Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
ReindeerF
Apr 20, 2002

Rubber Dinghy Rapids Bro
Yeah, Thailand. It's training wheels for SE Asian tourism here and still has plenty to do that's not on the rails - and, as was pointed out, it's the major regional jumping off point for everything else. I'd say GTFO of Bangkok (live here, love it, but hated it when I first traveled here) to the islands or something to start and work your way back up. Then, once you get back to Bangkok you can head any-drat-where - mountains and then Burma, mountains and then river deltas and Laos, fruited plains and Laos, Eastern coast and Cambodia - just anything.

Agree with Kenner, even if you're not playing digital nomad and blogging about your dropshipping empire, 10K should last a year - especially with today's flight prices. I did five or six months 13 years ago (I forget) of completely land travel (flew once between Da Nang and Hanoi) from Bangkok, South, then back up, through Cambodia and all the way through Vietnam up through China and stopping in Beijing - before flying back to Bangkok, spending time in the islands again and then in Bangkok again, then leaving - all for about $5,000? That was with some stupid and unnecessary five star hotel stays, pre-Thai Air Asia PG flights back and forth to the islands, etc. Now, things have gotten more expensive since then when the Baht was 44:1 and inflation etc etc (and the amazing economic and social growth in Cambodia), but I also didn't have this place to source from and I moved around plenty - and the USD is around 35:1 lately, give or take.

One of the first things everyone here will tell you, and one of the only things we most all agree on, is that the more you move the more it costs. When you stick somewhere, not only do you save on transport, but you negotiate long-term stays, you figure out affordable local eating options, you figure out the other stuff you need and you have time to plan your next move more carefully. If you bounce around a lot, you spend a lot more money on the travel itself, but also on being an idiot anew.

Also, I personally think you get a lot more out of staying longer in fewer places and really getting a feel for them. Not everyone shares that view, but just to give you an example, there's no city you could go to where you couldn't rent a monthly condo for half of what it's going to cost you to stay in even a lovely guesthouse for that long (though the guesthouses also do longstay deals). That's a big tip we don't know coming out of the West, everything is negotiable - everything - and when you buy in volume, always ask for a discount. So if you're even staying more than 2-3 days somewhere and it's not high season, just ask. If you're staying a week or more, definitely get a discounted rate. Like I say, if you're high season in touristland (e.g. December in Hua Hin) you often won't have any negotiating power because of demand, but any other time/place that you're buying on volume, get a volume discount. It's not rude and no one will be offended, it's normal locally.

And anywhere that's not on the main tourist trail, if you can manage to pick up just enough Thai to get around, is dirt cheap beyond belief - just have to battle for amenities usually. Want to rent a room in Chanthaburi? Trat? Ratchaburi? Songkhlaburi? Nakon Sawan? Well I hope you brought at least $75-100 for the entire month, because you'll need it (etc etc).

ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 20:38 on Apr 19, 2016

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

ddiddles
Oct 21, 2008

Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm a schizophrenic and so am I

ReindeerF posted:

Yeah, Thailand. It's training wheels for SE Asian tourism here and still has plenty to do that's not on the rails - and, as was pointed out, it's the major regional jumping off point for everything else. I'd say GTFO of Bangkok (live here, love it, but hated it when I first traveled here) to the islands or something to start and work your way back up. Then, once you get back to Bangkok you can head any-drat-where - mountains and then Burma, mountains and then river deltas and Laos, fruited plains and Laos, Eastern coast and Cambodia - just anything.

Agree with Kenner, even if you're not playing digital nomad and blogging about your dropshipping empire, 10K should last a year - especially with today's flight prices. I did five or six months 13 years ago (I forget) of completely land travel (flew once between Da Nang and Hanoi) from Bangkok, South, then back up, through Cambodia and all the way through Vietnam up through China and stopping in Beijing - before flying back to Bangkok, spending time in the islands again and then in Bangkok again, then leaving - all for about $5,000? That was with some stupid and unnecessary five star hotel stays, pre-Thai Air Asia PG flights back and forth to the islands, etc. Now, things have gotten more expensive since then when the Baht was 44:1 and inflation etc etc (and the amazing economic and social growth in Cambodia), but I also didn't have this place to source from and I moved around plenty - and the USD is around 35:1 lately, give or take.

