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Donsol was very boring. There's absolutely nothing to do and the beach is pretty terrible. Don't go just for the whale sharks, unless you have a massive shark fetish. Perhaps go to that volcano that you can see from the Legazpi airport.
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Feb 17, 2010 11:29
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Cheesemaster200 posted:When/where did you go there? I had no problems outside the touts in Hanoi, and even then they were nowhere near as bad as the ones at the major sites in Bangkok.
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Feb 17, 2010 14:02
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The more I look back the less I understand why I had such a bad feeling about the Vietnamese when I left. Cheesemaster's right there weren't really any touts outside of Hanoi, and I only had 2 incidents where locals really pissed me off (street book salesman in Hanoi getting real aggressive/swearing at me cos I wouldn't buy a book, and a bus driver trying to rip me off), so maybe it's just their attitude/they're not as friendly. Plus I went there after coming from Thailand and Laos where the people are supposed to be very nice. So I dunno maybe it's just the vibe. I worked with a 2nd generation Vietnamese guy here in Australia who goes to Vietnam every now and then, and he said "They're a bunch of cunts". I think mainly because even though he's Vietnamese people can still tell he's obviously a foreigner and would try overcharge him/treat him different. Also I got a hotel room with AC and they wouldn't let me leave it on while I was out so that I come back to a nice cool room. Kept sneakin in and turning it off. God drat Vietnamese. superwofl fucked around with this message at 15:12 on Feb 17, 2010 |
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Feb 17, 2010 15:09
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Sapa's about all I can really hold against Vietnam, even the Old Quarter in Hanoi wasn't bad at all considering what/where it is, and I never really got hassled by any touts outside of Sapa. Everyone else was really friendly, but I didn't do much traveling on the coast (just Halong and Hoi An, really) and had my own wheels so I avoided the taxi/xe om/bus station/train station song and dance 
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Feb 17, 2010 22:54
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Yeah, it's not a "lot" of people who crucify themselves but there are more people who do it than there should be (zero). He's totally right about Filipinos being hospitable though; even our muggers and carjackers are so considerate that they'll give you money to find your way home, and some of them will let you negotiate your credit cards back. 
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Feb 18, 2010 04:27
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superwofl posted:Hey, nasoren. Any tips for what I should do with 26 days in the Philippines? These are the things I would like to do: trekking in the jungle, trekking in the mountains, snorkelling or maybe diving if there's anywhere really special, swim with those whale sharks at Donsol, look at pretty places, eat good food. These are the things I don't want to do: lie on a beach all day, be surrounded by tourists, try to see too much stuff in one trip. Palawan is one place I know I definitely want to see but there's so much else I don't know where to go. Palawan is definitely a good destination. Ecotourism is a major industry in Puerto Princesa and they take that poo poo seriously there (littering can get you fined or even confined). It's a lot of touristey stuff though, so if you want to get away from that though, I would suggest a trip north of Puerto, to El Nido. It's seven hours of rough road (unless you can afford to charter a plane), but it's totally worth it. The El Nido bay contains dozens of islands littered with limestone cliffs and beautiful rock formations, white sand beaches, centuries-old churches and structures. There's a secret beach surrounded on all sides by tall sharp volcanic rock, and the only way to get there is to dive and go through an underwater opening. Supposedly Alex Garland got the idea for his novel The Beach while living in El Nido. There's some areas with interesting marine life too - dugong are known to graze there.    I have more photos of El Nido here. You can also get to Coron by plane from Manila, but I would say El Nido is the better destination if you're in it for the journey and the raw experience of the place. If you're into diving, and find yourself in the Visayas area, I would suggest Apo Island off of Negros -- by far the best diving I've done.    More of Apo here and here. There's also Siquijor, Olango, Camotes and Moalboal in the Cebu area. There's so many to choose from.  Something to keep in mind though - some of these places have established travel routes, means of transport, schedules, and some don't. I've spent hours at a time waiting at some pier because the boat was waiting for passengers, and in some places the bus only comes early in the morning. If you want to see these places, figure in allowances for these events in your plans.superwofl posted:Oh yeah I'll be there during Easter, anything cool going on then? Don't a lot of people crucify themselves in the Philippines? Haha, yeah I think this is mostly a Tagalog (northern region) thing. I've seen the rituals in San Fernando in Pampanga, which is north of Manila. It's something to see I guess, if you're into that.
