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Mai bpen rai.
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Apr 11, 2014 04:57
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Welp, officially officially confirmed now that I have my security clearance, I'll be back in SEA this summer, working at the embassy in Manila. Looking forward to it. Airfare is a bitch though and this time I don't have anyone subsidizing it/covering it for me. Where do you guys typically go to find flights from the US to SEA? JFK to Manila is showing nearly 1600, which is steep as hell and I'm hoping to be more like, 12-1300...
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Apr 11, 2014 05:21
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One big difference I've found is that you need to search the local flag carriers and others directly, as they'll often only list promotions on their site or with travel agents. Their low prices don't get filtered through to sites like Expedia or whatever. So, if I'm going to Manila from America long-term, first I would shoot myself, then I would check PAL, United, etc. Then I wouldn't fly PAL because it's a Philippines carrier, then I would end up flying on United or something and hate it. For $1,600. EDIT: The real problem is that there's very little direct traffic to Manila compared to, say, Singapore or Bangkok, so it's expensive. Best you could do is maybe fashion your own itinerary by getting a cheap flight to like HK or something and then catching a cheap Cebu Pacific connection to Manila. When I was really little, people used to go to The Philippines Islands and there were beautiful tourism ads and it sounded awesome. Then they threw Marcos out, got freedom and started kidnapping and killing white people and that all ended permanently. Since then, it's been The Philippines instead of The Philippines Islands and they occasionally jack a white person still and no one wants to go so no one flies there. The end. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 05:39 on Apr 11, 2014 |
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Apr 11, 2014 05:35
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I really liked the Philippines!
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Apr 11, 2014 05:40
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ReindeerF posted:When I was really little, people used to go to The Philippines Islands and there were beautiful tourism ads and it sounded awesome. Then they threw Marcos out, got freedom and started kidnapping and killing white people and that all ended permanently. Since then, it's been The Philippines instead of The Philippines Islands and they occasionally jack a white person still and no one wants to go so no one flies there. The end. On the other hand, that sort of tomfoolery is what attracts the idiot awful backpackers who think Battambang or Timor L'este or Brunei have gotten too "mainstream" and try to hitchhike their way through Moro Headquarters and those guys are always hilarious. But on the other other hand, I think part of my job is going to be wrestling with that whole "freedom and kidnapping and killing" issue they've got going on, in addition to some other things, sooooo... should be a fun summer! ReindeerF posted:So, if I'm going to Manila from America long-term, first I would shoot myself, LOL You got a place to crash if you ever want to visit the Pearl of Southeast Asia my friend, I know you must be aching to return.
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Apr 11, 2014 06:03
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CronoGamer posted:I think part of my job is going to be wrestling with that whole "freedom and kidnapping and killing" issue they've got going on, in addition to some other things, sooooo... should be a fun summer! CronoGamer posted:You got a place to crash if you ever want to visit the Pearl of Southeast Asia my friend, I know you must be aching to return.
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Apr 11, 2014 06:13
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I head back to the second year of my program in August. You'll have to find some other sugar mama for December I'm afraid.
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Apr 11, 2014 06:50
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Nooooooo... I'll have to catch you once you're doing lectures on regional security concerns in Phnom Penh in a few years.
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Apr 11, 2014 07:03
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CronoGamer posted:Welp, officially officially confirmed now that I have my security clearance, I'll be back in SEA this summer, working at the embassy in Manila. Looking forward to it. I was just showing off my mad travel booking skills in the Las Vegas thread. I don't know when you're leaving, but I did a quick search for a one-way ticket from JFK to MNL on July 3rd and I see coach tickets starting at $916.
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Apr 11, 2014 10:59
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Centripetal Horse posted:I was just showing off my mad travel booking skills in the Las Vegas thread. I don't know when you're leaving, but I did a quick search for a one-way ticket from JFK to MNL on July 3rd and I see coach tickets starting at $916. What can you find round trip for, say, June 5th returning Aug 19th? There's a little bit of flex on each end (particularly the return).
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Apr 11, 2014 16:04
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CronoGamer posted:What can you find round trip for, say, June 5th returning Aug 19th? There's a little bit of flex on each end (particularly the return). You seem to have almost the worst possible combination of dates and departing location. If you were leaving at the end of June, or from somewhere more west-coasty, you could knock off a couple hundred bucks. As it is, on first pass, $1,400 is about the best I see. If I were booking this for myself, my next step would be checking each international carrier separately, followed by bidding on flights, but that's very time-consuming.
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Apr 11, 2014 17:30
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As befits the shared holidays of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, the thread has gone dead for a week. Also, Ringo R is no longer allowed to post here!
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Apr 15, 2014 02:45
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Update from the US: Weather is good, no one trying to dose me with ditch water. Also a lady stared at me perniciously because I'd strayed a bit too close to her yard. raton fucked around with this message at 03:47 on Apr 15, 2014 |
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Apr 15, 2014 03:42
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Downing beers with locals since 10am. Happy new year all!ReindeerF posted:Also, Ringo R is no longer allowed to post here! Did he leave, or was he thrown out?
