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For Bangkok don't take tuk tuks, generally speaking. If you wanna roll like that just insist a taxi use its meter. Or if you're in a rush use a motorcycle taxi.
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May 17, 2013 14:03
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I went out and got myself a sarong. It's the most comfortable thing ever. I'm not allowed to wear it to work but at all other times, gently caress pants. I am free of all trouser-based oppression.
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May 17, 2013 14:50
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duckmaster posted:I am in bangkok. It's so hot. Your new tapeworms thank you. SurreptitiousMuffin posted:I went out and got myself a sarong. It's the most comfortable thing ever. Utilikilts are so expensive. Negative Entropy fucked around with this message at 15:12 on May 17, 2013 |
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May 17, 2013 14:55
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MothraAttack posted:For Bangkok don't take tuk tuks, generally speaking. If you wanna roll like that just insist a taxi use its meter. Or if you're in a rush use a motorcycle taxi. But how much should I pay the bikers?! They don't have meters! Argh I'm just going to chill out and stop worrying about it. Might as well go eat some more maggots too.
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May 17, 2013 15:42
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duckmaster posted:But how much should I pay the bikers?! They don't have meters! As a farang your goal should be to pay them about what you'd pay a cab if the cab is using its meter. Thai people pay less than that but Thais under 40 never see the savings as being worth it to lose the aircon so it's not a big difference. If you bargain too hard they get sullen. I once took a motosai from MBK after seeing a movie to Khao San to meet some friends. I'd been living in Bangkok for a while then and usually at that stand what I'd get is the bullshit farang price of like two or three times what a cab costs, then they'd realize I wasn't exactly a tourist and take me at something reasonable. For whatever reason that day the little group there decided I was a mark and was really reluctant to move off their initial price. When I finally got them got them down my driver drove really loving slow and then stopped about half way there at a market and began haggling over a watermelon. I asked him if he was indeed buying a melon, he said yeah, he was, so I just stood up from the bike and hailed a cab. If the weather is bad tuktuks and motorcycles become more expensive. This is because cabs become almost impossible to get (and because the motosai guys don't want to get soaked). If you have an emergency face they get more expensive. If they gave me nearly the Thai price I'd usually tip then back up to what I usually paid at the end. Regular soft scam price and I'd say thanks but not tip. Same thing with cabs -- if they hassled me with "oh no meter broken" game I would not tip, otherwise I'd throw in an extra ten or 20 baht. Thai people never tip their cabbies / motorsai drivers but I'm not a Thai person. I think I've only been on a tuktuk three times. Twice because there were just no cabs to be had and I had more poo poo / people with me than would fit on a motorcycle, once because there was a little group of them right there and the actual road with cabs was a decent walk away. Thai people use them because they're a little cheaper, since they're not cheaper for us they're basically poo poo. raton fucked around with this message at 19:09 on May 17, 2013 |
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May 17, 2013 17:00
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That is a good answer, thanks. I think I paid about right then and was probably thinking about it too much. Next time I'll just get a cab and bask in the free ac. The novelty of tuk tuks wears off about thirty seconds into the journey anyway. I continued my culinary journey tonight with ostrich. Now I'm off to stare at fat brits sitting in those roadside bars with lady boys! And no doubt have a beer as well, tell my mother I love her.
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May 17, 2013 18:45
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From time to time in SE Asia you will pay significantly more than you should and then a week later you'll think back on it and remember that you were pretty sore about a dollar. Overpaying can be annoying but just look at it like an intentional act of generosity instead and don't get ruffled.
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May 17, 2013 19:11
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Yeah what Sheep-Goats said. Overpaying a bit shouldn't be a huge issue unless you're broke, and if that's the case then why are you here? No comment from the alleged homeless barang in Phnom Penh. In Chiang Mai and a lot of outer areas the going rate for a tuk tuk "within town" should be no more than 60 baht, depending on negotiating. If you're under 90 or 100, you're not getting had.
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May 17, 2013 20:09
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Sheep-Goats posted:From time to time in SE Asia you will pay significantly more than you should and then a week later you'll think back on it and remember that you were pretty sore about a dollar. This should be the subtitle of every single tourist guide book for SE Asia.
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May 17, 2013 21:02
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In Vietnam I'd haggle over 5,000 dong for a ride. Then I got to Bangkok and after haggling over the equivalent was told I was being silly. Getting hosed on prices in Thailand is rare in my opinion. You'll pay a little bit more, but it's not like countries heavily influenced by Chinese culture where you're expected to bargain down to 30% or less of the original price. I used to take motosais really long distances because I didn't want to deal with traffic after work. The bikes at my nearest "wen" (motosai station) picked up on my habits within a week and the prices became standard. A few times I took bikes back in torrential downpour and only paid more out of the kindness of my heart. The only area where I continually get lovely prices is Silom. Also, Bangkok tuktuks are the loving worst. They cost more, take longer, smell worse, and the drivers always have an attitude. Cambodian tuktuks should get more love. They're more spacious (you can actually see out of the drat thing without dislocating your neck), cheaper, and the drivers are friendlier by a country mile.
