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Yeah initial reports look bad to worse.
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Feb 1, 2021 09:07
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A few years ago, the wife and I went to Thailand, and had a great time. In the big touristy market in Chiang Mai, we stumbled across a stand selling wooden carved, cat like penis beasts. It was a penis, but with legs and a tail like a cat. After debate, we realized that we didn't have space in our bags for one, and have regretted it ever since. I have tried all manner of Google searches to find something similar for sale, but to no avail. Does anyone in this thread know what I'm talking about, and able to point me in the right direction? Hell, if someone is in Chiang Mai, I'd be willing to make a deal on getting one shipped. I know this is an odd requests, but it's been bothering us for a few years, and it seems like travel will be out of the question for a while yet.
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Feb 4, 2021 04:01
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I can only imagine the horrors you've seen googling for "wooden cat penis" 
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Feb 4, 2021 04:22
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webmeister posted:I can only imagine the horrors you've seen googling for "wooden cat penis" It's been...traumatic at times. The things we do for love, though.
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Feb 4, 2021 04:23
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Imasalmon posted:A few years ago, the wife and I went to Thailand, and had a great time. In the big touristy market in Chiang Mai, we stumbled across a stand selling wooden carved, cat like penis beasts. It was a penis, but with legs and a tail like a cat. After debate, we realized that we didn't have space in our bags for one, and have regretted it ever since. Ah yes, the elusive woody pussy prick Cmon man draw us a picture
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Feb 4, 2021 06:17
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Imasalmon posted:A few years ago, the wife and I went to Thailand, and had a great time. In the big touristy market in Chiang Mai, we stumbled across a stand selling wooden carved, cat like penis beasts. It was a penis, but with legs and a tail like a cat. After debate, we realized that we didn't have space in our bags for one, and have regretted it ever since. These are also a traditional thing in Roman culture. Potentially NSFW, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascinus Especially the third one under the "Public religion" heading.
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Feb 4, 2021 14:13
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Saladman posted:These are also a traditional thing in Roman culture. Yes, it was like that one under "public religion", but with no wings. Awesome, let me start googling Fascinus!
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Feb 4, 2021 14:52
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 Nsfw: 
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Feb 5, 2021 08:04
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I'm considering relocating to Bangkok when my lease here in Southern California expires. I work remotely but on a set schedule that would have me work from essentially 10:30 PM to 6 AM in Thailand. I don't think this would be a permanent move for myself, just maybe for 6 months to a year but does anyone here work a remote work schedule like that in Southeast Asia? And how do you like it? The condo we have is owned by my grandparents and as such I wouldn't have to pay any rent, just other living expenses so it's looking super appealing right now.
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Feb 18, 2021 16:41
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birds posted:I'm considering relocating to Bangkok when my lease here in Southern California expires. I work remotely but on a set schedule that would have me work from essentially 10:30 PM to 6 AM in Thailand. Have you considered visa issues? Do you need the Special Tourist Visa? Are normal Tourist Visas being given out already? Will they let you in as an American? Do you have a copy of the condo deed prepared?
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Feb 18, 2021 17:20
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the heat goes wrong posted:Have you considered visa issues? Do you need the Special Tourist Visa? Are normal Tourist Visas being given out already? Will they let you in as an American? Do you have a copy of the condo deed prepared? I have a Thai passport. But this would also be for sometime next spring as my current lease is good through then.
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Feb 18, 2021 17:50
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I have thought about doing it for a year or so, but the hours have kept me from doing it. In the past I was able to shift my work hours via flex time to something different, but if your job doesn't allow it then you have to think really hard about how important the 12pm to 8pm or 9pm to 10am hours are to you. I think those are the hours Bangkok is really enjoyable. Of course you will still have the weekends so maybe it doesn't matter as much.
