Has anyone been to Hong Kong post COVID? Is there still soul or has it been completely taken over by the CCP?
>>2643774Here. So far my checklist of stuff to see/do is as follows (in no particular order): Avenue of StarsSymphony of Lights Golden Bauhinia Sq. The PeakTake a Star Ferry at least oncePMQWong Tai Shin TempleTemple St. Market, Ladies' Market, Goldfish Market - might do all three on the same day idk, or just Temple Street if time is an issueSpend an hour or two in Mong Kok just walking around and taking in the sightsKowloon Memorial ParkChoi Hung Estate (50/50 on this one I've heard it's underwhelming irl)Monster BuildingComment too long. Click here to view the full text.
>>2603063To be fair it was always like that. That's what made it kino. If I wanted to see jeets, I would go there. If I didn't want to see jeets, I would go literally anywhere else.
are there any social hostels in HK that anyone recommends? I don't want to get raped in chudcuck mansions by pajeets so something good for whitey foreigners>Haven't been HK since 2018>LKF/causeway bay for drinking>want to meet people ideally not 40+ yr old expats that are depressed>doing a solo trip and want to make some drinking buddies (only english speaking and basic mandarin)going in late May
>>2645359PMQ is cool but Tai Kwun is better as far as restaurants and bars go. There’s a spectacular cocktail bar in it called Gushiki Lounge. You can take the fast ferry from Hong Kong island to Macau. I’m not a gambler so I didn’t do that there but the north island has most of the cool Portuguese architecture.
>>2646372I'm planning to go to Macau even though I have 0 desire to gamble or go to Casinos (might stand outside and admire the architecture at best) especially since that big fuck off skyscraper is a casino??heard you can do it in less than a day and spending more time is a bit of a waste, I'm a fat cunt so will be hitting up places for breakfast, 2nd breakfast, lunch, snacks, tea before jumping on a ferry back to HK to throw up in LKFappreciate your advice for macau, also NTA you replied to
Is it underrated or actually just boring?
>>2643690what does that mean? Liederhosen and yodelling, but in Slovenian?
>>2643694Same living standard but without the africans and other brownoids
>>2643790So... a higher living standard.
>>2643581What?
>>2643260>Everyone I've ever met who went there fucking loved it.I didn't love it, but I was only in Ljublana for a few days and it was freezing cold at the time
Are there any ACTUALLY good places to learn languages online?
>>2643080Nobody uses interpals anymore. It's just bots and muzzies from Indonesia. There are no Japanese there.
>>2638000They’re bots, anon.It’s the same as any other place. You’ll do fine if you’re not an autist. If you’re a turbo-autist, you can’t rely on women approaching you and doing all the work (unless you’re in some place where the women aggressively target you because they want money like the Philippines) but it happens once in a while.
Non-English speakers don't like it when you try to speak their language unless you're really fluent conversationally. Use Duolingo for the basics without going overboard. And then use your phone when you're actually there if they're unable to switch over to English.
>>2645843Do you have an actual good profile picture? Are you in decent shape? Are you dressed nice? Hate to break it to no women, regardless of what country they're from, are attracted to fat ugly neckbeards
>>2645843on hellotalk i get about 1 every day or 2 who message me but thats also bc i put my japanese as the native bar so they just chat to me in jap rather than in englishim rather average but am blonde blue eyed
Post the downsides of living in the midwest
>>2645303I have a friend that's an IBEW electrician in Cedar Rapids Iowa making 105k. Owns a comfy home in a good neighborhood that cost him 140k.225k metro population so we have good shit to eat, drink, and great parks. Great place to raise a family if you stick to Marion, Hiawatha, Fairfax.You are also 4-5hr from Chicago, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Omaha, St Louis/KC. CID airport has direct flights to Phoenix, Vegas, Denver, Dallas, DC, Miami, Charlotte, Nashville, Tampa, Orlando, etc.Worth looking at as you could find a solid house now for about 200k in a great part of town that has 3bed, 2bath and a cute little yard.
