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Drudkh posted:can anyone rec some good non sex bars in bangkok? What is your budget/demographic?
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Mar 29, 2010 23:27
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ReindeerF posted:Overall, the best Mexican is still Miguel's in Chiang Mai, but La Monita has better tacos and burritos in my opinion. Miguel's in Chiang Mai is the same guy who does Mike's Burgers in Chiang Mai, which is also the best burger in Thailand and Michaelangelo's Italian and another Mike derivative. Everything he does is brilliant for some reason. Seconding this. I found a Mexican place in Pai that kind of blended Thai/Mexican that was also pretty good. Sunrise in BKK was OK for scratching the itch, but it wasn't amazing or anything. They had jalepenos at Subway, but they were called "Mexican peppers". Didn't know the two were connected though. I would actually get Burger King from time to time in Bangkok because while it wasn't a world class burger or anything, you were at least guaranteed a beef paddy and a bun, rather than winding up with a thin steak on a baguette or whatever Thai people think a hamburger is. When they opened the Mos Burger at Paragon I about died of happiness.
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Mar 31, 2010 15:12
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ReindeerF posted:This is an excellent point and it bugs me too. I asked some real live Ethiopians and they basically said, "Yeah, we don't know of any." Disappointing! I had assumed maybe at least one place down in Nana would have some, but so far nothing There's at least one, my professors were talking about having gone to it.
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Apr 1, 2010 14:02
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ReindeerF posted:The mythological Ethernopoan restaurant rears its head. Get directions! First result in Google for "ethiopian restaurant bangkok", claims to be only one in Thailand. ReindeerF posted:It's legit. I forget what Thailand's laws are, but some countries over here are required by law to hold them (I think that's true, never verified it). I don't think that's true in Thailand, but I've lived here long enough now that it hasn't come up in years and I just don't know. It's certainly not abnormal for them to ask for it though in my memory. Sort of a deposit. I wouldn't sweat it. Your passport is the property of your government and you aren't supposed to surrender it to some random foreigner. That said places will ask for it, although in Thailand it's normally just to copy down your details when you check in. In Vietnam I'm pretty sure it's the law you have to leave it with the desk though, and I've never really been bothered by it. Wherever you are, motorbike rentals in particular will usually want to hold on to your passport as a deposit, rather than asking backpackers to come up with $500 or $1000 to leave. Can make it a PITA if you want to rent a bike for a multi-country trip, you often have to leave a deposit that exceeds the actual value of the bike, which is why buying one and selling it later is attractive for longer trips.
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Apr 1, 2010 21:55
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da keebsta knicca posted:Burger King patties tasted totally weird. Thailand had weird tasting beef all around. Like I would get a craving for a ton of red meat and order a steak and it would be some weird buffalo or something. I found the meat in Cambodia pretty poor, to the point where I became a vegetarian for the last two weeks or so because it just wasn't worth the bother of eating. (I'm a pretty committed omnivore, so this was quite a feat.) This was all local food I was eating though, I was traveling with this Indian-Brit guy who was even cheaper than myself, so my diet was like 95% street/market food. I think I lost like 5-7 pounds the 30 days I was there from diet and walking around, and I really didn't have a ton of weight to spare to begin with. The seafood in Kep is great, although I never tried sushi. You'd order it and watch a lady walk out the back, hike up her skirts, wade out into the ocean and grab your lunch out of a bamboo cage, bring it in to the kitchen to cook  TRefitty posted:If I have a budget of just $5K USD or so and live fairly simply (like in hostels), how long do you guys expect I could last in Vietnam/Cambodia? How about Thailand? Does this include airfare? You can stretch your money pretty far if you stay in one place for a while. Buses, taxis/tuk-tuk's, tours, admission fees and the like, while not massively expensive on their own, do add up if you're doing new stuff every second or third day. By contrast, renting a place at a weekly (or monthly) rate, finding the cheapest good eats around, and just hanging out in the sun, reading, socializing with locals or your fellow travelers, etc works out to be significantly cheaper. You'll miss out on breadth, but you do get depth, and if you just want a change of weather/scenery/pace from back home it might be the ticket. In Thailand, the more touristed places often have classes that teach Thai cooking, massage, kickboxing, language, etc for people on holiday. Thailand and Vietnam are a bit more expensive than Cambodia and Laos on average, although still quite affordable. There really aren't a lot of hostels/dorms by the way, most commonly you will be staying in a guesthouse. Price will vary widely depending on location, popularity, season, and amenities. $10/night should get you a private room, probably with hot water shower in all but the expensive places (Bangkok, Phuket, etc). Honestly, aircon isn't necessary and I actually prefer not to have it; fans are much better for keeping mosquitoes away.