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Feb 18, 2021 20:32
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Shammypants posted:Absolutely will not happen for a year at least. What is happening is more hotels are getting subsidies to facilitate quarantines so that Thailand and other countries can get increasing levels of tourism, particularly from people working entirely remotely. They also changed the multiyear work and visitor visas so that executive and investor and other visas can be acquired for employees/individuals making half as much money as before. https://thepointsguy.com/news/thailand-plans-to-waive-quarantine-requirements-for-vaccinated-travelers/ Not totally clear when exactly Thailand will let in vaccinated people without having to quarantine, but maybe Fall. Hopefully sooner depending on how vaccines go over the next few months. Got a big Asia trip planned for June (it's the only month I can take a multi-week vacation due to other obligations) which is looking less and less likely by the day even though I'll be vaccinated, but still holding out hope. Otherwise I guess will reschedule yet again and hope for June 2022. Water Resistant fucked around with this message at 06:34 on Feb 25, 2021 |
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Feb 25, 2021 06:31
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vaguely planning another trip to southeast asia for after we get vaccines, weve been to thailand before for 1 month but my wife and i want to go back mostly for the food (i really love isan and lao food especially). last time we were in thailand we hung out on koh sichang for a few weeks and it was great is thailand still peaceful mostly or is it becoming more grim than before? id also consider vietnam but i read it's really scammy, we went to morocco once and it was not a good time because of the constant hassling and harassment, is vietnam like this? what about laos and cambodia? id like to see more of the area but still be fairly comfortable throughout
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Feb 25, 2021 07:12
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Shibawanko posted:vaguely planning another trip to southeast asia for after we get vaccines, weve been to thailand before for 1 month but my wife and i want to go back mostly for the food (i really love isan and lao food especially). last time we were in thailand we hung out on koh sichang for a few weeks and it was great As far as I know Thailand didn't change a lot, at least for tourists, but who knows how it'll evolve after the pandemic. Although I guess that with so many people living from tourism, they'll figure something out. Vietnam is fine, never been scammed or hassled there, or at least I didn't notice. Only by the taxi drivers but this is a constant around the world, anyways just use Grab or Uber. Definitely not like Morocco. Otherwise I loved Vietnam, beautiful country, people are quite friendly and polite but not in an over the top way which I guess throws people off that are used to Thailand or Bali with the constant smiling and bowing. Food is delicious but very different from Thailand, somewhat closer to Chinese cuisine. Also it is way more developed than I was expecting. Cambodia and Laos I haven't been, but from what I heard Cambodia has loads of hidden gems to offer but is in a kind of wild west state with regards to tourism, and Laos is more of a laid-back place with less must-see attractions and more jungle-trekking.
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Feb 25, 2021 09:58
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Chikimiki posted:As far as I know Thailand didn't change a lot, at least for tourists, but who knows how it'll evolve after the pandemic. Although I guess that with so many people living from tourism, they'll figure something out. thanks, yeah i read it was scammy on wikitravel but i guess that was exaggerated, my impression was that vietnam was a pretty easy going place in terms of public behavior but i wanted to make sure i just want to sit in a white plastic chair on the banks of the mekong or on some beach and drink beer lao and eat som tam
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Feb 25, 2021 10:29
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I'm in Thailand now. It still seems like the same country to me outside of the places that rely completely on tourism like Phuket, Samui, etc. Those places and the country as a whole don't seem grim - it's actually amazing right now if you don't mind the lack of nightlife due to the zero crowds, pristine beaches, and super low prices - it's just very sad for all of the businesses that have been shuttered. I do think things will start to bounce back fairly quickly once vaccinated tourists are allowed in again, but that'll probably be in the third quarter of this year at the earliest. My fairly limited experience in Vietnam (two 1 month long trips) was that scams were very prevalent in the south and nonexistent in the mid to northern parts of the country. There was not a day that went by when I was in areas within spitting distance of HCMC that someone tried to pull something like not zeroing out the gas pump, having a rigged taxi meter, etc. Definitely use grab instead of hailing taxis and keep your guard up - you'll be fine - most "scams" are just trying to get a few more bucks out of you anyway. There's a lot of beauty in the country and, similar to Thailand, it's setup to easily travel from place to place and have high levels of comfort on the cheap. My personal preference is Thai food over Vietnamese, but I never got bored of it while there and definitely enjoyed experiencing the different specialties of each region as I traveled around. Laos is very laid back and a lot more conservative compared to Thailand. I love Luang Prabang. Definitely definitely make a trip there if drinking Beer Laos and eating somtam on the Mekong is your jam (beer Laos seems a lot harder to find in Thailand right now actually, sadly - my friend who has a business importing/exporting goods from Laos and use to sell me the large bottles for a dollar each can't even get her hands on any). The other places I've been to in Laos I could take or leave. Cambodia you'll definitely feel the poverty and third world status a lot more while there, but it's been one of my favorite countries that I've traveled to in the world. I really want to go back once things open up again to spend more time there. If nothing else, taking 5-7 days to see Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are worth the detour and something you'll never forget.
