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DontAskKant posted:Most Koreans in Seoul (that I've met) don't know much outside of their immediate home area. Apparently i know more about Seoul than my friends who've lived here for 30 years. "Go to the Rama V Bridge and then continue on t-" "Let me call my uncle." "Why?" "I don't know where is it." :calls uncle, uncle has her call aunt, aunt has her call friend: The best part is, as you describe, giving map directions turn by turn is useless. "You don't need to call your uncle, just go straight here and take a right on Ratcha-" "Uncle! Where is Rama V Bridge!?" It's painful. These days I just plan for Bangkokians to be late and lost and show up whenever I want, because why bother?
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Nov 11, 2013 18:11
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Do you at least have consistent Romanization there? There's an official way to romanize Korean, but few people use it consistently. This leads to Koreans (trying to help) and expats (being wary of looking insufferable by just using a little Korean) both saying the wrong place names. Things like Sinchon (spelled as sincheon sometimes) being confused for Sincheon (spelled as sinchon sometimes).
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Nov 11, 2013 18:20
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Yeah, no, I'm sure it's worse here. There's an official Royal transliteration (that results in things like Soowannapoom being spelled Suvarnabhumi), but 99% of everything is totally ad hoc and unchecked. One of my favorites is driving down this long road out the West side of town called Borommaratchachonnani. Within 5km of exist and things you'll see it spelled Borommaratchachonnani, Borommarachachononi, Boromrajajanani, Boromarajajononi and so on - all on national highway signs. Once you learn that all Thai people just call it "Borom" life gets a lot easier. Thailand is like a giant legacy enterprise that has never bothered to clean up its hardware and software and just uses acronyms for everything. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 18:39 on Nov 11, 2013 |
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Nov 11, 2013 18:36
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Oh god that word doesn't fit in my mouth. I was teaching Karen refugees how to tailor a few years ago and had the misguided idea i would learn a little bit of the language to try and make it easier. That lasted all of two weeks.
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Nov 11, 2013 18:44
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I still cannot say it reliably either. I just say BOROM and gesticulate.
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Nov 11, 2013 19:14
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eviljelly posted:I think it's also an Old World/New World thing. Us New Worlders are used to cities being built in grids, more or less, which makes cardinal directions pretty useful. If your cities are full of windy streets that veer all over the place, it helps a lot less. I grew up and lived in London and cardinal directions were never particularly useful short of knowing what side of the river you were on or what part of a borough you're in. Saying I'm at the north end of a road isn't helpful if the road sort of bends round and starts going east half way. Landmarks are proper city navigation although I'll admit that South East Asia takes it to that special level since most taxi drivers are from out of town and don't actually know any landmarks either. Kuala Lumpur is actually pretty good for this since drivers seem to at least know where most of the major transport stations are and I can usually direct them from there. Beijing can be fun for taxis, especially when you go to the trouble of getting an address and even directions written out in Hanzi and Pinyin, hand them to driver, head off and 25 minutes later discover the guy can't actually read well enough to know what the hell you handed him.
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Nov 12, 2013 02:35
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ReindeerF posted:Yeah, I have to say, as long as you keep your composure and play along you'll always get there - eventually. Heh. I hang out in the one Starbucks-type cafe here because it has aircon, the manager is Canadian, and the wifi is a billion times better than the house. However, I have to overhear conversations like the Most American Americans Ever telling off staff over having their food take too long to come. I was literally facepalming and backing away to put space between us--getting mad over here just doesn't work. (Except with colossal cows.) It's worth it because I often have tourists ask me about my skirts, which are traditional sins, and part of my teaching uniform. I encourage absolutely any woman who passes through Laos to cough up the $30 (or less if you can haggle a little) for a sin-skirt. The staff are also absolutely fascinated by my abstract doodle-art and often come hang out with me, despite the hilariously high language barrier. Culturally, it seems most SEA folk are incredible at precise copying--their handwriting in English is loving pristine and makes me feel like a clumsy moron when I scribble corrections--but the idea of "just draw squiggly lines until it feels done," makes them wide-eyed.
