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drat you Pompous Rhombus, I'm ready to quit my job tomorrow, get on a plane, buy a Minsk, and ride around asia for 6 months. Its been over 3 years since I last went. hmm, maybe I should just quit and go
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Feb 3, 2010 02:57
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What are the current costs for each country in SE Asia? Just basic (private) room, street food, and a couple of beers at night? I think I might quit my job in a few months and I want to go back to SE Asia before I start working again. I'm probably near my last chance to do this. If I buy a Minsk in Vietnam what countries can I plan on seeing exclusively on it? Lets say time isn't an issue, only money. From the guide it looks like maybe just Laos and Vietnam but someone mentioned having a Minsk in Cambodia. What should a time and budget requirement look like for doing as much as I can on the Minsk. I'm in no rush. If I do this the plan is to touchdown I guess in Saigon with at least 6 grand, buy a minsk, and travel until I'm broke (full plan is to sell everything I own..literally everything, put 8k in my start up when I return fund, and spend every other dollar traveling). I'm not even sure what city I will move back to in America. One I don't have to own a car is all I care about. Anyways, I want to do all I can on the motorcycle then sell it and travel regular style like I did last time. ReindeerF posted:If anyone wants to choose the "emigrate and/or work in Thailand as something other than a teacher" option I can give advice on that. .
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Mar 5, 2010 01:34
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drat I am a massive dumbass. I read most of this a long time ago, so I reread the first post then skipped down to the motorcycle one before hitting reply.
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Mar 5, 2010 23:52
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Shnicker posted:Well I'm in Surat Thani teaching English now. I have some friends teaching on Koh Samui and Phuket. So while I don't think you'll be teaching on a beach, you should be able to find something with nearby access to the beach. From my experience, it seems that there are a lot of job possibilities in the area, but then again, the pay isn't that great. I get about $800US a month which isn't too bad. Of course, I'm not here for the money. Do those islands have high speed internet access? I feel like such a goon for asking. I'm sure phuket does, but Koh Samui? What is teaching english like? Is it cool? A coworker's son just dropped everything (at 29) and jumped on a plane to Japan to do it. I'm curious what his life is about to be like
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Mar 10, 2010 00:05
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I guess that makes sense. When you consider you can get your own room in a guesthouse for like 5-8 bucks a night 10 bucks a night for a place you rent all month seems reasonable. How do you find it? Can you just rent one for like 90 days or whatever or is it a year lease type thing? Also, since you are the expert, do you have an answer for this quote:f I buy a Minsk in Vietnam what countries can I plan on seeing exclusively on it (Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam it?) Lets say time isn't an issue, only money. From the guide it looks like maybe just Laos and Vietnam but someone mentioned having a Minsk in Cambodia. What should a time and budget requirement look like for doing as much as I can on the Minsk (or whatever motorcycle). Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 01:08 on Mar 10, 2010 |
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Mar 10, 2010 00:57
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The courses are 3 days long, usually with a very small crowd (I was on the only person in mine), with a day of training, two from the shore open water dives, and two from a boat. It cost me like 250 american (3 years ago) and honestly, I don't think you will find much cheaper.
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Mar 22, 2010 11:33
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I got scammed once in Surat Thani. The guy told me the ferry had already left (or a bus, can't remember where I was going) or whatever so I could stay at his guesthouse. I was tired and was like eh gently caress it so I did, I mean it was alright, I had a bomb meal at the night market, and so on so it wasn't too bad. Anyways, 3 weeks later I happen to roll back through the same town, to the same travel agency with a few other people and the guys tried to shoot an angle on me for the same scam. Everyone else (there was like 7 of us) was like "well gently caress, guess we can't take the ferry tonight, lets all stay here" I was like "hell no these guys already worked me over once, the ferry is running, trust me" and I ran and grabbed a truck and was like "everyone get in, if I'm wrong I'll make it up to you somehow" and we all piled in while those con artists watched a fortune of precious white people money drive away. The ferry was running and some dudes bought a bunch of beer for everyone and the ride was excellent and for once in my life I was the man. Also this chick was the single hottest chick I saw my entire time traveling, a girl from Israel (there must be some secret water there which produces the absolute hottest girls in the world, I never met a native Israeli that wasn't smokin', maybe because they all join the army so they are all ripped up like the terminator..anyway) who I tried to hit on but she was so hot I had no chance. true story and also why I need to quit my job and go travel again soon. that was the only scam I fell for, there was also the blackjack con I went along with I posted before which was scary at the time but funny later. It is kinda long I know I have it somewhere I'll post it sometime
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Mar 24, 2010 23:53
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I remember being all paranoid about the passport thing, especially after the coup (I was like wtf if they start shooting, I gotta get to the embassy STAT) but I honestly don't think I ever turned it over.