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May 17, 2013 21:29
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South East Asia Megathread: gently caress China
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May 17, 2013 21:37
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Sheep-Goats posted:If they gave me nearly the Thai price I'd usually tip then back up to what I usually paid at the end. Regular soft scam price and I'd say thanks but not tip. Same thing with cabs -- if they hassled me with "oh no meter broken" game I would not tip, otherwise I'd throw in an extra ten or 20 baht. Thai people never tip their cabbies / motorsai drivers but I'm not a Thai person. My GF does this too, why the gently caress? If you spend this time haggling with them and then tip them up to the original price, why not save the hassele, agree to the soft scam and not tip like a flush westerner? Sheep-Goats posted:From time to time in SE Asia you will pay significantly more than you should and then a week later you'll think back on it and remember that you were pretty sore about a dollar. Overpaying can be annoying but just look at it like an intentional act of generosity instead and don't get ruffled. I guess partly because Australia isnt a tipping culture, but I dont tip the ruthless tuktuk cartels or any other transport, because at the end of the day i'll feel bad about spending ten minutes cheating a bloke out of what amounts to a dollar. If i calculate it out, it takes me two and a half minutes to earn that dollar at home. If im arguing for more than that, its not worth it. I'm on holiday, i dont want to waste my time arguing over cents. Negative Entropy fucked around with this message at 23:56 on May 17, 2013 |
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May 17, 2013 23:53
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Kommando posted:My GF does this too, why the gently caress? I was referring to tipping taxi drivers for using the meter without loving me around because that's the way I want things to go when I get in the taxi every time. When you take a tuktuk or motosai you agree on the price before you get on (unless it's your regular stand on a regular trip and everyone knows what to expect) and in those cases I generally don't tip, however if they quote 120 and I say 50 expecting to settle around 80 and they cave at 60 for whatever reason I might give them the extra 20 anyway for not trying to screw. The 20B doesn't mean a thing, I'm just encouraging pleasant behavior. Americans tip, we like to tip, and no one's going to talk us out of it. I know you guys kinda don't get it, but we see it as an egalitarian, brotherly thing and it's part of what a good person does here. The only people who have issues with it here are social retards who catch a panic attack when they have to decide on their own how much to pay for something instead of having someone else tell them, typically via a piece of paper.
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May 18, 2013 00:41
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Everyone who stops by Bangkok ought to say hi to reindeerf and/or meet up with local goons. They know where to go and tagging along allows you to learn more about the local scene instead of being a complete mark. Plus it's appreciation for the info they dole out all the time and answering repetitive questions. I would have met reindeer but I lost my phone in a tuk tuk :-( next time,next time  Except ringoR, he's creepy. Ok I'm kidding, he knows a few drinking spots and introduced me to waterfall pig.
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May 18, 2013 10:06
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Ringo R posted:I'm not expert on the Lao language but his pronunciation sounds pretty poor. Yea that's pretty god drat awful. Takes me a few seconds to process what the hell is being said.
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May 18, 2013 12:56
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SurreptitiousMuffin posted:I went out and got myself a sarong. It's the most comfortable thing ever. EDIT: Just walked in the door from Cambodia. Got stuck at a family brunch at Trader Vic's for like three hours where I had way too many mai tais on the riverside and then stuck in traffic here in Nonthaburi because of a giant parade full of white elephants and people dressed in ancient military outfits and monks. Must be some kind of Thai-Burmese war commemoration or something. Even with imported stuff at one of the finer locations in Bangkok, the Western food at random lovely joints is still better in Phnom Penh. loving city is amazing. Long Live Phenomenal Penh! Say hi to Tytan if you pass through and don't be a moron who leaves for a three day trip with passport, a few hundred bucks, some luggage and no ATM card. That person is a loving idiot. You know, if he or she happens to exist. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 12:25 on May 19, 2013 |
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May 19, 2013 12:18
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Bit the bullet yesterday and flew around the city on motorcycle taxis. Great fun! I was actually anxious to get out of one temple I was at because shooting along at 30 mph is a great way to cool down. Every bar I sit at I seem to attract weird sunburnt expats and/or hookers and/or scammers. Some Indian fortune teller tried the "write the answer to a question on a bit of paper and make it look like he wrote it before you answered the question" trick on me, then asked for 1000 baht. I laughed and told him I know how the trick works, and offered him a beer. He said no. So that's two scams so far, including the tuk tuk taking me to a brothel. Little bit disappointed I haven't been taken to a gem shop yet.
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May 21, 2013 06:51
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How does it work? I also had an Indian guy do the same trick on me many years ago. Didn't pay of course but still curious!
