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Yeah been to Ipoh briefly in the past, wouldn't mind going again but no time this time around... Haven't been to Malacca so going this time :P My wife is a Chinese Malaysian so I also don't have to deal with the public transportation either (yay cars).  We were thinking about going to Sipadan but there isn't much point unless you can Scuba (only my wife's sister can) unless you fork out some serious cash for one of the super nice resorts that cost insane amounts of money. Hence Koh Samui :P
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Oct 27, 2012 07:34
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caberham posted:Anyone know if there's a motorcycle traveling thread on how to pack poo poo or whatever for beginners? Read the first page of this thread . . . Bunch of slack-jawed ferrets around here. This stuff will make you a god damned sexual Tyrannosaurus, just like me.
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Oct 27, 2012 21:40
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My boyfriend and I are going to be flying into Phuket at 8pm on 10 January, feeling like it's 2am and having been travelling for ~14 hours. Our current plan is to book a hostel somewhere for the first couple of nights; any recommendations for places to stay that are relatively easy to get to from the airport? It seems like everyone we've spoken to has said to not hang around in Phuket for long, but obviously when we fly in we're going to be pretty exhausted, so I figure a couple of nights should be okay. 
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Oct 30, 2012 02:47
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So, I'm debating vacationing to Cebu in mid February. I've heard good things, but is it worth it.
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Oct 30, 2012 09:59
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I just booked a flight to Manila over Chinese New Year (Feb 9-17). I live in Taipei and have the week off and didn't go anywhere last year, so this year I feel like having a little bit of adventure. My original plan was just to book a hotel for the week there and see what the city had to offer, but after reading the detailed post about Manila, I'm beginning to suspect that I can see everything in a couple of days, so now I'm starting to second guess myself. I hear flights out of the city to somewhere more interesting are cheap and don't really need to be booked ahead of time. I'm also assuming that Chinese New Year has a slight influx of tourists, but isn't a major deal in the country overall. In any case, I'm arriving alone and another friend of mine from Taiwan might meet up with me later, but it's the kind of thing that will probably fall through. So, pointers would be appreciated (places to go, things to see, etc). I'm not really hoping for much. I don't mind museums and cultural stuff, but for the most part I just want a week where I can just disconnect from reality. If I spend the whole week in a bar surrounded by beautiful women, it'd probably be a success. If any goons out there have a free day or night or whatever, I'll gladly buy you a round of drinks and offer the same if you make your north someday. Edit: One reason I'm hesitant to leave the city is because I feel like I wasted a trip to Thailand two years ago. I went to Koh Tao after hearing it was a remote getaway that few people went out to, and it turned out to be a terrible tourist hotbed that I was stuck on for a couple of days. Combined with the time lost in transit, it was like my vacation was over right after I got there. Ideally, I don't want to repeat that mess. Atlas Hugged fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Oct 30, 2012 |
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Oct 30, 2012 17:32
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My friends who have done the Philippines usually fly into Manila, and wait a couple hours for their next flight out to Cebu or somewhere else. Your flight from Taipei would be so short that you wouldn't really be tired from a trip even after that. Hell, a 2 hour subway ride leaves me more drained than flights here in Asia.
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Oct 30, 2012 17:53
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DontAskKant posted:My friends who have done the Philippines usually fly into Manila, and wait a couple hours for their next flight out to Cebu or somewhere else. Your flight from Taipei would be so short that you wouldn't really be tired from a trip even after that. Hell, a 2 hour subway ride leaves me more drained than flights here in Asia. Well, I'll probably at least do the first night in Manila. I figure Saturday night is the best time to do a city.
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Oct 30, 2012 18:30
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Why isn't this the thread theme song: http://youtu.be/kS7hZhO0ee8 I can't work out if this was originally made as a parody or maybe I should just not read youtube comments. I especially like the videos highlighting of sexy men.
