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My friend is in India and wants to know, pretty much in these words "what is the best place in SE Asia to surf, party, and kick back and read" in that order I guess. He arrives in Bangkok Nov 25th and leaves out of Vietnam before Christmas, but he wants to do go to a place where he can just surf, party, and read (obviously) for at least 15 days. I said the dates because I understand it varies (surf wise) with the time of year
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Oct 13, 2010 23:50
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Probably Lombok in Indonesia. If he won't get on an airplane then... Uh... I don't know. There's some surfing on Phuket I guess.
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Oct 14, 2010 02:46
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I'm planning a SE Asia trip. I will be flying from Amsterdam into (and out from) Singapore to visit friends for a long weekend and after that I'll probably have about six weeks to explore the region. Ideally I'd like to visit Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodja, but I'm well aware that might be a bit of a stretch in six weeks. How much time would you guys recommend to spend in each country if I have only six weeks, should I leave a country out? (Or even add a country, like Laos or Indonesia?) I'm looking to leave in Februari, does that give me enough time to plan everything (book flights and stuff)?
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Oct 14, 2010 15:08
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paperwind posted: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. You should really book a hotel in Hanoi in advance to get the airport pickup. I stayed at the Red River 1 hotel when I was in Hanoi. Cheap, airport pickup, 5 minutes of slow walk to the centre and you can book train/plane tickets there. They also offer decent tours to Ha Long bay. You can book a room simply by sending them an e-mail (redriver1hotel@gmail.com). I thought the email was kinda fishy, but the place was great. You might want more time or scratch a city or two from your list. How do you plan on getting from town to town? Flying? Train?
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Oct 14, 2010 17:39
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Popelmon posted:You should really book a hotel in Hanoi in advance to get the airport pickup. I stayed at the Red River 1 hotel when I was in Hanoi. Cheap, airport pickup, 5 minutes of slow walk to the centre and you can book train/plane tickets there. They also offer decent tours to Ha Long bay. You can book a room simply by sending them an e-mail (redriver1hotel@gmail.com). I thought the email was kinda fishy, but the place was great. Hey, thanks for digging through and replying. I'll take a look at that hotel for sure as a good jumping-off point. No way in hell I will miss out on Ha Long Bay either. My plan for getting around is to do trains, but I heard that it's not unreasonable to fly from Hanoi to Hue and skip out on what's in between, thus saving a good deal of time. From Hue on, of course, it's trains all the way to HCMC. At this point it looks like I will be there for 12-13 days, and hopefully I don't have to cut out too much. I do know that during the trip I may need a day or two to unwind wherever I am, hence why I don't want to plan every last thing and go from hostel to relatively cheap hotel as I make my way.
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Oct 15, 2010 12:14
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So I'm currently in Vietnam, slowly making my way to Thailand where I want to spend a couple of months to kiteboard/kitesurf. Koh Pha Ngan looks interesting in terms of wind and water conditions (good winds, warm and shallow water for relaunch). Could any one recommend accomodations near Ben Tai beach? Did someone saw some kiteboarding when he was there and if so, at what beach? What beaches are not to crowded or are big enough to safely launch a kite?
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Oct 17, 2010 06:46
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I'm in Ko Phi Phi right now, it's loving gorgeous out here fellas. Anyone going to be at the Full Moon party at the end of the month? It'd be great to get together with some of you guys to do some good old fashioned partying.
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Oct 17, 2010 08:48
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Can someone who's been to Koh Lipe tell me if it's worth visiting for someone who can't dive? I've got friends planning a trip there mid November and while I agreed to go at first I'm no longer feeling it. I'm Malaysian, so it's not like I'll be traveling halfway around the world like some of you guys, it just seems like another beach to me. I guess I'm looking for some impressions of the place to help me make up my mind.
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Oct 17, 2010 09:57
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Learn to dive there!
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Oct 17, 2010 10:44
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Shampy posted:I'm in Ko Phi Phi right now, it's loving gorgeous out here fellas. Anyone going to be at the Full Moon party at the end of the month? It'd be great to get together with some of you guys to do some good old fashioned partying. I'm flying to Bangkok from jakarta tomorrow, was hoping to go fullmooning if I can figure out how to get there, and get a place to stay 
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Oct 17, 2010 16:21
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^^^ So did you end up doing Bromo? Steve. posted:Learn to dive there! u got mares in yr house fucked around with this message at 12:33 on Oct 18, 2010 |
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Oct 18, 2010 12:26
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Pompous Rhombus posted:
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Oct 18, 2010 18:25
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Klogdor posted:I'm flying to Bangkok from jakarta tomorrow, was hoping to go fullmooning if I can figure out how to get there, and get a place to stay Flying from BKK to Samui and then taking the ferry to koh phagnan would be the easiest and most comfortable. Flights are about an hour and maybe $100ish and ferry takes maybe 30 minutes and is only a couple dollars. You could take a bus for maybe a third of the price but it would be 8 or so hours and obviously a lot less comfortable. Hotels right by the party may be slightly difficult to find but we stopped and got a nice place right on the beach about a 5 minute car ride away for around $60 I think with no other looking around or price comparing.
