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ZombiesAhead posted:I've been riding around SEA for the past couple months and I just crossed into Vietnam from Laos. I picked up a (free) helmet in Laos since I know you're supposed to wear one in Vietnam but police haven't seemed to care much yet as I've cruised by. Whoa, on a non Viet bike? What make is it, and did they give you any trouble at the border? To answer your question: you should be wearing a helmet anyways, jesus.
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Aug 31, 2010 11:47
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I bought a Vietnamese-plated "Sym" before I left Laos for $230. Third gear doesn't work so well (slips out) but it's taken me almost 1000km so far. Up until that point I had been on a legally-plated Lao XR250. Before that, I was cruising Thailand on rental Honda Sonics and 250 Suzukis and XR's. The guy I bought the Sym from had temporary export papers (in yet another person's name) but it was expired. It took a while but I made it through the Nam Phao/Cau Treo crossing. I've been in SEA since July 1st and I'm planning on staying for good (moving to the Chiang Mai area). PS - your reply answers my question 0%  Click here for the full 2048x1536 image.  Click here for the full 2048x1536 image. ZombiesAhead fucked around with this message at 19:28 on Sep 2, 2010 |
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Aug 31, 2010 14:22
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Pompous Rhombus posted:you should be wearing a helmet anyways, jesus. This, you're pretty much nuts to ride anywhere without one, let alone the 3rd world with it's interesting roads and driving styles. I came over a blind hill in Laos on a bike to find a truck stopped next to another truck that had broken down, completely blocking the road. I sort of slid to a halt in the grass on the side of the road, would probably still be alive without a helmet but I might be slurring a bit 
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Aug 31, 2010 19:11
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How did the Lao plated 250 work? What countries can you take it in?
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Sep 1, 2010 01:18
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Despair not, fellow exiles. For I have found Beer Lao in my whitebread town in America (so you should probably be able to as well, call your local distributer and axe) Edit: for those of you who have been to Cambodia recently, do they still have Beer Klang? The one with the elephant raging out on the can, that's like 9% alcohol?
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Sep 2, 2010 02:35
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Hooray Beerlao! For those of you in the DC area, Wegmans carries it (for $8 a 6-pack).
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Sep 2, 2010 02:46
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Despair not, fellow exiles. For I have found Beer Lao in my whitebread town in America (so you should probably be able to as well, call your local distributer and axe) I never actually got Beer Lao in Lao (I got it everywhere else though unless they had Asahi) but when I did get it in SE Asia it was always lager Beer Lao not dark Beer Lao which I didn't think existed until I saw it all over my neighborhood here in Queens (I live in the SE Asian area  ) so I ask you is there dark Beer Lao in Lao or is this just an American thing.
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Sep 2, 2010 03:11
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Sheep-Goats posted:I never actually got Beer Lao in Lao (I got it everywhere else though unless they had Asahi) but when I did get it in SE Asia it was always lager Beer Lao not dark Beer Lao which I didn't think existed until I saw it all over my neighborhood here in Queens (I live in the SE Asian area Yeah, they have it in Laos, just came out with it a few years ago. It's not as widespread as the old stuff, but not too hard to find. I'd always get it when I could find it because of the general lack of availability of local dark brews in SEA. My friends tell me there's now a Beer Lao Premium 
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Sep 2, 2010 03:27
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It was truly a happy day when I found beer lao in Zurich.
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Sep 2, 2010 10:47
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I really miss the bia hoi in Vietnam 
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Sep 2, 2010 11:41
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What's the easiest way to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap? It seems like a major hassle to go overland and BKK-REP is something ridiculous like $350 round trip. I was thinking of flying into Phnom Penh and taking a bus or taxi from there.
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Sep 2, 2010 12:18
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TheLizard posted:What's the easiest way to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap? It seems like a major hassle to go overland and BKK-REP is something ridiculous like $350 round trip. I was thinking of flying into Phnom Penh and taking a bus or taxi from there. This was years ago but I flew with AirAsia for like £20 from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, then got a bus (5 hours I think?) for a few dollars to Siem Reap. Didn't do it on the same day though.
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Sep 2, 2010 13:28
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Xanin posted:This was years ago but I flew with AirAsia for like £20 from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, then got a bus (5 hours I think?) for a few dollars to Siem Reap. Didn't do it on the same day though. Yeah, that's what I did last time. The road between SR and PP is one of Cambodia's nicer ones.
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Sep 2, 2010 13:38
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Xanin posted:This was years ago but I flew with AirAsia for like £20 from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, then got a bus (5 hours I think?) for a few dollars to Siem Reap. Didn't do it on the same day though. I did this same thing mid may this year for about the same price quoted here.