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Nov 12, 2013 02:53
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I don't really use cardinal directions that often, just use street names. Nowadays I just use map apps/GPS and yell at people for being a country bumpkin if they don't have a smart phone. But honestly, directions is iffy. I host for a bajillion random internet strangers and goons and it's really hit or miss. Some people are really smart and resourceful, they can find locations on their own with just a name. Others not so much... It's as if you need a picture for every street corner, even then "it's too difficult" and you just need to pick them up from the metro stop. Or they spend 25 minutes getting lost. I tell name redacted : "Meet me at Central Subway stop, 6:30pm, Exit A2 Surface side" and they woudl still get lost  From my own pool, The "Oh wow it's my first time in Asia, I'm so excited" types, 2/3 are loving clueless all the time. But then again, expats are hit and miss, worst are the illiterate ones. "I lived here for 2 years, I still can't read anything, which bar/mc donalds/7-11/starbucks/mc donalds/random landmark". Then you got the locals, "OMG that's too far, I never been there before, why do you want to go there? I don't want to read a map" TLDR: I hate everyone else who don't like going out. Pixelante posted:a sin-skirt. I tried googling a sin-skirt and all I found was "Corduroy skirts are a sin". Or conflicting pictures of a pleated skirt or a tight hugging pencil skirt 
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Nov 12, 2013 04:00
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caberham posted:But then again, expats are hit and miss, worst are the illiterate ones. "I lived here for 2 years, I still can't read anything, which bar/mc donalds/7-11/starbucks/mc donalds/random landmark". Then you got the locals, "OMG that's too far, I never been there before, why do you want to go there? I don't want to read a map" *cough* Reindeer-"Me missus takes care of the Thai for me, I reckon it's too hard mate"-F *ahem* caberham posted:I tried googling a sin-skirt and all I found was "Corduroy skirts are a sin". Or conflicting pictures of a pleated skirt or a tight hugging pencil skirt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinh_%28clothing%29 Edit: Haven't been to Laos for ages. Would like to see what Vientiane looks like today. Edit edit: lol reddit "Is this actually good advice? If robbed on a bus, refuse to get off the bus, loudly tell the other passengers what has happened, and ask the driver to call the police." Ringo R fucked around with this message at 04:41 on Nov 12, 2013 |
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Nov 12, 2013 04:31
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Taxis were no problem in Vietnam, the drivers seemed to know the city they were in well but I only really took MaiLinh and VinaSun taxis and they're the companies who don't try to rip you off so. However, in Laos/Thailand/Cambodia I can give someone directions/address written down in local language, have the driver nod and say he can take me there then get hopelessly lost and have to go ask for directions from some random place or their buddy. Or actually are illiterate. At least in Cambodia the tuk tuk/motodops hang out together in groups on the street corners so if the driver I pick can't read it, one of the other guys there can  I've been just googling landmarks on Google and try to get the Thai word for it to show the driver. It seems to be working well so far. Business cards are good too, they tend to have a number and directions in local language on it. In my experience, some people are just really bad at navigation. I'm pretty good and can still remember how to get to places even if I haven't been there in years. I traveled around Europe with a friend who was awful and would get lost easily so she didn't want to split up, ever which was annoying because sometimes we didn't want to do the same thing so I'd have to pander to her or she would freak out at the thought of having to go around a foreign city alone. This is another reason why I prefer to travel solo. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if I had a buddy who didn't mind splitting up when we couldn't agree on something to do but v  vAnd I saw a whale shark yesterday!!!  I really need to leave Koh Tao though but I can't quite make myself book the ferry ticket out 
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Nov 12, 2013 04:31
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Ringo R posted:Edit: Haven't been to Laos for ages. Would like to see what Vientiane looks like today.
