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Strong Sauce posted:Hi thread, I will be in Thailand/Cambodia between Dec 3/Dec 20. I eventually plan on crossing the border via Poipet I may be way out of date but Poipet is the biggest shithole in the world I have ever been. And I have been to Adelaide. If you enjoy seedy dens of inequity, maybe you will enjoy it but it was aimed at Thai's that wanted to gamble and run amok, not westerners (although scammers will cater to them as well, when I went through 10 years ago there was even fake border crossings to scam travelers out of the visa fees). My advice is to bust straight through to Siam Reap. The drive is not all that interesting either. I generally overland wherever I can and caught a plane to BKK from Siam Reap rather than do the drive in the reverse direction as well.
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Nov 16, 2022 09:06
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I'd just get your visa in order beforehand and fly. I wouldn't waste time in Poipet or land crossings with a shorter trip.
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Nov 16, 2022 16:39
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ok thanks yeah i think i will just go to siam reap/phnom penh. looks like there is poker in phnom penh so probably safer. any suggestion about which city to go first if i end up flying? i'm flying out of phnom penh but if there's a reason to go to PP first then siam reap i will do that.
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Nov 17, 2022 06:19
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I haven't checked, but I think more international flights to Cambodia go to Siem Reap instead of PP, simply because of the volumes of tourists flocking there. I've been to Cambodia 4-5 times now and I don't think I've ever flown into PP, though I'm sure you can!
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Nov 17, 2022 06:29
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webmeister posted:I haven't checked, but I think more international flights to Cambodia go to Siem Reap instead of PP, simply because of the volumes of tourists flocking there. I've been to Cambodia 4-5 times now and I don't think I've ever flown into PP, though I'm sure you can! I booked tickets for late December and flying to PP was much cheaper than going to Siem Reap directly. Any recommendations for things to do or see in Phnom Penh outside of the usual top10 TripAdvisor recommendations? Gonna spend a day or two there before making our way over to Siem Reap.
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Nov 17, 2022 08:38
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webmeister posted:I haven't checked, but I think more international flights to Cambodia go to Siem Reap instead of PP, simply because of the volumes of tourists flocking there. I've been to Cambodia 4-5 times now and I don't think I've ever flown into PP, though I'm sure you can! I took a flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap. During the landing when looking outside the window, I thought that huh, Siem Reap is a much bigger city than I expected. After the landing, I saw the signs, checked my GPS, and we were in Phnom Penh instead of Siem Reap! The pilot gave a long monologue, but it was only in cambodian, so I didn't understand anything. Did we fly into the wrong loving city? I mean this is cambodia, its totally believable. But after a while, half the people got up and left the plane, and new people came on board immediately afterwards. And then we took off and flew to Siem Reap. So if you pick your flight well, you can fly into Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Maybe even with same flight.
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Nov 17, 2022 09:00
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There's a goon who was living in PP who took me to a good New Years party. That's my PP story. Oh, there was also a branch of my favorite Thai karaoke chain there: Woodball. Lord knows if it's still open though.
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Nov 17, 2022 10:59
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Royal Palace Park and the adjoining bit of the riverside (Sisowath Quay) are nice in the evening (maybe just on Fridays/weekends, I don't remember) because lots of people hang out, and there's no market/tourist vibe. Lots of families. Russian Market and Wat Phnom are worth seeing. Juniper Gin Bar has a good rooftop view. I stayed away from all the genocide stuff. I wish I had done a sunset river cruise.
