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Steve. posted:Awesome, thanks. That's just the sort of thing I'm after. Any tips re: the connection from Khao Sok to Koh Tao? Google hasn't yielded much, I'm guessing there's a morning bus to Surat Thani or Chumpon or something... We're planning on taking care of that when we land in Bangkok. No issues there, right?
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Oct 6, 2010 10:58
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phenx posted:Guess my question is how bad is October in south thailand we'll I be stuck inside for most of the time, or will i just have to time my going outside to avoid massive downpours? The few hours of monsoon are kind of fun, to be honest. There's nothing like getting stuck under an umbrella drinking cheap beer and eating loads of roti whilst the street floods to reinforce that you're not at home... Shampy posted:We're planning on taking care of that when we land in Bangkok. No issues there, right? That's easy to arrange, provided you can hang around for a few days as the visa application is being processed. Have fun! 
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Oct 6, 2010 11:56
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Shampy posted:We're planning on taking care of that when we land in Bangkok. No issues there, right? Since you're flying in, you can actually apply for your visa online from a Vietnamese travel company and pick it up at the airport on arrival. Just google it, find a few companies, then google their names to make sure they're legit (I think most are).
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Oct 6, 2010 17:00
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Steve. posted:Awesome, thanks. That's just the sort of thing I'm after. Any tips re: the connection from Khao Sok to Koh Tao? Google hasn't yielded much, I'm guessing there's a morning bus to Surat Thani or Chumpon or something... Yeah, to Surat Thani is the way to go. There are indeed buses you can get from outside the main gate into the park (which is close to the main road between Phuket and Surat Thani). Alternatively you can probably get your guesthouse to organise a taxi or a songthaew for you, like me and my friends did. Takes about 3 hours or so to get to Surat Thani and then another 3 hours or so to Koh Tao. Just make sure you leave Khao Sok early enough to make the morning ferry; we left at about 5.30am, pretty sweet drive through fog etc on the way though.
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Oct 6, 2010 21:25
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Ringo, your Jonny Olsen link from the OP is dead! Don't cheat newcomers to the thread of his awesome Farang hits!
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Oct 6, 2010 22:09
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Since you're flying in, you can actually apply for your visa online from a Vietnamese travel company and pick it up at the airport on arrival. Just google it, find a few companies, then google their names to make sure they're legit (I think most are). BUT I'M FLYING IN TOMORROW BABY. I'M SO loving EXCITED I MAY VERY WELL poo poo MY JORTS WOOOOOOOOOO
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Oct 6, 2010 23:46
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brendanwor posted:Yeah, to Surat Thani is the way to go. There are indeed buses you can get from outside the main gate into the park (which is close to the main road between Phuket and Surat Thani). Alternatively you can probably get your guesthouse to organise a taxi or a songthaew for you, like me and my friends did. Takes about 3 hours or so to get to Surat Thani and then another 3 hours or so to Koh Tao. Just make sure you leave Khao Sok early enough to make the morning ferry; we left at about 5.30am, pretty sweet drive through fog etc on the way though. Sweet. Thank you very much. There will probably only be two of us so we'll figure out the best time/cost ratio when we're there. Do you recall which ferry company you took? I know Seatran used to go to Surat Thani (or Don Sak, I forget) but there's no longer any mention on their website, same for Songserm (I know they used to do Surat Thani to Koh Tao) and Lomprayah. Raja Ferry don't visit Koh Tao, so whatever we do it looks like there will be a connection between ferry companies in there somewhere.
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Oct 6, 2010 23:57
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My wife and I are heading to Thailand this weekend for 2 weeks and as both of us are big (American) football fans, we thought it might be fun to watch the NY Giants fall apart while on vacation. Can anyone recommend a bar on Koh Samui or in Bangkok (or both) that we can catch NFL games at, or are we out of luck? The games start at 1pm EST, so midnight in Thailand. How late do bars usually stay open in Bangkok and Koh Samui?
