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Don't take Doxycycline unless absolutely necessary. It can lead to nasty side effects. Here's my friend after unwisely taking Doxycycline for Bangkok and Koh Tao. He disregarded my advice that it wouldn't be needed.  (click for big) The zoomed portion in the top left is his knee. His entire body (yes, entire - we asked his girlfriend) was covered. It was itchy - we were on a diving trip and he couldn't wear a wet suit comfortably - and ugly. The rash appeared within four days but didn't disappear for over a week. Finch! fucked around with this message at 05:08 on Feb 2, 2010 |
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Feb 2, 2010 05:04
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Here are a few useful links I've put together. I hope other people can add new categories and links and descriptions. By no means is this an exhaustive list, but it should help.Ringo R posted:Steve.: Your last post is now the official link farm of this thread and you must maintain it and keep it up to date, forever. Failure to do so will result in a custom title of a ladyboy ejaculating. You heard the man! If I don't pick up a useful link from this thread, please message it to me. Research and Planning There is a wealth of information strewn around the Internet, on websites and forums. Someone will have been to where you want to go, no matter how remote or unlikely you think it to be. The following are some good places to start finding information and planning your adventure: http://wikitravel.org/en/South_East_Asia - Start here. Summaries and links to each South East Asian country article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_East_Asia - Here's also a good place. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia http://www.travelfish.org - A fantastic resource, with forums and an assload of information about everything. Here are some pages that contain useful information about staying safe, even though a lot of it is very alarmist: http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/ - Maintained by the Australian Government. Contains travel advisories and bulletins. Miscellaneous Links Work in progress! This section will contain links that are of use to the modern adventurer, but which don't really belong anywhere else. http://www.travelmedicine.com.au/ - The home page for the Travel Medicine Alliance in Australia. Find a local travel medicine specialist. http://www.worldnomads.com/ - Travel insurance.  Don't travel without insurance Medical expenses aren't cheap - and if you hire a scooter and think you're Valentino Rossi, there's a good chance someone will need to scrape your busted rear end off the road and take you to a hospital. Theft of possessions is also usually covered. There are plenty of other providers around, with varying degrees of cover. Read their product disclosure statements and choose a provider that best fits your needs.http://www.covermore.com.au - A good travel insurance company for Australians, with selectable levels of cover. Transport - Train: http://www.seat61.com - for all your worldwide train needs. The information is usually up to date. Contains prices, routes, photographs, connection details, and an enormous amount of other information. Very useful information, even if your journey isn't by train. Use this site to find links to the various train companies in the region. - Airlines: http://www.airasia.com - Air Asia are a low cost carrier based in Malaysia. They fly pretty much everywhere, for cheap. Also contains information and facilitates bookings for Air Asia X, their long haul airline. New routes are added regularly. Recommended. http://www.tigerairways.com - Tiger Airways are a low cost carrier based in Singapore. Their network is a bit more limited, and focuses on Singapore. A sister operation flies domestically in Australia. http://www.jetstar.com - There are several Jetstar airlines: domestically within Australia, international and domestic through South East Asia, international from Australia, domestically within New Zealand, and domestically within Vietnam. http://www.cebupacificair.com - Operates domestically within The Philippines and has a fairly large international network, but are not really convenient to use for journeys that aren't either terminating in or originating from The Philippines. These low cost carriers may be cheap, but they certainly aren't dangerous. The largest risk is a flight not being on time. This may mean it's early. Most aircraft in all of the above airlines are very new, clean, and all are well maintained. Air travel on low cost carriers is often cheaper than other forms of public transport, particularly over long distances. All listed airlines have regular sales, where enormous discounts can be had. Think free + tax. - Flight search engines: http://www.skyscanner.net - Very useful for country to country searches, without needing a specific departure or arrival airport. Recommended. http://www.wego.com http://www.kayak.com http://www.expedia.com .... and all the other usual suspects you know and love. I've found those above to find the lowest listed prices and many flights that other search engines don't find. Very few search engines cover the low cost carriers listed above. - Bus: http://www.plusliner.com - Malaysia. http://transnasional.com.my - Malaysia