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Nov 17, 2022 14:03
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I've booked a really last minute trip to Bangkok + Phuket, first time going to Thailand Don't really have too many questions except I am really struggling to pick a place to stay in Bangkok! There are so many options for hotels and I have no idea how to choose, so recommendations are appreciated if you have them! (looking for a proper hotel room and not hostel, but also nothing too expensive...under $150 USD a night is fine)
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Nov 17, 2022 16:09
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I think choosing a hotel next to the rail line is smart so you can freely go anywhere. For instance wife and i stayed at Asia hotel and some small hostel that was next to the rail. Theres a lot of nice hotels along the rail
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Nov 17, 2022 16:54
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Whistling rear end in a top hat posted:I've booked a really last minute trip to Bangkok + Phuket, first time going to Thailand Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit. I used to recommend Terminal 21 hotel, but after trying this other one I think I like it more. The Terminal 21 has a bidet, though. Anyway, they are probably the most conveniently located of any hotel in Bangkok. Both of them are right next to the two main train lines. The MRT and the BTS. Basically elevated rail and underground. T21 is also adjoining the T21 mall. So if you don't feel like going outside, you can just walk right in. T21 rooms are a little bigger and have huge windows, and if you get the deluxe, come with a washing machine. Right outside and in between them is Asok station. Right outside one of the gates is Superrich, which is probably the best money exchange in Bangkok. There are multiple branches, but having one right outside the hotel is very convenient. The one thing to note, is this is smack dab in the middle of the main red light strip. T21 is right across the street from Soi Cowboy, one of the bigger gogo bar areas. And walking down Sukhumvit at night is hooker city. It can be pretty annoying. Well, assuming that isn't what you want. However, it is also in the middle of all the international stuff. What I mean is you have a street/are that is very Indian focused so has lots of restaurants. Then a few blocks the other way is tons of Japanese stuff. It's a major tourist area. Oh, the reason I like the Sheraton more is the rooms are homier and IIRC, breakfast buffet is part of the price and it is awesome. The food there is very good. I was very impressed with the quality of the buffet. They have a pricey dinner buffet, as well. I skipped that one but it looked amazing. Oh yeah, the pool area is really neat, too. T21 buffet is fine, too but not as good. You can't go wrong with either. Oh yeah, I think the Westin is the one that is just slightly further down but also has direct access to Asok station. Another Oh yeah, directly downstairs from Asok station is a really nice spa. A legit one that isn't offering extra services and stuff.
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Nov 17, 2022 20:19
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I'm going to miss Bangkok in the time of Covid. There was a real perfect string of months where the covid cases were negligible, the borders were closed, and the bars were open. Sukhumvit was way less sketchy because the foot traffic was down considerably. It's basically back to normal these days. Ah, well.
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Nov 18, 2022 00:20
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I stayed near Sukhumvit and Lumphini Park. It is right next to the Red Light District or at least one of them but personally I wouldn't let that discourage you. It can be utterly packed full of people, busy, a bit sketchy and kind of off putting seeing fat sweaty drunk fifty-year-old dudes with their tiny eighteen year old girlfriends but it's unlikely you're going to get harassed, robbed or anything. The kicker is that it is a great location, near everything, near transit, there's an enormous expat community and there's just so much cool stuff. There's the park, tons of restaurants, bars and whole sorts of different markets from India to even a whole Middle Eastern one.
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Nov 18, 2022 02:57
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For a different perspective, in 2019 I stayed at the Anantara Riverside Bangkok, which is not situated in the center of the city but there is a ferry every 30 minutes that could take you on a little cruise to a tram stop (Saphan Taksin) and that was good enough to get around the rest of the city. Just a quick google is saying it is cheaper than the Sheraton mentioned (it was maybe 150-200 a night when we went), and well...the areas it could get to by ferry seemed more family friendly if you are taking kids. They also had day-trip packages coordinated with a couple other hotels to go outside of the city (we went on a day trip to the Bridge on the River Kwai and took the old train back.)
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Nov 18, 2022 03:13
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Siem Reap: I'm planning on staying here for 2 days... I'm assuming an entire day for the temples is sufficient? I'm meeting friends there in Thailand but staying by myself so to me paying $150+/night for a hotel seems crazy. I might spend 1/2 days in a super nice hotel but otherwise I've found pretty decent places for well under that price (they seem to be near the rail lines)
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Nov 18, 2022 03:33
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One full day at Angkor may not feel sufficient. I spent two when I went, the first on a tour and the second just renting a bike and riding around on my own schedule.
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Nov 18, 2022 03:37
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I spent 2 full days and didn’t see everything. I think it depends on your interest in history, every temple is beautiful and interesting but it’s substantially the same if you aren’t interested in hearing the differences.
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Nov 18, 2022 04:06
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If you are traveling from a Western Country and have a little money to spend I seriously recommend spending a few days at 5+ Star Hotel because it's so cheap with the exchange rate. I'm not wealthy by any means but it's such a bizarre experience being catered to in every single way along with unreal food and whatever else they have available. Even the bathroom towel quality is freaking amazing.
