visually stunning and despite warnings we found the people helpful and friendly. But noone speaks English and most signs are in Chinese only. My daughter had a translating app which regularly came in handy.
1 Like
We just did this last week, so I can tell you what we did, whether itās best, not sure. I did also look at staying close to the airport, but it didnāt save much time, and there was F All to see there.
We stayed near Umeda, because of easy access to USJ via Osaka St. I can post a link to the AirBNb if you like.
Our flights werenāt till 10.30, but it was easy enough to get from Umeda to the airport with the change at the station you listed, then monorail.
In 3 weeks in Japan we never waited more the 1-2 minutes for a train, they just keep coming constantly.
The āproblemā was just changing between the different company train lines, and as you get further from the city the less the machines have English on them, and we could never figure out how to buy a ticket that allowed us to transfer between companies. So we just bought a new one each time we had to transfer.
If youāre doing USJ, I strongly recommend looking up the āhacksā (arrive early being the most obvious) and if you know the date you will be there and you plan to buy the Express Pass, do it well in advance.