One of the first things everyone here will tell you, and one of the only things we most all agree on, is that the more you move the more it costs. When you stick somewhere, not only do you save on transport, but you negotiate long-term stays, you figure out affordable local eating options, you figure out the other stuff you need and you have time to plan your next move more carefully. If you bounce around a lot, you spend a lot more money on the travel itself, but also on being an idiot anew.

Also, I personally think you get a lot more out of staying longer in fewer places and really getting a feel for them. Not everyone shares that view, but just to give you an example, there's no city you could go to where you couldn't rent a monthly condo for half of what it's going to cost you to stay in even a lovely guesthouse for that long (though the guesthouses also do longstay deals). That's a big tip we don't know coming out of the West, everything is negotiable - everything - and when you buy in volume, always ask for a discount. So if you're even staying more than 2-3 days somewhere and it's not high season, just ask. If you're staying a week or more, definitely get a discounted rate. Like I say, if you're high season in touristland (e.g. December in Hua Hin) you often won't have any negotiating power because of demand, but any other time/place that you're buying on volume, get a volume discount. It's not rude and no one will be offended, it's normal locally.

And anywhere that's not on the main tourist trail, if you can manage to pick up just enough Thai to get around, is dirt cheap beyond belief - just have to battle for amenities usually. Want to rent a room in Chanthaburi? Trat? Ratchaburi? Songkhlaburi? Nakon Sawan? Well I hope you brought at least $75-100 for the entire month, because you'll need it (etc etc).

Thanks a lot for the info (kenner116 as well)! That makes it easier, will definitely fly into Bangkok then. Is there a known hub in Europe thats cheaper to fly out of? Or does it matter?

I'm not really a fan of constantly being on the move, so staying on one place for longer periods of time seems up my alley. I am going to try and see if I can make money writing/photographing about where I'm at/local culture/whatever, though I fully expect it never pay me anything, it just sounds fun and a good way to spend the downtime. I'm also going to be strengthening my web dev skills so when I'm done traveling I'm not completely out of date when I try to get back into the market.

Is there a spot outside of Bangkok you'd recommend thats close to the beach that I could use as a base camp for the first week or so?


Edit: Also forgot to ask, can I fly into Bangkok on a one way ticket? Or do they require some proof that I won't overstay my visa? If so, can I just buy a one way ticket to Bangkok, and then another one way ticket to Laos or something? If it makes a difference, I'll be flying on my UK passport.

ddiddles fucked around with this message at 22:51 on Apr 19, 2016

Pie Colony
Dec 8, 2006
I AM SUCH A FUCKUP THAT I CAN'T EVEN POST IN AN E/N THREAD I STARTED

What time to people usually go out (both dinner and drinking I guess) in SEA?

Yeah the time thing is probably not going to be great. We have a guy working from NZ and he makes it work somehow. But I'll ask if I can work part-time, or just SEA hours since it's only temporary (no meetings for 3 months? I'll be more productive!)

Shammypants
May 25, 2004

Let me tell you about true luxury.

Pie Colony posted:

What time to people usually go out (both dinner and drinking I guess) in SEA?


Same time as in the West. There are more early drinkers because, well, sex pensioners and bogans, but there are also more late night drinkers/partiers. I don't care much for it because the later you drink, the more working ladies and sexpats you'll be surrounded by (pretty much a nightclub issue). That's not always the case, there are some good clubs without that kind of nonsense even as late as 1-3 am. There are also some ultra nice places, nicer than in the US that are open normal bar times and are excellent places to chill. Occasionally I chill at one of the many open air bars that have large TVs. Soccer matches usually come on very late at night as a consequence of time zone differences, and since soccer is so popular in Asia, this keeps the band playing and the party going on game nights.