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Apr 7, 2010 03:58
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Ringo R posted:I'd like to invite you to my simple abode and let you sleep one night without aircon. You'll that's amore for sure! Especially this month, my god it's hot. But seriously, it probably depends on what climate one is used to (don't try it you silly Scandinavians) and whether the room in question has good ventilation or not. Due to the superior building standards in the region your room will probably have ventilation even in the most unexpected places. I'm from Florida so  ReindeerF posted:True. It's why I never go anywhere on Songkran anymore. I love the whole week of being able to get around Bangkok without a hassle. The water play gets a little old after about the second day (like when you're riding to work on the back of a motorbike and get soaked), but it's a small price to pay for being able to get from point A to point B without sitting in traffic. Did someone say Songkran in Bangkok? Here, let me flog my pics from Soi Cowbow/2008 again:          
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Apr 7, 2010 15:31
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Broohaha posted:Here are some initial questions if anybody can help me out: I've been given the Eyewitness Guides to some countries as gifts by well-meaning relatives and while they're well-written, cover a decent-ish amount, and have interesting little culture/detail notes, they're terrible for backpackers because they only list a few midrange options with the rest towards the high end; they're oriented more for "real people" like your parents on holiday. Rough Guide is maybe the #2 choice but it's second place by a large margin, Lonely Planet is what the majority of people use. I personally use the LP guides to give me a rough idea of where I want to go, and supplement it with some Googling beforehand. A lot of times you'll find cool stuff in none of the guidebooks on people's blogs, or postings on travel forums like Travelfish and Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree, as well as local ones like Thaivisa and khmer440. You can also cruise Couch Surfing and ask locals for their recommendations, or even arrange to hang out with them. The best source IMO is other travelers, it's always great to pick people's brains if they're coming from the direction you're going. The information is much more likely to be accurate/current, and you can ask questions. I usually mark up my Lonely Planet guidebooks with suggestions, phone numbers, addresses, directions, etc. It's kinda neat to hang on to the old ones and look back through them. For $1800 and only a month, you actually ought to look at some of those tour companies. It's more expensive, but on the plus side you waste less time and it's a lot easier than doing everything by yourself. I'm not saying do a tour for the full 30 days, but I'd consider taking at least a couple. Thailand's supposed to be kind of a soft landing for first-time travelers, but to be honest the other countries really aren't really more difficult if you're staying on the main backpacker trail. The main concern would be time, a month actually isn't as much time as it sounds like. I think just Thailand, or Thailand and one other country (maybe Cambodia, you can see most of the cool stuff in a 10 day loop or so) is best for that amount of time. For planning, I go through and make notes of all the stuff that looks interesting to me. I look at it on a map, look up transportation options, and get a rough idea of the route I'm going to take and how long I'll spend in each place. More of than not I wind up changing it when I get there, but it's nice to have a starting point.
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Apr 8, 2010 04:38
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Broohaha posted:Thanks for the helpful posts. I will follow up soon with more detailed questions. You can go from Singapore to Bangkok by train no problem (and Thailand has a pretty decent rail network), but Laos has nothing and after a quick Google, Cambodia's primitive rail service looks to have been suspended. Vietnam's is very good though. You can take buses just about everywhere, usually a bit faster than the train. Air Asia and to a lesser extent Tiger Airways are budget carriers that serve much of the region and are quite reasonably priced. It's best to book your tickets as far in advance as you can though, as the cheapest seats sell out first.
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Apr 8, 2010 20:29
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Bill Door posted:I have just booked a ticket to BKK leaving 20th April. I should have just under £6k when I land and intend to travel around SE Asia until it runs out. That is the extent of my plan so far. I probably won't stay in Bangkok too long but should I book somewhere to stay on Khao San for the first couple nights or is it fairly easy to just get a taxi and look for somewhere once I arrive? Gambling is illegal in Thailand except for lotteries (doesn't stop Thais, at any rate), but if you found some games it'd be at an on-the-downlow gambling den. A lot of Thais go across the border to Cambodia to gamble, Poipet is known for its casinos. It's also seedy as gently caress, so I dunno. Some Western friends of mine went ironically last year and they were fine, but it is one of a very small number of places in SEA where I've actually felt kinda unsafe. Generally you'll only find wifi at some midrange places and on the higher end, it's very unlikely it'll turn up at your standard guesthouses. I dunno how internet cafes are with allowing online poker (given that it's also illegal), but with the noise level you generally find at them it's probably not somewhere you'd want to be spending large blocks of your time at anyways. In decent-sized towns, especially those that see Westerners, you might be able to find a cafe or restaurant with Wifi, which is probably your best bet. The government may go as far as blocking the major online poker sites, you might want to look in to a VPN or something.
