Nepal

Gimme some advice!
Do you know of any people / places / hotels / restaurants / bars / guides / resources in this country that you think would be unmissable? What's more, I need it written down.
Stick your advice in the comments - pleasepleaseplease.

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I'll be in Kathmandu, in Nepal in December 2005:

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PPQ recommends Boudnath.
She also says:
1. If you're in Thamel (which is basically like a Nepali Camden - haven for tourists and brimful of cheap bargains and bars) do pop into the Maya Cocktail Bar and say Hi to the guys there [Edit: hi from who? They know your pseudonym? :)].
Also if you're missing European food, Roadhouse and Fire and Ice do decent pizza.
2. Make sure you try Momo - a Tibetan/Nepali steamed dumpling served with broth traditionally made with pork and onion and garlic, but these days you get veggie ones and all sorts. Deeeeelicious. [Edit: Agreed - I live on Momo whenever I can, here in Catford!]
3. Patan which is an ancient town just outside of Kathmandu is full of typical old stylee Nepali archihtecture and has a great museum. You'll see that evidence of the the fact that pagodas were actually first built by a Nepali guy.
4. Light a few candles at Boudnath and have ago on the prayer wheels. An important Buddhist stupa where you may catch monks singing, or painting their beautiful thangka painting and as I mentioned it's one my most favourite places in the world.
5. And as my Dad's side are from Pokhara I would definitely recommend a few days stay by the lake side, and even a few treks if you can make it. Waking up in the morning and having a coffee on one of the rooftop cafes and writing your postcards while the Annapurnas loom ahead of you is just an amazing experience.
6. AND, if you get the time and the climate is good (both environmental and political) then a few days stay at one of the safari parks in Chitwan is well worth it. Dawn bird watching walks, canoe rides, elephant safaris to seek out tigers and rhinos and other wildlife is ace!

F-- recommends:

1. The New Orleans bar / restaurant in Kathmandu
2. The Thamel area for when you're culture shocked out and just want epats and nice cake
3. The Kathmandu Guest House - not the cheapest but central and really nice private gardens [Edit: exactly where I'll start my stay off...]
4. The best trekking guide in Nepal is Dilip! He has LOTS of experience doing all the main walks and some more unusual ones. I still get regular emails and it would be really nice to know that he had a job from these. Give him an email 6 weeks before you plan to arrive so that he can be sure to be available for you or can find you a substitute.
5. I did also investigate when I was in Pokhara (another Nepali town) a guiding outfit ran by women. You should always go and have a chat and a cup of tea with whoever you are going to hire and go on gut instinct and references.
   The women's company produced as my potential guide a girl of around 12 who looked rather frail (not a fault in itself but you have to think about who will support you if you feel a bit duff) and who had never done the walk proposed (a considerable 16 day hike to some altitude) - i felt like i would most probably have to carry her over the high pass myself and did wonder whether we would find the route at all). Also her English was not great.
6. if you hire a porter a) don't over burden that person - it is OK to expect them to carry your big pack but not two people's. Lots of porters are horribly overburdened but feel they can't afford to turn down the work,
   especially with tourism so low - they end up very resentful of their employers and the whole relationship s far less pleasant b) check out before you go, and ask to see before you set out on the bus for the start of the walk, their boots and their warm clothing. Don't be fobbed off. If your porter gets frostbite it is your responsibility. c) "Leenus" more ee than ie is the Nepali word for "pick up" as in "pick up your cards sucker, you lose!"
7. There are porters association offices in Kathmandu and Himalayan Mountaineering Association (if not exactly called this, then something like it!) offices - both are excellent places for looking at notice boards and finding someone else to hike with and to get information about AMS (altitude sickness).
8. AMS - follow the guidelines and you will be fine. Take any opportunity to"climb high and sleep low" which will help your walk the next day hugely - don't gain more than 500m in one day - i.e. you may start at 3000, climb to 4000 and come back to 3500. This means that the next day when you climb to 4000m you have already been there and are acclimatised to that high already making the gain far easier.
9. Drink loads and loads of water. If you plan on a long walk like the Annapurna Circuit then buy some Diamox and take it over 4500m, it is gods gift, the drug of choice!! (all will be explained by the nice doctors in the Mountaineering Association).

Alan says:
1. Kathmandu, my second home. Stay somewhere in the Thamel district (you probably will anyway). Be careful not to let any untreated water in your mouth or you'll have the runs for a week (some people even put gaffer tape over their mouth while taking a shower!) If you eat in a local restaurant, go somewhere lots of locals go, and ask them if they wash the food with bromide water before you touch anything!
2. Places to visit - the Monkey Temple, unmissable, outside the city on a hill, the temple itself is fascinating but even better is the view over the city. And Durbar Square. Also, at the internal airport you can get a flight around Mount Everest, which needs to be done really doesn't it?
3. Eat or have a drink or two at the Rum Doodle, and wander around reading the walls, where they have big boards under glass autographed by people who have summitted Everest (including Hillary and Tenzing, Messner, Athans, all the greats really). Other good western places to eat (safe food) are Kilroy's and K-Too. There's an Irish bar but it's usually full of Israeli's rather than Irish for some reason and it's a bit of a dive. If you want music and dancing I'd recommend the Funky Buddha instead.
4. Always barter in the shops, it's expected. If you think the price is too high, just walk out, if they are prepared to go down in price they will chase you! And when you see hawkers on the street, don't make eye-contact otherwise they will follow you around for hours. They have nothing better to do and they know that if they bug you enough, you'll buy whatever they're selling just to get rid of them!

map

India

Gimme some advice!
Do you know of any people / places / hotels / restaurants / bars / guides / resources in this country that you think would be unmissable?
I desperately need your advice, tips and recommendations. What's more, I need it written down.
Stick your advice in the comments

