The coolest places you've lived in.

[Siren2011]

Where is the most awesome place you've lived in? A shack in the mountains of Guilin? An apartment in Venice, overlooking the Grand Canal?

My answer isn't too exciting, but I did live in one of the best apartment complexes ever when I was in Houston about six years ago. The kids I knew were just a couple of doors away from me, so we would have long nights of multiplayer matches in Halo and Tribes AA for PS2 (And occasionally, one of the guys' brothers would burst into the room and fire airsoft guns at all of us at random. lol).

[rancor]

Before I moved to Tokyo I lived in Kiev, Ukraine. While I didn't appreciate it at the time I really have good memories of it when comparing it to my current situation. My money went far, I had a great (huge!) apartment, the people were much friendlier than in Japan, and there was so much to do - The museums! The history! The architecture! Japan seems so sterile when compared to living in a post soviet republic. However with that being said, the pollution was unbearable and avoiding be the victim of a crime was a constant issue..

[sven666]

I once stayed in a hotel built up in huge trees like the ewoks or in prince of theives, this was in the thai jungle about 10 years ago, i sadly forgot what the place was called and dont know if it still exists.

altho these days i live in a huge castle right in the middle of gothenburg, pretty cool too.

the lamest place ive stayed is Hooters hotel in las vegas

[Siren2011]

sven666, you lucky bastard! I would love to live in Gothenburg!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lilla ... enburg.jpg

Keiv looks magnificent, rancor. I particularly like the architecture. I would imagine arriving at the airport and walking outside to see the city for the first time is nothing short of unreal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maida ... hnosti.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kiev_city_evening.jpg

the pollution was unbearable

Please go into detail.

[Skykid]

I've travelled to quite a few places, but in terms of settling for any period of time, regrettably the most I ever spent outside the borders of the UK was a month in the US (when I was real young), a month travelling around Hong Kong and China and two weeks in Japan each time I've been.

I did go into the Guilin mountains you mentioned on a full day river cruise. Was pretty immense actually.

I am planning to address the habitation issue very soon however, cos man, am I bored to death of England. BORED OF IT!

[rancor]

Please go into detail.

The airport is actually quite far from the city, and you have to drive through some dilapidated villages and blocks of low-income apartments to get to the beautiful inner section. The air pollution was unbearable. I would spend the day out and return home and have to immediately take a shower. It felt like coming home from a bar in the middle of the day. My clothes smelled terrible. Someone told me that the cars there still use leaded gasoline, so that may be part of the problem. In addition to avoiding muggings, you have to watch out for the huge packs of stray dogs roaming the city at night.. I just knew a gang of them were going to take me down for dinner some night..

... and despite all of this, I still like it better than Tokyo..

[greg]

Jinkeez! That sounds like a real dump! And you like that better than Tokyo? There's so much to do in Tokyo!

the people were much friendlier than in Japan,

That's because you live in Tokyo/Kantou. You'd really have a different attitude if you live in the Kansai area. I'd always have guys buying me a beer.

Since Phoenix is a fairly crappy place to live because of the hot weather and drug trafficking and such, Himeji is the only cool place I've ever lived. Himeji Castle is not only a cultural treasure of Japan but also of the world, and I could see the castle from my apartment window. Nicknamed the "white heron" castle, it is huge and it has never been destroyed due to fire bombing or earthquakes. Flood lights illuminate the castle at night, and it shines white in the darkness. The female spouse unit and I enjoyed walking and riding our bicycles around the castle at night. The surrounding moat was home to many ducks, and we believe that one in particular was our friend as she would follow us as we walked along the path, muttering,"Peh peh, peh peh." The moat was also home to so many wonderful turtles, and my wife simply loves turtles. We would buy turtle food to toss into the water to feed these wonderful amphibians during the day. Benches were scattered around the perimeter of the castle, where one could sit and just gaze at the castle. Behind the castle was a nice, grassy park. We would toss our Frisbee back and forth in that park. The front also had a grassy area lined with cherry trees, and the grounds would explode with pink every spring. I really miss that castle.