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Oct 30, 2012 18:43
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Yeah I'm kinda silly, should have asked Pompous for more information and check out GT rider. But hey, I did train all the way to the south of Japan in order to say hello in person.USMC503 posted:Yeah been to Ipoh briefly in the past, wouldn't mind going again but no time this time around... Haven't been to Malacca so going this time :P How much time do you have? The western peninsula is not that big. You get a car, you lucky bastard  You can drive practically all sorts of places in a day or 2. Yeah the nice resorts are expensive but relative to western prices it's a steal! It's a personal preference, but Koh Samui....?Chocolate Milk posted:My boyfriend and I are going to be flying into Phuket at 8pm on 10 January, feeling like it's 2am and having been travelling for ~14 hours. Our current plan is to book a hostel somewhere for the first couple of nights; any recommendations for places to stay that are relatively easy to get to from the airport? You can pick one of those fancier airport resorts if you want, or just take a cab to the city centre. Depends on your budget. Goons here are a picky bunch. Yeah Phuket has a bad rep here and it is over priced but it's really really easy flying in compared to other places and is a mainstream tourist area mix of sexpat creepers, resort package Chinese or whatever. It is the area which you will arrive at 2am, so who cares?. If it's your starting area, it makes you easily impressed at WOW THAILAND  Going to the city centre by taxi is around 500 baht, and if you are sociable enough, share a taxi with other airport passengers. Just ask your seat neighbors when you guys arrive, and share with another couple.Maxsmart posted:So, I'm debating vacationing to Cebu in mid February. I've heard good things, but is it worth it. I liked it, you can hang around the main city or just take a boat to the different beaches and Island. Like Bohol, a mini boracy without being so expensive. Philipines gets a bad rap for being kind of far off from the mainland and random crime like kidnapping. Some places locals tell me not to go at night and the Chinese bar themselves up like a zombie apocalypse. But it's a nice country. Haraksha posted:I'm also assuming that Chinese New Year has a slight influx of tourists, but isn't a major deal in the country overall. Not as much as before, Mainland Chinese won't go because of the Spratlys and Hong Kong Chinese and divers won't go because of the bus hostage tragedy. quote:In any case, I'm arriving alone and another friend of mine from Taiwan might meet up with me later, but it's the kind of thing that will probably fall through. So, pointers would be appreciated (places to go, things to see, etc). If you guys really want to meet, then just get a sim card. It makes things a lot more convenient to just call and text. If you bum around for some free wifi to facebook message/email spam it's just as effective as a hobo in a public library praying for a job hosting. Unless you specifically set a meet up time/location/area like a ransom drop off. Which doesn't really happen nowadays in 2012 because everyone tends to run late or get lost. Most goons who wanted me to host for them/meet up could not reach me or had delays or whatever bull poo poo happened. Sim cards are cheap. Or maybe I'm just too addicted to my smart phone because I just need to have that awful app and google search and wiki travel wherever I go. quote:I'm not really hoping for much. I don't mind museums and cultural stuff, but for the most part I just want a week where I can just disconnect from reality. If I spend the whole week in a bar surrounded by beautiful women, it'd probably be a success. Just spend all your time in Soi Cowboy instead  Hope you have fun, and just maybe hit the "off beach". That's the trade off, lots of guys just wanted to be surrounded by beautiful women so what happens in reality is that it will eventually turn into a sausage fest. I would pick the Muslim countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. Fewer sexpats and more serene atmosphere at the cost of lack of pork and much more expensive alcohol. But the biggest culprit is that the internet makes word travels so fast which makes the hard to go places much closer. When my family knew I was going to Krabi and Railay instead of some resort in Bangkok or Phuket, they thought I went to the end of the earth  Even in honeymoon island Railay, there was still that one bar full of Jersey Shore dudes and gals which took khao san road with them. Once in a while to go stupid is fine in my books. Great climbing and nice rocks, but not as "serene" as I thought. Those Corona commercials are so drat fake, or at least harder to reach.quote:If any goons out there have a free day or night or whatever, I'll gladly buy you a round of drinks and offer the same if you make your north someday. Don't know any local goons but maybe you tried the SEA DnD thread and PM some of them you can find a cool local host. I do a shoutout to creamy horror each time Singapore is mentioned because he's an awesome host and brings me food trippin to different restaurants. DontAskKant posted:My friends who have done the Philippines usually fly into