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Saint Fu posted:I tried a massage place in a strip mall near my apartment in Mega Kuningan, cost $10 for an hour. Probably could get it cheaper since I live in a big expat area.
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Jul 16, 2013 09:46
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Saint Fu posted:Jakarta isn't like the middle east, you should be able to find food during the day. I see local people eating at the cafes around my office all the time. Expect packed restaurants between 6 and 10pm as people go out to break their fast. Also traffic will be especially bad starting at around 3 (God help you if it rains). Thank you for your suggestion! I am actually flying tonight. My friend insisted to pick me up from the airport. I told her that I could take a taxi but she was like... No no no, taking taxi is not safe for the first time! ( what does that even mean? :/) so anyway, take off now!!
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Jul 16, 2013 10:13
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Wonton posted:Thank you for your suggestion! I am actually flying tonight. My friend insisted to pick me up from the airport. I told her that I could take a taxi but she was like... No no no, taking taxi is not safe for the first time! ( what does that even mean? :/) so anyway, take off now!! Oh also if you get a metered taxi, you'll be expected to pay the toll and parking. It's usually 5,000 or less rupiah per toll and 3-7,000 for parking. e: Oh and they never ever have change. I hoard small bills like a mother fucker.
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Jul 16, 2013 10:29
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SurreptitiousMuffin posted:Nah, 100,000 Rupiah is pretty standard for a full-body massage (the non-prostitute kind). Surabaya is way cheaper than Jakarta and that's still a decent price. You can get pretty awesome hand and foot massages for like 20,000 though.
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Jul 16, 2013 10:30
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Wonton posted:Thank you for your suggestion! I am actually flying tonight. My friend insisted to pick me up from the airport. I told her that I could take a taxi but she was like... No no no, taking taxi is not safe for the first time! ( what does that even mean? :/) so anyway, take off now!! Taxi's in Jakarta unless you use an agency car (and even sometimes then) is supposed to be a bit like russian roulette. You can end up overcharged, mugged or kidnapped depending on how lucky you are. Most of the time it's fine though and I think security concerns are a little overblown.
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Jul 16, 2013 10:30
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I fly a lot for work and have taken all manner of taxi from the airport (SilverBird on down to random guy who spoke no English in a brokedown hoopty) and am yet to be kidnapped. Not saying it couldn't happen though!
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Jul 16, 2013 10:32
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Saint Fu posted:I fly a lot for work and have taken all manner of taxi from the airport (SilverBird on down to random guy who spoke no English in a brokedown hoopty) and am yet to be kidnapped. Not saying it couldn't happen though! Same here, first time I got a GoldBird from the airport and felt like an idiot for how much it ended up costing but even pick ups at malls and stuff were always fine. Like I said, I think the security situation in Jakarta is overblown. Having said that colleagues of mine where in the marriott when it was attacked that time.
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Jul 16, 2013 10:39
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As long as we're on the topic of Jakarta... what is the market like for knock-off goods in Indonesia? I'm thinking of places like the Russian Market in Phnom Penh, DVDs, games, watches, "brand-name" clothes, bags, etc. I have a great North Face backpack I bought in Cambodia which I might have to get rid of soon (limited space to ship things home to the US, bag won't fit in boxes, smaller than my other luggage, yadda yadda), but my next trip overseas is likely going to be Indonesia next year and I'm wondering if I can pick up a new one then. Is there some place similar to the Cambodian markets?
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Jul 16, 2013 11:03
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CronoGamer posted:The very first time i walked out onto Otres I saw a German geezer getting a handjob under his towel from a Cambodian teenager, I'm pretty sure that counts EDIT: Air Asia started promoting flights from BKK to Siem Reap today with their typical super-low fares. This is good news for tourists who had been gouged for years by Bangkok Airways on that route. Pretty soon, Bangkok Airways will only have like Trat and Sukhothai, and the ticket to either will cost 280,000 Baht. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 11:22 on Jul 16, 2013 |
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Jul 16, 2013 11:06
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ReindeerF posted:Could you tell he was German from the roped off beach chairs around him? He was very vocal throughout the whole experience, keeping up a steady monologue with the girl who was working away on him and sorta nodding her head and agreeing the whole time. He kept talking in a German accent the whole time, up to and through the point of release, at which point (I'm not making any of this up) he loudly declared "OOOOOoooooOOOOhHhhHHHHHHHHH this beer is... so cold! It's good!" and then she cleaned him up with the towel. But yeah, the accent gave him away, so he was either German or Austrian, which would make our thread metric that much more apt.