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Feb 18, 2010 06:11
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Sweet writeup man. Ok I think I'll split my time into 3 regions - Palawan, around Cebu, and North Luzon. With 26 days I shouldn't have to rush at all. How expensive would a ticket from Cebu to Manila, or Cebu to Puerto Princessa be at around Easter time if you don't book very far in advance? I'd rather not book any domestic flights very far in advance so that I've got a lot more freedom. Is it expensive to change the dates of a flight on the budget airlines? Here in Australia, if you leave it to say a week before to book a flight, the prices go through the roof.
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Feb 18, 2010 11:05
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My girlfriend spent some time in the Philippines working on Malaria. She basically said what you guys did; Manila is pretty poo poo and full of guns and malls, the food is pretty bad, but Palawan was amazing.
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Feb 18, 2010 11:48
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I actually have no idea how you can get tickets from outside. Maybe through a travel agency? Not sure if early reservation carries over to that. Usually I just travel by boat (to save, for the experience, meeting interesting people, and sometimes to save a night's hotel fee - some boats have bunks so you spend the night and wake up in time for arrival). If I fly, I take advantage of the regular early reservation promos - usually months ahead. They're cheap enough (as low as P699 round-trip sometimes - ~AU$17) that it doesn't hurt much if you do change schedules and miss the flight. You usually can't reschedule promo tickets or have them reimbursed, however. I've had to buy and fly on the same day in tight situations, and a one-way ticket can cost as much as P3500 - ~AU$85. The two major airlines are Cebu Pacific and Phil Airlines. You can check out the trips, schedules, and prices at http://book.cebupacificair.com/Search.aspx and http://www.philippineairlines.com respectively.
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Feb 18, 2010 11:48
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Unless something has changed, don't even bother with the self-torture of trying to pay online at Cebu Pacific's web site. Just buy a ticket once you're there.
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Feb 18, 2010 21:28
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ReindeerF posted:Unless something has changed, don't even bother with the self-torture of trying to pay online at Cebu Pacific's web site. Just buy a ticket once you're there. Ah yes. I just meant check the flights online, but it's horribly difficult trying to pay through their site. You're better off calling their call centers somewhat, although that takes some waiting as well.
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Feb 19, 2010 05:27
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Has anyone travelled across SE Asia on a bicycle? I've got about 3 weeks off to travel in June and I'm thinking about doing something like this (Bangkok to Saigon): http://www.indochina-adventure.com/packagetours/index.php?view=detail&tour=96&count=4&tcat=13 I wonder if it will be too hot.
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Feb 21, 2010 19:22
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vanillablue posted:Has anyone travelled across SE Asia on a bicycle? dwoloz posted:I did a bike tour (the pedal variety) January 09 to May through Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia, had a phenomenal time, fell in love each day, wrote about it and posted it online here: http://bikemandan.com/seasia
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Feb 21, 2010 20:09
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Friday and Sat night I will be in BKK if anyone is there. I think I am going to either one of two local parties that I have scouted out if anyone wants to go out.
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Feb 22, 2010 08:42
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vanillablue posted:Has anyone travelled across SE Asia on a bicycle? I've got about 3 weeks off to travel in June and I'm thinking about doing something like this (Bangkok to Saigon): http://spiceroads.com Even if you don't want to do it through someone they might have kind of offering to rent you a bike and such, I dunno. It's definitely going to be hot, but at least it's (theoretically) dry season right now.
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Feb 22, 2010 10:16
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Man this thread rules. I'll be going through Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Indonesia for 2 months during March-April. I've got most things covered (assuming I can get it all done in time  ), but how does it work with cameras in places like Cambodia or Laos. Can I find places to charge poo poo every so often or should I bring a bunch of extra batteries?Also, I just saw here that Thai visas obtained on arrival are 15 days only. If I remember correctly I should only be there for 2 weeks, but how big of a deal is it if I go over a couple of days?