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I'll be travelling overland from Nepal to Mumbai, in India in January 2006:

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Kay gave me a travel guide, and suggests visiting these places:

1. Sera Joe outside Mysore - the biggest Tibetan settlement outside of north India (and demanded I push a prayer wheel in her honour there)
2. Madikeri Area, Karnataka
3. Sravanabelgola - the largest Jainist erection in India
4. Hampi - where I should go to the Mango Tree eating place
5. Finally, Ellora and Ajonta, north of Mumbai

J-- recommends:

1. "Unmissable: the Golden Temple at Amritsar;
2. Varanasi/Benares;
3. Keralan backwaters;
4. hot dusty bus journeys;
5. Calcutta/Kolkota;
6. taking an auto rickshaw across town during rush hour;
7. Rajasthani palaces;
8. the centre of a city coming to a standstill during a festival;
9. painted Hindu temples;
10. Kashmiri lakes (except I'm not sure Kashmir is that safe at present);
11. the smells - fragrant and not so fragrant;
12. the noise."

Andre says: tip for india ... don't get stressed ... nothing happens on time ... everyone wants to rip you off ... but after about 4 days .... you'll just love the goddamn place

Thailand

Gimme some advice!
Do you know of any people / places / hotels / restaurants / bars / guides / resources in this country that you think would be unmissable?
I need it written down.
Stick your advice in the comments - pleasepleaseplease

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I'll be in Bangkok, in Thailand in December 2005:

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Karen's gf P suggests:
1. The King's Palace. It's splendor is amazing and beautiful and disgusting at the same time. Bring an interpreter with you (at 300 Baht/hour) to interpret the history on the walls.
2. Siam Center.
3. Chinatown.
4. Take a long tail boat ride.
5. Take pictures of and buy from the floating market.
6. Wat Pho temple.
7. Victory Monument.
8. Thammasett University.
9. In Bangkok, don't, in any circumstance or however adventurous you are feeling, take the tuktuk. Trust me. Just don't.

Sal suggests
1. Maddox's Guide to Thailand. 2. and anything in south-east asia: Zalzadore's Big Wander for some of the posts re cheapaschips detox/yoga/taichi resort thingy, with own hut overlooking sea from forested hillside, that sort of thing
3. in the meantime, check out some of these photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zalzadore/
eg the photos surrounding this one

Daan says:
Can't really tell you much about Thailand that won't be bleedingly obvious once you get there. The tourist trail is so well-lubed... it's nigh impossible to "do your own thing" there. I thought Indonesia was much more "adventurous" in that regard, but hey, some people like more "guidance" or whatever you wanna call it and appreciate the solid tourist infrastructure Thailand has to offer. Just some random things that come highly recommended: a boat trip around Ko Phi Phi ("the" beach from "The Beach"), full moon party on Ko Pha-ngan (only if you're into that sorta thing), herbal whiskey, sweet sticky rice, renting a motorbike for a day on one of the islands, a Shan/Burmese massage, a two-day white water rafting trip in Pai, a ride on the Chao Praya river express in Bangkok, the Chatuchak market in Bangkok (a huge motherfucker of a market), wandering the grounds of the temples and the Royal Palace in Bangkok, ...

In Thailand, you should be able to get a decent room for around 200 Baht. In Malaysia, around 20-25 RM (twin/double). Singapore is much more expensive: 18 S'pore dollar for just a dorm bed.

Waterhot says:
1. Obviously the Grand Palac is exceptional
2. The Reclining Buddha is similarly stunning (and impossible to photograph, which lends a whole fun of its own)
3. A boat tour of the Bangkok Khlongs is an interesting way to see some of the variety of a major Asian city, but if your time is limited I wouldn't be inclined to try to force it into my schedule, as the boats go pretty fast and things either pass in a blur or are too far away to see a great deal
4. A typical touristy thing to do is to take a coach to the floating market at Damnoensaduak (worth doing, but to see the local residents, for whom this really is their local market, rather than the stalls of tat, which are straightforward tourist traps), before going on to the Rose Garden - a sort of country club that serves as a showcase for "traditional" Thai culture - there's a (very artificial) show depicting a traditional wedding, thai boxing, elephants, traditional dances and so on. If you like kitsch - or if you're only going to be in Thailand for two days and you want the rapid helicopter tour of the culture - it's for you.
5. Better than taking a tourist bus is to hire a personal guide for a couple of days - he'll also take you to the floating market, but you can negotiate with him to go more off the beaten track - there's an orchid farm about an hour outside Bangkok where most of the tourist buses stop, but if you continue from there another half hour or so you get into the coconut groves, you can stop and see real peasants doing real work, rather than artists impersonating them.
6. It's worth being quite firm with a personal guide and telling him that you want to see real Thai life - for example, visit the street market in Maeklong (and hour or so outside Bangkok). Once he understands what interests you, he can usually come up with some really interesting ideas - and it's not at all expensive.
7. Finally, if you're in Bangkok for a few days, it's seriously worth considering taking the opportunity to nip across the border in Cambodia to visit the legendary temple at Angkor Wat. I never realised how close it was the first time I went, but unless Cambodia is on your list for one of your other four round-the-world trips, you'll never get a better chance to see it.

