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I'll be in Thailand for about two months beginning April 12th, and I was curious about the availability of short term accommodation in Bangkok. I plan on spending a couple weeks in Bangkok before heading up north to Chiang Mai for Muay Thai training. Does anyone know of any decent, centrally located places that offer reasonable weekly rates? EDIT: I just read the post regarding travel insurance. Any good companies for Yanks?
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Apr 11, 2011 04:24
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Does anyone have any experience flying Aerosvit to BKK? I'm wondering if I should just shell out the extra 100$ for Qatar.
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Apr 13, 2011 16:18
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drat, reading the EatingAsia blog has made me realize just how many food opportunities I missed out on. Don't get me wrong, I ate nothing but street food, but I just didn't find awesome stuff in Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, and (surprisingly) Vietnam like you see in that blog. I got lucky a couple of time in Vietnam, but considering how long we stayed there, it was mostly duds. Thailand was easy as hell. I guess I have yet another reason to go back 
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Apr 13, 2011 22:01
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Studebaker Hawk posted:Trying to get everything in place for our trip through India/SEA in the fall. Does anyone have any advice w/r/t insurance? I have AMEX, but am looking at supplementary coverage- any particular vendors I should look at? next page quote for any info
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Apr 14, 2011 00:51
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So I was helping a friend price airfare from SFO, and holy poo poo it's gotten expensive. I read that this summer air travel was going to be bad (fuel surcharges and other factors), but the best I could find for her leaving in late June was at least $1400... the last time I went I paid like $1300 but that was leaving from Tampa, not a major west coast hub. If you're traveling in the spring/fall/winter there are some pretty nice deals on China Airways and Korean Air. Studebaker Hawk posted:next page quote for any info I've used STA's ISIC card for cheap health insurance, it wasn't my only insurance, but I needed something that covered body repatriation (lol). Homeowner's/renters often covers poo poo that gets stolen when you're traveling, check your policy. Camera gear can often be added as a cheap rider, especially if you aren't using it professionally.
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Apr 15, 2011 02:33
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gently caress yeah, just booked tickets for Bangkok in June! Just have to figure out what I'm gonna do on my two 8+ hour layovers in Helsinki.
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Apr 15, 2011 13:29
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Ooh, hello thread. I got into Bangkok last week, have since shuttled up to Chiang Mai for Songkran (Where splashing a guy on a moped going at 35mph in the face with ice water is encouraged and not punishable by a jail sentence!). Thailand is, well, pretty loving mental.quote:gently caress yeah, just booked tickets for Bangkok in June! Just have to figure out what I'm gonna do on my two 8+ hour layovers in Helsinki. I woke in Mumbai Airport during my 15 hour layover to find an old man taking photo's of me while I slept. I'm sure they're a bit less rapey in Helsinki though. I can still hear the airport Musak when I sleep. Off to Nan tomorrow evening to get away from the hordes of gap year kiddywinks for a few days and to go see some mountains. I'm a bit depressed that you can fly half way round the world, wonder off into the deepest darkest hills and apparently there's still a goddamn Tesco's.
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Apr 15, 2011 15:11
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almighty_monkey posted:Ooh, hello thread. I got into Bangkok last week, have since shuttled up to Chiang Mai for Songkran (Where splashing a guy on a moped going at 35mph in the face with ice water is encouraged and not punishable by a jail sentence!). Thailand is, well, pretty loving mental. I arrived in Bangkok a couple days ago, and (for the most part) have really enjoyed Songkran. I'm a really good sport apparently, because some random guy said that I was "...way too loving nice to those lunatics" after seeing me completely soaked and white-faced. I wasn't planning on it initially, but considering that I got completely drenched within 30 seconds of leaving my hostel for lunch, I decided to walk around downtown and enjoy the mayhem. The kids were especially adorable while raising hell.  But poo poo kinda got old when I was walking back from Top's and some tourist fuckhead in the back of a truck soaked all of my food/groceries. Thanks a lot rear end in a top hat! 