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Apr 15, 2014 08:19
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^^^ His missus says he shouldn't.
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Apr 15, 2014 12:21
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Hi SEA thread. Water rationing loving blows. Best regards from jungliest Selangor.
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Apr 15, 2014 12:55
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ReindeerF posted:As befits the shared holidays of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, the thread has gone dead for a week. I wanted to go to the SongKran parade here in Thai Town Hong Kong. But I was busy doing work  It was the only time when you can take a garden hose or big water gun and spray the local cops! It's great fun!
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Apr 15, 2014 16:12
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sinking belle posted:Hi SEA thread. Water rationing loving blows. Best regards from jungliest Selangor. They're still rationing water? Isn't it thunderstorms every two days or so now. (KL is not rationed)
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Apr 15, 2014 17:05
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I went to the golden mile for songkran it owned
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Apr 15, 2014 17:12
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The Saddest Rhino posted:They're still rationing water? Isn't it thunderstorms every two days or so now. (KL is not rationed) Which part of KL is not rationed? Over here in Segambut area there's rationing.
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Apr 15, 2014 19:25
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How does water rationing even work?
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Apr 15, 2014 22:57
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Bum hoses lie still and men weep openly
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Apr 15, 2014 23:18
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Pixelante posted:How does water rationing even work? Anywhere I've been that does it they have a goon from the city go around and switch off regional mains from Xam to Ypm and depending on your neighborhood there are just times you don't have water.
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Apr 15, 2014 23:27
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mrg220t posted:Which part of KL is not rationed? Over here in Segambut area there's rationing. Any water rationing they've said they were doing I barely noticed (really close to Segambut/Mont Kiara). They said it's going to continue for at least a year which sucks balls but what do you expect in glorious Malaysia. Sheep-Goats posted:Anywhere I've been that does it they have a goon from the city go around and switch off regional mains from Xam to Ypm and depending on your neighborhood there are just times you don't have water. It's pretty much this, you basically aren't supposed to have water during certain periods of time, so they turn it off(sometimes it's a day, sometimes two and sometimes it's only a few hours of a single day).
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Apr 16, 2014 03:28
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I'm in Segambut/Mt Kiara area and there were maybe two days of rationing last month, and then it was smooth sailing all the way.
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Apr 16, 2014 04:22
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While we're on the subject of Malaysia, I'm driving up to Cameron Highlands from SG this weekend, any recommendations? BTW, I will never get over my Singaporean friends warning me about getting carjacked in Malaysia...
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Apr 16, 2014 04:46
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Cameron Highlands is pretty. I liked the Boh tea plantation and the sunday markets but that's pretty much all there is to the place unless you like western style horticulture. I wouldn't stay there for more than a couple of days. The roads up there are lethal so if you're driving be extra vigilant. There are fatal crashes (bus/car/bike) almost every week up there. I actually know people who have been car jacked here but it's usually in the city areas rather than up in the mountains so you should be fine. 
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Apr 16, 2014 05:04
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lemonadesweetheart posted:Cameron Highlands is pretty. I liked the Boh tea plantation and the sunday markets but that's pretty much all there is to the place unless you like western style horticulture. I wouldn't stay there for more than a couple of days. The roads up there are lethal so if you're driving be extra vigilant. There are fatal crashes (bus/car/bike) almost every week up there. I'm American and lived in DC before moving out here, somehow I doubt the crime is as bad in MY  Also, we're renting a car in JB so there won't be the Singapore license plate to tip people off.
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Apr 16, 2014 05:09
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CronoGamer posted:What can you find round trip for, say, June 5th returning Aug 19th? There's a little bit of flex on each end (particularly the return). Find a travel agent in NYC catering for Phillipino-Americans. I absolutely guarantee there will be one and they will do far better on price than you or any of us. I flew Glasgow > Bangkok with KLM; the ticket was $700 on their website. Through a travel agent based in Karachi it cost me $400. Global citizen 
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Apr 16, 2014 08:56
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Gail Wynand posted:Thanks, yeah that's pretty much what I have heard elsewhere about the place. Taking the new road up there so hopefully that will be a bit safer.. Crime here is actually pretty poo poo, it may not be the hellscape that is DC but don't underestimate it either. They won't target singapore plates particularly, it'd mostly be based on car make, newness and number of passengers. Usually they'll tap you to make you think it's a car accident or something like that and then beat you/steal your car etc. If you're in a car with a lot of people it's unlikely to happen to you as they target lone drivers most of the time.