>>2645303Unironically Detroit where electricians and other tradies can make a solid income for the area because of a shortage of qualified workers. >I am non-white (not black), so preferably a big cityAgain, Detroit. There's a large Muslim population (Dearborn) and a growing Hispanic population (Detroit and downriver).
>>2646393Cincinnati, KC, Dayton, Columbus, or greenbay would be far better
>>2646051absolutely based take
>>2646400Dayton? Green Bay? What about Flint, Gary, Youngstown and East St. Louis?
Manila is unironically awful unless you make at least $4000+ a month (which is top 1% of income in the country, not makati/bgc). a decent rental in makati/bgc is $1000+ a month. more like $2000 for a nice pad. a $500/m place will be 22 sqm and shit. everything is just more expensive in PH because the country is not functional like thailand. literally the only redeeming factor of manila is the fact that you can enjoy the XTREME wealth inequality living comfy on top of a luxury Ayala land mixed use development that is essentially concentrating all the wealth in one neighborood, while surrounded by pathetic slums and servile pinays who are 5 ft tall. 4chan is full of midwit larpers who want to feel self-satisfied so they congregate in SEasia threads and brag about their lifestyle but it falls apart in the PH generals because actual manila expats know how the game works here. if you know you know type of situation. the entire country operates on scamming one another but at a certain point, the low trust high inequality culture starts to work in your favor if you're the one with the cash calling the shots.
>>2646244>>2646248>It's good for poor people to look up at glittering buildings and have something to aspire to.BGC is for those who want to live around the top 0.1% of highest achievers in a society. It's not a place for bums and losers.the real answer is that most pinoys are idiots and the only liveable places that aren't provincial chicken shacks are large-scale mixed-use developments led by Ayalas or chinoys or chinese/japanese consortiums. BGC is not even "the Philippines" for Filipinos in that sense, but retarded pinoys will act as if it is the pride of the nation, as if they own a part of it just because they can enjoy the public amenities. no, realty is that BGC High Street is made for people like me, as in, to attract more capital to feed their dysfunctional system. but like i said in the op, it's great when you are the beneficiary.
>It's good for poor people to look up at glittering buildings and have something to aspire to.How dumb do you have to be to actually believe this.Study after study confirms what everyone already knows deep down: inequality is bad.Unequal societies perform worse on every metric, this is why the highly equal Scandinavian countries are much more pleasant to live in than subsaharan shitholes.You really think drug-addicted hobos are inspired when they see the glass monstrosities where the ultra rich park their money on Billionaire's Row?
Worst /phg/ by a longshot. OP is a fag.
>>2646378>the only liveable places that aren't provincial chicken shacks are large-scale mixed-use developments led by Ayalas or chinoys or chinese/japanese consortiumsThis just isn't true. Shit thread filled with braindead takes. That $3000 figure from >>2646367 is a joke. If I had that much every month I could easily be stashing away $2000 of it in the bank while living comfortably. You're all clueless retards who spam paragraph after paragraph of worthless reddit spaced trash that has no bearing on reality.
While I am strongly of the opinion that we should gatekeep this country if you listen to these stupid faggots you're going to get misled into thinking this isn't a third world country where you can live comfortably for cheap. I'm not going to tell you how much a one bedroom unfurnished apartment that comes with no appliances costs. I am going to tell you that if you figure it out you will realize these people are lying to you. They want you to think the dream is dead and that anything less than a top of the line Makati or BGC condo is a total shithole. Perhaps they actually believe that. I don't know, everything else they say is stupid as all fuck so maybe they do. Anyway I'll also say buying your own appliances is better too because you can choose to get ones that utilize inverters. Electric is expensive here and it makes a big difference. This thread is dogshit so I'm not going to stick around to do too much arguing with these faggots. Let them type out novels about how the dream is dead for all I care.
What is it actually like to live in Florida?To put it short. I'm sick of cold winters. I want to live next to theme parks... (not a disney adult)I've visited Orlando a few times, so I'm not just shooting in the dark, but I wonder from any locals, what do I not understand as just a tourist? What is the deal with all of the development complexes and HOA's? how do you even know which ones are for old people? What area's do I avoid?