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Apr 15, 2011 17:49
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almighty_monkey posted:Ooh, hello thread. I got into Bangkok last week, have since shuttled up to Chiang Mai for Songkran (Where splashing a guy on a moped going at 35mph in the face with ice water is encouraged and not punishable by a jail sentence!). Thailand is, well, pretty loving mental. The kids are fine and are generally adorable as they go around getting everyone wet. Plus they are so drat happy about it all that it's impossible to be mad at them. The drunken western tourists on the other hand can go jump in the moat. Also, seeing fatass old white guys walking around with bargirls in BKK was weird, but somehow the ones who got married 5-10 years ago and are now walking around Chiang Mai with their now middle aged Thai wives on vacation are even weirder. Off to climb some rocks tomorrow and hide from the gap year kiddywinks. Anything in particular that's cool to see/do for a few days in Northern Thailand/Laos?
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Apr 15, 2011 19:00
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Modus Operandi posted:She's wrong (also an idiot) and giving out info that could seriously screw people with legitimate tourist visas up. For just the regular 60 day single entry you don't need to do anything and you can extend it for another month to make it 3 consecutive months where you don't have to leave Thailand. If you left after 30 days on a 2 month tourist visa your visa would automatically be used up. Thank you for this. It's what i thought, but being out of the loop for awhile it helps to have recent knowledge.
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Apr 15, 2011 19:03
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i81icu812 posted:The drunken western tourists on the other hand can go jump in the moat. Ugh, this. I was riding a motorbike on Ko Chang, not even on Songkran (Queen's birthday?) and I saw this shithead with a bucket of water by the road. I politely shake my head "no" and the chucklefuck still threw water at my face when I was going like 35mph. Also don't ride a motorbike on Ko Chang, it's pretty much the worst: a perfect storm of steep hills, switchbacks, Thais from Bangkok with their cars stalling out on the hills, shittily-maintained roads, and drunk tourists. I felt safer learning to ride a Minsk in rush hour traffic in Hanoi.
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Apr 15, 2011 19:45
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Pompous Rhombus posted:I politely shake my head "no" and the chucklefuck still threw water at my face when I was going like 35mph. I'm really happy that I never had any situation like this happen to me. I had plenty of occurrences where it was locals being douche bags, and that was easy enough to shrug off... it if was some western dick head, I'd have a hard time not giving him a piece of my mind, or something else altogether... which doesn't sound like a good idea in a foreign country.
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Apr 15, 2011 20:05
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chockomonkey posted:I'm really happy that I never had any situation like this happen to me. I had plenty of occurrences where it was locals being douche bags, and that was easy enough to shrug off... it if was some western dick head, I'd have a hard time not giving him a piece of my mind Oh, I did. In Thai 
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Apr 15, 2011 21:25
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i81icu812 posted:Off to climb some rocks tomorrow and hide from the gap year kiddywinks. Anything in particular that's cool to see/do for a few days in Northern Thailand/Laos? I recommend Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars if you get out that far into Laos.
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Apr 17, 2011 13:15
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Oh, I did. In Thai I've done this too. Or in Chinese on occasion so the Thai in earshot don't look at me funny.It's kinda sad, my Thai vocabulary basically consists khap/hello/numbers/happy new year and a whole bunch of curse words. Now that I've had a haircut, tan, and purchased some new clothes 80% of the people I meet will try to talk to me in Thai/Khmer. I generally understand what they're saying, but if I can't answer with khap/mai/pointing/gestures I'm screwed and it's embarrassing for everyone. Can someone point me to a slightly more comprehensive intro to Thai language thing so I can buy stuff and order food? On the other hand I can waltz into attractions with free admission for Thais and I no longer get bothered by touts at all. And I get actually helpful tuktuks/songteaous now, who think I am crazy walking around everywhere by myself but usually have no clue where I want to go if I do accept a ride. Still better than the tourist scam tuktuks! Anyway, I decided that the 95 degree heat in Chaing Mai wasn't nearly as much fun without the waterfights, and that if I'm going to be sitting in the shade for half the day to hide from the heat, I might as well be in a hammock on the beach so I'm killing time at the airport waiting for a plane south. Hopefully I'll be in Tonsai by