Hey Gui. I'm still waiting for an email from you. I arrive in your town in two months.

Invite me to a game. That works better. My email is connected to my Facebook account.

You refer to them as " Asians " ? RACIST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I made it.

I'm in Taiwan. I'll be here a month or two. Then moving on to China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, etc. If anyone would like to get a drink with me, drop me a line: jrussellmikkelsen AT gmail.

Qi, I chatted to you in our month old game. Check it.

mikkelsen and gui meeting
that would be sweet :)

If you are planning to be in Yangshuo, China, invite me to a game. A few of us (me, Chaos, AK65) all live here. Pretty nice in the summer, if you like outdoorsy kinda things.

I worked in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China for more than 8 years so I am very familiar with that area of China and Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is a must visit as far as I'm concerned because I can honestly say it is probably one of the most life affirming places you could ever wish to see. As an American you will be able to get a landing visa so no need to prepare other than buying a plane ticket. Similarly to other places, there is a need to have a flight out of there unless you can show that you have enough money to leave! (The only time I was ever asked this was from a flight there from Brisbane - I just showed them I had a credit card and it worked out okay, though it also helped that I had so many HK stamps in my passport). HK airport is also a big hub for traveling elsewhere in Asia, or even on your route home, so you should be able to fit it into your itinerary without much problem.

I think Beijing and Shanghai would be worth a visit in China too, but if you only have time for one of them I would suggest Beijing because I feel it has more culture to offer than Shanghai. I haven't been to Yang Shuo, but I know it is a beautiful place and should be a lot of fun, so if these guys are offering to show you around I would definitely do it.

Thailand is a MUST too. It is an absolutely beautiful country with great people and culture to match. The whole Buddhist vibe is probably the reason why. It is also relatively cheap if you don't get stuck in the overly tourist areas. I suggest a couple of days in the crazy busy Bangkok and then move down to a beach island such as Phuket.

The Philippines is amazingly cheap and also worth a visit. Boracay island is famous for it's pure white sand beaches.

I met up with JRuss. It turns out he is a she! She has blonde hair and uses the JRuss persona as a creative ploy. She's actually not that bad looking but is a lesbian, which explains her JRuss persona's somewhat masculine nature.

Fonz, you have to prove you have a flight out if you visit HK? Surely that cannot be true! Last year I was going every 3 months for the stamp to extend my tourist visa, and I have numerous friends who were doing the same thing on a very frequent basis. Perhaps this only applies to people with a) no Chinese visa or b) who are flying in (as opposed to walking across the border)?

Yes John, I have also done it many many times from mainland China and never been asked that question. I have also done the flight from many European cities and never been asked that question.

The only time in 8 years of travelling to Hong Kong I have had this issue was when checking in for a Quantas flight from Australia last December. After kicking up a fuss, they showed me what it said on the computer and it did say that people need an outward flight from Hong Kong or need to prove that they have enough money to buy one from there. I simply showed her my credit card and after a quick consultation with her supervisor it was deemed to be sufficient because, as he put it "he's got a credit card and heaps of HK stamps in his passport so he's been there plenty of times before".

I guess it depends the immigration officer on the day...

This is the real reason I came back to the forums. To find this thread. And this, THIS is what I find!

I met up with JRuss. It turns out he is a she! She has blonde hair and uses the JRuss persona as a creative ploy. She's actually not that bad looking but is a lesbian, which explains her JRuss persona's somewhat masculine nature.

What part of "I solemnly swear I will not post about this," was confusing to you?! You're a lying piece of crap. I hate you now more than ever.

I hate to derail this thread.

For the americans who travel abroad, what did you guys do about health insurance?

Condoms.

Qi +1 :) and better buy them in your own country.

It's true. Asian-sized mini condoms are best for 12 year-old Westerners.

:X

----

In seriousness, what did you do?

Travel insurance.

But I'm lucky, my former employer is providing insurance while I'm traveling because I'm making a few sales calls while I'm traveling. But, I'm also Norwegian, so if anything bad happens, I can just fly back to Norway and it's all paid for.

when I was a student in china taiwan and france i was given insurance (france gives it to all students and my scholarships from the prc and roc governments included insurance). since i've been working in taiwan, ive had the same insurance taiwanese get.

Haha! I get them airmailed sometimes!

As for health insurance, I got none. Not even sure if it would work here. Hospitals seem to be pretty cash-based in China, although I've never actually been to one for anything other than simple visa check-ups. If I were in a tight spot, health-wise, I reckon I'd go to the local hospital to get stabilized, then get to Hong Kong or a modern city ASAP. Credit cards help, and don't believe American Express's crap. Go with Mastercard or Visa when travelling in Asia.

I have to say this may not be the smartest idea, to drop everything you own and leave. I would advise against it, but if youi decide to go, I've read on travel sites that many countries, especially Vietnam, will rip you off because of you are white, or look American, plain and simple.Dont drink their tap water, even to bruish teeth,. and learn some type of language a bit before you go. Dont buy from market vendors, and Do not dress expensively