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ReindeerF posted:So, I went home and started researching and moved to Thailand a year later once I'd secured a job. Everyone's different, but I think finally ending your trip is pretty tough for most people if they've spent months or years on the road. Been here over two months, and I can feel the end of December looming over me. I suspect I am going to have Feels regardless what I choose to do. If I were a dude, I'd probably have a harder time leaving. As someone with ladybits, I despair a little at the absence of a dating pool and would find the patriarchy a bit rough in the long-term. Might stay anyway, but those are factors for Team Canada.
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Nov 14, 2013 14:57
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ReindeerF posted:So, I went home and started researching and moved to Thailand a year later once I'd secured a job. Everyone's different, but I think finally ending your trip is pretty tough for most people if they've spent months or years on the road. Pssh, research? I just stuck around and the magical Kingdom of Cambodia sorted everything out for me.
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Nov 14, 2013 15:00
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Yeah, I felt the same way when I went back home after my 3 month South America trip. I was both sad and happy, couldn't really decide what I wanted but I already had the ticket booked so I just barely caught the flight out of Buenos Aires. There was a strike that day which shut down the freeway to the airport so a 30-minute ride turned into two hours of jams on side streets. Arrived at the airport 20 minutes before my flight was due to leave, so glad they let me check my bags but I was in agony for the entire ride to the airport  I kept going between YAY I CAN STAY LONGER IF I MISS THE FLIGHT to OMG I WANT TO GO HOME NOWWWW I DON'T WANT TO STAY HERE ANY LONGER.No idea how I'll feel on Dec 11 yet. That's when I fly out of Saigon. I'm really looking forward to seeing my family and cat again then eating all of the food I missed while here. Mom already started shopping for me and keeps texting me what she picked up like cookie butter from Trader Joe's. But I love it here and the weather is way better  Won't miss having to worry about cuts getting infected though. I think I might have an infected cut on my knee  I'll just go to the pharmacy tomorrow and point at my knee and take what they give me since that's been how I've been dealing with health stuff while here I've been cleaning it and using an antibiotic ointment on it but I'm not sure if it's healing properly.
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Nov 14, 2013 15:04
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ReindeerF posted:So, I went home and started researching and moved to Thailand a year later once I'd secured a job. Everyone's different, but I think finally ending your trip is pretty tough for most people if they've spent months or years on the road. When I left Vietnam, after more than two years there, I was in shock and the last few days are now a blur in my memory. Doesn't help that I fell in love with an awesome woman. The last day was very hard; getting rid of my motorbike, packing my suitcase, one last restaurant and then we headed to the airport. She couldn't even get inside because only travelers (or white people) are allowed in. I remember going to the money changer to get rid of my last dongs and I was crying like a baby. Once I get my family issues settled and saved up some money, I'll definitely look for a job to go back. My heart is still there.
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Nov 14, 2013 15:54
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I ended my roughly 18 month trip mostly because I missed dumb things like cooking for myself, hanging out with the same people for more than a week or two at a time, and dating. Then I got home and discovered that it's very difficult to rent an apartment or get a job with a two-year blank spot on your resume and rental history and spent the better part of a year doing nothing, really. Should've just stayed out.
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Nov 14, 2013 15:59
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duralict posted:I ended my roughly 18 month trip mostly because I missed dumb things like cooking for myself, hanging out with the same people for more than a week or two at a time, and dating. Then I got home and discovered that it's very difficult to rent an apartment or get a job with a two-year blank spot on your resume and rental history and spent the better part of a year doing nothing, really. Should've just stayed out. I have one of those from managing a family crisis. At least "I was in a foreign country" sounds better than, "I'm the last legally responsible adult in my family alive and that's made me pretty busy, mkay?" Either way it makes you dead in the water with a competitive job market, though. I'm actually hoping that "hey I went to teach English in an impoverished country where I don't speak the language" is going to make me sound better than "hey I'm a giant flight-risk because I will always have to put my family's disasters ahead of my career." Swiss girl is bailing hard to join the Stray bus network and GTFO here. Sorry to see her go, but she kind of needs more handholding than I can provide, and her room has a view of the Nam Kham river. (Mine has a view of a wall where giant flying cockroaches fight with geckos.) Wnat do you guys think of Stray? I'm considering it for the next leg of my journey too. Pixelante fucked around with this message at 16:32 on Nov 14, 2013 |
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Nov 14, 2013 16:30
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Southeast Asia Mega Thread: You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave
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Nov 14, 2013 16:33
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I am definitely not going to miss the massive bugs. Geckos are kinda cute though and they eat the bugs  I was in a cheap hotel and went to the bathroom and while I was peeing, I saw the biggest cockroach ever just chilling there on the floor  I didn't use the bathroom again and checked out after one night even if a weird old man offered to pay for my room if I stayed longer 
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Nov 14, 2013 17:33
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Tytan posted:Pssh, research? I just stuck around and the magical Kingdom of Cambodia sorted everything out for me. eviljelly posted:Southeast Asia Mega Thread: You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave
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Nov 14, 2013 17:54
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eviljelly posted:Southeast Asia Mega Thread: You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave It's Filipino hotel bands playing Eagles covers all the way down.
