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I did luckily manage to sneak a whole box of durian onboard the plane. It was durian season and I just went apeshit in Isetan. So I bought a plastic box and asked the staff to stuff as many as they can. After saram wrapping it I would carry the box as hand luggage. The whole box reeked of durian but I didn't care, if I was stopped by customs I would just eat it all up on the spot. Here is the fun tidbit about airports, the security staff scan your belongings for security hazards like liquids, knives, etc... Durian in their eyes is not a security hazard and more of a no-no from the airlines. So I did manage to pass security! Before boarding, I was aksed if I was carrying durian and I weaselled my claiming it was "just candy, security checked it"  The smell wasn't so bad until landing when I opened the drawer and the smelled quickly filled the plane in no time.But it was too late, mission accomplished, I get my durian  You have to eat it when it's durian season and fresh, or else it just turns into something really smelly. Cheers to creamyhorror teaching me the ways of buying durian.If you are new to durian, go for the more creamy sweet Thai variety. The after taste is not as strong and will get you ready for the heavier hitting Malaysian ones. Strong durian is like Bordeaux wine, it takes some time to get use to. Buying durian is like a drug deal 1. Insist on the seller to cut you up a new one if you got a bad one. 2. Cut a little bit and taste the durian like cops tasting drugs 3. If it's good, then you got a deal. Buying packaged durian is like a drug deal 1. Press the durian, if it's fresh it should be soft and the coloration yellow instead of white. 2. Look at the sides of the meat to check for dry meat, your yield should have very very little white bits (unless you are desperate) 3. Smell it, it should be fragrant and not smelly. Bad durian have a horrible after taste smell to it. 4. If it's good buy another pack. Story is, go eat durian. Thai redprawn or Malaysian cat mountain king? Oh well I can't wait for more durian. caberham fucked around with this message at 09:16 on Jan 17, 2013 |
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Jan 17, 2013 09:11
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you are a bad person and should be ashamed
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Jan 17, 2013 09:43
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That's it, you've gone native.
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Jan 17, 2013 09:45
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I feel bad for whoever had to try and get the smell out of that plane.
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Jan 17, 2013 09:48
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caberham posted:Buying durian is like a drug deal The province I live in is famous for its durian. Of course every loving province claims to be famous for its durian. The difference is that this particular kind of increasingly rare Nonthaburi durian costs upward of THB 10,000 for a single durian and is pretty much bought before it's grown by pre-ordering local folks. I've never even seen one, let alone tried one, so I can't comment on its quality.
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Jan 17, 2013 10:12
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I ate durian today. I've had it before and liked it but the husband has been too scared to try it. He ate it today and enjoyed it. It was like smelly mango custard. Not sure about durian condoms. It's almost like staking your claim on someone else via... Odor, or something. Senso did you get my email?
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Jan 17, 2013 10:26
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trigger posted:Senso did you get my email? Ah yes, let me reply to it. I've been nursing a hangover all day, sorry.
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Jan 17, 2013 10:32
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Senso posted:Ah yes, let me reply to it. I've been nursing a hangover all day, sorry. Perhaps some durian will set you right. Or at least induce a purge.
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Jan 17, 2013 10:41
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I honestly have never understood the fascination with durian. I mean, I enjoy joking about it too, but it's a serious deal for a lot of people. It just doesn't smell all that bad to me. The only bad experience I had was drinking "durian coffee" in Davao, which left me burping up a weird durian/coffee flavor for several days, ugh. Otherwise, just a slightly fragrant fruit for my nose. \/\/\/ Oops, let me check my burner email - sorry about that! ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 15:03 on Jan 17, 2013 |
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Jan 17, 2013 10:59
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Durian is like fruit sashimi. A bit too pricey but still tasty. ReindeerF, I sent you an email did you get it? 2 Korean goons are trekking in Thailand and I'm planning on meeting up with them Next Saturday Jan 26th. I'm flying in town late night Friday, will spend 2 more nights hanging around BKK eating durian and getting massages. I asked RingoR and he's free next week so are you up for a mini goon meet? I'm thinking of following Sheep-goat's guide around Silom or if you know Silom it would be cool to have you as a guide! We can go eat durian 
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Jan 17, 2013 11:07
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Mae Hong Son is gorgeous, the ride from Chiang Mai even more so. It seems the way to explore this area is by moped or motorbike. Is there anything I should watch out for or be aware of when renting one?
