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Haha in Cambo they'd just shoot you if you ever printed something that mattered. You can't be a real journalist and keep you hands clean in SE Asia, but that's the part of journalism you can't learn about in school anyway. "I want to be a journalist and be safe" means you don't want to be a real journalist -- even in the West if you write something that touches someone with power they're going to touch you back, and, of course, your editor and company appointed lawyer often won't have your back. That article isn't just about journalism in Thailand, parts of it apply to anyone doing real journalism anywhere.
raton fucked around with this message at 15:11 on Sep 9, 2011 |
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Sep 9, 2011 15:05
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I'd just stick to food journalism in SEA. Everyone loves having their culinary traditions talked up, and you get to eat a bunch of bomb rear end food. Win/Win if you ask me!
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Sep 9, 2011 17:24
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Sheep-Goats posted:Butt sprayer rules Hell yeah. Especially when that green curry comes back for revenge. The West is definitely behind in the anal hygiene department.
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Sep 9, 2011 17:37
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I'm seriously thinking about buying a butt sprayer kit and installing it myself as a Christmas gift........to my butt.
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Sep 9, 2011 22:19
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Tuff Ghost posted:Hell yeah. Especially when that green curry comes back for revenge. The West is definitely behind in the anal hygiene department.
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Sep 10, 2011 00:30
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I explain it to people by asking them if they'd clean a smear of poo poo off the floor with soap and water or if they'd use some dry crumbly paper instead.
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Sep 10, 2011 00:33
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I live in nowhere, Thailand and I'll be here for a year. My search for a gym shows promise. I'm told that one exist, but nobody is sure of its location. I have had less success with whey protein. In China, they have taobao. In Korea, there's mass119 What does Thailand have?
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Sep 10, 2011 07:39
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If you were in Bangkok I'd point you to our version of Venice Beach, where a lot of serious bodybuilders (in the Thai context) hang out and lift outside, they could probably point you the way. Myself, I've seen plenty of supplement stores, but I can't recall seeing the usual American-sized buckets of chemicals sold to bodybuilding enthusiasts. If you can find a way to replace creatine with powdered pangolin anus you'll have no problems, though. In all seriousness, I'm sure it's here as there's a California Wow and a True Fitness on every corner with a few serious bodybuilders, but my Thai isn't extensive enough to find it. I'm sure it's yaa something or paun something or bang something, but I have no idea what. Sorry!
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Sep 10, 2011 10:45
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me and the wife are heading over to Bangkok next weekend for a few days and then heading down to Ko Samui/southern islands for a couple weeks. I was wondering about sim cards/cellphone service in both places. Can I pick up a sim card at MBK that'll provide data service in those areas? Any suggestions on provider or any tips? Also, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with bicycle tours around Bangkok? The wife is interested in something like this http://grasshopperadventures.com/tour-VTTN07.php Thanks in advance.
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Sep 11, 2011 01:09
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Bangkok is too hot for bicycling around IMO and the traffic may be fairly intimidating. I don't think I've ever actually seen someone on a bike in Bangkok. But if you don't mind sweating a ton then I guess there's no reason not to.
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Sep 11, 2011 01:20
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If your phone is unlocked, you can pick up a Thai SIM card easily. 7-11 has them, even. Sheep-Goats posted:Bangkok is too hot for bicycling around IMO and the traffic may be fairly intimidating. I don't think I've ever actually seen someone on a bike in Bangkok. But if you don't mind sweating a ton then I guess there's no reason not to. There was a big push under a mayor a few years ago to make the city more bike-friendly, but it was basically a big flop. Too hot, motorcycles kept using the special bike lanes/paths, etc. I have seen people bicycling in Bangkok, but you're right in that very few bother.
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Sep 12, 2011 01:05
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DreadLlama posted:I live in nowhere, Thailand and I'll be here for a year. My search for a gym shows promise. I'm told that one exist, but nobody is sure of its location. I have had less success with whey protein. For protein I'd say "pro-tiin baep ahaarn seum" or something like that [ahaan seum = supplement]. Not grammatically correct, but should get the point across if they know such a thing exists. I wouldn't be surprised if you could find it at the big international supermarkets in Bangkok like Tesco/Lotus/et al, but that's not a promise and I can guarantee the selection will suck.