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Feb 22, 2010 18:13
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moflika posted:Man this thread rules. I'll be going through Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Indonesia for 2 months during March-April. I've got most things covered (assuming I can get it all done in time There's regular electricity in all but the most remote places (Si Phan Don, in the south of Laos near the Cambodian border, is one of them, although Ringo R says a lot of places have generators now), that generally won't be a problem. Most cyber cafes will also burn your memory card to a CD or DVD for you as well. Doesn't hurt to have an extra battery or two with you for those times you forget to charge it, or your room doesn't have an electrical outlet (most will). It's 15 days if you arrive at a land border, 30 at an airport; the overstay fine is 500 baht a day to a maximum of 20 days. You sometimes get the first day as a grace period, but you are pretty much going to have to pay it if you overstay more than that. If it's only 1-2 days it'd be cheaper and a lot less hassle than an 1800 baht visa extension though.
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Feb 22, 2010 19:28
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drat, pretty sure we'll arrive through land. O well, a fee is a lot better than some "You cannot enter Thailand for x years" mess. I'll see if I can rush it and get one done.
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Feb 22, 2010 20:02
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Pompous: Actually most places seem to have 24hr electricity now. I think bungalows without electricity are quickly becoming a minority. moflika: I haven't experienced this but from what I've read, don't mention to anyone that you're overstaying and just pay when you exit the country (at the airport or border). - - - I went to the new immigration office in Bangkok today and was blown away by how freaking huge it was. It's inside a newly built building which looks amazing. The architect was clearly inspired by Thai work ethics as the building looks impressive on the outside but there's nothing on the inside. Yes, there's a massive empty space in the middle of the building. I'd guess about 70% of the building is nothing but air. Words cannot describe it. Easily the highlight of your Bangkok trip if you need to go to the immigration office. Wish I had my camera with me. Oh and despite the zillions of baht spent on the new offices, it's just as slow and inefficient as the old one. But it sure looks a lot better, which was probably the goal. Edit: Managed to find a picture but it looks much more impressive in real life.  Credit to this blog Ringo R fucked around with this message at 21:03 on Feb 22, 2010 |
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Feb 22, 2010 20:54
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Ringo R posted:
Ugh. You know how much time I spent in that pit of an old immigration office? It was like the receiving area of a Sri Lankan prison or something. The picture makes it look like they just moved the same horrible setup into another room a few floors up though.
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Feb 22, 2010 22:33
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ReindeerF posted:Some friends of mine do this all the time - though mostly in stages anymore. Some of them lead tours and one guy I know runs a company that's probably one of the larger in the region in terms of tour offerings. If you want to do it through somebody, check out: The tours sound pretty sweet, but I'm kinda turned off at the idea of spending $2k in SE Asia in 2 weeks plus airfare.
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Feb 23, 2010 01:08
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vanillablue posted:The tours sound pretty sweet, but I'm kinda turned off at the idea of spending $2k in SE Asia in 2 weeks plus airfare. Those tour prices are ridiculous. You could fly between the cities for that much.
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Feb 23, 2010 02:42
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Yeah, it's definitely for package tourists, though the people who run it are old school expats and cyclists who spend their spare time doing this stuff too. I hadn't considered the mismatch in their marketing and the audience when I posted the link, heh. Anyhow, yeah, you can do it yourself.
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Feb 24, 2010 05:30
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Ringo R posted:I went to the new immigration office in Bangkok today and was blown away by how freaking huge it was. It's inside a newly built building which looks amazing. The architect was clearly inspired by Thai work ethics as the building looks impressive on the outside but there's nothing on the inside. Yes, there's a massive empty space in the middle of the building. I'd guess about 70% of the building is nothing but air. Words cannot describe it. Easily the highlight of your Bangkok trip if you need to go to the immigration office. Wish I had my camera with me. Aside from that I fond it pretty efficient, but I went on grand opening day with all the monks there and the press conference and only went back one other time. Everything was speedy enough I reckon. These days I do all my 90 day reports at the BOI office in town, so thankfully I don't have to pack a lunch for the all-day trip across town into heavy traffic to go to the gummint offices. Of course if you're Cambodian or Laotian or Burmese you still use the old office on Suan Plu. Any laborers here?
