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ReindeerF
Apr 20, 2002

Rubber Dinghy Rapids Bro

Ringo R posted:

Try Overstay! Went there once with Khun Reindeer and nothing was happening that night
That was just creepy. I felt like I was in a sequel to the movie KIDS where they've all gone abroad to teach English and waste away in bars overseas.

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politicorific
Sep 15, 2007
hey ReindeerF,

are you super busy this week? I've spent the last 3 days on Koh Lipe down here and Big Sauve spoke of you quite highly when I talked to him by phone Thursday.

I always enjoyed your D&D/LF posts. Trying to plan my last week here, but I'm sure to be back in Bangkok by Friday.

my email is my username@gmail.com

Modus Operandi
Oct 5, 2010
I'm currently in Thailand and I might be heading down to Koh Tao to get my advanced & rescue diver certs in March. Can anyone recommend a bungalow operation there that's decent? I've been reading reviews on tripadvisor and it seems like every other place is a poo poo show or expensive.

Abugadu
Jul 12, 2004

1st Sgt. Matthews and the men have Procured for me a cummerbund from a traveling gypsy, who screeched Victory shall come at a Terrible price. i am Honored.
Trip report:

Got sidetracked early with a cancelled flight from Tokyo-Bangkok, but eventually got up and running. Baiyoke Sky Hotel was awesome, very central, and ReindeerF's advice helped with the entertainment portion of the trip. Took the bus through Poipet to Siem Riep, got scammed out of $20 and two hours on the Thailand side of the border when the tuk tuk driver took us to a fake embassy. Have to admire the lengths they'll go to, though.

Angkor Wat and surrounding temples were awesome, highly highly recommend to anyone in the area. Siem Riep was surprisingly chill as well. Headed down through Phuket to Ko Phi Phi, lost one of our party who got on the wrong bus going back to Bangkok and refused to pay the extra $6 'on the principle of the thing' so watched his luggage get tossed off the bus in the middle of nowhere, and missed the connecting flight.

Ko Phi Phi was pretty good, I think we were some of the only Americans there, mostly a Euro crowd. Good snorkeling/diving, great beach bars, beautiful views. One of the few places in SE Asia where I haven't been harassed by the street vendors.

ZeroDays
Feb 11, 2007

the fuck you know about what i need on my mind mother fucker

Abugadu posted:

Took the bus through Poipet to Siem Riep, got scammed out of $20 and two hours on the Thailand side of the border when the tuk tuk driver took us to a fake embassy. Have to admire the lengths they'll go to, though.

Haha, that's great, the image of a fake embassy hastily constructed by a squad of tuk-tuk drivers quickly changing into their fake uniforms. Though I realise it was probably far more mundane than that. I wish I'd made the trek to Siem Riep myself but at the time I honestly couldn't be bothered with the ton of bullshit it'd take to get there, and flights were inordinately expensive. Maybe next time.

Modus Operandi
Oct 5, 2010

Abugadu posted:

Headed down through Phuket to Ko Phi Phi, lost one of our party who got on the wrong bus going back to Bangkok and refused to pay the extra $6 'on the principle of the thing' so watched his luggage get tossed off the bus in the middle of nowhere, and missed the connecting flight.

Refusing to pay mid-journey? He's lucky he didn't get dragged out and beaten.

Abugadu
Jul 12, 2004

1st Sgt. Matthews and the men have Procured for me a cummerbund from a traveling gypsy, who screeched Victory shall come at a Terrible price. i am Honored.

Modus Operandi posted:

Refusing to pay mid-journey? He's lucky he didn't get dragged out and beaten.

He's a very large, muscled, imposing guy. 6'3", 225 or so. And given how angry he was, this coming on the tail end of two other scams, he probably would have killed someone had they tried to start a fight.

Finch!
Sep 11, 2001

Spatial Awareness?

