u/Capable-Toe-9841

Hi all,

Just in the very early stages of planning a trip to China for the last two weeks of September. As always with China, I hit the overwhelm wall because of the intensity in its offerings of things to do and places to see. So looking for some advice from those with experience with the regions I'm interested in visiting to give me a helpful nudge in the right direction for my planning.

- I will have 10 full days and will fly in and out of Chengdu for this trip. My dates are fixed and cannot change.

- I am most interested in visiting Mount Emei and Chongqing.

- I'm interested in both ancient and modern culture, nature and megacities, good food, and capable of walking for a very long time.

-Considering staying in Chengdu 2 nights, Leshan 3 nights for Mount Emei, Chongqing 3 nights, 1 night in Chengdu again before my flight out. Is this a reasonable balance for those sites? Is Leshan the best place to stay for Mount Emei access?

- This all feels very rushed to me as I'm typically a slow traveller, but I can't extend my stay on this trip. Would prefer a "less is more" approach as it's an option to come back in the future.

- I'll be travelling solo, no Mandarin aside from greetings and broken language attempts to order food. However, open to day/half day tours for certain activities. What aspects of this trip would be more beneficial to do as a tour?

- Any other advice?

Hi all, I used to be super into VK, but grew out of it 10 years ago and didn't follow it at all, except still listening to the music by the bands I loved, which have all disbanded. I haven't even thought about VK for ages, but I had this idea just now to look up VK on Reddit, expecting to see all these young new bands I'd never heard of, only to find..

Jiluka?

Kaya?

Kamijo?

Malice Mizer?

Plastic Tree?

I mean, some of those had been around for a while even when I was into VK, but where are all the new bands?!?!

Any news bands out there with new members who haven't been on the scene for years making headwaves? I'm just curious what the trends are at the moment.

Also, is Kisaki still alive and has he done any more stupid shit in the last 10 years?

Hi all,

I'm considering a destination for a short 7-10 day trip (excluding travel time) at the end of September as I have two weeks leave them (Sep 20 - Oct 2). As this is not a lot of time, it's most practical I visit Asia to minimise my transit time and maximise my holiday. I'm also looking for something not too expensive as I have another much bigger trip in January that is my main focus.

As I live in Australia, Asia is the most practical (just been to NZ recently, so excluding that as an option for now).

Here are my requirements:

- Not Japan, going there in January.

- No where too hot. I already live in a very hot part of Australia. I used to have a lot more heat tolerance, but I'm over it. I'm worried SEA will still be a bit too hot and wet this time of year.

- Had been considering China or Vietnam, but worried Vietnam may still be a bit too hot.

- I am thinking of doing this as my first ever tour. I've always travelled by my own arrangements, but I don't see myself getting sufficient time to plan this trip. If I do a tour, I probably wouldn't do China or Vietnam as I'd much rather do them on my own terms (or Thailand, or Malaysia, or Singapore, or Korea, for that matter. Just too easy to do on my own). I'm really interested in Mongolia, but it doesn't seem like there are any group tours that fit my dates. Uzbekistan is another place of high interest, but also not sure if it's worth it for the time frame and travel time is starting to push it a bit. Considering India or Phillipines, though worried about the weather in the Phillipines.

Any suggestions for destinations welcome.

Likewise, good tour agencies. I'm considering Intrepid or G Adventures, but apprehensive. Don't want a big group. I'm 40, so I don't want to be with only people in their 20s, and likewise don't want to be with only people in their 60s. Happy for a mixed bag of ages though. Bonus points for women only tours.

I want to move back to Sydney due to the terminal diagnosis of a close family member. I actually live in regional QLD, not Brisbane. I have a job that I can work from home with permission on compassionate grounds, however I still need to reside in QLD as I'm technically employed by the state. So my request to work from Sydney can't be granted. I have asked if I can work from Brisbane because at least then it's much easier for me to fly back to Sydney at short notice. I asked this without thinking it through or if it's even workable, but my request is being considered so now I need to work out the logistics of it.

To be honest, not sure I see the point in actually living in Brisbane except that I really need to keep my job. It's still far from home, but at least I don't have to fly to Brisbane first.

I know rent is expensive, but wondering if I can rent something as least expensive as possible. Can be outside of Brisbane, as long as access to the airport is not too tricky, GC would be ok too, but I don't think rent would be any cheaper. At the moment, I think I'd be looking at flying down to Sydney most weekends and maybe even sneaking a week or so working from Sydney if I think I can get away with it. So it honestly doesn't even have to be nice. Definitely expect to just rent a room in a share house or a shed or something.

I've tried searching, but I'm a bit overwhelmed. Any advice or tips to narrow down my search in terms of locations to search or approach?

Edit: Thanks everyone for responses. You've given me a lot of food for thought and places to research over the next week. I probably won't be able to keep up with replies, but thanks for the comments and DMs.

Tried on a pair of Edward Meller boots today. Really liked them, but have never bought this brand before. Happy to pay the price for decent boots, but there is so much junk quality out there these days.

Do you have a pair of their shoes? How's their longevity? What about comfort when walking all day?

I'd be wanting them for all day city walking/site-seeing (walking for hours). I don't expect them to be as comfortable as trainers or my daggy ecco offroader sandals, but I need something that's just that bit dressier than what I usually wear.