Post: #1

I've been meaning to write this post for awhile and I know that my pasty Canadian ass isn't the only one out there who prefers to be in cooler climates while enjoying everything that our favourite third world shit hole poosy paradises have to offer. My ideal temperature is a day time high of about 22 (72F) degrees in more humid places and about 26 (79) in dryer ones. In these temperatures I can go out midday and not have to worry about sweating my bag off and getting drained of energy after walking a few blocks, while in hotter places, I spend most of the day inside with the AC cranked waiting until the sun sets before I go outside and this is a poor use of time while abroad. Over the years I have found a few nice areas within otherwise hot countries that have very favourable climates for a guy like me, hopefully other guys on here can share ones they know of too.

Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai and Pai): These places still get pretty hot in the day but cool off a lot in the evening, Pai actually gets cold at night and I had to buy a sweater when I was there.

Blue mountains , Jamaica: This is a great spot and a quick 30 minute drive outside of Kingston, again you'll need a sweater at night. Its a nice place to take a girl for a couple of nights and the coffee is excellent.

Mountain areas of Colombia: Cities such as Bogota and Manizales are highly elevated, they are somewhat warm in the day, about 18-22 but those temperatures plummet by about 10 degrees at night and you'll need a coat/sweater. This is one of the good things about Bogota, you can really dress up in nice suits, coats, scarves, etc.

Baguio, Philippines: This is where the rice terraces are, I spent a couple of days in the area but I can't remember if we were actually in the city but I do know it was cool in the day and cold at night.

That's all I have, the only big city I've ever been to in my travels that's been colder like that is Bogota but its not my favourite place (pollution, traffic, etc). I'd be interested in hearing about other decent sized cities in Latin America and SE Asia that fit the description of what I'm looking for.

Post: #2

Great thread Scotian!! This is a area that I'm also interested in. After my trips to the phils I realized how much I can't stand the heat for extended periods of time. Spending time in a location thats 90 degrees everyday isn't my idea of fun. Plus, I like to dress up in a suit or similar clothing.

This is one of the reasons I'm vacationing in Kiev. Only downside is packing alot more clothing but, thats beside the point.

Didn't realize about Jamaica. I'm a big smoker so that country always interested my curiosity for fun and leisure.

Edit: Scotian have you ever thought about creating your own travel website? I myself would me interested in reading your articles. You are very knowledgeable in traveling, fashion and always have funny stories to tell. Your adventures from Swoop the world is one of the reasons I found this forum and helped me get out of my funk after my divorce.

Post: #3

The colonial British Hill Stations, primarily in Asia, were developed as cool vacation towns. Generally quiet and scenic. Been to a couple.

Post: #4

My three to add

Guadalajara - also at higher altitude, can be a little hot in summer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalajara

Cape Town
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Town

and from good old America

San Diego
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego


Im in the same boat but prefer a lot of sunshine. I always use wikipedia for "mean sunshine hours" too. Bogota is great but pretty cloudy. Hong Kong for example is a cloudy mess too but has generally has decent temps.

Post: #5

Cities up in the mountains in South America, such as

Quito, Ecuador,
Bogota and Medellin, Colombia

When I was in Quito last winter, the temperature dropped to less than 10 centigrade at night. It was pretty warm but not too warm during the day. The locals say that they have seasons throughout the day, not throughout the year.

Post: #6

I am from the Northern Rockies, so tropical countries on my list need places to cool my heels.

Some of my favorites:

Zacatecas, Mexico

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Tazekka National Park, Morocco

Post: #7

This thread is highly relevant to what I am basiccally thinking about 24/7

It is the cause for me to be going to Lima. BEST weather ever! The weather you get in Lima is what people are paying an arm and a leg to feel in the Philippines by cranking their AC units!!! This makes Lima such a valuable place to live because you get this for free!!!