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Feb 25, 2021 10:56
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I've been living in Ho Chi Minh for over 2 years and I don't think it's scammy at all. I can think of maybe one time here I was scammed, when a petrol station guy overcharged me by something less than a dollar. I did get scammed in a taxi in Ha Noi though because I didn't know which ones were ok. Grab is always good, in HCMC regular Vina Sun and Mai Linh cabs are also trustworthy and won't scam you
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Feb 25, 2021 11:17
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Yeah I've been to Vietnam a few times and I honestly wouldn't call it scammy at all. Just keep your "developing world radar" switched on and treat everything with a degree of scepticism. Personally I'd say the tourist areas of Thailand are worse for semi-scam stuff, like the "free tuk-tuk tour of Bangkok" guys, or trying to get a non-mafia taxi in places like Phuket. Seconding the rec for Luang Prabang, it's super chilled out and you can just drink beer and watch the river all day if you want. There's some nice old colonial buildings, and the monks have a procession every morning where the locals donate rice. Last time there we actually arrived two days before some major boating regatta, so we extended our stay a bit longer to watch the competition. No idea what was going on, but the locals were fully into it. Cambodia has some cool stuff too, though yeah it's definitely a bit more wild west than its neighbours. Don't skip on Angkor, give yourself a couple of days at least, though personally I found the sunrise a bit overrated.
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Feb 25, 2021 12:45
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I wonder how recent political events from Thailand putting people in jail for insulting criticizing the Royal Family to HK Protesters being swooped up at night will impact travel. I was thinking about checking out Macau and HK but now I'm thinking twice. 
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Feb 25, 2021 22:59
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Crosby B. Alfred posted:I wonder how recent political events from Thailand putting people in jail for insulting criticizing the Royal Family to HK Protesters being swooped up at night will impact travel. I was thinking about checking out Macau and HK but now I'm thinking twice. I wouldn't worry about it particularly, unless you're a journalist or political activist, or going to be hanging out with dissidents. Just stay away from protests.
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Feb 26, 2021 01:06
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There are absolutely scammers in Vietnam tourist areas. Both the garden variety of pressuring you to buy stuff (ladies walking around with postcards) to pick pocketing (usually two or three in tandem in crowded areas such as Ben Thanh) to other scams (one guy will see your shoe is torn and try to repair it while his friend chatting you up etc). Worldly knowledge and firm "no" is important.
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Feb 26, 2021 03:42
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I've been in Thailand for years now and other than a lot of my favorite dive bars dying, it's a pretty ok place to be at the moment if you're not involved in local politics. Other than wearing masks in public it's more or less back to normal.
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Feb 26, 2021 04:52
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Water Resistant posted:https://thepointsguy.com/news/thailand-plans-to-waive-quarantine-requirements-for-vaccinated-travelers/ I would expect the quarantine requirement for everyone, including those with vaccines, will persist until there is concrete evidence that vaccinations stop transmission. The major vaccines (they're the only ones I've been paying attention to) reduce the chance of viral infection turning into the disease, but I think we are yet to discover anything concrete about vaccines reducing transmissibility. They might not - we might need a second or third-generation vaccine for that to happen, or it might never happen. Early evidence suggests there is some reduction in transmissibility but it needs more study. June 2022 is looking more likely than June 2021... Edit: improved testing will probably help reduce the need for mandatory quarantine, too. Finch! fucked around with this message at 02:41 on Mar 10, 2021 |
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Mar 9, 2021 23:10
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Apparently my sister-in-law, who was staying with us until flying back to home to Thailand back in July, is now coming back to the States here to finish her degree and then work for a year, possibly living with us too?  I hope she can go back to Thailand if she can't find a job here
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Mar 9, 2021 23:22
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Finch! posted:I would expect the quarantine requirement for everyone, including those with vaccines, will persist until there is concrete evidence that vaccinations stop transmission. The major vaccines (they're the only ones I've been paying attention to) reduce the chance of viral infection turning into the disease, but I think we are yet to discover anything concrete about vaccines reducing transmissibility. They might not - we might need a second or third-generation vaccine for that to happen, or it might never happen. There are early studies that show extremely promising results that vaccines greatly reduce transmission. And most scientists expect that it will, they just don't know the exact number. https://www.reuters.com/article/hea...n-idUSKBN2AJ08J From everything I've read I'm very optimistic, but ultimately it'll come down to case counts and just how quickly Thailand can get their population vaccinated. Agree that June won't happen, but Phuket wants tourists by October: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-02/are-you-vaccinated-if-so-phuket-wants-you-there-by-october
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Mar 11, 2021 04:42
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I see Thailand is about to shorten quarantine to 10 days. I'm sure that will make a big difference when the average stay is 7. I wonder when they will drop it entirely for vaccinated people.