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Apr 8, 2010 23:09
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Fox1 posted:Is there anywhere in BKK where I can get good deals on flights home (UK). I've only ever booked online, I don't know if there are deals to be had buying in person etc. Try the TAT office too, I had to book a flight home last minute and a tuk-tuk driver recommended I go there first. Flight turned out to be cheaper than the original one I'd booked months in advance after shopping around on the internet, and was on a nicer airline (Cathay Pacific).
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Apr 9, 2010 15:48
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Ringo R posted:Picksure Tiem! Dude, those are great shots, especially in sequence like that. (For those of you not in the know, monks cannot touch/be touched by women). Tag the hell out of them, you might get a news outlet looking to license something.
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Apr 9, 2010 21:24
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Haggins posted:Visas Malaysia and Singapore are 90 day visas free on arrival. There's some weirdness involving Sarawak and Sabah (the semi-autonomous states in Borneo) and you get separate stamps for them. Laos has some visas on arrival at the borders, but I think they might be 15 day. You can apply for a 30 day Lao tourist visa in advance at most major cities in the region. Vietnam you need to apply in advance and also specify the date you plan to enter Vietnam. If you're arriving by air you can do this online through a company and pick the visa up at the airport, otherwise go through a Vietnamese embassy or consulate. Getting a bogus business visa is very difficult for Thailand these days unless you know the right people, I think. You can get an educational visa for a year through a Thai language school, the tuition for the minimum number of classes is under $1000, I think. In Cambodia you can outright buy a business visa, and in Vietnam I had no problems getting a 3 month multi-entry business visa through a travel company online, despite having no "business" there. Laos is kind of mysterious, I think it's one of those "knowing the right people" things. As Sheep-Goats said, just get an RT ticket, put the return date as far in advance as you can (STA Travel is good for having low fees on changing dates, as well as free stopovers for up to 90 days), and adjust as needed. The validity of the tickets is usually 364 days but I found nobody could actually book that far in advance, it was more like 8-9 months. quote:Photographers. I see a lot of people from dorkroom and I know I've seen some of you post about shooting over there but I forgot. I got a couple questions about gear and security.  Danger of having your gear jacked when shooting: probably lower than in most of the United States. Violent crime, especially against foreigners, is quite rare. It's more likely to be stolen when you're not paying attention. When traveling, I bring my camera bag with me rather than leaving it in the hold under the bus (so people getting off before me can't just walk off with it), and when I leave my room I usually put my laptop inside a bag of dirty laundry, which is then put inside my locked, nondescript military surplus dufflebag. My camera bag was usually with me, although if I was leaving it I'd either put it in with the laptop, or leave it with the desk. Most places will let you leave bags with them for safekeeping, I dunno how "safe" it is, but probably better than your room. Personally, I still think you're more likely to lose something setting it down and turning away, or not being attentive at a cafe than from your room, but it can happen. Buy all your gear before you go, gear over there is almost always more expensive due to taxes and the like. Singapore can have OK prices, Hong Kong might approach US norms, but you kind of have to look/haggle for those kinds of deals I think. Little things like filters and stuff aren't so bad, IIRC. I actually don't like primes for travel, I find them too limiting for the variety of situations you often find yourself in. I'd still recommend bringing at least the 50mm, and maybe picking up a beater EOS film SLR for it. I had an Elan with ISO 1600 film in it as my night-time beater that worked great, was made out of plastic and could take punishing. You might also consider a Nikonos, which is tough as nails and can be taken underwater (although if you're diving I think you usually want underwater strobes, which is probably a bit much to carry around Southeast Asia). Don't bother covering the Canon logo, white lens, or anything like that. I don't think it makes a huge deal whether your bag looks like a camera bag or not, from the reactions I got from normal people when I used it, I think my Tamrac Adventure 9 probably would have confused a thief trying to rifle through it for valuables. If you want to shoot a soldier or cop, try and make eye contact and do an "is this okay?" sort of face/gesture with your camera. There are also temples where photography is forbidden but they're usually pretty good about having signs. If you don't want to ask, just roll up with your camera really visible, and if taking pictures is a problem someone will generally tell you. It's not like they'll feed you to the sun god if you take a picture in the wrong room or anything, but it's common courtesy. quote:Motorcycles. I've never ridden nor know how to shift gears. I'd like to fix that before I get over there. I'm in Florida. Should I just take the Basic Motorcycle Rider Course for my license endorsement? Will that be enough? I don't plan on buying or riding a bike over here. I've never been hassled for a license before, and I don't think a motorcycle endorsement would make a huge deal to the average cop who had a problem with you (they would have a really hard