Caracas, Coombia, Ecuador central america. All these places are great mountain climate. Literall once you get above the lowest 300 meters, night temperatures are tolerable. As little as 300 meters elevation in any tropical country is enough to bring the nighttime temp down to a level where I can skip using AC for sleep altogether! Above 300 metres gives night time time lowes low enough that a fan is cool enough to sleep. I have VERY high heat tolerance but the stifling heat of Davao with nearly 86 degrees and humidity till late at night is just too much!!!

Post: #8

^ I haven't been around Central America much but I can't think of a place that would fit this category. Nicaragua is hot 24/7, maybe certain areas of Costa Rica are cooler. The key here is altitude

Andean/Altiplano (Western) Bolivia hasn't been mentioned, for good reason, but the weather is decent

Mexico City has a great climate, almost totally ruined by the ridiculous pollution but hey it's a trade off

Post: #9

Good thread. I really struggle with the heat in some of these places. It saps my energy if I'm there an extended a period of time. It sucks b/c a lot of the good countries to meet women are tropical.

Cogon, Lima has a great temperature range and very little rain which looks amazing on paper, but there is insanely low sunlight there. I know that was a big issue for people who lived there. So it's really not that great. Spending a few weeks there, I also noticed this.

Medellin is probably the best if you look at a combination of factors, even though I think the city is overrated.

Post: #10

(09-14-2016 09:36 PM)getdownonit Wrote:  ^ I haven't been around Central America much but I can't think of a place that would fit this category. Nicaragua is hot 24/7, maybe certain areas of Costa Rica are cooler. The key here is altitude

Andean/Altiplano (Western) Bolivia hasn't been mentioned, for good reason, but the weather is decent

Mexico City has a great climate, almost totally ruined by the ridiculous pollution but hey it's a trade off

Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras capital city, Costa rica.

the country you mentioned, Honduras was the only 1 of 2, other being Panama, that is actually hot! The rest are not.

Post: #11

Awesome thread,

Here are a few to add if you like sun and cooler temperatures:

Arequipa, Peru. Nice year round climate, highs of the day around 20 degrees. Also not a lot of rain which is nice. Nights are a bit chilly but nothing compared to Western Climates.

Sucre, Bolivia. Similar to Arequipa, a bit more rain in winter months but it is also slightly warmer in the evenings.

Post: #12

(09-14-2016 09:36 PM)getdownonit Wrote:  Mexico City has a great climate, almost totally ruined by the ridiculous pollution but hey it's a trade off

When the weather is cooler in Mexico City, I don't even notice the pollution. I feel the same way about São Paulo, Brazil though the pollution has a horrendous effect in the heat.

Places I've been to

Madrid, Spain - I hear the summers are brutal here. Have only been in the Fall/Winter where I enjoyed the high altitude & temperatures suitable for dressing well.

Lubbock, Texas - Ok obviously not a significant city outside the slutty chicks at Texas Tech University. Still, it gets a bit of snow in the winter...(once even in early May according to my relatives who did college here). The whole state of Texas is scorching come summer time...however, I did a sports camp here in June as it felt COLD during the mornings when the afternoons were a semi-scorcher.

Hanoi/Halong Bay - Known for being a tropical place, but you will indeed need scarves and sweaters during the winter. Met a forum member here in the winter as the both of us were indeed dressed in....sweaters...during our dinner.

LA/San Diego - ^^^^^Somebody already mentioned it above

Gramado, Brazil - Well known for its film festival, light snow, and high altitude in the mountains...it gets to be pretty cold here in the winter. 15 degrees Celsius can sure feel like 3-4 degrees Celsius requiring scarves and a coat.

Curitiba, Brazil - The climate here is completely different from cities in the rest of the state (Paraná) where temperatures tend to be scorching. Curitiba is the highest "major city" in Brazil, but the highest supposedly is Campos do Jordão, which is a touristy town in the winters situated within São Paulo state. I love the walkability of Curitiba (minus increasing crime) & fact that summers are not too hot here. It's great how I can enjoy the modern urban amenities of the city with cooler temps while having great access to the beaches of Santa Catarina state that are 2-3 hour drives away (3-5 by bus).