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Feb 24, 2010 05:38
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ReindeerF posted:It's a bizarre upside-down pyramid out in THE MIDDLE OF loving NOWHERE. Hah, I was positively surprised when I found out that they have moved very close to my place. Going to that shithole in Suan Plu would take me about an hour using public transportation. Now it's just a short taxi ride away! I'm thinking about going back just to take some pictures. /Mr loving Nowhere
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Feb 24, 2010 07:10
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Those of us who have made the possibly idiotic choice to pay higher rent to build our lives around immovable rivers and skytrains and subways should not have our inflated sense of entitlement attacked in such an open manner 
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Feb 24, 2010 08:55
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Heyas. I'm looking for a bit of help, and hoping you smartypantses will know more than me. My boyfriend and I are planning a 3.5 week trip around Thailand, including a 5 - 6 day visit to Phuket. We fly in on April 16 (yeah, I know it's in a big holiday long weekend and I'll have a bit of struggle finding inexpensive accommodation for the first couple days). I'm trying to decide how many days to allocate to Phuket and surrounding, since I want to book my onwards flight before the prices skyrocket. I will either be staying 5 or 6 days, before moving on to Chiang Mai Here are the things I want to do: -Dive (day trip/local dive shop) -Snorkel (a couple hours anywhere with decent snorkeling will do) -Beginners rock climbing course -Sea kayaking -Pretty beach scenery I have to be in Phuket, since I fly into and out of there. The oter places I've looked at are Krabi/Railay, Koh Phi Phi, Phang Nga, and Koh Lanta (but so far it doesn't seem to offer anything that I can't get on the other islands). I know I can't do all of these. 2 or possibly 3 if I can manage it would be more than enough. I'm more concerned about getting to do the things listed above. Can anyone come up with a rough sketch of what an itinerary based on that would look like? It can include day trips, busses, ferries, but not rental cars 'cuz neither of us want to drive. I likely won't stick to it 100%, but I like having a bit of an idea what's up before I arrive when I'm on a tightish schedule. Aaaaand..GO!
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Feb 24, 2010 17:22
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has anyboby here ever been to the Plain of jars, Laos? And was it worth the trip? I'm looking into doing a motorcycle trip, but its still in its early stage Thanks to Pompous Rhombus, I already know driving from vietnam to laos isn't childsplay. So I'm not sure if I'll do it. speaking of which,... rhompus, how on earth did you always found your way in these countries? Just regular maps in english? I even managed to get lost on small bike rides around an island in thailand
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Feb 24, 2010 20:48
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Dana Mania posted:My boyfriend and I are planning a 3.5 week trip around Thailand, including a 5 - 6 day visit to Phuket. We fly in on April 16 (yeah, I know it's in a big holiday long weekend and I'll have a bit of struggle finding inexpensive accommodation for the first couple days). If you can, see if you can work some more of Songkran (Thai New Years) into your holiday. It's a ton of fun and everyone lets their hair down, kinda like Thailand's Carnival or Mardi Gras, but in the form of a country-wide water fight  mrfart posted:has anyboby here ever been to the Plain of jars, Laos? I've been, I like it because it's so uncomplicated. Going to Angkor you walk past these amazingly intricate reliefs, through all kinds of elaborate architecture, and even with a good guide/book you know you'd only be scratching the surface even after a full week. The appeal of the PoJ to me is that it's so mysterious: it's a bunch of stone jars in a less-mountainous part of northern Laos (it should really be "The Rolling Hills of Jars", but whatever), nobody really knows the whole story and it's possible we never will. It's not breathtaking or anything, but if you're already heading up that way and at all interested in that sort of thing, it's worth the stop. The area is riddled with craters and you can find unexploded bomb casings re-purposed into house stilts, planters, and BBQ grills, among other things. (The major sites of the Plain of Jars have been cleared) There's a pretty good documentary on UXO (unexploded ordinance) that plays in some of the restaurants, and MAG has a pretty good informational center in town. Getting to Laos from Vietnam isn't a cakewalk like some crossings, but by no means impossible. If you're not so interested in Vietnam and have the money, renting an XR250 in Laos is also possible (or a Minsk, if you