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Thanks for the response. Sounds like a divisive country to visit. Wikipedia says that the country is Communist? I realize it isn't North Korea, but is it say more Cuba than Vietnam in that regard?
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Sep 12, 2019 16:15
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It is effectively shadow governed by the Vietnamese, but day to day the Communist stuff is just the current way of having some half-assed authoritarianism. They have to report foreigners to the police, there are rules about cohabitation, curfew hours, etc. There were some sincere effects back when the Vietnamese communized the place. They dropped the class-based honorifics and gendered polite participles, shot the royals and tossed them in mass graves, sent people to "seminar" (re-education camp), this kind of stuff, but it's like I always tell people when they ask about any of these countries bring communist - try asking ten random Lao people to explain communist political or economic theory or tell you who Marx was and why he's important (in spite of his photo being ubiquitous in some offices) and see what you get back. It's a Mekong country that adopted communist words and uniforms the way Thailand adopted democratic words and uniforms. It's largely window dressing for running a Mekong country the way a Mekong country runs already.
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Sep 12, 2019 20:59
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Vietnam has a 1 year visa for Americans now. My vote would be to go to Vietnam. It's cheaper than Thailand, and there's much more going on there than Laos. I'm biased though because I love Vietnam soooo much and lived in Saigon for a while. The food is better, the people are more fun, and the chaotic fast paced way of life is thrilling. In the south I was treated like a celebrity and everyone loved me, its easy to get used to.
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Sep 12, 2019 23:49
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ReindeerF posted:Luffles may also be banned from Cambodia lol. Allegedly, never proven and not anywhere in my passport. I LIKE COOKIE posted:Vietnam has a 1 year visa for Americans now. My vote would be to go to Vietnam. It's cheaper than Thailand, and there's much more going on there than Laos. I'm biased though because I love Vietnam soooo much and lived in Saigon for a while. The food is better, the people are more fun, and the chaotic fast paced way of life is thrilling. In the south I was treated like a celebrity and everyone loved me, its easy to get used to. I like the idea of Vietnam. There's this one other criteria I assumed would fall into line as a result of my Thai Elite visa. I have a Thai trans fiance. I guess we're like, in love or something? I dunno, pretty weird and probably gay as hell, but I'm into it. Any idea on the ease of visa for Thai people to Vietnam?
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Sep 13, 2019 02:53
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ReindeerF posted:It is effectively shadow governed by the Vietnamese, but day to day the Communist stuff is just the current way of having some half-assed authoritarianism. They have to report foreigners to the police, there are rules about cohabitation, curfew hours, etc. Great response. Thank you.
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Sep 13, 2019 19:50
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So... I'm looking at spending December, January, and February in Kuala Lumpur for work. I haven't been there in three years but I know the place fairly well - I briefly went to school in Penang when I was a kid, and have a bunch of friends in and around KL. The trouble is, I've only ever visited as a tourist. Hotels in the city or couches in the suburbs. In this case, I'd be spending 9am to 5pm in TTDI, not far from the freshly opened MSBK train line. Would it be a stupid idea to get an apartment in Bukit Bintang to commute every day, or would I be better off staying around TTDI and heading into KLCC when I need to? Any thoughts? I don't think I'll be there for long enough to warrant finding a decent place in a more expat-popular area like Mont Kiara or something.
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Sep 14, 2019 02:29
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webmeister posted:It's way *way* less developed than Thailand or Vietnam, and still a long way behind Cambodia as well. The infrastructure is pretty poor, and the only way to get around long-distance realistically is by slow-rear end buses. Yes I spent an entire day on a bus between Savannaket and Pakse wedged between sacks of potatoes and with a crate of limes in my footwell, ama. I did the motorbike thing around the Bolaven Plateau out of Pakse and visited some absolutely stunning places, and encountered some of the kindest people I've ever met throughout there and the rest of Laos. It's a hauntingly beautiful and quiet place. Luang Prabang has its charms and is worth a solid visit. Si Phan Don / 4000 Islands is good if you want to do absolutely loving nothing on a river for a few days. Vientiane isn't great though and I couldn't wait to leave. Some good food there though.