and Singapore. http://transtar.com.sg - Malaysia and Singapore. I've only used Transtar to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, and it was fine. They're safe, well maintained, clean, and reliable. The service is pretty good, too. - Boat: http://www.pelni.co.id/home.asp?loc=en - Pelni operates throughout Indonesia. http://www.lomprayah.com - Operates buses and ferries to and from Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao in Thailand. Safe, reliable, convenient, and cheap. Offers combination bus/catamaran tickets from Bangkok to Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Phangan. Sleep Wikitravel is useful here. Otherwise: http://hostelworld.com - Search for hostels, arranged by country and broken down by city. Arrange the results by rating. http://www.hostelbookers.com - As above. http://www.asiarooms.com - Lists accommodation throughout Asia, often at heavy discounts. Properties range from hovels to super-luxury resorts. http://goholiday.airasia.com - Air Asia's holiday website. Can book accommodation separately. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g2-Asia-Vacations.html - Has reviews of places to stay. Useful when combined with Asiarooms so you don't find yourself staying in a tranny brothel masquerading as a legitimate hotel (or to ensure you do stay in a tranny brothel, if that's your thing). Eat Here are a few websites that I regularly visit and use to find new foods, places, and other interesting information. I'm a bit of a food nerd. http://eatingasia.typepad.com/eatingasia - My favourite. Based in Kuala Lumpur but travel widely. Well written and photographed. http://kyspeaks.com - Mostly Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia, occasional visits to places further away.. http://ieatishootipost.sg - Mostly Singapore hawker food. http://jessieandthegiantplate.com - Throughout the region. http://www.what2seeonline.com - Penang, from hawker food to fine dining. http://www.lingzie.com - Penang, as above. Food is normally cheap, plentiful, and delicious. Don't be afraid of eating from a stall by the side of a road. You'll miss out on the best stuff! In the western world food courts are the epitome of all things nasty. In South East Asia, particularly in Singapore and Malaysia, the food court, food centre, and hawker centre is often home to the tastiest dishes at incredibly low prices. Many are air conditioned - locals feel the heat, too. http://www.best-singapore-vacation.com/5-step-guide-to-eating-at-a-singapore-hawker-centre.html - It may sound unnecessary, but here's a guide to eating at hawker centres. It's worth knowing a bit of basic etiquette so as to avoid making oneself look foolish or causing uncomfortable situations. This is also broadly applicable to Malaysia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_centre - All about the hawker centre. Contains names and links to some of the more famous. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_tiam - Kopi Tiam more or less translates to "coffee shop" but there is far, far, far more available than merely coffee. http://www.travelfish.org/feature/170 - An illustrated description of ten hawker centres in Singapore. http://www.travelfish.org/feature/172 - The above article continued. The bewildering array of food throughout South East Asia can be daunting. Here are some sites that can help demystify your culinary adventures: http://wikitravel.org/en/Singapore#Eat - Singapore. Also relevant to Malaysia. http://wikitravel.org/en/Malaysia#Eat - Malaysia. Also relevant to Singapore. http://wikitravel.org/en/Thailand#Eat - Thailand. ... and so on for the Wikitravel articles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_cuisine - A more comprehensive list of Malaysian food. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Singapore - As above, but for Singapore. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Thailand - ... and Thailand. See and Do Work in progress! There's a lot to do in South East Asia, and a lot is unique to that part of the world. This section will contain links to articles about and websites dedicated to things to do. Tours, activities, itineraries, special events, festivals, essential sightseeing, and so on. Please suggest links. If you've done something that you enjoyed and would like others to know about, we want it here! Stay Safe http://www.bikemandan.com/blog/seasia-2009/couchsurfers-and-blackjack-scams - A well written reflection of a widespread card scam. http://www.bangkokscams.com - Stay on top of scams in Bangkok. Help Work in progress! In this section, I'll post links to places where Goons can donate either their time or their money to good causes in the region. Charities, schools, responsible travel, and the like. Please help it grow. Goon Created Content Work in progress! This section will house links to websites, blogs, photo journals, threads, and so on, that have been created by Goons. http://www.bikemandan.com/seasia - dwoloz's excellent blog detailing his adventures: pedalling a bike through Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia. Check it out. http://tomolson.blogspot.com - rangerscum's blog. Check out his great trip report photo thread here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3264732 Contribute This post needs you! Message me or post your suggestions and I'll put collate them here.