Shammypants fucked around with this message at 00:22 on Apr 20, 2016

ReindeerF
Apr 20, 2002

Rubber Dinghy Rapids Bro
Depends heavily on what country you're in and where in that country. Rural, rural Thailand starts early and rolls up the sidewalks pretty early usually, though there's often one garden restaurant or something around. Provincial capitals are a crapshoot, but usually are a little closer to like a minor league urban style - though as with much of Thailand, there's almost always some place open late with a bunch of drunk people eating Isaan food. Tourist Thailand starts whenever and often finishes whenever, while urban non-tourist Bangkok tends to start in the evening and finish up between midnight and about 05:00, depending on what you're up to.

That said, if you're on the tourist trail then it's basically down to you and whatever group you're with. There will be something to do, something to drink and somewhere to do it all as long as you guys have two Baht to scratch together, heh. Tourist Cambodia is even moreso, frankly. Tourist Laos has curfews and tighter laws, but there are discos and things going on. Vietnam is a lot like Thailand 10+ years ago, with Saigon being Bangkok. Not sure about Hanoi, seems much sleepier. Burma I just don't know. Malaysia, depends on whether you're in Penang or KL or whether you're in some place where they cane you for having alcohol, heh. The Phils, any major city, 24/7 - in part because major cities there are all BPO Centers and now operate 24/7 supporting international businesses.

So, in short, tourist time is do whatever, whenever. Local is more like home, but with more open and aggressive late night drinking and eating than you'd find in much of the US outside of border areas, New Orleans, Vegas, Indian Casinos, etc.

webmeister
Jan 31, 2007

The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

Pie Colony posted:

What time to people usually go out (both dinner and drinking I guess) in SEA?

Yeah the time thing is probably not going to be great. We have a guy working from NZ and he makes it work somehow. But I'll ask if I can work part-time, or just SEA hours since it's only temporary (no meetings for 3 months? I'll be more productive!)

I've forgotten where you were intending to base yourself, but it's worth noting that NZ is 4 hours ahead of Singapore and 5 hours ahead of Bangkok/HCMC, so it may not be a very useful gauge!

Whip Slagcheek
Sep 21, 2008

Finally
The Gasoline And Dynamite
Will Light The Sky
For The Night


While I was in Thailand people seemed to be on a much later schedule. Show up to a restaurant at 7? Empty. Show up at 8? Good luck, guy. Same thing in the morning, nothing was really open until 9ish.

raton
Jul 28, 2003

by FactsAreUseless

XyrlocShammypants posted:

Same time as in the West. There are more early drinkers because, well, sex pensioners and bogans, but there are also more late night drinkers/partiers. I don't care much for it because the later you drink, the more working ladies and sexpats you'll be surrounded by (pretty much a nightclub issue). That's not always the case, there are some good clubs without that kind of nonsense even as late as 1-3 am. There are also some ultra nice places, nicer than in the US that are open normal bar times and are excellent places to chill. Occasionally I chill at one of the many open air bars that have large TVs. Soccer matches usually come on very late at night as a consequence of time zone differences, and since soccer is so popular in Asia, this keeps the band playing and the party going on game nights.

My only addendum would be that it's pretty common for a group of SE Asians to show up for the party about four hours after they had intended to be there.

Finch!
Sep 11, 2001

Spatial Awareness?

[ ] Whaleshark

404 Not Found

Sheep-Goats posted:

My only addendum would be that it's pretty common for a group of SE Asians to show up for the party about four hours after they had intended to be there.

Ha. That is completely accurate. A few years ago I was one of the "brothers" in a wedding in Malaysia - the only white guy, and presumably the only person with any sense of time and tardiness. We were 3 hours late to the bit where we had to try to secure the bride for the groom through a series of challenges. We failed the first challenge - being on time.

Doc Hawkins
Jun 15, 2010

Dashing? But I'm not even moving!


kenner116 posted:

With 10k USD you should be able to last a year or so.

:stare: I am also going to be starting a bout of indefinite travel soon and this is a significantly lower burn rate estimate than I was planning for.

"Indefinite" is beginning to look a lot longer.

raton
Jul 28, 2003

by FactsAreUseless

Doc Hawkins posted:

:stare: I am also going to be starting a bout of indefinite travel soon and this is a significantly lower burn rate estimate than I was planning for.