[Skykid]

Please go into detail.

The airport is actually quite far from the city, and you have to drive through some dilapidated villages and blocks of low-income apartments to get to the beautiful inner section. The air pollution was unbearable. I would spend the day out and return home and have to immediately take a shower. It felt like coming home from a bar in the middle of the day. My clothes smelled terrible. Someone told me that the cars there still use leaded gasoline, so that may be part of the problem. In addition to avoiding muggings, you have to watch out for the huge packs of stray dogs roam the city at night.. I just new a gang of them were going to take me down for dinner some night..

... and despite all of this, I still like it better than Tokyo..

Eastern Europe has incredible character. My favourite of all the places I've visited in the region was Budapest, a really gorgeous city and the pools and baths are incredible. Has great nightlife, those Hungarian kids can drink some too. Some guy in the apartment block I was staying in got us a lock in at a little bar and I lost count of how many shots we did. I couldn't walk straight when we emerged at 4am. The next day I saw him I had the worst hangover ever, and he was perfectly chipper.

Prague was okay, not a huge fan (some interesting architecture - kinda gothic) but it's a bit seedy in the centre.

Amsterdam, loads of tits, bikini's, weed and mushrooms. Bring a camera.

Belgium, very nice. Feels small.

Paris, one of the most beautiful cities I've been to (been four times) only marred by people who actually managed to out-rude the guys in the UK. Impressive.

Bordeaux - stayed in a castle. Landscape was like an oil painting. Probably the most relaxing week of my life.

Berlin. Been a long time, but I had a blast in Berlin. Kind of modern and industrial but a really vibrant place.

Rome. Nice when the sun is out. Vatican is special. Coliseum isn't bad either. Quite a stunning city.

Tenerife. Hot, picturesque, sun bleached. Playa de las Americas is full of yobs, bars and strip joints, but whatever, we had fun.

Madrid - super fun place. The coliseum is really impressive here cos it's still in use.

Barcelona - was there for 1 day, but that was enough to leave an impression. Really amazing city.

etc

[The Funto]

Boston

[Siren2011]

Jeezus, Skykid! You've been everywhere. I'm 22 and have only visited Japan. I'd love to see Guilin most of all, though. How much did the fare cost, if you don't mind me asking?
What was the hotel like (if you stayed at one)?

[Lordstar]

Hong Kong in the late 80s Seeing the arcade scene explode with the arrival of street fighter 2 was kinda cool too. From a non gaming stance it was a great way to live everyone was nice and the standard of living was unreal.

[Vyxx]

I Lived in Aruba for a few months after I graduated High School. I rented out a little villa and lived on my own, off all the money I had saved throughout high school from all my summer jobs. I just roamed around the island, saw the sites, learned how to scuba dive, saw some shipwrecks, I pretty much lived my dream. I had a really tiny, but nice place, and not a care in the world. I didn't even have a phone or a television, it was perfect. The island is pretty small and I even got to know some cool people, most speak decent English. The weather was so nice, it never rained the whole fewq months I was there....ahh....memories. Most relaxing time of my life.

If we're talking a vacation though, I would have to say Treasure Island, Fiji. The island was so small you could walk around the whole thing in 30 minutes We just drank beer and relaxed by the ocean for 2 weeks.

[Nico87]

Guadalcanal for 2 days. Was on vacation with some friends in Brisbane, and we booked a flight to Honiara and spent two days going through the battlefield and stuff. Most epic shit ever seeing as I love millitary history.

[Skykid]

Jeezus, Skykid! You've been everywhere. I'm 22 and have only visited Japan. I'd love to see Guilin most of all, though. How much did the fare cost, if you don't mind me asking?
What was the hotel like (if you stayed at one)?

It's never enough man, seriously. I get really bored really easily tbh, it's not good. I should have done some proper travelling by now.