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Apr 16, 2014 09:28
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lemonadesweetheart posted:Crime here is actually pretty poo poo, it may not be the hellscape that is DC but don't underestimate it either. They won't target singapore plates particularly, it'd mostly be based on car make, newness and number of passengers. Usually they'll tap you to make you think it's a car accident or something like that and then beat you/steal your car etc. If you're in a car with a lot of people it's unlikely to happen to you as they target lone drivers most of the time. Also what are the chances I am going to have to bribe a traffic cop at some point? Soy Division fucked around with this message at 10:05 on Apr 16, 2014 |
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Apr 16, 2014 10:00
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Pixelante posted:How does water rationing even work? Not sure what the situation in KL is now, but I know that my friends in and around Bangsar got cut off several times in March, each time for a few solid days. Apparently it's got far more to do with mismanagement than actual availability of water, to the extent that the government has stepped in and taken over their contractors in Selangor. Viva bureaucracy! e: Also, in my experience you've gotta be more vigilant about cops threatening to arrest you if you don't give them your phone than you do about low-level crime. Don't wander around quiet parts of KL alone at night and don't be the guy who gets thrown down a flight of stairs after spilling vodka on the prince of Johor and you should be golden. But for real stay alert ok Pretty good fucked around with this message at 10:42 on Apr 16, 2014 |
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Apr 16, 2014 10:28
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You should only have to bribe a cop if you do something stupid or illegal so don't and you are good.
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Apr 16, 2014 12:08
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lemonadesweetheart posted:You should only have to bribe a cop if you do something stupid or illegal so don't and you are good.
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Apr 16, 2014 12:57
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Gail Wynand posted:While we're on the subject of Malaysia, I'm driving up to Cameron Highlands from SG this weekend, any recommendations? I was just there for 3 days & 4 nights, left on Saturday. Weather was fine until the afternoon then Thor came out to play. Check out the tea plantation, do some hiking (there are like 12 trails or something ranging in difficulty - maps are 3.90 from any tourist agency), & drive up to the mossy forest and might as well visit the Gunung Brinchang peak while you're at it cos they're on the same mountain. Highlight: crossing a river on a log bridge, literally one tree, covered in bees cos they want my sweet man sweat. I loving hate bees.
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Apr 16, 2014 14:52
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I hate bees too. Malaysia sounds scary as hell. Also, good forThai intelligence. This would've been a nasty Songkran surprise. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Le...x#axzz2ysLWPz6v
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Apr 18, 2014 13:16
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I've always been surprised that area hasn't seen any kind of violence along these lines. I mean it's not just Israeli, it's largely post-IDF Israelis and it's segmented to its own little side of the street on that one end of KSR. Perfect target if you want to kill some Israelis abroad. I've also always assumed that Bangkok is off limits for attacks specifically (not anything else) because no one wants to gently caress it up as a comfortable place to meet, plan and hide. Like Paris before Munich. Even those Iranians they caught a couple of years ago was totally accidental and the one guy blew his own leg off when his grenade toss failed. Still, you have to imagine the Iranians were not happy with that and Hezbollah may not be controlled directly by the Pasdaran in all situations, but they certainly do not get outside of the box with them either, so if they're planning operations in a neutral country like Thailand then someone signed off on it in Tehran and that's not a good sign. At first glance I thought, "Oh it could just be some assholes trying to make a show like in Boston" but then the report goes on to say they're looking for 9 suspects with Hezbollah ties (the phrase isn't defined). If this report is accurate, which it probably is because Thailand hates making political waves with non-neighboring countries if it doesn't have to. It would explain the olive branch: quote:Winai said the two men would be deported back to the last countries they traveled from after police finalize their investigation. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 14:38 on Apr 18, 2014 |
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Apr 18, 2014 14:34
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That Israeli depot at the one end of KSR had a big blue neon star of David on top of it when I first moved there which was eventually covered with a garbage bag and removed. Of course there are lots of possible reasons as to why but at that time there were also credible threats to the admittedly horrible people that congregated there and the theory I heard most often was that the Thai police wanted it down because it made KSR too much of a target. One time I was in there eating some falafel (don't bother, if you're in the area nearby Shoshanna has better food, a nicely air conditioned in internet cafe, and is where I would store bags when I had to) and a girl asked me "H'are you Jhewish?!" as some Israelis are wont to do, and I said no, and she said "So h'what are you doing in this place 'The Israeli Connection' then?!" Also there's a shortcut tunnel through that place that takes you to the farthest edge of that road that goes around Wat Channasongkran. Anyway, I'm also surprised it hasn't been blown up yet.
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Apr 18, 2014 18:55
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Welp, moving to Bangkok next month for an assignment. Looking forward to hummus, Goon meets and Beerlao.
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Apr 19, 2014 07:22
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MothraAttack posted:Welp, moving to Bangkok next month for an assignment. Looking forward to hummus, Goon meets and Beerlao. Always get the shakshuga (sp?) at Shoshanna. Their chicken dish is nice too.
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Apr 19, 2014 07:36
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