Zalzadore says:
1. In Bangkok, unless you want nic hotels and pumping girly nightlife within a few meters of your door, you should stay at the National Library district.
It has some decent bus connections and is on the river bus route (stop Tha Thewet). It's quiet but right next to a bustling fish and food market, river side temple and make sure you feed the fish at the boat stop - It's a Thai custom.
2. I would recomend the north west of Thailand, particularly Chang Mai, Pai and Mae Hong Son (depending on how much time you have [Edit: I have a month!]). See my blog for the route I took on a motorbike tour of the area. As you get towards Burma, it gets quite spectacular.
3. Head to Pattaya for a night and walk along the beach front to check out the extent to which men destroy themselves through desire. Then take in the best Lady Boy Caberet show in Thailand. (Make sure you give yourself a chance to get to know a few lady boys. they are an interestng cultural island)
4. If you're into cheap, natural Islands, head over to the Cambodian side of the Gulf of Thailand. Head out to Koh Chang from Trat (a nice little town if you stay near the canal). From Koh Chang head to Koh Wai or some of the smaller islands. Koh Wai is stunning in it's cheap simplicity. But make sure you don't go during Thai holidays as it's small and you won't find anywhere to stay.
5. Oh, and don't spend too much time in Thailand because you might miss some of Vietnam.

Sal says:
and that nifty place zalzadore stayed at with the detox and the demi-courses and the private huts off in the trees, was in Koh Samui and is called Spa Samui. wander round the website, and consider treating yourself to a week or two there

Vietnam

Gimme some advice!

Do you know of any people / places / hotels / restaurants / bars / guides / resources in this country that you think would be unmissable?

I desperately need your advice, tips and recommendations. What's more, I have a memory like sliced slurry, and whatever you tell me in a drunken fug by the Thames is already gone: I need it written down.

Stick your advice in the comments - pleasepleaseplease, and I'll add it onto this main post as soon as I hit a country with a proper broadband connection...

Cheers, me dears...

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I'll be in Hanoi, in northern Vietnam in November 2005:

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Greavsie says:
Don't eat anything unless it's been killed in front of you.

Mike says:
Hanoi: wonderful place. Loved it loved it loved it. And I strongly disagree with the commenter above: Vietnamese food is almost universally heavenly. Try the rice noodle soup (Pho) for breakfast - you may never want to breakfast on anything else ever again. Crossing the road looks intensely scary, but the trick is to keep a steady, unflinching path; the traffic simply flows around you. Counter-intuitive, but it works.

Gia says:
Before you go get in touch with Our Man in Hanoi (Steve). Vietnam is just the best place in the world. Hanoi is in my top two places (it keeps swapping places with Egypt). The people are wonderful, food is amazing and it will make you feel more alive than you have before. Wake up early and go see Ho Chi Min's remains. It's the weirdest thing ever.

Malaysia & Indonesia

Gimme some advice!
Do you know of any people / places / hotels / restaurants / bars / guides / resources in this country that you think would be unmissable?
I desperately need your advice, tips and recommendations. What's more, I need it written down.
Stick your advice in the comments.

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I'll be travelling overland from Singapore through Malaysia and Indonesia, describing an islands arc that ends in Ubud, in Bali in October 2005:

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J-- recommends the route from Malaysia to Singapore, on to Indonesia (via the slow boat to Java) and then on to Bali.
Also, the fruit - mangosteens and Durian fruit are (for differing reasons) unmissable.

Jen suggests the following Bali hotel links:
1 person bungalow w/hot water and tub - US $14 - I'm planning on staying in this one for a bit [...] I'd like to stay longer - but picking up visas that you have to use within 3 months etc etc etc while being a moving target is crap. also, also
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This is in the area (Pemuteran) where you can adopt a turtle to set free....
This is the turtle guy: "Proyek Penyu is not designed as a tourist attraction, but everyone is welcome to visit in person-or in cyberspace at www.reefseen.com. For a Rp.50,000 donation, you can release a grateful turtle aged between 3 and 6 months, or Rp.100,000 for a turtle aged over 6 months"
____________________
Pictures and info of some of the places I've got noted down to see
here, here, The Navel of the World, Definitely here too, and here; This has a good list of internet cafes apparantly but I haven't looked around in there much.

D-- suggests avoiding Bali's more touristy south coast, and heading inland or north towards Ubud.

Mike says Kuala Lumpur: beautiful airport, shit city. (Grumpy, dull, impersonal.) Don't hang around there longer than you have to.

Karen says: Just be ready for the spicy food. How to tell if it's too spicy for you: if you can smell the food they are cooking for you and the chili hits you and your eyes actually water, THAT is too spicy for you.

