|
Day #2 at Ko Phi Phi. Like Ko Pha Ngan on steroids (actually just realized the two islands are quite different but whatever). This place is quite crowded even in the "low season." Tons of young people here and countless westerners who seem to have taken up shop here, working at diving shops or other establishments, presumably in exchange for free accomodations while they laze away here. Pretty good deal if you're in that age range and want that lifestyle.
|
# ? May 23, 2010 12:46 |
|
|
# ? May 13, 2024 11:04 |
|
So my plans have changed very quickly because my 2 travel companions have had to change things around also. I'm going to take a bus to Bangkok tomorrow and then a plane to Phnom Penh. Unfortunately I have no idea what to do when I get there (and no lonely planet guide to help me out). I also don't have the time (3 baht/minute!) to either google search or read through this thread. Can someone give me a quick run down of 1) what the 2 or 3 major sites to visit / activities to do in Cambodia are 2) whether it's worth it to spend just 1 week in Cambodia as a solo traveler 3) whether it's possible to meet other like-minded (solo) travelers while there to do things with? Basically earlier in my trip I went to Kuala Lumpur solo and it was pretty lousy (for me anyway). I've realized I need partners in crime to get me off my rear end and so that I feel comfortable. Is it possible to manage this in Cambodia in only a week?
|
# ? May 23, 2010 16:11 |
|
Broohaha posted:So my plans have changed very quickly because my 2 travel companions have had to change things around also. I'm going to take a bus to Bangkok tomorrow and then a plane to Phnom Penh. Unfortunately I have no idea what to do when I get there (and no lonely planet guide to help me out). I also don't have the time (3 baht/minute!) to either google search or read through this thread. Can someone give me a quick run down of 1) Angkor Wat is by far the major attraction. After that people go to Phnom Phen to see the killing fields and Touel Sleng. The third attraction is usually an okay beach town in the south called Battambang, but there are other options here as well like renting a dirtbike and ripping around through the jungle or visiting the Tonle Sap (big lake with weird currents and houses on it that people live in). Wikipedia will have a page for any of those attractions to let you pick between them, however I will say that missing Angkor is criminal. 2) I spent two weeks there but I'm fairly resourceful with asking around and digging up stuff to do. Angkor needs at least two days (three is okay), you probably need one or two days for traveling around (used to absolutely need this but the roads are a lot better than when I visited Cambodia about five years ago), and two or so days for Phnom Phen or wherever else you go will spend your week pretty easily. 3) Cambodia's expats are a really mixed and often overly sordid group. There are young people just tooling around SE Asia, but some of those are in Cambodia because it's easy to buy drugs there. There are fat old men there for nefarious reasons -- I had a guy announce to me in a bar "I'm a pedophile" when I was visiting there with this look on his face that basically amounted to a cross between "so what" and "ain't I shocking." There are also a lot of people there from international aid organizations but most of them are being driven around in big white trucks and consider themselves above the casual travelers (and also will probably be in their 30s) and so they don't mix in with the others much. Bring USD in cash, ATMs can be hard to find (like the roads though it's now possible, when I went to Cambodia there was literally one ATM in the whole country as far as anyone was able to tell me) and the dollar is Cambodia's number one currency. IN touristy areas they'll take baht at a significant markup and you'll get the local currency as change. Also be aware that if your US money is ripped torn or dirty they may not want to accept it.
|
# ? May 23, 2010 17:51 |
|
Do not bring Cambodian Reals out of the country, you will NOT be able to change them anywhere.
|
# ? May 23, 2010 18:36 |
|
Cheesemaster200 posted:Do not bring Cambodian Reals out of the country, you will NOT be able to change them anywhere. I was using reals for bookmarks for like two years after visiting Cambodia, but they were cheaper and cooler than normal bookmarks anyway so no big loss.
