|
ReindeerF posted:Use whichever one's in your area, but if there's not one in your area then Houston is pretty renowned for being good. It's my home consulate and it's the one I've used in the past with good results. I went to the Thai "honorary consulate" in Miami. It was on the third floor of a bank building and shared a Puero Rican secretary with a law office 
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2010 13:33
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 9, 2024 04:17 |
|
|
Pompous Rhombus posted:I went to the Thai "honorary consulate" in Miami. It was on the third floor of a bank building and shared a Puero Rican secretary with a law office The funniest story I heard (I think I've told this) was from a group of guys that used Denver, which is a really *easy* consulate reportedly. The one guy said it's in a real estate office and when you walk in and ask for the Thai consulate the lady pulls out little flag and nameplate and puts it on the desk and says, "How may I help you!"
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2010 19:13
|
|
|
I'm having a hard time getting a Thai visa without proof of a return flight. What do people do about this? Print a fake itinerary?
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2010 17:50
|
|
|
ZombiesAhead posted:I'm having a hard time getting a Thai visa without proof of a return flight. What do people do about this? Print a fake itinerary? Yeah, either from an e-ticket or have a travel agent do it for you. Round trip tickets are substantially cheaper than two one-ways though; unless you're going to be a year or longer it makes more sense to book an RT ticket with an arbitrary return date, and pay a bit extra to change it later on.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2010 20:11
|
|
|
Going to be in Malaysia in eight weeks, can't loving wait. Spending the last week in Sarawak, and going to go on this homestay for a few days: http://www.kurakura.asia/ We are going to be in Malaysia during Ramadan as well, which should be good with all the night markets and food to be had. Anyone been to Malaysia during Ramadan that can comment?
|
|
#
?
Jun 15, 2010 05:47
|
|
|
Going to Thailand in a month and looking for a couple bits of reassurance: -I'm looking at the list of recommended vaccines and I'm clear on everything except HepA, which I can't remember ever getting and don't think I'll have time to grab. I'll be with my girlfriend and her family (who are natives) the whole time, eating food they make or take me to. Is this bug something I'd really have to worry about if we're traveling pretty much to only cities? Or is HepA something that people normally get vaccinated for here, and I just forgot I had it? Vomiting blood all over their house is probably not the best way to meet my girlfriend's dad. -Pretty sure this is what's been said, but just checking so I have time to fix it if need be- as a U.S. citizen I can get a free 30-day visa just for getting there, correct?
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2010 03:13
|
|
|
Jet Age posted:Going to be in Malaysia in eight weeks, can't loving wait. Spending the last week in Sarawak, and going to go on this homestay for a few days: Jong's Crocodile Farm is also worth a trip out of Kuching. IIRC it's reachable by public bus. As far as Ramadan, my Lonely Planet had a little caution about eating during the non-kosher hours. I don't think it's a big deal outside of the really fundamentalist regions (northern Malaysia, mostly), but it did mention to expect many restaurants to be closed. Sarawak and Sabah are a lot less Muslim than the Peninsula though. C-Euro posted:Going to Thailand in a month and looking for a couple bits of reassurance: I would go ahead and get a Hep A jab if I were you, google for local travel clinics. If you can't get it in the States, you could probably get it in Thailand. Yep, it's 30 days on arrival provided you're flying in. They only give you 15 days at a land border now.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2010 03:26
|
|
|
Pompous Rhombus posted:I would go ahead and get a Hep A jab if I were you, google for local travel clinics. If you can't get it in the States, you could probably get it in Thailand.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2010 08:02
|
|
|
Are you up to date on your tetnus booster?