Daan suggested a TON of good stuff:
1. So you're taking the, eh, boat from S'pore to Jakarta? Why not fly? It's cheaper, A LOT faster, and probably more comfortable. Regional flights are really cheap in SE Asia thanks to competition between low cost carriers. Booking via the internet is fast, cheap and reliable. Hmm... sounding a bit like I have stocks in these companies or something. Anyway, I could be totally wrong here, but I'm not so sure there are (good, direct) boats from S'pore to Jakarta. I know there is an Indonesian (Pelni) ferry that goes all the way around Sumatra (S'Pore - Pulau Batam - several other stops - Jakarta), but that takes two days. And, quite frankly, I've heard horror stories of those boats.
2. (Sumatra's a stunningly beautiful island by the way... if you want to see orang-utans in the wild (Bukit Lawang), tropical forests, spectacular volcanic landscapes - hell, I'm not good enough with words in English to describe it. It's bloody fantastic. Lake Toba is fan-fucking-tastic.) (But you're not going to Sumatra, are you...)
3. Jakarta's nice too (even though everyone will tell you otherwise). Sure, it's crowded beyond belief and the smog and the heat are insufferable, but if you go out exploring on your own... I loved it. (But then, I'm a city-person.) Take the "ekonomi" trains (the cheapest) around town. Eat some pisang goreng (fried bananas in batter) on the street. In fact, have all your meals on the street. It's delicious and cheap. Pick a place crowded with locals, those are the good/clean/non-dodgy ones. If you're a smoker, try the "kretek" cigarettes. If you go to "Monumen Nasional" (National Monument, the big pillar thing with the flame on top), politely tell the people that want to "guide you around" to bugger off - they're no good.
4. Ah, yes, learn some (very) basic Indonesian (Bahasa) words/phrases. It's a fairly simple/transparent language, and it most definitely will pay off. You'll get ripped off way less and people will love it. Also, it's almost the same as Malaysian, so... two for the price of one. Speaking of which... you will get ripped off. It takes a while before you get a good idea of (the real) prices for stuff, but that's normal. I don't know what kind of a budget you're on, but I found that LP (and other guide books no doubt too) usually gives a pretty decent idea of what everyday goods are supposed to cost. E.g., stall food: around 10,000 Rupiah, room in a very basic hostel: around 40/50,000Rp, etc. Of course, it's all up to you. (Last year, 1 Euro was 11,000Rp - a pound was about 17,000 I think.)
5. Other places I visited on Java were Jogjakarta (very nice city, sort of the "cultural capital"), Borobudur (must-see Buddhist monument), and Gunung Bromo (an active volcano - very impressive). If you take the train or the bus for the "long hauls" between cities, always take the most expensive ones. Otherwise, you're in for a nightmare. Oh, and take something warm. The aircon on those things is set on "Arctic."
6. I was only in the north of Bali for two days, and it was a bit of a disappointment. The landscapes are superb (some volcanoes in the area), and the beaches are beautiful, but I had some lousy experiences there (bad hotel, people ripping me off, people hassling me, a "dolphin ride" at 4am with no dolphins, etc.). If you've never soaked in a hotspring ("air panas"): you can do that around Lovina somewhere.
7. In the south of Bali is Kuta of course, but don't go there unless you're into the touristy shit, the "nightlife/prostitution/drug scene", the whole "surfer crowd" thing, etc. The capital Denpasar is worth a visit. Tanah Lot (temple in the sea) is worth a visit. I had an amazing time in the south of Bali, but that's just because I knew some people there.

Daan also told me about Malaysia:
1. If you didn't get enough of the S'pore shopping frenzy, Kuala Lumpur (capital of Malaysia) is a bit similar in that regard: shopping is a national pastime for Malaysians. Like I said, madness, really. But fun, if you're into it. Don't miss a ride on the monorail skytrain. Don't miss Chinatown's Petaling Street (all the fake clothes and other junk you'll (n)ever need). Don't miss the Petronas twin Towers and its amazing skybridge views. It's free, but you'll have to get up very early to get a ticket. I loved KL, but as I told you, I'm a city-person, and I just met some really cool people there, so that always does a lot.
2. I was only in (Peninsular) Malaysia for two weeks, so I only did KL, Malaka (a bit of a dissappointment), and the Perhentian Islands. The Perhentians (off the northeast coast) are fan-bloody-tastic. Absolutely beautiful and great fun. Almost unspoiled - well, as unspoiled as you can get anywhere on the planet in the 21st century. Do go snorkelling there, it's brilliant. Find Nemo. Careful about the sun there, though. It'll burn you to a cinder in literally no time.
3. Oh, that's right, I also went to Penang in Malaysia. Again, nice city, but skip-able if on a tight schedule. You can easily go to Thailand from here (or vice-versa, of course).

Singapore

Gimme some advice!

Do you know of any people / places / hotels / restaurants / bars / guides / resources in this country that you think would be unmissable?

I desperately need your advice, tips and recommendations. What's more, I have a memory like sliced slurry, and whatever you tell me in a drunken fug by the Thames is already gone: I need it written down.

Stick your advice in the comments - pleasepleaseplease, and I'll add it onto this main post as soon as I hit a country with a proper broadband connection...

Cheers, me dears...

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I'll be in Singapore in October 2005:

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Francesca says:
1. Visit the Raffles hotel in Singapore but rather take tea there instead of having a Singapore Sling - it is foul, and a waste of a beautiful location. The hotel itself has a wonderful atrium and the staff are exceptional - and a surprising relic from colonial times. Book ahead if it is something of interest to you :)
2. Chicken rice is ubiquitous - and welcome if you are short of cash. Singapore's restaurants must display a grading relating to the quality of the meat they serve which ranges from A (the best) to D (the worst). Most chicken rice establishments are grade C or D (the lowest two grades), but do not let that put you off - the city state is not called Asia for Beginners for nothing and the quality of life there is very high for the majority of the inhabitants.
3. Even if it is a tourist thing to do, visit and walk along Orchard Road, which is the main shopping area. If you step into the side roads, you will see a variety of small houses - these come at a large premium because of a lack of space. Again, they are largely colonial in style but very quaint and worth a look.
4. Take a harbour tour and spend the afternoon in Boat Quay - it is also the site of the main expatriate bars, should you be so inclined. And if you really want a giggle, visit Orchard Towers, and its "Four Floors of Whores". Many of my buddies have fallen foul of the most beautiful girls sitting on their knee... who aren't "girls" at all :)
5. The best advice I can give you for this city is to wander around. Cabs are very cheap, but the subway (Mass Rail Transit) is astonishingly inexpensive and reliable. Away from the obvious I have mentioned above, it is just an intense feast for the eyes. A very beautiful, clean and safe introduction to Asia.

Greavsie says:
Singapore - Humid. Sentosa, good for a blast. Don't drop litter. Buy fan. Take deodorant.

Wiffle says:
1. Singapore. is. small. People. are. strange. sometimes. colonial. Where. big. beige. or. overly. colourful. blocks. dominate. the. skyline. and. underwear. wave. like. flags. hung. on. sticks. stuck. outside. windows.
2. Take the bus. Be confounded by the language. Be amazed at the total pervasion of nothing of interest for miles. Taste the ghee on the char kuay teow. Be bemused at the Engrish you will come across. Wonder why everyone is either trying to be White or trying to be Japanese. Listen to the radio and the accents that come from nowhere at all.
3. Flush a toilet. Chew gum. Wear an ugly floral shirt no local would think of using. Buy The Straits Times. Buy a young Singaporean blogger a drink. [Edit: Will do!]