|
# ? May 23, 2010 20:23 |
|
Also take note that when you hand over US dollars, you'll often get Riel as change, unless you request dollars. Re. Phnom Penh, if you like good food (ie. eating out, not from a street stall) you'll love how cheap some of the upmarket restaurants there are, as compared to the west. Think $3 entrees, $7-$9 mains and $2 beers. You'll easily meet other travellers in Siem Reap (just head to Pub Street, it's pretty much like Khao San Road), but in Phnom Penh maybe not so much. Also, a lot of people recommend Sihanoukville (beach town) but with only a week you may not get time to head there. brendanwor fucked around with this message at 22:29 on May 23, 2010 |
# ? May 23, 2010 22:26 |
|
edit: I see a topic on motorcycling in the OP, but the link doesn't work I'm going back to SEA soon, (Vietnam or Thailand again) and am curious about buying a motorcycle so I can have some more independence. I had a few questions for those who have purchased motorcycles in asia. 1. Is it pretty hassle free? I heard Thailand recently started enforcing rules not to sell to foreigners, or something like that. Are licenses needed anywhere, or can I basically buy a bike? 2. how much do low end models cost? Last time I was in vietnam I heard people were paying about $300 for cycles in Saigon, but not sure how accurate that is now. 3) Any issues crossing borders with motorcycles? Thanks! Meow Tse-tung fucked around with this message at 08:24 on May 24, 2010 |
# ? May 24, 2010 08:14 |
|
Sheep-Goats posted:1) Angkor Wat is by far the major attraction. After that people go to Phnom Phen to see the killing fields and Touel Sleng. The third attraction is usually an okay beach town in the south called Battambang The other attractions in the south are pretty cool, if not exactly thrilling. Kampot is a nice sleepy riverside town next to a great national park, full of old French rundown colonial architecture. Kep is also enjoyable, although I wouldn't go there alone again just because it is so quiet. I ate some of the best, cheapest seafood I've ever had there--the crab is especially tasty. I love Phnom Penh, but I live here. The tourist "attractions" are either ghastly or dull, but the city has a great vibe to it. Northern and Eastern Cambo are apparently great for adventurous sorts, but I haven't been there yet.
|
# ? May 25, 2010 15:12 |
|
I just had a loving fantastic time in Kampot ripping up the countryside on a dirtbike. If you ever go, don't rent from Sean Lr or the other dude, their bikes are terrible. Go to a restaurant called the Rusty Keyhole, which is just outside of town on a trail off the road to kep, big sign, can't miss it. The English dude who owns it, named Kristian, rents good-quality bikes for $15 for 24 hours.Tolain posted:edit: I see a topic on motorcycling in the OP, but the link doesn't work I'm in Saigon right now buying bikes with my best friend. We talked to a pair of English guys who were chargin$g $400 for a really good quality Minsk and $300 for a much shitter one. You can apparently get them for as low as $200 but they're probably pieces of poo poo that will need a good overhaul; you're best off buying from other Westerners who've done the same thing and now want to offload the bike, because you can tell whether they're on the level or not better than the Vietnamese. I'll let you know how it goes anyway. These are 125cc two-strokes, by the way, since Vietnam has some kind of embargo on larger bikes and costs are therefore significantly higher; you're looking at $1000 for a 250cc. As far as I can tell it's difficult and expensive to get a bike across the Vietnamese border in either direction, but it's supposed to be much easier with Thailand/Cambodia/Laos. edit: Oh, and if you're more interested in renting, prices from Flamingo Tours in Hanoi are $35 a day for a Honda XR250, $20 a day for a Yamaha or Honda 125cc, and $10 a day for a Minsk. freebooter fucked around with this message at 17:46 on May 25, 2010 |
# ? May 25, 2010 17:41 |
|
freebooter posted:a restaurant called the Rusty Keyhole
|
# ? May 26, 2010 03:20 |
|
Nope. The owner was actually the most straight-up, friendly person I've yet met on this trip. On the other hand I'm in Saigon now and just looked at some motorcycles a really weird British guy was selling. We mentioned that we were considering buying some off another Brit who just rode them down from Hanoi - a really friendly, likeable guy - and this dude just went off, calling him a loving oval office and accusing him of moving in on his business and saying that the Vietnamese mafia would kill him. If you're ever in the region, don't buy from Kevin Raven.