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Jul 16, 2013 11:13
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Classy. I will die proud of never having gone to Pattaya or Sihanoukville.
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Jul 16, 2013 12:02
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This was on the morning of Christmas Eve, by the way. If you're worrying about class. And the best part is that that still wasn't the most outrageous part of my time in Sihanoukville. What a shithole that place is.
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Jul 16, 2013 12:06
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Well you didn't say it was Christmas Eve! What German tourist doesn't deserve a public handjob on the beach by a third world prostitute of questionable age on the eve of Jesus's birthday? Jesus would've wanted it this way. It's a very common German tradition, you probably just hadn't heard about it.
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Jul 16, 2013 12:09
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Maybe the cold beer was burning his hand? e: maybe not..
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Jul 16, 2013 13:26
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"KEEP RUBBING... IST GETTINK VARMER NOW" EDIT: Before moving to SE Asia, I never thought the concept of an old European getting a handjob on a public beach from a young Asian woman would be something that wouldn't really raise an eyebrow. The list of poo poo that I don't even blink at anymore just grows by the year, which is not entirely a good thing, probably. It seeps into your vocabulary, at least in Bangkok, because so much random poo poo is just part of daily life. Then you catch yourself in conversations like: "Oh I know it looks like a nice hotel on the web site, Mom, but the bar's full of freelancers - it's really obnoxious." "What's a freelancer?" "Oh boy." ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 14:10 on Jul 16, 2013 |
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Jul 16, 2013 13:42
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Saint Fu posted:Oh yeah? That's good to know for future reference. How much do beers cost at restaurants down there? You can get a bottle of Bintang from the supermarket for about 27,000, or a six-pack for 60k. There's also always Guinness Export for about 70k/tallboy, for some reason. Hoegaarden is also surprisingly easy to find, though again you'll have to go to one of the bigger supermarkets (Hero, occasionally Giant). You can get Balinese Vodka for about 200k/bottle if you dig around the rights parts of Surabaya, and Chinese rice wine that's like old vinegar for significantly less. There's also arrack, but I've got no pressing wish to go blind then die, so I tend to stay away. It apparently doesn't count as alcohol under Quranic law, probably because it's closer to paint thinner. SurreptitiousMuffin fucked around with this message at 15:24 on Jul 16, 2013 |
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Jul 16, 2013 15:20
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Oh god Guinness Export is truly horrible. An expat once told me that it's just a bunch of leftover poo poo bottled and shipped illegally from Jakarta. Bintang is alright. I'm pretty sure it's just Chang though. \/\/ Nice, the more you know! \/\/ A MIRACLE fucked around with this message at 15:47 on Jul 16, 2013 |
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Jul 16, 2013 15:27
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A MIRACLE posted:Oh god Guinness Export is truly horrible. An expat once told me that it's just a bunch of leftover poo poo bottled and shipped illegally from Jakarta.  
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Jul 16, 2013 15:35
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ReindeerF posted:Classy. I will die proud of never having gone to Pattaya or Sihanoukville. It's nice to know that someone else in the world reminds themselves of this during low moments.
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Jul 16, 2013 16:56
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Okay. Now I am in Jarkata. Had some nice Padang food last night. People look friendly, so far. Going through custom was strange...A lot of Chinese people bribed the officials by putting some money in the passport. The VOs accepted the money but I didn't see them trying to give anyone a hard time or intentionally pick up on Chinese if you didn't bribe them. I heard the situation was really bad in the past, guess VOs are behaving now. I was just wondering why would you stil bribe them while there's no need for that? =/ Anyways, today I will walk around, find some food, have a massage maybe, and exchange money. Does anyone know anything about the rate? Is it a good idea to exchange all my US dollars in Jarkata or is the rate better on Bali island? I am going to Bali in 2 days.
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Jul 17, 2013 01:56
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SurreptitiousMuffin posted:Nah, it's just Heineken. Literally: when the Dutch buggered off, the locals took over the brewery and just went right back to work doing the exact same thing. They barely even changed the bottles.  Surprisingly I liked Anker the best despite being the cheapest at ~$1.20/bottle. Heineken and Bintang were almost indistinguishable. The Heineken is still brewed in Indonesia after all. Wonton posted:Okay. Now I am in Jarkata. Had some nice Padang food last night. People look friendly, so far. Going through custom was strange...A lot of For cash I always just use the ATM (this goes for everywhere in Asia). Can't comment on Jakarta vs Bali but I would guess you'd find a better rate in Jakarta since Bali is more likely to be full of gullible tourists.
