Now .... let's go back to Asia and maybe I'll do New York and then Europe...

There are so many cities I've been to.

Hong Kong

It's called 'The Pearl of the Orient.' Hong Kong has always left a special impression in my heart. It is the first Metropolitan city I visited and by far the most exciting piece of land in the entire Asian continents. Hong Kong always make me feel exciting and restless. Just having an Afternoon Tea from Intercontinental Hotel in Tsim Tsa Tsui alone already makes me madly deeply in love with Hong Kong skyline and its amazing view of harbor. The Peak is another spot where I can just stare at the Hong Kong island and its surrounding for hours without blinking.

But what I really truly enjoy in Hong Kong is the food. It is world-famous for its Cantonese Cuisine. Hong Kong Chefs have been credited for having to redefine Classic Cantonese Cuisine. They simply created what's called New, Modern Cantonese Cuisine. The price you pay could cost you a fortune, but the taste that linger in your mouth could last a lifetime. Dim Sum is another heaven on earth here. They have the old-school Dim Sum restaurants and the new-style Dim Sum restaurants, which are more vibrant and dynamic in their cooking approaches and ingridient selections but still marvellous. Any average Dim Sum restaurants I've been in Hong Kong, even those unknown ones are much better than any good Dim Sum restaurants I've visited in any other major world cities. Only Tokyo, Vancouver, Toronto, Shanghai, a few in GuangDong, and Taipei could compete, but if you take the best Dim Sum restaurants in Hong Kong, all the rest of world would bow to their knees for their superiorities. And how about those roasted goose at Yung Kee. They're number one in the world.

Enough about food. Shopping is also a paradise in Asia. I know Tokyo is great, and Shanghai is coming along. Singapore's Orchird Road doesn't even compare. When it's on sale, even New York sometimes can't beat the prices offered. I think Hong kong is the best place to buy Emporio Armani because their people are obsessed with Emporio Armani. They are everywhere in Hong Kong. For women, make-ups are cheap there. My Gosh, they are always on sale. And who doesn't know about Hong Kong movie industry and their eye-candy stars ?

They are some bad things in Hong Kong off course, everything is expensive, especially in Hong Kong island, around Central area. One sometimes describe Hong Kong as a big Chinatown. I couldn't agree more but this is what I like about it. Rows and rows of shops, bakeries, boutiques, supermarkets, all cramped up together making life seems so compressed and stressful. Apartments are small and expensive. They have been hit with SARS recently and Hong Kong people are obviously not the nicest people around, and they have the reputation as rude and loud to some extent, but they work hard.

Love the New Territory, the new bridge and the new Airport. Ohh... my Gosh, that's a very impressive airport. I love the view of the mountains from the airport. The new train is also awesome and take to the city within no time. Oh, did I mention that bakery and other milk products in Hong Kong are first rate, even better than the US. Sorry, I'm talking about food again. The nightlife scenes could be rough, depending where and when you go, but overall if you stick with the generic area and top nightlife places, you will party until you drop. Totally mind-blowing.

Hongkong..... I LOVE YOU!

Shanghai

Definitely Asia's latest, newest, upcoming metropolitan city. I went to Shanghai in the Summer of 2003, and has been in awe of its constant and rapid development ever since. This city will be a modern metropolitan marvel in 5-10 years timespan. If China can keep up with all investments going in and continue its wonderful aggressive modernization in Shanghai's future city planning, then Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, and Singapore should move aside. Shanghai will be the leading city in Asia, even New York would probably fall short.

I'm not too crazy about the new westernization that's been going on in Shanghai though. Its citizens seem to lovingly embraced the decomposing American culture. The younger Shanghainese would rather go to Starbucks than drink bubble teas or Chinese tea, they would rather eat McDonald's rather than eating Shanghanese noodles. The government has to do something to stop this type contamination in the society, heck in 20 years every single country will turn out to be just another town in America with McDonalds, Starbucks, KFC, Wendy's and TGI Fridays. I think in order for China, or in this case Shanghai, being the epicenter of economic showcase, should keep its value and traditional culture while moving forward at a blistering speed. While I like McDonald's sometimes, I also love Shanghainese Xiao Long Bao.