|
# ? May 27, 2010 05:49 |
|
Cheesemaster200 posted:Do not bring Cambodian Reals out of the country, you will NOT be able to change them anywhere. I changed some in Bangkok but you'll want to bring your lube... Best to use them up in the country as stated. Not likely you'll end up with much anyway since in Siem Reap and PP and elsewhere it's used only in lieu of US coins (<$1)
|
# ? May 27, 2010 22:01 |
|
Sheep-Goats posted:...words... My favorite example of this was the visa run nonsense from Ranong to Burma. There's a trade setup in the town and the port area strictly in offering crisp fresh to satisfy the military on the other side. I had some $5s I brought from home and out of 6 of them they finally accepted 2 (got lucky)
|
# ? May 27, 2010 22:07 |
|
dwoloz posted:My favorite example of this was the visa run nonsense from Ranong to Burma. There's a trade setup in the town and the port area strictly in offering crisp fresh to satisfy the military on the other side. I had some $5s I brought from home and out of 6 of them they finally accepted 2 (got lucky)
|
# ? May 28, 2010 09:02 |
|
dwoloz posted:I changed some in Bangkok but you'll want to bring your lube... Best to use them up in the country as stated. Not likely you'll end up with much anyway since in Siem Reap and PP and elsewhere it's used only in lieu of US coins (<$1) My friend who I was traveling with thought it would be a fantastic idea to change $200 into Riels at the Siem Reap airport. We kept telling him it was a bad idea and dollars would probably be fine (especially since the ATM next to the visa counter dispensed dollars to buy your visa in dollars), but he went through with it anyway. Lets just say he was not happy when we were leaving Bangkok... I think I do have a few 1000r notes though hanging around, makes a good souvenir.
|
# ? May 28, 2010 15:12 |
|
ZeroDays posted:I don't get this - is there a reason they need "crisp" notes? I mean, I've heard of the desire for only crisp notes before but I still don't understand it, unless it's just a pedantic and misguided safeguard against counterfeits or something. You guessed correctly.
|
# ? May 28, 2010 16:06 |
|
It makes sense for you to start being picky about the notes you receive in change, seeing as you might have a hard time getting rid of them, I've even seen a beggar ask for a different note, crazy.
|
# ? May 28, 2010 23:18 |
|
So I'm in Singapore now, which I'm absolutely loving, but have a question. Was walking past some bars/clubs in touristy areas earlier tonight, and there were a bunch of girls outside trying to get our attention. Are they just bar girls, or is prostitution that open here?
|
# ? May 29, 2010 16:46 |
|
kalicki posted:Was walking past some bars/clubs in touristy areas earlier tonight, and there were a bunch of girls outside trying to get our attention. Are they just bar girls, or is prostitution that open here? I haven't been to Singapore so I can't comment on what exactly was going on there, but I will say that in other places around SE Asia there isn't a clear distinction. Some of the girls will be outright hookers, some will just work for the bar trying to get customers in, some will be girls who are friends of hookers and are trying to decide if they want to be hookers too, etc etc etc. But yeah, in some places prostitution is that out in the open. BTW "bar girl" means hooker in the countries that term is usually used in (Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, etc). It's just that she operates with a bar as her base instead of a brothel or a street corner or whatever. Maybe there's a separate use of "bar girl" in Korea or Japan or whatever, but in SE Asia a bar girl is a hooker. raton fucked around with this message at 17:47 on May 29, 2010 |
# ? May 29, 2010 17:45 |
|
Ugh In Koh Phangan and missed most of the Full Moon party last night cos I caught a throat infection the night before and swallowing anything felt like broken glass. Managed to find a poker game that I played the few nights before in some bar though. 10/20 baht blinds which was just low enough for me to play like a drunken retard without worrying about losing too much!