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Nov 12, 2013 04:42
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Some people just suck at life, not just directions. I once arranged to meet some friends at a certain restaurant on a certain floor of the mall at Taipei 101. They took the train to the correct station, even managed to leave by the correct exit, and still got lost. To their credit they asked someone where Taipei 101 was, and the person pointed in some direction. Unfortunately, my friends took this to mean it was the exact building they were pointed at, went inside (fortunately it was a shopping mall), found a place that was kind of sort of like what I described, then called me asking where I was. Insisting that they were at the right place. They didn't think to look up. You know, to find the correct place based upon the presence of what was then, by some measures, the tallest building in the world. I spent three weeks travelling with those guys  Tomato Soup posted:And I saw a whale shark yesterday!!! Don't leave. See more whale sharks, stay for the epic December and January weather. Christmas on Koh Tao is the best.
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Nov 12, 2013 04:52
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ReindeerF posted:Finally, they have an escalator. I can only imagine the chaos when the locals try to get on the escalator (I assume there's only one) for the first time  Before people think I'm being mean towards Laotians, the Thais have had escalators for ages and they can still barely use them. "Oh, it go so fast. Must stop before get on!"
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Nov 12, 2013 04:57
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Yeah, the Thai thing of stopping at the foot of the escalator and watching until a complete panel rolls out and then stepping on is infuriating after a while - especially at BTS/MRT stations. I just sidestep around and hop past them when I can. Do they think there's a dragon or evil Khmer person under the cracks waiting to swallow them? The funniest example of new escalator users I ever saw was in Nanning near the Vietnamese border in China. I was waiting at the then-newish train station which had escalators in the middle. This very old couple, clearly dressed up for their big visit to the city or something, were handheld onto the escalator by their kids in the typical fashion. They stepped on side by side, made it up about a meter or so and slowly started to fall backward - and ended up flat on their backs on the escalator. The entire family was going bonkers rushing around trying to get to them and help them as they basically just rode up the thing on their backs in what I assume was a state of sheer terror.
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Nov 12, 2013 05:03
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eviljelly posted:I think it's also an Old World/New World thing. Us New Worlders are used to cities being built in grids, more or less, which makes cardinal directions pretty useful. If your cities are full of windy streets that veer all over the place, it helps a lot less.
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Nov 12, 2013 05:07
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Ringo R posted:I can only imagine the chaos when the locals try to get on the escalator (I assume there's only one) for the first time It also depends on the speed of the escalator too  Euro/NYC/Hong Kong escalator speed rules! Escalators in some American suburb/Taiwan/Japan/Mainland China are slow as molasses. And don't even get me started on people blocking the escalator too, not staying on the left/right side Then there's getting on/off a escalator. It happens quite often in mainland China/South East Asia. People ride escalators here like beginners on a ski lift, ugh the speeds are already slow enough They have to stop, align both feet, step left/right foot forward, then step other foot. When I walk out of the escalator backwards, MY GIRLFRIEND freaks out and thinks it's magic  "You know honey, when the steps flatten, you know it's time to step out!" Ahh thanks. I think they look very pretty like here http://www.gotlaos.com/silskma.html . But if you wear the shoulder sash, it's a bit too formal right? To my ignorant barbarian eyes, going all out on a regular occasion looks like a Thai restaurant waitress or someone from Thai Airways.