Manila, and wait a couple hours for their next flight out to Cebu or somewhere else. Your flight from Taipei would be so short that you wouldn't really be tired from a trip even after that. Hell, a 2 hour subway ride leaves me more drained than flights here in Asia. I agree, with budget airlines being cheaper than a night out or a bottle of Dom, traveling to the smaller towns by plane is so much more enticing. Even poorer nations are using tourism to develop so go to those different places before them become a Koh Tao or a Phuket. But Thailand, which is super developed compared to its neighbours. It's just that when ever a nice place attracts people, it attracts development and money. Even dirt poor Cambodia runs a Siem Reap into a well developed tourist town compared to its capital Phnom Phen. caberham fucked around with this message at 19:26 on Oct 30, 2012 |
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Oct 30, 2012 19:17
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imnotinsane posted:Why isn't this the thread theme song:
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Oct 31, 2012 00:34
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caberham posted:Just spend all your time in Soi Cowboy instead Bangkok is the most popular destination for Taiwanese people to go to during Chinese New Year. All of the direct flights were already booked. As far as sim cards go, I don't have a smart phone. If I plug a local sim into a feature phone, will that work? How do I go about getting a sim?
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Oct 31, 2012 01:27
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Haraksha posted:Well, I'll probably at least do the first night in Manila. I figure Saturday night is the best time to do a city. Friday and Saturday are pretty good for Manila in terms of going out and getting hammered. If you want specific recommendations for where to go, just let me know what you want and I can probably point you in the right direction. I'm heading home to Norway for Christmas and New Years otherwise I'd offer to buy you a beer. But n'thing the recommendation to find a beach somewhere as soon as possible. Manila is pretty boring beyond partying.
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Oct 31, 2012 01:42
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Cynic Jester posted:But n'thing the recommendation to find a beach somewhere as soon as possible. Manila is pretty boring beyond partying. Getting hammered and trying to convince other drunk people to go to karaoke with me is basically standard operating procedure. A decent pub with other ex-pats is really all I need. I prefer places with more of a rock soundtrack to dance clubs, but that's basically the only requirement. As far as the beach goes, I guess I'll wait and see. I'm not really sure how necessary it is, though I guess going all the way out there and NOT going to the beach would be a waste. From past experience, I know that swimming by yourself is kind of lovely. I also have the complexion of a sheet of paper, so prologued amounts of time in the surf are just a liability. However, sitting in the shade and drinking are right up my alley. So, to confirm my earlier suspicions, if I don't book stuff ahead of time, I'm not going to run into too much trouble? I can basically just get down to the airport and grab a flight somewhere if I decide to go? Or should I have a firm itinerary in place?
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Oct 31, 2012 02:05
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ReindeerF posted:As far as I know, this actually *is* the thread theme song, first posted here by Ringo R a couple of years ago. Jonny Olsen's Lum Sing Hip Hop is a close second. He never accepted my facebook friend request, what a noob
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Oct 31, 2012 02:06
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Haraksha posted:Getting hammered and trying to convince other drunk people to go to karaoke with me is basically standard operating procedure. A decent pub with other ex-pats is really all I need. I prefer places with more of a rock soundtrack to dance clubs, but that's basically the only requirement. Seeing as you're coming down on what is probably a pretty busy period, I'd consider ordering somewhat in advance, but in general just showing up the airport works fine. It's how I spend some of my weekends, just going to the airport and getting a cheap ticket to any beach at all. As to rock soundtracks, you'll want smaller places then. Most of the larger party places down here play pretty much only dance/trance/rnb. Most of the party "streets" have some sort of rock place to hit for drinks, but be aware that most of them will be plagued by live bands for at least half the night. Most of them are decent, but occasionally you'll end up with some terrible, terrible stuff. When I don't feel like dancing I'll usually hit up Jupiter Street in Makati(Not Quezon). Lots of smaller bars, with good variation. I know there's a good rock place there, but I've only been there twice and I can't for the life of me remember what the name was. Something something and a number. Music 21 maybe. You should also hit up Cablecar for beerpong. Literally an entire bar dedicated to beerpong.