Finch! fucked around with this message at 05:02 on Sep 25, 2011 |
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Feb 2, 2010 06:22
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Ha. OK!
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Feb 2, 2010 06:42
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Yeah, that is the case. You could arrange a 60 day Thai tourist visa in advance, though. I think you need to do this in your home country rather than a neighbouring country.
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Feb 3, 2010 05:00
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I just booked a flight from Melbourne to Bangkok for $330-ish, departing in early December. I'm going with a few friends for another dive trip, with most time to be spent on Koh Tao (we've been there before). The plan is to start in the north and see Chiang Mai, Pai, and Mae Hong Son, before heading somewhere on the west coast to dive for a week or so, and then moving on to Koh Tao. Does anyone have suggestions for good diving islands off the west coast of Thailand? We're as keen to party as we are to dive, but since we can do that on Koh Tao I suspect we'll be more interested in the diving. I've checked out Wikitravel and so far Koh Lipe looks good, but... any suggestions are welcome. We don't want to leave Thailand as we'll have a 60 day single entry visa. khysanth posted:Is there ever any Taiwan travel discussion in this thread? I've been checking it the past few weeks but haven't noticed any yet! I was in Taiwan a few weeks ago and it was awesome!
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Mar 15, 2010 05:50
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Shnicker posted:I don't dive, but I went to Lipe last week and did some snorkeling and the water was amazingly clear. I just came back from Railey two days ago and I didn't do anything of the sort, but it seems like there were quite a few different groups offering diving tours of a bunch of islands in the area. I don't think you could go wrong with Lipe. There are a bunch of islands in that group too. Sheep-Goats posted:I'm not a diver either but there are at least a half dozen great dive spots on the Andaman coast. The Similans alone (you stay on Koh Lipe if diving there thanks to a legal loophole that Chinese bungalow operators figured out with the Sea Gypsy people who live there) are one of the world's finest collections of dive sites. Looks like Koh Lipe is the place to go. I was so close just a few weeks ago (Langkawi) but due to limited time I didn't get to head over for a few days... With regards to diving/partying, I agree. Good diving = average night life, average diving = good night life. I found Koh Tao has an acceptable balance: the further dive sites are actually quite good, and there's always something happening at night. It can be as crazy or as laid back as one wishes, and with a couple of weeks there I'm sure I'd wish for some quiet nocturnal activities at some point... brendanwor posted:Yeah there's tons of diving/snorkelling around Railay - was there last week, and like Shnicker said, lots of dive cruise advertising - just don't expect much of a nightlife on the mainland (Krabi, Ao Nang), even if you say you aren't interested in partying there! Railay, hey? I shall look into it. I know it's a climbing mecca but I had no idea about the underwater action, too. Thanks. Sheep-Goats posted:I hated the nightlife on Koh Tao. My biggest complaint about the place (also it's a little pricey for a Thai island) I didn't mind the night life... it's fairly simple. Beach, bar, music, beer, buckets, random fireworks, and so on. I didn't go anywhere particularly fancy... but the places I went to definitely didn't suck, either! What didn't you like about it? I'm not being critical, just curious. It is a bit pricey, although coming from a place where things are expensive it's still a lot cheaper than living here. I don't mind it - I've been there a few times and have some friends at various dive resorts - so I'll probably keep going back.
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Mar 17, 2010 02:02
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Where on the island were you? Sairee can get crazy at night, particularly Lotus Bar. Ah, Lotus... good times. As I said, it's nothing fancy but there's always a party happening, somewhere, for some reason, and there can be hundreds or even thousands of people on a small stretch of beach. It's definitely not as crowded as Koh Phangan is around full moon parties, but it seems to attract a more mature traveller too. I kind of like it - you're right, there is a tendency for people to concentrate on diving but as both a diver and a partier I like the balance - it's not so diving focused as to be dead at night, and it's not a giant party only destination. I guess that's why I think the people tend to be more mature. Some of the smaller bays/beaches are fairly quiet - I'll probably spend a night or two at one of them during the month I'm planning to stay on Koh Tao.