[ ] Whaleshark

404 Not Found

Modus Operandi posted:

I'm currently in Thailand and I might be heading down to Koh Tao to get my advanced & rescue diver certs in March. Can anyone recommend a bungalow operation there that's decent? I've been reading reviews on tripadvisor and it seems like every other place is a poo poo show or expensive.

How long are you planning to stay there and where do you have in mind to do the qualifications? If you're there for a month you can get an apartment with a bunch of DMT's and so on for not all that much per month - and you'll get an instant group of friends, too.

caberham
Mar 18, 2009

by Smythe
Grimey Drawer

ZeroDays posted:

Haha, that's great, the image of a fake embassy hastily constructed by a squad of tuk-tuk drivers quickly changing into their fake uniforms. Though I realise it was probably far more mundane than that. I wish I'd made the trek to Siem Riep myself but at the time I honestly couldn't be bothered with the ton of bullshit it'd take to get there, and flights were inordinately expensive. Maybe next time.

The border is kind of sketchy but still safe.

drat people still fall for the fake embassy poo poo in this internet day and age? I gave my driver the cold stare and waved for him to get out of here immediately. Bastard had the gall to ask for a tip. Self entitled scamming pricks. And you can bargain the tuk tuk ride from arranyapathet to the poipet border for 50 baht. Just give the bullshit reference of "oh yeah a local/hotel/prostitute told me".

Honestly, don't be hesitant to just walk out and wonder off if things seem iffy. Or at least be prepared to walk out and pay someone else to do the job if you dont like your current service staff.

Just look at wiki travel and read lonely planet for a few pointers on wherever you go!

Modus Operandi
Oct 5, 2010

Steve. posted:

How long are you planning to stay there and where do you have in mind to do the qualifications? If you're there for a month you can get an apartment with a bunch of DMT's and so on for not all that much per month - and you'll get an instant group of friends, too.

I'm only going to do the advanced/rescue diver certs this trip so it'll just be a week or so. Right now i'm leaning more towards Scuba junction but i'm considering Good Time Adventures for just their advanced class.

In the next few months I plan on doing my DM but probably on Khao Lak so I can experience the similan islands/andaman sea side of things.

Modus Operandi fucked around with this message at 04:29 on Feb 21, 2011

Finch!
Sep 11, 2001

Spatial Awareness?

[ ] Whaleshark

404 Not Found

Modus Operandi posted:

I'm only going to do the advanced/rescue diver certs this trip so it'll just be a week or so. Right now i'm leaning more towards Scuba junction but i'm considering Good Time Adventures for just their advanced class.

In the next few months I plan on doing my DM but probably on Khao Lak so I can experience the similan islands/andaman sea side of things.

Heh heh, I've heard that before... you'll be there for three months before you know it :)

I am completely biased, but have you investigated doing the courses with Big Blue? Their rescue and divemaster/dive controller students are very highly regarded.

Khao Lak is completely awesome, and if I were to head back to do my dive con (which I almost certainly will at some point) I'd probably choose Khao Lak, too. It's a lot quieter in terms of night life than Koh Tao, which doesn't suit everybody, but the diving is a hell of a lot better.

Modus Operandi
Oct 5, 2010

Steve. posted:

Heh heh, I've heard that before... you'll be there for three months before you know it :)
Yeah, but i'm in no rush i'm probably going to be in Thailand for awhile based out in Bangkok at least.

quote:

I am completely biased, but have you investigated doing the courses with Big Blue? Their rescue and divemaster/dive controller students are very highly regarded.
Nice recommendation. I like that they limit their group size to 4 students. I'll definitely consider it.

quote:

Khao Lak is completely awesome, and if I were to head back to do my dive con (which I almost certainly will at some point) I'd probably choose Khao Lak, too. It's a lot quieter in terms of night life than Koh Tao, which doesn't suit everybody, but the diving is a hell of a lot better.
A friend of mine did his DM course and got an extended 5 day live aboard to the similan and he said it was the most amazing thing ever. It was like having your own personal diving yacht w/crew :) plus world class diving.