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Nov 12, 2013 05:16
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I got stuck behind a lady in a mall in Phnom Penh who was apparently terrified of escalators and wouldn't get on. She'd step forwards then go back, her companion had to walk down the up escalator to try coaxing her to get on. I can't remember how that ended so I probably went to take the stairs or something. Escalators in Japan seemed to be a lot faster than the ones I've seen in the states but mainly the ones in DC Metro that seem to be slow as molasses and in a state of perpetual repair. One escalator (Dupont Circle) was broken and under repair for almost a year before it finally went back into service. It made the local news Then it broke down again shortly after it started working again.Finch! posted:Don't leave. See more whale sharks, stay for the epic December and January weather. Christmas on Koh Tao is the best. I don't have much money left and I already have my flight back home from Saigon booked (Dec 11!). I haven't seen Angkor Wat too.I think I'm going to return though, diving is just too awesome and going pro is starting to look really appealing to me. I just want to get some more experience back home and take some courses like Rescue with an ASL interpreter. My family is talking about potentially going to Disney World next February and that means that I can go do Divequest at Epcot. Plus I really miss my cat  I've never spent a Christmas apart from my family and I don't really want to start anytime soon. This is Jimmy. Look at his adorable bitchface  I am a crazy cat lady and I am not ashamed.
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Nov 12, 2013 05:42
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Tomato Soup posted:Escalators in Japan seemed to be a lot faster than the ones I've seen in the states but mainly the ones in DC Metro that seem to be slow as molasses and in a state of perpetual repair. One escalator (Dupont Circle) was broken and under repair for almost a year before it finally went back into service. It made the local news SurreptitiousMuffin posted:I remember reading an article that societies who use relative directions ("it's next to the big church") are useless navigators but those who use absolute directions (north/south/east/west or equivalent) are amazing at it. Westerners were in the first camp, since we tend to use left and right (which are relative).
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Nov 12, 2013 06:15
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ReindeerF posted:The funniest example of new escalator users I ever saw was in Nanning near the Vietnamese border in China. I was waiting at the then-newish train station which had escalators in the middle. This very old couple, clearly dressed up for their big visit to the city or something, were handheld onto the escalator by their kids in the typical fashion. They stepped on side by side, made it up about a meter or so and slowly started to fall backward - and ended up flat on their backs on the escalator. The entire family was going bonkers rushing around trying to get to them and help them as they basically just rode up the thing on their backs in what I assume was a state of sheer terror. Lolol, poor old people. I saw something similar at the Rangoon airport. A group of seniors were about to go up to the boarding area. First couple of oldies got on, fell backwards (just like in your case) and the staff had to shut down the escalator while the rest of the group slowly walked up the evil magic stairs.  caberham posted:It also depends on the speed of the escalator too The fastest escalators I've ever been on was on the subways of Budapest. I was actually worried about falling off, like a silly tourist. I think the construction went something like this: "make fast, more fast, MORE!!!! ok now drink beer" ReindeerF posted:I've noticed the less developed you go, the more extra verbal baggage you can often expect in a given conversation. How's your uncle? And your Aunt? How about your cousin? Have you eaten yet? Was it good? Huh? What? Oh, what will you eat this evening? Huh? What? Again pls. Oh. What will you eat tomorrow? Huh? What?? Oh. What numbers will win lottery? What number room you? Ringo R fucked around with this message at 06:20 on Nov 12, 2013 |
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Nov 12, 2013 06:17
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Deaf people do the same thing - I don't think it's because of lack of development, just that the people are more close-knit in smaller communities. It's not unusual for someone to be late because they ran into a friend and just started talking, losing track of time. It's called "DST" aka Deaf Standard Time some of my friends who come from deaf families will get asked about how their entire family is doing then share some sort of story about their uncle or something from their school days. Then like 15 minutes later, they can excuse themselves without offending the other person because if they offend them, they'll tell their uncle who will tell their mother and so on. Plus their friends. I'm immune from mostly this because I come from a hearing family. And you've got a point about the length of the escalators. Wheaton and National Zoo are ridiculously long. Then add in the tourists and escalefters 
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Nov 12, 2013 06:28
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ReindeerF posted:A friend of mine who reads endlessly about anything was telling me about some Polynesian culture that's been confined to one island for a long time who begin every conversation by describing the subjects' locations in cardinal directions, like, "Bob was on the North side of the table and I was on the South, with Jimmy on the East eating coconuts..." For some reason I find this hilarious, but it's what you'd expect from cultures that just don't have as much to talk about. I've noticed the less developed you go, the more extra verbal baggage you can often expect in a given conversation. How's your uncle? And your Aunt? How about your cousin? Have you eaten yet? OKAY OKAY I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE TOILET IS.