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Nov 15, 2013 01:14
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Senso posted:When I left Vietnam, after more than two years there, I was in shock and the last few days are now a blur in my memory. Sucky way to leave, especially if you didn't have a particularly good time getting back. My leaving Vietnam was a weird one, had a going away party that resulted in me having to take the middle aged American guy who was with us to the French hospital after he 'crashed' his scooter (read: was too drunk to drive and just fell over). We were a little worried it might be a heart attack as he had bad pains down his left side, was very red and sweating but it turned out to just be a broken collar bone. Then got to sit through a few hours of him drunkenly abusing the poor French doctor before dropping him home and getting back to my place 2 hours before I needed to leave for the airport, stepping over everyone who had actually come back to the place I was at for the party. Took a couple of Codeines for the hangover and lighted out with my few belongings over the bodies of unconscious dudes.
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Nov 15, 2013 01:22
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toasterwarrior posted:It's Filipino hotel bands playing Eagles covers all the way down.
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Nov 15, 2013 05:10
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Weird vibes in The Real World: Luang Prabang house. I watched staff get really upset that someone was leaving early, and not upset-like-they're-worried-about-her, more upset that she's breaking contract. We are loving volunteers. Makes me kinda squirrelly. Hey Duck, you know of any room & board volunteer gigs in Siem Reap? e: Yeah, I'm a bit skittish and consider bolting easily, but I'm already nearing the end here, and need to come up with something to do after I'm off contract anyway. 
Pixelante fucked around with this message at 06:29 on Nov 15, 2013 |
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Nov 15, 2013 06:24
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Volunteering is still a job, it's just that your pay is 0. Employment issues still apply, resources are still wasted. Yeah you guys are volunteers, but it sucks for the organization to find a replacement in the midst of things instead of the recruitment season. I don't know the efficiency and effectiveness of your organization, but having a runner is still a hassle to deal with it. There's visa or other things to update as well and you have to devote extra resources to get the new guy on par with things. That's why some long term programs have a recruitment process. Some community service big brother tutoring volunteering work only wants people who can at least commit to a term and every Saturday morning. NGOs are one of the coldest fields out there because of constant lack of resources and over reliance on volunteers and anonymous community.
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Nov 15, 2013 07:01
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Pixelante posted:Weird vibes in The Real World: Luang Prabang house. I watched staff get really upset that someone was leaving early, and not upset-like-they're-worried-about-her, more upset that she's breaking contract. We are loving volunteers. Makes me kinda squirrelly. Hey Duck, you know of any room & board volunteer gigs in Siem Reap? What do you mean come up with something to do. Just do stuff that you want to do. If you plan to stay for a long time why don't you just get a paid gig? Weirdo. No one is going to look at your resume when you came back and say "Oh hold the phone here Franklin, she VOLUNTEERED. That totally changed my view of what I consider to be her lazy SE Asian vacation." Because that's what most employers think when you go back to the world. Oh, sure, some of them don't think that. But they wear Birkenstocks to the interview and would have hired you anyway so long as you can conjure up some witch hair and at least a few quirks. raton fucked around with this message at 10:01 on Nov 15, 2013 |
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Nov 15, 2013 09:58
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Angkor: self guide or hire a guide?
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Nov 15, 2013 09:59
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blk posted:Angkor: self guide or hire a guide? Hire a motosai guy for the day(s), explore on your own.
