6 Month Thoughts and Figures !!

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Just some thoughts on my first 6 months of travel, may they continue !!!



Country Average Spends. Includes all in country travel, excludes international flights/Scuba diving





Country - Days Spent - Ave Spend - Highest Spend

Hong Kong - 7 - 30.48 - Accommodation (11.06)

China - 25 - 32.08 - Transport (11.88)

South Korea - 23 - 26.93 - Accommodation (10.34)

Philippines - 43 - 30.46 - Accommodation (8.99)

Thailand - 24 - 26.56 - Food (5.72)

Laos - 13 - 23.05 - Food (5.79)

Vietnam - 31 - 22.62 - Food (5.29)

Cambodia - 19 - 18.27 - Food (5.67)

*Days spent includes both entry and exit days, so overlap on countries



Hottest Temperature been in:- 38 Degrees Celsius, 100.8 Degrees Fahrenheit. Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Coldest Temperature been in:- 12 Degrees Celsius, 53.6 Degrees Fahrenheit. Seoul, South Korea



New Foods – Snake, Frog, Scorpion, Grasshoppers, Other Bugs, Water Buffalo, Ostrich. (Bound to be some Veg in thai food etc but not sure what they are)



UNESCO World Heritage Sites – 21 and counting



Hostels/Guesthouses Used – 55

Nights Slept on Transport – 8 (Flight to HK. Xian to Shanghai train. Shanghai to Beijing train. Manila to Banaue bus. Laoag to Manila bus. Vientiane to Hanoi bus. Hanoi to Hue bus. Hoi An to Nha Trang bus)

Trips over 10 hours – 8 (Longest 28 hours, Vientiane to Hanoi)

Trips over 5 hours – 24

Total Hours moving between Destinations – 308 Hours (12.83 days) Only includes place to place, not in city travel or day trips and excursions.

Favourite type of transport – Soft sleeper trains in China/Limousine Buses in Korea

Least Favourite – Any night bus



Airlines used – 8 – Jet Airways, South China Air, Hainan Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Zest Air, Air Phil Express, South East Airlines (SEAIR), Vietnam Airlines.



Beers – Tsingtao, Yanjing, Hite, Cass, Red Horse, San Miguel Pale Pilsen, San Miguel light, Chang, Tiger, Beer Lao, Namkhong, Bia Hoi, Hanoi Beer, Bia Hanoi, Saigon Green, Saigon Red, Angkor, Anchor smooth, Cambodia.



Favourite City – Beijing

Least Favourite City – Manila



Best food – China/Thailand (Good spice to it)

Worst food – Korean. Did not understand it at all.



Nicest People – Cambodian then Filipino’s or Vietnamese



Best Airports – Hong Kong, Incheon, Bangkok.

Worst Airports – Most in the Philippines, most notably Busuanga (Coron), Puerto Princesa and Angeles.



Best National parks – South Korea



Cleanest Country – South Korea

Dirtiest Country – Cambodia. The little is unbelievable, it’s everywhere



Places I’d go back to tomorrow – Beijing, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Phnom Penh

Places I’d happily never see again – Manila, Cebu, Battambang, Laos as a whole pretty much,

Places I’m yet to see but looking forward to – Siem Reap, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Borneo.

Places I’m not going to but would now like too – Myanmar, Nepal, Palau



Thoughts (In no order)



Never expect anything to be on time.

Estimated guide times for journeys are always understated.

Children can work from pretty much any age and are incredibly resilient in Asia. They are also incredibly cute and friendly (not yet been poisoned in some cases against the west)

Taxis are generally overpriced.

You can never take a picture of anything in China without having others in the shot, simply impossible.

Chinese women age in only 3 steps, child, adult, old. No middle ground. They also have the most attractive women, but due to the above ageing process it will go wrong at some point. Cambodian’s are hot on their tail however. Very beautiful women

Even in 38 degrees you will see locals wearing jeans and jumpers/coats/gloves/hats.

Cambodian blokes are quite stylish and have a good choice in shirts and wear them always.

English football is more readily available than at home. (time difference permitting)

Cambodian police like a good bribe although are terrible at applying it

Roads in Asia are not in good order. Some absolute shockers.

Sitting on the street drinking 9-15 pence beers on kiddie’s tables and chairs is THE best way to enjoy a beer EVER

Vietnamese Water Puppets are mint.

Every city is improved with a good river/lake bar Battambang !!

Sunsets look the same worldwide but I still feel the urge to take photos when I see one

Towels are the easiest travel item to lose.

Top Bunks are a pain in the arse.

A laptop is a necessary travel item for a solo traveller

Some tuk tuks play horrendous music and very loud especially in Philippines and Bangkok

Every Filipino middle aged man will try and pimp out his daughter, niece or friend to you.

A horn on a scooter is the most important function.

Air con is brilliant except on Filipino coaches.

Asian’s can’t sing but always will. Filipino Karaoke is the funniest.

Asian’s can and will sleep anywhere at any time of the day.

Middle aged Korean woman love a good hike

Pyjama’s seem to be an acceptable form of attire at any time of the day

Even though everyone wears them socks and sandals/flip flop’s are NOT acceptable

Hearing a ‘hello’ whoever it may be from is always appreciated.

A McDonalds is near every tourist site, hence you can’t get lost. If in doubt follow the M (Does not apply in Indochina)





If anyone would like any more information on figures etc, please ask

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