tomorrow and crowds will be low with everyone off at full moon party tonight. Random reflections to kill time since I asked someone else for the same info a few weeks ago. I brought the clothes I was wearing plus some travel socks/underwear and bought everything else. Haven't regretted that at all. Exofficio underwear and thurlos socks are great synthetic undergarmets that wick moisture and dry fast and are totally worth the pricetag for a couple of pairs. You can buy everything else here much cheaper, unless you are really fat or something. Jeans are heavy and bulky, but if the Thais can wear jeans you can too, plus it gives some protection on hikes/moterbike rides. Otherwise wool or cotton slacks seem best. Bring shoes, or buy a pair here, I don't understand why you would want to spend all of your time here in flipflops with all the hiking you can do and crap on the street you can step on. Long sleeved dress shirts are great, especially if you fit tiny Asian sizes and can get the cheap. Or just get them tailored, its ~1000-1200 bhat, the same cost as a shirt off the rack back in the US. I did feel overdressed in Chiang Mai in collared shirts with the sleeves rolled up, but fit in perfectly in Phenom Pehn and Seim Reap, not at all what I was expecting. Seeing everyone with dress shirts/slacks/flipflops in Cambodia was a bit odd as well. At any rate, please don't be that guy wearing a Chang singlet everywhere for the love of god. Clinic in BKK for vaccinations is cheap and pretty simple. Get there early, traffic is a mess at rush hour right when it closes. Fake Edit: Anyone heard from BigSuave? Last I spoke with him about a week ago, he was going to go to Cambodia on a visa run via government bus. Haven't been able to get in touch with him since via phone or email. 
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Apr 18, 2011 05:34
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i81icu812 posted:Exofficio underwear and thurlos socks are great synthetic undergarmets that wick moisture and dry fast and are totally worth the pricetag for a couple of pairs. Exoffico is great. I use their boxer/brief things - great for preventing chafage whilst walking/doing anything in humidity, and they dry so quickly after washing/swimming. I've taken to wearing them at home, too. They're very comfortable. Finch! fucked around with this message at 10:19 on Apr 18, 2011 |
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Apr 18, 2011 10:15
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i81icu812 posted:I've done this too. Haha, yeah. A Chinese-American friend of mine is going and I told her to expect that (and also to try waltzing into places and getting the Thai price)  The Pimsleur tapes are okay for basic spoken Thai needs, but they skew very formal so I hesitate to recommend them to most people. If you're semi-serious about learning Thai, pick up Thai For Beginners (it's pretty common to find at bookstores catering to foreigners), and make sure you get the one with audio CD's. Long story short, if you ever want to have a decent accent in spoken Thai, you need to learn to read/write. The basics aren't that hard (it's a phonetic alphabet), and knowing how a word is written, you'll know its tone. If you're not that serious about getting into it, pick up the Lonely Planet pocket phrasebook and find Thai people to practice with. Trying to learn to speak Thai from a western phonetic script by yourself is pretty much a fool's errand, but with a Thai person around to help with pronunciation you can make some gains. The Southeast Asia one is also really handy (if a bit brief in each language by necessity) and I recommend it as an essential item if you're going to be doing more than one country. My first time in SEA I had lots of fun conversations with random people I otherwise would have had no way of communicating with because of it  Also, you are pretty much my clothes-advice brother 
Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 13:06 on Apr 18, 2011 |
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Apr 18, 2011 13:04
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http://www.learn-thai-podcast.com I would recommend more than Thai for Beginners etc, although you'd still need Thai for Beginners to get a basic hold on the alphabet. But the former has hundreds of really good lessons in video/MP3/transcript forms, ranging from extended Thai conversations (actual recordings from Thai TV and so on, not spoken by a voice artist or whatever like the Pimsleur lesson) to vocab lessons, grammatical structure, and I find it easier to throw MP3s on my iPhone to listen to on the way to work etc. จะไปเมืองไทยวันพฤหัสฯ 
brendanwor fucked around with this message at 22:25 on Apr 18, 2011 |
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Apr 18, 2011 22:20
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I'm going to put this in this thread so that I can remember that I did so so I don't have to make it ever again. This is intended not for travelers but for people moving to Bangkok for some sort of long term (month or more) stay.
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Apr 19, 2011 04:08
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Sheep-Goats: I went ahead and put that in the op, if you don't mind  I live in the FML area... 