Gia says:
REad my posts about Singapore and Hanoi here. Singapore is great. We called it Asia Lite, it's a kind of Epcot Center version of Asia... which isn't a *bad* thing really. Make sure you visit the zoo. Just the best zoo in the world.

Daan says:
Right. Singapore. Not much to tell about S'pore, really. It's like any city you find in the west. Only cleaner, safer and greener. The underground is ultra-convenient. If you're into shopping: you must go to Orchard Road, it's like Oxford Street only... err, bigger. It's madness, really. What makes it all very pleasant and "exotic," though, are all the distinctly Asian things: the buddhist and hindu temples, the colourful shops in Little India, the huge hawker food centres, ... Not much to do besides wander around in S'pore. I stayed at the (very well known to backpackers) Inn Crowd hostel. Highly recommended. Oh, and whatever you do, don't litter in S'pore. Well, you shouldn't do that anywhere... :)

Waterhot says:
1. The best dim sum restaurant in Singapore is...
...called the Din Dan Huan (or rather something similar, as I can't find it on the net) - if you go to level -1 in the Paragon Shopping Mall "you can't miss it", according to my friend. There are other dim sum restaurants in the same centre, particularly one called Crystal Jade or something like that (on level 5, I think), which is very highly rated (everyone has his own opinion on the best dim sum restaurant, it must be said). But I prefer the quality and the atmosphere at the one I recommend, and you can't beat it for spectacle.
2. You must visit the Esplanade centre - extraordinary modern architecture
3. You must go and have fish-head curry served on a banana leaf in a restaurant in Little India - try the Banana Leaf Apolo on Race Course Road
4. If you're not anti them on principle, the zoo is superb
5. Even if you are anti-zoo, you must do the Night Safari - it sounds really touristy but it's fab - a tip : get there a little early, and don't wait for the official opening time - you can usually set off five or ten minutes before, just as dusk is falling - if you set off at a brisk walk for the first couple of minutes you get ahead of the crowd and you're guaranteed a quiet tour, which is important both for your enjoyment and because the animals are more likely to be out and less likely to be hiding. The flying squirrels are incredible.
6. You should go up for cocktails one evening to the Equinox bar on the top of the Swissôtel (also known as the Stamford, I think) for the best view of Singapore there is
7. You should go and eat chilli crab in one of the restaurants on the East Coast Parkway
8. There are a number of Chinese temples in Singapore, but I have a soft spot for the Wak Hai Cheng temple, the Taoist temple to the calm sea, an oasis of peace nestled between huge office buildings...
9. I guess you should go to the Raffles for tea - or Sunday brunch if you can get in - it is impressive
10. I'm a botanical gardens nut, so I'd always recommend going there
11. I suspect you're an avid people-watcher like me, so just wandering up and down Orchard Road and in and out of the huge department stores can be fun
12. And you simply must go to the restaurant that serves the best dim sum in the world - unfortunately I can't remember the name [Edit: See point 1 above!] (I've asked a colleague in Singapore to e-mail it to me, and I'll forward it to you as soon as I get it). It's Taiwanese and it's in the building opposite the Takashimaya department store (on the other side of Orchard Road). The kitchen is in the centre of the restaurant, with glass walls, and you can watch the small army of cooks preparing the dim sum. It's always full of "real" locals - obviously a good sign. And the sesame seed balls are a tastetastic explosion of deliciousness.
13. Oh, and if you like metros, Singapore's is one of the best in the world.

Fiji

Gimme some advice!

Do you know of any people / places / hotels / restaurants / bars / guides / resources in this country that you think would be unmissable?

I desperately need your advice, tips and recommendations. What's more, I have a memory like sliced slurry, and whatever you tell me in a drunken fug by the Thames is already gone: I need it written down.

Stick your advice in the comments - pleasepleaseplease, and I'll add it onto this main post as soon as I hit a country with a proper broadband connection...

Cheers, me dears...

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I'll be in Nadu, in Fiji in September 2005:

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H says: I stayed at a place called The Beachhouse in Fiji on the Coral Coast. I was in a bure on my own and it was heavenly.

Michelle says:
I'm afraid I was very very spoilt when I went to Fiji and ended up on a very expensive otherworldly outer Island. My only advice is - don't touch a Fijian on the top of their head - that's considered extremely rude.

Cook Islands

Gimme some advice!
Do you know of any people / places / hotels / restaurants / bars / guides / resources in this country that you think would be unmissable?
I desperately need your advice, tips and recommendations. What's more, I need it written down.
Stick your advice in the comments - pleasepleaseplease.

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I'll be in Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands in August 2005:

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Ger den Reier says: We visted Atiu and Aitutaki island. If you like something special and rather rough go for Atiu. Beaches and lagunes: go for Aitutaki. Accomodation is rather expensive.
In Aitutaki we stayed at Rino's, on Atiu there only 2 or 3 places to stay. I advise you Atiu Motel, wonderful houses in a beautiful garden!

H says:
In Raratonga you have to do your Cook Island Driving licence it is dead funny. Then you can scooter around the whole island there is a place out of town left after the airport which does lovely nachos it is near or just after a posh hotel. I then dived on the Beqa lagoon which was great but very quiet.

Michelle says:
When in the Islands, especially Rarotonga, my advice is to attend church on Sunday. Don't worry if you're not Christian, it's good for a couple of reasons - firstly, you will get to hear the amazing music, hymns sung in the Islands is the most wonderful sound. Secondly, you will be moved - by their faith and their community..you'll probably be invited to a meal after Church and Thirdly, the locals will recognise you, and be even nicer to you than they were before. You will gain very many brownie points AND have a great time.