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Oct 7, 2010 02:20
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Slow Graffiti posted:My wife and I are heading to Thailand this weekend for 2 weeks and as both of us are big (American) football fans, we thought it might be fun to watch the NY Giants fall apart while on vacation. Can anyone recommend a bar on Koh Samui or in Bangkok (or both) that we can catch NFL games at, or are we out of luck? Bars close at 1 in Bangkok (I know!) but there are after hours places that stay open. Some have TVs, but all in all I think your football watching dreams are best postponed until you get back from your trip. Bangkok is also dominated by British expats (Americans gravitate to Chiang Mai) so if there's foreign sports on the TV it's usually soccer (which Thai people adore). Samui will have more places open later, but fewer spots where you can watch TV. A lot of the sports oriented bars that would probably have the NFL on will also be in areas that are crawling with hookers, so if your wife likes hookers give it a go I guess. The hookers will (mostly) leave you alone if they see you're with your wife -- but you never know, you might get an offer for a twosie or something like that.
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Oct 7, 2010 03:19
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Sheep-Goats posted:Bars close at 1 in Bangkok (I know!) but there are after hours places that stay open. Some have TVs, but all in all I think your football watching dreams are best postponed until you get back from your trip. Bangkok is also dominated by British expats (Americans gravitate to Chiang Mai) so if there's foreign sports on the TV it's usually soccer (which Thai people adore). Hmmmmm, perhaps watching NFL in Thailand may not be for us. And bars closing at 1am? I'm so spoiled by the 4am close here in NYC...
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Oct 7, 2010 04:07
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Slow Graffiti posted:Hmmmmm, perhaps watching NFL in Thailand may not be for us. And bars closing at 1am? I'm so spoiled by the 4am close here in NYC... On the plus side, people/hooker watching at the after hours places is lots of fun.
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Oct 7, 2010 08:06
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I am planning a trip to Vietnam from about December 25 until January 6. Give or take I'll be spending about 10-11 days there. Since I live in Japan I'll probably be flying from Tokyo into Hanoi, and then using an open-jaw return from HCMC. I would like to hit the following places, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, and HCMC. I also heard that Phu Quoc is worth visiting if I can squeeze it in. I'm willing to add more days to the end of the trip since I was only planning to visit another part of Japan for a few days. I would probably get a hotel room in advance (obviously) for my first night in Hanoi, but after that I was planning to backpack around from hostel/cheap hotel to another. This time a year should I really try to book stuff like rooms and train tickets in advance or can I reasonably leave an open itinerary given I can only stay for a max of two weeks? Thanks for any help, as this will be my first time traveling to another country that isn't Japan.
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Oct 7, 2010 10:56
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quick report on jakarta : man I'm bored. went to the old dutch colonial part of town today, was nice but only for an hour or so. yogya next! fake edit : if in jakarta, check out hunny hostel. fake edit 2 : should I even bother going over to jalan jaksa (the main backpacker street) to look for some fun?
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Oct 7, 2010 15:30
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Klogdor posted:quick report on jakarta : man I'm bored. went to the old dutch colonial part of town today, was nice but only for an hour or so. yogya next! I didn't find Jalan Jaksa too great to be honest. Everything looked shut to me, and the places that were open were quite seedy.
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Oct 7, 2010 17:23
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Steve. posted:Sweet. Thank you very much. There will probably only be two of us so we'll figure out the best time/cost ratio when we're there. Man, you're absolutely right. I'm pretty certain we went with Lomprayah, but this was almost two years ago now, and none of the major operators (like you said) seem to offer direct connections to Koh Tao anymore. Not too big a deal though, I guess you can just get Raja to Samui then switch to Lomprayah to Koh Tao? Pompous Rhombus posted:On the plus side, people/hooker watching at the after hours places is lots of fun. I've found lately that places in BKK are staying open a bit later, like till around 2 or so, which is at least an improvement! brendanwor fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Oct 7, 2010 |
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Oct 7, 2010 20:07
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Pompous Rhombus posted:On the plus side, people/hooker watching at the after hours places is lots of fun.  (As to the ferry discussion above IMO it's always better to just show up and buy a ticket. If you buy from one company they want to sell you a round trip ticket then you end up waiting on the dock for their boat instead of the first boat blah blah blah.) raton fucked around with this message at 21:22 on Oct 7, 2010 |
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Oct 7, 2010 21:17
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brendanwor posted:Man, you're absolutely right. I'm pretty certain we went with Lomprayah, but this was almost two years ago now, and none of the major operators (like you said) seem to offer direct connections to Koh Tao anymore. Not too big a deal though, I guess you can just get Raja to Samui then switch to Lomprayah to Koh Tao? Yeah, it shouldn't be hard at all. I was just wondering if there was something that I'd missed If all else fails it turns out that the dive shop I'll be diving with on Koh Tao have a smaller operation at Khao Lak, so I'll ask them how they get people back and forth.