>>2644298I mostly hang out with old women because I live in boomerville, but I've actually seen the opposite where people from up north love the heat, and people who've lived here all their life hate it. I know a bunch of older women who say they've lived in places like Michigan for 50+ years, but then moved down to Florida because they like the heat, and I've seen them wear 4 layers in 60 degree, and complaining, and hoping that it gets hotter soon.
>>2644303stop being so fat
The theme park area finally just got updated on google satellite view.Looks like it was taken a few weeks/months ago
What’s a good place to live for ~3 months per year in the Miami area? I’m hoping to find my snowbird spot that I can go to from now on. I’m open to other suggestions of smaller cities and towns, just not Jacksonville or Tampa.
>>2626616I went and stayed in the Panhandle before, wouldn't wanna be anywhere else in the state
Happy Sunday Catchan,I thought I might tap into the collective travel knowledge here since we are all a bit of a diverse bunch from varying backgrounds. So I just booked a flight to Japan next month May 3 to Jun 1 and I'd like to hear any tips or reccomendations from those who have visited there or anywhere in the Orient really. This seems like one of the best months to travel there. Golden Week is just ending so less crowds and just before the wet season and before summer vacation for much of the world. I got a large backpack and plan to buy a second hand piece of luggage to load up with goodies before I head back. I know there might be a bit of a culture shock when I get there so I am doing my best to be prepared as this country is probably the most "different" country I have been to. So please share any thoughts or your experience in the matter. I am a well off male around 40 and I am planning on staying at a variety of different properties including ryokans, capsule hotels, hostels and Marriott properties as I am a Ambassador Elite with them. Also, I love hot springs and considering walking the Nakasendo Trail. A good primer or must knows would be very helpful for my trip. Thanks!
>>2646267Low season is a good time to travel. I like shoulder seasons myself as well if I am going to be outside alot. Hope to be in and out before the rainy season and when kids and their parents take summer vacation. The suica card I discovered is just a prepaid card for visitors you can use on busses and trains and just hop on, scan, get off wherever and it just takes whatever fare it was off. Hopefully pretty simple. Found some pilgrimage sites for ancient anime I use to watch when I was young. Inari shrines. Dunno if touhou is still a thing but do they still sell merchandise of it? Also for other things like doujinshi, are there shops that don't list their stock on the net like Mandarake, suruga-ya etc. Might be worth going to Akihabara and seeing if I can find things of old stuff I use to watch in the 90s/2000s.
>>2645050I did a month japan trip blind last summer and recommend sticking to three weeks
>>2646338Why?
>>2646338Blind you mean on-the-fly? I am at a few days less than a month. Why is a little less than a week more too much?
>>2646338Traveling with a blindfold seems a bit dangerous
I've a Delsey luggage but lost the code. It's on 'open' position.help welcome
>>2646294set to 0-0-0 and press brass button and hold it in position for 5 seconds. if that does not work check for a brass fixture at the bearing of the combo wheel and press that for five seconds instead. TSA locks all need to be able to be reset without breaking. it's just a matter of finding how.
>>2646318my 3rd attempt
>>2646321Thanks mare, i'm gonna try this
Pushing the button for a few seconds didn't work.Anyway, i can't push it at it's maximum, unless I find the right codeThere's no other button
>>2646291You can see the big 'on' button. There should also be 2 buttons on the side. You need to hold the 'on' button with the 'down' button on the side for about 5 seconds.Once you're in safe mode, just scroll through until you find 'factory reset'. Make sure your case is on charge during the reboot, else you might brick the case.
Thinking of heading to Colombia next monthWhat am I in for?
>>2642802I think I did, but don't remember anything about it.>>2642746You learn to read the crowd and pick out which people are predators by their behavior and body language (i.e. how they react to your presence)Often they call out to you after you catch their eye, casually or mockingly, trying to provoke you into engaging with them. look ahead and keep walking like you are a man on a mission.If you are tall with long legs, your ability to casually outstride every shortshit Latino is a major factor in keeping your backside safe. I've suddenly powerwalked away from a fair share of unpleasant encounters that had the potential to become dangerous. Cool street thugs don't run, they only saunter.Motorbike robbers are peak paranoia. Any motorbike without a license plate, or one with two riders that is behaving erratically, is an instant red flag. Do your best to walk facing traffic whenever possible, and decide in advance what you are going to do if you are targeted by motorbike robbers. Don't rely on the cops to protect you.Leave your ATM card in your room, not your wallet.You want to have an ID on your person while in the street, ideally an old driver's license.>>2643411you took the short bus to school
alright, bros, I'm making the jump. about to cross through customs. second time in South America. Wish me luck. Here's to not getting stabbed for my smartphone.
