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I like rose apples.
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Nov 24, 2023 02:35
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They’re great yeah. Even my dog loves them.
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Nov 24, 2023 14:16
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Rose apples looked incredibly exciting but were only ok. The salt/sugar sprinkle made them nicer though! Also didn't eat a mangosteen in the right bit of the world because I could only ever find them in sacks, and I didn't think I'd get through a sack of them in a few days. Next time... The little mini bananas were a crazy texture and our surprise at this really amused a woman in a restaurant, so that was cute all round.
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Nov 24, 2023 16:43
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How do I say "I'm glad Henry Kissinger is dead" in Cambodian (Khmer? I don't actually know the proper name for the language), looking to make some local friends if my MIL actually schedules a trip there while I'm visiting in a few weeks.
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Nov 30, 2023 16:47
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A few years back I visited BKK in mid November and the weather was awesome. Mid 80s, low 70s at night. Locals were complaining that it was cold. It wasn't overly humid. I'll be there next week and looking at the weather it looks like poo poo. Mid 90s. Hooray. Is BKK in the middle of an odd heatwave? I know it's not out of the normal for it to be in the 90s but isn't December usually the coolest time of the year? Did I just get hosed by the global climate monster? Not that I mind the heat, I was just looking forward to it not being oppressive during the day.
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Dec 6, 2023 00:10
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Looks like you're getting weather a few degrees celsius above the december norm and you got weather a few degrees below the november norm on your previous visit. Nothing that crazy either way. Average high in december is 32, its predicting hitting highs of 34/35 next week. Bad luck this time.
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Dec 6, 2023 00:28
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Looking like I'm going to Bangkok/Vietnam. I have never been to Vietnam. Everyone online recommends 3 days in both cities with maybe 1 additional day in Hanoi if you want to do Ha Long Bay.. I'll probably have to do 2.5 2.5+1. Does that sound fine for each city? (2-3 days)
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Dec 6, 2023 11:35
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Strong Sauce posted:Looking like I'm going to Bangkok/Vietnam. I have never been to Vietnam. Everyone online recommends 3 days in both cities with maybe 1 additional day in Hanoi if you want to do Ha Long Bay.. I'll probably have to do 2.5 2.5+1. Does that sound fine for each city? (2-3 days) Yeah, both cities are very walkable (well, you might have fun getting use to crossing busy streets your first day) and its easy to see the main sights and get a feel for them in 2-3 days each. Obviously more time would be more enjoyable or having time to visit somewhere else in the country too would be preferred but if that's what you got that's what you got - its doable to visit both in that time frame and both cities have a unique vibe compared to the other.
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Dec 6, 2023 13:53
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That's what I did, and I felt like it was enough. HCMC: Two museums, shopping at malls/markets, night walking streets, spa time, plenty of eating Hanoi: One museum, food tour, partying in the old quarter, street festival, some shopping, spa time, lots more eating Ha Long Bay is fine. I liked Ninh Binh better.
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Dec 6, 2023 16:17
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C-Euro posted:How do I say "I'm glad Henry Kissinger is dead" in Cambodian (Khmer? I don't actually know the proper name for the language), looking to make some local friends if my MIL actually schedules a trip there while I'm visiting in a few weeks. I live in Cambodia. I mentioned his death to my Cambodian friends and they were confused why I was happy someone died. I explained how he was involved in the American bombings. They didn't understand. Their parents had been in Phenom Penh at the time as refugees from the civil war. Their father fought against the Khmer Rouge and died in the genocide. The Americans were killing Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese communists who were their enemies. The Americans were sending rice to Phenom Penh to feed them. Why should I be happy that an American died? C-Euro posted:How do I say "I'm glad Henry Kissinger is dead" in Cambodian Khnyom sabay jet Henry Kissinger ban slap howie. JasonV fucked around with this message at 12:29 on Dec 7, 2023 |
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Dec 7, 2023 11:49
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And then in the 80s after Vietnam had invaded the US backed the Khmer Rouge and stoked a continued civil war for years
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Dec 7, 2023 13:33
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It’s such a US-centric thing to visit another country and attempt to connect with the locals by discussing some American politician. Even if someone thinks Kissinger did war crimes they probably don’t care about him the way you do. Don’t be a bad overseas American.