New Zealand

I went to New Zealand in August 2005:

I got lots of advice before I went that August is the middle of winter in New Zealand. So I dragged ski-gear with me all through Hawai'i, in fear of shivering my bits off. But when I got to Auckland, aside from everyone in the (most high tech ever) youth hostel sneezing madly, it was ... warm. Really mild and warmish, like a bright October day back home in England.
So I scoffed my head off, obviously. I'm british, so I'm practised in sneering at people. I spunked a fortune on trekker sandals, waltzed round the city gaping at trees (that looked to European eyes like gene technology abortions) in surf shorts and a T shirt, snorting at people that they should visit the UK in February, then they'd see what death of the soul freezing temperatures are like.

Yeah, I got sick. NZ houses and businesses aren't insulated or heated (except for the best showers in the world), so though it's not cold, nothing like cold. Plus, dorm bedrooms = bacterial party scene. I spent most of the time in Auckland compensating with Ponsonby coffee shops and chocolate cakes (bigger than your head), or trying to sleep through slasher flicks in daytime cinema auditoriums.

Kiwis are all outdoorsy.
Everywhere's full of bungee jumpers or catamarans, or chocolate cake (bigger than your head).
But I still couldn't walk. (And I was cold-turkeying a multivitamin addiction from the states that ended in various embarrassing choking incidents on dorm room floors.) After some advice from jamjar, I managed a short cruise to Waiheke Island, where I drank and ate so much prima stuff at the Stonyridge Vineyard the bus broke down.

As soon as my nose stopped oozing filth, I flew over to the South Island, trying to make myself look adventurous by snapping photos of mountains from directly above on the way. In Christchurch I tried to defeat my fear of heights by going to 12000 feet in a four man light aircraft, opening the door, screaming 'hell, no,' wedging my feet against the braces in terror, and being unceremoniously booted out by force. I don't remember much about th 60 seconds of freefall (eyes closed), but the tandem skydive after was stunning.

Still scared of heights, though. Some fears are just sensible.

Frogstar showed me round the cafes and bars and chocolate cake (bigger than your head) of Christchurch, and I lurked menacingly in the corners at some aquarium where Fishboy used to work. That's where I first started trying to spot kiwis, but a pitch black kiwi room kind of puts paid to the idea of visibility.

On a kiwi-spotting quest (I saw 9 kiwis! No, it was just a murky shadow! No, 12 kiwis!), I and an extremely hyper bus driver visited a local dinner-and-show Maori experience at the zoo.
It was ... museumish. Like 'Butlins Do The Maoris'. (I think having had to do the stick banging thing at girl guides had prejudiced me.)
I hitched back to town with two irish honeymooners who'd invited me to dinner (it didn't seem a particularly good augury for their marriage to be wanting company on night two, but hey), explored the wholefoods at Piko, wandered round russian bars decorated with dollies in the next valley's port @, had an angry midnight pillowfight with Maura Mahn (the selfishest cow I've ever had to share a dorm with), and tried to make my extra virgin olive oil in a recycled bottle look less like pee when I left it in the youth hostel fridge. (labelling things 'no really, this is expensive'; honestly, how London can you be?)

Jamjar picked me up from the airport back in Auckland, took me home, fed me litres of wine and let me sleep with her cat (all of which was pretty above and beyond for a complete stranger from the internet; what a star) and generally made me worry about the privations to come: in lands without NZ showers, NZ lamb steaks, NZ bookstores, NZ chocolate cake (bigger than your head) or NZ generosity.

I spent two weeks in NZ. Nowhere near enough.

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Travel tips:

If you're ever going to New Zealand, then your plushest meal out (in food and wine scoffing terms) is easily to eat at Stonyridge Vineyard's Verandah Cafe on Waiheke Island. Book ahead on a Sunday to catch the full outdoorsy boat-flocks in the harbour on the ferries across.

Bird spotting's more fun than gallery swotting here - as well as trees that look like Cronenberg thought them up, there are some well weird creatures - pukekos, kiwis, rias.

Avoid the Maori dinner-and-show things. (Trust me on that.) Unless you want an evening where you suddenly feel 65 (and look! You pay $65, too). Whereas the bona fide museums are dead interesting, documenting how western settlers destroyed a biological paradise.

NZ bookshops are dreamy - but super super expensive. Use amazon instead.

Best Auckland cafes: all in Ponsonby Road. Full of chocolate cake. (bigger than your head.)
The Atomic cafe has fat cuddly cats, too.

Best Christchurch bar: Wunderbar, in nearby Lyttelton. The one with the decapitated dollies decor.

The skydiving school I used - SkydivingNZ - were absolute stars - though I have to say, the guys who witter less are the most reassuring when falling through empty sky at 200kph (Pete was brilliant). They're at Wigram Aerodrome, near Christchurch. (tel. 64-3-343-5542)

I didn't get to see the whales at Kaikoura, or to visit Milford Sound, but if I had the chance, I'd leap at it, now. (And if I had a third chance, I'd want to dive off the Coromandel Peninsula, on the North Island.)

I flew from one island to the other with Qantas' budget branch (NZ$200), and they were pretty good. Nice people watching at the airport, too (spotted: a family of prozzers and their dwarf child).

Rolleston House YHA has the best showers of any hostel in the world. (NZ$25 per night.) 5 Worcester Blvd, Auckland. (tel. 3-366-6564)

Get your hair cut for NZ$10 and a hilarious rant opposite Aotea Square, in Auckland, then follow it up with Lord of the Kebabs....

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The advice I got from readers before I went was -

Eroica says: my advice: skip auckland and come and see me in chch.
;-) i'll feed you organic chocolate and coffee.

Greavsie says:
Only been to the South Island but Christchurch good. Hamner Springs, good esp in winter as it's a thermal thingy.

