@timjulians

I really enjoyed my first week here, but as I got to know more locals and heard their stories, I was disturbed at the security situation. Almost everyone I met has horror stories about being robbed at gunpoint, robbed by the police, and in one case even drugged and robbed by a taxi driver. It's not even safe to walk a short distance at night (locals told me to just take Uber). Beyond the security issues, scams also abound, and the covid policy is wacky, with hand sanitizer being forced on you ev

Chiang Mai used to be N.1 for the digital nomad life. It is still great and you can find really cheap apartments (300-400$) and restaurants (2-3$ for a main). Wouldn't recommend staying there during the burning season. The best area is Nimman, but it's also the most expensive. You can stay in the old city that's very nice but that gets noisy during the weekend for the night markets. Last but not least, very safe city. All in all would go back in a heartbeat.

I've spent 4 years in Istanbul, it was one of my best experience. I met amazing people, but also a loooooot (looooot) of scams even from people I considered friends. So be careful of whom you trust there, but instead of that it is a magical city, always something to do, very beautiful, and affordable, and as a women I felt very safe there (learnt turkish but even before that I felt safe)

It rains way too much. I visited in August 2022 and it rained every day. Most days were overcast and you rarely saw the sun. It's overcast all day - from sunup to sundown. I can't wait to leave. I thought Florida was rainy and overcast, but it's much worse here. It's overcast and rainy 8 months out of the year, whereas Florida is only rainy and overcast 4 months our of the year. It's a great city, but the rain just killed it for me.

I've been to ~70 countries. Porto is my favorite city in the world. The people, the people, the people! It's the perfect size, well connected airport, vibrant and happening, amazing blend of locals and expats, and much cheaper than Lisbon. Looking to call this place home.

The noise pollution here is insane. The prayer calls from the mosques seem to reverberate throughout Penang. Seems like they are competing for who can be the loudest. This really ruined Penang for me and I cut my time short.

I liked Ho Chi Minh City a lot. It has all of the convivences one could expect from the city except for an MRT system which as of September 2022, they are in the middle of building one anyway. Things are affordable although I have noticed a tamer street food scene compared to other places in Vietnam like Hanoi. Seems to be making more room for higher end dining but affordability is still easy. HCMC without a doubt has some great nightlife, so party animals are going to be very happy here. I am s

Touristy circus of a place. Everyone is trying to rip you off... even as fluent Spanish speaker. Check out PV or anywhere west coast instead.