>>2645794You ARE a fucking faggot wearing womens clothes lmao
>>2642752>Colombia was actually safer when Don Pablo was in power. The homicide rate during these years was like 4 times higher than now, dumb Nigro. Let alone other crimes like kidnappings or selective murders, which were exponentially higher.>>26456215 million foreign tourists visit Colombia every year, dumbfuck Nigro number two, the vast majority of them don't have any issue and that's why the number grows year after year. So it's not like you are some kind of explorer /scout delving into some savage land.
>>2646187>5 million foreign touristsThose are just gringos brought their against their will on cruise ships docking in Cartagena
I am spending five days here a month from now for work. My schedule allows a lot of free time. I love history,museums,nature,antiques,thrift and food. I love off the beaten track stuff. Uniquely Maryland things. I have been Edgar Allan Poe obsessed since age 14! I am so excited for this trip! Please reveal the good stuff :)
I lived there for years while I was in college at Towson. Federal Hill has some awesome little bars and restaurants. The bars around the Cross Street market are all good and white,. Canton is another nice part of town with good food and bars. The whole block around O'Donnell Square Park is good. It's pretty middle class and white 20-40s, a good place to meet chicks. The hipsters and art school kids hang out on Charles Street. Brewer's Art is awesome. The Otto Bar has a lot of punk bands come through. Hampden has some cool bars. The vibe is a little more low class white hipster. For hiking, get out of the city. Kilgore Falls, The B&O rail trail, Big Gunpowder Falls, Cunningham Falls, Harpers Ferry, downtown Annapolis,
>>2646191Haven't been there in years but remember the hotel Coral Essex being very good.
Is traveling by train the most horrible experience ever, /trv/?>everybody is loud>schedules suck>warm asf>expensive>have to wait for freight trains
Based amerilard
>>2643106Took a KTX train in Koreathe blinds are shared across rows and the guy in front with the control over it decided to close the blinds to block the nonexistent sun (from all the pollution) to get some rest, so I could not stare out of the windowA K-salaryman got on and sat next to me, smelt like he shit himself (he went to the toilet 3 times in less than an hour) and when he was there kept elbowing me way past the arm rest while using his laptopthe Chinese tourists a few rows back spoke loudly the whole tripthis country is not like Japan
Thai local trains are primitive, but I enjoyed taking them. It felt like one of the Real Traveler™ experiences...sitting silent and stone-faced with the Thais in the midday heat, stopping at every village along the way, getting hit in the face by hot ashy wind from trackside brushfires, winding through the desolate leafless hills of the north. Train travel is so much more dignified than bus travel. Traffic stops to let you pass. Arrival and departure of the train is a solemn ritual at every station. Gonna fly in to SFO from Taipei in two weeks, crash out in a fourth-grade teacher's spare room, then ride the Amtrak to Denver. Paypig $151 for a suite downtown, then head up into the mountains to retrieve my minivan and hit the road. A mattress, a campstove and four bald tires.
>everybody is loud>schedules suck>warm asf>expensive>have to wait for freight trainsthese only apply to america and other third world shitholes, but actually even in places like india and bangladesh they probably have more dedicated passenger lines than most of the US
>>2643099Just ride first class. It's not that expensive really The worst (European) train ride I've experienced was second class from Milan to Bern in Switzerland. Crowded with brown people and standing room only. Felt like Bangladesh
Why is leaving America and the American Dream to move overseas looked at negatively?
>>2643566Plenty of countries have visa programs for in-demand blue collar workers to fast track them into jobs there. The problem is none of these want Americans because we’re used to relatively higher wages.