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Sep 12, 2011 01:07
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 On the last page or somewhere I mentioned having recently encoded a CD of Thai covers of Rat Pack era songs. I got mod approval to post the album, so here it is:  Thread in NMD -- download links for the album in hereSamples: 07 - Harry Belafonte - Day-O The Banana Boat Song (1957) 08 - นคร มงคลายน - ม้วยโอ (Moy-O) Edit: added the cover of the CD again so this post gets more attention raton fucked around with this message at 05:53 on Sep 12, 2011 |
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Sep 12, 2011 05:51
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Yesterday we got to Khanom. We're staying at Talkoo Beach Resort. I know I wanted something off the beaten path, and, uh, this is definitely it. After we got off the train in Suratthani, we took a bus, a songthaew, and a moto taxi. I nearly had an "in over my head" meltdown after we got to the resort. Bangkok is sooo easy to get around with minimal Thai speaking. Khanom (or anywhere else we went through yesterday) is not. However, we walked on the beach for about 3 hours today and saw 3 other people (and they were fishermen). There are a couple of other Westerners staying at the resort, but for the most part I think this is a Thai destination. I'm not sure if there's enough to do here for an entire week, but we'll be heading into Khanom (there's supposed to be a market on Wednesday) and possibly down into Nakhon Si Thammarat city. After the journey we took yesterday I think we're actually leaving a day early and booking a hotel in Nakhon Si Thammarat so we don't have to worry about making our flight back to BKK on Saturday. We waffled back and forth about booking this week in advance, and in hindsight I think it would have been better to not book in advance, just because I'm not sure there's enough to do here all week. Oh well. Next time we come to Thailand we'll probably come during the high season and go to the islands on the Andaman side. I'm also planning on trying to master the butt sprayer this week. Edit: Also, we saw some people riding bikes in BKK, but drat, unless you were on a path I couldn't imagine riding bikes there. And even if you WERE riding on a path, some tuk tuk would probably come and try to run you down or something. trigger fucked around with this message at 11:08 on Sep 12, 2011 |
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Sep 12, 2011 11:05
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Heh, I stayed in the Talkoo a couple of days too. Really chill place and nice staff, I went there with a few friends and it was just us and a Thai family.
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Sep 12, 2011 12:38
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Sheep-Goats posted:Bangkok is too hot for bicycling around IMO and the traffic may be fairly intimidating. I don't think I've ever actually seen someone on a bike in Bangkok. But if you don't mind sweating a ton then I guess there's no reason not to. There was a cop biking around near Lumphini Park a few months ago when I visited. Short guy with big black authority sunglasses looking mean and like he was looking for someone to murder. His choice of bike? A pink girlbike sized for 11 year olds. It was a rather confusing sight. At least he was doing mighty fine business swooping down on tourists that threw cigarette butts on the ground. I even witnessed one flipflop-farang singlehandedly talk himself into a fine of 2000 baht instead of just tagging along and paying the usual 500 or so to the "policelunch-fund".
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Sep 12, 2011 13:54
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Yeah, they like that cigarette butt on the ground fee. That's a Jatujak and Sala Daeng BTS classic.
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Sep 12, 2011 17:52
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Stopped by Silom Soi 20 today for lunch after picking up my Myanmar visa, but no sign of Tukta. I think I saw her there a couple of days ago, but sadly was not hungry enough to stop. Tomorrow I have to get 28 days worth of USD's for Myanmar and something to carry them in so they don't get crumpled. Oh Myanmar, so inconvenient. Best thing I've seen this week was a couple of young Japanese guys going "upstairs" at Patpong arm-in-arm with a couple of ladyboys who were squealing "Kawaii! Kawaii!". They were all so happy. 
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Sep 12, 2011 21:12
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I've been in Ho Chi Minh City for almost 3 months now and I'm finally riding a motorbike everywhere I go, without being too scared. It's amazing how the chaotic SE traffic seems more controlled once you're in the middle of it.
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Sep 13, 2011 03:20
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Senso posted:I've been in Ho Chi Minh City for almost 3 months now and I'm finally riding a motorbike everywhere I go, without being too scared. It's amazing how the chaotic SE traffic seems more controlled once you're in the middle of it. Right on man. It looks insane, but once you're in it you just sort of go with the flow and everything's alright. I learned how to ride a proper bike (with a clutch and stuff) in rush hour traffic in Hanoi. gently caress those 4-way intersections with no lights/signs in the Old Quarter though.