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Oct 8, 2010 00:27
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Does anybody have any strong opinions on the concept of taking a bus from Kuala Lumpur to Malacca, spending a few hours there, and then taking a bus to Singapore?
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Oct 8, 2010 02:57
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fritz posted:Does anybody have any strong opinions on the concept of taking a bus from Kuala Lumpur to Malacca, spending a few hours there, and then taking a bus to Singapore? The strongest I feel about that is that you should spend more time at Malacca - it's a fascinating little city. Delicious, too. I could spend a week or more there just eating before I even start to see the sights! Finch! fucked around with this message at 03:42 on Oct 8, 2010 |
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Oct 8, 2010 03:11
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Steve. posted:The strongest I feela bout that is that you should spend more time at Malacca - it's a fascinating little city. Delicious, too. I could spend a week or more there just eating before I even start to see the sights! I'm on a limited schedule (I'm in Bangkok through the night of the 16th and I have to fly out from there the afternoon of the 23rd (so back in town on the 22nd to be safe) ) and I want to spend a couple days each in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
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Oct 8, 2010 03:35
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Ah, drat. I did Malacca quickly too, and I've regretted it ever since. Next time!
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Oct 8, 2010 03:44
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Steve. posted:Ah, drat. I did Malacca quickly too, and I've regretted it ever since. Next time! This is my third trip to Thailand (dad retired to Chiang Mai) and I finally have enough time to see some other places in SE Asia, next time is probably going to be India or Vietnam. Dad's pals with a western restaurant owner in C.M. so we're probably going to eat there a lot, it's good food but I don't want to travel ten thousand miles to have spaghetti.
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Oct 8, 2010 03:55
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I'm arriving late at night into Bangkok and I was wondering if there is a good destination to tell the cab drive where I want to go so I can find a guest house. I don't want to go to KSR, anywhere but there. I heard Rambuttri road is a decent spot to attempt to find a guest house. If I tell a cab driver to take me there will he have any idea what I'm talking about? Also if there is a place on that road that I can pretend to have reservations at please name drop a guest house near there.
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Oct 8, 2010 05:21
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Dangbe posted:I'm arriving late at night into Bangkok and I was wondering if there is a good destination to tell the cab drive where I want to go so I can find a guest house. I don't want to go to KSR, anywhere but there. I heard Rambuttri road is a decent spot to attempt to find a guest house. If I tell a cab driver to take me there will he have any idea what I'm talking about? Also if there is a place on that road that I can pretend to have reservations at please name drop a guest house near there. Rambutri is literally right across the street from Khao San. It's a little quieter but still quite touristy. fritz posted:Dad's pals with a western restaurant owner in C.M. so we're probably going to eat there a lot, it's good food but I don't want to travel ten thousand miles to have spaghetti. I know you probably don't want to go all that way to eat Mexican food, but ReindeerF and I are both in agreement that Miguel's in Chiang Mai is the best Mexican food in Thailand. There was also a place in Pai (town nearby that you may find yourself in) that's Tex-Mex with a bit of a Thai influence that was also quite good.
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Oct 8, 2010 07:07
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I spent under 24 hours in Malacca and I felt that was far too long.
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Oct 8, 2010 08:08
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I'm going to Malacca this weekend to hang out with some buddies.