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2010 12:20
|
|
|
^^As far as I know, yes. I went to Germany for Study Abroad a couple years ago and I got a few different things updatedReindeerF posted:I agree on this, even though I live here and haven't had mine renewed or updated or whatever. The only thing I can think to add is that some of these vaccines take, say, a month to become active, so you'll want to get it ahead of time if it's one of those. Google around. If I recall, Hep A is the one where you get one shot and get another six months later and then it's good for like a decade or something. Don't believe any of that, but it's worth looking into the reality because it's easy if that's the case. Like I said I go in a month so I don't have time to get a sequence of shots but that post said that just the first shot for HepA is 75% effective, and I'm not going to be hiking around villages the whole time. Like I said though I may have all of those, I know I've gotten shots for some form Hepatitis in the last few years so I need to talk to my parents first. Thanks for the tips.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2010 01:01
|
|
|
Had my first motorbike accident yesterday. Was out on some dusty little mountain trail enroute to Pleiku and this woman comes flying around the corner on a scooter screaming at me in Vietnamese and we struck each other a glancing blow and both came off. Not sure whose fault it was - maybe mine, I think as an Australian I might have instinctively veered left. She came out of it all right, but my clutch had snapped clean off, my gear lever was bent and so were the handlebars. I nursed it further up the track to where my friends were and we spent an hour dickering with drunken Vietnamese men to try and get my clutch fixed. By the time we did, the rains had come in, and we had to ride 50 k's to Pleiku down a muddy trail soaking wet. It was one of those days I hated at the time but will look back on as a classic memory. By the way, does anyone know what the deal is with all the rolling blackouts along the coast in Vietnam?
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2010 02:38
|
|
|
ReindeerF posted:Heh, yeah. The Houston one's technically a law office.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2010 16:59
|
|
|
C-Euro posted:-I'm looking at the list of recommended vaccines and I'm clear on everything except HepA, which I can't remember ever getting and don't think I'll have time to grab. I'll be with my girlfriend and her family (who are natives) the whole time, eating food they make or take me to. Is this bug something I'd really have to worry about if we're traveling pretty much to only cities? Or is HepA something that people normally get vaccinated for here, and I just forgot I had it? Vomiting blood all over their house is probably not the best way to meet my girlfriend's dad. Hep A is not a normal vaccine in the US (apart from HIV positive gay men). If you can't get it then whatever, you'll probably be fine, and Hep A isn't a lifelong illness like Hep B is so being vaccinated for it isn't a question of life or death. Don't be too worried about it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2010 22:08
|
|
|
Astian posted:When I lived in LA and tried to contact the Cambodian consulate there, none of the phone numbers worked so I decided to visit the address in person. There were still a few torn posters of Angkor on the windows, but it looked completely deserted. The receptionist in the office next door said it had been abandoned more than five years before. This, in the city with the largest Khmer population outside of Asia.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2010 09:11
|
|
|
Sheep-Goats posted:Hep A is not a normal vaccine in the US (apart from HIV positive gay men). If you can't get it then whatever, you'll probably be fine, and Hep A isn't a lifelong illness like Hep B is so being vaccinated for it isn't a question of life or death. I ordered an immunization record from my old doctor and son of a bitch, I'm good on HepA but my last HepB was in '98. I could've sworn I got shots for something recently (I stopped with this doctor in '07) so I guess I have more research to do.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2010 22:49
|
|
|
Okay so I got inspired by this reddit thread - http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/cg60e/as_a_20yearold_female_i_spent_4_months_wandering/ - to go do some backpacking myself. 19 years old, in my second year of uni which I just recently put on hold so I currently have the rest of the year off - and $5000 I have saved up. it seems like Thailand is a pretty good choice, my brother wants to travel with me, but wouldn't be able to until he is finished with med-school. Would you guys recommend travelling by yourself? with others? As for the main questions, I can only travel up until next year February, and I'm thinking 2-3 months is a pretty good length of time. So, I know it says in the op Nov to Feb is a great time to go, but I would be pretty keen to go earlier, anyone recommend some other good times to travel to Thailand? So far I have barely learned researched much, just watching videos, reading up stuff about Thailand and Indonesia. As it stands I haven't actually picked a location (hell, even heard portugal is great), but I have definitely been thinking about it - and travelling for a few months is all I have really thought about for the last week or so.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2010 04:03