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Sep 14, 2019 03:23
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Luffles posted:
Your ladyboy gf is allowed to stay in Vietnam for 30 days without a visa. If staying longer than 30 days a Thai passport holder will need to get a visa. Good luck with your ladyboy relationship! If you don't mind me asking, when you first met her did you know she was trans? Or was it a surprise like "oh what?! there's a penis!" haha. A bit personal I know- im just curious. I have nothing against ladyboy's or you, and I'm not making fun of you so I hope it doesn't come across that way. I'm happy that you found love, wish I was in love I think you will like Vietnam, though I did not see a lot of ladyboys in Vietnam compared to Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines.
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Sep 14, 2019 06:00
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I LIKE COOKIE posted:Your ladyboy gf is allowed to stay in Vietnam for 30 days without a visa. If staying longer than 30 days a Thai passport holder will need to get a visa. I knew going into it.
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Sep 14, 2019 13:01
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webmeister posted:If you don’t mind the cold, Estonia
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Sep 16, 2019 19:52
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Finch! posted:So... I'm looking at spending December, January, and February in Kuala Lumpur for work. I haven't been there in three years but I know the place fairly well - I briefly went to school in Penang when I was a kid, and have a bunch of friends in and around KL. I'd stay in TTDI because commuting from BB will suck.
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Sep 18, 2019 15:05
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lemonadesweetheart posted:I'd stay in TTDI because commuting from BB will suck. Heh, everybody I've asked has a different opinion about this. You're the first to suggest staying in TTDI. Even my friend who lives there has suggested staying somewhere else. He says the new train is pretty good, particularly as I'd be going against the flow of rush-hour commuters. That said, I don't think he's ever been on a commuter train in his life. The main thing that turns me off TTDI is the lack of... stuff... there. I mean, there's a golf club which my club here in Australia gives me full reciprocal rights to, but I probably won't have the time to use it. It's not very walkable at all - it looks like I'd have to take a Grab for what would be a five-minute walk if there were pedestrian access. And I know that's true of many places in Malaysia, but at least Bukit Bintang is kind of more accessible. It looks like I will be in KL over that time - I just need to find a place to live for a while.
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Sep 20, 2019 00:55
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I’m in Phuket for a dive trip and while doing an early morning run, got attacked by a stray dog with a fairly deep bite. Was pretty pissed/worried but have to say the local hotel/clinic staff were pretty professional. Private doctor’s visit with all necessary rabies/tetanus/immune booster jabs sorted out within an hour of the bite and for < 500 USD.
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Sep 21, 2019 06:02
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Yeah, as long as you have the money to pay, healthcare in Thailand is amazingly fast and efficient. You could also have gone to the public hospital in Phuket Town - it would have meant a longer wait but would probably have been significantly cheaper. I can understand just wanting to get it sorted though, Rabies is nothing to gently caress with.
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Sep 21, 2019 10:01
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I've dealt with dogs in packs of up to about 20 running, biking and hiking around Thailand and there are a couple of things I tell everyone about dog encounters on foot: 1) Thai dogs are scared backbiters. Never take your eyes off them when you pass, because that's often when they'll go for you. 2) Thai dogs are scared in general - just point your finger at them, keep pointing it at them and walk directly at them - if more appear, walk toward whichever alpha is coming toward you at the time, then keep switching. Point both fingers, John Woo, style. If you stick with that you can make it through any pack. Been doing it for over a decade in all kinds of situations. The one time I wouldn't have made it, it was some guy who for whatever reason had a giant, aggressively advancing pit bull, but dude came out and subdued the dog. I have seen that one time in over a decade though - and I remember exactly where it was, heh. There are plenty of good doctors in Phuket. One of the 7 primary teaching hospitals in the country, Prince of Songkhla, is down South and a lot of military doctors (who are good at trauma) do their post-education payback time at hospitals in the South. Generally speaking, for some minor trauma in Phuket, I'd also use one of the major brand outreach clinics, but if anything were broken or torn, or I needed to consult with an orthopedic surgeon or something, I'd start with Vachira and work up from there to one of the two major international hospitals depending on what it was.
