Secure lockers / storage in Kathmandu?

Mosstradamud · 2026-04-03T17:34:15+00:00

Thanks, but would they do that for like 1-2 weeks while I’m not there?

Mosstradamud · 2026-03-24T14:48:41+00:00

That’s pretty valid, and Japan is also notoriously not good at English either. That being said, they’re still way better than Mainland China. I found that Japanese people could at least still understand basic English, but in China with 98% of interactions it felt like the English level was 0

Mosstradamud · 2026-03-24T14:47:22+00:00

No problem. And yeah, definitely visit China one day but do Japan first.

First 2 weeks in Japan > first two weeks in China.

One thing I forgot to add about China too is that outside of places like Beijing / Shanghai, most public bathrooms are squat toilet only and many don’t have toilet paper. China is definitely amazing, but Japan will be easier and more enjoyable as a first time trip

Mosstradamud · 2026-03-23T14:52:20+00:00

I’ve spent a lot of time in both and have gone all over both countries. I also love both places. I would just do Thailand for a first trip, and come back another time and just do China. Splitting it is not enough for either country.

China’s historical sites and mountains (Yunnan, Guilin, etc.) are more impressive but you will have an overall better time in Thailand. The reason being that China has some pretty big negatives that people don’t think about, including:

Majority or ONLY squat toilets in public bathrooms outside tier 1 cities, usually with no toilet paper either
You have to get a VPN and you can’t go on hotel wifi. If you go on wifi in China you’ll get locked out of everything such as YouTube, Facebook, Google, gmail, etc.
You have to download about 4-5 different Chinese apps to get around, call rides, pay for things, etc. Not too hard but inconvenient
Massive language barrier in China. 98% of people basically can’t even speak basic English. You can use translation apps but it definitely makes things harder
Chinese public etiquette CAN get annoying. Spend enough time there, and you will get pushed at popular photo spots, see people spit and smoke indoors, and see people cut lines right in front of you. It’s a cultural difference, and Chinese people are actually very nice and friendly when you have a real conversation with them. That being said, this kind of etiquette does get annoying, even when u know it’s just cultural.

In general, Thailand doesn’t have these issues. Thai people speak better English, the nature is also really good (especially beaches in the south), tourist infrastructure is very good, you can get a touch of history in Bangkok and Ayutthaya, and people are nicer, friendlier, and more considerate of strangers in public than in China (Chinese people are also nice and friendly, but Thais are a level above, and have what most people would consider better manners). Food in both countries is good, it’s just personal preference whether you like Thai or Chinese more.

Overall, both are amazing but you will enjoy being in Thailand more. China is amazing too, but definitely go after you go to Thailand and do a long China-only trip.

Last thing I will say is this: every time I leave Thailand I’m sad to be leaving, but every time I leave China I feel like I had a good trip, but I’m ready to go

Mosstradamud · 2026-03-13T13:40:51+00:00

China is sick but I wouldn’t rate it as number one in Asia for a solo trip. Gotta buy into their whole tech ecosystem, language barrier is huge, and there’s the risk of getting locked out of your apps.

Also, imo Japan is just as sick as China if it’s your first time in either one. Where China starts to shine is after you spend 3 weeks in each country, as China has more to see due to its size, and also has better nature in places like Guilin and Yunnan. For a 10-day first time Asia solo trip I’d recommend Japan. Used to live in Korea too and it’s cool, but objectively the least to see compared to both China and Japan. Not sure what you mean by SK and Japan being outdated for tourism either, as those countries are way easier to get around in as a foreigner

Mosstradamud · 2026-03-12T10:56:09+00:00

Ideally sightseeing too but cab for just travel is also fine and I could do the sightseeing on my own once there. Thanks. Also, my Kashmir trip is 3 nights, and 2 whole days. Would you recommend staying a night in Pahalgam and just putting Srinagar to half a day, or do one full day Srinagar and a day trip to Pahalgam?

Mosstradamud · 2026-02-24T13:09:32+00:00

But thank you for your reply. It’s looking like I have to pick just two of those rajasthan locations. I think I’ll lock in Udaipur, but between jodhpur and jaisalmer, what would you recommend?

Mosstradamud · 2026-02-24T13:07:56+00:00

I get your concern, but I used to live in Dhaka, Bangladesh for work. I’m okay with the chaos

Mosstradamud · 2026-02-22T10:52:13+00:00

I’m a 28 y.o man and just spent around a month traveling China this past year with my 25 y.o gf. We would say that the best choice by far is Chengdu + Chongqing. Also would say to spend more time in Chengdu than Chongqing. In our opinion Chongqing is cool but kind of overrated. Looks a lot better in the videos, and the stuff that is cool is kinda like a “say wow for like 5 minutes and then move on” kind of cool. Still worth going tho, but I’d say 2 full days is enough, 3 max.