"Indefinite" is beginning to look a lot longer.

The estimates so far are pretty resaonsble

If you're trying to stretch it without being outrageously cheap and without being on the move constantly a year is doable

You could probably make it to two if you were willing to just eat locally and live in a non-aircon apartment in the country somewhere

If you're willing to spend 2k a month you can live quite well though with very few compromises, assuming you're a regular person and not some European prince

ReindeerF
Apr 20, 2002

Rubber Dinghy Rapids Bro

Finch! posted:

Ha. That is completely accurate. A few years ago I was one of the "brothers" in a wedding in Malaysia - the only white guy, and presumably the only person with any sense of time and tardiness. We were 3 hours late to the bit where we had to try to secure the bride for the groom through a series of challenges. We failed the first challenge - being on time.
Time is an institution! This is a relational society, heh.

Was it Chinese? I don't know how ethnic Malay weddings work, but the loving challenges in a Thai-Chinese (or any regional diaspora Chinese) wedding are something I'm not fond of, heh, though I can imagine showing up "on time" (whatever that's defined as relationally, locally) is something only the superstitious women do. God forbid you miss the auspicious hour as prescribed by the fortune teller, who I'm sure went to school to learn his craft.

ddiddles:

I missed your last two questions - sorry!

On the flying in thing, if you have a *visa* (which you definitely should get at home before coming if you're staying long term - and get a multiple entry) then you can fly in with no onward ticket, period. If not, local Immigration gives no fucks, but some airlines will check you.

On the beach near Bangkok, there are many within an hour or two. If you want foreign company, probably Samet is the closest, though it's going to be primarily Bangkokian Thais and it's also the gay beach destination, which, if you're in the community, is a plus, and if you're not means plenty of late night stuff, heh. Bang Saen is more local, but cleaner than Pattaya. Pattaya as we think of it is a shithole, but there's a new Thai section that's gone up that's not hosed up - but, again, not foreign. As you head East there's Sri Racha and Koh Sichang, which is a less touristed, but still accessible tiny island off a Japanese enclave factory area, so good Japanese food onshore and a smattering of tourist stuff offshore. Then there's Trat and Koh Chang, which is supposed to be very pretty and less inhabited. Heading South there's Hua Hin at about 3-4 hours South, which I love, but which does not have beautiful beaches - just acceptable Gulf beaches (like Galveston or something). Chair Huxtable is our goon down there. From there South there's plenty of beautiful stuff on the Gulf side and the Andaman side.

Finch!
Sep 11, 2001

Spatial Awareness?

[ ] Whaleshark

404 Not Found

ReindeerF posted:

Time is an institution! This is a relational society, heh.

Was it Chinese? I don't know how ethnic Malay weddings work, but the loving challenges in a Thai-Chinese (or any regional diaspora Chinese) wedding are something I'm not fond of, heh, though I can imagine showing up "on time" (whatever that's defined as relationally, locally) is something only the superstitious women do. God forbid you miss the auspicious hour as prescribed by the fortune teller, who I'm sure went to school to learn his craft.

Yeah, Chinese. The guy isn't very traditionally Malaysian Chinese, having spent ages 0 to 5 in St. Louis, 5 to 13 in Kuala Lumpur, 13 to 29 in Adelaide, and 29 to 33 back in KL. If nothing else, he's really confused when it comes to identifying as either Australian, Chinese, Malaysian, or a weird mix of all of them.

There was a lot of fortune telling and auspicious hours and so on, which he didn't take too seriously but the bride and her family did.

The wedding itself was kinda cool, and the reception was ridiculous - think a bottle of Hennessey XO on all 30 tables, and twelve courses of eats. I was feeling it for days afterwards.

caberham
Mar 18, 2009

by Smythe
Grimey Drawer

ddiddles posted:

Move to UK then travel

If I were you I would split my time in 3/4 in SEA and 1/4 in Central Europe. Europe loving rules, Western Europe might feel expensive so I recommend you to head over to Central Europe like Czech Republic and make your way eastward, then travel back to UK on a budget airline. Treat that as babby's first continental trip. You meet way more English speakers and the culture is not as "foreign". Whereas if you get dropped off in Bangkok you start to get bad jetlag and heat fatigue in no time.