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Apr 2, 2010 01:19
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I played on stars a few times at internet cafes while it was raining back in 2006. Tons of people on 2p2 live over there and play I think, there are 2 huge threads in their travel forum about Thailand. With 6k plus say you win 1000 a month at NL50 you could stay for at least a year I'd imagine if you wanted. A few pages ago people were saying they lived in one place decently for under a grand. I just started playing poker again and if I quit my job I'll probably do the same thing, except I suck so any money from poker will be a bonus. I think I am gonna go back to Asia again this year or next and if I can get to winner at the games I'm def bringing a laptop and trying to stretch the trip to 6 or 7 months.
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Apr 9, 2010 00:05
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I don't know anything about cameras but that sounds like a lot of stuff. Keep in mind you are only going to have a backpack to hold your entire life. You put like 9 camera pieces in there and a macbook and you are half filled up already. That being said I am so jealous, I hope to head over sometime in the summer or fall depending on if I have the balls to quit my job
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Apr 11, 2010 02:32
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Haggins posted:I got to thinking, what about just getting a self storage unit in Bangkok or some where? I'd really need is to store a bag of stuff I don't need to carry around with me everywhere but would eventually want access to. Some googling said I could get a bag sized unit for $12 a month in Bangkok, which wouldn't be bad at all. Would something like that be possible? PS Unlike him I still have not quit my job to travel again like I said I wanted to 20 pages ago 
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Jul 28, 2010 03:08
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hahaha that site is the worst, oh how I forgot about itquote:If you are a tourist who only has one bag, and it's for a week or two, then it sounds cheap enough, but watch out if you use it longer. Bangkok Self-Storage rate is 100 baht a week per piece, plus 7% tax. As long as each piece is a standard suitcase or smaller it's 100 baht, but "oversized" is 200 baht, which includes larger boxes and bicycles... I was in their office one day and a guy had traveled to Chiang Mai and Laos for 6 weeks, came back and they hit him for 642 baht, just for one duffle bag. That's not exactly 'dirt cheap.' Thanks for the link, I'll send it along to him.
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Jul 28, 2010 03:55
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What are you guys talking about? I wore Birkenstocks every single day in Asia for 3 straight months and never once was like "drat I am at a disadvantage here." Only times I threw on shoes were going to a place you were supposed to wear them or on a scooter or hiking or mountain biking or whatever.
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Jul 30, 2010 00:12
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Not only will that hardcase suck backpacking wise, but it screams out STEAL ME compared to what will be around it. If you are a thief and you open a bus hold and see 27 ragged backpacks and that thing, which are you going to jack? Not that you should worry about theft that much, but I'm just saying. It will cause a hassle toting around. I don't mean to make things sound third world or anything, but you are going to be hopping on busses, trains, and boats the entire time. Getting in the back of pickups with 2 benches and 8 hippies. Smaller is better. I took a full size backpack with a detachable daypack when I went and I wish it was smaller. I probably could have gotten by with a tiny 1 strap shoulder bag and a much smaller real backpack for just asia. At the very least perform this test. Load that poo poo up with everything you want to bring, wait until it gets to 90+ degrees, and go walk a mile in it. If you were fine, then go wild, if it sucked then throw some poo poo away. I really wish I did this before I left. You won't have to walk a mile very often if ever, but make sure you can.
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Jul 31, 2010 22:24
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freebooter posted:Patong is the sleaziest and most disgusting place I have ever been in my entire life. Stay the gently caress out of Patong. I left 8 hours later haha
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Aug 1, 2010 23:27
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Pompous when you rode your motorcycle what was your luggage setup? By this I guess I mean what did you do with your backpack, assuming you had one? Did you just use saddlebags? I'm about to set up my motorcycle for camping in America and I want to try to get it similar to what a typical Vietnam setup is because I'm treating all my motorcycle ride as training/preparation for buying a bike in Vietnam and doing all of SE Asia. It is a Ninja 250 so it will not be as weak as a Minsk but I guess kinda close? Closest I can ride here at least. Anyways, what is the most common set up?
