Early August escape
 

Since the cost and time requirement of flying to Dubai via Muscat is now comparable to going further afield I've narrowed my early August escape from Dohell to the following:

1. Lebanon. Stay in hotel somewhere on Hamra. Swim at beaches somewhere. Eat lots of Lebanese food and chilled beers. Day trip to Baalbek. Will be hot but not as bad as Qatar.

2. BKK. Posh hotel with a nice pool. Eat lots of Thai grub. Do a food tour. Flight timing is very convenient but weather will be hot and humid.

Thoughts?

Re: Early August escape
 

BKK , been going for 25 years and it's still a great city . Food is phenomenal try Bo Lan in Sukhumvit , outstanding .

Re: Early August escape
 

Not another holiday thread....

Anyway - BKK. I'm going to Cambodia.

Lebanon is overpriced, and full, sadly, of Lebanese people.

Re: Early August escape
 

Ha ha. Lebanon and the Lebanese truly are an interesting bunch.

BKK would be my choice.

Where you hitting in Cambodia Millhouse?

Re: Early August escape
 

Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. I'll let you know if I see Gary Glitter.

Re: Early August escape
 

Is he not in dead?

Love Phnom Penh, great city. Found Siem Reap a bit meh once you've seen a temple or two.

Re: Early August escape
 

So last year chief , we're looking at Bhutan on The Ranches fella .

Re: Early August escape
 

BKK: hot and steamy with spicy food and drinks on rooftop bars. And fighting off the ladyboys.

Lebanon: swimming in the Mediterranean. And likely cooler.

I have a strong desire to swim in the Mediterranean. And Lebanon is the closest option. And I'd like to see Baalbek before it eventually gets blown up.

Maybe do both on two successive weekends?

Re: Early August escape
 

I'm told the food is crap.

According to the expat already been to 100 countries and plastered the walls of his villa in Jumeira 1 with the photos of smiling dark coloured kids with bright shiny white teeth to prove it, tells me western China is the place to go. Yunnan food :thumbup:

Re: Early August escape
 

I'm doing 5 days in each, interesting you say Siem is the lesser one, most say the opposite. Either way will be ok - as long as it is warm, I can get massages, cheap beer and drive around half drunk on a scooter, I'm ok.

Re: Early August escape
 

BKK is a dump.

Just hide in your Banyan Tree suite like we did.

Or, go somewhere else. Swim in the Med is appealing, at least it'll be fresh air.

Re: Early August escape
 

Yeah, quite a few folk have a downer on PP for some reason but it's got quite a lot when you scratch the surface, both for day and night time activities / places to see. Siem Reap is pretty much temples and thats about it as far as I could see (although admittedly I didn't put too much effort into it). I did 3 temples in an afternoon and that was me over it. They have the main street full of bars but that wasn't up to much when I was there, although it was low season. It's also a pain in the tits to get to.

Sihanookiville and Koh Rong are worth a look but they're closer to PP than SR.

Top temple visiting tip is don't do one of the organised (v expensive tours). Just do 10 mins of research and grab any random tuk tuk and tell him which ones you want to see. He'll sort it all for a fraction of the price. I booked mine the night before when he was bringing me back to the hotel. He organised between temple tuk tuk travel beers too for a dollar or two extra too.

Re: Early August escape
 

oh gawd not ANOTHER thread on holidays:p

Re: Early August escape
 

Don't worry Mission, these are people who are actually GOING rather than planning. Nothing for you to see here :lol:

Re: Early August escape
 

aww ma'an not you too SHED, i thought you of all peeps would have my back:p and for the umpteenth time I AM GOING :banghead::banghead:

Re: Early August escape
 

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Re: Early August escape
 

:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Re: Early August escape
 

I'd definitely pick Lebanon though if you did pick BKK I'd recommend a day trip to the late medieval capital of Ayutthaya, about an hour away, though it it will be hot and sweaty and there are 30+ temples/sites to see; they're not walkable from each other so you'll need to book your car and driver for the whole day. Some of it is really cool though (with hidden passages inside old stupas and the like)...

In Lebanon, I don't think any of the Beirut beaches are Blue Flag quality if you know what I mean. Not sure I'd fancy swimming in them... Beirut itself is interesting, if you haven't been before, but a bit over-rated by hipster travellers I think and Hamra is bit meh. There is a pretty wild gay scene by all accounts, mainly on the East side (we were too old and dull to participate).

Baalbeck is truly amazing (and has the additional interesting twist of being Hezbollah central) but getting there for less than a king's ransom could be a challenge. I can't recommend what I did, which was to hire a car and drive yourself - while it's reasonably cheap and maximises flexibility, it's incredibly stressful and that was even though I had my Arab other-half to handle the frequent police and military checkpoints and random stops. Having said that, in a day trip to the Bekaa valley, with your own vehicle, as well as Baalbeck you could easily squeeze in a visit to a winery and the unique archaeological site of Anjar, the only extant purely Umayyad city, which is also quite beautiful (with two tone brickwork etc) and probably will be empty of tourists. A driver is likely to be essential but costly - unless you can charm a local into taking you around for "free"....

Another easy day trip is Byblos (J'beil) to the north, which is a lovely historical town with a magnificent crusader castle and lots of nice places to eat and drink. Though I guess it will probably be packed in August. The drive up the coast is nice-ish too and a lot less hazardous than the crazy drivers on the twisting road crossing the Chouf mountains.

Re: Early August escape
 

Ah yes, an useful post. Much appreciated. Lots of wankers in Lebanon but that's to be expected. I've been there ages ago but in the cooler months.

The Hezbollah connection is a bit off putting. But you survived!