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Jul 17, 2013 02:19
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Saint Fu posted:Was the bribing at the visa-on-arrival kiosk? Because it costs $25 for everyone so maybe they were just on the ball with the cash? Very strange if it was the actual stamping guy who they "bribed" It was the VOA line and it was the actual stamping guy that they were bribing! People were not giving him USD, I'm pretty sure about that. I saw two guys gave the VO as least 200 RMB, and an old lady just put 20 HKD, both of them went through without any problem. The thing is only Chinese people would bribe them, so the VOs only pick on Chinese, it's kinda sad...
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Jul 17, 2013 03:56
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Via Andrew Drummond's site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNgq5JUssxI Perhaps pounding on the bar and screaming at the owner was not the best way to get a drink. My favorite part is the mild confusion when he just goes down instead of fighting back and you can tell they hadn't considered this eventuality - like, "Oh poo poo, Somchai, what do we do with a limp body?"
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Jul 17, 2013 07:18
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Who wants it? *Everybody in bar silently elects man standing directly behind you to take it
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Jul 17, 2013 07:41
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Sheep-Goats posted:Who wants it?
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Jul 17, 2013 08:15
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Sheep-Goats posted:Who wants it? I love how he turned around and just casually strolled off, too. It's very "gently caress YOU, ehhh mai bpen rai."
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Jul 17, 2013 10:31
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I love this ad for so many reasons. It's a shame they didn't go all out and use an older, rounder gentleman.
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Jul 17, 2013 11:26
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And how nice of them to install an ATM on the walking path at Lumpini Park.
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Jul 17, 2013 11:30
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Just in case you're wandering the park at night and need to make some cash transactions...
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Jul 17, 2013 11:38
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Smeef posted:Just in case you're wandering the park at night and need to make some cash transactions... EDIT: For Non-Bangkokians, Lumpini Park is traditionally notorious for the streetwalkers that line Wittayu road late at night just outside the fence. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 12:36 on Jul 17, 2013 |
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Jul 17, 2013 11:40
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ReindeerF posted:Via Andrew Drummond's site: Oh god, this is hilarious on so many levels. And the youtube comments just make it all better. Expats yelling about cheap shots, Thais muttering about farangs. It's glorious.
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Jul 17, 2013 16:38
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Cynic Jester posted:And the youtube comments just make it all better. Expats yelling about cheap shots, Thais muttering about farangs. It's glorious.
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Jul 17, 2013 17:46
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How to find out if someone is wrong (SE Asia edition): Step 1: Are they British? If Yes, they're wrong. If No, continue to step 2.
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Jul 17, 2013 19:09
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gently caress sand flies forever I can't sleep, in too much pain 
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Jul 17, 2013 19:23
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Tomato Soup posted:gently caress sand flies forever
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Jul 17, 2013 19:43
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So in a year and a half or so I plan on training Muay Thai in Thailand for about 3-6 months. I'm pretty set on a place in Koh Samui. I'll definitely check out Bangkok and such. I'm kinda done doing the whole hoping around thing. I'd much rather stay in one place, have my own small apartment, and really enjoy a hobby, volunteering, or something. Any input? I understand I can get a 60 day visa and extend it by 30 days there. How can I go about staying 6 months legally?
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Jul 18, 2013 00:07
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Christoff posted:I understand I can get a 60 day visa and extend it by 30 days there. How can I go about staying 6 months legally?
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Jul 18, 2013 01:11
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Christoff posted:Any input? You might be able to get an education visa. I got one for scuba diving. Get in touch with whatever school you decide to train with, and a Thai consulate or embassy. They give you three months at a time, but getting another three months is as simple as crossing a border and then coming back. There are Muay Thai places on Koh Tao and Koh Phangan, too, and they probably offer more extracurricular activities than Samui.
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Jul 18, 2013 01:31
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Yeah, an Ed-Visa is your solution for stays longer than 6 months. I swear they're going to kill this loophole by cracking down eventually, but it hasn't happened yet. Since the Samui archipelago is completely outside the boundaries of Thai law when it comes to pretty much everything short of murder (and sometimes even that!) I wouldn't be surprised if it somehow retained the ability to have Ed-Visas issued for fake schools there until the end of time. Or file your BOI paperwork and then just don't start a company, but please leave this loophole in place by not abusing it, heh. The BOI sponsorship goodies are like the only helpful thing the government has ever done for foreign small business owners here. EDIT: Oh and medical visas, but at this point I'm just doing donuts on random visa tips really. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 01:48 on Jul 18, 2013 |
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Jul 18, 2013 01:45
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Sheep-Goats posted:How to find out if someone is wrong (SE Asia edition): I'm Scottish, does this apply (y/n)??
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