ReindeerF
Apr 20, 2002

Rubber Dinghy Rapids Bro

Abugadu posted:

when the tuk tuk driver took us to a fake embassy
How have I not heard of this? This is awesome.

Abugadu posted:

One of the few places in SE Asia where I haven't been harassed by the street vendors.
Not having streets does tend to help with that issue, heh.

Sounds like you've had a good trip!


politicorific posted:

hey ReindeerF,

are you super busy this week? I've spent the last 3 days on Koh Lipe down here and Big Sauve spoke of you quite highly when I talked to him by phone Thursday.

I always enjoyed your D&D/LF posts. Trying to plan my last week here, but I'm sure to be back in Bangkok by Friday.

my email is my username@gmail.com
Dropping a note here for comedy purposes to admit that I did send an email to username@gmail.com - not your username. Just username@gmail.com. I am seriously one dumb motherfucker. Interesting side note, it bounced.

BigSuave is a good guy, yeah, I enjoyed hanging out. I'm planning to catch him when he comes back through on the swing North if I'm in town. Sheep-Goats, also a good guy. AreWeDrunkYet, also a good guy. Ringo R, a pox on humanity. Pompous Rhombus, good guy. Everyone I've met has been really nice and generally fun to spend an evening trading stories with. I think the filter that results in undesirable Americans not knowing how to leave America is similar to the filter that keeps basement-bound goons from making it to Thailand.

ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Feb 21, 2011

chockomonkey
Oct 14, 2004

caberham posted:

Honestly, don't be hesitant to just walk out and wonder off if things seem iffy.

great advice.

I had to do the "wonder off" multiple times, all in Vietnam though. My mileage was very good in Thailand and Laos, and even in Cambodia.

Me and the person i was traveling with at the time got into Hanoi on the late side, getting off a bus as the only two whities around. We soon had a whole mob of touts trying to get us to purchase their services for transportation. It didn't take too long before they started fighting amongst themselves (over us, it felt like--though who knows who threw an insult which we didn't understand). poo poo got so heated and chaotic (i seriously thought they were going to start swinging at each other) that we quickly walked off, having to shove our way out of the middle of this mob. We probably walked a whole 10 blocks, telling them to go away so many times to absolutely no avail, before the last moto guy stopped following us. Had to simply ignore them completely, act like they weren't even there.

And then another time, also in Hanoi, trying to find some stupid pizza place, this moto driver takes me ALL around town, clearly having no idea of where i want him to go or where he's driving to. We end up exactly where we started, so i try to reason this with him. LOL rite? A mob starts to form, i pay quickly and scuttle off. No one wants to get beat up over a moto fare...

I miss having adventures.

White Rabbit
Sep 8, 2004

We Do Not Sow.
As usual SA is my first go-to place for info and this thread doesnt disapoint. Lots of great advice being given out. Obviously I'm planning a trip to Thailand, I'm working things out to arrive for Songkran and stay a couple weeks or three.

Does anyone have any advice to spend the best new year's as possible? Should I stay in Bangkok or completely avoid the capital? Any stories to share about it?

I'm on the first stage of planning my trip and right now the only way it makes sense to me is if I bring over my bicycle over and roadtrip my way to a beach or five...(from what I've read here Anghkor Wat needs to be seen so eventually Cambodia too). I want to be independent from trains & such and visit on my own terms, I love riding and would not be confident on a scotter or any motorbike, so that's my way of doing it. Alone too.

The whole "bringing bike as luggage" has been thought through. I would fly from Paris to BKK via Doha with Qatar Airways - which I trust enough to nicely handle my carton-boxed, disassembled bike. A few questions I had about gear were mostly answered by bikemandan here by the way: http://www.bikemandan.com/blog/category/seasia-2009?order=asc - that's a recommended read from the first posts here.

I'm not Bike Man Dan though, very little travel experience and not a lot of bike experience either which is why I'm anxious and want to take in any advice you'd have for me.