time puzzling out a US license). That said, I think you should definitely take the MSF. I was signed up for it next week and they just cancelled the class on me, so don't leave it for the last minute. If you plan on doing some extended riding, you should consider bringing your own gear from the States. The selection in Southeast Asia is pretty bad already, worse if you're not 5'6" and skinny. Helmets are kinda okay though. quote:Forbidden Lands. It seems like everyone understandably avoids Myanmar, but if I wanted to go? I think it'd be cool to check out some crazy oppressed country. I think an "on rails" tour for a few days would be enough. Is there anything affordable/possible like this? Don't go to North Korea. Yeah it sounds cool to tell people you've been there and it's a crazy 1984 wonderland you won't find anywhere else, but 100% of the money you spend is going straight into the piece of poo poo government's pocket, and you will see absolutely nothing there that hasn't been pre-approved and sanitized by Dear Leader. Westerners indulging their morbid sense of curiosity are directly contributing to the North Korean government's repressive regime and are doing nothing to help the North Korean people, who their "tour guide" won't let them anywhere near. There's no such thing as an "off rails" tour in North Korea unless you sneak in. Myanmar is a little different, as the money you spend can actually go to the local people, and you have the chance to talk with them, bring news from the outside, that sort of thing. At the same time, visiting legitimizes the military government and I think the democracy leader's stance was they preferred you didn't visit (I can't remember if she changed it from that, or to it). Large swaths of the country are off-limits to foreigners, with some isolated pockets you have to fly in to in order to skip over the closed parts. It's kind of your call, I think the reason a lot of backpackers didn't go was more because they didn't want to have to pay $100 for the flight from Bangkok rather than having an informed political opinion on it. My personal opinion is that there are plenty of other, less political-controversial countries in the region where it's easier to get around, so no big rush to go to Burma. Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 05:08 on Apr 11, 2010 |
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Apr 11, 2010 04:52
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quote:While I'm thinking about it, is there a way to get things sent to me over there? The Lonely Planet's I've had have all mentioned Post Restante, and like Sheep-Goats I have no experience with using it. I'm personally a little cagey about having a package sitting at a local post office for who knows how long, I would try getting it sent to a co-operative friend/goon, guesethouse or other business. I got a spare duffelbag mailed to the bike shop in Hanoi I was friendly with and it arrived no problem... after sitting in Vietnamese customs for a loving month. Anecdotally that happens often in Vietnam, I always got my packages in Thailand on time though. If it's a direct commercial thing like some camera gear you may have to pay duty. In that case, you can try bouncing it off a friend or relative in the US and have them repackage it as a gift. Doesn't mean Customs won't open it anyways though, seems random. Broohaha posted:Ah crap; so you guys think Thailand is a no-go right now because of the violence? Not really, just stay out of Bangkok and you should be fine. Even in Bangkok, I don't think it would devolve into a situation that's very harmful for tourists minding their own business. On the flip side, you guys might want to try hitting up travel agents or contacting some of the nicer resorts directly to see what kind of special rates/packages they might be offering. I imagine this poo poo is causing a lot of people to cancel their holiday plans for Thailand, and things weren't great over there in the tourism sector lately to begin with. Might be some nice bargains to be had if the higher end places are hurting.
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Apr 12, 2010 03:22
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Broohaha posted:I'm in between jobs right now so no health insurance... how dangerous for me to go to Thailand for a month without any vaccinations? For the record, when I enrolled in grad school I had to get a bunch of inoculations though I don't remember what they were. You shouldn't go to Thailand without some basic medical coverage. Myself and at least one other goon in the old thread have been hospitalized for random tropical diseases, and while medical care is cheaper than in the US, a Western-type hospital stay can run you a couple grand a week. If you need to be medevac'd from a podunk country like Laos or Cambodia that doesn't have good hospitals, that can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. STA Travel has some basic insurance that comes with the ISIC card, which while it wouldn't help you much with small stuff, would absorb the brunt of a more serious illness/accident. If you can't get an ISIC card I'm sure there's something else similar.
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Apr 12, 2010 23:46
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brendanwor posted:Haha what? "How do I travel internationally without a passport?" Really? Citizens of countries bordering Thailand can usually cross with a little crappy document and their national ID card, it's probably what the Thai government's website was referring to. If you lose your passport and there isn't time to replace it before your flight, an embassy/consulate can also issue you a temporary travel document. To answer the original question, check the Department of States' current estimate for processing. From what I've heard it's not as bad as it has been in recent years.
