@gabi

Sitting here laughing out loud at these "been here a few week" reviews where supposedly they could tell it all. You guys obviously don't know the right places, you probably ended up around lower Sukhumvit (with all the mention about hookers and lbs). Don't listen to any of this. I've lived around SEA for 10+ years. Nearly 8 of them in Bangkok. There is a reason I keep coming back. You have: excellent networking, lots of startups, awesome nightlife (if you know where to go!), amazing, internation

Pros - extremely cheap (excl. housing), great transportation system (both subway and busses), great pastry shops Cons - expensive airbnbs, rude people who can be fairly racist towards blacks (worldcup was a tough time given how openly people were cursing about black people in bars and home get togethers I went to) and other south americans (weird superiority complex), a tad depressing given the current economic crises (almost everyone is going through a rough time so it is difficult to enjoy yo

If you're physically active, CM is paradise 9 months out the year. Like many, I live here, but fly to Phuket from Mid Feb to Mid May to escape the burning season. The rest of the year, the weather is fine: about 1h of strong rain a day from May to September, then September to December is awesome with cold air in the morning and evenings, and just right warm during the day. In CM, you have unlimited landscape for: Trekking, Mountain Biking, Cycling, Road Trips on scooter or motorcycle (some of

Lisbon is getting expensive and Porto is still affordable, cheap except to the locals. They can't even rent or buy there anymore. If you go to Porto or similar and pay for overpriced housing and services, you will be contributing to this small city becoming even more expensive. Portugal is small so Portuguese people don't have anywhere else to go. When Porto becomes expensive like Lisbon you can just go away, but the locals can't. They opened their doors to you, be respectful.

One of the best cities in Europe. Though location makes a big difference in Istanbul. Besikatas, Nişantaşı, and Karakoy are parts that I enjoyed. They are safe and have nice vibe and energy. Big city, but not too hectic. I've met a lot of friendly Turkish people there and had good conversations. The food is good and relatively cheap. Outside of the good areas you will find lots of scams, people will try you everyday. Though its not violent, you can always just walk away.

I am a Greek living abroad just the last couple of years. I accidentally discovered this page and noticed the comments below. What I can recommend to people considering living in Athens is to explore places a bit outside of the city center. I agree with people that there are many areas very close to the city center that are dirty and perhaps not very safe to walk around at night. Explore areas like Glyfada, Voula, Kifisia, Marousi, Psychiko, Marousi and you will be amazed with how different it i

There's no reason to live in this city. I spent a year here. The weather is not even a bit nicer compared to central-eastern Europe. Maybe when it's -4 degrees in Budapest, it's +1 in Barcelona. That's just as cold. And the insulation in apartments is practically non-existent, as well as AC and heating. If there's heating in an apartment, using it for like 3 hours/day would cost $100 a month. Speaking of apartments, pricing is ridiculous. $1500 + utilities for a 2 bedroom in a neighborhood where

What an amazing city, the vibe of the city will pull you into the present moment. And I found it hard to be very productive as there was always cool things going on everywhere. Safety is a concern. For longer stays I think Barra de tijuca is good, but for a month or shorter it's best to stay in copacabana, ipanema and leblon. My favorite place would be in the middle of copacabana and ipanema. But please learn how to be safe in the city, ask local people or fellow travellers. I will defintly come