@dsil

Chiang Mai has had a deep Buddhist influence running over the last 1,000 years and this can be felt in the helpfulness, patience and generosity of the Thai and long-term transplants you come across. The city has an active community scene (nomads, spiritual seekers, hikers, creatives), several mountains with hiking spots and waterfalls surrounding the city, over 20 water bodies inside the city -- many have cafes and walks around, several public parks, and over 13 national parks with campgrounds w

Hong Kong is a great city with dense urban areas but also nature and hiking routes only 15 minutes away. There are restaurants for every taste and budget, from the best US fast casual chains to high end Michelin star restaurants. It's also extremely safe, despite recent political instability.

Ko Samui is an amazing place, I don't agree at all with the CON's. I am a Thai-American and have lived all over Thailand. Ko Samui is my favorite. The people, culture and experience of Ko Samui is wonderful. The roads are dangerous usually due to tourists. Not the locals LOL! This will be changing with Thai law requiring drivers license's. Of course it is humid and sweaty, my goodness you are in the tropics, and April is the hottest month. I suggest researching the best times of year to visit t

Lived in Phuket for a year now. Amazing place, especially the Bang Tao area. The further you go up north, the more beautiful it gets. Amazing beaches, beach clubs, restaurants and people. Patong is nice for a few days, but if you're not into partying just stay away. A lot of police check on the roads around Patong (and accidents), so always bring your international license. You can make it as expensive (or cheap) as you want, if you eat local like I do a meal is around 60 - 120 baht. Stay away

(It seems my paragraph formatting is being removed due to the length of my comment, so sorry you'll have to deal with the wall of text if you want to read this, haha) Have been in Bangkok for the past 6 months. I've been nomadic for the past 4 years across Europe & the US, and as someone who is used to walking everywhere and greenery, I found it quite difficult living here. I spent my first 5 months living in Airbnbs, which were fine for around $6-800/m, and for the last month decided to live in

Two weeks in Hanoi. Really enjoyed the city. Besides, the pollution, a nice charming city. Great access to all the tourist destinations in the north Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Sa Pa. WiFi is excellent. Food is excellent. People are friendly. Not a nightlife person or coworking space but it's available. Cafes are everywhere and yes egg coffee is amazing. Definitely recommend.

The worst place that I've been to in Asia (& I've been to quite a few). Every interaction with a local is a sales pitch for something. Tuk tuk, massage, weed, food, prostitution, you name it. People look at you as a customer and nothing else. This is very different in other countries in South East Asia. I've had plenty of authentic, non-sales-pitchy interactions with locals in Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines or Thailand. None of that here. It feels like this place only exists to extract as much