|
|
|
The brief answer I think you'll get out of most people in this thread is that A) traveling alone is generally better over the long-term and B) Thailand's a good place to travel and a good place to get to other places from because there's so much low budget tourist infrastructure. From here you can get directly to Cambodia, Laos, Burma & Malaysia by bus, air and sometimes train or boat. That's not to mention the many things worth doing in Thailand. You'll meet plenty of people, so don't worry about the alone thing. On the "why Southeast Asia" side, the number one factor for a budget tourist is cost. When I first came as a backpacker with nothing other than clothes, a backpack and a Lonely Planet I went by land (taxi, bus, train, etc) from Bangkok down through Hua Hin for a week on to the islands, back up to Bangkok, up to Ayutthaya, back to Bangkok, over to Siem Reap in Cambodia, up to Phnom Penh, over to the Vietnamese border at Chau Doc, up through Saigon, then Nha Trang, Hoi An, Da Nang, Hanoi and then crossed into China at Lang Son/Pingxiang, up to Nanning, then Guilin, Yangshuo, Xi`an, then Beijing and flew back to Bangkok, then hit the islands again for a week and a half and then stayed in Bangkok for a day or so and flew home. I ate plenty of good food, drank plenty of beer, took plenty of side trips and did lots of neat stuff over the course of 4 months or so all on $5,000. Today's economies are a little pricier than 2003 when I first came, but you can still last for a *long* time a do a lot here on that little money. In fact if I hadn't gone to China and spent several hundred dollars to fly back to Bangkok I could have lasted even longer. So from a budget perspective, that'd be my pitch.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2010 04:59
|
|
|
Also, Thai women, mate. They're just amazing. Met me missus in a bar in Nana and we've been married for 10 years now living happily in Isaan and we... OH poo poo WRONG FORUM. Edit: 
Ringo R fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Jun 20, 2010 |
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2010 05:29
|
|
|
poop posted:South East Asia gives a great balance of value for money, easiness, and beauty. It can be as "tourist trail" or as rustic and remote as one wishes. I wouldn't restrict yourself to just Thailand. The entire region is amazing, and with low cost airlines providing safe and efficient flights for  it's easy to get around. I'm very partial to Malaysia. I have friends there, I speak fairly basic Bahasa Malaysia, and I lived on Penang with friends for six weeks when I was 16. I go back every chance I get... there's always more to see. Travelling solo is fine. Travelling with friends is fine. I've done both in South East Asia. Each had its own challenges, but each was rewarding. Meeting people is easy if you're at all sociable (not necessarily involving alcohol) and make an effort to do things in a group. If you're keen to go to the region earlier, you have plenty of options to doge the worst of the rain and from memory (I'm too slack to check at the moment) two to three months to December would best be done from south to north - Mae Hong Son, for example, is beautiful in December. November is probably the worst time of year to visit places like Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, as the weather is pretty average. A three month itinerary... if I had that time I'd probably do the following. Assuming you're from a country where no visa is required for Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the following route removes the need to get a visa in advance: - Bangkok. Acclimatise to Asia. See the stuff nearby, such as Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, and so on. Head south to Koh Tao, stopping along the way if you wish or just do it all in one trip. - Koh Tao. Do a diving course. Meet lots of cool people and hang out on the beach drinking overpriced but still cheap beer. - Koh Phangan. Get your full moon party on, or just relax with reasonably cheap accommodation and food. - Koh Samui. This place sucks, just use it as a transit point to get to the mainland. - Surat Thani. There's not much here, except a train heading south. Get the train to Penang in Malaysia. - Penang. The history is fascinating and the food is awesome but it's a little boring. - Peninsula Malaysia. Jungle Railway, Taman Negara, Cameron Highlands, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Melacca, Pulau Perhentian and the