There's still time though.

Guilin was stunning, truly. I've never seen a landscape like it, or a sunset quite as impressive. The cruise boat was awesome too, they serve a three course lunch on there and you get to spend the whole day walking about. If you go, there's this additional thing you can do at the end of the ride where you go through a tribal village tucked away behind some mountains. You go in on this little boat through a narrow cave and come out in some kind of lost world with lots of people wearing grass skirts n' stuff. I felt guilty for being touristy about it, but I figure those people make plenty of dosh from the tour agreement.
This was in... hmm 2006 maybe? At the time the fare was peanuts based on the ex-rate, probably about £15 for the whole thing. Now I expect it to be more like £30+. Still, that's nothing for what you get.

Guilin isn't just the mountains, it's got a city part too (with a very large and very nice main strip - all lit up at night) and that's where we stayed in the hotel. I have absolutely no idea how much it cost or where it was precisely, I didn't book it, and it wasn't anything fancy (sorta like the place where DiCaprio stays at the beginning of the beach - maybe a bit better actually). Probably about £6 a night at the time.

Oh, and Guilin has hot girls for some reason. Apparently this is common knowledge to Chinese people, but I discovered it through pure observation.

[EllertMichael]

I spent a summer living on a horse farm in Iceland. It was very cool (excuse the pun)
Sadly, since then, the farm was sold for a couple million dollars so it's an experience I don't believe I'll ever be replicating again in this lifetime.

[neorichieb1971]

Mayfield KY
Newburgh IN

Bedford UK.

Its hard to live anywhere but home unless your rich. I think thats why most of you are mentioning places you've visited.

[Skykid]

Its hard to live anywhere but home unless your rich. I think thats why most of you are mentioning places you've visited.

Nah, I reckon it's easy if you just get up and go for it. Getting jobs as an English teacher isn't difficult and pays better than most people's basics in a lot of countries. Getting a working visa isn't tough and there are plenty of options.

Look at Gaijinpunch, he lived on Tokyo streets begging for loose change beneath the cities underpasses for years before he got a job as a gaijin gigolo.

[dcharlie]

Was in India for over a month in 1996, lived in a concrete "hut" cut into a hillside by the sea in Arambol. Concrete walls, concrete floor, a light bulb, a concrete bed, roaming dogs, coconuts falling in the night time, my girlfriend at the time and a small local Portuguese-indian fishing community around us who were extremely friendly. Had some great nights in a make shift bar talking to the locals.

Absolutely beautiful place - i wonder what it is like now? Back then it was completely undeveloped but the pace of change in India appears to have been remarkably swift from talking to friends so i wonder how different the place is now?

India in general was incredible - highly recommended destination

Also stayed in a house in a small village close to Mui Wo on Lantau Island, HK in 1997 for about a month. That was pretty fun too and the trip in and out of HK on the ferry was fantastic fun.

Spent a month in France for the World Cup in 98, based out of a gite just outside Villefagnan. That was spectacular - the French are awesome once you get out of Paris! Hilarious fun, good humoured, amazing food and -of course- got to see some World Cup football. I could easily retire to a place like this though - the whole Cognac region was amazing and going to taste some of the local wares like Pinau and Cognac was incredible. We were out of season, but we still got to taste cognac that none of us could even remotely afford at the time.

Tokyo - love the city but feel a bit detached. Or at least did until we bought and moved into our new place about 3 years ago. New area is fantastic - not sure what the magic ingredient is but everyone seems friendlier and more open. That said, compared to Osaka/Kyoto/Kansai in general Tokyo people seem ultra reserved and nowhere near as open and friendly.