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Nov 15, 2013 10:01
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Pixelante posted:Weird vibes in The Real World: Luang Prabang house. I watched staff get really upset that someone was leaving early, and not upset-like-they're-worried-about-her, more upset that she's breaking contract. We are loving volunteers. Makes me kinda squirrelly. Hey Duck, you know of any room & board volunteer gigs in Siem Reap? As Sheep-Goats said (in a slightly less direct manner) the best thing about SE Asia is you can just turn up where you want and do what you want. Go to Siem Reap, go to a bar, wait till someone talks to you (or talk to them!), buy drinks, get introduced to people, ask around for a job. Rinse and repeat until successful. There are definitely room & board things out in the country who may reply to your emails but for the most part it's just turn up and ask around. I definitely don't know of anything right now because I'm in Ban Chang learning to paraglide. I can do that because it's SE Asia and getting a bus to another country to learn to paraglide is just one of the things you can do when you feel like it. Then I'll probably go to Bangkok and maybe Chiang Mai to go whitewater rafting then back to Bangkok to pick up my black pudding which I'm going to sell in Cambodia. Whilst I am doing this I am in negotiations with someone in the UK to scan the British Sunday newspapers and email them to me on Sunday morning; I will then have them printed out for peanuts and sell them for some extortionate rate to expats with more money than sense. I do have to be back in Siem Reap by the 30th because I am teaching an eight week hospitality course and have three monopoly boards on order which I have to manufacture by the 5th. The course is voluntary but the boards will net me a cool $60, or as I prefer to think of it, 75 beers. Oh yeh and I have to get my wisdom teeth pulled out at some point so might as well do it where it's cheap. Also my tailor is getting pissed off because I can't decide what colour I want the buttons to be on the shirts he's in the middle of making for me. I can do this poo poo because it's SE Asia and I just can. So can you! The world (well, this part of it) is your oyster!
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Nov 15, 2013 12:00
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In other news I am in Ban Chang with my female 21 year old English friend (mentioned in this thread before) and she wants to go to the "Ban Chang Strip". She has never been to Thailand before and I get the impression she thinks this is going to be like Siem Reap. I have been to Thailand before and have driven down the Strip and get the feeling this is going to be like Pattaya. I've tried to explain to her what girly bars and lady drinks are (SOMEONE TOLD ME ONCE OK) but it's all a bit over her head and this is going to be hilarious. Anyone been before? Will update tomorrow!
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Nov 15, 2013 12:05
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blk posted:Angkor: self guide or hire a guide? duckmaster posted:Anyone been before? Will update tomorrow!  "Oh holy poo poo." Then I asked around and all the long-term expats knew what it was. So, yeah, she'll love it.
ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 12:27 on Nov 15, 2013 |
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Nov 15, 2013 12:16
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Ban Chang is where they 'bust' some diplomats and their uh "girlfriends." But like ReindeerF said, "golf and hookers." (Sometimes at the same time!) Some hilarious stories but none I am comfortable sharing on public forums.
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Nov 15, 2013 13:18
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duckmaster posted:I'm in Ban Chang learning to paraglide.  The part at the end where the Thai guy driving the jet ski comes to shore and runs into the jungle got cut off.
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Nov 15, 2013 23:59
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thai-safety-practices.gif I guarantee you if you had a cam on the jetski, the driver was laughing his rear end off up until he shot into the jungle.
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Nov 16, 2013 04:49
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There is a bar in Siem Reap called Tuk Tuk Bar which is basically just a tuk tuk converted into a bar. Original. On this theme I want to buy an old railway carriage in Thailand and somehow have it transported to Siem Reap whereupon I will open Railway Bar. This must be possible and somebody here must know how to do it. Where can I buy a carriage? My budget is US$2000 not including transport; it will be cheap to renovate in Siem Reap as I don't need to worry about it actually going on tracks, so condition is largely unimportant.
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Nov 16, 2013 11:01
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Just paint a train car on some cinder blocks and call it a day.
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Nov 16, 2013 11:03
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duckmaster posted:train bar
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Nov 16, 2013 11:12
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Why try for railway bar? Aim lower. Porta-potty bar. Edit: Wasn't it here where we were all discussing a Jesus Bar? With a giant crucifix that people could take photos with? Do that, duckmaster.
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Nov 16, 2013 11:14
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I also would go to Jesus Bar.
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Nov 16, 2013 11:19
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I'm not opening Jesus Bar. This is serious Train Bar chat, people. Who do the trains technically belong to? Who do I have to bribe to even get to the negotiation table to "buy" one? Does Cambodia have massive flatbed trucks actually capable of transporting railway carriages by road? How exciting.
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Nov 16, 2013 11:27
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Make it a no pants train bar And I'm not taking intro to tech There's only two instructors and one of them just hurt his foot (Ian) and can't dive for at least 3 weeks and James is booked solid until then. My visa expires on the 28th but I want to leave the island on 25th or 26th so I have enough time in Bangkok to arrange transport to Siem Reap (holla duckmaster) and restock on supplies.Finch- you have a fan here, I have no idea what her name is but she's shortish, auburn hair with bangs, wears eyeliner. She said it was awesome that I knew you (I've been just going uh we post on the same forum when someone mentions it) and that you were hilarious then she told me how you got your name.I never want to leave but I'll be back next year though for divemaster training and Intro to tech  Had the guy in charge of the DMT program at Big Blue tell me that I just should stick around and do DMT now too but broke and homesick.Can't believe that I have less than a month left in SEA. I thought seven months would be an eternity but it's went really fast, especially after the 3 month mark.
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Nov 16, 2013 13:13
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Maybe not SE Asia, but any advice on visiting Hong Kong on a moderate budget? I think I'm spoiled for choice. I really can't get more excited about visiting anywhere over anywhere else right now, but I figure I should make plans since I'll be hitting stuff during the highest of high season. I really liked being in a big city visiting Bangkok, but I'll be there on the way home regardless. Staying in the middle of the shopping district was brilliant; is there a similar area in Hong Kong that would be good for navigating by foot and taxiing out to interesting places? I know I'm lame with all the questions, but you guys are great for helping me feel out my options. The travel sites tend to make everything sound the same.
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Nov 16, 2013 13:19
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Tomato Soup posted:And I'm not taking intro to tech If you really want to do it, see if Donny is allowed to teach it. I know he's qualified but I don't know how that fits in with the BBT way of being. Rick, too, but he broke his knee and isn't allowed to dive yet. If they can't then I thoroughly recommend Ban's Tech. Maybe see if Roctopus have a TDI instructor. They are good people. Their shop girl, Jen, is in hospital in Samui after a pretty nasty bike crash the other day. Think screws holding her jaw together kind of nasty. I think there's a fundraiser for her at Maya in the next few days. Ian is a man of many injuries, each one involving him trying to lose weight. It's like life is conspiring against him. He's a great guy, though, and was the tech DM when I did intro to tech. I've known him for years. quote:Finch- you have a fan here, I have no idea what her name is but she's shortish, auburn hair with bangs, wears eyeliner. She said it was awesome that I knew you (I've been just going uh we post on the same forum Heh heh heh. Sounds like Carly. She's awesome - one of the first people I seek out when I get back to the island. I like how two separate groups of friends, in different continents and in different hemispheres, have come up with the same name for me... in different decades. quote:I never want to leave but Do you know when you'll be back? I'm kind of sick of Koh Tao - I've been going there for seven years, spent most of last year there, three months this year, and all I seem to do is go over there to work remotely and drink too much. I barely dive because my ears are stupid. I am not their longest running DMT, though. I think that title belongs to a guy named Mick, who often DJ's at Maya. He's one of the Banyan crowd. If you don't know it, Banyan is quite possibly the best bar in the world. It has a bit of a negative reputation (some people just don't understand the place) but it's full of great people. The food and booze and music are all great, too. One of their most recent reviews on TripAdvisor reads: quote:Found this bar on our way back to our bungalow. The place was rocking. The bar staff were very friendly and insisted on giving you shots. I avoided the jager bombs. My daughter didn't and was wrecked the next day. 
Finch! fucked around with this message at 14:24 on Nov 16, 2013 |
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Nov 16, 2013 14:00
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It depends on how much I'll be able to save up, I think August/September is a possibly realistic goal for me to return. Ideally earlier so I'll have more time to complete my DMT but we'll see how it goes. I decided to save some of my budget and do fun dives instead of intro to tech now. I'll just do it when I do my DMT Managed to get my brother to promise to visit me and take a course when I return. I am going to assist with his course no matter what and nobody is going to stop me  he's hearing but is fluent in sign language too so I can gossip with him underwater And I know about bars like that and they're awesome but I don't tend to go out drinking much when I'm solo. I just feel more comfortable with buddies when going to a place like that. Just a lot easier for me to drink at BB because my dorm is right next to the bar so I can stagger back there at the end of the night.
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Nov 16, 2013 14:22
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Pixelante posted:Maybe not SE Asia, but any advice on visiting Hong Kong on a moderate budget? Yeah post in the china thread or here. When are you coming to town? There's a fun goon crew here and I will throw you a party to celebrate your sea trip. If you can come November 30~ December 1 there's an awesome 3day musical festival. Anyways Hong Kong is pricier but a pretty fun city to visit. But things will be expensive compared to Thailand.
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Nov 16, 2013 14:53
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Tomato Soup posted:Managed to get my brother to promise to visit me and take a course when I return. I am going to assist with his course no matter what and nobody is going to stop me Tomato Soup, I forget if you are hearing impaired/deaf but there is at least one deaf PADI DMI / DMT who's both qualified to instruct and does instruct/give licenses. His name is T.K., big Japanese dude, and he operates shop out of MD/DC/VA and Hawaii at different times of the year, if you decide to go back to the states and not pursue it in SEA. He's got some good stories too.
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Nov 16, 2013 15:59
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Skandiaavity posted:Tomato Soup, I forget if you are hearing impaired/deaf but there is at least one deaf PADI DMI / DMT who's both qualified to instruct and does instruct/give licenses. His name is T.K., big Japanese dude, and he operates shop out of MD/DC/VA and Hawaii at different times of the year, if you decide to go back to the states and not pursue it in SEA. He's got some good stories too. I'm deaf I knew of a couple instructors who are deaf or use ASL but I didn't know about TK. I used to go to Gallaudet but I'm based in Norcal now. Or I'm not sure anymore, I might end up moving somewhere after I go back. Most of the deaf/signing instructors are either in DC area or tropical locations but there's one down in San Diego area I think. fun fact: I. King Jordan (ex president of Gallaudet, a deaf university in DC) is a certified scuba instructor too and taught a scuba course at Gallaudet after the 2006 protest when everybody hated him My friend took the class and said he was an excellent instructor but  iirc, you used to go to Gally, right?
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Nov 16, 2013 16:10
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Tomato Soup posted:Make it a no pants train bar duckmaster posted:How exciting. Good example, my friends who have some connections and business dealings there arranged a full dinner for one of their friends' birthdays on the causeway inside Angkor Wat, catered by a well-known restaurant and with full service staff. Black tie, probably 10-15 people. I think it cost them a few thousand US. If you ask most people around Cambodia, even long-term expats, they tell you, "Oh ______ isn't possible, Angkor is off-limits and sacred to the Khmer people, it's the one thing they won't mess around with." but that's simply not true. You just have to network up the food chain and have money to throw at problems and anything is possible there. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 18:06 on Nov 16, 2013 |
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Nov 16, 2013 17:52
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A cheap, used box car is worth like 50k in the US if it's functional, a fixer-upper is about 10k. They're generally assembled on the tracks and rolled to wherever they were purchased. I could imagine them being shipped on an ocean freighter with a spur (short section of track) built out to the docks to place them on but not really one being shipped by road. It would probably be cheaper and easier to put a shipping container on blocks with some wheels stuck under there cosmetically.
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Nov 16, 2013 19:18
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Get the bamboo train to pull it, heh. Ever since the Aussie train consortium deal went cockeyed there's no train, I gather, so Battambang to the rescue! EDIT: My local CBS station back home reports: http://www.andrew-drummond.com/2013/11/open-water-thai-style.html quote:A young American couple have told an Arizona television channel how they were abandoned in 'open water' by a dive boat Captain who motored off to fix a faulty engine. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 20:01 on Nov 16, 2013 |
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Nov 16, 2013 19:30
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It sounds more like incompetence on the part of the divemasters/dive instructors (who are mostly westerners in Thailand, by the way). I've noticed many dive shops don't have a good system to count who's come back to the boat. It can be an especially big problem on a big boat. I could imagine that if the boat was having engine troubles and they were in a bit of a panic about that they could've been very distracted and simply miscounted. Not excusable, but just saying I really doubt it was the boat crew's fault.
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Nov 16, 2013 20:56
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