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Sooooo I was planning on going to Bangkok on December 3 (for the start of a 4 or 5 month trip), but with this weather.... Any word on when it might be over? I haven't booked my flight yet so I was thinking about pushing it back a couple of weeks to December 17 or something. Or hell maybe I'll just start my trip in Vietnam or something instead - they aren't hit as hard, right? What do you guys think?
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Oct 20, 2011 02:44
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stratdax posted:Sooooo I was planning on going to Bangkok on December 3 (for the start of a 4 or 5 month trip), but with this weather.... It depends on what you want to do in Thailand. If you just want to lay on the beach like everyone else then you can just go from BKK to Phuket then onward to whatever southern beach destination. Those areas are unaffected because it's not the peak monsoon season there. Mar-June is when the southern area is hit hard with rain and flooding. Here's the government website that charts the flooding. Blue areas are flooded. http://www.floodthailand.net/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=55 edit: Just noticed you said Dec 3. Things should be mostly back to normal for most of Bangkok by then.
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Oct 20, 2011 06:51
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So I should be hearing in the next week or so whether or not I have attained employment in the Philippines, I'll be living in Manila specifically working for as a network support technician for the American government  I think it would be cool to meet up with some other goons in the Philippines since I'm going to be the junior at my work by about 30 years it sounds like, I'm 23 right now and would like to experience all the Philippines has to offer for the 5 years I'll be there. So if you guys wanna grab some San Miguel's I would love to hear some stories.
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Oct 20, 2011 16:15
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ANGRY_KOREA_MAN posted:So I should be hearing in the next week or so whether or not I have attained employment in the Philippines, I'll be living in Manila specifically working for as a network support technician for the American government Sweet job man.
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Oct 21, 2011 00:49
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I'm looking to take trains and ferries from Koh Tao starting on about November 2 down through southern Thailand and western Malaysia into eastern Malaysia, maybe Indonesia, and onto the Philippines, and then fly from Manila or Cebu to Hong Kong by November 25 or so, sightseeing and scuba diving as I go. Is that a realistic timeline or is it too tight? I usually enjoy staying at any given place for at least 3 nights.
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Oct 21, 2011 16:09
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ANGRY_KOREA_MAN posted:So I should be hearing in the next week or so whether or not I have attained employment in the Philippines, I'll be living in Manila specifically working for as a network support technician for the American government If you do wind up over here, let me know. It would be cool to actually meet some fellow goons.
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Oct 21, 2011 16:41
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Pompous Rhombus posted:So, the girl I've been seeing was planning to go to Bangkok/Laos over winter break for two and a half weeks, and I'm thinking of going along (even though I've already taken like two month long trips to Laos before already, and most of my good friends from when I lived in Bangkok are abroad). Has anyone done the Gibbon Experience in Bokeo, by any chance? But this time it's different because it's with a GIRRRRRRLLLL~ but you still will be carrying a TLR and rolls of film right? eviljelly posted:I'm looking to take trains and ferries from Koh Tao starting on about November 2 down through southern Thailand and western Malaysia into eastern Malaysia, maybe Indonesia, and onto the Philippines, and then fly from Manila or Cebu to Hong Kong by November 25 or so, sightseeing and scuba diving as I go. Is that a realistic timeline or is it too tight? I usually enjoy staying at any given place for at least 3 nights. If you come to hong kong shoot me a pm!
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Oct 21, 2011 17:28
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caberham posted:But this time it's different because it's with a GIRRRRRRLLLL~ but you still will be carrying a TLR and rolls of film right? I dunno, when I was solo on the motorcycle last time, it was all about breakin' hearts and takin' names  not really trueOne of my good friends here in Japan was also planning to go to SEA during that time, along with friends of his in other prefectures, so we may wind up with a decent-sized group that splits up to do its own thing at times. I've never really traveled like that before, should be... interesting. My ladyfriend wants to see all the more well-known stuff up north that I've already done to death, but I kinda want to grab an XR250 and do the Bolaven plateau and stuff to the south, because both times I've been through there I was kinda rushed. We'll see. I gotta map out a budget for the rest of the year here in Japan and see how affordable it is. Right now it looks like I can pick two out of: this trip, getting a license + vehicle here, and hitting my savings goal by the end of the year. Planning to bring the Hasselblad and NEX if I do go. Was going to get an NEX-7 before I went, but seems unlikely given the flooding in Thailand putting production on hold, and me without even a pre-order. I'd bring my 4x5 field camera if I was going solo, but no way if I was traveling in a group.