If I can probably ride 60-80kms a day steadily, taking it easy, my main concern is what kind of road will I ride on. Being efficient is not the issue - I want scenic routes with as less traffic as possible - for ease of use and relaxation. I ride daily in Paris and had more than my share of near heart-attacks because of traffic, somehow I dont expect Thaï drivers to be any better than Parisians so I want to avoid that as soon as I exit Bangkok.

Those of you having been on bike trips before can you tell me about roads in Thailand? Motorways can't be the only way to get around but is it easy to find mostly untraveled but practicable roads? Manageable without a motor even?

I need to get myself a guide before I polute this thread with more questions. I'm really interested in personal experiences though so please share!

White Rabbit fucked around with this message at 23:49 on Feb 21, 2011

ReindeerF
Apr 20, 2002

Rubber Dinghy Rapids Bro
My friends bike all over SE Asia, but I don't, so all I can say from that that's relevant is that apparently you can roll your bike onto THAI Airways assembled and they'll stow it. Never tried this, but my friend Ian who has lived here for like 16 years and cycles all over the continent swears he's been doing it for a decade. "Just let the air out of the tires first, mate."

On Songkran, Chiang Mai is sort of like the Mardi Gras of Songkrans. Any tourist area is going to be interesting, from Samui to Pattaya (don't go to Pattaya) and each has its own flavor. I really enjoyed Sukhothai for Songkran. Much more traditional, parade through the old city, people were still kind of cute about it. Anyway, yeah. Bangkok's just sort of annoying during Songkran, but that's an expat opinion. If you went to Khao San or even (as in Rhombus' photos) Cowboy you could have a fun afternoon/evening. So, the generic advice is Chiang Mai. If you want something a little more honkey-ish and touristy, I'd try maybe Koh Phangan or something?

raton
Jul 28, 2003

by FactsAreUseless

Abugadu posted:

Ko Phi Phi was pretty good, I think we were some of the only Americans there, mostly a Euro crowd. Good snorkeling/diving, great beach bars, beautiful views. One of the few places in SE Asia where I haven't been harassed by the street vendors.

I'm on Phi Phi now taking a SCUBA class. I don't really care for Phi Phi, it's a very beautiful island but you can never see it thanks to the endless overorganized warren of shops and guesthouses and restaurants. It's also a bit on the expensive side, like most dive islands. The crowd is a little homogenous too -- basically Khao San with some of the worst of the drek strained out.

I've got a boat dive tomorrow then another one the day after that and at that point I'll have some sort of basic open water certification. I'd recommend interested in SCUBA not follow in my footsteps though -- there are things called "Discovery SCUBA" classes where you go on the dives without most of the book learning but with the same instructor supervision and they're a lot cheaper than the course I'm taking and you don't have to commit for three to four days -- the main difference is that without the training you can't dive as deep, but as there are good shallow water dive sites around all dive centers in Thailand that won't be an issue for you when you first come. I'd suggest trying one or two or those first. My course is listed at 13,800B (PADI open water) but I'm paying 12,400 because I know one of the (16) co-owners. The Discovery SCUBA dives are like two or three thousand baht each.

Met ReindeerF before I came down here and talked a lot about ropin' steers.

Abugadu posted:

Headed down through Phuket to Ko Phi Phi, lost one of our party who got on the wrong bus going back to Bangkok and refused to pay the extra $6 'on the principle of the thing' so watched his luggage get tossed off the bus in the middle of nowhere, and missed the connecting flight.