South East Asia is cool to hop around and stuff, but don't get travel burn out. Either from getting scorched in the sun too often or just fatigue from moving around. The only reason I don't mind hopping around South East Asia for weekend trips and eat restaurants repeatedly is because I get to hang out with some goons :neckbeard:

I think after a month in wandering around you won't feel the urge to do anything and just sit in your hostel/guest house/wherever and just chill out for the day. And if you guys are done with traveling around South East Asia, stop by Japan for a week. It's like the best country on earth to repeatedly visit.

air-
Sep 24, 2007

Who will win the greatest battle of them all?

Oh hey that's like my exact itinerary last year caberham.

But yeah, central Europe is not too expensive and heading to some Balkan countries or further east would be nearly as affordable as SEA.

I think he said he's leaving in July? So that means taking advantage of the European summer/early fall, then SEA towards the beginning of shoulder season.

webmeister
Jan 31, 2007

The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.
Central Europe is great, cheap and vastly unappreciated vs the more-touristed cities in the west. But I wouldn't recommend going in July/August, as even the slightly lesser-visited places like Croatia, Budapest and Prague will be jam-packed with tourists during the European summer months. Go a bit earlier or later in shoulder season.

But that's just me - if the hordes of selfie sticks don't bother you then go for it! I guess if you're going to travel around Thailand you'll have to get used to them sooner or later..

Negligent
Aug 20, 2013

Its just lovely here this time of year.
I worked out that a baseline expenditure for Chiang Mai in 2016 would be 30,000 thb per month (US$850). That's with an air-conditioned apartment, WiFi, rental scooter, phone 3g, eating mostly Thai food and going out sometimes. You can go cheaper but it would be uncomfortable and boring.

caberham
Mar 18, 2009

by Smythe
Grimey Drawer
Self sticks are going to be everywhere and European summers are nice. The best thing about traveling on your own and having a lot of time is that no place can tie you down. If you get sick of seeing castles/churches/temples/museums, you can just gtfo and hit the countryside/beach/mountains or whatever.

I rather be around Europe during summer than going to SEA. Coming from Hong Kong, going to Singapore was borderline for me

Atlas Hugged
Mar 12, 2007


Put your arms around me,
fiddly digits, itchy britches
I love you all
Wedding challenges are the worst. I'm not sure how they go in other regions, but in Taiwan they're all rigged to embarrass the groom. Maybe in Taiwanese culture it's endearing to have everyone take the piss out of you, but I found it to be incredibly unpleasant. And that's exactly how you want to start a marriage, by making the groom wish he was somewhere else.

ReindeerF
Apr 20, 2002

Rubber Dinghy Rapids Bro

Negligent posted:

I worked out that a baseline expenditure for Chiang Mai in 2016 would be 30,000 thb per month (US$850). That's with an air-conditioned apartment, WiFi, rental scooter, phone 3g, eating mostly Thai food and going out sometimes. You can go cheaper but it would be uncomfortable and boring.
What part of CM are you renting in and how much are you paying in rent in this scenario?

Atlas Hugged posted:

Wedding challenges are the worst. I'm not sure how they go in other regions, but in Taiwan they're all rigged to embarrass the groom. Maybe in Taiwanese culture it's endearing to have everyone take the piss out of you, but I found it to be incredibly unpleasant. And that's exactly how you want to start a marriage, by making the groom wish he was somewhere else.
I think that's universal. If you wrote down what happens in a Chinese wedding in flat terms, and didn't use wedding language, and had anyone in America read it, they would respond, "That's a shakedown." It reads like the plot of a lovely version of Casino Royale with Snidely Whiplash as the villain holding your wife hostage.

Finch!
Sep 11, 2001

Spatial Awareness?