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Apr 19, 2011 12:23
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Ringo R posted:Sheep-Goats: I went ahead and put that in the op, if you don't mind I think a "here there be tygers/บ้านนอก" area would be good for where you live. I lived smack dab between Thailand Cultural Centre and Huay Khwang MRT stations on Ratchada Soi 10. I had to find my place on my own in a short amount of time and was using Craigslist, but it worked out really well for me; the place was on the high end compared to the English teachers I knew ($9k/mo, although it was a condo so I didn't pay jacked up renter's utility rates), but it was almost brand new, and had lots of nice amenities like a swimming pool, gym, etc. There was a decent-sized shopping mall within a ten minute walk (Tesco/Lotus and lots of restaurants), plus it was convenient to the subway, which I took to school (Siam Square) every day. You also could walk to Ratchada Soi 4, which is sort of a lower-middle class club area, and Esplanade, a nice shopping mall with a movie theatre and poo poo. RCA was also a pretty quick cab ride away, I became great friends with two German dudes across the street (one was in my Thai class for 5 weeks, both of them turned out to be goons  ) so we were always splitting cabs to go to Banglamphu and such.The sort of weird part is the area around Soi 10 (where I lived) has a ton of those soapland/"massage parlor" places that cater to wealthy Thai and Asian sex tourists. One time curiosity got the better of me and one of the Germans, so we sat at the bar just off the lobby for a couple of hours drinking 180 baht Heinekens, and watching johns come in and pick their hookers out of the glass-walled room like diners choosing a lobster out of a tank. The area itself was fine (Asians are a lot more discreet about their prostitution than white folks), but it always got a  expression from Thai people when I told them where I lived.
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Apr 19, 2011 13:18
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So I am 90% sure I am going to SE Asia from the end of July to the end of August for 3-1/2 weeks. I am also pretty sure I will be by myself while doing it. I have never really traveled by myself before, much less for 3-1/2 weeks. Anyone have any tips, tricks or suggestions for traveling solo? Rhombus, I know you went solo for your motorcycling thing, anything I should do for that. I want to go to Laos for about a week and do some motorbiking. My biggest concern is safety by myself though, what would be your opinion on that? Also, my passport expires mid-2012. It has three pages left and I am a visa whore in that I like to get as many stamps as possible. Should I renew now, especially since I already have half of SE Asia on my passport?
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Apr 19, 2011 16:39
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Cheesemaster200 posted:So I am 90% sure I am going to SE Asia from the end of July to the end of August for 3-1/2 weeks. I am also pretty sure I will be by myself while doing it. I have never really traveled by myself before, much less for 3-1/2 weeks. Anyone have any tips, tricks or suggestions for traveling solo? So jealous! I wanted to take a trip back around that time for a friend's birthday, but starting a job at the end of July (itself a very good thing). I've pretty much only traveled solo. It's not hard to meet people, and audiobooks/podcasts are invaluable for long bus rides. Not particularly dangerous or anything, although for ladies the usual precautions apply. If you're on a motorbike, you miss out on bus station/bus socializing, so I spent more time hanging out at restaurants or in the common area of guest houses to meet people. I had a loose arrangement with an Aussie girl for a couple of towns in Laos where she'd take the bus and I'd meet up with her in the next town on my motorbike (would have offered a ride, but she had way too much poo poo with her). As far as safety you have very little to worry about, violent crime is pretty rare. There is the risk that the bike breaks down and you can't fix it on your own, but as long as you're not going down some obscure bike trails you should be able to flag someone down to help you out eventually. The only two times I had a catastrophic failure on the Minsk were also the only two times I was riding with someone else, but even if they hadn't been there to go look for help I would have been able to make it out myself, eventually. It really helps to start your rides in the morning and finish up well before sundown; I had to spend a night in the jungle in southern Laos and while it's a great story to tell, it wasn't very comfortable at the time. I can also recommend the Lonely Planet Laos pocket phrasebook, it has a page or two devoted to vehicle troubles as well as being generally useful. You might as well renew it now, as a lot of countries want 6 months of remaining validity to issue you a visa. It's just one less thing to worry about. Otherwise, you can also get new pages added to it at the American Citizen Services section of a US embassy or consulate abroad while you wait, I think there's a nominal fee. When you renew, you get to keep the old passport, they just punch a few holes in it and stamp "CANCELED" on the ID page.
