@Kongming
Thats why I wrote up there, 'lets play Japan not involved...'
@Alien
Convenient, comfortable and such, but unreal to the point of Sartres existential 'nausea'. Anyway, I think I made that point by now, but since its top choice for all out there, at least be aware that its the location where Sartre hid the human existential nausea, and doubled it by four.
@Peter: I don't get all that about Sartre - anyway, Chiang Mai doesn't make me think of Nausea (the novel) - well, hmm, maybe existentialism and Buddhism do have a few things in common, but I've had more serious nausea elsewhere. You can do it in India, for example.
I don't think that Kim will launch nukes on China, or even South Korea, knowing that the aftermath from their own bombs may carry back home.
Similarly I don't believe that USA and their allies will retaliate to DPRK's nuke strike (against Japan, Guam, or even continental USA) with nukes of their own. Collateral damage, and not just to civilians in DPRK, but to neighbouring countries, would be too big.
Besides, nuclear retaliation would eat away the political "we told you so" victory that DPRK's launch would have just provided.
I believe that "the west" will do just fine with traditional weapons.
So I may very well not go anywhere further than perhaps occassionally that new new shelter on BaiYun Lu if it gets finished by then. It'll be just a few blocks away.
Howevever, if it comes to it that population in China (foreigners included) start fleeing the country on sudden notice, I think the situation will be such that any nearby (or even semi so) country isn't much safer. Airports will be a chaos, trains too if even operational.
The question then may be how to get anywhere, rather than where you want to go.
Yea, well, the North Korea example was taken as an imaginary factor, we could say SARS, or some other epidemic, would be back too, and you need to run away from it. Or that China decides to throw all foreigners out, this has happened a few times earlier.
Just where would you go? Chiang Mai on my personal 'hypothesis list' is as low down there as New Delhi, Jakarta, Phnom Penh, or "the white mans graveyard" ...Borneo. And yes, Australia would be out of question too, as Australians are somewhat not of this planet breed, and you have to surf and be into hanging on beaches to be able to tolerate that place even at most basic level.
Taiwan is okay too, but didnt put it on me list due to political sensitivity, and its controversial situation :) Calcutta is rock n' roll on extreme level, but but...sticking to my previous list of choices.
Where are you now? How's that?
@ Alien
North Europe and I love it.
Theres no 'trap' here starting the thread, or any hidden factor trying to implicitly scare. And anyone staying in Yunnan many years will probably ask the question at some point anyway: where could be the next.
How boring if winner is Chiang Mai. Next up is probably Phuket.
Kunming-North Europe-Phuket is an interesting choice.
@ A
No, its meant so that them who vote Chiang Mai probably has Phuket as choice two. Just a wild guess.
Don't follow your comment. Haven't been to Phuket - not superficial? Nor North Europe?
Phuket is similar to Chiang Mai in superficiality. Bangkok has less of it but Bangkok is Bangkok. Aint that right my mate. (Lets keep North Europe out of this as its not on anyones natural choice who stays in Yunnan, its like asking 'who would choose Alaska'.)