Other short stays :
Italy - found overrated but Florence was incredibly beautiful. Amazing food. Milan was a big fat meh though - incredibly disappointing. Seemed to be constant running battles between locals and gangs of nigerians.
Amsterdam - i just burnt out on the place, girlfriend at time had family there and we got to the point there was nothing left to see or do (we'd been about 10 times). I came incredibly close to moving to Amsterdam for work, but had a last minute change of plan after a month in Japan.
Belgium - absolutely love Brugge, beautiful city.
Lisbon - incredible city again, Portuguese are fantastic people. Atmosphere at night after the football matches were full on party time. Amazing food too, fantastic architecture and colour.
Seoul - again, great food. Lol, had a narrow escape in a Russia bar on the backstreets of Itaewon. Just randomly walked into somewhere we clearly weren't welcome.
Shanghai - was surprised how much of a party city this was (about 8 years ago) - got to see it for a couple of weeks as it was in its "rise" - trip was greatly improved by having a native speaker.

[DocHauser]

Never lived outside the UK, but I did spend 3 months on a research ship in 2009, first from South Africa to Chile, via Antarctica, then from Uruguay to Namibia.

I was supposed to be getting on another ship from Iceland to the UK in May, but they changed the schedule so it's now leaving from the UK, sailing towards Iceland, then turning around and going back to the UK. Birkenhead just doesn't have the same appeal as Reykjavik.

[Siren2011]

It's never enough man, seriously. I get really bored really easily tbh, it's not good.

lol. I'm the same way. If I had enough money, I'd book a new flight every couple of months for the rest of my life, or until I've seen everything worth seeing --whichever comes first. I don't understand people who are content to live in the same place for their entire lives. I mean sure, it's their decision to do what they like in their lifetime, but you'd think they would eventually want something new and exciting.

Would I need a degree in English for the overseas teaching program, or would I just need to be fluent in the language? That sounds like a great bet, not only from a financial standpoint, but from an adventurous one as well.

[Skykid]

Would I need a degree in English for the overseas teaching program, or would I just need to be fluent in the language? That sounds like a great bet, not only from a financial standpoint, but from an adventurous one as well.

If you have nothing holding you back, do it and go man. Wish I'd taken that advice ten years ago instead of getting stuck in a workplace.

Certain places require a degree, such as Japan and Hong Kong, but lots of places in Asia will take you on even with the shittiest weekend TEFL certificate. The hotel over the road from me has regular weekends where you can do the course, but if you really want to get a little more knowledge under your belt you can do a 3 month course that's a bit more intensive.
Prices range between £200 - £500 or thereabouts, but you can usually get a deal if you push the phone reps a bit.

If you want to see Guilin (or anywhere in China really) a TEFL certificate will do you just fine - they're desperate for teachers.

[rancor]

Its hard to live anywhere but home unless your rich.

I thought this as well... Until I actually started doing it. A sense of adventure and friends who can help will take you amazingly far. The final 10% is up to you.

[Blackbird]

I thought this as well... Until I actually started doing it. A sense of adventure and friends who can help will take you amazingly far. The final 10% is up to you.

So I take it I could come crash at your place when I want to see beautiful, radioactive Japan =D?

In seriousness, I'm really jealous. So many of you are widely traveled. I'd love to see more of the world, but I'm a bit worried about going to another country where I wouldn't know the native language.

There is the soul-crushing poverty to consider, as well.

[Skykid]

There is the soul-crushing poverty to consider, as well.

This world is terrible man, and I mean that sincerely.

If I say any more, this thread gets political and anarchist.

[rancor]

So I take it I could come crash at your place when I want to see beautiful, radioactive Japan =D?

Well I'd have to take you out and "screen" you first.. Make sure you're not an axe-murderer with a thirst for the blood of infants. Barring that, of course!

This world is terrible man, and I mean that sincerely.

More people need to realize what goes out outside the borders of their countries, and travel / homestays exponentially broaden the mind.. One of the saddest and most memorable things I've seen are street kids (7 or 8 years old) with rings of paint around their mouths and noses from huffing all day. Its terrible, but there's not much I can do when I don't even speak the language.

[Blackbird]

There is the soul-crushing poverty to consider, as well.