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Nov 12, 2013 06:35
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Let me re-word it less politely - community matters more and they have less non-communal things going on in their lives. That's really what I meant. Where it really gets messy is when you toss this kind of communication culture into international business, which is how you end up with the way much of Southeast Asia communicates (or doesn't, really) internationally. If you want an answer in Thailand, the reality is that you pretty much have to pick up a phone or go in person, and even then it's like pulling teeth if a decision is involved or if the person may have to admit that they don't know something, or how to do something. On that note, since so much business is done here by phone, how do members of the deaf community that you've interacted with handle communications with not-deaf people that aren't in their immediate proximity? I'm guessing SMS (which, unlike email, Thai people will actually answer), but I have no idea.
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Nov 12, 2013 06:38
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ReindeerF posted:This was my recollection of DC Metro escalators as well. Granted, some of them are long enough to be ski jumps and they've been there a while, but gently caress sakes they're always closed for repairs. I worked at DuPont Circle and took that one all the time and it was always broken. I live and go to school a few blocks away from Dupont. Yup, the north side entrance is still busted. My favorite SEA escalator moment was when I made my first visit to Sorya Mall in Phnom Penh. It's eight storeys, so no joke if you want to get up to the higher floors, you have to take the escalator... or the massive staircases, the way 75% of the Cambodians would do, oh-so-slowly. Anyway, it was great because I had never before seen or even heard of actual escalator attendants. They had pretty (bleached-fair skin, of course) girls dressed up in a uniform with a jaunty little cap like a stewardess, waiting in a small pack at the bottom escalator and guiding confused locals onto the escalator with lots of advice and encouragement. The terror in their eyes, the white knuckle grip on the railing... makes you wonder how Americans were the first time escalators came about in the West, kind of.
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Nov 12, 2013 06:39
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Haha, yes, I've seen those girls. I was like, "What are you doing here?" I imagine when escalators were introduced in America it was at a World's Fair or something and people lined up for hours to ride the amazing mechanical staircase, heh. Carnival barkers, taffy, juggling clowns and the whole works. The Wikitravel page for Vientiane said that the local paper described the escalator as an "electric ladder" when it first opened. That cracked me up.
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Nov 12, 2013 06:45
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ReindeerF posted:I imagine when escalators were introduced in America it was at a World's Fair or something and people lined up for hours to ride the amazing mechanical staircase, heh. Carnival barkers, taffy, juggling clowns and the whole works. Wikipedia posted:Piat installed its "stepless" escalator in Harrods Knightsbridge store on Wednesday, November 16, 1898, though the company relinquished its patent rights to the department store. Noted by Bill Lancaster in The Department Store: a Social History, "customers unnerved by the experience were revived by shopmen dispensing free smelling salts and cognac."[30]
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Nov 12, 2013 07:01
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Hahaha, awesome. My friend bought a book describing Houston society around the time of the first big oil boom (Spindletop) and it's full of that kind of hilariously quaint stuff, amped up by the utter lack of class and sheer tonnage of free money being minted. I forget all the stories, but they were like, "So then Henderson, not to be outdone, purchased two tigers from India, had them shipped over and placed them in Mr. Johnson's house while he was away." I need to get a copy.