Tioman Islands... Malaysia is a very cool and interesting place. - Singapore. Expensive and western and modern but again, great history and good food. The museums are excellent and it's worthwhile spending a few days to check the place out and perhaps meet other tourists. - Back to Malaysia, but this time to Borneo. Sabah and Sarawak are great, and my favourite city in Malaysia is Kuching. See orang utans and all sorts of cool wildlife. Climb Mt. Kinabalu, soak in hot springs, check out Gunung Mulu. - This can probably be done in one day but it's a bit of flying - necessary to get another 30 day visa free period for Thailand: Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to Phuket. If more coastal/island stuff doesn't interest you then skip Phuket and fly straight from Kuala Lumpur to Chiang Mai instead. - Phuket. Leave immediately and go somewhere else - Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, use your diving course skills at Koh Tarutao or Koh Lipe. Head back to Phuket, or head north to other islands or coastal bits or inland national parks (Khao Sok National Park is supposed to be awesome). - Fly to Chiang Mai from Phuket. It shouldn't be too pricey and saves a few days in transit. - Chiang Mai. Spend a few days here, then go to Pai. Pai is the sort of place one will either love or hate, but I thought it was pretty cool for a few days. - Pai to Mae Hong Son. If the season is right, it's possible to skip the long bus ride and do an overnight white water rafting trip through the jungle. It's well worth doing and is a hell of a lot of fun. The scenery is spectacular and the rapids aren't scary at all. - Mae Hong Son. A beautiful mountain town. Lots to see and do. - Back to Chiang Mai - either fly (half an hour) or get a bus (10 hours or something). - Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. - If time and money permit, go to Laos. Otherwise, find your way back to Bangkok and either go home or go to one of the many places other travellers have told you about but which you skipped when you were nearby. - If you really want to go to Indonesia, Air Asia fly to Bali for not too much money. Bali is a big place, try not to get too caught up in the miserable shithole that is Kuta. All of the above is pretty much part of the standard whitey backpacker tourist route in all of the above countries, but with a little research and insight it's possible to stray quite comfortably from the norm and see some really cool stuff. Homestays, smaller towns and villages, perhaps even volunteer somewhere for a while and really get a feel for the place. The possibilities are pretty much endless. Where are you travelling from? If you're travelling from Europe/UK, you'll want to look at Air Asia X from Stansted to Kuala Lumpur. As such, you'll start in Malaysia. If you're travelling from Australia then a cheap flight will either be Air Asia X to Kuala Lumpur, or Jetstar to Bangkok or Phuket or Singapore. Jetstar will soon fly non stop between Auckland and Singapore, so that's an option if you're travelling from there too. It's a bit more pricey from North America or Canada. Instead of flying as direct as possible to Bangkok, if the fare works out to be well priced it may be worth flying to Taipei or Hong Kong or somewhere in China and getting a cheap Air Asia flight to Bangkok (or wherever). I've seen Bangkok to Taipei for as low as about $50, and I flew Kuala Lumpur to Taipei earlier this year for not much more than that. Good luck! Edit: Having more thoroughly read the stories in the link you posted... wow! Some people are natural travellers - that girl is one of them. Travel like that requires a different mindset to that of most people, and I'm willing to bet that most people don't find out if they have the correct mindset until they arrive wherever they're going. I'm sloooooowly learning, but it'll take a lot more adventure until I'm happy to do the things that she did. I'm jealous. Indonesia is definitely on my list of places to go. I studied the language (hence why I speak some Bahasa Malaysia - it's similar to Bahasa Indonesia) and the culture and so on in high school for years. As a travel destination it didn't interest me at all until recently... Finch! fucked around with this message at 06:42 on Jun 20, 2010 |
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2010 05:48
|
|
|
Steve. posted:awesome advice Kickass, thanks man. I must admit, the social part is one of the main things I will be looking forward to, and most of all I would like to have a rough guide of things to see, and the best places to go to, but just travel whenever I felt ready to move on. Also, I'm a New Zealander living in auckland, so I will totally check out Jetstar. Once again, seriously awesome advice. Really grateful, thanks man.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2010 08:16
|
|
|