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Sep 2, 2010 21:25
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Most excellent! That is what we will do then.
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Sep 2, 2010 21:59
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Yeah, the road from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap is really good quality, and there's a bunch of travel stores around Sisowath Quay in PP. Bus tickets are about ten bucks, and you can just sit back and listen to your ipod or whatever for the 5 hour trip, pretty easy.
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Sep 2, 2010 22:24
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First off, thank you all for the informative posts. I've been following this thread religiously since my wife and I decided to book our trip to Thailand and Hong Kong a few months ago. We're heading over in October to do 6 nights in Koh Samui, 3 nights with friends in Bangkok, then 4 nights in Hong Kong. I have a few of questions: 1. I'm thinking of getting a suit or two made while we're in Koh Samui. Does anyone have any experience with a decent tailor on the island? We're staying at the south end of Chaweng so I'm looking for someone there. I've seen good recommendations for Timmy's Tailors on the tripadvisor forums, but I figured I'd check with you guys to see if there is anyone else I should visit instead. 2. Any recommendations for good bars/restaurants to hit in Chaweng? For bars we like a chill atmosphere preferably close to the beach. No thumping-bass clubs for us. For restaurants, fresh seafood is the key, as I can eat my weight in grilled shrimp and lobster. 3. I know there is a separate thread, but I figured I would check in this one first to see if anyone has a suggestion for a nice hotel to stay in whilst we're in Hong Kong. I was last there in 1997, and I know the Kowloon side has changed quite a lot since then (I still can't forget the insane approach to Kai Tak airport) so I'm fine with staying over there instead of Hong Kong island. We'd like to keep it under $150/night if possible. A good view of the harbor would be a nice plus. Finally for those who may be looking for a good carryon bag, after much research I just picked up the Patagonia MLC bag so I don't have to worry about checking anything on the way over and missing any connections. Obviously, I haven't had a chance to actually travel with it, but if you want a carryon that will fit a ton of stuff this might be the answer. On my test-pack I managed to fit in: 7 pairs of socks, 7 pairs of boxers, bathing suit, 4 t-shirts, 2 pairs of pants, 1 pair of shorts, 3 polo shirts, 2 dress shirts, a pair of running shoes and a pair of flip flops and I still have a lot of room left. This thing is great.
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Sep 4, 2010 19:32
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Slow Graffiti posted:2. Any recommendations for good bars/restaurants to hit in Chaweng? For bars we like a chill atmosphere preferably close to the beach. No thumping-bass clubs for us. For restaurants, fresh seafood is the key, as I can eat my weight in grilled shrimp and lobster. The entire stretch of Chaweng beach is loaded with restaurants, clubs and bars right onto the sand, all of which tend to be packed most nights. Whether it's seafood or laid back beers or vodka redbulls and hard trance you want, you aren't going to have any trouble finding it just by walking along the beach on any evening. Re. HK, I stayed at the Eaton Hotel on Nathan Rd, Kowloon a few weeks ago which I'd happily recommend. It's 4 star, quite nice new rooms (I stayed in a deluxe room) with good amenities including large plasma TV, stereo with iPod/iPhone dock, super comfortable beds with feather pillows etc. About 10 minutes walk up from Tsim Sha Tsui and the ferry pier. Pricing tends to be right around $150/night so should hit your budget well. Only thing is that the rooms are fairly small, but that's to be expected in HK. Deluxe room: 
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Sep 4, 2010 23:38
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Slow Graffiti posted:Try to do a day trip to Macau - or spend a few nights there. If one ignores the casinos (which is difficult, they're everywhere) or at least ignores the gambling, it's a very interesting place that's so different to Hong Kong. Well worth checking out.
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Sep 5, 2010 03:12
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brendanwor posted:The entire stretch of Chaweng beach is loaded with restaurants, clubs and bars right onto the sand, all of which tend to be packed most nights. Whether it's seafood or laid back beers or vodka redbulls and hard trance you want, you aren't going to have any trouble finding it just by walking along the beach on any evening. Excellent. I was hoping that was the case at Chaweng. And thanks for the hotel suggestion, I'll definitely check that one out. Steve. posted:Try to do a day trip to Macau - or spend a few nights there. If one ignores the casinos (which is difficult, they're everywhere) or at least ignores the gambling, it's a very interesting place that's so different to Hong Kong. Well worth checking out. We're planning on catching the fast ferry over to Macau early one morning to spend a day there. I will try to suppress my love of blackjack and actually travel around and see the sights.