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Oct 22, 2011 00:16
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Modus Operandi posted:I live close to the Mall Ngamwong and Kasemrad hospital. What's up The Mall Ngam buddy  I live pretty close to it too and could never imagine anyone wanting to live here  Pompous: Let me know if you come na, can hab you cam-el-a back na. Can gib you bee-ah duay na ka.
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Oct 22, 2011 07:15
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Hab good heart. Take care ebbyone ebbysing jing jing.
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Oct 22, 2011 07:38
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So I'm arriving in Bangkok on 6. November and staying in Thailand for a month. The PM apparently just said the flooding is going to last for a month. http://english.aljazeera.net//news/asia-pacific/2011/10/2011102265746869479.html Should I (can I) just go directly from the airport to Pattaya, Ko Samet or Ko chang? I was planning on going to the East coast anyway. Besides doing the general touristy stuff I was definitely planning on doing Muay Thai. Pattaya is closest and there are some good training camps there.
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Oct 22, 2011 09:17
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Rapsey posted:So I'm arriving in Bangkok on 6. November and staying in Thailand for a month. The PM apparently just said the flooding is going to last for a month. Most parts of Bangkok are (and I'm pretty sure, will stay) unaffected but yes, you can go directly to Pattaya from the airport. There are a few buses on the ground floor that will take you there directly. They'll stop at north, central and south Pattaya so just get off wherever you like. If you miss the bus you can always take a taxi. It'll cost you something like 1000-1500 baht vs the 150-something-baht bus.
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Oct 22, 2011 10:37
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If any of you sex tourists want to help out with flood preparations while you're here, I can help you out a bit. Of course the easiest way is if you see a giant pile of sand and some shovels, pitch in and help out. I know it's not what people are here for, but if you have a desire to spend a couple of hours helping out and getting some exercise it's appreciated by Thai peepun. Kidna fun too, even though it's hard work, because Thai people make everything a little bit fun, heh.
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Oct 23, 2011 13:27
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ReindeerF posted:If any of you sex tourists want to help out with flood preparations while you're here, I can help you out a bit.
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Oct 23, 2011 16:09
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Got a message from a magazine publisher Thai friend who basically said "there was an alligator floating around in front of my place today." Haha.
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Oct 23, 2011 17:13
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Sheep-Goats posted:Got a message from a magazine publisher Thai friend who basically said "there was an alligator floating around in front of my place today." I saw a large water monitor today swimming in one of the canals close to where I live. It's pretty unusual to see them that far out in the 'burbs usually they are lounging around Lumpini park, Queen Sirikit park, or closer to the Chao phaya. Apparently the flooding opened up all sorts of waterways for them to splash around in.
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Oct 23, 2011 17:37
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Are there any cholera or other disease scares due to flooding?
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Oct 23, 2011 18:32
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Rapsey posted:Are there any cholera or other disease scares due to flooding? Not yet but a bunch of chickens (tens of thousands) drowned in the water in some farm up north. Plus there's poo poo, gasoline, chemicals, fertilizer, and all sorts of other stuff in the water. It's hard to say what the long term damage of this will be. But this is Thailand. Malls get burned down, mayhem in the streets, coups, ladyboys, and things look pretty much normal a few months later.
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Oct 23, 2011 19:21
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eviljelly posted:Whereabouts? Modus Operandi posted:Not yet but a bunch of chickens (tens of thousands) drowned in the water in some farm up north. Plus there's poo poo, gasoline, chemicals, fertilizer, and all sorts of other stuff in the water. It's hard to say what the long term damage of this will be. I'm from a city geographically very similar in some ways to Bangkok and it floods much worse than this every ten years, give or take. You can't stop it when you're in this situation, but you can manage it effectively. Probably my single favorite thing about this so far has been the rows of boats parked on the river just outside my condo all with propeller + waves flags that get paid by the government to sit there and run their props in the river to accelerate the water. This came from the science minister. Former scientific proclamations by the government (different government) include "Thailand does not need to worry about rising water levels from ice caps melting because it is very far from the Poles." No joke.