|
# ? May 30, 2010 08:07 |
|
Yesterday I had my first day of riding a motorcycle through Vietnam, in this case from Saigon to Vung Tau. An absolutely awesome way to travel. Although Vung Tau is an odd choice for a beach town, since it seems to be on Vietnam's biggest shipping lane. Also the town regularly experiences rolling blackouts so we had no power or water between 6 am and 7 pm.
|
# ? May 31, 2010 15:35 |
|
I have decided to either cash in my FF miles to get a flight to "somewhere in Asia" for 11 days by myself before I start grad school. Been to Vietnam extensively, Cambodia in Siem Reap, and Bangkok/Pattaya for a few days (ie. not much of Thailand). Would really like to see a new country. Thinking flying into Singapore and checking out the city and Malaysia a bit. Also considering flying into Hong Kong and then out of Beijing or Shanghai. I know its a short time, but I want to use my vacation. I can't take another big trip until next august because of school. Any suggestions?
|
# ? May 31, 2010 21:24 |
|
Cheesemaster200 posted:I have decided to either cash in my FF miles to get a flight to "somewhere in Asia" for 11 days by myself before I start grad school. Been to Vietnam extensively, Cambodia in Siem Reap, and Bangkok/Pattaya for a few days (ie. not much of Thailand). I did pretty much the say exact thing last year and ended up in Laos. Highly recommended.
|
# ? May 31, 2010 22:07 |
|
Most people I know who live here a long time like Laos the best for hanging out. Dunno what that's worth. I'm not a huge Singapore detractor, but to me it's not worth flying around the world for. Feels like a giant business district. Malaysia, what little I've seen of it (KL), is something I enjoy more - but really KL is the least interesting thing in Malaysia from what everyone tells me. If I were in your shoes, but also in my shoes, I'd hit Laos or Indonesia just because I haven't spent enough time in Laos and I haven't seen Indonesia at all - and everyone raves about the islands in Indonesia and pretty much everything except Vieng Viang in Laos.
|
# ? Jun 1, 2010 18:13 |
|
ReindeerF posted:Most people I know who live here a long time like Laos the best for hanging out. Dunno what that's worth. I'm not a huge Singapore detractor, but to me it's not worth flying around the world for. Feels like a giant business district. Malaysia, what little I've seen of it (KL), is something I enjoy more - but really KL is the least interesting thing in Malaysia from what everyone tells me. If I were in your shoes, but also in my shoes, I'd hit Laos or Indonesia just because I haven't spent enough time in Laos and I haven't seen Indonesia at all - and everyone raves about the islands in Indonesia and pretty much everything except Vieng Viang in Laos. That and I only got to see the armpits of Thailand (Pattaya @ Khao San, though I did spend a day at CentralWorld, RIP), so I wouldn't mind heading up to Chiang mai (or however its spelled) on my way to Laos. What would be a good itinerary for like 10 days our of Bangkok? EDIT Can you rent a motorbike in Chiang Mai and take it into Laos? Would you want to? Rhombus unfortunately got himself banned... Cheesemaster200 fucked around with this message at 19:33 on Jun 1, 2010 |
# ? Jun 1, 2010 19:07 |
|
So the thing about Laos is that it's not flashy like Thailand or Vietnam - the country has basically been a battleground between the two for the last 700 years and the result is that it sort of lacks a cultural identify of it's own, and most of the historic sights have been destroyed over the years. But, when I went last February, it's still very much a culture unspoiled by tourism - no hustlers, no scams. The people were genuinely friendly, and I doubt that this is going to last much into the 2010s as it becomes more of a tourist destination. If you go, skip Vang Vieng and it's hordes of stoned Aussies. Head north up to Xieng Khouang province and Phonsavan. The Plain of Jars is located there, and it's really sort of otherworldly, especially since you'll be the only tourists. It's like going to Stonehenge when noone else is there. Luang Prabang is nice but is about to turn the tourist corner. It's still beautiful and totally worth a visit. One of the favorite parts of my trip was taking a slow boat north on the Mekong. It gives you a really good look at what life along the river is like.