Re: Early August escape
 

The $5 Hezbollah t-shirt complete with pictogram of crossed AK47s, purchased from the hawker who didn't even wait until I got out of the car at Baalbeck, was my nephew's prized possession in uni until it disintegrated after about 5 washes (that's probably almost a year for a student). The Hezbollah thing is really just decorative: lots of posters of ayatollahs, Hassan Nasrallah and yellow and black banners. Ultra-camp in fact but they keep the streets safe! And all just a few km down the road from Lebanon's most celebrated wineries...

Re: Early August escape
 

I would definitely recommend Yunnan, some fantastic limestone scenery with terraced rice paddies, I did 2 weeks there last year and just traveled around on a little 125cc motorbike staying in cheap hotels etc. Will be going back to do the same thing next year, does`nt feel like China in some ways more of a south east asia, as in rural Thailand, feel especially along the Vietnam, Laos border regions. Some parts are inundated with tourists, but if you pick your times right these only turn up by coach stay an hour and the bugger off.

And it is as cheap as chips!!

Re: Early August escape
 

Bit harsh Scamp, part of the fun of BKK is it being a bit of a shithole....breathing in the lovely aroma of sewage off the khlongs, mangy soi dogs, etc...there are some very pleasant little places away from all of this Lumpini park and watch the huge lizards that inhabit it (no not lady boys), The British Club for a taste of old colonial times....then get downright and nasty Patpong, Soi Cowboy and Nana...been going there since 1979, and my Dad has lived there for 50+ years

Re: Early August escape
 

Oh I'm sure lots of people love it.

Had a great night out in one area (I forget which) but when we got back to Bangkok I'd just had enough of the bullshit. Banyan Tree was lovely though and the first hotel was too, attached to Century Mall (I think). It's just the hassle and the grief and the bollocks attached to trying to do anything.

Every single person tries to fleece you. There's no other option but to bend over and get ****ed by every **** you meet. Got very boring at the end of two weeks and I won't cry about never going back.

Re: Early August escape
 

Cyprus is cheap as chips at the moment?

Paphos is lovely.

Re: Early August escape
 

Lebanon is overpriced, and full, sadly, of Lebanese people.[/QUOTE]

:lol:

No shit- Lebanon has Lebanese people there?!

Re: Early August escape
 

She's back with a bang. :rofl:

Re: Early August escape
 

:wave: hiya, I've been slacking

Re: Early August escape
 

Welcome back.
It's been the usual here anyway. Arguing and me commenting on every thread. Nothing changes.

Re: Early August escape
 

:lol:
Thanks. Just thought I'd be nosey and make my day go faster

Re: Early August escape
 

I wanted to post something rude and scathing about your unexpected return but I realised I can't. Welcome back, even if just for the moment ;)

Re: Early August escape
 

Seriously?

You must have had newbie stamped all over you!

Banyan Tree ??? Odd choice and nice but, over rated, over hyped, over priced.

Bangkok is a big Asian city soooo, it's going to be a bit like, well, a big Asian city. And maybe at the superficial, I'm a tourist, do touristy stuff for me, you might easily get royally shafted.

But ready to turn off the western perceptions, suspend your disbelief for a while and get into the heart of the beast and you'll likely come away with one of two things, a serious medical condition or a damn great smile. Bangkok is one of very few places where both are a real possibility.

Okay I'm biased, it's been home for 20 years barring a year on Koh Samui and a year on Phuket but after a lifetime of traveling Thailand is really the one place I have truly felt at home and would happily spend my own money to get to. Indeed I do, on a regular basis taking a week or so off every 7 or 8 weeks to be at home with the family. Spending much more time at a stretch in this neck of the woods seems impossible.

The biggest problem with Thailand visits is they are generally far too short.

Re: Early August escape
 

Haha and why can't u? Thanks, it would be so much easier as an app- or am I missing something?!

Re: Early August escape
 

Nope, nothing. Just that you're such a nice person (in a fun way) that being nasty would be like being mean to kittens.

* I'm perfectly capable of being mean to little kids because the buggers generally deserve it, but there's never a reason for being mean to kittens.

Re: Early August escape
 

Haha I can handle any banter it's all good- It takes a lot to offend me. But mean to kittens is harsh:p

Re: Early August escape
 

Being 6ft something and white, yeah, I definitely stuck out as a tourist....:rofl:....However, the problem wasn't me, the problem was Bangkok. Other Asian cities are fantastic and much better in my opinion, not having been to them all yet. I enjoyed parts and moments but I didn't enjoy Bangkok overall. Koh Samui was cool, Koh Phangan (sp) was even better in my eyes, not been to Phuket.

Banyan Tree was a slight regret from a location perspective, but a great bit of foresight that we'd enjoy somewhere pleasant to finish our holiday. You might think it's overpriced but it was good value, I got no hype or rating for it before I went so I enjoyed it, sorry(?)..... The first hotel next to the mall was a good location (can't remember it's name but was good) and where we went for drinks the first night (google tells me Thong Lor [?]) because that was good fun with some awesome bars.

Re: Early August escape
 

I had a bad experience in Bangkok! Granted I was on the backpackers street but it's defo put me off Bangkok as a whole

Re: Early August escape
 

Do tell. Don't hold back.

Re: Early August escape
 

It's really nothing funny but quite serious- basically the 4 of us me being the only female were beat up with wooden bats! Was a great start to a holiday- black eyes and swollen faces- joy

Re: Early August escape
 

I wonder wher the Bangladeshi construction workers go for their holidays.

Re: Early August escape
 

The insipid wisdom of the ageing hypocrite.