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Oct 23, 2011 20:41
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Rapsey posted:Are there any cholera or other disease scares due to flooding? Thailand usually doen't have cholera issues because they actually have a good (better than the US IMO) medical system but it is Thailand and there's always a chance that it won't be implemented because some fuckhead ordered it not to be or because someone got all the docs and meds ready but forgot to get trucks to transport them into the effected areas because they were too "sleepy."
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Oct 23, 2011 21:03
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Sheep-Goats posted:Thailand usually doen't have cholera issues because they actually have a good (better than the US IMO) medical system but it is Thailand and there's always a chance that it won't be implemented because some fuckhead ordered it not to be or because someone got all the docs and meds ready but forgot to get trucks to transport them into the effected areas because they were too "sleepy." I worked at Siriraj hospital this past summer. While the health care services are great in Bangkok, they serve a lot more people per doctor than the US. I feel that if something like Cholera broke out, it could easily overwhelming the system. Just make sure you all drink clean water, wash your hands, and stay away from open sewage.
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Oct 24, 2011 07:17
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gently caress it I guess I'm going to Koh Phangan again - need a few days to chill before I start scuba diving in Koh Tao. Anyone else either at Phangan or Tao? I thought I remembered some talk of goons itt headed there soonish.
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Oct 24, 2011 07:22
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Tuff Ghost posted:Just make sure you all drink clean water, wash your hands, and stay away from open sewage. Might be a bit tough to stay away from open sewage depending on whether more barriers fail or not. Hope your condos are nice and high, dudes  Also, courtesy of bkk post...  alai wa brendanwor fucked around with this message at 09:53 on Oct 24, 2011 |
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Oct 24, 2011 09:47
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My friend and I are planning to spend around 6-9 months over in Thailand teaching ESL in Chiang Mai this spring. My friend spent around four months over in Chiang Mai and other parts on a trip about five years ago, and I have been lurking this thread a lot recently over the last month, so I would call us a little above average in terms of preparedness about what to expect. So my question is how hard would it be to find employment in the spring semester teaching English in Chiang Mai? My friend seems to be convinced it won’t be that hard but I’m looking for other opinions as well. A couple of facts that may factor in to our eligibility about teaching: We both are native speakers who hold four year degrees from legit schools, my friend has taught ESL privately for several years now in private sessions. We are both articulate friendly people who are in their mid twenties (male).
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Oct 24, 2011 20:52
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Tet in Vietnam is coming up in a few months - anybody ever been? Any tips on where to be / What to? I'm thinking it's probably best to be in Hanoi or Ho Chi Min, but the crowds and trying to find an empty hostel room are probably nightmareish.
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Oct 24, 2011 23:55
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Yegof posted:My friend and I are planning to spend around 6-9 months over in Thailand teaching ESL in Chiang Mai this spring. My friend spent around four months over in Chiang Mai and other parts on a trip about five years ago, and I have been lurking this thread a lot recently over the last month, so I would call us a little above average in terms of preparedness about what to expect. So my question is how hard would it be to find employment in the spring semester teaching English in Chiang Mai? My friend seems to be convinced it won’t be that hard but I’m looking for other opinions as well. You will have a devil of a time finding anyone who wants to hire you for less than a year. If you do find work, you'll be working illegally on a tourist visa. There are some opportunities for volunteer work in that area (not in Chiang Mai proper, but refugee camps near the border) teaching Burmese refugees English, but that doesn't pay. I think they may cover basic room/board, I haven't really looked into it much. By the way, anyone teaching English in Bangkok? If I wind up taking that trip, might be cool to drop in to a class. (I'm teaching high school ESL here in Japan, would be interesting to see how the other side lives). I've taught a lesson at a Thai HS once, as the final practical exam for my TEFL certificate back when I was in college. Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Oct 25, 2011 |
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Oct 25, 2011 00:38
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Yegof posted:My friend and I are planning to spend around 6-9 months over in Thailand teaching ESL in Chiang Mai this spring. My friend spent around four months over in Chiang Mai and other parts on a trip about five years ago, and I have been lurking this thread a lot recently over the last month, so I would call us a little above average in terms of preparedness about what to expect. So my question is how hard would it be to find employment in the spring semester teaching English in Chiang Mai? My friend seems to be convinced it won’t be that hard but I’m looking for other opinions as well. You can maybe find that but: 1) Chiang Mai has a huge population of available farang scum willing to teach short term for whatever they can get so you picked probably the worst city in Thailand for that sort of thing 2) Schools really don't like to hire for less than a year because the visa is a for a year and getting you the visa is a pain in the rear end and also it's not good for the kids to have new teachers constantly blowing through http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3302316
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Oct 25, 2011 00:56
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stratdax posted:Tet in Vietnam is coming up in a few months - anybody ever been? Any tips on where to be / What to? I'm thinking it's probably best to be in Hanoi or Ho Chi Min, but the crowds and trying to find an empty hostel room are probably nightmareish. I was in Hue for Tet in 2009 and had no problems with finding a room or with the crowds, but then it's a fair bit smaller than Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh. It was a bit more subdued than I was expecting, and I vaguely remember a lot of the restaurants etc close down, but it was still pretty fun. I've heard Hoi An is a good place to be if you're looking for a good festival atmosphere (it's a great little town to visit anyway, even outside of the holiday). Wherever you end up, make sure it's somewhere you're comfortable staying for a few days. Trying to travel around the country during Tet is a nightmare, even if you have transport previously booked.