No worries. I'm happy to help - if I can't have adventure, I'm happy to talk about it  I don't think Jetstar begin their Singapore/Auckland flights until December. Another airline worth checking out for the Auckland/Asia thing is Royal Brunei. Their regular fares aren't anything special but they can have some amazing deals. They fly non stop between Auckland and Bandar Seri Bagawan. Brunei is worth checking out, too, if only for a couple of days at the most. I'm going on a dive trip to Thailand in December, and it's looking like I'll meet up with my mother in Bangkok as I'm travelling to Laos and she's coming back from Europe to Australia. After a few days with her, I'll lead to Laos for a few weeks then back to Koh Tao to spend one month diving. Can't wait...! If any goons will be on Koh Tao from say... Christmas to one month later, let's do a beer or ten on the beach 
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2010 11:44
|
|
|
So I was considering doing the SEA thing for a few months (say 3-6) before moving to Taiwan to study Mandarin (and possibly teach/tutor English). I've read this entire thread and parts of the last one so a lot of my questions were answered but there's a couple that come to mind. 1) I was planning on bringing my 15" unibody MacBook Pro with me, as the master plan involves eventually settling in Taipei for a year or two. Would this just be an unnecessary extra stress to bring to Thailand and the area? I was going to go with the typical two backpack setup, with the smaller one being my InCase laptop bag, which will hold it securely and has room for a day's stuff/change of clothes. My only concern is the lack of waterproofing and water damage being one of the few things not covered by AppleCare. I've considered getting a sweet waterproof Pelican briefcase for it, but that would probably just mean one more bulky thing to carry. Thoughts? 2) TEFL. I'd like to get my TEFL certification before I go to Taiwan so I may elect to teach a bit on the side while I study Mandarin (and possibly even in Thailand if I end up staying that long). I've been told it's cheaper and possibly better to take TEFL classes in Thailand if that's where you're going to be teaching. The trouble is, my final destination is Taiwan and I hear that anything from Thailand is pretty much useless over there. So would I be better off just spending the money here in the US and getting my certification before I go? I'm thinking I would and I have the time. 3) As far as planning goes, I was going to get an open-ended ticket and figure out the things I wanted to do/places I wanted to go. Then I'd make an outline grouped by location and find an efficient way to fit them in without too much backtracking/overlap. Frankly, something like Steve. has posted above looks pretty good, although I may prune some things, as I like to spend more time in one spot and take it slower then frenetically going from spot to spot and spending half my time on a bus. Assuming I'm occasionally getting rooms by the week, not bleeding money for alcohol/partying/whores, but want to have some AC now and then and actually *do* some stuff (maybe SCUBA lessons, snorkeling, massages [no happy ending], the aforementioned river raft trip, etc) and still moving around here and there, would budgeting $5k (plus airfare) for three months be reasonable? That's basically $50/day plus $500 for travel/whatever. Or would two grand a month be more reasonable? If I haven't supplied enough info on what I plan to do I'll come back when I've hashed out what I want to do and you might be able to get me an answer easier but I"m just looking for a ballpark. My basic plan was to start with 10k and putz around SEA for 3-4 months, or until I'm down to 4-5k, which is my start-up money for living in Taiwan for a few months in case I can't find a job. I figure worst case, I never find work and come home broke after 5-6 months of adventure. 4) Anyone going to be in the area September-November/Decemberish and want to hook up for anything from an afternoon to a fortnight? I like traveling alone but half the fun is meeting up with other solo travelers going to/coming from the same places as you. I obviously haven't set an itinerary yet so I'm pretty flexible and can take an interest in most anything for a little while anyway. 5) What insurance do I really need, if any at all? I don't have any health insurance at home, if that makes it easy (although I do see a doctor out-of-pocket now and then). I'm under 35 so I think I qualify for STA insurance but I don't have my ISID and I'm no longer a student so I'm not sure. Am I crazy? Am I a cliche? I'm sure I'll have more questions but I'm trying not to duplicate anything that's already been beaten to death in this thread. Edited to specify 15" uMBP and some thoughts on insurance. BigSuave fucked around with this message at 08:21 on Jun 21, 2010 |
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2010 11:44
|
|
|
Ringo R posted:Also, Thai women, mate. They're just amazing. Met me missus in a bar in Nana and we've been married for 10 years now living happily in Isaan and we... OH poo poo WRONG FORUM.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2010 14:06