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Sep 13, 2011 05:19
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If any of you ever find yourselves in Khanom and needing a western food fix, check out Dusty Gecko. It's on the main drag, about 75 meters south of the Tesco, located on the opposite side of the street. Sunday I was worried we hadn't made the right decision coming here. Yesterday while we were walking on the rural roads at night in search of an ATM (not a recommended pursuit, by the way), we met an older local woman (Pim). She offered us a ride to the ATM but we politely declined. We walked on a little further but turned back when we realized the roads were too dark and we could get hit by a car/moto, and we doubled back. The second time Pim insisted on giving us a ride, and we accepted. She took us to the ATM and invited us in for coffee. We met her entire family, including her adorable granddaughter (who we taught how to high-five), she gave us a whole bag of freshly picked rambutans, and we made a date to cook together on Wednesday. We're friends on Facebook now. There's something about Thailand; on the surface it may not seem that great, but it really digs into your skin when you get down into it. I find myself sitting in this expat bar thinking that it really can't be that hard to expatriate to Thailand. ARGH! Anyway, Mikko, who is Finnish and owns Dusty Gecko, is actually a trained gourmet chef. His burgers are better than some of the stuff I can get at home in Chicago, and he has several higher class dishes and desserts available. We'll probably be back here tomorrow to try some of his other dishes, heh.
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Sep 13, 2011 10:13
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kenner116 posted:Best thing I've seen this week was a couple of young Japanese guys going "upstairs" at Patpong arm-in-arm with a couple of ladyboys who were squealing "Kawaii! Kawaii!". They were all so happy. Heh, reminds me of the night me and a friend were hanging out in the lobby of our Hotel in Phuket: - Some guy who looked like the captain of his football team out in the Midwest came in with the biggest  face and a ladyboy by his side. Threw his street walker fee on the front desk, and was about to get in the elevator when I caught his eye and gave him a smirk look while shaking my head and told him "Have fun, dude!"  That went to a  mighty fast! hahah- Hours later some old German dude came in with an even bigger and two ladyboys. This fool had no shame. He went on and on about how Thailand was so cool, because only there here you do something like this... then he found out I speak German and proceeded to invite me up to his room to partake in the coming "festivities".I declined, and he replied with "Schade"(bummer). Bummer indeed! 
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Sep 13, 2011 14:40
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I am going to be staying in Bangkok and Hanoi for 5 days each next month and I'm looking at hotels there. Does anyone have any recommendations? I'm looking at something for a moderate price and don't even know where to begin because there are so many choices. To narrow it down some in Bangkok I've been looking at something near the river because I've heard its great for transportation.. Hanoi I'm not for sure yet.
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Sep 13, 2011 15:50
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Sheep-Goats posted:Bangkok is too hot for bicycling around IMO and the traffic may be fairly intimidating. I don't think I've ever actually seen someone on a bike in Bangkok. But if you don't mind sweating a ton then I guess there's no reason not to.
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Sep 13, 2011 19:13
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trigger posted:There's something about Thailand; on the surface it may not seem that great, but it really digs into your skin when you get down into it. I find myself sitting in this expat bar thinking that it really can't be that hard to expatriate to Thailand. ARGH!
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Sep 13, 2011 19:15
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Can you guys who went to Burma write your trip reports already?  I'm thinking about catching a flight to Mandalay from where I hope it should not be too painful to get a bus to Bagan and Mt Popa. Do they accept Thai baht readily there?
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Sep 13, 2011 20:08
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Ringo R posted:Can you guys who went to Burma write your trip reports already? Don't take the bus from Mandalay to Bagan. Take the boat from Mandalay to Bagan down the Iriwaddy. It is both faster, roomier, and much nicer. I would argue that the boat ride was one of the highlights of my trip there. They require US dollars for all hotels and major transportation methods (planes, trains). You might have some trouble with Baht, especially in Mandalay. Mandalay and the north was probably the least touristed place I went to in Burma. quote:I am going to be staying in Bangkok and Hanoi for 5 days each next month and I'm looking at hotels there. Does anyone have any recommendations? I'm looking at something for a moderate price and don't even know where to begin because there are so many choices. Cheesemaster200 fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Sep 13, 2011 |
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Sep 13, 2011 21:57
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Thanks! Did you take a bus from Rangoon to Mandalay? I like reading about Burmese bus horror stories  Will probably take the bus rather than flight as it is so much cheaper. Might take the flight back if it turns out to be awful.
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Sep 14, 2011 05:30
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Hope this isn't a double post because the wifi crapped out while I was posting. I know it's been discussed before in this very thread, but the traveling companion is worried and wants me to post. Can we stop taking these malaria pills? We're in varying stages of intestinal discomfort and I'm pretty sure it's related to the malaria pills. We're taking Malarone and I've read that it causes certain... issues for a lot of people. Sorry if it's a dumb question. I was wary of taking the pills in the first place and at the moment I'm pretty convinced that I had the right idea. I'm not sure if all this discomfort is worth it for a week in a semi-rural area.
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Sep 14, 2011 14:18
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I wouldn't worry about malaria at all in Thailand unless you are going to be hiking deep in the jungle.