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Apr 14, 2010 03:36
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brendanwor posted:Sure, but the guy's American, not from a neighbouring country. And getting issued a temporary doc is obviously different to an initial passport issue anyway. I'm a dual Thai/Australian citizen, and I certainly can't get out of or into Thailand without a passport. Well, you asked
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Apr 14, 2010 04:55
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Haggins posted:drat that Japanese Encephalitis vaccine costs $350 per shot and it takes two shots. I think I'm gonna skip it; the odds look good. Yeah, Japanese Encephalitis vaccination is a bad idea (both cost and risk wise) unless you're going to be out in the rice paddies planting all day or something. Just treat every mosquito as a potential assassin. You can buy a SIM card and refillable credit at just about any convenience store in Thailand, other countries work the same way. It's pretty cheap; if you're just checking e-mail and other low-bandwidth stuff you don't need a data plan. I'm not sure if you can even sign a contract for data plan on a tourist visa, I just used the refillable credit stuff when I was there. It's best to keep your SIM cards in one place and clearly labeled, they're tiny little things and can easily get misplaced. Generally they'll last through a couple of months of inactivity (you going to another country) before the service provider resets the number. The networks tend to switch over really quickly in my experience, I don't think I was more than 100 feet into Cambodia (at a semi-disputed border, at that) when I got an SMS from AIS telling me I was roaming.
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Apr 15, 2010 03:35
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Astian posted:Does anyone know anything about English teaching opportunities in Myanmar? Word on the street/Internet is that a few options have begun to open up over the last couple of years, and I've found an ad or two online, but nothing regarding English teacher/expat lifestyle in the country. I don't have it bookmarked anymore, but there was a blog written by a lady living in Myanmar teaching at an international school that gave a pretty decent picture of life inside the country as an expat. It didn't sound super appealing, the utilities were always going out in Yangon, internet access was kind of intermittent, etc. You could try googling around.
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Apr 17, 2010 17:26
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Tolain posted:whats the average pay look like in cambodia? Vietnam seems to be 19-$35 if you have a TEFL, so I'm considering getting one as soon as I head back to the states and then returning there. But Thailand and Cambodia are also really appealing to me. You can do a TEFL cert in Thailand, there are a number of different schools offering them. I went through one that was accredited with the State University of New York system four years ago, it was a good mix of theory and practical experience. The instructors were all very professional. I think Vietnam's probably one of the better paying countries in the region on the average. When I was in Phnom Penh the expats I met were saying around US$10/hour is a fairly standard rate, although it could have changed since then. Also curious how you're making out, Astian!
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Apr 17, 2010 22:41
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Haggins posted:Where do I look/who do I talk to about getting travel insurance? I'm only worried about health while I'm over there and covering my ~$5000 from breaking/getting stolen. I got my gear insured in the US with Metlife, I guess I can ask them about covering my trip. As for health do I really need to worry about covering evacuations to the US? While I'm in SEA I won't have a home or health insurance in the US. Evacuation to the US, not really (unless you want body repatriation; I think it's dumb but the scholarship I was on required me to have it). Thailand has good hospitals that can handle just about anything, it's actually a fairly popular destination for medical tourism. But it's possible you might need evacuation of some kind to Bangkok if you get into serious trouble out in the sticks. I'm playing devil's advocate here; in all likelyhood you won't need it, but I don't want to be the rear end in a top hat that gets some goon killed in a Cambodian hospital or whatever. STA Travel sells health insurance designed for travelers, I'm sure there are plenty of other companies too.
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Apr 20, 2010 00:03
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Ringo R posted:Is there a decent dim sum restaurant in Bangkok that's not too expensive? I've been to two so far and they both served what was obviously deep frozen crap they bought in a supermarket. Terrible! Chinatown? I usually just got street food when I was passing through, but I'm sure there's at least one real dim sum place there.
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Apr 20, 2010 04:25
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ziebarf posted:Malaysia should get more love in this thread! Malaysia is really cool. I've only been to KL and Sarawak/Sabah over on Borneo (which are almost like another country) but I'd definitely recommend it to anyone.