|
# ? Jun 2, 2010 00:25 |
|
Cheesemaster200 posted:That and I only got to see the armpits of Thailand (Pattaya @ Khao San, though I did spend a day at CentralWorld, RIP), so I wouldn't mind heading up to Chiang mai (or however its spelled) on my way to Laos. Although I've never tried I'm sure the answer is NO CAN on bringing your rented motorbike across the border. Otherwise people in the armpits of Thailand would be constantly renting and selling it across the border. I've heard stories that even Thais do this and some places refuse to rent to Thais They usually keep your passport as deposit or a hilarious amount of money (more than what the bike is worth). As for itinerary, how about something like Bangkok - Chiang Mai - Laos (make your way down south to Vientiane or if you have time, Pakse) - Back to Thailand via Vientiane/Nong Khai or Pakse/Ubon? E: Oh yeah, buses in Laos are usually old and slow so expect long transportation times! Ringo R fucked around with this message at 03:45 on Jun 2, 2010 |
# ? Jun 2, 2010 03:43 |
|
Ringo R posted:Although I've never tried I'm sure the answer is NO CAN on bringing your rented motorbike across the border. Otherwise people in the armpits of Thailand would be constantly renting and selling it across the border. I've heard stories that even Thais do this and some places refuse to rent to Thais They usually keep your passport as deposit or a hilarious amount of money (more than what the bike is worth). Another fun fact: It is apparently only $5 to fly from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur on AirAsia...
|
# ? Jun 2, 2010 04:26 |
|
Yeah, AirAsia is always relatively cheap but often they have sales that really make their flights ridiculously cheap. Having flown with them quite a bit both short and long haul, I can also vouch that they're quite good especially for a low cost carrier (occasionally up to half an hour delayed but I've never experienced more than that; planes are generally very clean and new-looking, and female flight attendants wear really tight clothes). Just make sure you aren't carrying too much luggage (no more than 20kg/45lbs usually) or they'll really bend you over on additional charges.
brendanwor fucked around with this message at 04:47 on Jun 2, 2010 |
# ? Jun 2, 2010 04:45 |
|
Cheesemaster200 posted:EDIT No, but yes you'd want to. Laos has some of the best country side in SEA, reminds me of Jurassic park, Thakhek is especially great for riding around. Yeah there are 2 types of bus in Lao, the vip bus and the local bus, the VIP bus stays strictly on the tourist trail- LP, VV, VT, then skips most everything else and goes straight to 4000 islands. The local buses are hilarious, you'll be sharing a seat with a coup of chickens most likely and you'll have to climb to your seat as they'll fill the isle with whatever they need transported, 50 bags of rice, containers of petrol and mattresses are what I had to deal with when I used local buses. Still an experience though.
|
# ? Jun 2, 2010 12:11 |
|
Goddamn, airfare is so loving expensive now... Last year I got an open jaw flight into Hanoi and out of Bangkok for $1050 in the middle of the summer. Now I can't get anything for less than $1650 round trip BKK...