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May 21, 2013 09:25
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Ringo R posted:How does it work? I also had an Indian guy do the same trick on me many years ago. Didn't pay of course but still curious! I thought it was a variation on this trick but after thinking about it and doing some searching maybe I was wrong. Maybe he really was magic 
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May 21, 2013 11:20
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I dig how wearing some kind of turban and robe makes you a mystic and then some tourists buy it. I ought to wear that poo poo around to investor meetings. SCUSE ME...
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May 21, 2013 11:37
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ReindeerF posted:I dig how wearing some kind of turban and robe makes you a mystic and then some tourists buy it. I ought to wear that poo poo around to investor meetings. SCUSE ME... And you'll see by the stock options... I'm a wizard.
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May 22, 2013 00:00
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Ye shall know them by their headgear, scammy pitch.
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May 22, 2013 02:28
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I never ran into any swamis when I lived there, just the usual dude in an off red robe who, for 200 THB and four oranges, would blast you in the face with a bamboo whisk's worth of klong water. ==== Cross posting from the NYC thread, where we just had our first hot day of the season (like 82 degrees with 80% humidity maybe): Sheep-Goats posted:
raton fucked around with this message at 06:43 on May 22, 2013 |
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May 22, 2013 05:26
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I recall seeing them make forays into Sukhumvit, but they seem to primarily inhabit Khao San Road.
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May 22, 2013 06:45
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Right I'm off to Batam for 2 days. Wish me luck 
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May 23, 2013 09:52
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Vietnam can you sort your power out please? You're causing massive blackouts in Phnom Penh.
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May 23, 2013 11:07
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I'm jotting this down on the lengthy list of "things to bring up when publicly hating Vietnam."
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May 23, 2013 12:09
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Hopefully this power thing isn't going to mess with my Hanoi trip this weekend.
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May 23, 2013 14:20
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Think it was just the south that was affected, Hanoi should be fine: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22637140
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May 23, 2013 14:44
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Look on the bright side, power cuts are a sign that Vietnam's economy is picking up again.
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May 23, 2013 15:15
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Off to cambodia tomorrow. Do I have to wear pants???
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May 23, 2013 18:31
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I had to explain what 'humid' meant to my class today. Holy poo poo, never again. It's like trying to explain the ocean to fish. duckmaster posted:Off to cambodia tomorrow.
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May 23, 2013 18:36
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I once tried to explain to a group of 40 or so male Thai university students what a goofball was. Gave up.
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May 23, 2013 19:05
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duckmaster posted:Do I have to wear pants??? You know what this made me think of, though? When I die someday, some son of a bitch is going to bury me in pants without my consent. That burns me.
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May 23, 2013 19:19
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ReindeerF posted:You're actually free to just pass out naked in the street or even die in your hotel room in Cambodia, so pants aren't even an afterthought, dead or alive. Cremation literally would.
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May 23, 2013 19:29
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Sheep-Goats posted:I once tried to explain to a group of 40 or so male Thai university students what a goofball was. Gave up. Would "คนทะเล้น" work?
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May 23, 2013 19:46
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Tytan posted:Vietnam can you sort your power out please? You're causing massive blackouts in Phnom Penh. Driving home from work in a completely dark city was awesome. I live in District 1, the first area to get power back, so I didn't even notice it (my work building has a HUGE generator) and I kicked the AC on when I got home. So that's how cutting one power line blacks out all of South Vietnam, and apparently, parts of Cambodia. One dude in a truck. SE Asia <3
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May 23, 2013 20:24
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ReindeerF posted:You know what this made me think of, though? When I die someday, some son of a bitch is going to bury me in pants without my consent. That burns me. Not if they never find your body. End it all by becoming one of those bodies they occasionally dredge up in the reservoir canals in Bangkok and if you're lucky you'll have decomposed into a soupy-enough mess that they can't contain you in pants.
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May 24, 2013 00:36
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I'm moving to Saigon in early July. I don't really have that many questions yet as I've spent a lot of time in SE Asia (never been to Vietnam yet though) and I don't yet know what I am going to want to ask. I've got a few though. Is there a group of goons/one goon in Saigon that might want to show a newbie around? For the first month I'm going to be staying in the Binh Thanh District, I have no idea where this is, is it close to good stuff/close to anyone who is living there now? I have a 4G-capable cell phone that I am taking with me if only for its wifi connectivity. It takes a SIM card though, will I be able to add it to a Vietnamese cell service? And will it actually function as a smartphone? That is, does Saigon have 4G/3G? Any goons who are living in Saigon and might be down to get a drink and chat feel free to add me on facebook Bo James Hancock or shoot me an email RobertJamesH at gmail dot com. Play fucked around with this message at 01:44 on May 24, 2013 |
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May 24, 2013 01:37
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I'm the only Saigon goon. I just woke up with a terrible hangover and drew this: EDIT: Added you on FB. Senso fucked around with this message at 02:20 on May 24, 2013 |
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May 24, 2013 02:04
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