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Nov 18, 2022 04:55
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That is absolutely correct. We stayed at viroth’s which is in the top few hotels in the world for the same amount I’ve paid for a holiday inn. I was so uncomfortable because they were adamant that if I needed a drink by the pool I should hit the remote they gave me instead of walking to the bar. I finally tried it and it sounded a hilariously loud doorbell throughout the pool area and lobby. Never again
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Nov 18, 2022 05:11
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theOctagon posted:I spent 2 full days and didn’t see everything. I think it depends on your interest in history, every temple is beautiful and interesting but it’s substantially the same if you aren’t interested in hearing the differences. Yeah I'd agree with this. If you're into history, religion, architecture etc there's a huge amount to explore around Angkor and two days is probably a good amount. But if you're interested in other stuff while travelling, or the sort of person who'll amble around the complex wondering if it's too early to start drinking, then yeah a day will be fine. theOctagon posted:That is absolutely correct. We stayed at viroth’s which is in the top few hotels in the world for the same amount I’ve paid for a holiday inn. We had a similar experience on our honeymoon in Bali. We'd splurged on a $1000/night villa that was larger than our house and had multiple swimming pools, and came complete with our own butler. Contacting him for anything, whether it was mundane stuff like a driver, fresh towels, a buggy ride across the hotel, or something more involved like dinner reservations etc felt super awkward. Sounds great in theory, but there's something hugely uncomfortable about having your own personal servant
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Nov 18, 2022 05:44
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webmeister posted:Sounds great in theory, but there's something hugely uncomfortable about having your own personal servant I can't do "five star" hotels or resorts for exactly this reason.
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Nov 20, 2022 06:14
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That seems very hypocritical to me since those 5* butlers are probably better off than most of the other people we inadvertently exploit in one or the other way when visiting poor countries
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Nov 20, 2022 07:28
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There are plenty of 5* hotels that don't have butler service. In fact, I stayed at the PH Siem Reap and got indifferent service. It was like being in America! Also, kind of weird to call service workers or helpers "servants".
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Nov 20, 2022 08:35
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Strong Sauce posted:Siem Reap: I'm planning on staying here for 2 days... I'm assuming an entire day for the temples is sufficient? Until Dec 31st, Angkor Wat has a special where you get two days for the single day pass. There's a number of temples and sites outside of the city that your pass will get you access to. A day trip to Banteay Srei Temple and Phnom Kulen would be a great use of the extra day. At least at the moment, the crowds are still exceptional small compared to pre-covid, so it's a great opportunity to really explore the place without the intense crowds that are normally there.
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Nov 21, 2022 06:42
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I think 3 days for Angkor Wat is the minimum, honestly
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Nov 23, 2022 22:18
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I wanted more than two days, but we did see an incredible number of temples in that time. Little time left to do anything else though, and it would have been nice to do a day trip outside of town.
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Nov 23, 2022 22:23
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I did a day at the Tonle Sap bird sanctuary and it was honestly one of the most amazing days of my entire life. Angkor Wat is up there too, but the sanctuary was such a beautiful and unexpected surprise.
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Nov 23, 2022 23:24
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If anyone needs a driver for Ankor I have one I highly recommend, send me a PM and I’ll give you his WhatsApp. Edit: Here is his trip advisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297390-d12414861-Reviews-Tom_Siem_Reap_TukTuk-Siem_Reap_Siem_Reap_Province.html theOctagon fucked around with this message at 17:42 on Nov 24, 2022 |
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Nov 24, 2022 00:44
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Mandalay posted:There are plenty of 5* hotels that don't have butler service. In fact, I stayed at the PH Siem Reap and got indifferent service. It was like being in America! This-- it's an old term, like calling flight attendants "stewardesses". webmeister posted:We had a similar experience on our honeymoon in Bali. We'd splurged on a $1000/night villa that was larger than our house and had multiple swimming pools, and came complete with our own butler. Contacting him for anything, whether it was mundane stuff like a driver, fresh towels, a buggy ride across the hotel, or something more involved like dinner reservations etc felt super awkward. Sounds great in theory, but there's something hugely uncomfortable about having your own personal servant At a certain level of service, I agree, that it becomes just too intrusive. Many of the functions of the hotel concierge and butlers have gone away with the internet and phone: when was the last time you asked them for advice on where to eat, what to see, where to go? Most people have read about a place quite a bit before they even arrive. Another peeve of mine is aggressive bellhops: while I understand that many are doing this to get tips, if I have just a small light carry-on I'd rather not let it leave my hands so please stop trying to grab it from me.