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Nov 12, 2013 07:06
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I would love to read that book Mr. Reindeer! To many Asians, Orientalism was kind of a funny/trippy movement. "Oh silly westerners, they just don't get it" and the reaction goes from "nice effort" to "wtf is this crap" I think it's ironic that new money in China is mimicking large cheesy out of place 1800's European architecture and fake Greek/Roman poo poo. You see it in MacMansions too, but not as bad. CronoGamer posted:makes you wonder how Americans were the first time escalators came about in the West, kind of. Hong Kong's first prominent escalator was built in the 50's in the local fancy department store. Shanghai had only had a few until the 90's. Going to the mall and riding the escalator was considered "a family outing" back in the day. It's kind of weird how recent and young South East Asia is. God I feel old. In 1994, my girlfriend's family took an overnight train from Hangzhou to Shanghai and spent the night at someone's attic during the winter. What was the special event? It was one the first KFC in the nation. And the price back then was considered really really expensive, like 1/4 of her father's monthly civil servant engineering salary  For some loving fried chicken! But hey, she had KFC 10 years earlier than all her friends/classmates  I suppose it's like having dairy queen at the Siem Reap airport. Sure airport prices are always crappy, but man it's so expensive compared to your local food.
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Nov 12, 2013 07:53
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caberham posted:What was the special event? It was one the first KFC in the nation. During the grand opening week for the Phnom Penh KFC, some of the other Peace Corps volunteers and I took leave from our sites to head in to PP, dressed in suits or other formal attire, brought a tablecloth and boxed wine, and sat down for a first meal at the first ever KFC in Cambodia. It was a marvelous affair and the staff absolutely adored us. Your girlfriend's family TOTALLY had the right idea.
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Nov 12, 2013 08:17
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Brilliant. EDIT: Current Thai social network protest fever is at the "get mad at other countries for posting travel advisories" stage. This one's always fun, because no matter how involved Thailand is in domestic affairs, it always has time to get mad about anything that might affect tourism arrivals, heh. EDIT EDIT: Also, the Amnesty Bill is dead for now. Protests will probably die down unless opportunists take advantage of the mass crowds to take on another issue. Who knows. TIT! ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 09:47 on Nov 12, 2013 |
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Nov 12, 2013 08:35
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I was there for the opening of the first Burger King in Chengdu, that's gotta count for something.
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Nov 12, 2013 09:43
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I always temper my annoyance with local fear of escalators by reminding myself when London Underground first opened an escalator no-one would use it out of fear. So they hired a one legged guy whose job was just to rise up and down it all day to show how easy and safe it was. The result was lots of people not using it because it seemed some poor man had even lost a leg using the escalator!
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Nov 12, 2013 09:46
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I couch surfed in Phnom Penh and my host was overly eager to drive me to the airport even when I said I'd just take a tuk tuk. When we got there and she made a beeline to Burger King I understood why she said it was the only location in PP and it's kind of far away to go if you're just craving some junk food.ReindeerF posted:On that note, since so much business is done here by phone, how do members of the deaf community that you've interacted with handle communications with not-deaf people that aren't in their immediate proximity? I'm guessing SMS (which, unlike email, Thai people will actually answer), but I have no idea. I'm not quite sure, but possibly SMS or just getting a buddy to call for them. I did see a TTY at the train station but I don't know if there's a relay service in Thailand but if there is, they can just use it to call hearing people.
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Nov 12, 2013 11:25
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People who've been to Koh Tao recently: how much did the cheaper bungalows/guesthouses cost in Sairee? A friend is coming with (his dad works for an airline so he gets to fly from Germany to Tunisia to Thailand for 50 euros.. fucker) and he's really on a bit of a budget. I realized I have no idea how much accommodations cost because I've only rented on a monthly basis.