[ ] Whaleshark

404 Not Found

Atlas Hugged posted:

Wedding challenges are the worst. I'm not sure how they go in other regions, but in Taiwan they're all rigged to embarrass the groom. Maybe in Taiwanese culture it's endearing to have everyone take the piss out of you, but I found it to be incredibly unpleasant. And that's exactly how you want to start a marriage, by making the groom wish he was somewhere else.

That sounds different - this one wasn't too bad. There were challenges of physical prowess (lifting heavy things, sit ups, an obstacle course), fortitude (eating hot chillis, being tickled and trying not to giggle like a little girl), intellect (completing a puzzle, mathematics, working as a team to achieve a goal, and navigation - the latter two as part of the obstacle course), and we each had to give a reason why the groom was deserving - basically, to explain how we know he's a nice guy. It was a lot of fun, but we were late. It was a great day and the groom wasn't humiliated too much because the other brothers and I wouldn't let it happen - thus proving what a nice guy he is (and how his friends are always there for him, awwwww).

They've just had their second kid and I'll be the first white guy each kid meets, which is pretty cool. They've never met a white woman before but my girlfriend will have the great privilege of being their first, too.

simplefish
Mar 28, 2011

So long, and thanks for all the fish gallbladdΣrs!


Oh come on, just as the Best Man's Speech is designed to lightly take the piss out of the groom in the West, the point of groom challenges ia broadly similar. Did you get challenged to do 20 press-ups in a minute? 'Wah,' say all the bridesmaids, 'So strong!'. And the groom can nominate his buddies to take a hit. A friend of mine was challenged to pick 2 matching things out of a bucket of ice water with his toes - the jokr, there was only one of the pair he was meant to get. He had nominated his buddy for that one, a good laugh was had by all when the prank was revealed.

It's harmless fun. If the challenges are over the line, that's just like a best man shafting a groom during the speech. If the buddies won't help out, then the groom needs better friends. If anyone takes it too seriously, they're missing the point.

Granted this is HK culture groom challenges but I imagine they're similar


Minsk guy - thanks for the infopost, will do you a proper response soon

Atlas Hugged
Mar 12, 2007


Put your arms around me,
fiddly digits, itchy britches
I love you all
I'm pretty sure that when you ask the white guys to read a Chinese tongue twister written in Chinese without any pinyin knowing they can't read Chinese, or even pinyin really, then criticizing their pronunciation when they fail is pretty bullshit.

There was also the chopstick challenge where we were told to get all the tiny red beans out of the bowl of tiny green beans in a minute. The failure for doing that was another challenge, but because we actually passed it we were given the challenge anyway because we weren't supposed to ever win.

Now cute poo poo like picking out the index card with the right lipstick impression on it only to find out it was all the dudes in the family and the penalty being you have to kiss them, yeah I'm fine with it, but they were adding in poo poo they knew or thought was literally impossible for a laugh.

simplefish
Mar 28, 2011

So long, and thanks for all the fish gallbladdΣrs!


Ok with the pronunciation thing, yeah Asia isn't as culturally sensitive as other places, just par for the course, it was never meant to be humiliating just they probably thought you were in on the joke. The family were taking tge piss out of the guy who won the HK speech festival recently, I ended up reading the poem from jyutping and we all laughed. I wasn't the butt of the joke, I was part of the vehicle to the punchline.
E: it depends on how harsh and heartfelt the criticism was. I wasn't there so I don't know

As for impossible challenges as pranks, I covered that. It really isn't about winning or losing but about the game of it.

Atlas Hugged
Mar 12, 2007


Put your arms around me,
fiddly digits, itchy britches
I love you all
I think they misjudged the personalities of the participants quite a bit. And the absolute stone faced photos of my best man in every challenge photo, especially when being kissed by my brother in law tell an amazing story.

caberham
Mar 18, 2009

by Smythe
Grimey Drawer
Get better friends marry better people and sever if you think your future I laws are poo poo.