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Sep 14, 2011 16:55
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trigger posted:
I talked to a specialised doctor in Bangkok when I was getting my HepA shot and he told me they always advise people not to take anything against malaria because the side effects outway the benefits.
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Sep 14, 2011 17:33
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Rojkir posted:I talked to a specialised doctor in Bangkok when I was getting my HepA shot and he told me they always advise people not to take anything against malaria because the side effects outway the benefits. This is what my doctor in the US told me before I left.
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Sep 14, 2011 18:02
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Ringo R posted:Thanks! Did you take a bus from Rangoon to Mandalay? I like reading about Burmese bus horror stories I took buses all over Burma. My itinerary was Yangon - Kyaiktiyo - Yangon - Bago - Inle Lake - Mandalay - Pyin U Lwin - Bagan (Nyaung U) - Yangon. The longest of those trips was Bagan - Yangon, which was about 16 hours. The buses aren't chicken-bus bad, but they aren't terribly comfortable either. The roads are poor, and travel time long. You'll see tourists in Yangon, at Inle Lake, and at Bagan. Mandalay is overrated - the name is the best thing about it. Smaller towns like Bago and Pyin U Lwin are gems, mostly for the people. I haven't met a country with more charming people than Burma. It was a puzzle to me how they wound up with their execrable government. You won't get very far with baht in Burma. There's very little official cross-border traffic between the two countries. The only useful currency other than the kyat is the US dollar. Rojkir posted:I talked to a specialised doctor in Bangkok when I was getting my HepA shot and he told me they always advise people not to take anything against malaria because the side effects outway the benefits. I took doxycycline for a while. It gave me a nasty, hacking cough and nightmares. I quit taking it after a couple of weeks, and survived.
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Sep 14, 2011 18:13
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You shouldn't have bothered with starting them in the first place IMO.
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Sep 14, 2011 19:10
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Ringo R posted:Thanks! Did you take a bus from Rangoon to Mandalay? I like reading about Burmese bus horror stories
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Sep 14, 2011 20:14
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I had a beautiful experience at the Mandalay bus depot. After a picaresque ride on the back of an overloaded truck, I stepped off at the depot. Bought a ticket to Nyaung U on a bus leaving two hours later, and settled in to a bowl of noodles. Suddenly, my stomach seized, and I knew serious anal leakage was in the mail. I found a fetid bathroom at a teashop, with a squat toilet. The light was out, so with the door open I approximated the place to aim, and then shut the door. While squatting, I felt something hairy run across my Teva-ed foot, kicked, and lost my balance, toppling over onto my back into the basin of the squatter. I spent the next ninety minutes cleaning up as best as I could before boarding the bus, poo poo-encrusted, for the seven-hour ride to Nyaung U. Good times.
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Sep 14, 2011 20:32
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Just got back from the emergency room. Doctor mistook my high fever and gas cramps for appendicitis and said I might have to go have surgery. Blood + pee test came back normal. THANKS FOR THE TERRIFYING VISIT, DOC. At least it was only 600B. Yeah, discontinuing those malaria pills post-haste.
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Sep 14, 2011 21:54
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On the malaria tablet question, is it necessary to take them when visiting Laos? For the record, I used malarone when I visited Borneo and I didn't suffer any side effects, but at $5 a day I don't want to take them if they are a needless expense. On the other hand I don't want to end up with malaria for the rest of my life so...
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Sep 14, 2011 22:57
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Ebethron posted:On the malaria tablet question, is it necessary to take them when visiting Laos? For the record, I used malarone when I visited Borneo and I didn't suffer any side effects, but at $5 a day I don't want to take them if they are a needless expense. On the other hand I don't want to end up with malaria for the rest of my life so... I personally don't bother (took doxy my first time in rural Cambodia, got hella photosensitive, there weren't any mosquitoes around in the dry season anyways, said gently caress it). If you're going to be in pretty rural/remote areas then maybe, but if it's your standard Vientiane/Vang Vieng/Luang Prabang run then probably not.
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Sep 14, 2011 23:19
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Re: malaria... my understanding is that rather than taking anti malarials, people are better off reducing their exposure to mosquitoes in general. Lots of DEET, wise clothing choice, mosquito nets over beds, etc. It's probably impossible to not get attacked a few times, but the more measures one takes to avoid them, the better. There are plenty of mosquito borne diseases other than malaria: dengue fever, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and so on. It's possible to vaccinate or medicate against some but not others. It just makes sense to keep the mosquitoes away as much as possible, keep vaccinations up to date, and then worry about malaria.
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Sep 15, 2011 02:51
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