|
# ? Jun 3, 2010 01:41 |
|
I missed Dorkroom and this thread too much to stay away for long Cheesemaster200 posted:I have decided to either cash in my FF miles to get a flight to "somewhere in Asia" for 11 days by myself before I start grad school. Been to Vietnam extensively, Cambodia in Siem Reap, and Bangkok/Pattaya for a few days (ie. not much of Thailand). Good luck, my experience using FF miles to travel to Asia over the summer was ludicrously inconvenient. I was booking like 8-9 months in advance and the best I could do was a 12 hour layover in Seoul, then there were a ton of blackout dates that basically required me to buy my own one-way ticket to get from China to Japan to fly home. Maybe I'm being obstinate or it's better now (4 years later) but I've never bothered with FF miles since. You need ownership papers to bring the bike over the border to Laos, which you won't get without leaving an egregiously large deposit. Best bet is to rent in Laos: you can get XR250's in Vientiane for about $20-25/day, or a Minsk in Luang Prabang from Tiger Trails for I think $15? It's under the radar/not strictly legal because of UNESCO poo poo, but if you want a bike up there I think they're the best bet. You can get scooters in Vang Vieng, not sure about bigger bikes. 4-5 days is kind of an anti-sweet spot for Laos, figure a half day ride from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, most of a day from there to Luang Prabang. It'd be kinda rushed to go there and back, and you'd be repeating the same scenery (pretty impressive, especially the second leg) on the way back. If you want a kickin' Laos motorbike holiday, I'd suggest flying straight from Bangkok to Vientiane (or maybe Luang Prabang) and starting out from there, in order to give yourself more time. You can do a loop in the north to take in Phonsavan/Plain of Jars, Sam Neau/Vieng Sai (cool karsts and Pathet Lao caves), and some other interesting mountain scenery before cutting south back to Luang Prabang and Rt 13 back to Vientiane. Edit: or, southern Laos! You can rent XR250's from a hotel in Pakse and do a pretty sweet Bolaven plateau ride over a couple of days. Doesn't border with Chiang Mai though, you'd be travelling through Iisaan on the Thai side, which has its own charms (cool Khmer ruins, regular "real" Thai people/Thailand). Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 02:28 on Jun 3, 2010 |
# ? Jun 3, 2010 02:23 |
|
Pompous Rhombus posted:I missed Dorkroom and this thread too much to stay away for long AA doesn't seem too bad. To use their partners (Cathay Pacific) I need to call their reservation line, but they direct flights into Narita have an abundance of their super-saver reward ticket for the end of July/August. How is motorbiking by yourself? My biggest fear is breaking down and/or dropping the bike in the middle of the jungle. How about accomodation, is it abundant and accommodating to motorbikes?
|
# ? Jun 3, 2010 02:35 |
|
Cheesemaster200 posted:AA doesn't seem too bad. To use their partners (Cathay Pacific) I need to call their reservation line, but they direct flights into Narita have an abundance of their super-saver reward ticket for the end of July/August. I forget who mine was with, I think Continental or something. They weren't my miles to begin with (so I wasn't that PO'd), I inherited them from a grandparent too infirm to travel anymore. This is extremely weird, but the only two times I had breakdowns I couldn't shrug off were the only two times I was riding with someone else on another bike Generally speaking, someone will probably come along you eventually, or at least that was alway my reasoning. You can tilt the odds in your favor this way by starting out earlier; I never planned to be riding after 4-5pm or so, just to be safe. I did wind up camping in the jungle one night between Pakse and Attapeu when I blew a tube (I'd carried a spare for like a month without needing it, lost it the week before, and figured I could get by without it the rest of the trip). A Lao lady put us up in an unfinished hut outside her main family dwelling for the night. If I hadn't known she was a few kilometers up the road I would have taken shelter in a little shack not too far from where I broke down, then flagged someone down in the morning to go into town and fetch a mechanic/new tube. I spoke Lao pretty well at the time, but I think anyone with a decent phrasebook and/or patience to play charades could have extricated themselves from a similar situation. I always carried at least 1L of water and some food (either fruit from a market, or packaged snack type stuff) for emergencies or convenient snacking. As far as dropping