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Sep 5, 2010 14:38
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Did anyone ever go into the Casino at the Cambodia/Thailand border? What is it like? I really regret not going into it just to look. What was it like if you did? Basically craps limits and whatnot.
Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Sep 6, 2010 |
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Sep 6, 2010 16:14
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Edit: for those of you who have been to Cambodia recently, do they still have Beer Klang? The one with the elephant raging out on the can, that's like 9% alcohol? I was there in May and never saw anything like that, it was all either Angkor or Anchor (which is confusing).
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Sep 7, 2010 03:46
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What are the cheapest options for getting to Indonesia (Jakarta) during the later December timeframe? I searched online and all the prices I saw are around $2500, which is a bit ridiculous if you ask me.
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Sep 8, 2010 02:46
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Mongolian Squid posted:What are the cheapest options for getting to Indonesia (Jakarta) during the later December timeframe? To Jakarta from where?
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Sep 8, 2010 02:49
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Steve. posted:To Jakarta from where? Sorry, I meant from east coast USA, Baltimore or greater DC area.
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Sep 8, 2010 03:25
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Late December is pricey! The best I've found is AUD 1547 Baltimore/Jakarta return with Korean Air (two long layovers, though) departing Baltimore on December 4 and returning January 26. Leaving Baltimore later in the month means an extra AUD 800, at least.
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Sep 8, 2010 05:29
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I spent five weeks in Thailand and three weeks in Laos with my girlfriend around new years and loved it so much that I am going back, but this time with two mates for a month this November/December. How long is a good time for Cambodia? Got the basic Siem Reap - Phnom Pehn - Sihanoukville itinerary planned out, but unsure how long will do it justice. Time restraints involving full moon leaves us a maximum of two weeks, but I wouldn't mind visting Bangkok again. Will less than thirteen days for Cambodia be pushing it? I know this seems like a rush rush itinerary, and it probably is. But I'd rather a rush rush itinerary with my mates than four weeks on my own. Also, any good Full Moon accommodation recommendations? I'm thinking Leela Beach, which is close but not on Haad Rin.
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Sep 9, 2010 11:41
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mr. pitiful posted:How long is a good time for Cambodia? Got the basic Siem Reap - Phnom Pehn - Sihanoukville itinerary planned out, but unsure how long will do it justice. Time restraints involving full moon leaves us a maximum of two weeks, but I wouldn't mind visting Bangkok again. Will less than thirteen days for Cambodia be pushing it? Ten days is fine; two days is plenty for Angkor Wat unless you have a deep interest in Khmer archaeology (plus you can grab an extra evening if you get your passes in late afternoon the day before), it's five hours or so to Phnom Penh, which is itself worth 2-3 days at most. Personally I don't really think Sihanoukville has much to offer if you're going to be on the beach in Thailand; I recommend doing Kampot (sleepy river town), Bokor Hill Station (abandoned French casino/hill station on a plateau, one of the most interesting things in Southeast Asia IMO), and Kep (seaside; has a nice little stretch of beach, freshest possible seafood, and crumbling French villas) instead. Kep and Bokor are both pretty close to Kampot - you can do a day trip to Bokor from Kampot or stay overnight and come down the next afternoon, and Kep is an easy day trip by hired motorbike. I would just fly back to Bangkok from Phnom Penh on Air Asia for $25-50 rather bother to do it overland.
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Sep 9, 2010 21:53
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I am going to be in Thailand for the Loy Krathong festival. Is this worth making plans so that I am in Chiangmai for the festival? It also takes place during the only full moon I'll be in thailand. The full moon party on Phangan interests me a little bit. I am undecided if either of them are worth planning around when I will only be in SEA for 5 weeks.
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Sep 10, 2010 08:15
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Dangbe posted:I am going to be in Thailand for the Loy Krathong festival. Is this worth making plans so that I am in Chiangmai for the festival? It also takes place during the only full moon I'll be in thailand. The full moon party on Phangan interests me a little bit. I am undecided if either of them are worth planning around when I will only be in SEA for 5 weeks. Unless you have a real passionate interest in Thai culture, you're probably better off just going to the full moon party, as much as taking part in things like Loy Krathong, Songkran etc is awesome.