start from Luang Prabang, but they cost double what a Vietnamese rental would be). I was just going to use the maps in my Lonely Planet and ask directions for smaller stuff, but I met an older American guy who had a really nice Rough Guide map to Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia. He was an old-school bicycle tourer and had bought it out of habit but said he didn't need it, so he gave it to me. It was made out of this plasticky material that was waterproof (and beer-proof, as I found out later) and really tough. As far as accuracy it was decent but not amazing: apparently there are no truly accurate maps available and roads are being improved/changed all the time. For main roads I think most maps are fine, for smaller stuff you're better off asking locals for directions and following road signs. The vast majority of road signs are written in Western script, but don't expect the average local to be able to read a map in English, it totally confuses them. If you can find a decent bilingual map, buy the hell out of it. For Vietnam I bought a road atlas at a bookshop in Hanoi for a couple of bucks. It was pretty detailed but annoying to have to flip through the different pages. Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 21:24 on Feb 24, 2010 |
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Feb 24, 2010 21:22
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 Oh yeah, who wants to go study in Indonesia for six months or a year? Great, here's a scholarship! I should have posted this earlier, it slipped my mind: applications for the Indonesian government's Darmasiswa Scholarship Program are closing at the end of this month (4 days!). It's not for a ton of money; the living allowance is about $110/month which you'll almost definitely go over, but it does cover tuition and books, and would look cool on a resume, not to mention teach you Indonesian. Bahasa Indonesia is probably the easiest Asian language you can learn: no tones, same alphabet as English, and is basically Malaysian with the corners knocked off of it. Indonesia's a massive archipelago made up of literally thousands of islands and a dizzying number of indigenous cultures. Yes, it's a Muslim country, but it's by no means Saudi Arabia and people there are quite friendly/hospitable. I don't think the standards for this particular scholarship are super-high, I registered for the application last year but didn't fill it out and they sent me a "we're so sorry you didn't get accepted, please apply again next year" e-mail a few months later. For 2010 they've also increasing the number of places from 200 to 750  The application is pretty painless although they do ask for more personal information than they probably need or have a right to (travel history, for example). No letters of recommendation or anything, If you're a current student, talk with your school's study abroad office about getting credit for it, I think most departments are willing to work with students that want to do something educational and outside the ordinary. If you're not a student, no worries, the only qualification is having finished secondary education and being under 35. As far as programs, from what I've been able to find, University of Indonesia's BIPA Program looks to be the best. The campus is about 20kms outside of Jakarta. There's also Gadjah Mada's program in Yogyakarta, but it's only part-time and doesn't look that intensive if you're not in one of the special Australian-exchange-students-only classes. OTOH Yogya is really cool, kind of Indonesia's "second city" and cultural/artistic heart. Here's a recent feature with an interesting cross-section of photos from Indonesia: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/02/recent_scenes_from_indonesia.html
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Feb 24, 2010 22:21
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Dana Mania posted:I have to be in Phuket, since I fly into and out of there. The oter places I've looked at are Krabi/Railay, Koh Phi Phi, Phang Nga, and Koh Lanta (but so far it doesn't seem to offer anything that I can't get on the other islands). I know I can't do all of these. 2 or possibly 3 if I can manage it would be more than enough. I'm more concerned about getting to do the things listed above It doesn't matter if you fly into Phuket or not, just get on the bus/boat and go to Lanta or Phi Phi. Phuket is not a great destination unless you want to eat German food, stay in a big hotel on a beach crowded with fat white people from Continental Europe, and bang a lot of hookers. Going to Phangan is probably more work than it's worth as you're already on a coast, but I would recommend you go to any two islands on the Andaman coast that aren't Phuket. For what you listed those islands should probably be Phi Phi and Krabi. April is going to be middle-of-hell hot but you'll manage. You may pick up some Songkran tailings too, and while Songkran always annoyed the gently caress out of me when I lived in Thailand