While waiting for the songtaew to take us from where we got deposited by the KSR bus other songtaew were coming up and taking the other people waiting there to their various islands. One of the guys got out and announced his island and four Northern European backpackers of one sort or another, in two groups of two, were the only ones going there. One group got on, the other kind of crassly told the people running the depot "You told us half past so we wait" and just sat there at their table doing nothing (the guy had some pink shake that he'd drank about half of). The songtaew announced the destination again, they still sat there, and finally about two minutes later he tried one more time and added "hurry please". As it was still only a quarter past that couple continued to sit there so the guy just jumped into his songtaew and took off. I'm pretty sure they missed the only ferry to their island, but it's always nice when you can actually see stupid hurting someone. Enjoy your shake, jerk!

raton fucked around with this message at 16:24 on Feb 22, 2011

ReindeerF
Apr 20, 2002

Rubber Dinghy Rapids Bro

Sheep-Goats posted:

Enjoy your shake, jerk!
That's classic, you rarely do get to see that level of poetic justice in action. It's nice being American on this side of the world, because this guy is always English or European - maybe Australian. "I'll show this bloody Thai, thinks he can hurry me. Bollocks. I'm holdin' the dosh." Little do they know that when it comes between money and sabai sabai, your money definitely does not talk in Thailand.

Catch me on your way back through if you hit a breather!

Rojkir
Jun 26, 2007

WARNING:I AM A FASCIST PIECE OF SHIT.
Police beatings get me hard
Excuse my ignorance, but I'm just looking at the pile of clothes I want to pack and realise that like 5 or 6 of my shirts are brightly red or yellow colored. Would that be a problem in Thailand?

ReindeerF
Apr 20, 2002

Rubber Dinghy Rapids Bro
Most likely no, but I would avoid it anyway. It is protest season, after all. There's always the danger that the "farang sniper" rumor starts going around again and some drunk red shirt decides to be a hero, heh. Seriously 99.9999999999999999999999% chance they'd just ignore you, but why risk it when it's such a sensitive topic? I guess that's my thinking.

Pompous Rhombus
Mar 11, 2007
Go as a yellowshirt they're going to win anyways

brendanwor
Sep 7, 2005

Go as a pink shirt, so you too can be cool like this guy

Finch!
Sep 11, 2001

Spatial Awareness?

[ ] Whaleshark

404 Not Found
Or this dude:

Abugadu
Jul 12, 2004

1st Sgt. Matthews and the men have Procured for me a cummerbund from a traveling gypsy, who screeched Victory shall come at a Terrible price. i am Honored.

Rojkir posted:

Excuse my ignorance, but I'm just looking at the pile of clothes I want to pack and realise that like 5 or 6 of my shirts are brightly red or yellow colored. Would that be a problem in Thailand?

Haha I went through that same decision. I went with 'don't bring them'.

Modus Operandi
Oct 5, 2010

ReindeerF posted:

That's classic, you rarely do get to see that level of poetic justice in action. It's nice being American on this side of the world, because this guy is always English or European - maybe Australian. "I'll show this bloody Thai, thinks he can hurry me. Bollocks. I'm holdin' the dosh."
Traveling to SE Asia on and off for years pretty much changed my perception of what a British tourist looks and acts like. Let's just say popular media has been very "generous" with your average Brit.

Laopooh
Jul 15, 2000

Hey ReindeerF, or anyone else familiar with health clinics in SE Asia:

I'm looking to get my 3rd Hep AB booster in HCMC, any recommendations on where to go? Somewhere within walking distance of the Pham Ngu Lao area would be best.

spotswood
Feb 25, 2006
gary
I'm taking the overnight sleeper bus from vientiene to 4000 islands tonight. Anyone have any recommendations on clean but cheap guest houses? There are four of us and we would like a place with a balcony where we can play cards and drink some cold beerlao.

Budget is 100,000 kip

ReindeerF
Apr 20, 2002

Rubber Dinghy Rapids Bro

Modus Operandi posted:

Traveling to SE Asia on and off for years pretty much changed my perception of what a British tourist looks and acts like. Let's just say popular media has been very "generous" with your average Brit.
Agree completely. Holy poo poo, I had no idea just how bad they are. Even with the showing-up-at-5-am-to-seize-the-beach nonsense the Germans pull, it's impossible to see how they get voted worse than the British. Of course there are tons of nice British tourists, but the drunken brawling rear end in a top hat ratio is incredibly high. Americans in Cancun are saints by comparison, heh. My favorite were the string of drunken British airline passengers a few years ago that kept getting arrested for brawling, loving and - no poo poo - trying to open the cabin door mid-flight. These people should be confined to a small place (perhaps an island off the coast of Europe?).