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Oct 8, 2010 08:09
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I didn't dig Malacca either, and was there for the Saturday night market or whatever it was too. Wasn't really much there just a big stage with old people doing karaoke, and people selling your usual lovely market toys and fake stuff. The food on Jonker street was great though - make sure you try the ice kacang and the chicken rice balls. There was some good history and museums but nothing special. I went for a swim at the public pool and the old guys that go for a swim everyday were real friendly and good for a chat. The portuguese square thing really wasn't worth it at all. Wouldn't say it's a must-do, much preferred Penang.
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Oct 9, 2010 15:14
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Fiskenbob posted:Ringo, your Jonny Olsen link from the OP is dead! Don't cheat newcomers to the thread of his awesome Farang hits! I think Mr Olsen himself had it taken down to force people to buy his CD. Can't find anything else by him that is anywhere as good as that video. Feel free to recommend something though
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Oct 10, 2010 17:00
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I'm figuring out the logistics of flying from Dublin to Bangkok with Etihad. There's a lay over in Abu Dhabi for 90 minutes, anyone know what Etihads policy is if there's a delay in the first flight that results in me missing the second? Already emailed them but doubt I'll get an answer till tomorrow so just asking in the hope that someone knows.
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Oct 10, 2010 17:25
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Brimmy posted:I'm figuring out the logistics of flying from Dublin to Bangkok with Etihad. There's a lay over in Abu Dhabi for 90 minutes, anyone know what Etihads policy is if there's a delay in the first flight that results in me missing the second? You usually get a hotel room in which to wait for the next flight in those cases. Sometimes they'll put you on a flight with another airline. As to what their actual policy is, I have no idea.
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Oct 11, 2010 18:58
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Ringo R posted:I think Mr Olsen himself had it taken down to force people to buy his CD. Can't find anything else by him that is anywhere as good as that video. Feel free to recommend something though Let me suggest Lum Sing Hip Hop then.
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Oct 11, 2010 19:10
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqbSWBY2VLI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70pCUNLhHHM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUc2dXsh2tI The guy has other slow pan stuff on his Youtube channel -- I think those three are the only SE Asian ones. raton fucked around with this message at 21:25 on Oct 11, 2010 |
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Oct 11, 2010 21:21
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Fiskenbob posted:Let me suggest Lum Sing Hip Hop then. Haha, Mr Olsen never fails to amuse. Thanks! Updated op
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Oct 12, 2010 17:30
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Brimmy posted:I'm figuring out the logistics of flying from Dublin to Bangkok with Etihad. There's a lay over in Abu Dhabi for 90 minutes, anyone know what Etihads policy is if there's a delay in the first flight that results in me missing the second? As long as it's all on the same airline/booked on the same ticket I can't imagine there would be a problem.
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Oct 12, 2010 20:57
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kalicki posted:As long as it's all on the same airline/booked on the same ticket I can't imagine there would be a problem. Yeah I got in touch with them today. They said the policy is to just book me on the next available flight straight out after that so it doesn't seem too bad. Now the only question is to go for a job in South Korea or Thailand.