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Apr 21, 2010 11:07
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Damnit, lost my reply.kru posted:Lumpini park is at Silom, right? I'm trying to picture exactly where that is without resorting to google maps - am I close or being retarded? Basically between the MRT (subway) and BTS (skytrain) not far from Siam Square, in the other direction from National Stadium BTS. Closer to the MRT. Lumphini district is where a lot of the embassies and nice hotels are. Haggins posted:I hope to go to Malaysia during my trip too. It's starting to seem like a year in SEA may just not be enough time. Depending on ticket prices, I may just start my trip in Singapore rather than BKK. I'll just let fate decide and go with what ever is cheaper. It's not that bad. There are some hostels like you find in developed countries, so if you're okay with a dorm you won't break the bank. I stayed at Bugis Backpackers years ago on the recommendation of some Japanese people I met in Indonesia and it was nice; a Thai friend of mine stayed there a few months ago and says it's still held up. You can get a great meal of street food for a couple of bucks, although certainly more expensive fare can be found in the shopping malls, etc (as in Bangkok, KL, and the other big cities elsewhere in the region). Probably the best place in the region to buy photo stuff, but buying in the US is still likely better. You'd be hard pressed to spend over a week there unless you really like the place, to me it feels like a hotter, cleaner version of Japan with more English and a lot of the quirky fun bits stripped away. The zoo is a definite must see though. If you're flying to somewhere in Malaysia next with Air Asia it's worth checking the fares from Johor Baru across the bridge, when I was there it saved me like $150 on my flight to Borneo because Changi taxes add a fair bit to those cheap tickets. Broohaha posted:Since I'll be going alone, I want to make sure I run into as many other solo travelers as possible to find kindred spirits to do things with. Apparently Thailand doesn't really have hostels so what are their equivalents? Guesthouses? Are there specific types of guesthouses that are more conducive to being able to interact with other travelers in certain cities? Ones that have a decent common area, not just a desk to check in. Books, seating, a pool table, or a TV (if that's you're thing). Some do, some don't. Restaurants, buses, and the tourist attractions themselves are other places to meet people. I found that a semi-campy t-shirt from your hometown makes a good icebreaker.
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Apr 22, 2010 00:40
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freebooter posted:What I've been reading is "poor rural people kicking up a fuss because they think the government is elitist," which I read as "Thailand Tea Party." Tell me I'm wrong? They aren't analogous at all; Thailand's poors have been politically marginalized for pretty much the country's entire history, and if anything they want more/bigger government. Under Thaksin Shinawatra, the former PM ousted in a royalist-backed coup whom they support, the government implemented UHC, a debt moratorium for farmers, and a micro-credit program. Also pretty corrupt, but since that's basically every Thai PM ever, his supporters didn't really care. In a nutshell, the big problem was he was seeking to replace the established elitist patronage networks in the military, police, and bureaucracy with his own, which caused his ouster. The yellow shirts/royalists actually are elitist, most of them are patronizing of the rural poor (who make up most of the county's population, hence why Thaksin was popularly elected) at best. There is serious talk about weighting votes so that uneducated farmers don't "count" as much as city dwellers. Firaga posted:Later this year I'm planning to go to SE Asia for a month. I want to hit up Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, maybe Laos, maybe Malaysia. Doing all of my research, I really have no idea what I'm doing so this will be one hell of an experience. 1-2 countries at best, really. You'll only be hiking if you want to as like a trek or something. It's a good idea to have at least a rough idea of what stuff you'd like to see in a country before you go. I guess you can work illegally under the table (Cambodia is probably easiest to do this) but for a month there probably aren't a lot of places that would want to bother with you. You could look in to WWOOFing or volunteering or whatever I suppose.
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Apr 23, 2010 15:53
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ReindeerF posted:There's a big asterisk here though: Southern Thailand. They're largely yellow shirts and not entirely because of the Muslim thing either, though I don't fully understand that. When Arisman or someone yells from the red stage he'll yell out, "everybody from The North cheer!" and there's a big cheer and then there's "Everybody from Central Thailand cheer!" and there's a big cheer and then he doesn't yell anything about the South, heh. Someone told me that the South have been Democrat party loyalists predating Thaksin's campaign of terror down there, but I don't know much about that, frankly. The South has been a Democrat/royalist stronghold for a long time, check out Duncan McCargo's "Network Monarchy" and "Network Monarchy Strikes Back" articles, they do a pretty good job of explaining it. Send me an e-mail or something if you can't find them online; I'm sure I've still got the PDF's somewhere.
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Apr 25, 2010 05:05
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Make sure to tell your bank you're going overseas though. Some will shut off your account after a couple unexpected foreign ATM withdrawals. I had Wachovia do it to me after like 6 months ( ) and it took like a week to get straightened out, during which I lived off a $100 traveler's check I had with me for such emergencies.
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Apr 27, 2010 04:08
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As far as a safe place, if you build up a good relationship with the guesthouse/hotel they can hold it for you. Sometimes it might cost something, sometimes it won't. Maybe Ringo R would hold on to it for you for a couple of beers? Underwear/socks are easy to wash on your own in a bathroom sink/shower. When I do it myself it's usually more about not wanting to be held up waiting for it than cost though; most places do laundry by the kilogram. You've got the right idea about buying more clothes when you get there, I think. You should have at least one pair of actual close-toed shoes, too. This might sound like really obvious common sense, but a surprising number of backpackers I met are getting by with just flip-flops and it's kind of hilarious to watch them trying to do treks or pussyfoot around broken glass, etc.