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Apr 19, 2011 17:39
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Anybody living in HCMC (or lived there recently)? I'm starting to look for nice areas to live in, between Tan Binh and District 1, to be close to my work (in ETown). Most apartment ads seem to be about D1, D3 and Phu My Hung so it's hard to get an idea on the cost of apartments (or just get the neighborhood vibe) in other districts, like D10, D11, Phu Nhuan, etc.
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Apr 19, 2011 20:42
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Ringo R posted:Sheep-Goats: I went ahead and put that in the op, if you don't mind Where? I mean, FML could include a 5 star hotel along the river. In theory. Or it could also be some บ้านนอก area 
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Apr 19, 2011 22:04
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Thailand has been number one on my list of places to go in the world for a while now and, after spending last semester in India with the Tibetan community in northern India, I'm really, really interested in learning more about Buddhism in all its different forms. I've studied a little bit about Thai art history (from a South and Southeast Asian art history course) and did some research concerning modern Thai politics and the Red Shirt movement for a different class as well. I'm really fascinated by Thailand in general. That said, I was thinking of applying for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Thailand for a year. I also taught English for two months while in India and really loved that too (some of the best moments in my life thus far!). Are there alternative avenues for teaching English in Thailand (preferably Bangkok) or finding any other form of work in Thailand as well?
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Apr 19, 2011 23:13
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OrangeGuy posted:Thailand has been number one on my list of places to go in the world for a while now and, after spending last semester in India with the Tibetan community in northern India, I'm really, really interested in learning more about Buddhism in all its different forms. I've studied a little bit about Thai art history (from a South and Southeast Asian art history course) and did some research concerning modern Thai politics and the Red Shirt movement for a different class as well. I'm really fascinated by Thailand in general. Yeah, it's pretty easy to get work teaching anywhere. You can live comfortably on the salary in Thailand but saving money is pretty much fruitless. If you're looking for another respected program under US auspicies, the Peace Corps is another option (PCV's in Thailand teach in rural areas though, IIRC), although it's a two-year hitch. You can pretty much DIY your own thing without the Peace Corps or Fulbright, but both of those look a lot better on a resume or grad school application. Other (legal) work in Thailand outside of English teaching or NGO stuff is basically impossible to come by as a recent graduate. Thailand is one of the worst countries in Asia as far as freedom to work as a foreigner; they restrict the poo poo out of what they'll issue work permits and visas for to keep Thai jobs safe from foreign competition. If you're interested in Buddhism, you could also enter a monastery as a monk. There are a number of wats that cater to foreign monks (and Thais/half-Thais born abroad who aren't really proficient in the language). There are at least one or two in Bangkok, and I know of a forest monastery in Iisaan. If you're interested in learning about Thai culture, language, etc, you might look in to teaching in Chiang Mai and taking classes on the side. You could do the same in Bangkok (Thammasat has a decent-sized Thai studies program at the undergrad level for foreign exchange students), but I think Chiang Mai would probably be a cooler experience.
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Apr 19, 2011 23:34
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Thanks for the info and quick response. I'm pretty sure I'd be very happy teaching English in Thailand or elsewhere as a means of having an income while living abroad. I'll still be young and without any obligations by the time I graduate undergrad and really want to use this time in my life as a way of living abroad and basically living life. Also, what color and kind of robes do the monks in Thailand wear? Are they orange? Because in India, the Tibetan monks tended to wear red robes with a sliver of blue on the ends of the sleeves. I'm not a Buddhist by religion, but I find the philosophy and aspects about it to be pretty fascinating. As far as other factors go, I'm a die-hard lover of Thai food, I really enjoyed the rumble and tumble of living in rural India, and etc. Also, is it possible to find a home-stay family or room with other cool expats and/or locals?
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Apr 19, 2011 23:43
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OrangeGuy posted:Thanks for the info and quick response. You know there's an "teaching English as a foreign language" thread on the front page of this subforum, right? I'm posting from my phone now so I can't address your questions presently, but most of what you need to know is in there, and because I wrote the op it probably has a decent Thailand slant. The forums at ajarn.com are also pretty good.