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Sep 21, 2019 19:53
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Going to reiterate how good Thai service is - the hotel waived about 200 bucks worth of room service and an additional half day stay because they felt bad about my dog attack
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Sep 23, 2019 13:07
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Take care.
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Sep 23, 2019 14:30
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Back in Bangkok for a couple of days. This city is getting increasingly fancier every time I come back here. They are streamlining taxis at the airport and have these new machines that direct you. I took a 90-minute traffic choked taxi ride for a mere 400 baht on the meter without a peep from the driver to rip me off. I felt bad for the guy so gave him extra. Also went to the new Siam Icon since it is next to my hotel. The place is pretty nuts, even by Thai/Asia megamall standards. This may also be an illusion as I have progressively upgraded my accommodating every time I visit here. Ten years ago it was a dump at Khao San; now I am at a riverfront Hilton. The ironic thing is that so many places near Khao San have gotten expensive that the price difference isn't that much.
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Oct 5, 2019 08:04
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Has anyone heard of/been to the ruins of a section of 'great wall' somewhere between pakse and the thai border? I met someone who had been there, showed me some pictures and described the way there. Its a relatively short drive from pakse and somewhere along the road there is a small sign that says 'wall' or 'great wall' where you turn off, drive some more then walk a bit. It's likely to be close to the border as he said there were apparently some sections remaining on the thai side as well. The section he was at was about 10(?)m high with about 50m in length visible but in quite thick jungle so there could be more. None of the tour guides in pakse have heard of it and internet searches aren't turning anything up. Kicking myself that i didn't get more details at the time.
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Oct 11, 2019 04:48
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Let me check with some local friends.
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Oct 11, 2019 07:48
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Inconclusive answer I got back: --- Discussed the wall with [Lao wife] and neither of us have any inkling of what he is talking about. Moreover, the Thai-Lao border near Pakse is a relatively recent land border set up by the French in the early 1900s, so there is no reason for there to have been any ancient border wall there. Maybe the ruins of a small Khmer temple but I don't know of one in that spot. --- Best I can do without more work. Sounds like possibly there's something there, but your guy got the story wrong. Who knows? EDIT: Forgot to mention, this friend's wife is from Si Phan Don and he's spent a lot of time over decades traveling around there on bikes and so on, speaks Lao, etc, so they might just not know, but they're pretty familiar with the area for obvious reasons. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 10:38 on Oct 11, 2019 |
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Oct 11, 2019 10:35
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Cheesemaster200 posted:Back in Bangkok for a couple of days. This city is getting increasingly fancier every time I come back here. They are streamlining taxis at the airport and have these new machines that direct you. I took a 90-minute traffic choked taxi ride for a mere 400 baht on the meter without a peep from the driver to rip me off. I felt bad for the guy so gave him extra. Also went to the new Siam Icon since it is next to my hotel. The place is pretty nuts, even by Thai/Asia megamall standards. Is that the place with the wee boat you can take to the MRT?
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Oct 11, 2019 13:39
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ReindeerF posted:Inconclusive answer I got back: Thanks for that. Yeah nobody around here has heard of anything like this in the area. Could be it was in a totally different place. I'm fairly sure the guy wasn't just making things up, and the pictures were definitely a big old wall in the jungle somewhere. I wonder if any lidar maps of the area have been made. I know they've been used in central/south america and revealed tons of old constructions under the vegetation.
