FINAL THOUGHTS ON ASIA

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The first leg of my journey, my pursuit of happiness, my escape from reality or whatever else you would like to call it is over. My first continent is done. So i thought i would write a little summary of my thoughts, things i liked, disliked and anything else i feel like typing.

Countries I Conquered (Listed Favorite To Least Favorite)

Cambodia
Days Spent In: 7 (June 4th-11th)
Cities: Phnom Penh, Kampot; Siem Reap
Likes: Angkor Wat/Bayon; Nicest and most welcoming people despite rough history and high poverty; They use the American dollar as their main currency, so I never had to do the math to convert it; Happy bars; Everything is cheap; The people made this my favorite country
Dislikes: 99% of beggars are children; No trains; Most roads are not paved; No McDonalds; Mosquitoes


China
Days Spent In: 23 (April 6th-29th)
Cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Chengdu, Mt. Emei Shan, Leshan, Chongqing, Yichang, Yangshuo, Gullin
Likes: Feel like celebrity so many photos are taken of you; Interesting to see a fast growing economy; Architecture; Great Wall; Shanghai acrobats; One of the most historic countries; Interesting to see communist country; Pandas; Everything is done on a large scale (Buddhas; Bridges; Buildings, etc...); They love guys with beards
Dislikes: Too many photos are taken of you when you don’t want it; Not many people speak English; Disappointed with Forbidden City; Most historic stuff had to be rebuilt; Sleeper trains; Pushiest people in the world and once they are in front, they just stop; Spitting; Squatting toilets; No Facebook; No concept of queues, always cutting

Vietnam
Days Spent In: 17 (May 17th-June 3rd)
Cities: Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang/Jungle Beach, Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon
Likes: Food (not too spicy); Nice to Americans now; Cu Chi Tunnels; Jungle Beach; Hoi An; Ha Long Bay; Good beaches; Riding motorbikes; Motorbike taxi’s; Trying to cross the streets in Hanoi or Saigon
Dislikes: Visa issues leaving the country; Anti-American propaganda regarding the war; Traffic; Still needs better railroads between cities; No Facebook; No McDonalds; Non-stopped beggars, even when eating; Mosquitoes

Laos
Days Spent In: 7 (May 11th-17th)
Cities: Mekong River, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane
Likes: Scenic; Tubing; Happy bars; Remote villages; Simple life; Monks; Rope swings; Smaller cities
Dislikes: Locals hardly talked to us (but they did they were nice); Every city seemed to close by 10pm; No McDonalds; Mosquitoes

Hong Kong
Days Spent In: 2 (April 29th-May 1st)
Cities: n/a
Likes: Architecture; Shopping; Cheap prices on electronics
Dislikes: Smell; Being pushed all the time; Small rooms; Really not much to see but it seems like a city you really need to spend time in to appreciate

Thailand
Days Spent In: 11 (May 1st-10th ; June 11th)
Cities: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket
Likes: Real women; Beaches; Weather; Crazy tuk-tuks; Your first ping pong show; Monks; Temples; Elephants; Tigers; Just craziness; Massages; Happy endings (although some happier than others);
Dislikes: Ladyboys; Creepy old westerners with young Thai women; Couldn’t understand any Thai’s when they spoke English; Your second and third ping pong show; Making out with several girls only to find out they are guys; Someone ALWAYS trying to sell you something; All the temples start looking alike; Mosquitoes; The way Thai’s say massage “Masaaaaagggge”; Spicy food

India
Days Spent In: 9 (June 12th-21st)
Cities: New Delhi, Agra, Jaipur
Likes: Bollywood and Bollywood theaters; Colorful outfits of the women; The women; Somehow, no mosquitoes; You never know what you are about to see (one second you are dodging cars & scooters the next a cow decides to stand in the middle of the road and block traffic); Everyone speaks English
Dislikes: Blackouts; Men looking creepy at western women; Heat; Very dirty streets; Almost impossible to find any alcohol, even beer; Spicy food, even bread; Tons of beggars; Always being hassled to buy something; No concept of queues, always cutting; Dirty water (only place I brushed my teeth with bottle water); Much more expensive than the other 6 countries I went to


I might be writing this section too early, please check back tomorrow for another big question i will leave up to my blog readers and facebook friends that will have a big impact on the rest of my trip....

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