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Jan 17, 2013 13:54
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Yeah, stay way the gently caress in your lane in the mountains, the drivers there clip corners because they think their lovely blue truck is an Indy car. As far as not getting scammed I never had a problem or felt one coming like on some of the islands. I could usually talk the renter into letting me have the bike for a deposit plus copy of passport instead of the actual passport, but not always. Be sure to get a 125cc bike, the 100cc plus farang weight plus mountains are a bad combo. Also bring an extra liter of water along for possible overheating.
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Jan 17, 2013 17:12
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Durian.. .... i was part of the party responsible for getting durian outright banned in a hotel in Malaysia, actually. ProTip: Never, ever put durian near an HVAC vent. Not even to your worst enemy
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Jan 18, 2013 02:15
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I'm a little late to the Vang Vieng deathtrap party but I remember one of the guidebooks saying "If you need medical attention in Laos, go to Vientienne". Then, if you looked at the section on Vientienne, it said "If you need medical attention in Vientienne, go to Bangkok". Also the country side around Vang Vieng is loving gorgeous; hopefully it becomes a nice place to go now that they've shut down the river bars.
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Jan 18, 2013 03:05
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Made it to Bangkok on the overnight train. Boyfriend started feeling sick about half an hour before we got on and turned out to have some kind of food poisoning. Fun night! But yeah we're here now and he's sleeping so I'm trying to figure out what to do over the couple of days before we head up to Chiang Mai. Thanks to whoever recommended Soi Rambuttri. Was pretty wiped after getting off the train so we just taxied to Khao San Road. I set my boyfriend up in McDonald's with our bags, came here, and found a place. Worked out well. 
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Jan 18, 2013 05:20
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Oh. My. Zeus. posted:Maybe too late to catch you but have you considered taking a bus? The night buses from BK to Chiangmai run about 800 baht per person and they're decent. It's a long trip but you can sleep most of the way through it. Man, I must be doing something wrong. I called at least ten places looking for a room for tomorrow and they all told me "full" (although a couple said call back in the morning). Not just Lonely Planet and wikivoyage, also a couple places recommended to me by friends. I found a place for last night and tonight but it seems to be mostly Aussie couples on holiday. I'm trying to find some place where I can meet some other solo backpackers. Nothing fancy, just a place with dorms or private rooms and a common area people actually hang out in.
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Jan 18, 2013 12:22
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It's that bad? Nap park no? Best bet is just go to hostel world and find a dorm. Lub d is also great.
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Jan 18, 2013 12:34
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100 Baht, 1 hour massage out in countryside... drat!
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Jan 18, 2013 13:20
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caberham posted:It's that bad? Nap park no? Best bet is just go to hostel world and find a dorm. Lub d is also great. Hostelworld did it. Thanks!
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Jan 18, 2013 13:23
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Thanks to Senso for an awesome evening out yesterday. Sorry we smelled like sweaty fish sauce all night. Senso took us to a kick rear end Hue style restaurant and a Belgian bar, which was a nice change of pace after drinking Tiger and 333 for a week. If you want to do the Mekong tour thing, Senso, we used Urban Adventures and they were pretty great. I think they offer a few different itineraries, so check them out if you want. And finally, I'd just like to reiterate that Vietnam/HCMC is awesome. Sure it's not as accessible as Thailand, mostly due to language difficulties, but that hasn't hindered us at all. Everyone has been absolutely awesome to us. Also $15 US gets you a freaking feast and multiple beers for 2 people, so, can't really go wrong with that.
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Jan 18, 2013 13:41
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Senso, this parade of sock puppets must stop - you simply cannot be allowed to give Saigon a good name!
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Jan 18, 2013 13:56
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trigger posted:$15 US gets you a freaking feast and multiple beers for 2 people this should be doable in ANY southeast asian country (singapore doesn't count)
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Jan 18, 2013 20:35
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I'm back in the US and super sad about it and trying to plot my return to SE Asia. Can't talk the husband into moving so I guess it's regular trips to experience the cities we liked more in-depth. Also wondering how much it costs to install a butt gun at our place.
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Jan 18, 2013 21:14
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Ooner posted:I'm back in the US and super sad about it and trying to plot my return to SE Asia. Can't talk the husband into moving so I guess it's regular trips to experience the cities we liked more in-depth. Ooner posted:Also wondering how much it costs to install a butt gun at our place.