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Oct 11, 2019 14:36
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Could it just have been ruins of an old temple or something and he’s mixed up two places? I know Wat Phou is in that area, and maybe a few Champa buildings too
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Oct 11, 2019 15:22
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kru posted:Is that the place with the wee boat you can take to the MRT? Yeah, it's actually quite a nice location that is in striking distance to most of the city, including rattanakosin with the express boat. On another note, I don't know why anyone travels in the peak season in Thailand. We just stayed at a resort on Koh Lanta for 1/5 of the price offered in the high season, there was nobody on the beach and it rained for a maximum of an hour each afternoon. Also impressed on how much cleaner Thailand is as a whole. Compared to Bali where the beaches become trash heaps in the rainy season (and likely the non-rainy season), everything was immaculate even after the rainstorms. Bangkok was even devoid of trash compared to what it used to be.
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Oct 12, 2019 04:12
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This is Thailand 0.4. The offseason thing is really good advice. People tend to freak each other out about the words "rainy season." That's usually the big reason they avoid these times, other than holiday calendars and things. As you have experienced, rainy season is pretty much a non-event most days. About the only downside is there are a number of places where it's just a small enough market or there's some geographical or climate reason the various kinds of businesses shut down during low season. I'm not sure if it's still the case, but for example, Ao Nang used to go pretty dormant from like June through August. A bunch of the restaurants would just have a sign taped to the metal shutters saying we will be back in August, some of the tours like cliff diving aren't available, etc. These days, with the counter-cyclical tourism from India, which is rising sharply, and China, which is still holding really strong, a lot of places don't have a low season the way they used to exactly, though, so everything may have changed again for all I know.
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Oct 12, 2019 04:38
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ReindeerF posted:This is Thailand 0.4. We were also in Railay for 3 days before Koh Lanta and all the bar owners said they just opened last week, so I could see that being a bit of a downer; especially since that was a primary draw of going there for us. I think we really timed that perfectly. A lot of the beach bars on lanta also closed early (e.g. 9-10PM) due to lack of customers. On another note, I had this woman from the Thailand tourism authority (or whatever) doing a survey about my trip in the Krabi airport. They asked why I came here, what draws me to Thailand, etc. I kind of wanted to create a whole sexpat story to make the interview really awkward. Talk about how I get a new missus every time I come to Thailand and put "women" as the primary reason for traveling.
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Oct 12, 2019 04:50
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555 Or just stare into her eyes and ask if she had stairs in her house. To which she would earnestly answer, "Yes, I stay third floor. My sister stay second floor because my grandmother old already. How you know?! "
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Oct 12, 2019 05:36
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I haven't been to Koh Lanta in a while, but last time I was there was around November 2014, which I guess is high'ish season and it seemed pretty dead as well. Like I'd see a few Danes (I think?) here and there but that was about it. Pretty awesome to have a whole stretch of beaches just to yourself.
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Oct 12, 2019 05:46
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Constellation I posted:I haven't been to Koh Lanta in a while, but last time I was there was around November 2014, which I guess is high'ish season and it seemed pretty dead as well. Like I'd see a few Danes (I think?) here and there but that was about it. Pretty awesome to have a whole stretch of beaches just to yourself. A year after a major oil spill will get you some privacy
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Oct 12, 2019 05:49
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kru posted:Is that the place with the wee boat you can take to the MRT? I am staying at the Anatara Riverside (in Thon Buri) this four day weekend and they have a little boat with a Trader Vic's sign that takes you to the nearest sky train. It's a very nice place and not that expensive compared to what I'm used to, and a beautiful view of the river. Yesterday my wife and I went to the museum of Contemporary Art, which closed at 6. It took us 2 and a half hours to get back to the hotel by taxi. This has been without a doubt the worst traffic I've ever experienced in my life. We're now heading back from a day trip to the bridge on the river kwai, and let's see if it just takes 3 hours to get back like they say.