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Nov 29, 2022 16:56
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I'm planning a trip to Southeast Asia in January and I would appreciate any thoughts on our itinerary. I have just over four weeks to spend in the area and would like to make the most of it. So far we just have flights to and from the US booked. Arrive in Singapore. Singapore - 4 nights Luang Prabang, Laos - 3 nights Sa Pa, Vietnam- 3 nights (thinking we need to switch this out.. just realizing it is very cold this time of year...) Hoi An, Vietnam - 3 nights Hoi Chi Minh, Vietnam - 2 nights Siem Reap, Cambodia - 3 nights Railay Beach, Thailand - 4 nights Koh Tao, Thailand - 3 nights Bangkok, Thailand - 3 nights Fly out of Bankok. Nothing is locked down (other than Singapore hotel), so open to any suggestions. While we also like the idea of being flexible while we are there, is there a list of things we must book in advance before we arrive?
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Nov 30, 2022 03:50
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Stochastic posted:I'm planning a trip to Southeast Asia in January and I would appreciate any thoughts on our itinerary. I have just over four weeks to spend in the area and would like to make the most of it. So far we just have flights to and from the US booked. That's a really high travel-to-chill ratio, imo. I'd cut down on the number of places and spend more time in the ones I kept. But I find airports really stressful. I seriously hope you aren't planning to bus between places, because that would make for even less quality time in destinations.
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Nov 30, 2022 03:58
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I really love Railay but 4 nights there is a lot. It's a very small little place. And going from there to Koh Tao is a major pain that'll eat up almost a full day with travel. I'd either pick something else to pair with Railay on the Andaman side instead of Koh Tao and cut at least one night off there (Phuket, Phi Phi, Ko Lanta are all on that side) or scrap Railay and go to Phangan or Samui instead - those would make more sense logistically to travel between. I really like Phangan. Beautiful island that has a lot lot more to it than full moon party nonsense. That'd be my recommendation - cut out Railay, go to Phangan and Tao.
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Nov 30, 2022 04:27
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I also agree that you're trying to fit in too much on that time - especially since travel between a lot of those places won't be quick But I did even worse on my first trip to Asia. Went to like 6 countries in 4 weeks, hah. It does at least give you a tiny taste of each place and gives you an idea of where you'd like to go back to more in the future. Hard to convince people to chill more and stop skipping around so much. Chiang Mai also might be a good alternative to Sapa for you. Mountains, lots of culture, beautiful surroundings. Would be easy to travel there from Vietnam or Laos too and easy to travel from there to the islands in Thailand or Bangkok
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Nov 30, 2022 04:30
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Yeah, agree with the other points above - there's too many flights and long distance journeys on that itinerary. You can make something like that work in Europe where flights are frequent and more affordable, distances are a bit shorter, and things are generally more reliable. But trying to pin down a tight itinerary like that in SEA is going to be a stressful experience. Just one example: the only direct way from Luang Prabang to Sapa is a 31-hour bus that goes via Hanoi anyway: https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Luang-Prabang/Sapa I'd also point out that land border crossings (outside Europe, obviously) can often be a colossal pain in the arse. Especially if you're on some form of public transport. The queues are usually worse than airports, and it's a lot easier for immigration police to turn you around (there's less scrutiny than in an airport, which leads to other problems too). Personally I'd cut probably 2 and maybe 3 destinations out of your itinerary. For example, a typical trip to Vietnam is about two weeks - that gives you a few days in Saigon, a few days in Hue/Hoi An, a few days in Hanoi, and a couple of days for Ha Long Bay (or the same in reverse order). Overland travel within Vietnam is actually pretty organised and well touristed (frequent long distance buses, and trains too). So that plus your 4 nights in Singapore leaves you with about 10 days to play with. Head to Thailand and do a few days in Bangkok, then choose between a few days in Chiang Mai (temples/culture etc), or the islands (chilling or partying) - though I wouldn't try more than one island with just a few days available. I totally get the temptation to pack in as many countries and/or highlights as possible into your trip (especially if you're coming from the opposite side of the world and the biggest expense is your initial airfares), but I think most people realise the more they travel, they have better experiences staying places for a bit longer. edit; forgot to add - I'd definitely take out Luang Prabang from the itinerary regardless. It's a nice city, very laid back and has a few cool things to see, but IMO it's a long way down the list of top destinations in SEA. webmeister fucked around with this message at 05:18 on Nov 30, 2022 |
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Nov 30, 2022 05:14
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I just got back from Vietnam. The e-visa system requires you to specify airport/point of entry and exit. If you get an embassy visa or visa-on-arrival there is more flexibility about locations. In summary: check all the visas required for that trip asap.