Laopooh posted:

Hey ReindeerF, or anyone else familiar with health clinics in SE Asia:

I'm looking to get my 3rd Hep AB booster in HCMC, any recommendations on where to go? Somewhere within walking distance of the Pham Ngu Lao area would be best.
Sorry, don't know much about Saigon :(

Laopooh
Jul 15, 2000

ReindeerF posted:

Sorry, don't know much about Saigon :(

Jerk! I found one called "International SOS" that I'll be going to tomorrow so I'll post my experience in case anyone else is in a similar situation.

BigSuave
Nov 15, 2004

ASK ME ABOUT MY LOOSE BOWELS
Hey all, been off the internet for a week or so while hopping around Kohs Samui, Phangan, and Tao so I'm playing a bit of catch up.

I ended up going to the full moon party and have to say it was definitely quite the experience. Was definitely happy to get the gently caress out of Haad Rin after a day or two though. Popped up to Haad Yao for a couple days to relax and let the crowds pass a bit. Definitely a good call. A man can only live off of two hours of sleep per night for so long.

I met some French girl at the airport on Koh Samui (awesome airport, by the way) and we've been bumming around the islands together for the last week or so. I'm not sure where I (maybe we) will be heading net but if anyone has any recommendations in the area I'm all ears. We were talking about flying from Samui to Phukket and checking out Phi Phi and Koh Krabi but I hear Phi Phi is pretty pricey due to it's proximity to Phukket so I'm not super stoked on that -- we'll see.

I tried giving you a shout, Politicorific, because I remember you saying you might be heading this way too but now that I see you don't have your phone that would explain why there's never any answer. I'll try shooting you an e-mail.



Modus Operandi posted:

I'm currently in Thailand and I might be heading down to Koh Tao to get my advanced & rescue diver certs in March. Can anyone recommend a bungalow operation there that's decent? I've been reading reviews on tripadvisor and it seems like every other place is a poo poo show or expensive.


My new friend and I got our licenses/stayed at Sairee Hut Resort (it's a stones throw from Big Blue). It seems to be about the same deal as everywhere else (I think we paid 8500 each for 4 nights + training, which includes 4 nice dives) and they are right on the beach and have an amazing "infinity pool" too. The room we're in is quite big and very clean and they speak better English than I've heard around these parts so far. Anyway, everywhere offers the same thing for about the same price so don't worry about it too much but I definitely have no complaints about this place.

There are touts on the ferries handing out brochures for all sort of places so don't worry about it too much.


Anyway, that's it for now but I will check in with you guys later. Should have more consistent internet tonight and tomorrow.

Edit: Regarding Sairee Hut Resort - I just wanted to say the room we were in was an A/C & hot water room above the restaurant across the street, not one of their bungalows. I stayed in their bungalow a night on my way off of the island and it was definitely less impressive. It was nice and clean but they're fan-only and no hot water and you have to flush the toilet manually. That said, it was very clean. I probably wouldn't recommend the bungalow but the A/C hotel room was very nice and the owner and staff are all super cool and speak great English.