The city is amazing, when I was there I was with a person who went to Shanghai several months back, and he almost couldn't recognize where he is, because there were so many new buildings built already, the industrizaltion and modernization pace are amazing. The subway is also first class. And Shanghai food is at its finest here. I'm not big with Shanghainese cuisine but they were extraordinary. The night life is great, although the clubs are like those in HongKong, Tokyo and Singapore, but the people sometimes could tell that it's still China.

What do I mean by that ? Despite the great Pu Dong area, the newest, latest, most architecturally inspiring high-tech buildings and other structures, the great subway systems, and great shopping places, you could immediately tell the differences between the classes of people there. The public bathrooms are still like in the 19th century. Totally repulsive, stinks, and the so sickening even to stand 10 meter away. Most of the people develop less faster than the infrastructure itself. You may see poverty around you and in most of the older areas, people still live like it is in 1950s. People still spit on the floor and getting into the subway remains an unpleasant experience as people would ignorantly just squeeze themselves in without consent about others.

It remains a challenge for Shanghai regional government how they can balance these two sides of the society and find equilibrium with their rapid economic changes. I enjoyed my stay and there are a lot of opportunities to do business. I would love to work there but I still love Hong Kong more, at least until Shanghai overtake its status to be the city of tomorrow in 5-10 years to come.

eh? knp jakarta nagoya dihapus? doh, itu kota cantik bgt lagi... sedih.....

CC, huehehehe, pokoke beres lah. cuma yah... sayang bener kl dr jkt ke paris cuma 7 hari. 2 hari aja bkl habis di pesawat. btw lu suka makan ga? ntar gue bawa ke tempat yg enak2 (but again, non turistic place ya....)

Mont St Michel bagus..... kl kesono HRS beli gallette en pallettenya. enaknya selangit!!!!!!!!!! cuma jgn aja kesono pas ujan, asli bikin bete....

Surabaya

The second largest city in Indonesia. You can definitely tell the differences in size though, it's a obviously a smaller city than Jakarta. Surabaya is nice, good-size city, just don't expect to see high rises like in Seattle or Atlanta. You are not going to see that here. There are some skyscrapers off course, even The World Trade Center is here in Surabaya, but you just don't have that downtown area like in Seattle, Atlanta, Boston, or say... Houston.
It's a more down-to-earth town, relaxing and subtle.

If you've been to LA and Seattle, you get the same feeling, LA is like Jakarta and Surabaya is like Seattle. LA is hectic and the traffic is stressful, but you can get anything since it's quite a Metropolitan, Seattle is obviously less stressful, not as crowded, and you still can get some of the stuff you can get in LA. In Surabaya most people speak with THICK East-Javanese accent, and they are well-known for their distinctively loud and at times harsh uses of the Javanese language, totally different from their Central-Javanese counterparts who are more soft, delicate, and well-mannered.

Surabaya offers great food selections and contradictary to the national stereotypes, although they're Javanese, they like HOT food and HOT chillie sauce, off course they also like sweet stuff. Some of their famous specialities are : Rujak Cingur, Bebek Goreng, Bakwan, and off course the world-famous Kue Lapis Surabaya. Surabaya also offers numerous malls and not too exciting night life. However, it has its own charms.

Not to forget, however, that Surabaya has the largest red-district area in a single compounded area in Asia , not too many people know this because it's not highly publized and marketed like Thailand, and it's like a public-secret, obviously the government and the society condone it but they know it's there and it's there to stay. Not even people from other parts of Indonesia know this fact.

It's okay to spend 2-3 days there, just to experience the city and to get away from the crowded, poluted Jakarta, but once you try all the local food and restaurants, visit some friends and relatives, not too exciting night life and the generic malls, it gets really boring. In this respect, Bandung in West Java is a much more exciting city.

Floo.. menulis:
eh? knp jakarta nagoya dihapus? doh, itu kota cantik bgt lagi... sedih.....

CC, huehehehe, pokoke beres lah. cuma yah... sayang bener kl dr jkt ke paris cuma 7 hari. 2 hari aja bkl habis di pesawat. btw lu suka makan ga? ntar gue bawa ke tempat yg enak2 (but again, non turistic place ya....)

Mont St Michel bagus..... kl kesono HRS beli gallette en pallettenya. enaknya selangit!!!!!!!!!! cuma jgn aja kesono pas ujan, asli bikin bete....