it is a great time to visit. Bring a garbage bag for your pack and some baggies for your passport / camera / cellphone etc. Also you said 3.5 weeks but are only on the islands for five days? That's enough time for a week and a half of islands, four days for getting to and seeing Ankor Wat, and then plenty of time for Chiang Mai and probably an extended hilltribe trek out of Mae Hong Son as well, and then a couple of days at the end for shopping / seeing Bangkok before getting back to Phuket for your flight home. The whole itenrary request thing goes better when you post one first and ask for suggestions. Maybe: Phuket: 1 day, hope to catch some Songkran Krabi: 3 or 4 days -- extend for the activities you mentioned if necesscary Phi Phi: 3 or 4 days -- extend for the activities you mentioned if necesscary Travel to Siem Riep in Cambodia: about a day, fly if you can, rest up Angkor Wat: Two or three days, fly to Chiang Mai Chiang Mai: Two or three days, fly to Mae Hong Son Mae Hong Son: One day for the town, three or four days for extended hilltribe trek Rest of time: revisit a favorite (more beach, more NE, whatever) and concentrate on doing nothing much Second to last two days: Bangkok (a few temples, a few nightclubs, a few malls, maybe Jatujak, maybe Chinatown) Last day: Back to Phuket for your flight home These little inter-region flights aren't too pricey and don't have to be booked to far in advance to be affordable. raton fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Feb 24, 2010 |
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Feb 24, 2010 22:26
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I agree with Sheep-Goats, just get out of Phuket ASAP. Every one of the things you mention can be done on Phi Phi, and probably Koh Lanta too, but I haven't been.
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Feb 24, 2010 23:23
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VISA HASSLE FUN! Vietnam: Does Vietnam have a 90-day period of validity from date of issue, so you can jsut show up and activate it (by entering the country) as long as you do it within three months? Or is it just your 30 days of being in the country for the dates you specify on your application form, enter no earlier and exit no later, absolutely inflexible? Thailand: Because we're entering overland (15 days) we decided to apply here in Australia beforehand, but the consulate demands a photocopy of our air ticket to "make sure" the dates match up or some bullshit. We haven't booked tickets yet (not going til April, waiting for prices to fluctuate) and I tried explaining this but apparently it's a hard and fast rule. This seems like bullshit to me. I'd understand if they wanted to see evidence we were LEAVING the country, but not that we will be ENTERING the country. Why the hell would I apply for a visa if I wasn't really going?
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Feb 25, 2010 08:28
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Pretty late notice b/c I forgot SA had a travel forum. Flying into Bangkok on the 28th and leaving the 4th. I booked a room at a place called President Solitaire. First off I have an unlocked iPhone so I would like to get a prepaid with a couple of minutes. Where is the closest place to buy a card once I get out of the airport? Whats a good place to go to visit outside of Bangkok for a day trip. My friend who I'm meeting up in Bangkok told me for day trips I could goto Pattaya or Hua Hin. But I've read in guides that there's not much in Hua Hin besides shopping. Also since I'm Asian, how easy will it be for me to sneak into the Thai line for the museums/wats? I read that they post the sign in Thai so if I walk up to pay if I hand them the Thai ticket price will they just let me through? Any penalty for getting caught going through the Thai line? Seems dumb that they are charging foreigners so much more to visit these places. Edit: Forgot to ask if any goons wanted to meet up for 2nd or 3rd day (so prob in March)? I want to go to places where there are girls but I don't really want to go to places where its bargirls/prostitutes. Strong Sauce fucked around with this message at 09:25 on Feb 25, 2010 |
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Feb 25, 2010 08:54
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e: Nevermind.
illionaire fucked around with this message at 09:05 on Feb 25, 2010 |
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Feb 25, 2010 09:02
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Strong Sauce posted:First off I have an unlocked iPhone so I would like to get a prepaid with a couple of minutes. Where is the closest place to buy a card once I get out of the airport? You can buy SIM cards at booths at the airport and some of those booths are open 24 hours. You can also get them at any 7/11 or Family Mart or most other little shops. As far as a nice day trip, I'd recommend Ayutthaya. There are some nice ruins and temples and it's only about an hour outside of Bangkok.