BigSuave fucked around with this message at 06:43 on Feb 28, 2011

Ribsauce
Jul 29, 2006

Blacks in the back.
Koh Samui is the coolest airport I have ever been to. After years of America's 2 hour "bend over grab your ankeles now walk 19 miles to your gate" crap, it was awesome to hop out of a truck bed, stroll through the checkin, and be hanging out under a thatch roof 10 feet from your gate less than 3 minutes later

ReindeerF
Apr 20, 2002

Rubber Dinghy Rapids Bro
Yeah, it used to be my favorite airport. It's still a neat little airport, but they tore down the quaint old thatch and coconut bicycle joint a few years ago and built a much larger one to accommodate the new flights that BA allowed (was forced to allow) in. I hated that it was a monopoly, but it was almost worth it to see the bamboo baggage truck and hang out at a regular old Thai restaurant under a thatch roof drinking beer or laze around on the grass. It really was a cool little airport. The new one's a bit more modern and has boutique shops and what not. Not bad, still nice and small, but no longer like something out of a Lost Dharma initiative flashback.

gently caress, it's probably still my favorite airport now that I think of it.

Finch!
Sep 11, 2001

Spatial Awareness?

[ ] Whaleshark

404 Not Found
Sukhothai airport is another no-wall Bangkok Airways airport and I think it's waaaay cooler than Koh Samui. They have a bunch of dudes dressed in white safari gear hanging about with some kind of (perhaps replica) ancient rifle who come to attention as one walks past... and the airport is designed to look like ruins in the old city, only with more aircraft and less falling apart. It's awesome.

rockarocka
Dec 8, 2003

So I bought a bike (Suzuki GN125) in Siem Reap and it's been pretty awesome so far. I've traveled about about 1500km from Siem Reap -> a few small towns -> Phnom Penh -> Kep -> Ha Tien -> Rach Gia -> Long Xuyen -> Ca Tho and just made it into Ho Chi Minh. No major issue, just a flat front tire (I'd say kids and dogs could probably repair a tube in Vietnam), replaced the speedo cable and tightened the chain.. all costing not over 5 bucks.

I did a bit of camping, which has so far been mostly pretty awesome. I woke up a few days back in an abandoned house on the southern coast just past Ha Tien to a confused Vietnamese farmer wondering why theres some bum sleeping in his not-so-abandoned house, confusion ensued, but we ended with a hand shake as he jumped into the swamp behind the house. 

Similar story for this morning. I pitched my totally awesome army hammock at about 10pm near Ca Tho in what seemed to be an empty lot with sand and some shrubbery. I woke up at around 6.30 to shouting and laughing as a couple of kids were flying a kite on the road (serious business in Vietnam it seems). 

I started packing my stuff and gave them a wave... they started bouncing around, ran away and sooner or later the whole family was crowded around me giggling and chattering. After some confused incoherent banter with them, an older Vietnamese guy insisting on playing the mandolin I'm carrying with me, I gave one of the girls a pink pick, jumped on my bike again and pottered along the road to Ca Tho in the morning traffic, lovely roads, with a baguette I bought from le Vietnamese roadside bicycle bakery (love those things btw).


So I'm in Ho Chi Minh right now, getting some proper sleep (in a minute) and noticed I really have no idea where to next. I've sorta been digging my rogue attitude since Siem Reap, it's been cheap travel, and shall definitely do some more camping, but I don't even have a map and barely know the names of any towns to the north of Ho Chi Minh, so I figure here's probably the best place to do at least a little bit of planning as I might be here for a while (meet up with a goon, replace some stuff that got stolen in Long Xuyen).

Can anyone shoot through maybe a quick list of towns I should hit? I've heard that the inland route is much nicer, but would like to hit up Nga Tran to maybe meet a friend (which is currently the only loose plan). I really dig mountains (spent 2 months in the north of Thailand after planning maybe 2 week!)

I don't really have a definite time frame to get home, but I'd also dig riding through the south of Laos and finding somewhere to chill for a few weeks before heading back to Australia. I could probably do another 3 months.. I'm a slow traveler and I know plenty of people do it in shorter time frames, but does that sound reasonable?

If anyone needs to hitch a ride for a bit in Vietnam over the coming weeks too.. I'll see what I can do! I give you good price. 

rockarocka fucked around with this message at 20:55 on Feb 26, 2011

rockarocka
Dec 8, 2003

I can't find the post again, but for whoever was looking for volunteer work in Cambodia (or anyone else for that matter), I did a bit recently (primarily in Kep) on my way through and would love to give some suggestions. Cambodian kids are absolutely amazing. They break dance!

Catch me on james.pijpstra@gmail.com as I can't check this thread too often.

Pompous Rhombus
Mar 11, 2007

rockarocka posted:

Can anyone shoot through maybe a quick list of towns I should hit? I've heard that the inland route is much nicer, but would like to hit up Nga Tran to maybe meet a friend (which is currently the only loose plan). I really dig mountains (spent 2 months in the north of Thailand after planning maybe 2 week!)

I don't really have a definite time frame to get home, but I'd also dig riding through the south of Laos and finding somewhere to chill for a few weeks before heading back to Australia. I could probably do another 3 months.. I'm a slow traveler and I know plenty of people do it in shorter time frames, but does that sound reasonable

I don't know anything about south Vietnam, but you can cross into Laos at Attapeu (like a day's ride on a nice highway through the mountains from Danang/Hoi An, you'd wind up spending the night at a mid-sized town about 35kms from the border then crossing in the morning). Southern Laos is pretty fun, and you can head north from there and cross back into Vietnam later. I put my bike on top of a bus to skip the Vientiane/Pakse run, which is pretty boring by and large. Northern Laos doesn't get a lot of tourists, and is mountainous/pretty. North Vietnam is similar (not many tourists outside of Hanoi/Halong Bay/Sapa, and of those only Sapa sucks), definitely recommended.

How was bringing the Suzuki into Vietnam? What sort of permit did you get for it, fees, etc?

Glad someone else is finding Vietnamese people as cool and friendly as I did :kiddo:

Ringo R
Dec 25, 2005

ช่วยแม่เฮ็ดนาแหน่เดัอ

rockarocka posted:

I don't really have a definite time frame to get home, but I'd also dig riding through the south of Laos and finding somewhere to chill for a few weeks before heading back to Australia. I could probably do another 3 months.. I'm a slow traveler and I know plenty of people do it in shorter time frames, but does that sound reasonable?

Try Si Phan Don (4000 Islands) in southern Laos if you're looking to "chill for a few weeks". There are cheap bungalows there with balcony and hammock overlooking the river. Very relaxing as long as you don't stay next to loud, fat, British women. Luckily my neighbor was a hippie Italian who had been there for 2-3 months who just smoked weed and read books all day. Also don't miss Wat Phu when you go to Pakse!

tzz
May 15, 2005
COLD
I wish I knew how to ride a motorbike to do that sort of stuff :ohdear:

Pompous Rhombus
Mar 11, 2007

tzz posted:

I wish I knew how to ride a motorbike to do that sort of stuff :ohdear:

They have classes that can teach you!

And books!

Or you can learn on your own/from another dude when you get there, which is what I did and don't really recommend. You'll *probably* be fine (I was), but I feel better recommending a class/real license than just winging it. Actually, I'm planning on signing up for the MSF course here in Florida next month to finally get legitimized, although Bike #2 is going to have to wait until I have get functional and effective health insurance.

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Cheesemaster200
Feb 11, 2004

Guard of the Citadel
What has been everyone's experience with booking intra-region flights as a game time decision?

I am more or less sure that I will be flying into Thailand beginning in late July and staying for another 3-4 weeks (don't ask me how I pulled that off while working full time).

I want to motorbike from Vientiane to Luang Prabang, go to Chiang Mai, go to some sort of beach (Ko Samui probably), and if I have time fly down to Singapore/Malaysia.

The problem is I have no idea how long I want to do all this stuff. I might want to extend my motorbike trip all the way to Pakse, go to a full moon part, or stop by Siem Reap if a few friends decide to actually go with me on this.
Therefore, it would be hard for me to really pinpoint when and where I would want to take flights from. Personally I would like to do the entire trip sort of ad lib, but I understand that might not be possible.

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