H says:
I did a free bus tour around auckland that some company offered which was pretty nifty. Also the YHA there was quite nice. However of all NZ auckland and roturura were the dullest and least enjoyable.

Fi says:
Tips for Auckland.
1. Kelly Tarltons. See the penguins.
2. War Memorial Museum. Maori wing in particular.
3. Sky Tower. Great view.
4. Waiheke Island. Go find a deserted beach.
5. Karekare Beach. Where The Piano was filmed.
6. Karangahape Road (known as "K" Rd) talk a walk along and go down all the arcades.
7. Otara Market for Polynesian Auckland (Sunday I think)
8. Enjoy my hometown :)
-
Fishboy says:
I'm not big on Auckland.. *thinks* actually the last time I visited the place where more than half NZers live was almost exactly 10 years ago! I don't miss it. But if you manage to get a bit south you should visit the Coromandel for the lush greenery and hippies. And Raglan for the surfing and hippies. Avoid Hamilton, avoid avoid avoid.. *shudders*
The best of New Zealand is in the South Island (biased? me?) and I could give you a very detailed run-down of things to do there, but it doesn't sound like you're going to make it so I won't tease you with what you're missing :p

Michelle, who offered to show me lunch in Auckland, and give advice in person, :), says:
Yeh, I've lived in Auckland a long time and I can never figure out what to do here.
1. The Museum is worth a look.
2. As is the Zoo.
3. Kelly Tarlton's is a bit old but if you're not going to Sydney, maybe a visit there'll be nice cept it's rather pricey.
4. Devonport is nice for breakfast - ferry over and brunch leisurely.
5. um.
6. Otara Markets in South Auckland on a Saturday (?) morning.. Aotea Square Markets on a Friday/Saturday. Victoria Street markets in the City almost every day of the week.
7. Avoid any and all Malls.
8. Go climb a wall at the Mt Wellington rock climbing warehousey thing.
9. You can go up to Albany and snow in the artificial environment that is Snow Planet.
10. Oh oh and definately, go up to Goat Island - it's only an hour's drive. This time of year I'd hire a wetsuit when you hire your snorkel gear (or diving gear if you do that) before you go up to Goat Island - you would have fun doing that - Goat Island is a Marine Reserve and the fish are used to humans and it's a damn good way to spend some time. In fact - do that instead of going to Kelly Tarltons.
11. and don't listen to fishboy - Hamilton is very pretty and has a wonderful Art Gallery. It's grown up a lot in the last few years and it's a nice place to stop for morning tea on the way to Rotorua.

Fishboy then changed his tune:
Ok, it's been ages since I was in Hamiltron either so I may be a little out of date.. I bow to your superior local knowledge Michelle *s*
Especially since you're, like, a local.
And still live in NZ too!
I so want to go to Goat Island..

Hawaii

I went to Hawai'i in July 2005:

I got weird disorienting jet lag, and won a triple can pack of macadamia nuts on a children's quiz on the flight from SF. I hid them in a youth hostel somewhere. I hate macadamia nuts.

I landed in Oahu, and stayed at a youth hostel in a quiet, drunk-riddled university area of Honolulu, and after a birthday of hiking up to Manoa waterfall, I spent my days exploring the island on the round-island bus. The people who catch the bus are the weirdo vagrants, the local tourism workers, kids and oddballs, as everyone else on Oahu has a car. So I made some offbeat friends on that bus, who've been amongst the most inspiring I've met all trip.

I flew on a teeny tiny 8 man Island Air plane (on two hours saki-raddled sleep) to Maui, where I stayed in a youth hostel in Wailuku. It's a one horse town, where food is strangely alien (a 'mac salad' = coleslaw = the only vegetables you're going to get), and has two youth hostels. I stayed in the one where you don't pay in dope. I hiked around a lot, then realised this was a one-horse town. I started hitching to Kahului airport, and hired a car. I did my first tentative snorkel in the Ma'alea Bay shallows. I saw some wormy things. Hey, I'd never seen a wild fish before, don't knock it.
I raced up and down the Hana highway, with its 375 or so James Bond twists and blind cliff edge turns to go see the Haleakala volcano crater, where I watched the sun set above the clouds in a truly Martian setting, then sped through the clouds and watched it set again. I wandered a black volcanic beach at Waianapanapa (say it fast and the budgie chokes in sympathy) and was smacked so hard by surf I kecked myself.
The best thing, though, was trying the Hana highway, backwards, after dark, at 80mph. Boy, that was hair raising. I picked up a hitcher I found under a bridge, who had a sign saying 'Australia'. He screamed a lot on the corners when the trucks kept trying to hit us, but he was useful whenever I forgot about looking before you turn left. I bought him two burgers and left him in Pai'ia. Then I hitched up to Lahaina port again (with a 17 year old who was working his summer on the islands, had never met anyone who wasn't Christian before, and was thinking of going home early to DC because he missed his ferrets).

After a storm tossed ferry to the ex-leper island, Molokai, on which the ferry hands tried to talk me out of my fear of deep water, I was met by Steve, an SF emigre and all round good sixties kind of guy, who told me I'd have to learn to hitch properly if I wanted to get anywhere on this island. We toured all the four bars of Molokai main street before we could find any old soak with a truck and an urge to drive us somewhere. Steve runs some summer-let cabins at A'ahi Place, but let me stay for peanuts in the spare cabin off his (scorpion and kitten infested) kitchen, and showed me his new solar outdoor shower. It worked 30 minutes out of every day. Then he cracked open beers, lau-lau, and invited his gnarly fishermen mates round for whisky and stories. Steve was one of the best landlords I got, anywhere.