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Apr 28, 2010 05:26
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Haggins posted:I think you might have some problems doing that. My knowledge of cell phones and networks is outdated so I can't be of much help to you. You'll be better off asking in this thread: If it can be unlocked, there's a whole floor of shops in MBK (big shopping center in Bangkok) that can do it for you if the Verizon store won't.
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Apr 29, 2010 04:38
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madcow posted:So I am supposed to be booking a trip to Phuket soon, but reading this thread is really making me think I should be booking it to any other place except for Phuket. The trip is only for 6 days or so, is Phuket really that bad or does it still have its charms beneath the touristy crap? I've never been, but I've never heard anyone say Phuket has a lot of great stuff beneath the surface, just that there are other, less touristy places nearby. If you only have six days I think a package or at least some guided tours will help you get the most from your vacation. One thing you might try if you're going to spend any time in Bangkok is getting a motorcycle taxi driver to take you around for a half day. I've seen it advertised in some back alleys around Khao San for like $25; you can likely do it cheaper just finding a guy on your own but the chance of them speaking much English is effectively zero that way. I wouldn't use it just for zipping around between tourist attractions; the real appeal would be getting to see some local/oddball places.
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Apr 29, 2010 17:09
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Broohaha posted:-where to go to buy simple stuff like a satchel and a cell phone that i can use in country?? Cellphone: MBK, in Siam Square. If you tell a taxi driver "MBK" they'll know what you mean. There's a whole floor of shops selling/unlocking mobile phones. Satchel - you mean like a backpack, or a man-purse like in The Hangover? Either way, if you read this in time, go to Jatujak Weekend Market. Massive, has everything. Otherwise it shouldn't be too hard to find something elsewhere.
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May 2, 2010 04:43
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Broohaha posted:at mbk right now. have seen enough older white men holding hands with young thai girls to make me lose all faith in humanity. My sister's comment: "Is that a pro'? What do those guys think this is, 'Pretty Woman'?"
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May 3, 2010 14:05
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Best Thai food IMO is nam dtok muu (น้ำตกหมู if any of you want to copy this down, I don't think I've ever seen it on an English menu). It translates literally to "pig waterfall", I was reading a menu at a restaurant aloud and laughed at that one, my Thai friend thought that meant I wanted to order it. Best accidental discovery ever, goes well with sticky rice. Jet Age posted:Sarawak yes, not sure about Sabah yet. When I was there it seemed like most people did the opposite (most just doing Sabah and skipping Sarawak or doing it really quickly). They're both good, lots of excellent national parks. Mulu is definitely worth the visit/flight, I used it to get around Brunei. In Sabah, I did some diving in Sipidan and Mabul that was great. Semporna (the jumping off town on Borneo proper) is a bit of a hole, but I did a homestay on Palau Mabul and it was awesome. Broohaha posted:So I went ahead and rented a bike and it was the best decision I've made so far. Riding around the island is absolutely great and the views and vistas (especially in the early afternoon) are simply stunning. Unfortunately, I had to pay the "police tax" -- fined 200 bhat for not having a helmet on. Of course, nevermind the fact that 98% of bike riders (and seemingly 100% of local bike riders) have no helmets on. I'm pretty sure it's a way for the police to get a little something extra off the top from the tourists. Oh well, no big deal. 200 bhat = $7 fine. Something like this in the U.S. is a $150 fine. Seriously what's so hard about picking up a helmet and putting it on your head? Most rental places have them for no extra charge.
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May 5, 2010 16:52
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Franco Caution posted:Well my 5th trip to Bangkok is scheduled and I arrive on the 13th. Yeah, Lumphini is an expensive district, but there are still some cheap options. I've stayed at A-One Inn a couple of times when I needed to be central, it's closer to National Stadium BTS/Siam Square, but you should be able to get to the US Embassy in 15 minutes or less on a motorcycle taxi unless there's a major red shirt protest or something. They have a website you can make reservations on but it's down. A quick google also turned up some stuff about cheapish accomodation in Lumphini; given the political climate and season it's unlikely you'll have a hard time if you just show up without a reservation. Fiskenbob posted:I paid a shitload to get on one of the NiCE Express Buses between KL and Singapore, because I didn't feel like flying again. poo poo had TV's and watresses like on a plane, and seated only 22 people because of the huge seats. Yeah, I took one (don't know how nice a bus it was supposed to be, but was quite comfortable) and it was fine and didn't take too long. OTOH, both KL and Singapore's airports are linked to the cities by light rail, and the route is well-served by budget carriers, so flying isn't a bad idea if you don't mind it.