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Oct 25, 2011 03:11
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stratdax posted:Tet in Vietnam is coming up in a few months - anybody ever been? Any tips on where to be / What to? I'm thinking it's probably best to be in Hanoi or Ho Chi Min, but the crowds and trying to find an empty hostel room are probably nightmareish.
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Oct 25, 2011 07:23
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Tet is a very boring time to be in Vietnam, and I suggest going elsewhere. Everyone goes to the countryside to stay with family. Most expats travel at that time, too. I guess if you want a very relaxed experience, then it's a good time to go, but many, many places will be closed.
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Oct 25, 2011 08:25
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Sheep-Goats posted:You can maybe find that but: Very good points. We are not tied down to CM, its just where my buddy lived for a while so its only a more familiar city to us. I did see quite a few offerings on ajarn for semester work, but as you said, a lot more require a year of work. Two questions: 1. Does Thailand work on the semester system that Americans are used to? 2. If CM is a crappy choice, what would be a better city (please not Bangkok, or some mico village in the middle of the jungle) to try to live and teach in?
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Oct 25, 2011 14:27
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Yegof posted:
You could try teaching in Isaan at a mid-size city like Khon Kaen (big university there) or Udon Thani. Although Udon Thani is filled with crusty old pervs with their bargirl wives and retired vietnam vets that probably all do a little english center moonlighting. Competition could be fierce. I liked Khon Kaen because it was laid back but didn't feel provincial. Plus it was dirt cheap there. Then there's Phuket. The monsoon season is finished in the south and would be a great time to teach around there for a term. The down side is that it's Phuket and the people suck and it's pricey but the connecting areas are great.
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Oct 25, 2011 14:44
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Yegof posted:Very good points. We are not tied down to CM, its just where my buddy lived for a while so its only a more familiar city to us. 1. Sort of. The breaks / scheduling are different but they do use semesters. 1.5. Bangkok rules ok. 2. Any decent sized/largish city that's not dead in the middle of a tourism mecca. Khorat, Ubon, Hat Yai, etc. If you see something on the Ajarn job postings boards for six months just look up the city on Wikipedia to see if you want to live there for six months or not.
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Oct 25, 2011 15:09
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Sheep-Goats posted:1. Sort of. The breaks / scheduling are different but they do use semesters. Hey Sheep-Goat thanks for the link, I'm reading through it and it's offering a lot of good advice and tips on how to be more prepared once I get into a classroom. After reading everything, I feel a lot more confidant about locating work in country. Our new running plan is to travel from city to city after getting a cell and new teacher clothes in Bangkok, is to drive out to a city, get our clothes pressed and then begin applying. If something sticks for us we will then travel before the spring semester, and if not we will hit the road for the next city. we each have roughly two thousand bucks (not including our airfare money for a return ticket) to last us until we find work /fail and come home. Also, I do not have formal classroom teaching experience (tutored foreign students in English in college though) but I do have work experience that an interviewer in Thailand may find interesting. Namely, I used to intern for the current administration, and currently work in QA (not a basement dweller) at a major games studio. Which leads me to two questions: 1. Do you think 2k is enough of a buffer to last a month or two trying to find work? 2. Will my work experience illustrate a viable candidate to interviewers? I know there is no way to tell for sure, but I have heard about the Thai culture relating to fun and games and their appreciation for it, and was hoping my video game work may make me more suited to plan game-esque lessons, and my intern work showing I can play some ball with the big kids too. Thoughts?