|
|
|
BigSuave posted:So I was considering doing the SEA thing for a few months (say 3-6) before moving to Taiwan to study Mandarin (and possibly teach/tutor English). I've read this entire thread and parts of the last one so a lot of my questions were answered but there's a couple that come to mind. Is it a 13, 15 or 17 inch? If it was a 15 or 17, I would stash it somewhere (either with a goon or sympathetic guesthouse that you trust) while you travel, but a 13" might not be too bad to carry around. Personally I like traveling with a small laptop/netbook, but I'm fairly serious about photography and need something for storing/reviewing pictures as I go. A Pelican case is overkill, mine just lived in one of those $3-on-eBay neoprene sleeves and was fine. You probably don't want to mess with mailing it to yourself later in Taiwan, you'd likely get nailed for customs duty on it, or it might "get lost" if someone with sticky fingers eyeballs the declaration form on it. If neither of these sound good, consider selling it now and buying another one in Taiwan later (check prices over there first). I did my TEFL thing through these people 4 years ago. It's more expensive than some of the others in Thailand, but is actually accredited through the State University of New York. You can even get graduate level education credit for it if you want to, although you have to pay extra for the credit hours, which more than doubles the cost IIRC. The instructors were all very professional, and a lot of the teaching practicums were pro-bono charity type things (at a women's shelter, teachers at a school for the blind, a regular Thai high school, etc), which I thought was nice. $5k for 3 months is fine. You should have some basic health insurance to cover catastrophic things, I think STA Travel has some that comes with the ISIC card (if you're still eligible for that) that fits the bill. It's going to suck if you get hospitalized for something fairly minor that doesn't hit the deductible, but if you're young, sensible, and have no chronic health problems, I think the dice are weighted in your favor. Travel insurance (like for your stuff getting stolen) I personally never bother with, although you may be covered on your homeowner's/renters insurance, call your company and find out. If something does get stolen (not that likely) and you have insurance, you need to get a police report in the jurisdiction where the incident occurred and send that to your company for the reimbursement.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2010 16:42
|
|
|
ReindeerF posted:Sister-me mad you for put poto on web site na kaa. You no good heart not take care neber anysing you. Always look another woman and neber gibb anysing sister-me even she good heart jing jing na kaaa. คะะะะะะะะะะะะ god dammit dude my head is exploding  Any of you guys in this thread going to be around BKK mid-next month? I'll be heading over for a few days (specifically, Saturday 17th to Tuesday 20th) before flying to Hong Kong. Anyone want to grab a beer or three?
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2010 22:34
|
|
|
brendanwor posted:Anyone want to grab a beer or three? Sure, outside which 7-11 นะค่ะ?
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2010 07:47
|
|
|
brendanwor posted:คะะะะะะะะะะะะ god dammit dude my head is exploding
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2010 08:07
|
|
|
Pompous Rhombus posted:Cool, thanks for the insight and help. My laptop is a 15" but, as I'm sure you know, these unibodys are pretty slim and light. I'm leaning towards bringing it because, like you say, getting it to Taiwan eventually is going to suck rear end otherwise. I think I'll just invest in one of those neoprene sleeves or something to offer a little more protection and just put it in my backpack and be constantly aware that it's in there. I may end up leaving it in a locker or hide it in a ceiling tile or something every now and then -- can't have it with me while I'm diving obviously. I could be talked into leaving my laptop and getting an iPad but the way I look at it now is that ipad would cost me 2 more weeks of travel and I don't know if it's worth it. Plus, I can't coy photos directly to my iPad from my camera anyway, which is half the reason I'm bringing my laptop. As far as the insurance goes, I checked out STA's insurance link and it appears all you need to qualify is be under 35. Unless they're already assuming you're a student if you're at the site but I think if it were a requirement they would have mentioned it more clearly. If I do need a student card there's a chance I may be able to get one early from the place I'm studying in Taiwan -- we'll see. I'm putting a pin in this one for now anyway because, like you say, I'm young and healthy and while it would definitely suck to have a huge hospital bill in Bangkok I'm sure it would be far cheaper than getting one in the US, where I already don't have insurance anyway. One more thing - iPhone. I have