After an evening of improbably coloured cocktails at the Molokai hotel, which I was reliably informed is run by entirely transexual waitresses (hey, I couldn't tell), one of the regs showed me round the deserted hale beaches of the west side of Molokai. These beaches had the best names (the ones that had names): Dixie Moreau, Papohaku, Hane o Loa. We're talking 76km beaches, with no one else on. Stunning. I got over my fear of deep water a little, and jumped off a low rock. Such a daredevil. I then recovered by drinking beers with paniolos (cowboys) at the Molokai Ranch.
After all that, I got bored, so I rang the guys from the North Shore of Oahu, and asked them over. Steve said that was cool, the more the merrier. (Why aren't people in the UK this blissed out on life?)
Then I hired a car. I only got it stuck up a mountainside once.

Next exploit was to hike through the Halawa rainforest to the waterfalls I'd seen on the ferry in to Molokai. We walked in totally unsuitable gear - flip flops, jeans - and got so lost that we just figured walking up through the river was the most reliable way. Hey, there were big rocks, we could leap from one to the other, right? At the waterfall, which was ma-hoo-sive, I got over my fear of deep water. There was no way I was going to watch the others standing under that thing and sit cowering by the edge while crayfish pinched my toes.
Of course, then the sun fell, it started raining, and we remembered we were lost. That was a wee bit hairy. Leaping from rock to rock is different when the rocks are wet and dark. And I kept falling in the river. And I lost my trousers. But it turned out getting lost had taken us to a different waterfall - one that no one had been to in three years or so. So nyaah.

The guys persuaded me to try surfing. We toured all of Molokai looking for a break, and there was only one, by the Halawa forest on the leeward coast. My surfing lessons consisted of jumping up and down on the board four times on the beach. I got in, got washed out (I believe that's the term), got rescued by some locals from a pile of sharp rocks (they also went off and found my board for me), then the gnarly fishermen called my mates 'morons' for taking me out there.
So I went a mile round the corner to Waialua and tried it again.

This was how I cut my foot open so badly I couldn't walk for a month.
(I had to cancel my membership of a Honolulu hiking group. They were very disappointed in me. True.) That was okay, I whiled away my time trying US beer (ughhhh), beating everyone at strip poker, and listening to gnarly fishermen's stories of old gambling dens in Reno.

I flew back to Oahu, changed my ticket (to NZ) so I could linger longer, and stayed up on the North Shore with the bus guys, who had a wooden cabin right on Sunset Beach, a skateboard ride from Hale'iwa. I mean, wow. I drank kava all day, swore blind it had no effect whatsoever, then lost 9:10 on the pool tables at Turtle Bay. Honestly, kava doesn't affect me at all...
I swam with a turtle for the first time at Shark's Cove. Really, wow. To someone from Lewisham, that's pretty polar-sounding.

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Travel tips:

If you're ever going to Hawaii, then Molokai, and of course, Steve's place on Molokai, cannot be too highly stressed as the best you'll find anywhere. A'ahi Place B&B, Molokai. (tel 00-1-808-553-8033)
While you're at it, the Maunaloa Kite Shop is a fascinating cottage industry in the middle of an old cowboy town.

There's a great jazz bar with open mic in Wailuku, Maui, at the Maui Bake.

The Honolulu hiking group is run by Phil Booth (tel 00-1-808-382-4709), a really nice guy. Hikes start from Iolani place every saturday.

Don't forget the best way to meet the locals is by getting the round island bus on Oahu. On a daily basis.

And watch the sun going down at Ka'ena Point on Oahu. (It's the bit where the guy get's murdered at the start of Snakes on a Plane :)
You won't forget it.

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The advice I got from readers before I went was -

e said:
For the States, which is only one of your countries I do know about- beware the specific no-go areas in most cities. If you do get mugged, just hand over everything they want straight away. The alternative is not worth risking.

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Jen said:
1. First off, if you *must* go to Waikiki, see Diamond Head and run, don't walk for the balance of the island, leaving this tourist haven, Anybeach, USA, far behind. Yuck. See the north shore. And the black beaches, the white beaches, what's left of the unspoiled natural beauty.
2. Second, Maui. Oh, go. Do all of it. An absolute must is riding to the top of Haleakala. You must go very early - 3 am ish, and see the sun rise from below your feet. It will be freezing cold when you get there. Remember that. It will take your breath away when the orange ball of life begins to lighten up the sky and the crowds hush in awe.
3. Also, if time is not an issue, spend a day and do the drive to Hana. Takes hours and hours; a two lane winding, twisting road through primitive parts of the island. You can rent tapes to listen to that will point out things you should be noticiing along the drive. Sounds quite contrived, but it is worth it. Otherwise you'll never figure out where to pull over to see some of the most astounding things you may ever see. It also affords you interesting stops and information on the road there AND back, as you can never take it all in one directionally. There is a little diner type stop at the end of the road, along the farm country. Shitty food, but worth the couple bucks to sit and eat a bad burger while taking in the effects of the drive.

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Cyn said:
I'm more impressed with Maui than Oahu, which seems too commercaill for my taste. Have a good reason for going but am spending the rest of the time on Kauai which is supposed to be great--more "private" and unspoiled.

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Lux said:
if Hawaii is like the rest of the states, you can get very far with an English accent (or Irish or Scottish or similar)... so if you need help with anything, just start talking and humor people when they ask where you're from.

Jack said:
I spent a week on Maui as a geologist. Definitely go up to the top of Haleakala. Any time of day. The sunrise is spectacular, but so is the midday sun when the ash deposits in the crater look like a moonscape. The Hana highway is magnificent. Spend the day out there. Get off the main road frequently and head to the water. Get out and walk around. The coastline is as magnificant as any I have seen on this earth. If you have time, take the short flight to the Big Island and see the active eruption of Kilauea volcano. If you hike out at sunset you can see the red fingers of lava on the hillslopes. You won't soon forget it.