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Aug 3, 2010 01:43
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Also, drat you if you beat me to the "buy a Minsk and see how far you can get before it blows up" plan! A) I don't want to anymore and I sell it B) I run out of money and/or have to go home for another reason and I sell it C) I ride it a for a few months, beat the crap out of it, it blows up far enough away from Vietnam it would be a pain to fix, and I just leave it with anyone who wants it for free and roll on (is this possible by the way?) Oh yea, I've been to SE Asia before, no way I'm camping in that heat instead of paying 8 bucks for a room. Camping would be around where I live (North Carolina) where we have cool parks and stuff. Thanks for the answer, it was very helpful. I almost think my best bet is to buy some piece of crap bag just to get my stuff over there, and once I get the bike and panniers just dump the bag in the trashcan and roll on, and if I sell the bike just buy one in asia. Unfortunately I have plenty of time to think about this haha ... I actually bought my motorcycle after my last asia trip because I was so pissed off I didn't know how to ride anything but a scooter and I was so jealous of those Euros ripping around on dirt bikes. Now its my turn (at some point!) Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 03:52 on Aug 3, 2010 |
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Aug 3, 2010 03:50
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How did the Lao plated 250 work? What countries can you take it in?
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Sep 1, 2010 01:18
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Did anyone ever go into the Casino at the Cambodia/Thailand border? What is it like? I really regret not going into it just to look. What was it like if you did? Basically craps limits and whatnot.
Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Sep 6, 2010 |
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Sep 6, 2010 16:14
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My friend is in India and wants to know, pretty much in these words "what is the best place in SE Asia to surf, party, and kick back and read" in that order I guess. He arrives in Bangkok Nov 25th and leaves out of Vietnam before Christmas, but he wants to do go to a place where he can just surf, party, and read (obviously) for at least 15 days. I said the dates because I understand it varies (surf wise) with the time of year
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Oct 13, 2010 23:50
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If you want to do a motorcycle trip from Saigon to Laos to Cambodia to Northern Thailand is the Minsk still the way to go? It seems like you can't get any parts past Laos but with a Honda you can get whatever you need anywhere. My friend and I were talking about this and he is worried about the Minsk. The lucky bastard is about to go on an epic SE Asia trip by bike. His only thing is he wants a clutch on the bike, not automatic. All the bikes I rented back when I was there were automatic, hell I didn't know how to work a clutch. Also, from everything we have read the Minsk breaks down all the time. He just wants something that works and can get fixed anywhere if it stops working. I don't really know about the different Honda bikes like Wave vs Bonus vs whatever else, or if there is a difference. I guess the main thing is you want the most powerful one you can get at your budget. Correct? Also, does Laos only let you get a 7 day visa with a motorcycle? I read more than once, I think in this thread for starters, people had a 30 day visa but it was changed to 7 days when they showed up on motorcycle
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Oct 31, 2010 23:35
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Rhombus, that is the bike I was talking about earlier . I see all types of ads for them on the lonelyplanet/thorntree forums
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Nov 3, 2010 04:23
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Pompous Rhombus posted:
edit Best place to buy something in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City? Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Nov 5, 2010 |
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Nov 3, 2010 23:21
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DO NOT BUY A BIKE FROM A BACKPACKER
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Well it looks like their trip just changed to a Hanoi start. Cuong's still the place to go?
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Nov 6, 2010 15:35
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Rhombus, you can probably really help here. One guy only has 6 days before he has to be back in Hanoi. What ride should they do? They only want to spend about 4 or 5 hours max on the bikes per day. What is the best route to look at? Should they not bother with a bike (doubtful but gonna ask). I think they want to rent for this then maybe one of them will buy one depending how it goes. I will tell them to rent from Flamingo Travel. thanks, you have been really helpful so far edit instead of booking in advance and giving a huge deposit, can they book day of with passport? Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 19:48 on Nov 6, 2010 |
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Nov 6, 2010 19:44
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Hundreds killed in Cambodian festival stampede
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Nov 23, 2010 01:03
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Pompous Rhombus I remembered you saying the sandals thing before and I disagree with it. I wore sandals every day for 3 months with no problems. caberham I understand you love photography but goddamn dude, are you bringing a u-haul? Also this quote:Few of my friends told me not to bring a tripod and just a gorilla pod and 1 or 2 lenses to keep weight/portability light. The counter point is that since I'm kind of lonely, might as well just bring more gear to play with...