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Dec 7, 2023 16:58
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Get into a conversation about Hitler instead
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Dec 7, 2023 17:09
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Vegetable posted:It’s such a US-centric thing to visit another country and attempt to connect with the locals by discussing some American politician. Even if someone thinks Kissinger did war crimes they probably don’t care about him the way you do. Don’t be a bad overseas American. When I was in Cambodia having a Coke with a tuk tuk driver he pulled out his phone and started playing 9/11 footage for me, so maybe it goes both ways
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Dec 7, 2023 17:13
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Vegetable posted:It’s such a US-centric thing to visit another country and attempt to connect with the locals by discussing some American politician. Even if someone thinks Kissinger did war crimes they probably don’t care about him the way you do. Don’t be a bad overseas American. My wife and I did a wedding ceremony in Thailand for her family in the lame duck period between Trump getting elected and sworn into office, and her great uncle tried to start a "let's give him a chance and see what happens" conversation with me and a couple of my family members lol. But also, point taken on not bothering unassuming Cambodians with my takes.
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Dec 7, 2023 17:48
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Fitzy Fitz posted:And then in the 80s after Vietnam had invaded the US backed the Khmer Rouge and stoked a continued civil war for years The same family I know has some members who fought with the Khmer Rouge through the 1980s-1990s. Cambodian history is complicated. JasonV fucked around with this message at 02:10 on Dec 8, 2023 |
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Dec 8, 2023 02:06
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When I was in Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat I also wandered into a bar one night that was associated with one of the demining/UXO disposal NGOs. They had Pol Pot’s toilet seat framed on the wall, apparently after he died everybody nearby descended on his house to swipe his stuff as souvenirs and someone they knew had taken the seat off the toilet. Anyway I admit I did think of that bar again after the Kissinger news and I bet there was at least a cheer in that place at the news.
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Dec 10, 2023 07:36
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Waltzing Along posted:
Checked into the Sheraton Four Points last night and thanks for the excellent recommendation. Sitting at the breakfast buffet now and it's indeed awesome.
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Dec 11, 2023 03:37
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So, tipping and manners in BKK. I'm trying to make sure I'm not unknowingly an rear end in a top hat tourist. It's my first full day here, and I've got some questions. About to leave the hotel to explore. Everyone here keeps wai'ing to me. How deep a wai back is normal? My hands are usually full, so I've been doing a head nod with a little bit of a bow. This about right? I think I'm returning it at about the same angle. I assume I shouldn't go around wai'ing everyone I meet, but generally polite to return them? Reading up on tipping and poo poo is all over the place about how much. Tipped my taxi driver from the airport to Sukhumvit last night 100thb, which was apparently a little excessive? Breakfast was the (awesome) hotel buffet. It's included in my room, so I left 20thb on the table. I'm gathering tipping street food stalls is unnecessary, and stuff like a Thai massage is not expected but nice -- 100thb? More? I'm also getting tattooed at a shop towards the end of the trip, and it'll be a pretty substantial piece, 12k-15k the or so. What's an appropriate tip? I normally give my guy at home (US) $50-$75 per session and try to end up tipping in the 20-25% range. Aim for the same range? I'm very aware that pay here is at a much lower scale than it is at home, and with the exchange rate and my budget I can certainly afford to be generous, I just don't want to be too weird  . I was also in the service industry for 20+ years, so I naturally over- tip because I know exactly how it goes in the industry.
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Dec 11, 2023 04:57
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I found that Thai nationals tip much less than I do. Their expectation for a Taxi ride was like 40 baht maximum for a tip at times when I was thinking 50-100 (depending on fare). When you use food delivery services sometimes the tip on a 12 US dollar meal is like 20 cents or something. For me, I tip what I am comfortable tipping. If you mess up and tip too much, we're talking a dollar or two at most for most things. I overtipped on the delivery guy for Shoppee and he went out of his way later to get us an order before we left the country. There is no worst case for overtipping unless you can't afford it.
