Asia and Pacific

[BBoomer]

Has anyone recently been to China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan with HAL. And is the smog and air pollution that bad in China ??

[Druke I]

We've sailed in the Far East several times.

The smog was pretty heavy in Beijing. There was also a lot of grit from a sandstorm in the Gobi Desert that blew in.

I didn't notice any smog in Shanghai or Hong Kong.

Smog is also heavy in Bangkok.

[ANSalberg]

Has anyone recently been to China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan with HAL. And is the smog and air pollution that bad in China ??

This is a marvelous cruise & WONDERFUL ports!!!!!! My DH has Sarcoidosis, a lung disease totally unrelated to smoking [ we don't either of us smoke] and has problems with pollution at high levels. He really had problems in China and the port for Beijing. Shanghei wasn't bad nor Hong Kong. No problem in Japan. We've been in Asia several times since 2005 on cruises. All I can say is -it IS worth it!
Anne

[SilvertoGold]

Although we have been to Asia only in the autumn, we would suggest that this is the better time to travel there than in the spring.

This past October, the smog was less than two years ago, but omnipresent for China and Hong Hong. No problem in Japan at all. (A very enjoyable country).
Dalian was improved, but still noticable. Shanghai was much better, but there was a haze that lasted most of the day. Xingang, the port for Beijing was bad. Overnight there was an strange quality to the air, like fog, but actually smog. Beijing was improved, but still smog. Hong Kong was improved, too, but still a fai amount of haze.

Two years ago we had sore throats for most of the time in China/HK, this past October, nothing really.

Wonderful places overall, inspite of the smog.

SilvertoGold

[funlovin'cruiser]

I was in Vietnam, Thailand, HK and China last April and in all honesty, I think that Vietnam and Thailand had the worst air quality. Vietnam and Thailand were so dusty and dirty that we were constantly coughing and getting our noses blocked up (it was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL though when it came to the sights). Sunsets were amazing because of all of the smog ;)

HK was drizzly and rainy almost the whole time that we were there and it was fresh and clean. The clouds were very high, so we were able to see a lot of beautiful sights from the top of that huge hill (I can't remember what it's called - they call it a mountain, but when you are from the Pacific Northwest you reserve judgement about what a real mountain is...and also what rain is).

China was OK in terms of air quality - Shanghai is hosting the World Expo either in 2010 or next year and they were doing massive construction for that. Coupled with their drive to be the largest city in the world by 2014 (if you go to their official city planning office, they have a measure up against Mexico City and are slowly overtaking her) the overall construction in the city creates a massive cloud of dust every where we went. It all calmed down by the evening though, and who could argue that the Shanghai skyline at night is not one of the most beautiful things that I have seen, especially the party barges going up and down the river.

Beijing was wonderful. They have planted thousands of trees throughout the city and it soon became a joke with our tour guide when she would point to a clump of trees and say "there's the Birds Nest...behind the trees" and "there's the Aqua Cube" which would be met with a chorus of us yelling "behind the trees". :D The trees have really been a god-send in the fact that they are soaking up a large percentage of the smog. But, I also think that the spring is a good time, as the weather was very mild, light breezes (to blow all of the smog away) and occasional sprinkles - plus all of those trees are budding and blooming.

Dalian was not my favorite - a lot like Shanghai in terms of construction, but not as pretty nor the people as nice.

I would recommend this cruise without hesitation. :)

[Kween Karen]

Following this thread with interest as am booked for Asia in 2011. Of course LOTS could change as far as conditions by then.