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Feb 25, 2010 10:13
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By any chance does anyone know a good motorcycle mechanic in Cambodia? (Phnom Penh preferably) The gears on my Minsk have started to deteriorate badly (the guy who sold it to me didn't make a big deal of it but it is a big deal) the 4th gear cog is really bad, slips into neutral often while cruising along, and gear changes put it in to neutral 50% of the time. The manual says to get it repaired asap, it's also not a job I could do. In Ha Tien now but crossing the border tomorrow morning.
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Feb 25, 2010 10:58
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My wife and I are thinking about Taiwan or Thailand the first week of May with a four and a half month old baby. We will be staying in the cities and likely can't get the hep vaccines done in time. Others have told us we will probably be OK. Is this a reasonable assumption? Also, since we will have our baby with us, cleanliness is very important for accommodations, as is potable water. How much should we be looking to spend in each country per night on a clean place to stay in a safeish neighborhood? Finally, We will limit whichever trip we take to staying in two cities, on a one or two week timeline. Any suggestions?
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Feb 25, 2010 10:58
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freebooter posted:Thailand: Because we're entering overland (15 days) we decided to apply here in Australia beforehand, but the consulate demands a photocopy of our air ticket to "make sure" the dates match up or some bullshit. We haven't booked tickets yet (not going til April, waiting for prices to fluctuate) and I tried explaining this but apparently it's a hard and fast rule. This seems like bullshit to me. I'd understand if they wanted to see evidence we were LEAVING the country, but not that we will be ENTERING the country. Why the hell would I apply for a visa if I wasn't really going? Can't argue with Thai logic You shouldn't have too much trouble getting a tourist visa from a Thai consulate in whatever country you're entering from though. It'll take just one day to process. Apply in the morning, pick it up in the afternoon the following day. Vientiane is the most popular city for this. Strong Sauce posted:Also since I'm Asian, how easy will it be for me to sneak into the Thai line for the museums/wats? I read that they post the sign in Thai so if I walk up to pay if I hand them the Thai ticket price will they just let me through? Any penalty for getting caught going through the Thai line? Seems dumb that they are charging foreigners so much more to visit these places. Learning the numbers is probably most important because if you stand there looking like a retard when they tell you how much the entrance fee is, you're busted They usually write the fees in Thai too (thinking that it'll prevent foreigners from complaining about double pricing) so learning to read numbers would help a bit too. Only the most popular temples in Bangkok has entrance fees for foreigners though, Thais get in for free. All other temples are free for everybody in my experience. Dressing as a Thai probably helps a bit too. Wear long pants and a shirt, don't wear a singlet and shorts. Useful phrases:Staff: You buy ticket now you fake bad man You: Pom pben khon thai = I'm Thai and you're obviously blind Staff: Gee khon? = How many persons? You: Khon dee-ow = One person (also means "alone") I think a penalty for getting caught is highly unlikely. Just play a dumb tourist: I no sa-peak Engrish, solly!
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Feb 25, 2010 12:40
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freebooter posted:VISA HASSLE FUN! We got the Vietnam visa from the embassy at home before going and then the visa was specified as enter after xx and leave before xx. Fair enough, but we was stupid enough to put the date we actually planned to enter and leave, and was left with a 14 day visa for the price of a one month one. YAY! I don't think there would have been any issue entering after the date set though, so better add some days to the start and/or end if you aren't sure exactly when you are going to enter/leave. As for the Thai visa. WTF? You need a ticket to Thailand to get visa in advance that you only want because you are entering over land? Anywho, going from Cambodia back to Thailand last year I found a cheap flight to avoid that visa hassle. Was $30 from Phnom Penn to Bangkok (+$25 airport tax that you need to pay in cash after you have checked in...)
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Feb 25, 2010 12:53
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