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Sep 10, 2010 10:28
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Personally I don't really think Sihanoukville has much to offer if you're going to be on the beach in Thailand; I recommend doing Kampot (sleepy river town), Bokor Hill Station (abandoned French casino/hill station on a plateau, one of the most interesting things in Southeast Asia IMO), and Kep (seaside; has a nice little stretch of beach, freshest possible seafood, and crumbling French villas) instead. Kep and Bokor are both pretty close to Kampot - you can do a day trip to Bokor from Kampot or stay overnight and come down the next afternoon, and Kep is an easy day trip by hired motorbike. I personally thought that Sihanoukville was a fantastic place to explore on a rented motorbike. So many abandoned places to check out and long dirt roads etc.. Though, you probably can find that stuff anywhere in Cambodia. Bokor hill station was closed down while i was there, pretty bummed i didn't get to see it I heard they do new-years parties there, at least used to...
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Sep 10, 2010 21:46
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So, I'm going to be in Bali (kuta I guess?) from the 23rd, any recommendations ? I heard just watching the drunk australians is pretty fun.
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Sep 11, 2010 18:40
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Bali is beautiful, but Kuta is just a shithole. Avoid. If you can, try to wrangle a visit to East Timor. That country needs all the tourists it can get!
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Sep 12, 2010 02:44
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I'm traveling through SE Asia over the next couple of months. I'd really like to go through Vietnam, but I'll be starting in Malaysia, so I have no idea when I might make it to Vietnam. Is there any way to get it while I'm over there? I'll have a couple of weeks to organise it, but just want to know whether it's is possible or shoul be organized before I leave. (Australian resident)
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Sep 15, 2010 04:57
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rockarocka posted:I'm traveling through SE Asia over the next couple of months. I'd really like to go through Vietnam, but I'll be starting in Malaysia, so I have no idea when I might make it to Vietnam. Is there any way to get it while I'm over there? I'll have a couple of weeks to organise it, but just want to know whether it's is possible or shoul be organized before I leave. (Australian resident) Get what?
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Sep 15, 2010 10:38
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lemonadesweetheart posted:Get what? Oops! A vietnamese visa...
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Sep 15, 2010 14:47
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rockarocka posted:Oops! A vietnamese visa... Get it in Australia, Malaysian bureaucracy is pretty slow.
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Sep 15, 2010 14:51
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rockarocka posted:Oops! A vietnamese visa... If you plan on going through Bangkok at all, i'd get it there rather than giving up the ability to plan things on the road a bit more. It only took them 2-3 days iirc at the Vietnamese embassy.
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Sep 15, 2010 19:29
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lemonadesweetheart posted:Get it in Australia, Malaysian bureaucracy is pretty slow. I'd probably do it somewhere in Thailand as I'm planning on only staying in Kuala Lumpur for a few days before heading north. But definitely won't attempt it in Malaysia then. chockomonkey posted:If you plan on going through Bangkok at all, i'd get it there rather than giving up the ability to plan things on the road a bit more. It only took them 2-3 days iirc at the Vietnamese embassy. Thanks! That's sort of what I've been hearing from various places on the net. I'd probably prefer to have that freedom and skipping Vietnam altogether (even so it sounds pretty awesome), rather than having to schedule some date in to cross the border, so I'm willing to take the risk and stick around in Bangkok for a while to get things sorted if needed.
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Sep 16, 2010 04:54
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chockomonkey posted:I personally thought that Sihanoukville was a fantastic place to explore on a rented motorbike. So many abandoned places to check out and long dirt roads etc.. It's pretty meh IMO, the beach is mediocre compared to Thailand, and like you said, you can find that stuff pretty much anywhere in Cambodia. Sihanoukville isn't awful by any stretch, but on a limited timetable I'd give it a miss. rockarocka posted:I'm traveling through SE Asia over the next couple of months. I'd really like to go through Vietnam, but I'll be starting in Malaysia, so I have no idea when I might make it to Vietnam. Is there any way to get it while I'm over there? I'll have a couple of weeks to organise it, but just want to know whether it's is possible or shoul be organized before I leave. (Australian resident) I've heard the Vietnamese consulate in Sihanoukville is the fastest (can do it while you wait), but haven't been there myself. For other embassies/consulates, I think it's generally worthwhile to just pay one of the local travel agent places to go down and do it for you. It costs an extra $5-10, but you get to enjoy your afternoon rather than spend it in a long queue (watching visa agents go up with stacks of passports to have processed), getting to the front to find out you're missing some triviality and have to restart the process all over again. If you're flying in (Air Asia flies from Bangkok to Hanoi and HCMC cheap, it's not hard to nab a US$50 fare), you can get your visa online through a Vietnamese travel/tour company, and pick it up at the airport on arrival. That's what I did, I think it remember taking 1-2 days.
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Sep 17, 2010 15:03
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