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Jan 18, 2013 21:56
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eviljelly posted:this should be doable in ANY southeast asian country (singapore doesn't count) Singapore hawker centers are cheap as poo poo and have the best food in the region. It is only when you go to a restaurant that prices skyrocket.
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Jan 18, 2013 22:33
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The food courts are the single best reason to visit Singapore. I wish they were everywhere. VV This exact thing happened to me! We even traded goodies from the dim sum booth. duralict fucked around with this message at 23:48 on Jan 18, 2013 |
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Jan 18, 2013 23:28
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oh snap forgot about the hawker centers. def my fav part of going to singapore... last time I was there I sat with a bunch of middle aged ladies who kept asking about whther I had a girlfriend and when we are getting married and how they have nieces or daughters my age etc. it was pretty much like having lunch with aunties.
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Jan 18, 2013 23:39
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eviljelly posted:this should be doable in ANY southeast asian country (singapore doesn't count) I recall Thailand not being AS cheap, but this could be an illusion created by spending thousands of dong and having it only end up being a couple bucks. Heh heh. Dong jokes.
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Jan 19, 2013 03:39
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Thailand used to be that cheap but now the touristy parts kinda aren't.
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Jan 19, 2013 03:58
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ReindeerF posted:Senso, this parade of sock puppets must stop - you simply cannot be allowed to give Saigon a good name! I just sang "Love Me Do" with some random Vietnamese dude when the song came on the radio and we high-fived afterwards. Saigon is pretty bad-rear end haha. Senso, thanks for a great time Thursday night. Trigger and I had a blast!
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Jan 19, 2013 08:23
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Sheep-Goats posted:Thailand used to be that cheap but now the touristy parts kinda aren't.
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Jan 19, 2013 08:56
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I know for a fact that theres a noodle cart near khao san that ReindeerF loves
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Jan 19, 2013 11:22
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This is a true, though it does not sell lovely fake phad thai - she sells delicious bumi moo daeng that gets better the more you drink. \/\/\/ WHAT. That there is hosed up like the government. See you in a couple of days na ka! ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 12:22 on Jan 19, 2013 |
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Jan 19, 2013 11:46
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we will be eating that stuff together in 2 days! hard to imagine... theres about 6 inches of snow outside and it was -8 overnight here.
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Jan 19, 2013 12:03
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ReindeerF posted:Senso, this parade of sock puppets must stop - you simply cannot be allowed to give Saigon a good name! I'm having a pretty good track record of happy goons so far.  Thank you Vicious and trigger, I had a good evening too and it was nice talking with cool open-minded Americans.
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Jan 19, 2013 13:54
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Any recommendations of a place I'll be able to watch the Super Bowl in Bangkok? Preferable live, as awkward as that may be early in the morning.
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Jan 19, 2013 20:00
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Bourbon Street, Ekkamai just off Sukhumvit.
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Jan 19, 2013 20:09
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eviljelly posted:we will be eating that stuff together in 2 days! hard to imagine... theres about 6 inches of snow outside and it was -8 overnight here. oh yeah and if any other goons want to join in for a couple of drinks on or near ksr on the 21st, holler at me or ReindeerF. im excited to wear shorts again woot
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Jan 19, 2013 21:35
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Going to be heading to SEA soon for 4-5 months. Been following this thread (again) for the last 3-6 months. Getting excited, me and my wife are quitting our jobs in March. Couple questions. I'm looking at flights now and it looks like we'll most likely be flying out of SEA-TAC. SEA-TAC -> HAN -> VTE booking through (OneTravel.com) Will we need a Vietnam Visa for the connection? I'm a Canadian citizen and my wife is a US citizen\Canadian Permanent Resident Also, any recommendations on cheap travel insurance? We both won't be working so we won't be covered by our work. I'll most likely decline Canada's health care because (BC for some dumb reason, still charges you $30/month.) I've used world nomads in the past but I'm wondering what you guys are doing. edit: Also, ReindeerF, does Lao Central Airlines fly out of Don Meung I guess? I might just book BKK round trip and do Lao Central leg separate as long as the extra baggage fees aren't too much. lol internet. fucked around with this message at 23:19 on Jan 19, 2013 |
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Jan 19, 2013 22:54
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eviljelly posted:oh yeah and if any other goons want to join in for a couple of drinks on or near ksr on the 21st, holler at me or ReindeerF. See you at Banyan 
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Jan 20, 2013 01:46
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