@where2whit

You could do worse, you could do better. Filthy & stressful, you have to Grab everywhere, even a short walk results in dodging aggressive motorbikes. Locals are super unfriendly, way worse than Hanoi, so not sure why everyone raves about how friendly they are in comparison. Poor quality in everything, even the luxury experiences are a total rip-off. Surprisingly underdeveloped too, not even a bar on their observation deck in Bitexco. Internet is really good, but stay as far from D1 as you can -

Da Lat is not a great place. I came here for fresh air (after 1 year in Chiang Mai) but unfortunately that is an illusion. They are burning in the mountains and you can see the smoke going up to the sky. And in the city it is not much better, the air is very much polluted there as well. I tried many restaurants but mostly the food is not very good and the service is depressingly bad. Combine that with the rubbish you see everywhere (especially around the center) and Da Lat makes not a happy pl

The worst place that I've been to in Asia (& I've been to quite a few). Every interaction with a local is a sales pitch for something. Tuk tuk, massage, weed, food, prostitution, you name it. People look at you as a customer and nothing else. This is very different in other countries in South East Asia. I've had plenty of authentic, non-sales-pitchy interactions with locals in Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines or Thailand. None of that here. It feels like this place only exists to extract as much

So… amazing food. Great public transportation. Very clean. But very conformist. Self expression limited. The irony of seeing an exhibit on graffiti, yet no actual graffiti in the streets. And the causal racism especially if you’re brown. You could be British born but still expect to be sat far away from everyone else at cocktail bars, experience comments and have weird assumptions made.

Chiang Mai has had a deep Buddhist influence running over the last 1,000 years and this can be felt in the helpfulness, patience and generosity of the Thai and long-term transplants you come across. The city has an active community scene (nomads, spiritual seekers, hikers, creatives), several mountains with hiking spots and waterfalls surrounding the city, over 20 water bodies inside the city -- many have cafes and walks around, several public parks, and over 13 national parks with campgrounds w

Krabi is a nice weekend getaway if you stay in Bangkok and wanna escape the city for a few days. That being said, the best area for staying is Ao Nang beach. From here, you can go to the famous Railay beach with a longtail boat within 15 minutes and also the tours to Phi Phi and Hong Island start from here. There is a club called Upbeat Bar/Loft RNB in the middle of Ao Nang that gets kinda busy, although not super crowded in the rainy season. Maybe main season is different. Stay away from Krabi

Pros: Food carts, local microbrews, lots of outdoor activities within day trip range, high property values. Cons: trash everywhere, out of control crime, violent drug-addicted "houseless" everywhere, mediocre public schools, some of the highest taxes in the country, ineffective police force, antiquated inefficient form of city government, very high rents, passive aggressive culture.