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Oct 18, 2010 19:46
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MrFrosty posted:^^^ Sadly no, no time :/ but I did yogya for 4 days, and it was so much better than jakarta it's almost silly. In bangkok now, and the first night out was awesome. I already love this city. met two other Norwegian guys that are going to the full moon party, seems like we'll leave on wednesday probably by bus or something cheap like that.
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Oct 19, 2010 01:56
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paperwind posted:Hey, thanks for digging through and replying. I'll take a look at that hotel for sure as a good jumping-off point. No way in hell I will miss out on Ha Long Bay either. Flying to Hue should work fine. Just go to one of those travel bueros with the "Vietnam Airlines" logo. They are usualy pretty helpful. But again you should book a hotel in advance to arrange an airport pickup, it's pretty far away from the city. Tip: Binh Duong Hotel (binduong1@dng.vnn.vn). They have good rooms, are close to everything you want to see/always have taxis waiting. Hue is really boring outside of the street with all the restaurants and the citadel.
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Oct 19, 2010 13:57
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MrFrosty posted:Can someone who's been to Koh Lipe tell me if it's worth visiting for someone who can't dive? I've got friends planning a trip there mid November and while I agreed to go at first I'm no longer feeling it. I'm Malaysian, so it's not like I'll be traveling halfway around the world like some of you guys, it just seems like another beach to me. I guess I'm looking for some impressions of the place to help me make up my mind. Picture I took in Koh Lipe:  Normally I'd just post that picture, but I have been to Koh Lipe so let me give you some plusses and minuses: +: It's beautiful with good snorkeling. It has great access to nearby undeveloped islands. There are sea gypsies that live there and that's kinda cool. There's a bar on the main beach there that consists of half a log propped up on two other logs under a thatched roof and some Thai guy who drags a cooler full of beer up there at night. -: There are too many bungalows on the main beach (that picture was taken around the corner from the other beach so it's not like the main beach is the best one or anything, it's just bigger). The road that goes from one beach to the other goes through the sea gypsy town and if you're on it after dusk the sea gypsy's dogs will more or less gang up and hunt you through town -- they're very aggressive and I had my 3" folding knife out and open in my hand at one point. It's hard to get there (unless you happen to live in Malaysia) because it's so far south. The ferry to Lipe stops at some other minor islands on the way in. The kinds of places where it's just some German who has exiled himself from mainstream life and built five bungalows that he rents out to buy food with. So that's accessible from Lipe as well -- don't know if that's a plus or minus for you. Overall I think it's a cool, very pretty island with a lot going for it. Don't go during the holiday season (I mean Christmas not Songkran), enjoy the gorgeous beaches, the nice little town (except at night), and the great snorkeling. I saw a giant clam. raton fucked around with this message at 02:18 on Oct 20, 2010 |
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Oct 20, 2010 02:16
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I think I may have asked this earlier in the thread but I can't find it now...  I've decided to visit the Surin Islands national park. I'm thinking two nights should do it justice - any advice?
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Oct 20, 2010 08:40
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Sheep-Goats posted:
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Oct 20, 2010 09:03
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yay, taking the lomprayah bus at 9 tonight, going to be in koh phangan tomorrow morning
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Oct 20, 2010 13:08
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Klogdor posted:yay, taking the lomprayah bus at 9 tonight, going to be in koh phangan tomorrow morning I did the 6am bus last year, to Koh Tao. It wasn't bad... except the airconditioner on our bus broke, so it really really really sucked. If the journey had gone on for much longer I seriously think people would have come close to dying. I tried not to fall asleep, because I wasn't sure if I'd wake up. The bus was 50/50 Thai/whitey and we were all struggling. Lots of people fainted and there was nearly a mutiny... I think I downed 6x Gatorade, 6x water, and 6x beer between arriving at Chumpon and arriving on Koh Tao. I was still pissing yellow.