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Oct 31, 2012 02:34
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To anyone trying to get to El Nido, evidently Seair has stopped flying there, so now your only choices are overland from Puerto, the ITI flight that you can only book 5 days before the flight or trying to go by boat from Coron.
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Oct 31, 2012 03:01
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Cynic Jester posted:Seeing as you're coming down on what is probably a pretty busy period, I'd consider ordering somewhat in advance, but in general just showing up the airport works fine. It's how I spend some of my weekends, just going to the airport and getting a cheap ticket to any beach at all. How far in advance is far in advance? I booked my ticket to the country already because those were going fast (a few available seats remaining), but I'm guessing flights between the islands are more regular and rooms shouldn't be too hard to come by for a night, right?
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Oct 31, 2012 03:07
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So Full Moon party....yay or nay?
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Oct 31, 2012 03:56
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kru posted:He never accepted my facebook friend request, what a noob Acid Jerk posted:So Full Moon party....yay or nay? ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 04:30 on Oct 31, 2012 |
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Oct 31, 2012 04:27
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The hotel I'm looking at offers a 700 peso airport pickup. Should I just take that or try getting a taxi?
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Oct 31, 2012 05:06
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mr_cardholder posted:Then again, I live in Houston so maybe I shouldn't be worried. What's up Hougoon headed to SE Asia. Anyway, this is probably a bit off topic but figure you guys might be able to give some insight. What's the NGO and development job scene like in SE Asia, specifically Thailand and Cambodia? I've been working in refugee resettlement for a few years now and I'm really interested in transitioning this to SE Asia having spent so much time working with the Karen, Chin and Rakhine populations. I've applied for some positions through affiliate NGOs, mostly working with Burmese refugees or migrants in northern Thailand. Anyone have any other directions or resources I should consider?
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Oct 31, 2012 05:14
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Haraksha posted:The hotel I'm looking at offers a 700 peso airport pickup. Should I just take that or try getting a taxi? Depends on where the hotel is and how good you are about getting a metered taxi. A taxi will be cheaper, provided the taxi driver does not screw you, which they may. A lot of taxi drivers over here will gladly take you into the worst traffic in the world to run up the meter if they realize you don't know where you're going.
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Oct 31, 2012 06:03
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Well then I'm just going to stick with the airport service. I'm willing to pay a premium not to get screwed. Also, if I want to avoid flying again, is a fairy to Cebu a realistic thing? What kind of time investment is that? How would I go about setting that up?
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Oct 31, 2012 06:53
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ReindeerF posted:Haha. The last pictures I saw had him joining the monkhood back in America. He's whatever you call a Southeast Asian otaku. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZizFnSfrEQ this guy
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Oct 31, 2012 08:30
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ReindeerF posted:Yay, at least once, especially if you're young, like to drink (and, assuming you're male, hit on chicks). At my age it's a bit weird, but when I was younger it was fun a couple of times. It's become a ridiculous affair of thousands of people spread across a massive stretch of beach, so expect tons of drunken, vomiting Aussies and Brits and the like. Be careful on drugs if you're into that, the cops do like to use it as a shakedown opportunity even though there's rampant and usually unpunished drug use.