(As far as altitudes are concerned, I believe Curitiba is around 3,000 feet above sea level; Mexico City 5,000 feet+ being higher than Denver; Madrid = 2000 feet above).

Belo Horizonte, Brazil - Summers can be tough here, but this place is much more of a joy in the Autumn/Winter. Colder temperatures here are reminiscent to the breeze I felt in Southern California. Like Curitiba, it's a very cool cosmopolitan city though much more sprawled out with suburbs that are supposedly worth visiting.

Ouro Preto, Brazil - Whereas Belo Horizonte is the current capital of Minas Gerais state, this is the prior capital being a colonial city that I felt was much colder than Belo Horizonte. I prefer Belo Horizonte as this place appears to be stuck in time, but definitely worth a visit with a climate that is indeed not hotter than balls.

Post: #13

(09-14-2016 09:59 PM)NerdyNomad Wrote:  Good thread. I really struggle with the heat in some of these places. It saps my energy if I'm there an extended a period of time. It sucks b/c a lot of the good countries to meet women are tropical.

Cogon, Lima has a great temperature range and very little rain which looks amazing on paper, but there is insanely low sunlight there. I know that was a big issue for people who lived there. So it's really not that great. Spending a few weeks there, I also noticed this.

Medellin is probably the best if you look at a combination of factors, even though I think the city is overrated.

I am so much oriented to temperature than anything that I know it will work. Because I can just remember that day it rained so much in Davao, it was practically chilly outside. After a day of cloud and cool and temperatures that gave me the best sleep in a long time, I sure felt great considering the lack of sun. Basically I responde to temperature, not light, and feel good when the temperature is most favorable, more important to me than sun. Any cloud in Lima is not so bad because it is a desert anyways so no thunderstorms. The lack of rain is even better.

Post: #14

I'm also not a fan of sweating my balls off for the long term in SEA capitals these days. I lived for years in tropical areas in Asia and S. America and the ass and cash chasing was enough for me to ignore it, but the last few years climate has become a more important aspect when choosing destination for me.

Beyond what has already been mentioned, I submit Da Lat, Vietnam. It's up in the mountains with nice weather all year, lakes and some really stunning scenery nearby. It's not huge, around 200k population, but there is just enough to keep you interested. The daily highs are low to mid 70's year round.

Post: #15

(09-14-2016 02:40 PM)scotian Wrote:  I'd be interested in hearing about other decent sized cities in Latin America and SE Asia that fit the description of what I'm looking for.

I can handle the heat quite well, and actually don't like the apt to get much cooler than 25 or 24C. That said the combination of high heat and humidity common in the tropics will sap almost anyone who isn't superhuman. With that in mind....

1) Sa Pa - Vietnam

It's not a major city, maybe 150K if you count a few people twice, but this place near the border with China is flat out beautiful and will have Scotian packing a portable heater in the winter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa_Pa#Climate


2) Hanoi - Vietnam

Vietnam's capital city meets with mixed reviews from RVF'rs, but no one can deny that the weather is fairly mild in the winter, the food is very good and there are many sexy Viet girls zipping around on scooters. Personally I'm a big fan of Hanoi and would even go as far as saying that the girls are sexier than Saigon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi#Climate


3) Chiang Rai - Thailand

I know this city quite well, because I used to live there. Metro area population is about 200K, but like most smaller cities in SEA it feels a bit smaller than that. City is about 2-3 degrees cooler for daily lows and highs than Chiang Mai, the bars and clubs don't close at midnight, it has less annoying backpackers and digital nomads and great adventure hiking, trekking, and MTB cycling that is far better than CM in my opinion. The downside is there aren't many girls above a 6, and the ones that are, may carry a few extra pounds (Fatty pork dishes are king). On that note, the local restaurants are even better than CM and many serve huge man size portions of meat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Rai_(city)#Climate

Edit: Chiang Mai, where I live now, sits in a valley, gets choked with diesel emission year round and burning smoke at least 2 months of the year. It's also probably too hot year round to put on this list. In April and May we had at least 20 days with highs above 40C and even though the official high was 44C, I had a reading one afternoon on a shaded thermometer of 48C. For guys that like it cool, come from Nov - Feb and it should be bearable.