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Dec 1, 2022 08:02
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I'll be flying into BKK in January and then heading on to Krabi from DMK the next morning. Is Bangkok the usual SEA deal of walking out of the airport area to get a cab at not ripoff prices? Can i pick up a local prepaid sim with decent data at the airport or do i need to hit up a particular store? Also, does Thailand still have that weird thing where its way cheaper to withdraw in a bank via debit withdrawals than it is using an ATM? I remember it being a thing that all the backpackers complained about in Manila when i lived there. I'll be spending most of my vacation on Koh Lanta to sit on the beach and chill, anyone know of any must see spots or experiences I should hit while I'm there? Cynic Jester fucked around with this message at 01:52 on Dec 4, 2022 |
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Dec 4, 2022 01:50
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Cynic Jester posted:I'll be flying into BKK in January and then heading on to Krabi from DMK the next morning. Is Bangkok the usual SEA deal of walking out of the airport area to get a cab at not ripoff prices? Can i pick up a local prepaid sim with decent data at the airport or do i need to hit up a particular store? Just follow the signs down into the basement of the airport. There are big long queues for taxis, but it's all metered + an airport surcharge of like 50 baht. Assuming your phone is unlocked, yes you can just pick up a simcard at the airport. I've never withdrawn money either way as I either just bring cash with me or get paid in the local currency.
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Dec 4, 2022 02:12
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Cynic Jester posted:I'll be flying into BKK in January and then heading on to Krabi from DMK the next morning. Is Bangkok the usual SEA deal of walking out of the airport area to get a cab at not ripoff prices? Can i pick up a local prepaid sim with decent data at the airport or do i need to hit up a particular store? Instead of a taxi, you can go to the basement level of the airport and take a train to the city for 50 baht. All Thai ATMs add 220 THB fee if you are using a foreign card for withdrawal. I just take out the maximum 30k baht once and pay it. Only other options for cash is to either get a Thai bank account or to take enough cash with you when coming, and change it(you will probably get a better rate if you bring dollars/euros with you and exchange them into baht in SuperRich than taking money out of the ATMs. You can get prepaid and tourist SIMs in the airport, or just walk into any AIS/dtac/Truestores and they will set it up for you.
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Dec 4, 2022 07:40
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Here's my customary post to tell people that if you travel at all to get a Charles schwab checking/debit account. Costs nothing, no minimum balance, and they reimburse all atm fees worldwide. Doesn't matter if an atm in Vegas charges you 15 dollars or one in Bangkok charges 7. Makes things simple - I've used it in probably 40 countries by now. Edit: I also had an atm machine eat my card in Vietnam earlier this year. They express shipped me a new card from the usa - it arrived 3 days later. And they didn't charge me for it. Boola fucked around with this message at 02:53 on Dec 5, 2022 |
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Dec 5, 2022 02:33
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i'm in bangkok. bring your real passport to buy a sim card. do not be me and bring a photo copy and then have to contemplate going back to my hotel or not. edit: if you're going to exchange money at a superrich, the one at terminal 21 had huge lines saturday and sunday. Strong Sauce fucked around with this message at 03:59 on Dec 5, 2022 |
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Dec 5, 2022 03:57
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