it, we're not talking about a 1200cc BMW or anything. If you're an adult male in reasonable health, picking up a Minsk or Baja by yourself shouldn't be a big problem. If you get it in a ditch or something else tricky, again, somebody will probably come along eventually. I got my Minsk stuck in mud past the axles one time (unless you're for sure that the side is firm/dry, just go through the puddles in the middle of the road, don't try to go around them ), and just parked my rear end in the shade for a half hour waiting for the next truck to come along and lend me a hand. I guess the best advice I have is to just keep a sense of perspective and a level head; you may wind up inconvenienced, but it's very unlikely your life would be in danger. Most places have a safe place you can stash your bike, since the people who work at the guesthouse likely use a scooter themselves. A lot of places are surprisingly cool with letting you bring the bike into the lobby overnight, usually there's a little cement ramp on the sides or down the center of any steps that you can zoom right up. Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 03:25 on Jun 3, 2010 |
# ? Jun 3, 2010 03:21 |
|
When I mentioned "dropping it", I was more referring to low siding into a jungle ditch or something and breaking my leg. I am assuming most of the roads are unpaved/somewhat muddy and you aren't moving that quickly anyway, so I don't know much of an issue this is. Obviously though there is risk no matter what the road condition and/or speed. And I am assuming you were by yourself most of the time? As far as schedule is concerned, here's my rough idea: - Fly into Bangkok - Stay 1-2 days in Bangkok - Fly to Udon Thani in morning, take bus to Vientiane border, see what few sights are downtown there. - Rent motorbike in morning, see some sights on outside of Vientiane, head to Vang Vieng. - *maybe* gently caress around in Vang Vieng with the whole tubing scam, depending on who I meet there and how tired I am. - Head to Luang Prabang - Put around north country for 2-3 days - Drop of bike in Luang Prabang (many rental companies apparently do this) - Flight back to Bangkok (if I can get one) - Depart Cheesemaster200 fucked around with this message at 04:11 on Jun 3, 2010 |
# ? Jun 3, 2010 04:02 |
|
I'm about to buy a ticket for Bangkok and then on to Chiang Mai to take the July (International House) CELTA certification course. I've been accepted and I just need to submit final payment. I basically have no commitments or anywhere to be until law school in Fall 2011 so I want to try something new for the next 12-14 months. My plan...
This plan is workable, right? My worst fear is being stuck without a job for a long period of time. Just wondering if this all makes sense to any of you who know the region.
|
# ? Jun 3, 2010 04:03 |
|
Cheesemaster200 posted:- *maybe* gently caress around in Vang Vieng with the whole tubing scam, depending on who I meet there and how tired I am. To give Vang Vieng a little credit, the countryside around it is really beautiful. Instead of tubing you could bike to the Tham Phu Kam Caves. It's a really welcome break from the heat and you get out of town (and away from the backpackers). Plus you can take pictures like this:
|
# ? Jun 3, 2010 04:37 |
|
I'm flying into Bangkok from London on the 21st of July and planning to go travelling through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia. I'm having trouble knowing what visas to get as I don't have a plan for when and how long I'll be in each country. I'm gonna get the 60 day tourist visa for Thailand for flying into there but other than that I'm not sure if I should get the visas in advance or is it easier to pick them up in the region? If anyone who's done it before can give me some advice over what I should do it would be appreciated!
|
# ? Jun 3, 2010 21:14 |
|
You will need to prearrange your visa for Vietnam. Laos you can get on arrival. Cambodia you can get on arrival but it's a pain in the rear end and simply easier to prearrange. Malaysia will be fine to get on arrival.
|
# ? Jun 3, 2010 22:05 |
|
|
# ? May 13, 2024 11:04 |
|
div13 posted:I'm flying into Bangkok from London on the 21st of July and planning to go travelling through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia. I'm having trouble knowing what visas to get as I don't have a plan for when and how long I'll be in each country. You can get all those visas in any of the countries you listed, I used to just get a visa for the next place about a week before I actually headed there, that's if visa on arrival was going to be a pain in the rear end what with scams and fees.
|
# ? Jun 4, 2010 01:12 |