Post: #16

I was pleasantly surprised by Istanbul, even though I was there in August.
I expected much more heat than I finally experienced. There will be heat in the sun, but already in the shadow it is bearable, and evenings are very pleasant. I think that Bosphorus, vast green spaces, and hills make it a kind of livable city to dream and relax (good sights, history (nowadays maybe even a living history), and last but not least, very good food, incomparable to anything Turkish you get in Europa).
For a game, however, I think you should learn French as it still seems the language of choice for higher, liberal, classes.

Post: #17

Not sure if it counts as a tropical country, but Morocco during European winter is really nice. I have been there in February this year and the weather was perfect. 20-24 degrees Celsius everyday and not a single drop of rain. Tel Aviv in December was also pretty nice weather, Jerusalem was a bit too cold.

Post: #18

Nairobi (Kenya) is very cool, more like the eternal spring in Mediterranean countries. It's right on the equator but lies on a 1700 m (that's 5550 ft for you barbarians ) high plateau, so the climate is very mild, perhaps even too cold for my tastes.

Post: #19

Thanks for the replies guys, I figured Vietnam would come up since they grow coffee over there.

(09-15-2016 04:25 AM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  Nairobi (Kenya) is very cool, more like the eternal spring in Mediterranean countries. It's right on the equator but lies on a 1700 m (that's 5550 ft for you barbarians ) high plateau, so the climate is very mild, perhaps even too cold for my tastes.

This is pretty interesting, I've heard that Rwanda has cool temperatures but didn't think that Nairobi did. I enjoyed your data sheet on the city and its been on my radar for awhile, I've always imagined the entire continent to be hot and humid, glad to see there's at least one major city that isn't.

Post: #20

(09-15-2016 09:07 AM)scotian Wrote:  Thanks for the replies guys, I figured Vietnam would come up since they grow coffee over there.

(09-15-2016 04:25 AM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  Nairobi (Kenya) is very cool, more like the eternal spring in Mediterranean countries. It's right on the equator but lies on a 1700 m (that's 5550 ft for you barbarians ) high plateau, so the climate is very mild, perhaps even too cold for my tastes.

This is pretty interesting, I've heard that Rwanda has cool temperatures but didn't think that Nairobi did. I enjoyed your data sheet on the city and its been on my radar for awhile, I've always imagined the entire continent to be hot and humid, glad to see there's at least one major city that isn't.

Entebbe is 1180 meters, it's also pretty cool and a lot nicer than Nairobi, in my opinon. Kampala is also around the came height, and also better than Nairobi.

Addis Ababa is very cool, altitude 2355 - you need a jacket at night. Sun is very strong during the day.

The place I'd like to go is Antananarivo, it's 1275 meters high.

Post: #21

(09-15-2016 09:25 AM)Sp5 Wrote:  

(09-15-2016 09:07 AM)scotian Wrote:  Thanks for the replies guys, I figured Vietnam would come up since they grow coffee over there.

(09-15-2016 04:25 AM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  Nairobi (Kenya) is very cool, more like the eternal spring in Mediterranean countries. It's right on the equator but lies on a 1700 m (that's 5550 ft for you barbarians ) high plateau, so the climate is very mild, perhaps even too cold for my tastes.

This is pretty interesting, I've heard that Rwanda has cool temperatures but didn't think that Nairobi did. I enjoyed your data sheet on the city and its been on my radar for awhile, I've always imagined the entire continent to be hot and humid, glad to see there's at least one major city that isn't.