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Nov 24, 2010 21:39
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Did something happen to make plane tickets all the sudden cost over 2k to get to BKK or SGN? They were like 1200 a week ago edit could it be the korea thing? Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 03:28 on Dec 3, 2010 |
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Dec 3, 2010 01:12
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Don't think it has anything to do with Korea, just seasonal probably. We're in the high season now. It sucks
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Dec 6, 2010 02:50
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Chiang Mai also has the best Mexican food in Thailand, forget the name of the restaurant (Google it). Migels, which is also owned by Mike I am pretty sure. They also had a southern BBQ place when I was there called Hell's Kitchen. I missed Mexican food so much I ate at Migels 3 times in 24 hours. If you are in Chiang Mai I have the stupidest request. I've posted it here about 10 times but no luck yet. At the guesthouse Daret's House they have this sign with the rules and it basically summed up Asia for me. My biggest regret is not taking a picture of it. If you happen to roll by Daret's House PLEASE PLEASE get a picture of the purple rule sign on the stairwell. I can't remember them all but it was like "no thai hookers, no ladyboys, no this, not that" all poo poo that in America no one would think would be an issue but in Thailand you gotta put it on a warning list. I laughed every time I saw it. While you are there you should rent a scooter and hit the zoo up as well. It was pretty cool. They had a guy with a mandolin who would stand next to an elephant and every time he played it the elephant would rock out hardcore
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Dec 13, 2010 01:09
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trigger posted:I found this on Flickr, but it's a little old and cut off at the bottom. Oh goddamnit. 5 years of wanting a picture of it and finally the internet taunts me with an incomplete image. If I had a full picture I would take it to a sign shop and get an exact replica made for my house, swear to god. I remember every time I walked by and saw "No ladyboys (homosexuals)" I would almost pass out laughing Not taking a good picture of it is a top 5 regret of my trip. I don't understand how I could walk by it and laugh every single time and never once think "I should take a picture of this." hello new background edit SON OF A BITCH you can't right click save as, goodbye almost new background quote:*Please note my normal human example. I had a coworker in Thailand who'd compare everything to how much a hooker in Pattaya cost. Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 01:17 on Dec 15, 2010 |
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Dec 15, 2010 01:11
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Seriously, thank you guys so much. If you look back through this thread and the old one I think I requested someone grab this 4 or 5 times. Any time someone was like "Hey bros, I am in Chiang Mai, not sure what I want to do" and I saw it the day they posted I'd mash reply and say "please god go to Daret's house and get a picture of the rules, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE" no one ever did, but a 2nd hand FLICKR is good enough for me!
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Dec 15, 2010 02:07
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Koh Samui is the coolest airport I have ever been to. After years of America's 2 hour "bend over grab your ankeles now walk 19 miles to your gate" crap, it was awesome to hop out of a truck bed, stroll through the checkin, and be hanging out under a thatch roof 10 feet from your gate less than 3 minutes later
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Feb 25, 2011 13:28
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The whole reason I took the MSF and bought a motorcycle here is so one day I can motorbike across SE Asia
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Mar 6, 2011 20:36
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Is Hell's Kitchen still in Chiang Mai? I must have eaten 15 pieces of cornbread there. I was so excited to see some dirty south cooking in Thailand. edit the dude who owns it was cool as hell too, he is a black guy from Alabama (I think) who was in the Navy for like 25 years, stationed in Thailand at one point, and moved back, married a thai lady and opened up the joint. I talked to him for probably 45 minutes about SEC football and other things only people south of the mason dixon line care about Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 06:25 on Mar 13, 2011 |
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Mar 13, 2011 06:21
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The Chiang Mai Zoo is pretty cool. I went mountain biking one day and that was really fun. Also it is cool to rent a motorbike and ride around those roads for a few days. About the working anywhere, if I had a job where I could work anywhere I would move to Thailand immediately. There is no question in my mind.
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Mar 13, 2011 22:06
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The first time I ever rode a scooter was in Chiang Mai, not counting my friend's moped when I was 15. If you can ride a bike you can handle it. I only almost paid the price once and that was because I forgot the traffic is on the other side from US, turn out, look up, and see a big rear end bus coming right at me. You couldn't have driven a nail through my rear end in a top hat with a jackhammer I was so scared! Aside from that, it was so much fun I actually bought a motorcycle when I came back to America just so I can go back and tour SE Asia on one (which I said I was going to do in 2006 and I am still stateside and have not done )
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Mar 14, 2011 11:07
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BigSuave posted:Just rented a 125cc Honda and took my first motorbike ride. Ever. In Chaing Mai rush hour. Awesome. I can still picture it perfectly after all the time. I'm just beebopping along, minding my business, look to the left to make sure no one is coming, just turn right without coming to any sort of stop, look up, HOLY poo poo BUS BUS BUS literally 30 feet in front of me and closing fast, I can still picture the dusty grill on it. I credit my years and years of serious bicycling riding for not laying it down right there and dying. Somehow I made a perfect MSF swerve maneuver and missed it by like 10 feet. I think I chain smoked like 4 cigs after I pulled over.
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Mar 24, 2011 00:31
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Selector posted:Is one week enough to have any kind of fun in Thailand? What kind of travel time am I looking at from the states?
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Jun 20, 2011 06:37
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 17:25 |
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Quick Chiang Mai question. My buddy is about to be there for a few days. Anyone been there recently? What hostel should he stay at and what are the do not misses now? I stayed at Daret's House and rented a scooter for a few days, rode around, hit the zoo, and went mountain biking but this was 2006. Anything else cool?
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Mar 5, 2013 03:18
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