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Oct 31, 2012 11:28
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I rather have socially maladjusted weird nerdy folk anyday than the trashy tourists. Walking around with a full body anime pillow is sure as hell creepy, but not as bad as a sex tourist or vomiting bogan/chav.Haraksha posted:Bangkok is the most popular destination for Taiwanese people to go to during Chinese New Year. All of the direct flights were already booked. Yeah flights from any Chinese region gets booked fast in no time. Even cheap rear end AirAsia is costing as much as regular airlines, it's ridiculous. SEA travel is getting more and more popular and mainlanders are going to Thailand in droves because it's so much cheaper than Sanya. Best bet is to head to off beaten path for the average Chinese person, like not Bali Indonesia, parts of Malaysia, Phillipines, or Burma or wherever the cool kids like to go. As for sim cards, only North American and Japanese telecoms are stupid in handling numbers and locked phones. So go to 7-11/airport terminal, buy a sim card for cheap and you are good to go. As you may know, infrastructure in SEA is bad and people are generally poor. So people just use sim prepaid sim cards and vouchers instead of fancy credit card contracts. But that makes sim cards cheap-ish I would recommend getting a used smart phone, even an older 3 year iphone 3GS works wonders and makes email, maps, something awful convenient.Full moon party results at the 20ish minute mark. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHwjWImZF6E Yeah it's bit of a scare mongering documentary about TRASHY WHITE TOURISTS, but "bad things can happen". I was in Railay watching one of those fire shows in a bar and a girl got her toes burnt by the hot oil. It was dark, no one exactly knew each other and her travels friends just kind of partied off some where else after giving token help. So there I was, administering basic first aid to treat her wound and all and she's just going on whining and crying about her trip.  I'M ALWAYS HURT!!! WHY, I JUST WANT TO PARTY AROUND THE COUNTRY LIKE EVERYONE ELSE No word of thanks, nothing just entitled crying and moaning about her horrible time. I hope that blonde bimbo never comes back to SEA.Another time in Krabi hostel I was just leaving the bathroom and comes in a dude with a huge gash on his leg by himself. He was playing strip beer pong with everyone else but somehow got hurt. He was kind of drunk and in shock so I had to treat his wound again. When I asked where his friends were, he just sheepishly replied that they were having too much fun. All in all, stay safe, at the end of the day you got to be looking out for yourself. Or just go all in stupid and don't worry about getting hurt. You can PM ReindeerF for medical tourism! E_P posted:I'm gonna be in Thailand around the one at the end of January. How expensive is it to get from Bangkok to their and back for an over night if you had to estimate. There are tonnes of overnight VIP buses, for 1000 baht on average. Yes you lose 12 hours but flying won't really save you that much money and time because you have to go to the airport, go through security, fly in, and go to the city centre again and switch a ferry. The only time flying is worth it is if you fly in the morning or late at night, don't do it in the afternoon. VIP buses are decently comfortable and lots of leg room, even for tall people. A random internet search gets you this. http://www.1stopphuket.com/getting_here/bus So probably around that mark to go to Koh Tao and switch to ferry. It's Thailand, it's dirt cheap. You probably want accommodation for the first night, or if you are a travel vet there are lots of places. Nevermind, when you asked that quuestion, you should probably book accommodation in advance 
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Oct 31, 2012 14:37
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E_P posted:I'm gonna be in Thailand around the one at the end of January. How expensive is it to get from Bangkok to their and back for an over night if you had to estimate. Someone else here will be able to help, since I haven't done this for years.
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Oct 31, 2012 14:48
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Bangkok to the full moon and back is really not worth it. If you do it all overland it's a day down, the party, and a day back. If you fly to Samui you still have a ferry to contend with (Koh Phangan doesn't have an airport). If you're already on the Samui archipelago the other two islands runs speed boat shuttles that are a little expensive and hazardous but not a bad deal overall. You could have spent three days just partying in / exploring Bangkok instead.
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Oct 31, 2012 16:27
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Haraksha posted:Well then I'm just going to stick with the airport service. I'm willing to pay a premium not to get screwed. Here you go. It's more or less a 22-hour ferry ride one way, so you might want to consider spending extra for the flight and using up the time savings actually doing stuff in Cebu.
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Oct 31, 2012 16:46
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Sheep-Goats posted:Bangkok to the full moon and back is really not worth it. If you do it all overland it's a day down, the party, and a day back. If you fly to Samui you still have a ferry to contend with (Koh Phangan doesn't have an airport). If you're already on the Samui archipelago the other two islands runs speed boat shuttles that are a little expensive and hazardous but not a bad deal overall.