Entebbe is 1180 meters, it's also pretty cool and a lot nicer than Nairobi, in my opinon. Kampala is also around the came height, and also better than Nairobi.

Addis Ababa is very cool, altitude 2355 - you need a jacket at night. Sun is very strong during the day.

The place I'd like to go is Antananarivo, it's 1275 meters high.

I've done some research on Madagascar, the flights are super expensive and the shit hole factor appears to be very high but seems like a great place to travel to: lowest AIDS rate in Africa, French speaking, interesting flora/fauna and some great beach towns. It's definitely off the beaten path.

Post: #22

(09-15-2016 09:38 AM)scotian Wrote:  

(09-15-2016 09:25 AM)Sp5 Wrote:  

(09-15-2016 09:07 AM)scotian Wrote:  Thanks for the replies guys, I figured Vietnam would come up since they grow coffee over there.

(09-15-2016 04:25 AM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  Nairobi (Kenya) is very cool, more like the eternal spring in Mediterranean countries. It's right on the equator but lies on a 1700 m (that's 5550 ft for you barbarians ) high plateau, so the climate is very mild, perhaps even too cold for my tastes.

This is pretty interesting, I've heard that Rwanda has cool temperatures but didn't think that Nairobi did. I enjoyed your data sheet on the city and its been on my radar for awhile, I've always imagined the entire continent to be hot and humid, glad to see there's at least one major city that isn't.

Entebbe is 1180 meters, it's also pretty cool and a lot nicer than Nairobi, in my opinon. Kampala is also around the came height, and also better than Nairobi.

Addis Ababa is very cool, altitude 2355 - you need a jacket at night. Sun is very strong during the day.

The place I'd like to go is Antananarivo, it's 1275 meters high.

I've done some research on Madagascar, the flights are super expensive and the shit hole factor appears to be very high but seems like a great place to travel to: lowest AIDS rate in Africa, French speaking, interesting flora/fauna and some great beach towns. It's definitely off the beaten path.

I did some work with some contractors who work in Madagascar. They said it was their favorite place in Africa, low on grifters, genuinely friendly people as well. Good seafood and hard workers. No news on the women/game as they were missionaries primarily.

Post: #23

Yeah Id love to go to Madagascar. It is somewhat difficult though as it is literally the furthest place on earth for me to travel to from living on the west coast of Canada.

Post: #24

(09-15-2016 09:38 AM)scotian Wrote:  

(09-15-2016 09:25 AM)Sp5 Wrote:  

(09-15-2016 09:07 AM)scotian Wrote:  Thanks for the replies guys, I figured Vietnam would come up since they grow coffee over there.

(09-15-2016 04:25 AM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  Nairobi (Kenya) is very cool, more like the eternal spring in Mediterranean countries. It's right on the equator but lies on a 1700 m (that's 5550 ft for you barbarians ) high plateau, so the climate is very mild, perhaps even too cold for my tastes.

This is pretty interesting, I've heard that Rwanda has cool temperatures but didn't think that Nairobi did. I enjoyed your data sheet on the city and its been on my radar for awhile, I've always imagined the entire continent to be hot and humid, glad to see there's at least one major city that isn't.

Entebbe is 1180 meters, it's also pretty cool and a lot nicer than Nairobi, in my opinon. Kampala is also around the came height, and also better than Nairobi.

Addis Ababa is very cool, altitude 2355 - you need a jacket at night. Sun is very strong during the day.

The place I'd like to go is Antananarivo, it's 1275 meters high.

I've done some research on Madagascar, the flights are super expensive and the shit hole factor appears to be very high but seems like a great place to travel to: lowest AIDS rate in Africa, French speaking, interesting flora/fauna and some great beach towns. It's definitely off the beaten path.

Mauritius - likely less of shithole since i've heard many frenchmen go. I am assuming the weather isn't much different then Madagascar.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Mauritius

Post: #25

But zamboomafoo is in Madagascar.. that might be a little a bit of a deal breaker for me.