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Dec 11, 2023 05:28
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I kinda think if you’re at least a middle-class American, you should tip at least 200 baht for things that involve a non-trivial amount of work. It’s no money to you, but it’s a week of meals for these folks. Thailand attracts plenty of miserly tourists so it’s not like they’re swimming in tips. Tip even more if service is great — and it so frequently is. Also you should absolutely tip your masseurs. I feel embarrassed at the idea of having someone touch your gross body for an hour and not giving them a little something for it. Remember that even jf you pay like 750 for a premium massage, very little of it goes to the person working on you. It all goes to enrich the proprietor. So tip.
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Dec 11, 2023 05:55
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ExplodingChef posted:Checked into the Sheraton Four Points last night and thanks for the excellent recommendation. Sitting at the breakfast buffet now and it's indeed awesome. Not the one I recommended. I'm sure it is nice, but it's the Sheraton Grande that I had been to. It's quite a bit costlier and probably nicer, too.
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Dec 11, 2023 06:05
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Vegetable posted:I kinda think if you’re at least a middle-class American, you should tip at least 200 baht for things that involve a non-trivial amount of work. It’s no money to you, but it’s a week of meals for these folks. Thailand attracts plenty of miserly tourists so it’s not like they’re swimming in tips. Tip even more if service is great — and it so frequently is.
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Dec 11, 2023 06:38
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For taxis I'd normally just let them keep the change if it made sense. Like if its 170 give them 200 and leave. I'd often give 100 baht extra if it was a busy time and they didn't try to pull any shenanigans with not using the meter, asking for more, etc. If they did any of those things and tried to scam/pull a falang tax, zero tip. Food delivery I'd usually give 50 or 100 baht depending on the order and they'd be super happy with that.
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Dec 11, 2023 14:50
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Holy poo poo are there weed stores everywhere. This is loving insanity.
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Dec 15, 2023 09:51
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Waltzing Along posted:Holy poo poo are there weed stores everywhere. This is loving insanity. Yeah everyone was selling weed in Thailand when I was there in March. Also pretty strong stuff for an occasional user like me. Ask me about zoning out for hours on a beach 
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Dec 15, 2023 09:57
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They legalized weed to distract from all the political chicanery going on. Another bullshit lese majeste case just got prosecuted. Six years imprisonment for an opposition politician.
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Dec 15, 2023 10:14
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Vegetable posted:They legalized weed to distract from all the political chicanery going on. Another bullshit lese majeste case just got prosecuted. Six years imprisonment for an opposition politician. Yeah, makes sense; I also guess it keeps the tourists coming in.
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Dec 15, 2023 10:36
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Vegetable posted:They legalized weed to distract from all the political chicanery going on. Another bullshit lese majeste case just got prosecuted. Six years imprisonment for an opposition politician. LOL, no. TIT. Complete legalisation of weed wasn't something that was planned at all. Just incompetence and fuckup when passing laws. Vegetable posted:Also you should absolutely tip your masseurs. I feel embarrassed at the idea of having someone touch your gross body for an hour and not giving them a little something for it. Is everything okay there, buddy? the heat goes wrong fucked around with this message at 10:55 on Dec 15, 2023 |
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Dec 15, 2023 10:52
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Heat + Humidity + weed just sounds awful.
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Dec 15, 2023 11:02
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Anyway I’ll be back in Thailand in February, planning to spend four nights each in Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Koh Samui—so we’ll see the whole length of the country I guess. I’ve been to the other two already, so does anyone have advice for Koh Samui?
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Dec 15, 2023 11:09
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If you want a massage that's not dodgy then Wat Pho and some other temples offer this service. Basically, if pedestrians can see you, then it's actually just a massage. If it's behind intricately carved doors with no windows then make sure you are only carrying exactly enough cash for what you want. What you want. What you want.