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Oct 12, 2019 09:10
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If you were headed back yesterday late afternoon or evening, that would've been the exodus for the long holiday weekend to a degree, but also just Friday rush hour starts early - maybe you even got lucky and were upstream of a royal motorcade! The other day, I got out of a taxi 45 minutes outside town after sitting still for, no joke, 33 minutes. Turns out I got caught in graduation traffic at a large university, a royal motorcade coming to the graduation, and then some weird event where a royal motorcade closed down streets all around Bangkok. It even made the news. Sometimes weird poo poo happens. In terms of coming back this weekend, heading into Bangkok today or tomorrow will be fine. Tomorrow night might be a little busy. You do not want to be heading back into Bangkok on Monday afternoon or evening. The holiday weekend traffic can be brutal when half the city is leaving or coming back.
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Oct 12, 2019 11:26
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webmeister posted:Could it just have been ruins of an old temple or something and he’s mixed up two places? I know Wat Phou is in that area, and maybe a few Champa buildings too I'm going to wat phou tomorrow, will see if any of it looks like what i remember of the pictures. He really seemed to think it was part of some long lost 'great wall' like china's, though i have no idea what he based that on.
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Oct 12, 2019 14:58
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Mystery solved: http://tourismkhammouane.org/portfolio-item/giant-wall/ http://www.tourismlaos.info/khammuane/heritage_site/Kampaeng_Yark_(The_Giant_Wall).html Nothing to do with China, but there is a wall there.
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Oct 12, 2019 16:21
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ReindeerF posted:Mystery solved: That's it! Nowhere near pakse at all... Added to my itinerary.
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Oct 12, 2019 22:52
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I love weekends like this in Bangkok because I can taxi everywhere, it's cheaper than taking the family on the BTS, and I don't sit in traffic forever. We had breakfast at Bourbon Street and played at the park at Phrom Phong and got home all before noon.
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Oct 13, 2019 05:18
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Plumps posted:That's it! Nowhere near pakse at all... Also, trivia, the name of the province translates to funny words in English, one thinks. Have fun!
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Oct 13, 2019 07:39
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ReindeerF posted:Nothing much to speak of, but a nice place to drink a beer by the river in the evening. Literally the dictionary definition of Laos
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Oct 13, 2019 12:38
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webmeister posted:Literally the dictionary definition of Laos I can only imagine the meetings, regardless of whether it's the French imperialists or the Vietnamese imperialists or the overlapping Communist imperialists (or whoever else), with lots of serious talk about how we're going to turn Laos into this thing or that thing, and why this is important and our plans for how we're going to make the transition, and so on. Then like 5 years later, the same guys in the same room, fatter and with bloodshot eyes, just going, "Oh gently caress it, just pay off the guys in charge and dam up the rivers and sell the electricity or whatever. I don't care anymore. Where are we having drinks afterward?"
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Oct 13, 2019 13:33
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So I finally booked my Vietnam trip (3 weeks next March/April), with the change that I am no longer going with the plan of having a layover in Hong Kong, seeing as how the status of that city next Spring is too much of a question mark for me to risk it, so I'm spending a few days in Bangkok instead. I actually fly into Hong Kong airport to connect to Bangkok, so if it gets closer to the date and by some miracle things are going great there, I can always return to Plan A. Since I already have a list of places I would like to see and the only question now is what to cut, I thought I would throw out a couple questions for anyone knowledgeable about the area: - Kinda interested in spending at least one night in Kanchanaburi. Understand it will be wicked hot in late March, but I think I could bear it. Can I bear it? Is it not as interesting as it looks? - I've done a lot of research into Vietnam since that was the focal point, but not too much about Bangkok. Can anyone recommend a region that would be ideal to stay in? Something close to transit to access main sites, does not need to have a big nightlife scene since I'm an old man with no interest in that. Willing to pay higher prices for comfort/less noise since I'll be recovering from not sleeping on the long haul flight while I'm there. - Is the Mekong Delta in Vietnam going to be too dried up during the period I'm going? - I'm thinking that despite all the nice things I heard, Dalat might be a main stop I remove from this trip. No interest in civet coffee, I'm assuming waterfalls will suck that time of year, and will already be spending time somewhere mountainous in the North. Anyone want to argue otherwise?
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Oct 16, 2019 21:19
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