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Apr 19, 2011 23:51
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OrangeGuy posted:Thanks for the info and quick response. Yep, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia are orange robes. Homestays (like with a family) are very uncommon except if you're doing like a hill tribe trek or something, but it could be arranged. Or you could just get Thai roommates in Bangkok if you wanted, although most people prefer to room alone since it's so affordable.
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Apr 20, 2011 00:03
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Cheesemaster200 posted:So I am 90% sure I am going to SE Asia from the end of July to the end of August for 3-1/2 weeks. I am also pretty sure I will be by myself while doing it. I have never really traveled by myself before, much less for 3-1/2 weeks. Anyone have any tips, tricks or suggestions for traveling solo? Have fun! I find it very liberating when I did travel on my own for such a long period of time. Basically, as long as you have your passport and money, you can go anywhere you want! Just have cash and use the credit card for large purchases like airfare or pricey hotels. The biggest problem is not having enough money to do what you want, but being in SEA it is not a big of an issue than say... Europe or America. For everyday stuff, you can rely on laundromats to wash your clothes, stay in hostels, eat street food, and pack light. As long as you are not out in the jungle, you can buy a lot of amenities - at a price. If you are a bigger white guy, I guess extra deodorant and larger condoms? It's 3.5 weeks, there's bound to be stuff you forgot to pack and bring. Socialize with people to borrow/barter what you want!
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Apr 20, 2011 04:51
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Haha, yeah. A Chinese-American friend of mine is going and I told her to expect that (and also to try waltzing into places and getting the Thai price) Especially if she is 3rd generation plus and her family came from Guangdong, she will look just like all the other Thai-Chinese that left southern China for Thailand, Malaysia, Hawaii, LA, etc at the same time! If she looks more Han from Beijing it might be slightly harder. Phuket town was pretty cool, lots of old Sino-Portuguese buildings and a very strong Chinatown feel. Also, fisherman pants are great..... as pajamas. Don't wear cargo pants or even worse, zipoffs. And gently caress you REI and prana for discontinuing the outdoory pants in my size right after I rip holes in mine.
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Apr 20, 2011 12:02
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i81icu812 posted:Phuket town was pretty cool, lots of old Sino-Portuguese buildings and a very strong Chinatown feel. Wow, you must have been in a different Phuket Town than I was. For me it was the biggest shithole I've ever been. Mind you I was there only after dark (for one night), but from the giant rats to the smell, the nice old Sino-Portuguese building completely obscured by messy noisy powerlines to the speeding traffic, the prostitution, the bars full of old English blokes and walking for 15 minutes to find a proper place to eat (not full of old english blokes and prostitutes) I just wanted to kill myself after an hour.
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Apr 20, 2011 12:44
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Pompous Rhombus posted:So jealous! I wanted to take a trip back around that time for a friend's birthday, but starting a job at the end of July (itself a very good thing). From a safety standpoint, I am more worried about "getting run over by a drunken farmhand in Laos" rather than getting mugged or something. Did you find in your travels that you felt unsafe riding along on the motorcycle? In Vietnam everything was chaotic, yes, but I never really felt that unsafe since speeds were so low most of the time.
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Apr 20, 2011 22:12
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Cheesemaster200 posted:From a safety standpoint, I am more worried about "getting run over by a drunken farmhand in Laos" rather than getting mugged or something. Did you find in your travels that you felt unsafe riding along on the motorcycle? In Vietnam everything was chaotic, yes, but I never really felt that unsafe since speeds were so low most of the time. Not really, you just have to be sure to stick to your side of the road in the mountains and be careful about passing. Traffic in Laos is pretty light (and Vientiane isn't bad at all) and relatively sane. You probably know this from Vietnam, but watch out for free-ranging farm animals; a buffalo or decent-sized pig can potentially ruin your day. Chickens are the most insane as far as running out in front of you, but really can't do anything bad if you hit them. After a week or two I quit swerving/braking for them, don't think I ever killed one. Pigs are most dangerous IMO; they can be as twitchy as chickens but can have the mass to cause a serious accident. Buffalo are pretty docile but you can always be surprised by them coming around blind corners. If you're going out to a night club in Laos (do this, it's great) just take a tuk-tuk for a couple of bucks and don't ride drunk. Also, might want to grab the Rough Guide road map for Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam. It's not perfect, but decently accurate and very durable. I think I mentioned it a few posts back, but the scariest riding I did was on Ko Chang (not great roads, steep grades with switchbacks, lots of clueless drivers both Thai and foreign). Elsewhere it really wasn't bad, although riding in urban environments is definitely more stressful then out in the countryside.