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Dec 15, 2023 11:09
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the heat goes wrong posted:LOL, no. TIT. Complete legalisation of weed wasn't something that was planned at all. Just incompetence and fuckup when passing laws. The story if I'm not mistaken was that during covid they were trying to think up new revenue streams since tourism was not bringing in cash (for obvious reasons) and they decided to exploit medical marijuana as a new industry, accidentally legalising recreational weed and thus resulting in a huge influx of weed stores (which in turn a large number died without fanfare when people became more knowledgeable and stopped being interested in low quality strains, and there's also the whole weird thing for a time where Singapore travelers get tested for weed in changi airport and thus less Singaporeans were as enthused in it). I think there may be proposed changes to re - illegalize recreational weed again? I'm not very up to date on this but I know it was absolutely not to do with distracting people from abuse in the l' majeste law.
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Dec 15, 2023 11:26
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The Saddest Rhino posted:The story if I'm not mistaken was that during covid they were trying to think up new revenue streams since tourism was not bringing in cash (for obvious reasons) and they decided to exploit medical marijuana as a new industry, accidentally legalising recreational weed and thus resulting in a huge influx of weed stores (which in turn a large number died without fanfare when people became more knowledgeable and stopped being interested in low quality strains, and there's also the whole weird thing for a time where Singapore travelers get tested for weed in changi airport and thus less Singaporeans were as enthused in it). I think there may be proposed changes to re - illegalize recreational weed again? I'm not very up to date on this but I know it was absolutely not to do with distracting people from abuse in the l' majeste law. We know something is in the works, but we're not entirely sure just what at the moment. There are elements of the rulings parties that want it illegal again, there are religious elements that agree, but there are enough people making enough money that going whole-hog prohibition may be a bridge too far for some. I think it likely it will fall under the umbrella regulations of alcohol: sales between certain hours, banned retail within so many meters of a school, no sales during elections and Buddhist holidays, etc.
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Dec 15, 2023 14:15
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Going to Myanmar between Christmas and New Year. Does anyone know if they have esims for tourists? My current provider doesn't offer a roaming package for MM 
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Dec 17, 2023 15:26
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Can't answer your question: I'm just genuinely curious how safe you feel traveling to Myanmar right now. I know they're not out to get tourists and that Yangon is supposed to be relatively safe, but it seems like an incredibly unstable situation that could swing either way at any time.
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Dec 17, 2023 16:36
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Atlas Hugged posted:Can't answer your question: I'm just genuinely curious how safe you feel traveling to Myanmar right now. I know they're not out to get tourists and that Yangon is supposed to be relatively safe, but it seems like an incredibly unstable situation that could swing either way at any time.
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Dec 17, 2023 17:00
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BabyFur Denny posted:Going to Myanmar between Christmas and New Year. Does anyone know if they have esims for tourists? My current provider doesn't offer a roaming package for MM Looks like alosim has esims available for myanmar. I've used them in a bunch of places and haven't gad issues but not there.
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Dec 17, 2023 18:46
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BabyFur Denny posted:Yeah we're both planning to stay in/around Yangon. We've never been which makes it a bit more interesting than all the other destinations around here. But yeah there is a slight feeling of uneasiness I used to travel to conflict areas as part of my job and despite media attention, they mostly are long lulls followed by periods of fighting. I had whole trips where I didn't hear or experience anything dangerous. That said, the Junta is losing. The rebels have basically unlimited chinese financial support and are winning territory. Visiting now outside of explicitly seeing family on utterly important business seems weird. The government of Myanmar no longer controls massive swaths of its own border and could conceivably collapse due less to fighting and more a dissolution of the existing military hierarchy. A completely realistic scenario could be visiting on a Friday, and the complete collapse of the Junta, with no clear central government by Sunday. Shammypants fucked around with this message at 20:30 on Dec 17, 2023 |
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Dec 17, 2023 20:27
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With legal weed is there is good place for tourists to consume in Thailand? When I was there most hotels banned smoking and I don't think you can light up a joint in public places.
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Dec 18, 2023 00:35
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