No Clue, just looking for a start

[lilchappy]

Well, it is amazing how much graduate school will limit your posting, myspace, and facebook, but I am proud to announce I will be back to traveling again...at least a little.

So here is the deal, I have my final MBA class from June 1st-Aug 1st, but from June 21st-June 28th I will be in Beijing China. I then have from the 28th until the 5th of July to do something.....

What should I do??? Here are the stipulations
-Nothing crazy expensive (more than 100 US a day including travel)
-I will be returning from Beijing on the 5th or 6th.
-I would like to see some Buddhist culture/history/temples
-I would like to relax on the beach and maybe even stay in a bungalo or tent on the beach for dirt cheap, but not dangerous.

I have been thinking Thailand, or Laos, or Japan, or Singapore, but when it came down to it, I really don't know much about Asia as I do backpacking Europe (3 Summers in a row has made me a master).

Any help, websites, personal experiences, iten's, do's and don't, or cheap exotic, touristy trips from China all would be helpful.

Thanks guys....cya.....lilchappy

[BigE]

Great idea! Go for it!

[joe7f]

Am I missing something? Is your MBA class in Beijing?

Anyhow, for something completely off the wall, have you considered maybe taking a train to Mongolia? or Lhasa? Japan can be done under $100 per day. You'll want to get aJR pass though if you plan on doing anything more than a Tokyo-Kyoto trip.

--Joey

[Esterina]

^^^Hmmmm, he only has 10 days, I guess he's better taking the plane for this time.

The problem with Asia is that all the options are tooooooo good ! The countries you mentioned are very different from one another, maybe you should let your budget decide : $15 per day Laos or Thailand, $75 Singapour or Japan. Or whatever cheap travel opportunity you can grab in Beijing. You'll have no regret whereever you end up. Promise !

Btw, as you can understand, backpacking the less developped countries of Asia is very different from Europe. But by June 28th, you'll already have experience of the continent, that'll make it easier to fully enjoy your short trip outside Beijing.

Also, why not visit the deeper China ? Travellers can spend months discovering that huge country.

Dito on Joey's question : the MBA in China ?

[LiveFreeorDie]

Thailand would certainly satisfy both your criteria but from Beijing it is a long flight, maybe 8 or 9 hours rough guess if I remember correctly. I know its about 3 hrs from Hong Kong to BKK and I think its about 5 hrs from HK to Beijing, but double check. If you decided to do it, you could do a few days in Bangkok and see temples, the Grand Palace, Ayuttaya (old Khmer temples) etc and then head to the islands. Islands you could check out are Koh Samui, Koh Samet, Phuket, etc. You can get cheap flights from BKK to Samui or Phuket on Air Asia or Nok Air. Koh Samet you can get to on a combination of bus and ferry from Bangkok.

Japan or Singapore would be more expensive from a daily cost perspective. Singapore has one kind of lame beach called Sentosa and virtually no culture, not bad nightife though. Not sure about Japan's beaches, they certainly have the culture. Good luck!

[joe7f]

Originally Posted by atchoum

^^^Hmmmm, he only has 10 days, I guess he's better taking the plane for this time.

That may be a good idea the train ride from Beijing to Ulaan Bataar is 33 hours and 70 USD each way (according to wikitravel) not sure what the flights cost. The Lhasa connection was considerably longer than I thought (3 days ).

If you are looking for something a bit more "time sensitive" check out the Yangtze river before the 3 Gorges Dam is finished. That area will be forever changed.

--Joey

[lilchappy]

well, sorry for the confusion and thanks for the help. I have a class titles doing business in asia for 2 months, but from June 21-28th we are in Beijing and meeting with businesses and seeing the business cultures! I am stoked. THen I have about 10 days until I have to be back in good old Springfield, Missouri for 3 more weeks of that class.

I love the ideas and didn't realize how long of a flight Thailand would be. I want to see as much as possible and just needed a start. That 33 hour train ride doesn't sound like my cup of tea, but a train ride through China to somewhere is a great idea to see the countryside! Is there a railasia site like raileurope? I guess I could just type it into the search bar.

Anyways, long time away but I love planning and appreciate the help. I will post as I figure things out. Keep coming with the posts!

cya...lilchappy