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Oct 31, 2012 17:18
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Not sure how big I am on doing the full moon party since I am in my mid thirties, but my younger brother wants to go. I think the party in Dec is on the 28th. So my bro wants to go there from Bangkok, hit the party, then spend new years in Bangkok. Not sure how I feel about this yet. I am assuming anywhere in Bangkok will be awesome for new years eve?
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Oct 31, 2012 20:32
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Acid Jerk posted:Not sure how big I am on doing the full moon party since I am in my mid thirties, but my younger brother wants to go. I think the party in Dec is on the 28th. So my bro wants to go there from Bangkok, hit the party, then spend new years in Bangkok. Not sure how I feel about this yet. If he wants to ruin his vacation let him go ahead and do it. Working that hard to attend gay parties isn't any way to spend your time away from work IMO. New Years is good everywhere in Thailand. I did one in Bangkok and one in Kanchanaburi. If you want to be anywhere in Bangkok on New Year's day leave really early and stick with that place -- from 10pm on every street is a parking lot.
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Oct 31, 2012 21:22
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Acid Jerk posted:Not sure how big I am on doing the full moon party since I am in my mid thirties, but my younger brother wants to go. I think the party in Dec is on the 28th. So my bro wants to go there from Bangkok, hit the party, then spend new years in Bangkok. Not sure how I feel about this yet. Last time I went in 2007, they also had FMP on 24th, and 25th of December. The FMP is a giant gong show. I think it's pretty fun, wouldn't say it ruins your vacation. Not like you're going there every weekend or something so I think it's worth checking out overall. lol internet. fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Oct 31, 2012 |
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Oct 31, 2012 21:46
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I think a full moon party sounds fun but not if you only get a couple weeks vacation from teaching English and each day is precious. I'm sure their will be more then enough fun to be had in Bangkok!
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Nov 1, 2012 01:18
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Don't get the mushroom shake, waste of money...all "mushrooms" in SE asia are fake for the white people.
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Nov 1, 2012 22:31
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My druggy buddies in Thailand assure me that you are incorrect, the shakes are genuine, if a bit weak. So order two.
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Nov 1, 2012 22:54
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Any ideas or leads for job searching for foreigner professionals (lawyers, engineers, etc) in SE Asia? Maybe there aren't enough such jobs to warrant a site catering to us folk, but I guess I don't know till I ask...
eviljelly fucked around with this message at 17:32 on Nov 3, 2012 |
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Nov 3, 2012 17:30
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eviljelly posted:Any ideas or leads for job searching for foreigner professionals (lawyers, engineers, etc) in SE Asia? Maybe there aren't enough such jobs to warrant a site catering to us folk, but I guess I don't know till I ask... Check online job listings. I know there's a good amount of finance and IT positions in Bangkok, for example.
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Nov 3, 2012 22:59
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Hookers in Chiang Mai have hearts of gold. I cut my foot really badly walking back from a Muay Thai fight at Kalare (not drunk) and the massage girls outside saw me limping and blood dripping from my foot and descended on me and tended my wounds. Somehow a first aid kit materialized out of nowhere and they were all helping. It was really surreal. I tried to offer them money for their time but they weren't having it. They asked for a kiss each on the cheek, so I obliged. I live in China so this kind of altruistic behavior blows my loving mind. I just couldn't understand. Maybe I'm a hardened expat. By the way, my friend and are heading to Coron during Christmas, and everything for pre-booking is ridiculous prices. I saw a hotel on Agoda that is typically like 8 bucks a night (bungalows) in El Nido that was literally loving 130USD. Whats the best bet for finding decent accommodation in Palawan during high season? Should we just rock up or prebook at least for Christmas eve/day? We should be in El Nido during that time.
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Nov 4, 2012 09:53
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Casual Yogurt posted:Don't get the mushroom shake, waste of money...all "mushrooms" in SE asia are fake for the white people. Obviously you've never had one in the Gilli Islands.
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Nov 4, 2012 09:55
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