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Nov 12, 2013 13:52
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Ringo R posted:*cough* Reindeer-"Me missus takes care of the Thai for me, I reckon it's too hard mate"-F *ahem* Yep. That makes sins look way less pretty than they really are--they are quite flattering on most women, even the heavier ones, and cleverly designed to allow a lot of freedom of movement despite the pencil-shape. We wear ours just long enough to cover knees when we sit. It's like a tube of fabric that you step into, pinch and clip at your right hip, then fold the extra fabric over to clip at your left hip. Instant wrap skirt that lets you ride a bike without flashing any monks. I got mine made at the nightmarket--picked fabric and got measured one night, was wearing them the next. LOL at the link that connects to about why Lao girls should wear sins to University though. Without the dress code, they'll wear provocative clothes and get raped! I may have started a bad precedent with the cow. Because one of my complaints was being abandoned with lesson planning responsibilities in my first week, all the newbies are getting hammered with check-ins, and the cow is having a hard time keeping her patience. I'm doing okay since I'm out of her current strafing range, but the newest Swiss girl is planning an early departure. She's cool and I like having her around, but her room is nicer than mine, so win-win for me!
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Nov 12, 2013 14:12
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Bungalows start at around 500 or so. This is just me going off what I'm seeing on the signs outside. Some places cut their prices for the low season too, I think I saw some at around 400 but it was far from sairee (on the path to mae haad). You can get a dorm bed for around 300 baht if you're not too picky. Probably not the case in high season though. I can take a stroll down the Main Street tomorrow morning. I have to do laundry anyway and I only know one place that does same day service which isn't really close to my current hostel so I'll just look at the signs closely  Also he could do a dive or take a course then bum the lodgings for as long he can, I'm at big blue and it's free when I dive but 300 baht when I don't dive and they don't seem eager to kick me out when I stop diving. Again, this is low season and my room's only been completely full for one night during my stay here. I told someone that I was thinking about taking intro to tech and they went WELL THERES THE TECH GUY HERE GO SAY HI TO JAMES so I guess I'm going to be here a bit longer
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Nov 12, 2013 15:11
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Yeah the signs were always wrong when I was there. The place I stayed said 150B-600B iirc, but it was actually 500B-1500B/night. Hah! I guess I might have to just figure it out once I get there.
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Nov 12, 2013 15:22
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Pixelante posted:LOL at the link that connects to about why Lao girls should wear sins to University though. Without the dress code, they'll wear provocative clothes and get raped! Indonesia clearly disagrees with the Lao clothing policy.
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Nov 12, 2013 15:38
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I definitely didn't see any 150baht signs or I would have tried to move there Any recommendations for a cheap pharmacy on Koh Tao? I need to stock up on some basics but one pharmacy I walked into was trying to sell a 60 baht bug bite ointment for like 275 baht so I walked out. I know I'm going to pay a premium here but poo poo. It was only 150 on phi phi too. Not looking for anything dodgy like Valium.
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Nov 12, 2013 15:42
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Tomato Soup posted:I definitely didn't see any 150baht signs or I would have tried to move there It's way north on Sairee, faaaaaaar north of Coral Grand - you wouldn't be going there unless you were specifically looking for accommodation. Most people who stay there are long-termers. It's called Sunsea, next to Sunlord, but it's not the Sunsea you see if you google Sunsea Koh Tao. The most honestly priced pharmacy on Koh Tao that I found is actually really conveniently located in Sairee. On the far north of the Yellow Brick Road, north of Big Blue, where the road bends right toward the main road, there's a 7-11. Just after the 7-11 (ie just north) is the pharmacy I'd recommend. Other pharmacies were asking for 300-400 baht for a 10-pack of Cipro - these guys charged 180, which is pretty close to mainland prices.
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Nov 12, 2013 16:12
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Holy crap I booked my flights from Frankfurt, including a 14 hour layover on the way to and a 20 hour layover on the way from Bangkok, both in Abu Dhabi. It was pretty ridiculously cheap... the banner ads have been saying flights are "from" 530 euros (i.e. if you book now to fly in March and fly midweek to midweek) and I managed to snag a ticket for 518 euros. ReindeerF and other Bangkokgoons, please mark the evening of December 14 for some drinks near Khao San Road.  EDIT: I'm not sorry at all for the doublepost
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Nov 12, 2013 20:13
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