About Paris, I am going there again in the Spring. So, you better get ready to show me around town

Asyik, asyik! *yay-yay* Beneran yah Floo, gue nyusun strategi dulu nih biar 7 hari cuti gue bisa selamat sentosa dan sekalian bisa ngemplang cuti taon depan (Kasian amat, segitu pinginnya berlibur...) Makan? Hobiku! Gallete dan pallete itu apa, ya? Kedengarannya kayak alat lukis...

Btw gue punya hobi motret hampir semua makanan yang akan gue makan tiap kali jalan. (Nggak cuma di luar negeri, tempo hari pas beli de Crepes gue liat peachnya menggiurkan banget, langsung gue potret pake kamera yang emang gue bawa ke mana2. Enci gue sampe malu... )

Temujin: I DO ENVY YOU! Enak banget sih, bisa berkelana ke mana2, nggak terbelenggu aturan kerja ini itu... -_-

Chan Cao menulis:
Btw gue punya hobi motret hampir semua makanan yang akan gue makan tiap kali jalan. (Nggak cuma di luar negeri, tempo hari pas beli de Crepes gue liat peachnya menggiurkan banget, langsung gue potret pake kamera yang emang gue bawa ke mana2. Enci gue sampe malu... )

eh, sama tuh!!!! gue juga suka bgt fotoin makanan!!! foto terakhir gue paha kalkun (di Disney), abisnya gede buanget sih......

sayangnya kalkun yg gue masak pas thanksgiving kemaren (bener lho!!!! gue juga kagum sama diri gue snediri hehehe...) ga kefoto...

Wah, ada yang sehobi! Gue ketularan temen2 Jepun yang emang punya hobi motret makanan, ada komunitasnya segala! Ayo upload Floo, gue bikinin threadnya deh di Dapur! Tapi harap maklum, gue tukang makan bukan tukang motret, jadi hasilnya rata2 poor quality

Bangkok

Bangkok is an amazing city with a lot to offer. Aside, from the Red Light district, which is a world-famous, Bangkok offers amazing Siamese culture extravaganza, mouth-drooling restaurants, non-stop entertainment, and undoubtedful plenty of money making opportunities.

If you think Jakarta's traffic is bad, try going to Bangkok. In a week, you will lose all your sanity and run dry on patience. Trust me. The only thing worst is probably Manila. The traffic is a major chaos and a total disaster. Well, it's a close call. And the best way to avoid congestions is to take Chao Praya River Express. Definitely a great way to explore Bangkok from the river, if only Jakarta has an option like this.

In terms of Culture, Bangkok has it all. After all, Thailand is well-known for its amazing Buddhist temples and exotic Thai culture. Many Tourists fly down here to explore the culturely rich Thai Kingdom. Hollywood even made a movie called 'The King and I' based on Thailand history. If you go to Bangkok, don't forget to visit Wat Po, a compound surrounded by a wall with many buildings and shrines inside. Totally magnicent and surreal place. Wat Po has a statue of Buddha covered in gold and about 120 fee long and 45 feet high, the largest of its kind.

If you are the adventurous type, then you can visit Khao San Road, Silom Road, and off course the Pat Pong Night Market. There are tons of good restaurants in Bangkok, and in Pat Pong you can try local vendor food and it's mightly cheap. The food is awesome. You know that Thai food is another global phenomenon right ? It seems like almost every person on earth loves Thai food. Only third to Chinese and Japanese food. And don't forget to visit the most famous structure in Bangkok, the Wat Arun - the temple of Dawn.

Overall, despite the some bag eggs, Bangkok is an exciting city. The nightlife is 24/7. But Bangkok has a lot of Westerners and knowing the reputation of this city, we just keep it to ourselves as to why come down here. But Bangkok also offers good shopping experience, off course not as great as HongKong or Singapore, but not that far behind. In terms of quality, Thai products have been outpacing its Asian counterparts in the last 10 years.

Bangkok is exotic and fun. I'd love to come back there someday.

I agree.......Bangkok memang lumayan rame untuk di visit. I love Thai food. Orang2 nya sangat ramah disana. Weather nya terlalu panas dan humid. Kapan2 balik kesitu lagi deh......