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Oct 25, 2011 18:49
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The degree is the major thing, being presentable and personable is next. Experience is a nice bonus and your work is worth mentioning but teaching is teaching and no other experience substitutes for it very well IMO. Don't worry too much about beating out a bunch of other applicants, if you're willing to get out into the lesser known cities and look good and have a degree you should be able to find something that fits, even with your six month thing. 2k should last for two months without trying too hard.
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Oct 25, 2011 19:10
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Sheep-Goats posted:The degree is the major thing, being presentable and personable is next. Experience is a nice bonus and your work is worth mentioning but teaching is teaching and no other experience substitutes for it very well IMO. Don't worry too much about beating out a bunch of other applicants, if you're willing to get out into the lesser known cities and look good and have a degree you should be able to find something that fits, even with your six month thing. Awesome. Feeling better now. Hey Sheep-Goat thanks for all your contributions to the various SE Asia threads, its really nice to get this kind of info from someone who knows their stuff.
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Oct 25, 2011 19:32
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Quick flood updates for all you wacky tourists out there. Don Muang airport is closed. It's not the main airport and it's domestic-only, but there's an off-chance that someone out there booked a ticket with Nok or THAI out of there, so I thought I'd mention it. Suvarnabhumi is still open and operating normally. The big Chao Phraya Express river boats are canceled until November 7th, but the ferries and many local longtail boats are still running. That means no river trips for 15 Baht, but you can still get around locally at river piers via ferry and hire boat. I've heard that Phra Athit, which is the river road close to Khao San, is under water and given what I saw on Khao San two weeks ago that probably means the areas nearby - if not Khao San (not sure) - are flooding at least intermittently. Some nearby areas are definitely inundated. The vast, vast majority of the city is still fine, even near the river and near the canals, but high tide is this weekend and even without it the river's already cresting, which means that the weekend's going to see flooding near the river (I will be in Siem Reap, heh). Yesterday a neighbor's levee broke and we had to run out and plug it, but in the short 15 minute span between it breaking and us plugging it, that normally dry section of the street was suddenly a foot under water. If the levees break or get overflown, river areas will quickly become inundated. Shouldn't be a big concern for you if you're not staying directly on the river, but take into account that areas like the Grand Palace and Khao San are near the river. Travel-wise, taxis will be nervous about taking you to certain areas because of the poor information on what's flooded and the coconut telegraph. Just keep at it until you find one that will go. As well, travel on the expressways and out of town on motorways can be slow because every Thai person with a car has parked it on the elevated expressways, leaving one lane open for travel in many places. Outside of Bangkok, in every direction except South, most of everything is flooded badly (e.g. Ayuttayah). Bottled water and instant noodles and poo poo are pretty sparse now, so get ready for that. That all sounds pretty bad I'm sure, but I wouldn't worry too much. It's not going to be as easy to travel around and you'll have some inconveniences, but there's still plenty of everything open and while getting around will be a little tougher, it won't be impossible. Come, have a good time, stop and fill some sandbags or something if you feel like it.
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Oct 26, 2011 02:39
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Modus Operandi posted:You could try teaching in Isaan at a mid-size city like Khon Kaen (big university there) or Udon Thani. Although Udon Thani is filled with crusty old pervs with their bargirl wives and retired vietnam vets You just described the expat scene in Khon Kaen too  If you do go outside of Bangkok, you guys should go in halfsies on a secondhand 125cc scooter for exploring the countryside/surrounding areas.
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Oct 26, 2011 03:35
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ReindeerF posted:Quick flood updates for all you wacky tourists out there. Don Muang is acting as their flood command center though... which should kinda give you an idea on the outlooks going forward eh? I wonder if the river boats are closed so they too can contribute to using their propellers to make the water move faster... remember, that's a high-level government plan  Siem Reap however, seems to be the correct choice... eat the gently caress out of blue pumpkin for me
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Oct 26, 2011 03:43
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Think it will be any trouble catching a bus to Siem Reap due to the floods? I'm flying into BKK on the 28th from Myanmar and need to get to Cambodia next.
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Oct 26, 2011 04:12
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