an iPhone 3G and unfortunately it can't be unlocked. I was thinking of bringing it anyway since I need an MP3 player and I figure I can still use it in WiFi bubbles. The only reason I can think of not bringing it would be if unlocked ones were cheap and easy to get over there, in which case I'd just sell mine here and buy an unlocked one there and make it my primary phone for Asia. Does anyone know what they go for out there? Obviously I'd like to get an iPhone 4 when they come out there but if those are crazy expensive (and I assume they are going to be) I'd be happy with a 3Gs or even another 3G. Anyone who lives nearby able to get an idea of what that would run at MBK, or whatever? Otherwise I guess I'll just bring mine to use as a MP# player and buy a cheap world phone out there. BigSuave fucked around with this message at 08:39 on Jun 21, 2010 |
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2010 08:35
|
|
|
BigSuave posted:Cool, thanks for the insight and help. My laptop is a 15" but, as I'm sure you know, these unibodys are pretty slim and light. I'm leaning towards bringing it because, like you say, getting it to Taiwan eventually is going to suck rear end otherwise. I think I'll just invest in one of those neoprene sleeves or something to offer a little more protection and just put it in my backpack and be constantly aware that it's in there. I may end up leaving it in a locker or hide it in a ceiling tile or something every now and then -- can't have it with me while I'm diving obviously. I could be talked into leaving my laptop and getting an iPad but the way I look at it now is that ipad would cost me 2 more weeks of travel and I don't know if it's worth it. Plus, I can't coy photos directly to my iPad from my camera anyway, which is half the reason I'm bringing my laptop. An iPad would be nicer for everything but storing photos and writing long blog entries/emails. If you don't have a DSLR and shoot GB's per day, you can get by with a big memory card and burning DVD's at cybercafes (this is very commonly offered). It's a huge pain in the rear end for me so I bring my own laptop, but for 99% of travelers I think it's fine. I don't really know anything about the current state of iPhone unlocking but are you sure about that? They unlock phones, iPhones included, all day at MBK in Bangkok. If you have too new a version of firmware, I'd sell it and by an unlockable version in the USA, and use it when you get there. It'll be cheaper; electronics generally suck to buy in Thailand because of import duties, unless you're talking about crappy stuff from China. You may still want to pick up a crappy beater GSM phone to drop your SIM into if you're going to be out drinking or whatever though.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2010 08:53
|
|
|
Ringo R posted:Sure, outside which 7-11 นะค่ะ? 7-11ที่ซอยนานานะค่ะ where else ReindeerF posted:I'd be up possibly, but I'll be out of town on some form of drinking and not thinking about work vacation with a friend that was going to be in Luang Prabang until I found out about their 11:30 curfew (!!!). If you guys get together the 19th or 20th, let me know, I'll be back and may be around. 19th sounds cool. Ringo?
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2010 09:31
|
|
|
Pompous Rhombus posted:An iPad would be nicer for everything but storing photos and writing long blog entries/emails. If you don't have a DSLR and shoot GB's per day, you can get by with a big memory card and burning DVD's at cybercafes (this is very commonly offered). It's a huge pain in the rear end for me so I bring my own laptop, but for 99% of travelers I think it's fine. Gotcha'. I'll consider the iPad option because yeah I could always get a couple 4GB cards and just burn them to DVDs I suppose. I don't have a DSLR (just an SD400) and I'm certainly no Ansel Adams but the main reason for bringing my computer would be for writing and downloading videos and whatnot (remember I'm going to be moving there eventually, not just vacationing) as well as use in school both as a student and a teacher. The more I think about it the more I'm set on bringing my laptop; maybe I'll just make sure I have a few grand in travel insurance and just do my best to keep it safe but not worry about it. Yeah as far as the phone goes the firmware is the problem and, as far as I'm aware, there's no workaround here or abroad. I'm on 3.1.3 and my modem firmware is 5.12.1 so I'm pretty sure I'm hosed in that regard, unless they have some way to revert me that's not available on the interweb. So yeah it looks like my options are either bring my iphone and use it as an ipod and with wifi and buy a beater in-country for actual calling OR sell it here and buy an unlockable iphone here and get a prepaid sim in Thailand. The timing is actually really good for this with the iPhone 4 coming out this week. Lots of people are looking to dump their phones cheap in order to upgrade. Thanks again for all your help. I'm still a few months out so I'm sure I'll have more questions as time goes on. BigSuave fucked around with this message at 11:26 on Jun 21, 2010 |