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Oct 20, 2010 13:52
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MrFrosty posted:Thank you. It sounds like just what I need. drat this indecisiveness. I'm guessing you'll bring all your camera gear with you? Say hello if you stop by in Bangkok
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Oct 21, 2010 07:46
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Steve. posted:I did the 6am bus last year, to Koh Tao. It wasn't bad... except the airconditioner on our bus broke, so it really really really sucked. If the journey had gone on for much longer I seriously think people would have come close to dying. I tried not to fall asleep, because I wasn't sure if I'd wake up. The bus was 50/50 Thai/whitey and we were all struggling. Lots of people fainted and there was nearly a mutiny... Wow, that seems pretty bad, our bus was really cold, but the only big annoyance were two finnish guys that were high on.. something and playing lout music all night. oh, and all whitey on the bus, shitloads of whitey at Chumporn too. This place is pretty great, really relaxed, and the owner of the place we're staying is really great (dancing elephant) also : 
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Oct 21, 2010 13:25
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Ringo R posted:I'm guessing you'll bring all your camera gear with you? Say hello if you stop by in Bangkok 
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Oct 22, 2010 02:07
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Hey all T&T's! I know plenty of you goons have been Diving in SE Asia before so I was looking to find some recommendations for the best 'bang for your buck' as far as diving goes. We have never dived before, and we have 3 months to do it, so obviously we would like to get to the best diving possible (no sharks plz?). Even if we have to go out of our way!
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Oct 22, 2010 03:58
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Klogdor posted:Wow, that seems pretty bad, our bus was really cold, but the only big annoyance were two finnish guys that were high on.. something and playing lout music all night. Looks awesome. I'm booking my Phangan adventure in the next few days - probably Haad Yao, but we'll see. Part of our group got on the same bus/ferry combination to Koh Tao the day before us and told us that the bus was absolutely freezing cold, so the five of us went out and bought light weight jackets to take with us... haha.
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Oct 22, 2010 04:44
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spotswood posted:Hey all T&T's! I know plenty of you goons have been Diving in SE Asia before so I was looking to find some recommendations for the best 'bang for your buck' as far as diving goes. We have never dived before, and we have 3 months to do it, so obviously we would like to get to the best diving possible (no sharks plz?). Even if we have to go out of our way! Sipidan in Malaysia (Borneo side) was very good; visibility was decent (and this after a typhoon), lots of sea turtles and other wildlife, only a few (timid, bitch-rear end) sharks. Really, sharks aren't anything to worry about, they're more scared of you than you are of them. I think it was $30/dive when I did it (you could do, 1, 2, or 3 dives per day), although that was summer of 2006 and they've since unpegged the ringgit, but either way, not bad. The downer is that the jumping off town from Borneo proper, Semporna, was a real shithole. On the plus side, the place I was diving with, Scuba Junkie, had a homestay/guesthouse type deal in a village on one of the islands, which while more expensive and rustic than the accommodation in Semporna, was way awesome and totally worth it. The other, more upscale outfits have proper mini-resorts on that same island, but I don't know how much those run.  Random Beach on Homestay Island by ethics_gradient, on Flickr  Village on Homestay Island by ethics_gradient, on Flickr  A Resort by ethics_gradient, on Flickr I did my diving course in Kota Kinnabalu, which was probably as cheap as you can get (US$140 at the time), but while the instruction was great (guy was actually a local Malay who spoke excellent English, rather than the usual lotus-eating expat), the visibility was poo poo and there probably wouldn't have been much to see anyways. Two cuttlefish and a bunch of sand were about as wild as it got. If you're getting certified in Malaysian Borneo, it's worth the extra $50-100 to do the course in Sipidan, which is world-class diving AFAIK. I spent about a month in Malaysian Borneo and had a great time, I feel like it gets passed over unduly by a lot of backpackers. It's really not much more expensive than Thailand, people speak better English and are just as friendly, and it has some amazing beaches and national parks.  Orangutans at Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre in Sepilok, Sabah by ethics_gradient, on Flickr  Riding on an 18-seater Twin Otter from Mulu National Park by ethics_gradient, on Flickr  Underground loving River by ethics_gradient, on Flickr  Beach Behind a Holiday Inn by ethics_gradient, on Flickr  The Pinnacles by ethics_gradient, on Flickr  Crocodile Farm! by ethics_gradient, on Flickr  Ride on top of a goddamn cargo boat if you want! by ethics_gradient, on Flickr  Wildlife! by ethics_gradient, on Flickr  Culture! by ethics_gradient, on Flickr In short, visit Malaysian Borneo; it has a lot to offer! I lived in Thailand for a year but never went diving, although Ko Tao is a name I hear bandied around a lot. Steve. posted:Looks awesome. I'm booking my Phangan adventure in the next few days - probably Haad Yao, but we'll see. VIP buses are pretty much all ice-cold in Thailand; despite how counter-intuitive it sounds a light jacket is actually something I recommend buying when you get there. If you're going to be in the mountains, particularly during the winter months, it actually can get pretty cold outside as well; it was dropping into like high-50's/low-60's in northern Cambodia at night in January when I was there, and the mountains in Thailand and Vietnam can get even colder, I think. Also handy for keeping the sun off on motorbike excursions! (Supplement with cheap gloves bought at a market) Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 05:22 on Oct 22, 2010 |
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Oct 22, 2010 04:58
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gently caress man, now I want to go to Malaysian Borneo. Thus far I'm a KL-only kind of guy  PS, anyone know where online I can find out about NYE events in Singapore? My googling efforts have resulted in approximately nothing useful thus far.