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May 5, 2010 19:54
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Fiskenbob posted:With the one I got on in KL, the company was actually called NiCE (Nationwide interstate Coach Executive, a backronym I suspect) and the seats had telephones and individual tv screens with movie channels. Lunch was included as well. It was pretty rad, and didn't take more than five hours IIRC. Mine had acres of legroom, but no individual TV's. I was gonna say it took 5 hours too but I didn't want to sound crazy, it looks like it would take longer on a map but Malaysia has some pretty nice highways. I also came across this gem on the trip: 
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May 5, 2010 20:27
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Sheep-Goats posted:My favorite use of bags in Thailand is when you get a coke and they put it in a bag with ice and then they put that bag into another bag because obviously you can't carry the first bag even though it's a bag and has handles, you need a bag to carry your bag in. And then you drink it and hang it on the fence.  Ringo R posted:Sheep-Goats: Yeah garbage guys are quite amazing because everybody is making life so hard for the poor bastards. There are one or two actual public trash cans that are divided into different sections (plastic, paper etc) yet people throw whatever they want in any of those sections I met some garbagemen when I was walking around Kanchanaburi at 5am (thanx literal cat-fight outside my window all night long). They were cool guys. In retrospect I wish I'd asked them if I could ride along on the truck, ever since I was a little kid I thought garbage trucks were the poo poo. freebooter posted:Fair enough, because I honestly don't know exactly what I do want. I just know that it's not the Phuket get-drunk-go-shopping-bang-hookers lifestyle. I'm not here for some kind of cultural experience either; I used to live and work in Korea and I have no interest in immersing myself in Asian society. I suppose I'm here for landscapes. Or... not just that, I don't know, I already said I don't know. part of the fun is figuring out. Try the national parks (in any country).
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May 7, 2010 13:00
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Haggins posted:While we're on the subject of bags, I've been putting a lot of thought into what bag/s I'm going to bring with me. I'm currently investing into camera gear for the trip and the bag I bring will dictate what gear I can bring. Therefore I'll want to get my bag pretty soon before buying gear to fill it. That setup is pretty popular, even among non-photogs (most regular backpackers just use a cheap Jansport or whatever as a daybag, holds guidebook, novel, map, sunglasses, whatever). It's handy to be able to stuff your day bag down inside your big one in a pinch, but not strictly necessary. An army surplus dufflebag is cheap, tough, has a ton of space, and doesn't scream "expensive poo poo herein!". Straps are not as comfy as a hiking backpack, but I found I seldom spend much time walking around with it on my back, so it was a moot point.
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May 7, 2010 22:27
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Broohaha posted:okay so now i'm here in KL... and i dont know what to do. i'm right by the train station and i can see the petronas towers about 5 km down the road. i'm gonna get a hotel and go to bed and wake up early tomorrow looking for ideas for things to do. Batu Caves, and if you decide not to bother with the early-morning wake-up to get tickets to the observation bridge of the towers, there's a Space-Needle type deal you don't need an appointment for that offers decent views of the city. Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 17:14 on May 13, 2010 |
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May 13, 2010 17:11
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ReindeerF posted:Make sure to avoid any place with more than 2 Koreans in sight at a given time - they come in groups of 1,000,000 on huge buses and take over whatever establishment they're in. Nice enough, but you came to stay in Cambodia, not Inchon. The Koreans took over the Apsara concession from Japan a few years ago, which accounts for the massive influx of all things Korean in recent years. Isn't there a North Korean restaurant in Phnom Penh?
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May 14, 2010 12:43
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ReindeerF posted:I heard that we have one here in Bangkok, I think I might have seen it if it's over on Suk Soi 57 - not sure. Haven't heard of one in PP, though something like that rings a bell - still, I'm not completely in the loop so I'm sure you'd know more. I'm one of those people who thinks that visiting NK as a tourist is borderline sociopathy, but I would totally eat at one of those restaurants (so that I could upperdeck the toilet) 
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May 15, 2010 04:00
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joemers posted:Hey just read this article http://www.travelfish.org/feature/187 on Travelfish regarding trips to Thailand. They don't really make any mention of how hard it would be to get to/from the train station in Bangkok from Suvarnabhumi. We wanted to hit the train station as soon as we hit Bangkok and get out. It's in Chinatown, which I haven't seen on the news/in any pictures as being a hotbed of rebellion. Just tell the taxi driver at the airport "Hualamphong Train Station". freebooter posted:According to Wikitravel, Laos has just very recently (Feb 2010) opened visa-on-arrival facilities at the Cambodian land border crossing. Can anyone confirm or deny this? That would be cool if they did; otherwise you can still cross there if you get your Lao visa in advance at an embassy/consulate.
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May 18, 2010 04:30
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