City.....I love the most.....of course-->>LA. The "warm" winter Southern California weather. You can find beach, snow on the mountain, best shopping, variety of restaurants, etc, etc........

CHINA.........

BEIJING: The Great Wall - the longest wall
The Forbidden City - the largest residence

SHANGHAI: the most metropolitan city in China

HUANGSHAN: the most tired trip - we had to walk uphill/downhill for more than 7 km....even to get to the hotel we had to walk....no other type of transportation except on foot...or... digotong sama orang....

XIAN: The Tang Dynasty Dumpling Banquet - the most variety dumpling I have ever eaten

GUILIN: the slowest boat ride - because of the dry season and very shallow water level.

YANGTZE RIVER: Three Gorges - the largest dam for electricity in the world.

HANGZHOU: the cleanest city in China - at least that is what the local guide says.

QONGQING: (ChungKing ): the best kungpao chicken I have ever had....really!

GUANGZHOU: the most variety food eaten - that's what the guide says........

SHILIN: near Kunming.....the largest stone forest

Hmmm...had been reading all the posts here. Is there nothing else to do in these places other than shopping and eating?? Wat abt cultures, funny phrases...people, weather and other stuff.

Sotong needs a deeper understanding...shopping and eating is easily available on webbies. ><

sotong menulis:
Hmmm...had been reading all the posts here. Is there nothing else to do in these places other than shopping and eating?? Wat abt cultures, funny phrases...people, weather and other stuff.

Sotong needs a deeper understanding...shopping and eating is easily available on webbies. ><

If you have comments or stories about these cities, then why don't you post them. People have different taste and preferences. I guess some people value entertainment and eating more, although I tried to touch on some culture in my posts. Beside, I can't really go into too much detailed, it will be too long.

Kutip:
Perhaps you should try to be open-minded and read the original post first, everyone has his or her opinion. As the comments are based on one's interests and personal opinion.

If you have comments or stories about these cities, then why don't you post them. People have different taste and preferences. I guess some people value entertainment and eating more, although I tried to touch on some culture in my posts. Beside, I can't really go into too much detailed, it will be too long.

You sound defensive. And why not have a long post? Isn't it the intent to introduce the cities....so writing alot on it doesnt hurt at all, no?

sotong menulis:

Kutip:
Perhaps you should try to be open-minded and read the original post first, everyone has his or her opinion. As the comments are based on one's interests and personal opinion.

If you have comments or stories about these cities, then why don't you post them. People have different taste and preferences. I guess some people value entertainment and eating more, although I tried to touch on some culture in my posts. Beside, I can't really go into too much detailed, it will be too long.

Well...i dont know who is the close-minded one...all I want to know if there are other things worth mentioning to places mentioned in this thread.

You sound defensive. And why not have a long post? Isn't it the intent to introduce the cities....so writing alot on it doesnt hurt at all, no?

The Famous Bridge

Brighton-Le-Sands

Central Station never look as good as this is before

Bronte to Bondi beach

Coogee Beach

Hyde Park my fave park in Sydney!

Hyde Park di mananya toh, Yore? Pemandangannya bagus sekali... Gue pribadi lebih suka taman/kebon/pelabuhan ketimbang mall atau tempat2 belanjaan.

Sankei-en, adanya di Yokohama, cukup naik bis no 8 dari stasiun. Taman paling cakep yang pernah gue lihat, dan mudah2an kesampaian bisa ke Buchart Garden.

Hamarikyu-koen, disebut2 sebagai taman paling bagus di Tokyo. (Nggak ada apa2nya dibanding Sankei-en.) Dikelilingi oleh Tokyo Bay, bisa naik kapal dari Asakusa langsung nyampe ke sini.

Shiba-koen, persis di depan Tokyo Tower. Nggak istimewa, agak berantakan, tapi bisa dapat sudut paling bagus buat motret Tokyo Tower. Di sana ada Zojoji Temple, dan ada barisan patung dewa pelindung anak ambar. (Sering dipakain baju, topi, dikasih mainan dan cemilan di dekatnya). Nggak tau kenapa, gue sedih banget tiap kali lihat patung2 itu.

Yang udah pernah ke Butchart Garden, bagi2 cerita dongs!