>>2646346>The problem is none of these want Americans because we’re used to relatively higher wages.Eh yeah I ain't surprised I'll look around to see if there is a way but I can't accept poverty tier wages. Won't hurt to least look.
>>2646346Boomers who want open borders should pull themselves up by their bootstraps, give Jose Sanchez a firm handshake, and apply to work in farms for $2/day. Entitled boomers don't know the meaning of HARD WORK.
>>2643566The entire west is in decline. I can't think of any western country that would be good to move to or would be good in 50 years. I think saving up money and moving to a second world country with good prospects should be the plan.
>>2646356yeah it's bizarre the cognitive dissonance with Westerners. I just came back overseas and was shocked how much better the quality of life was and how much easier it was to date and the genuine friendliness of people.
>arrive at the hostel you booked>everyone there is French or Israeli
>>2637724Stay in home and let your knee heal, retard.
>>2644602Classic French. They always do this during mating season.
>>2641453>t. went to Moldova and showered with elderly babushkas to save water
>>2642976Scandi and russian girls are the worst about this>haha I'm sure you have so many stereotypes about me, from watching too much of your Hollywood mass media, all those dumb Marvel movies, they are all about fighting and stupid dialogue, not like our european films which are deep and meaningful, you should try them sometime)))shut the fuck up
>>2642138No one speaks French but French people and Canadians get over yourself pierre
flying into ireland on the 19th, exploring dublin for the day then going to a wedding in dublin on the 20th, then we have three nights before we fly out. i'm thinking of driving to galway for one night then cork for another, and then possibly doing another city back towards dublin for our last night, then flying home the next day. any recs on the third city? or maybe stay in galway/cork for two nights? how about an ireland general?
Is Ireland actually worth visting if you don't care about the muh heritage crap?
>>2644159go to Sligo. Easkey in particular. Nice beach. Could be on the way to/from Galway depending on the road you take. The Wild Atlantic Way is the route. Takes you through scenic Leitrim too over the River Shannon.
>>2645744Maybe if you're very well off. If you're one of the slaves, you've probably never even heard a child speak.
>>2645744As someone from here, I'd say it's worth a short stay. It's a small island so you can travel around it easily and its position on the globe is pretty accessible so it's not a lot of hassle to visit. That said, it doesn't have as much to see and do as some bigger countries nearby like France or UK so I probably wouldn't make a dedicated 2 week trip out of it. Would be better to include it as part of a larger trip around that part of Europe in general or maybe as somewhere to go for a long weekend on a cheap flightPeople will be put off by the weather but I actually think the summer in Ireland has my favourite climate. Around the start of June, if it's a sunny day then the temperature will be around 20C - 25C so not too sweaty, it's bright until nearly 11pm and all the plants are in bloom. Also, because people here appreciate good weather more, you will see people out taking advantage of it which leads to a nice atmosphere in parks, beer gardens, etc. Of course, if you're looking specifically for a sun holiday then there are better places to go but something to keep in mind if visiting during that time of the year. The Fleadh Cheoil (annual Irish traditional music festival) and GAA intercounty championships (if you want to see a match of Gaelic football or hurling, 2 unique Irish sports) take place in summer so something extra to do then too
>>2645744anywhere is worth it if you have a good attitude
who /cruise/ here? Thinking of taking my parents on one I'm curious if there is any good ones for North Americas
What are the best and worst Caribbean ports of call?St. Vincent & the Grenadines looks really cool but I hardly see any cruises that go there.
>>2645519Didn't really like the Belize port. Also feel indifferent about the "exclusive" ports that each of these cruise liners have like CocoCay for RC and some marine shit for MSC
Thinking of booking a short cruise out of Singapore to pad out a trip, since it's a long way to fly for what would otherwise just be a city break. Anyone ever been out in that part of the world? How does the culture compare?
>>2632167What's it like working on a cruise? Do they only accept thirdies for most positions? I got years of hotel and bartending experience.
my parents took me on six cruises when i was younger and the only time i ever had fun was smoking weed on the bob marley in jamaica, was super paranoid and these homeless jamaican dudes did some kind of voodoo sorcery on me