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Oct 12, 2010 22:32
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Brimmy posted:Yeah I got in touch with them today. They said the policy is to just book me on the next available flight straight out after that so it doesn't seem too bad. Now the only question is to go for a job in South Korea or Thailand. Thailand first. Go to Korea if you decide you need money, but Thailand was roundly rated as a much better experience by the expats I knew there who had taught in both places. I also met a number of travelers who were in Thailand on break from their Korean contracts and they all said they'd rather teach in Thailand but needed the money in Korea. For your first job either work in Bangkok or Chiang Mai. If you work in Bangkok here are the first three pieces of advice I used to give people: 1) Get a Thai phone number ASAP and use it. To do this say "MBK" to any taxi driver and you'll arrive at a large mall with three floors of small cellphone shops. Get a prepaid plan and buy a cheap phone if your phone from abroad won't work with a GSM sim, let the lady in the booth activate your plan for you. I had 1-2 Call (that's a service provider's name). 2) Don't marry the first girl you meet, and 3) Live near the skytrain, work near the skytrain. If you want my advice about where to find an apartment send me a PM or whatever and I'll give you my advice. It might depend a bit on where you end up working. If you stay on Khao San don't tell your prospective employers that you're staying on Khao San, look up some hotel on Sukhumvit and tell them you're staying there. "I'm staying on Khao San" = "I'm a hippie backpacker who will quit on you in a month and scare the parents anyway" If you don't have PMs you can email me. sheepgoats IERIJEFARTFARTFART gmail.com. I should be coming to Thailand for a trip in March or something. Going to check in on ya! Ringo R posted:Haha, Mr Olsen never fails to amuse. Thanks! Updated op http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sLAXJelFOg raton fucked around with this message at 03:19 on Oct 13, 2010 |
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Oct 13, 2010 01:49
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Anyone care to recommend a hostel on Phuket? We're trying to kill some time before we head out to the Full Moon party on the 23rd and want to lounge around on a nice, quiet beach. If there's a better beach to head out to then we're all ears for that too. We're trying to spend between 400-500 baht for a twin room.
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Oct 13, 2010 11:06
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Sheep-Goats posted:Thailand first. Go to Korea if you decide you need money, but Thailand was roundly rated as a much better experience by the expats I knew there who had taught in both places. I also met a number of travelers who were in Thailand on break from their Korean contracts and they all said they'd rather teach in Thailand but needed the money in Korea. Yeah that's pretty much it. I'm kind of broke as is at the moment and the Koreans will offer to pay for my flight over and I'm getting better luck applying online to Korean places than I am to Thailand. I might still go to Thailand though I'd just be worried about the initial landing/staying in a hostel and finding a job before all my money runs out although I hear it's easy enough to get a job once you're actually over there.
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Oct 13, 2010 11:20
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Brimmy posted:Yeah that's pretty much it. I'm kind of broke as is at the moment and the Koreans will offer to pay for my flight over and I'm getting better luck applying online to Korean places than I am to Thailand. I might still go to Thailand though I'd just be worried about the initial landing/staying in a hostel and finding a job before all my money runs out although I hear it's easy enough to get a job once you're actually over there. If you need money there's nothing wrong with going to Korea first. Thai schools don't reply to emails often because there are plenty of farang on the ground in Thailand -- you receive a much much better response once you're there. FWIW when I first went to Bangkok I had all of 800 bucks on me. I don't recommend doing things like that, but if you can show up with like two grand in your pocket you'll have plenty to get you to paycheck 1. If you do go to Korea don't stay there Korea for three years BLERG. Save your money, go somewhere else. If you want to come back it'll still be there. When that year mark is coming up you get to plan what to say to your girlfriend(s)! raton fucked around with this message at 16:49 on Oct 13, 2010 |
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Oct 13, 2010 16:45
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Shampy posted:Anyone care to recommend a hostel on Phuket? We're trying to kill some time before we head out to the Full Moon party on the 23rd and want to lounge around on a nice, quiet beach. If there's a better beach to head out to then we're all ears for that too. We're trying to spend between 400-500 baht for a twin room. Did you want to go to Patong beach, or somewhere else? I stayed here on Patong, it was probably the best hostel I stayed in apart from lub-d in Bangkok. I was only there for one night but it was a really nice little place, was easy to meet people in the common room & was really clean and had useful facilities etc. The lady who ran it was super cool as well, I should've left in the morning but she took pity on me when I woke up with a colossal hangover (the first time I'd been really sick in Thailand, was on the last day of my trip as well..) & let me laze round in bed/at the beach until my flight at midnight despite the check-out time being at like 10am. Patong is kind of horrible though, the 'clubs' were full of stereotypical ugly/loud British people & the on the beach you'll see enough fat German dudes with no pants on to last you quite a long time. i would recommend somewhere else but didn't get the chance to explore further :/ Noir desir fucked around with this message at 23:20 on Oct 13, 2010 |
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Oct 13, 2010 23:17
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