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Mar 17, 2010 03:28
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I wouldn't get too hung up on booking Air Asia/Jetstar/Tiger/Nok/etc flights weeks in advance. I was still getting stupidly cheap fares a day or two before flying. It's well worth signing up to the low coast carrier email alerts, some of the sales are crazy (free plus tax, for example) and they happen fairly frequently. If the dates work out, it's win/win.
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Apr 9, 2010 03:22
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Haggins posted:Visas, I've never been to a country that requires a visa. So Thailand is 30 or 60 days right? If I go over for 8 months or longer, I'm sure that's not going to be enough time. What do I do? Do I just plan to visit a few weeks in a neighboring country (which of course I hope to do anyway) and come to a refreshed 30 or 60 day visa? How long do I have to stay out? If the situation has changed in the past few months then this information will be incorrect. Otherwise... it's more or less accurate. If you were to just show up at the border at an airport as a tourist, you'll probably be given a 30 day entry permit. This is not a visa - don't go to the "visa on arrival" office. If arriving by land, this period will be 15 days. Thankfully, it's easy and cheap to enter Thailand by air from nearby countries: one example could be to travel south, by train, to Malaysia, and fly from Penang to Bangkok on Air Asia for about $70, or Penang to Phuket on Firefly for about $50, or Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok for $20. You don't need to stay out for very long - enough time to get in to another country and leave it again. It's possible to get a 60 day multiple entry tourist visa before entering Thailand, but this is fairly restrictive and a bit of a pain in the arse and doesn't really lend itself well to travelling without a plan. quote:I have also heard, in order to get a visa, I have to have a ticket out of the country? Does this mean I have to buy a round trip plane ticket or what? I'd rather just get a one way ticket since I'd have no idea when I'd want to come back. If you're applying for a visa in advance then you definitely do need to send proof of onward or return travel along with your visa application. It's a crucial requirement. If you're just showing up and using the visa free entry period, you've got a 50/50 chance of the immigration dudes asking to see proof of onward or return travel. I have not been asked. However, because the airline on which you're travelling has to pay to get you out of there if Thailand won't let you in, and an entry requirement is to have onward or return travel and you may be refused entry if there is no proof of this, most airlines check for proof of onward or return travel when you're checking into your flight to Thailand. I have been asked for this prior to every flight to Thailand I've ever taken, from Australia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore. Just buy a return ticket with date flexibility. It'll cost a bit more than a restrictive return ticket but it'll make life a lot easier. quote:Vaccinations. Find a travel medicine specialist. They're everywhere in Australia so I imagine they would be fairly widespread in the US, too. I've had shots for rabies, hepatitis B, flu, hepatitis A, typhoid, cholera, and who knows what else. I get a flu booster before I go somewhere, and a cholera booster that has the added effect of helping to reduce the likelihood of getting traveller's diarrhea. quote:So what did you bring? I know I'll at least bring my 50D, 17-50, and 70-200 2.8, and 580ex. I took a lovely old Sony Alpha 100 and a couple of cheap lenses. Then again, I'm not much of a photographer... If I were to buy a bunch more gear I'd seriously look into one of the tiny Olympus or Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras with a 20mm lens. It's a really small package, not too big/bulky. Of course other lenses would be useful too, but there are a few of them around. Something to look at, anyway. After seeing how small the cameras are I'm more or less sold and just waiting to get the $$ together. I take a camera that is water and shock resistant, too. I have an Olympus point and shoot that'll do 10m underwater, handle fairly rough treatment, and still work. Image quality isn't fantastic but it's certainly adequate. quote:I'd rather not bring it, but since I'm going to be shooting a lot, I think I'm going have to bring my Macbook Pro. If it's small enough, I wouldn't hesitate to take one. I travel with a netbook, but a full feature laptop would be even more useful provided it's not too big or heavy. It's possible to find wireless Internet all over the place, and I'm far more comfortable banking or booking stuff on a known secure laptop than I am using some random Internet cafe computer. quote:Did you guys get scared