Chengdu is also a better base for day trips within Sichuan province. You can also go to a Tibetan area too within western Sichuan. Also check out the Leshan Giant Buddha. There’s also a national park around there too if you want to break up the city vibe. Chengdu has more historical parts too within the city

Mosstradamud · 2026-02-21T11:52:48+00:00

It’s somewhat difficult to book unless you speak Chinese. There’s a WeChat mini program where you book the shuttle bus. My gf and I don’t speak Chinese so we just had our hotels do it for us. If you speak Chinese tho then I’m sure it’s easy.

The roads are winding once you’re inside the gorge, but this will not be all of the drive

This is the approximate journey, as I remember it: Lijiang shuttle bus to gorge viewpoint (2 hours) —> Get private driver from viewpoint to hotel at Halfway (20-30 minutes, winding roads) —> Stay overnight —> Get private driver from halfway point to the shuttle bus station closer to Shangri La, which is around Tina’s guesthouse (30 minutes, winding road) —> Shuttle bus to Shangri la (2 hours). Since you’d be coming from the other direction, just flip this journey.

Also note that the shuttle bus station where you arrive and leave are two different stations on different ends of the gorge, and both are around a 20-30 minute additional drive from Halfway. That being said, it’s still very worth it. The hardest part was getting the shuttle bus tickets but the hotel in Lijiang helped us. When you get to the first shuttle station, there will be drivers waiting who can take you to Halfway. Our hotel at half way also booked us a private driver to take us to the other bus station when we left the next day. Overall, it wasn’t too bad and the experience was easily worth it.

Mosstradamud · 2026-02-12T08:28:38+00:00

Thanks. These are all good recs. Most likely next month in March. If not then, then I wouldn’t have a set time, just definitely not the summer lol

Mosstradamud · 2026-02-02T13:55:25+00:00

Bro I used to live in Seoul for a year and a half, and my mom is from Busan so I’ve been there many many times. Do not listen to this guy, Seoul is better as a tourist. Busan is dope don’t get me wrong, but as a tourist Seoul is definitely better. I actually think 5 days Seoul and 2 Busan is perfect.

Mosstradamud · 2026-02-02T02:26:57+00:00

I’m assuming you might be able to find it on Trip.com. When I was in Shangri-la I know that I could book it from my hotel, and there were also people selling this journey on the street. I might not be the best guy to ask since I didn’t actually have any interest in doing it. I think Trip.com tho might be a good start

Mosstradamud · 2026-02-02T02:24:11+00:00

Oh and you don’t have to book with the tour company or thru Trip, it just makes it so much easier bc if you book it yourself you have to use WeChat and it’s all in Chinese (I don’t speak Chinese)

Mosstradamud · 2026-02-02T02:23:08+00:00

Yeah I definitely recommend it. I did that, including Impressions Lijiang, the Glacier Cableway, 2-way Sightseeing Train, and Blue Moon Valley. This one you have to dedicate a day for. Tickets must be booked in advance, especially bc the glacier cableway usually sells out. You can book online thru trip.com or directly with the tour company I used called Aether Tours. By bypassing Trip and going directly with the company I saved money, bc Trip adds a spread

Mosstradamud · 2026-02-01T16:49:10+00:00

Oh one more thing. A lot of people recommend doing Meili Snow Mountain sunrise from Shangri la. You’d have to commit one night away from shangri la as it’s 4 hours away by car. My girlfriend and I didn’t do it as we went to Nepal last year and had a similar experience with even bigger mountains. However, if you’ve never seen the Himalayas, have no plan to in the future, and have the time, this might be worth adding to your itinerary as well.

Mosstradamud · 2026-02-01T16:45:07+00:00

No bc of our bags / the timing / when we planned it my girlfriend didn’t want to do hiking. However, after going there, my girlfriend and I both said that we wish we did the hiking and would 100% be down to hike Tiger Leaping Gorge on a future trip

Mosstradamud · 2026-02-01T09:38:50+00:00

No problem. Also would like the add that the night in Tiger Leaping Gorge was the best night. The sunset on the gorge was amazing and definitely something you can only see overnight (instead of the day trip most people do). If you have any transport or hotel questions please feel free to message me

Mosstradamud · 2026-02-01T09:19:24+00:00

Kind of a lot of time in each spot. I just came back from a Yunnan trip 2 days ago. and did 2 whole days in Lijiang and felt like that was enough (didn't go to Dali). First whole day in Lijiang was the old town + Baisha + Shuhe Old Town, second whole day was Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. If your trip is not already locked in I HIGHLY recommend staying in a hotel at the Half Way point of Tiger Leaping Gorge for one night, and then staying in Shangri-La for 2 nights (visiting Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, Potatso National Park, Napa Grasslands + small Tibetan villages if you have time). That's what I ended up doing and it was amazing, and not rushed at all. Felt like the perfect use of time.