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Apr 20, 2011 22:28
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caberham posted:Have fun! I find it very liberating when I did travel on my own for such a long period of time. Basically, as long as you have your passport and money, you can go anywhere you want! Just have cash and use the credit card for large purchases like airfare or pricey hotels. Another question though for anyone who has done this. Considering going to Rangoon and potentially Bagan, however I don't want to make any hard plans on this. Therefore, I was planning on getting a Myanmar visa from the embassy in DC (only $20 and I live an hour away). They require proof of travel. Since I wont book a flight until a few days before, could I put my international airfare to Bangkok instead? Anyone have experience with this? My plan is to be as free in my travel plans as possible. Fly into Bangkok on one day, fly out of Bangkok/Singapore on another, and whatever happens in between is not decided until I do it.
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Apr 21, 2011 03:01
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Cheesemaster200 posted:I am working full time (and have been doing so for almost a year since my last day of Vacation), so money is less of an issue. Time is my biggest limiting factor. I am an electrical power engineer, and I am considering moving over there working for an international construction/energy company. Therefore I really want to bounce around as much as possible to get more of a feel of each area. I really want to visit Singapore, but I don't know if I will have time. Awesome, good luck if you decide to go through with the move! There are some Sing-goons that could probably answer your questions a lot better than I can, although I don't think any of them post in this thread. For the Myanmar visa, I'd say pull up an itinerary on Air Asia or something and print that out without buying it. The main "proof of travel" thing is that you're going back to your home country, so include a copy of your return ticket back to the USA for good measure. I'm planning to be up your way later this summer (late June or early July) visiting friends, let me know if you'd like to grab a beer somewhere around DC and talk SEA-travel shop. I will defend the honor of my Minsk though 
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Apr 21, 2011 03:10
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Awesome, good luck if you decide to go through with the move! There are some Sing-goons that could probably answer your questions a lot better than I can, although I don't think any of them post in this thread. poo poo, I loved the Minsk for the full 12 hours that I rode it. Aside from the fact that the shifter would sometimes "downshift" into 4th (from any gear) and the saddle bags came off of course...
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Apr 21, 2011 03:34
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Rojkir posted:Wow, you must have been in a different Phuket Town than I was. For me it was the biggest shithole I've ever been. Mind you I was there only after dark (for one night), but from the giant rats to the smell, the nice old Sino-Portuguese building completely obscured by messy noisy powerlines to the speeding traffic, the prostitution, the bars full of old English blokes and walking for 15 minutes to find a proper place to eat (not full of old english blokes and prostitutes) I just wanted to kill myself after an hour. Nah, everything you say is true, but the place feels like it has real character to it not like some of the built up touristy islands. Decades of decay and neglect, sure. But real character. I was only there the one night as well but just took a motosai to a nice resort place for dinner.
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Apr 21, 2011 03:45
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Phuket Town is the only part of the island that was there before the tourist boom of the last 2-3 decades, yeah. Patong, Kata, Chalong and the rest is all fabricated. I read somewhere that Kamala was there as a small fishing village, but I think the rest is all new. In that sense, it is the only part of the island that feels at all real, because it's the only part of the island that is at all real (ever since the tin mines got covered over anyway, heh). I am not a fan of Phuket, been there a few times now. When I go, I like to spend time in Phuket town for the exact reason that it feels more like some place people might actually live, but that's when I go. I'd rather not go at all and go somewhere else instead. This is an expat view, though, and only mine. As a tourist coming for the first time you'll have a lot of fun on Phuket, just avoid the huge multitude of scams related to any transportation - whether it's taxis and tuk tuks or renting bikes or jet skis. Phuket's become internationally renowned for its horrible corruption when it comes to this stuff.
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Apr 21, 2011 05:25
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