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2010 11:20
|
|
|
C-Euro posted:I ordered an immunization record from my old doctor and son of a bitch, I'm good on HepA but my last HepB was in '98. I could've sworn I got shots for something recently (I stopped with this doctor in '07) so I guess I have more research to do. Hep A is transmitted mainly by eating poo poo. Hep B, on the other hand, is usually transmitted through the usual blood born channels, so if you're worried about Hep B wear a condom and don't share drug needles. You'll be okay. Getting another Hep B series when you get a chance isn't a bad idea though.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2010 16:48
|
|
|
Sheep-Goats posted:Hep A is transmitted mainly by eating poo poo. Hep B, on the other hand, is usually transmitted through the usual blood born channels, so if you're worried about Hep B wear a condom and don't share drug needles. I don't do heroin etc. and am going with my lovely Thai girlfriend of 2 1/2 years (if she had HepB I'd know by now ), so that makes me feel pretty good. Thanks! Honestly I'm a little nervous to go and I think it's manifesting itself in all these concerns; I met her mom last September and she seemed to like me, but I haven't met her dad yet, only a couple hellos over Skype. Plus her grandparents on one side want her to be dating a nice Asian boy instead of the white devil, and I think they're one of the first stops on our tour  It will probably be OK and I can't wait to go though.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2010 00:00
|
|
|
C-Euro posted:Plus her grandparents on one side want her to be dating a nice Asian boy instead of the white devil, and I think they're one of the first stops on our tour Yes but her parents want a lovely lukkrung baby child to grow up and be in Thai soap operas so granpa/grandma aren't an issue! Sing a song for them at the karaoke booth and act like Beaver from Leave it to Beaver and you'll be fine.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2010 04:56
|
|
|
brendanwor posted:19th sounds cool. Ringo? Oh that's a monday, not sure if it's a good idea to drink then. Not that I plan to get wasted but hmm, will have to get back to you on that as the date gets closer. Sheep-Goats posted:Yes but her parents want a lovely lukkrung baby child to grow up and be in Thai soap operas so granpa/grandma aren't an issue! This. Make girlfriend squeeze out a halfie, dump him/her in girlfriend's village until age 18. Pimp him/her to Thai soap operas (if white enough, no actual talent required). Sit back and watch the money roll in. If money does not roll in quickly enough, "leak" a sex video. No offence, brendanwor! We just kidding na
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2010 06:17
|
|
|
Ringo R posted:Oh that's a monday, not sure if it's a good idea to drink then. Not that I plan to get wasted but hmm, will have to get back to you on that as the date gets closer. Soft, but hey, I'll drink whenever, not fussed on the day, so you guys name an evening (ps not an alcoholic) Ringo R posted:This. Make girlfriend squeeze out a halfie, dump him/her in girlfriend's village until age 18. Pimp him/her to Thai soap operas (if white enough, no actual talent required). Sit back and watch the money roll in. If money does not roll in quickly enough, "leak" a sex video. Yeah if my parents had loving followed this route I'd have a couple penthouses on Silom and a Ferrari by now, god.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2010 07:49
|
|
|
Sheep-Goats posted:Yes but her parents want a lovely lukkrung baby child to grow up and be in Thai soap operas so granpa/grandma aren't an issue! Sheep-Goats posted:Sing a song for them at the karaoke booth and act like Beaver from Leave it to Beaver and you'll be fine.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2010 07:52
|
|
|
ReindeerF posted:This is both hilarious and true. Talk about saving money and college degrees and taking care of your parents all the time and they'll soften up. Ooh jai dii geng geng geng geng. That is good advice. A month really isn't a lot of time, but in the long term, make an effort to learn Thai. The "international" crowd seem indifferent at best to it, but it scores you mad points with old school Thai people.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2010 12:30
|
|
|
Thought you guys might get a kick out of this thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3319924 Can't tell if it's a troll or not, but I thought it was quite timely given the current discussion!
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2010 11:57
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 9, 2024 04:17 |
|
|
SonicDefiance posted:Thought you guys might get a kick out of this thread: I laughed pretty hard at the barrister/barista joke.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2010 13:17
|
|