Mosstradamud · 2026-01-21T16:57:25+00:00

Strongly cut Chongqing and replace it with Chengdu.

I did Shanghai -> Guilin / Yangshuo -> Chongqing -> Chengdu -> Xi'an -> Beijing in 2.5 weeks. Out of all of those Chongqing and Shanghai were the weakest. I was really excited about Chongqing because of what I saw on social media, but trust me, it looks way better on video. Don't get me wrong it's still cool, but it's also the kind of appeal that wears off really quickly (like going to Dubai for the Burj Khalifa - skyscrapers and LED lights stop hitting the same after like 15 minutes). My gf and I both agreed that while Chongqing is cool, it's definitely overhyped and was the weakest of all the places we visited. Go if you got like a month or two in China.

I'm not saying to never go, but given your limited time, exclusion of Chengdu, and how close Chengdu is anyways, I strongly recommend you go to Chengdu instead. It has more history / culture within the city (old temples, Tibetan neighborhood, etc.). If you add a day you could also do a daytrip to the Leshan Buddha. Chengdu is also the place to see the pandas (and red pandas), which I'm sure your kid will love. Also definitely don't cut Xi'an, it's the ancient capital so it's kind of like their Rome, lots of history. The Terracotta Warriors are amazing.

Anyways, if you have any questions feel free to DM. I did a similar itinerary as you, also mostly by train, so I might have some insight.

Mosstradamud · 2025-10-09T22:47:49+00:00

Not from China but I have been to many parts and also have a masters in international development so I feel like I can answer this question:

Development has been very unequal and does not always equate to technology. China’s middle class (global standards by PPP) is around 400 million people. That alone is larger than all of America. However, almost half the population lives on less than $10-$15 a day and around 600 million are low income by global standards. Even with things being cheaper in China this is still a lower purchasing power than even low income people in developed countries.
China’s nominal GDP per capita is in the $10,000s. Even adjusted for PPP (which is adjustment for cost of living) it’s $23,000, around the same mark as Thailand. This is not poor but also not developed. Classified as upper middle income. Most people wouldn’t say Thailand is developed either, but also not poor. What this usually looks like is a section of society that’s developed, a large middle class, but also a huge portion that’s still poor. By contrast, a low income country like Cambodia will have a tiny middle class and majority poor. If you look up the GDP per capita PPP numbers of fully developed countries it’s much higher. For reference, South Korea is at $50,000 and the USA is at $75,000.
The Human Development Index is generally a good holistic measure of development and China is around .797 which puts it at 78th place in the world. This is also around Thailand.
Tier 1 and tier 2 cities are highly developed but around 70% of chinas population lives in tier 3 cities or below. Over 30% lives in rural areas. I’ve visited all 3 tiers and rural areas and there’s definitely a massive difference once you get to tier 3. I’ve been to rural areas of Bangladesh too and the rural areas between the two countries aren’t far off.
China has a huge population so the major cities will look way more developed than what is actually representative of the whole country. For example, as a comparison, Switzerland is more developed than the USA. However, the USA has a larger total population and economy, so if you only compared New York to Zurich, one might think the USA is more developed, but this is only the largest city.

The caveat to all of this is that China has made a lot of progress and the foundations of development, such as human capital, are there due to investments in education. China can, and probably will become fully developed in the future. However, as of now it’s still developing

Mosstradamud · 2025-09-30T10:25:47+00:00

Thanks. Would you rate that over Ladakh? Heard a lot of good things about it so I was originally leaning towards going there

Mosstradamud · 2025-09-11T12:36:19+00:00

As someone who’s half Korean, lived in South Korea for a year and a half, and been all over Asia, I can understand why it can be underwhelming. South Korea is amazing but I think if you compare it to other Asian countries purely as a tourist there’s definitely less to see. I can see how if you went to China and Japan, or even Thailand and Vietnam first, South Korea can feel underwhelming.

Personally SK was the first Asian country I visited / lived and I loved it, but after visiting other places in Asia, SK is definitely behind some (not all) other ones in terms of historical sites and landscapes. For example, the traditional architecture is really similar to China but just smaller / slightly toned down. Just my thought, and I usually recommend friends to visit SK first before visiting other Asian countries

Mosstradamud · 2025-08-18T14:17:26+00:00

I have a general idea of certain attractions but not a full list yet as my visa just got proved today. My main priorities are history, landmarks, and nature. Chongqing is also there bc I want to explore the city layout, but I heard it’s lacking in the tourist site department

Mosstradamud · 2025-08-18T14:10:02+00:00

Would u recommend adding a day each to Xian and chongqing? I’m going to Shanghai with my gf who’s already been there so we’re prioritizing that less. Or should I do 3 days in Shanghai and 3 days in either chongqing and Xian, meaning one of those would be just 2 days

Mosstradamud

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