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Worst major Asian city


coinlockerbaby

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....Jakarta?

I havent been, but there is just no "buzz" about it at all. Whats up with that? I get the feeling it has the all the heat/crowds/traffic of Bangkok but without the great sightseeing/shopping/nightlife/food/funkiness... Im willing to be proven wrong though...

Love Tokyo.

Loved bangkok.

Thought Singapore was, surprisingly, an interesting, easy, laidback place to visit (if not an earthshattering, life-defining experience).

Liked KL even more - also very "userfriendly " - but with a little more soul and grit. and funky Islamic skyscrapers.

Spent a weekend in Taipei and thought it was quite buzzing.

Lived in Seoul...wouldnt recommend it as a tourist destination.

Thought Beijing was exciting with interesting sights and hella rude people.

Not yet been to Hong Kong.

Absolutely no interest in Shanghai.

What would your pick be?

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Yeah, penang looks niiiiiiiiiiiiice. Another one to add to my list.

Why not KL?

I thought KL was kind of boring to be honest. Maybe I didn't hit all the right spots, but of all the southeast asian cities, I'd probably never decide to go back to KL.

Saigon is great.

Phnom Penh is very VERY relaxed and interesting place to be/go.

Singapore is ok.

I think i'm thru with Japan, don't know if I will go back to tokyo, although Osaka does seem more interesting to me. The 2nd city syndrome i guess.

HK is next on my list.

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Easily Seoul. The only city of 10 million people in the world where the clubs are empty Sunday through Thursday, because everyone is on some dismal daily grind to cop their own silver 320i on 15" rims. Weekend rolls around, everyone is sitting under tents drinking $1 bottles of soju and snacking on something rotten, checking out each other's imitation designer wear.

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As for KL being boring - yeah, its not thrilling - but I found it a little less boring than Singapore . everything is easy and manageable but ther was still a little bit more grittiness there. Plus, as I said, I liked the 21st century Islamic skyscraper vibe. But then, I was with local friends in KL and you know what they say - its the people you are with that make the place...

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Easily Seoul. The only city of 10 million people in the world where the clubs are empty Sunday through Thursday, because everyone is on some dismal daily grind to cop their own silver 320i on 15" rims. Weekend rolls around, everyone is sitting under tents drinking $1 bottles of soju and snacking on something rotten, checking out each other's imitation designer wear.

Wait. I thought you were talking about Koreans in LA....haha. Oh the irony....

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I didn't like Beijing much, but then again, I was with a tour group with the 'rents and didn't have a clue where to go or what to do during those 2 hrs that I had to myself.

I also haven't heard that many good things about Seoul. Seems bleak for some reason.

Singapore is not bad for one or two nights, at most. It seems almost too westernized (i.e., Borders Book and Music) and "clean", if that makes any sense.

Hong Kong is awesome. Great mix between east and west. Thinking about eventually working and living there for the LT.

Macau is also fun and much preferred over casino towns in the West. It's mad shady, but that's a good thing right i.e., Lisboa afterhours?

Phnom Penh is definitely off the grid. It's one of the last frontier cities in SE Asia. Siem Reap is being overrun with 5 star resorts and hospitals, capitalizing on tourists who want to go Tomb Raider at Angkor Wat. PP is a sleepy city with an assortment of NGO/UN personnel and backpackers milling about. The nightlife is mellow but surprisingly very much "happening" in the right spots.

Saigon is one of my favorite places. Great food and fun place to hang out. The first thing I noticed was the air was so much cleaner compared to BKK. While it's tough to cross the roads at first, the city quickly seduces you with amazing coffee, traditional ao dais, fun nightlife, etc.

Bangkok is home #2. Not much to say about it. Amazing city.

Tokyo is on my list to check out. I'll be there in late January. I've been to Fukuoka but never had an extended stay in Tokyo for longer than 1-2 days. Should be interesting given the intel gathered from SuFu.

Manila doesn't seem very interesting for some reason. I could be wrong though. But maybe it was the Philipino girls I accidently met in Wan Chai that turned me off.

Overall, the emerging and frontier cities in Asia are the most interesting to visit. I haven't been to Burma or Vientiene but they are both on my list. Anyone had any interesting thoughts about Mumbai or Karachi?

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Ah, the old Singapore=too clean=too boring line....

Wondering when that would pop up...

I mean I hear ya - Singapore is not very exotic, in that sense. It reminded me a lot of Sydney, say, or Honolulu or other Asianized Western cities.

BUT it has lots to see and do, some good clubs, lots of shopping (if conservative tastes), a bangin (if illegal) gay scene, great food, a kick-ass bird park and a pretty interesting cultural mix - you have to admit. I loved hearing the subway announcements in four languages and seeing the signs in swirly Tamil script...

So what exactly does Jakarta bring to the table other than grime and rough'n'readiness ?

Im just asking because I really have no idea....What would you say are the good things about jakarta?

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Fort Lee, NJ

Asian? Orly?

whats your reasoning behind this btw.

I probably shouldn't have even posted that in this thread. I didn't even read the title or the first post.

However, It's just my personal opinion, I can't stand the Vietnamese culture, let alone be surrounded by millions, no thanks. The sound of their language makes my ears bleed. But oddly enough Pho is amazing, the best thing that ever came out of Vietnam.

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Asian? Orly?

I probably shouldn't have even posted that in this thread. I didn't even read the title or the first post.

However, It's just my personal opinion, I can't stand the Vietnamese culture, let alone be surrounded by millions, no thanks. The sound of their language makes my ears bleed. But oddly enough Pho is amazing, the best thing that ever came out of Vietnam.

so your basis is more of a racist thing than a city thing.

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