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Mar 20, 2021 03:20
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Waltzing Along posted:I see Thailand is about to shorten quarantine to 10 days. I'm sure that will make a big difference when the average stay is 7. I wonder when they will drop it entirely for vaccinated people. Plenty of people will stay for 3 weeks to a month as telework is still a thing, people want to visit relatives etc. I want to stay for ~30 days like usual for work and what not, but 10 days is still a bit prohibitive.
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Mar 20, 2021 17:54
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Looks like 7/1 Phuket will be open to the vaccinated w/ no quarantine. 7 day quarantine in other locations soon. Maybe later this year the whole place will be open if you are vaccinated.
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Mar 28, 2021 01:20
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They are calling it no quarantine but it's still quarantine.. you can't leave designated zones. You can't go to bangkok. You have to use their tracking App. You can go outside and down designated roads and what not but that's.. quarantine.
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Mar 29, 2021 18:19
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How is Singapore looking? Am considering rebooking my trip for October or so.
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Mar 30, 2021 02:08
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BizarroAzrael posted:How is Singapore looking? Am considering rebooking my trip for October or so. Right now getting in is tricky. Especially if you come from one of the western shitholes where the virus is still running rampant. Inside, there has been a total of 1 (one) community transmission over the past three weeks or so. Things are opening up for bigger crowds from April 24th onwards and by July or so the population should have been vaccinated. How things are going to look like by October is hard to say but I assume by that time tourists should be able to enter unless we get a new strain that bypasses vaccinations or other catastrophes.
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Mar 30, 2021 04:39
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I'm starting to consider going to Phuket in July, assuming I can leave after a week. I've never been, what is it like? Beaches and stuff for the most part, right?
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Apr 2, 2021 07:29
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Is there a part of SE Asia that isn't super hot and humid? Considering living somewhere in Vietnam for a good long while but I see that Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Hanoi all somewhat fit that description. Decent air quality would also be a nice bonus
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Apr 2, 2021 18:10
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Yossarian-22 posted:Is there a part of SE Asia that isn't super hot and humid? Considering living somewhere in Vietnam for a good long while but I see that Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Hanoi all somewhat fit that description. Decent air quality would also be a nice bonus You want to go to Da Lat in the central highlands. Temps there are consistently 20 degrees cooler than Saigon. It also produces most of the coffee in Vietnam. At night it can actually get cold enough to need a light jacket. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Lat
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Apr 2, 2021 18:19
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Northern Thailand is also a good choice. Places close to Chiang Mai can require a jacket.
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Apr 2, 2021 19:02
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I should have mentioned too that we're both still looking for work. I was planning to teach English and the gf is getting her master's in international development. Da Lat seems like it might not have the best job market?
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Apr 2, 2021 20:09
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Yossarian-22 posted:I should have mentioned too that we're both still looking for work. I was planning to teach English and the gf is getting her master's in international development. Da Lat seems like it might not have the best job market? HCM/Saigon are where the jobs are going to be, Da Lat is mostly agricultural and tourist industry. But a lot of Vietnamese people who live/work in Saigon/HCM will visit Da Lat to escape the heat for a few days. Unfortunately if you’re set on living/working in SEA heat is just something you’re going to have to cope with.
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Apr 2, 2021 21:17
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Hm, maybe I'd be better off looking into Busan or somewhere in Taiwan then...
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Apr 2, 2021 22:16
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Yossarian-22 posted:Hm, maybe I'd be better off looking into Busan or somewhere in Taiwan then... I mean not SEA anymore but it’s definitely less humid
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Apr 3, 2021 00:24
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