I think I pissed off the bride when we were doing some of the challenges. I agreed to do all challenges if the bride was willing to wish all dishes and do house chores for the rest of her life. Yeah she wasn't thrilled meeting me but who cares she's a major bitch.

caberham fucked around with this message at 11:05 on Apr 20, 2016

Atlas Hugged
Mar 12, 2007


Put your arms around me,
fiddly digits, itchy britches
I love you all
They currently live with me. There's only one bathroom in this apartment.

Bardeh
Dec 2, 2004

Fun Shoe

Atlas Hugged posted:

They currently live with me. There's only one bathroom in this apartment.

goondolences

E: although I would be interested to hear the story of how you came to live with your in-laws in a 1 bathroom apartment

Atlas Hugged
Mar 12, 2007


Put your arms around me,
fiddly digits, itchy britches
I love you all

Bardeh posted:

goondolences

E: although I would be interested to hear the story of how you came to live with your in-laws in a 1 bathroom apartment

Three weeks ago in the town of Bangkok a Goon has been born to you; he is the Farang, the Sperglord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in twinkie wrappers and lying in cheeto dust.

Ally McBeal Wiki
Aug 15, 2002

TheFraggot
Don't move around often, soak up your local city for weeks / months at a time yea $10k doable. I'm gonna have burned through that amount by the time I check out of the region over the course of 5.5 months. But I also did everything I felt like doing pretty much whenever I felt like it, and flew multiple times between countries. Fast movement is the enemy of long term travel budgets. Slowly is the key. Local buses, no international flights, and eat local.

I LIKE COOKIE
Dec 12, 2010

I spent 7k in 6 months, hit up 5 countries including Hong Kong (expensive as gently caress) . I am young and spent most nights drinking, which inflated my spending by probably a good 1/3. If you can be happy to eat noodle soups, pad Thai, rice and pork, basically any of the core "$1" meals youll spend barely anything. I got pretty lax at the very end and would regularly eat western foods like pizza, tex-mex food (thank God I found some!), pasta, etc. so of course I spent a lot more.

I met a lot of stinky hippy type travelers whose budget was like, $12 a day or something dumb. For me $20/day is much more reasonable and $30/day your getting drunk every night.

It's 4/20 here is the USA and in Denver thats a pretty big deal. Can't wait to go surprise all my friends who don't know I'm back! Been gone 6 months to the day.

Honestly though I think I'm gunna go back to Saigon. I already miss it and I've been home for a day. Ughhhh it's so drat quiet here! Where's the horns and Bahn me ladies and yelling and noise and ughhhh I need to go back :(

Why is America so lame

Whip Slagcheek
Sep 21, 2008

Finally
The Gasoline And Dynamite
Will Light The Sky
For The Night


Bangkok was straight sensory overload. Only spent a couple days there and I feel like I made a mistake not exploring more.

caberham
Mar 18, 2009

by Smythe
Grimey Drawer
Mid west drove me crazy. Everyone acts nice but can be very xenophobic and their personal comfort zone is like 2 arms away. And there's no seafood

Pirate Radar
Apr 18, 2008

You're not my Ruthie!
You're not my Debbie!
You're not my Sherry!

caberham posted:

Mid west drove me crazy. Everyone acts nice but can be very xenophobic and their personal comfort zone is like 2 arms away. And there's no seafood

Try the Rocky Mountain oysters next time

Senso
Nov 4, 2005

Always working

simplefish posted:

yeah Asia isn't as culturally sensitive as other places

I chuckled.

Hecuba
Jul 20, 2005

What we do is invent our images. And we build them.
I liked Singapore well enough, but the fact that I was staying with a friend (no crazy hotel fees and had a local to show me around to the good hawker centers) probably helped a lot. It's really sterile, though. Hanoi felt so much more like a real city where people live and eat and work and poo poo and argue and party. Absolutely adored it (but I admittedly have a deep and true love in my heart for big, gritty, seedy urban centers) and could have stayed another week easily.

I'm in Hue for the next three days and generally bouncing around the central VN area until 5/2 -- anyone care to grab a drink?

Also, wait, does Da Nang suck? I wanted to get some cheap quiet beach time in and was under the impression that it was the less lovely alternative to Nha Trang :(

air-
Sep 24, 2007

Who will win the greatest battle of them all?

