Travel: Places you're going, places you've been.
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@Denman-John said in Travel: Places you're going, places you've been.:
As for Thailand, I’m thinking Chang Mai/Pai area and maybe getting a sakyant tattoo while there … any recommendations?
Northern Thailand is my favourite place in the world. I'll also be there in early January, primarily in Pai, so if you do find yourself in the area, get in touch! Been there 6/7 times so it's like a second home to me.
I see myself retiring in Chiang Mai one day if life allows it. It has the perfect balance of feeling authentically Thai, and the home comforts of a thriving expat community. The city is very easy to navigate by Moto, and you'll never be more than fifteen minutes away from beautiful mountain roads and remote hikes/temples.
Pai is a love/hate kinda vibe for a lot of people. It was a hidden gem hippie Mecca many decades ago, but the center has become very commercialised since I first visited ten years ago, and has only become moreso since.
Personally, I don't have an issue with its current state though. Barring young folks getting too fucked up and disrespecting local customs, it's the kinda of place that seems to bring out the best in people. The new age 'spiritual crowd' have their own spots, and the party hostel people have theirs too. Generally speaking, both extremes coexist beautifully.
You'll get the most diverse array of food in Pai than most anywhere else, mostly within an easily traversible walking street.
Some argue it's not 'authentic' enough, as the whole center of the town seems like a perfectly curated vacation village for traveller types, but for me there's no where else in the world I'd rather spend a few weeks.
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@T4920 Thank you so much for the detailed response ~ much appreciated!!!
I just booked my flights last night: 4 weeks in Nepal and 2 weeks in Thailand (Jan 6 - 20). We should definitely meet up and get some food and drinks as I’m planning on spending my time in the North. Although this will be my 5th time to Thailand, it will be the first time in the North - in the past, the islands and beaches had a powerful lure. The last time I was in Thailand was 2004, so I am expecting that a lot has changed since then.
Pai sounds like a cool place from what I’ve seen on YouTube. The only plan I have now is to rent a bike in Chang Mai then go explore with some time to chill in Pai.
What is the weather like in northern Thailand in January? Iron Heart friendly?
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@Denman-John Amazing. I'll be spending a week up North, flying down to meet a friend in Phuket to spend a couple of days diving, then we'll be be heading back to Chiang Mai together and biking to Pai.
Hope we can cross paths, whether in CM on Pai!
At that time of the year, you should expect 80-90°F during the daytime with low-ish humidy, dropping down significantly in the evenings (especially in Pai!)
Quite comfortable in 18oz jeans and a heavyweight hoodie in the evenings there..
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Very cool idea for a thread. Traveling with my wife is quite possibly one of my favorite things we get to do together. We’ve had some killer trips, and we’ve got a couple big ones planned for my 40th and my wife’s next year.
First up is Japan next month for 16 full days. As this is our first trip, we want to see the big cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. We are also going to making day trips to Koyasan, Kamakura, and Tokyo Disney.
I’ve had an absolute blast planning, and I’m patiently waiting to book a couple things that I can’t book until exactly a month out like Shibuya Sky. I’ve got a huge detailed list of denim shops, that I was graciously given to by my pal Champ at Guilty Party in Atlanta. I’ll definitely be looking for this thread again to share my trip once we get back and I get all my film developed and other photos edited. And hopefully a nice haul from IH Osaka.
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Took the family to Paris for a few days back in March for my son’s 18th birthday, and will be taking them to NYC in December for my daughter’s 21st - well, their birthdays were just excuses for the trips!
Very enjoyable letting the ‘kids’ plan what they wanted to see in these cities, as my wife and myself have been before.On Friday, my wife and I are getting away (from them, and the dog) for a week in Tuscany - Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terre, La Spezia.
Should be able to avoid some of the tourist traps, as my colleague is local to the area, but we’ll no doubt have to put up with the crowds at the hot spots.
Hopefully the house will still be standing by the time we get back!Aiming for a trip to British Colombia next year, but we might have missed the boat by not planning anything yet!! D’uh!
#JustStopCrocs
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@Nocturama sounds great. It’s ages since I visited Tuscany and maybe they’re too far south for your trip, but Montalcino and Montepulciano are both worth a visit. It doesn’t hurt that both are associated with great wines!
“Every day that you survive you get a free sunset“
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@Nocturama all those trips sound awesome. Bdays are perfect excuse, even if they aren’t yours.
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@ARNC said in Travel: Places you're going, places you've been.:
@Nocturama sounds great. It’s ages since I visited Tuscany and maybe they’re too far south for your trip, but Montalcino and Montepulciano are both worth a visit. It doesn’t hurt that both are associated with great wines!
Actually @ARNC , my colleague’s wife is in the wine industry, so I’m hoping to get the inside track on Tuscan wines from her, but I will cast an eye over M & M, if only to try to show a level of knowledge that belies my actual knowledge on the subject!
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@Nocturama sounds like a useful contact – if you’re trying to impress, make sure you don’t forget that Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (what we’re looking at here) has nothing to do with the Montepulciano grape variety or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo!
“Every day that you survive you get a free sunset“
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@alexxedge said in Travel: Places you're going, places you've been.:
We are also going to making day trips to Koyasan
If you can, I suggest trying to book temple lodgings for one night in Koyasan (eko-in was nice for us). It's quite the trek there from Osaka Namba and it's totally worth seeing Okunoin during both day and night. Plus you'll get to hear flying squirrels at night. If it's only a day trip, definitely see about going to Kadohama Goma-tofu honpo for lunch to try the many varieties of tofu they make there.
Re IH Osaka, also it's not too bad of a trek to Hachioji from Tokyo to go to the mothership and maybe get to meet Harakisan.
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@pechelman that sounds awesome. Not sure it’s in the cards for an overnighter, but I’ll definitely be adding that lunch spot to my list. For as small of a town as it looks to be, there are so many food options.
Definitely hitting IH Osaka, trying to determine if I can/should subject my wife to the lengthy train and bus rides to hit Hachioji. Would be sick, though.
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The actual town of Koyasan felt a bit more commercial than I was expecting to be honest, lots of shops selling souvenirs , but it's such a nice relaxing place once you get off the main strip. I wish we had another day to hike around the mountains. You'll have a great time no matter what you do there and Japan in general. Last year was our first trip too and we're heading back this Nov/Dec.
For arm twisting with Hachioji, there's this place that looks fun. https://soranews24.com/2022/12/05/japanese-conveyor-belt-restaurant-delivers-food-by-boat-in-tokyo/
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@ARNC - heaven forfend! I’m uneducated, not a damned heathen!
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@pechelman the real draw of Koysan was Okunoin Cemetery and some of the other temples. The other day trip from Osaka we were thinking about was Katsuo-ji, where there are seemingly thousands of daruma. I studied printmaking in college, and the idea of getting to do the stamp/print postcard as you travel through the grounds is right up my alley.
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We didnt get passport stamp books and kind of regret it now. The lines sometimes for stamps did look long at some temples, but it would have been fun to capture all of the ones we went to. We're planning to visit Katsuo-ji this trip since we'll have more time staying in Osaka. Also I'd recommend a day trip to Nara to visit those temples, the giant buddha, feed the deer, eat some really great udon and pudding, and visit a couple of the gardens that I honestly preferred to Kenroku-en. If you want, I can share our itinerary with you @alexxedge via pm if you'd like.
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@pechelman I’m never going to say no to new information and help. I’ve gone deep on planning, and honestly have had so much planning.
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@ARNC we spent 4 days in Montalcino on our honeymoon two summers ago. That little village was one of the highlights of our time in Italy. The wine is incredible. We shipped back a case from a winery there.
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@Mizmazzle it really is! Things might have changed since I was there, but you could just roll up and buy the wine at small producers for a fraction of the price it fetches back home. As I was young and poor at the time, shipping a case wasn’t on the cards. It was more wrapping a few bottles in clothes and hoping they’d survive the flight home!
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Spent our anniversary in Telluride recently, so beautiful. Also stopped by Ouray and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison which was hot but amazing!