This world is terrible man, and I mean that sincerely.

If I say any more, this thread gets political and anarchist.

Haha, well, it's true that there's a lot of poverty in the world, but that won't keep me back from visiting those places. I actually meant my own poverty, which prevents me from taking vacations as often as I might like =P.

@rancor No, I am not an axe-murdering infant eater. I am a perfectly normal human worm-baby.

[kyuzo]

the people were much friendlier than in Japan,

That's because you live in Tokyo/Kantou. You'd really have a different attitude if you live in the Kansai area. I'd always have guys buying me a beer.

rancor, I was about to write something about how different parts of Tokyo are pretty different to me in terms of "personality" but then I remembered you saying you lived in Adachi-ku, which is where I lived for a year so I'm not so sure what the difference is... I lived in kameari in a corporate dorm for a year and after a little while a bunch of the people on my walk from the station got to know me and were pretty friendly... In terms of kantou in general I think most places that aren't "big cities" are still pretty friendly too. I had a friend who lived in nakanojou and when I went to visit him random old ladies on the street would talk to me excitedly saying random things like "wow you're so tall" hehe. That said, any train station in any city in Japan that I've been to has been horrible, so there's definitely a big difference in context even in the same area... I used to walk into the self-absorbed salarymen in train stations on purpose when I got too frustrated with them...

Other than that I was born and raised in Amsterdam and I've lived in the SF bay area and Santa Barbara. I still like Tokyo the best though I think. It feels like my interests line up the most with Japanese people, somewhat less with Americans and even less with most Dutch people, which I guess matters more than specific location for me...

[dcharlie]

More people need to realize what goes out outside the borders of their countries, and travel / homestays exponentially broaden the mind.. One of the saddest and most memorable things I've seen are street kids (7 or 8 years old) with rings of paint around their mouths and noses from huffing all day. Its terrible, but there's not much I can do when I don't even speak the language.

Completely agree - worst thing i saw was in south India where a young kid with no legs and one arm had been tied upright to a skateboard and he was dragging himself along side people begging. :/

Once you've seen what it's like in other countries, once you've seen just how bad it gets for people - it makes you much more open to the world and makes you realise just how good we have it.

[greg]

India in general was incredible - highly recommended destination

UGH! No thanks. I never want to visit a country where "public restroom" means "everyone shits in the streets." Not to mention that half of everyone I've known who has visited India has picked up some terrible illness when they went. The pastor of a church I'd attended picked up a parasite there, turning his asshole into a garden hose and nearly killing him. Yeah, he was visiting the poorest of the poor, I admit, but still... You take your life into your own hands when you eat food from street vendors, and you have to stay in the top notch hotels there in order to avoid bed bugs, beggars knocking on your windows at night, and cold showers. My wife has read a few books of these Japanese travelers who've stayed in India, and the idea of visiting India is frightening to someone who values cleanliness above all. But with all the filth and disease in India, it's no wonder that country turns out the best doctors.

[dcharlie]

UGH! No thanks. I never want to visit a country where "public restroom" means "everyone shits in the streets." Not to mention that half of everyone I've known who has visited India has picked up some terrible illness when they went.

haha, but that's all part of the fun! I ended up in hospital after the flight after i stupidly drank the drinking water at Indira Gandhi airport after over a month of trouble free travel! I had lost so much liquid and was that sick that i was halucinating and large chunks of what happened at the hospital where i was given a series of injections then dropped back in london and put on a train to Liverpool remains unclear as to whether it happened or not.

Street vendor food is actually usually pretty safe - where people fuggup is (or -was- back then - this is 14 years ago after all)with not checking seals on bottled water or eating salads to "play it safe" (washed in bad water - oops).

Again - it was all part of the experience. If you let yourself go and go with it then it's a mindblowing experience. It changed my perception of everything and opened my eyes to travel and living outside the UK. I agree it's probably not for everyone but i'd sooner quit gaming than quit travelling.