Hecuba posted:

Also, wait, does Da Nang suck? I wanted to get some cheap quiet beach time in and was under the impression that it was the less lovely alternative to Nha Trang :(

Hoi An is where you go for a beach in that part of Vietnam. Not anything impressive/amazing but it's good enough.

ReindeerF
Apr 20, 2002

Rubber Dinghy Rapids Bro

Chantilly Say posted:

Try the Rocky Mountain oysters next time
:lol:

Finch!
Sep 11, 2001

Spatial Awareness?

[ ] Whaleshark

404 Not Found

Chantilly Say posted:

Try the Rocky Mountain oysters next time

I'm guessing they're the same as the desert oysters we have here in Australia...

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

I LIKE COOKIE
Dec 12, 2010

caberham posted:

Mid west drove me crazy. Everyone acts nice but can be very xenophobic and their personal comfort zone is like 2 arms away. And there's no seafood

man maybe im just high but thats one of the first big things I've noticed about america that I dont like. Personal space. People here in denver are just -in general at all times- seemingly more spread out. in Saigon your just straight up closer to others in your vicinity. Maybe for some people that takes some getting used to. When dealing with vendors and engaging with people who you do not share a common language with, you tend to use your hands a lot. And trying to communicate with locals by your core set of go-to hand gestures, that you've performed so many times by now its almost like a secret "drug deal" type interaction, of words, pointing, gestures, yeah. its harder, but definitely more personal. But your crammed into these tight spots half the time and your just physically closer than you would be compared to a cashier behind a nice big counter. I got closer with my neighbors and food ladies in 2 months living in one place than I've gotten with really any neighbor or cashier I typically see in passing. The smiles and waving and them teaching me how to say coconut, and me sucking but then getting the tonal part right or whatever the gently caress and them all excited that I can say it and suddenly Its time for more words but, they realize we cant really talk. sometimes I can see that exact expression on Vietnamese peoples faces. like, the look when it just dawns on them for the first time that no matter how much they babble at me I cant understand, sometimes they seem almost sad that we'll forever be stuck in this limbo of mutual silence. and maybe I am too. But we go on doing what we can and make it work.

Or like, when your driving a car in the states. Its me vs the loving world. Im the lone shark and this highway is my reef bitches I'm one an angry rear end driver.

In vietnam, its me on my motorbike, and my pack of motorbikes in a little school cruising through the water like fish. oh snap here comes a roundabout, oh snap another school matching speed to intersect us, we all know our school is bigger so gently caress them, we aint slowin down. those mofuckas better slow down. cuz this is our road. were riding together at pace on motorbikes going ~20mph, maybe a foot or two apart from each other on all sides, maybe 3 if were lucky and traffic is quiet. your just closer. and theres some kind of vibe those times when you get in with a group of others on scooters going the the same way as you.Its really hard to put it too words but its there. this feeling doesn't happen all the time but ive had some epic "schools" where Vietnamese are obviously drunk and oh poo poo its whitey american yellin hi at us dude wassup dude, lets attempt to converse while at speed. or maybe a time when your sitting in a traffic jam for 5 mins packed together so close, and you give each other looks of mutual annoyance. these kind of interactions are just not possible in a place with mostly cars.

does that make any sense??? like gently caress.... i miss my smoothie lady. I didnt give a poo poo about waving goodbye to any people i see working near my house, like peace out bitches, have fun in real life im outtie. maybe that's also because people generally dont stay in one place as much in america? how many gas station clerks have my circle K gone through now? ( I also find it hilarious that Circle K dominates Saigon, since that's my closest gas station/convenience store). 7/11 dominated Thailand was an eye opener in itself. but gently caress 711s, circle k all day.

but yeah, I love Saigon and i highly recommend it. It was nice to end there. I just feel in general the people were warmer. or maybe I was just more outgoing and confident later in my trip than at the beginning. Probably a bit of both. Thailand-Cambodia-Vietnam is the way to go.

I LIKE COOKIE fucked around with this message at 14:02 on Apr 21, 2016

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply