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Okay well America and Canada same same! Have fun in the Caribbean! I expect it will be fun for a while. I have friends with boats down there, but after a while it can get a bit claustrophobic from what I gather, so begin plotting your escape. Do let us know in your new, "CARIBBEAN & OTHER ISLANDS MEGATHREAD" thread, heh.
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Jun 28, 2014 19:48
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| # ? May 10, 2024 02:24 |
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What would a story be without pictures?   Malaysia!
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Jun 29, 2014 01:40
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Note on Malaysian corruption, work visas for the place I'm working for have so far taken about 9 months to come through. It's a new school so the first time we figured it was down to not really knowing the system (lots of hilarious 'wait 4 weeks for a stamp on documents we were told would take a couple of days' followed by 'oh and you need x copy of contract with that stamp as well, please submit that too' and also ok now that's all done and you've got full approval from the Ministry of Education. Now you need to do the same thing with the Ministry of Immigration). However the latest set they've applied for is taking just as long so far even with all the correct documentation already prepared. Also it's hilarious how open the officers can be about how long the process takes, it will be a while you're not allowed to work until it comes through. It will take a long time though so defintely don't get caught. It's an interesting bit of cognitive dissonance as well, especially talking to better of Malaysians who are simultaneously super proud of their British heritage (in terms of governance structures/culture) and how this means they run the country better than most places in SEA and also know how endemic lower level corruption is. I don't know how many of them realise the system is bribes all the way down or whether they really believe that while the cops on the street may be totally corrupt the higher ups are (relatively) clean.
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Jun 29, 2014 03:51
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MrNemo posted:Note on Malaysian corruption, work visas for the place I'm working for have so far taken about 9 months to come through. It's a new school so the first time we figured it was down to not really knowing the system (lots of hilarious 'wait 4 weeks for a stamp on documents we were told would take a couple of days' followed by 'oh and you need x copy of contract with that stamp as well, please submit that too' and also ok now that's all done and you've got full approval from the Ministry of Education. Now you need to do the same thing with the Ministry of Immigration). However the latest set they've applied for is taking just as long so far even with all the correct documentation already prepared. Funny story, my best friend used to work as a runner for illegal gambling dens here in KL. Once I followed him on his job and was surprised to find out that part of his job is to go to multiple district police hq in KL every month to give bribes. Also, he would regularly get calls from district police chiefs asking him to prepare hotel rooms and women for them.
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Jun 29, 2014 10:24
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The longer I stay here the more that sort of thing is starting to weigh heavily. Marrying a local didn't help with that. Between the corruption and the naked racism it just gets a bit much some days.
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Jun 29, 2014 12:39
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The naked racism is the most entertaining thing about Malaysia, come on! Getting the Chinese bitching about the lazy Malays and the dirty Indians, then getting the Malays bitching about the greedy Chinese and Indians is great fun. I have yet to get the Indians bitching about anything, but I'm sure they have plenty to bitch about. Trips to Malaysia are like living through an episode of All In The Family cast with nothing but ethnic Chinese, Indians and Malays.
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Jun 29, 2014 13:48
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I'm sorry, but how can they ever expect ASEAN to work? All of the countries are disorganized, corrupt and hate each other.
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Jun 29, 2014 15:17
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Chair Huxtable posted:I'm sorry So English.
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Jun 29, 2014 17:07
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Chair Huxtable posted:I'm sorry, but how can they ever expect ASEAN to work? All of the countries are disorganized, corrupt and hate each other. I think at some point, at the top of the pyramid, you begin to yearn for the days of your youth wherein you had so many people to bribe and only a few bribing you. So you call your equally corrupt oligarch buddies and say, "Hey fellahs, wanna play a game?"
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Jun 29, 2014 21:31
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duckmaster posted:Were you out last night? If you saw some idiot suffering from food poisoning and drunkeness wearing a tshirt explaining the Khmer alphabet that was me. I was out but don't remember dick, kinda like last night. Cambodia is bad for me.
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Jun 30, 2014 11:53
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Why has this thread not told me about this before - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRQaXDafs_Y apparently it's footage from the annual rocket festival held all over the northeastern part of Thailand. The Thai approach to health and safety is clearly shown here... I love Thailand.
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Jun 30, 2014 12:37
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cent0r posted:Cambodia is bad for me. Just FYI this is like the unofficial motto for basically every foreigner living here.
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Jun 30, 2014 12:46
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When the clock went midnight on new years eve this year I was in Pattaya hospital after a fireworks accident, trying to wangle my way out of forking over a lot of baht to injured parties. It wasn't my firework but naturally that didn't really matter.
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Jun 30, 2014 12:48
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So Manila is going about as well as Manila can go. Work is great, city is ok, traffic is holy poo poo. Got in a cab today and the driver refused to use the meter (which is illegal, and posted as such inside his car), claiming it was "broken". I haggled him down to near the usual price to get to the mall and we took off into the river of jeepneys. We stopped at a light (he definitely wouldnt have bothered stopping if there weren't another car in front of us) and with a grunt he pulls out his phone. In idle nosey curiosity I peeked over his shoulder to see that he was texting "Legal Wife". It's more fun in the Philippines.
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Jun 30, 2014 13:26
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CronoGamer posted:
If you were a girl, he would not have called his wife, instead he would have announced that he was single and needed to stay in your room, as his was too far away... while still overcharging. I hate taking taxis. Just once I want to not get creepy stares in the rearview.
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Jun 30, 2014 14:52
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Ted Ed Fred posted:Why has this thread not told me about this before - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRQaXDafs_Y apparently it's footage from the annual rocket festival held all over the northeastern part of Thailand. Let's not neglect the hilariously dangerous Taunggyi hot air balloon festival in Burma, where contestants try to lift giant, homemade and lantern-laden vessels into the air with mixed results. http://youtube.com/watch?v=i0ICgSRhRcg
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Jun 30, 2014 15:46
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Negligent posted:When the clock went midnight on new years eve this year I was in Pattaya hospital after a fireworks accident, trying to wangle my way out of forking over a lot of baht to injured parties. It wasn't my firework but naturally that didn't really matter. Forum name ties in too easily
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Jun 30, 2014 16:16
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Ted Ed Fred posted:Why has this thread not told me about this before - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRQaXDafs_Y apparently it's footage from the annual rocket festival held all over the northeastern part of Thailand. Hey that was pretty impressive especially the one with the parachute. I went to one of these festivals once but they only had very basic rockets made out of those blue pvc pipes. There was a tent with a ton of people crammed inside so I went and had a look. They were making those rockets inside the tent with gunpowder and all so we quickly left before someone accidentally blew the whole thing up.
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Jun 30, 2014 18:37
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Countdown to a Nok Air plane getting taken out.
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Jun 30, 2014 19:31
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Hi Everyone! I am leaving for Ho Chi Minh is 6 days. My return flight is on the 20th of August. I'm hoping to overland travel southern vietnam/cambodia/thailand (north and south) does this sound doable and is there anything in specific I really need to know/see? I've been planning my route and stuff but honestly i'm pretty much just going off tripadvisor so any first hand advice is appreciated! oh yeah I forgot to mention I'm an 18 year old male American and this is both my first time traveling alone and my first time leaving the country since I was a child so uh slightly nervous but mostly excited!
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Jul 2, 2014 23:58
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Don't ride a motorcycle if you're drunk. Make sure you see Angkor. Stay flexible on your schedule, if something cool is going on tomorrow don't leave today just because it fits some predetermined schedule. Don't establish a trip girlfriend in your first week and then follow her around like a dope. The right mindset is "what can I get away with" but don't be a jerk. Eat everything. Don't buy any shirts with jokes about the locals, your dick, or local beer or beverage brands on them. Don't worry about getting robbed, but watch out for scams from too nice locals and other travelers. Learn how to say thank you, no thanks, how much and to count to ten in Vietnamese, Cambodian and Thai. raton fucked around with this message at 00:49 on Jul 3, 2014 |
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Jul 3, 2014 00:39
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Profondo Rosso posted:Hi Everyone! I am leaving for Ho Chi Minh is 6 days. My return flight is on the 20th of August. I'm hoping to overland travel southern vietnam/cambodia/thailand (north and south) does this sound doable and is there anything in specific I really need to know/see? I've been planning my route and stuff but honestly i'm pretty much just going off tripadvisor so any first hand advice is appreciated! That's a fair bit to cover in like a month and a half. Places to go depends on what you want out of the trip. Are you looking for beaches, culture, party, food? Great advice in the posts above, especially about the lame shirts. Don't wear elephant pants. Get a local SIM as soon as you can, load a data pack and use the GPS. Saved me a lot of stress. Except in Thailand, sometimes the places you enter into Google maps gives you the wrong address so double check with the website or whatever. Google how much poo poo costs before crossing a border - like how much a tuk tuk ride should be, visa fees, etc. If someone hands you something out of the blue or offers you a ride without you hearing "moto" or "tuk tuk", it's a trap! Agree on price before you hop on. cent0r fucked around with this message at 01:29 on Jul 3, 2014 |
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Jul 3, 2014 01:27
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Do we have any kind of SEA "where to eat" food thread on the forum or this is it? Eating great food is pretty much my #1 priority when travelling, and I don't see too much discussion about that here! I got a bunch of great advice from this thread about eating in Hanoi. I'm going to Bali again for much longer this time (Ubud + Seminyak, staying away from Kuta!). Any warung/restaurant I shouldn't miss?
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Jul 3, 2014 09:26
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I don't know of one, no. Mostly when someone's going somewhere they pop in and ask and then if it's somewhere one of us knows about we pipe in with something. Unfortunately, I haven't been to Indonesia yet and have no knowledge. Sorry about that.
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Jul 3, 2014 10:06
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Anarkii posted:Do we have any kind of SEA "where to eat" food thread on the forum or this is it? Eating great food is pretty much my #1 priority when travelling, and I don't see too much discussion about that here! Watch some Anthony Bourdain - I'm sure there's a Bali episode. I generally do a little recon around where I'm staying. Scope out where the locals congregate and what they're eating. Usually with good results. If your hotel/hostel staff are decent at English you can ask them for recommendations but generally they don't know what the gently caress you're talking about.
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Jul 3, 2014 11:27
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Singapore has a great Zagat-style street food guide called Makansutra. The guy who does it is KF Seetoh, who is awesome and has been on multiple episodes of Bourdain. They also have editions for Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand..worth picking up if you can find them. Just go to the Kinokuniya at your nearest mall. If you're transferring at SIN, they may also have them in the airport bookstores, never checked though. Soy Division fucked around with this message at 05:32 on Jul 4, 2014 |
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Jul 4, 2014 05:29
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I don't think I'm going to bars anymore until Thailand forgets about What Does the Fox Say. I've given up on them forgetting about Celine Dion.
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Jul 4, 2014 15:23
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I'm going to Bali again next weekend, I figure it can't go worse than my last jaunt when I got stupid drunk in that multistorey club (skygarden?) in Kuta and ended up sans phone with a raging hangover. I won't be driving but iirc Denpasar taxi drivers are even crazier than Bangkok.
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Jul 4, 2014 16:45
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Chair Huxtable posted:I don't think I'm going to bars anymore until Thailand forgets about What Does the Fox Say. Where Is The Love?
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Jul 4, 2014 20:45
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Chair Huxtable posted:I don't think I'm going to bars anymore until Thailand forgets about What Does the Fox Say. Have they let go of Call Me Maybe yet?
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Jul 4, 2014 20:45
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Negligent posted:I'm going to Bali again next weekend, I figure it can't go worse than my last jaunt when I got stupid drunk in that multistorey club (skygarden?) in Kuta and ended up sans phone with a raging hangover. Posting from Bali now. The loud motorbikes are insane in Kuta. Thankfully I'm heading to Ubud for a few days before coming back to Seminyak.
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Jul 5, 2014 03:55
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This thread has reminded me how grateful I am for having terrible taste in music while living in SEA, otherwise I don't think I could manage a single night in most bars (although I know a fair few in KL that pretty much stick to 70's 80's stuff, so I've got varieties of awfulness)
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Jul 5, 2014 04:22
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I liked it when they'd play a few Thai songs for a minute. When I was first in Thailand they played this one a lot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5niDDpiOZ4Q Pom ow carot Pak mee vitamee Here are the important lyrics for pop songs in Asia: Laa laaa laa lalala laaa lalaa laa
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Jul 5, 2014 06:00
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Sheep-Goats posted:Don't buy any shirts with jokes about the locals, your dick, or local beer or beverage brands on them. Don't worry about getting robbed, but watch out for scams from too nice locals and other travelers. He's 18. It's probably OK to wear a Bintang/Chang/Singha shirt. He'll just look like absolutely everyone else. My advice: for the love of god keep yourself reasonably washed. Don't be the guy that stinks like BO and is all "unggg i'm backpacking maaaan i haven't showered in two months maaaan"
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Jul 5, 2014 07:30
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Gail Wynand posted:Singapore has a great Zagat-style street food guide called Makansutra. The guy who does it is KF Seetoh, who is awesome and has been on multiple episodes of Bourdain. https://www.ieatishootipost.se is also great for SG
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Jul 5, 2014 14:08
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Pixelante posted:Have they let go of Call Me Maybe yet? Zombie forever, literally
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Jul 5, 2014 15:24
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Country road, take me home...
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Jul 6, 2014 10:26
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Cunty lo, tae me hoooooo I was in your fair city for one night Chair, but I was with the wife on "vacation" so did not have time to look you up. I can confirm that Hua Hin is older and more European than ever, Jesus. I'm jogging in the hills out by Wat Samo Phrong (HH Soi 6) and there's a non-stop stream of old dudes on tiny scooters going by when I get near the roads. Also, that relatively new Greek joint down on the corner of Naresdamri and 55 is legit good on a number of things. Also, had my first real police incident in 8.5 years followed by my first "Okay, I don't want to, but this means I'll have to call your superior" experience. Lesson, don't drive through small towns without a license or passport, but if you do, bring a Thai person with some modicum of connections. Sadly, the police refused the 2,000 Baht and were left empty-handed when strings had to be pulled. Nice guys though, I have to say. EDIT: Before someone makes the wrong assumption, they refused the 2,000 because they wanted 1,000 apiece for four of them - which is even more ridiculous than the 2,000 that was offered on a 500 Baht (for farang) offense. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 14:26 on Jul 6, 2014 |
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Jul 6, 2014 14:20
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ReindeerF posted:Cunty lo, tae me hoooooo For the most part, the cops here are jerks. They are a massively disrespectful group, to both Thais and farang. Still, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, and I'll make sure to check out that greek joint. I was actually on Khao San last night with a few girlfriends. Never change, khao san. Never change.
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Jul 6, 2014 15:21
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| # ? May 10, 2024 02:24 |
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Chair Huxtable posted:Country road, take me home... The staff at a Mae Sot restaurant I used to go to decided this was the de facto entrance song for foreigners, and popped it on whenever a farang came in to order. I felt special the first time, not so much by the fifth or so, though.
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Jul 6, 2014 15:25
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