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Oct 22, 2010 05:41
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Pompous Rhombus posted:VIP buses are pretty much all ice-cold in Thailand; despite how counter-intuitive it sounds a light jacket is actually something I recommend buying when you get there. If you're going to be in the mountains, particularly during the winter months, it actually can get pretty cold outside as well; it was dropping into like high-50's/low-60's in northern Cambodia at night in January when I was there, and the mountains in Thailand and Vietnam can get even colder, I think. Oh yeah, I definitely know about the ferocity of the aircon in the buses. I always take a light polarfleece in a vacuum/compression bag. Unfortunately my friends thought Asia = hot (and to be fair we were there in September so it was quite hot!) so they were woefully unprepared. In the end, we needed ice jackets rather than warm jackets. Also, seconding Borneo. It is awesome. Kuching is one of my favourite cities in Malaysia, and I will go back at some point. I spent two weeks in both Sabah and Sarawak and was so sick with a head cold that I didn't do anything more than climb Mt. Kinabalu but I was so sick the guide wouldn't let me attempt the summit
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Oct 22, 2010 06:11
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We're staying on the NE side of Ko Phangan, at the Baam Panburi. Hit me up if you get here in time for it.
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Oct 22, 2010 18:33
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Shampy posted:We're staying on the NE side of Ko Phangan, at the Baam Panburi. Hit me up if you get here in time for it. In time for it ? I'm at the dancing elephant hostel just 5 minutes from the sunrise beach, just came from the day before party thingy... it was awesome  will be staying here until tuesday, so let me know if you want to grab a beer, or a bucket, or something else
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Oct 22, 2010 23:52
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Pompous Rhombus posted:VIP buses are pretty much all ice-cold in Thailand; despite how counter-intuitive it sounds a light jacket is actually something I recommend buying when you get there. Also don't forget your jacket if you go see a movie. I walked out of Lord of the Rings feeling more than a little ill from the extended exposure to 60ish temps in shorts and a T-shirt.
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Oct 23, 2010 03:22
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Sheep-Goats posted:Also don't forget your jacket if you go see a movie. I walked out of Lord of the Rings feeling more than a little ill from the extended exposure to 60ish temps in shorts and a T-shirt. I was quite glad that I paid too much to see Inception in Bangkok in the nicest theater I've ever been to, the blankets they provided were definitely nice to have.
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Oct 23, 2010 17:49
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kalicki posted:I was quite glad that I paid too much to see Inception in Bangkok in the nicest theater I've ever been to, the blankets they provided were definitely nice to have. VIP with the couches and poo poo? Love that.
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Oct 23, 2010 18:21
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Powered recliners in this one. Pretty drat nice.
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Oct 23, 2010 19:41
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So just how bad is the humidity in Vietnam at this time of year? I looked up Ho Chi Minh City and was forecasting 26 deg C. Then I look at the 'feels like' and it was 40 deg Celsius. I am looking forward to wearing my suit for a business trip :-/
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Oct 24, 2010 01:56
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It's hot and so humid you wouldn't believe it. You'll sweat through your suit. Take taxis if you want to arrive at your destination looking snazzy if it's more than 2 blocks away. When do you come to Saigon?
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Oct 25, 2010 23:41
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I'll keep this one short as I only have a couple of minutes. I'm planning on heading towards Chiang Mai from Bangkok over the next week. Any suggestions on things to do inbetween?
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Oct 27, 2010 15:20
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Are any of you going to be passing through Hoi An in the near future? I need to re-order some suit pants from Yali and they've been crap about returning e-mails. Would be nice to have someone be able to go into the shop and inquire about it in person, if I needed it (hopefully not!).
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Oct 27, 2010 16:52
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I have a 12 hour layover in Brunei between London and Perth. It's probably the only time I'll ever go there, so what's worth checking out?
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Oct 28, 2010 23:41
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Make sure you're actually able to leave the airport first.
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Oct 29, 2010 04:34
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