about getting your gear stolen at any point? I plan to get traveler's insurance but I'd rather not get my poo poo stolen in the first place. Travel insurance is a must. To travel without it is fairly foolish - good to see you're on the right track and planning to get it, not just asking if you really need it  . Regarding safety, I've never been concerned in South East Asia. I pack things well, hide bits and pieces I think are valuable in dirty laundry, and if I don't like the feel of a place or the look of the other travellers, I don't stay there. I didn't have a problem leaving my laptop and camera(s) in my room.quote:Diving, I don't know how to dive and I don't know much about it. I don't know how much or if I will dive over there but I figure I should open up that door. I see that I have to get certified. Should I do it over here or there? I know a guy at work who teaches it out of his swimming pool, so I guess I could get a good discount. I'm a a big dude, will I have problems renting gear over there? Learn to dive in Thailand or Malaysia. It's cheap, safe, and fun. The favourite location is Koh Tao in Thailand, but there are dozens of other places to learn to dive. When I was in Thailand in 2008, I got on a boat to Koh Phangan to meet up with some people I'd been rafting with a few weeks earlier in the north. There was a full moon party coming up, and the people on the boat pissed me off, and I ended up going on to Koh Tao with two dudes I sat next to on the dock. I'd never dived before and really had no intention of diving, but I loved it. I went back to Koh Tao in 2009 for ten days, and took 7 friends. They all loved it. I'm going back late this year to do a dive master course. It's awesome. Anyway, some more thoughts: Don't skip Malaysia. It's like Thailand: cheap, friendly, beautiful, and delicious. The visa free period for most visitors is 90 days, and there's a hell of a lot to see and do. Go to Borneo, see orang utans in the wild before there are none left. Check out Laos (I haven't been but will spend two weeks there before diving later this year), Vietnam, Cambodia, and so on. Don't be afraid of changing your plans completely if something comes up (like if you find $10 fares from Bangkok to Taipei, go to Taipei because Taiwan is awesome). Want to visit Australia? We're only about $250 away from Bangkok, and even cheaper from Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Finch! fucked around with this message at 04:19 on Apr 11, 2010 |
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Apr 11, 2010 04:03
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TheElectronicOne posted:Easier than finding a plane to take you. What do you mean? There are something like 15 airlines flying internationally to Yangon International Airport, from around 7 different countries.
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Apr 11, 2010 08:51
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Yeah, Malaysia rocks. I spent six weeks on Penang as a high school kid, and I've been back to Malaysia (but strangely never Penang) a few times since. I've got friends there, it's cheap to get to and cheap to travel around, and the people and food and scenery are great.
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Apr 21, 2010 12:14
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Broohaha posted:-book a train/flight to the resorts/islands down south. i read the phuket vs. koh tao, etc. discussion above and am leaning toward travelling to the latter. i too am looking for a more relaxed/less boozie/hippiesh travel experience and want to keep the # of silver-haired, wrinkly-skinned, orange-hued germans and russians i see to a minimum. should i just walk into any of the numerous "travel agency" storefronts i see and book a trip? i'm thinking overnight sleeper train right now. that should be okay, right? Book a ticket to Koh Tao with Lomprayah: http://www.lomprayah.com/E/index.htm You can do it online, or their office is just around the corner from Khaosan on Rambutri Road, near the Viengtai hotel. They're legit: a lot of other operators are a bit shifty and your belongings go missing, but Lomprayah are fine. The trip to Koh Tao takes about six hours, by bus and ferry. Once you get to Koh Tao, stay and dive with Big Blue: http://www.bigbluediving.com/ You'll meet plenty of people in your diving course(s). The place attracts a lot of solo travellers. I'm only suggesting those places because I've been there, and they're all good. There are plenty of other places to stay and several other ways to get to Koh Tao or other southern islands.
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May 2, 2010 06:05
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The south west coast of Peninsular Malaysia is fairly built up. There are a lot of towns and industrial areas and a few plantations and so on thrown in. It's pretty boring, but Melacca is a good diversion. It's a nice place. Don't bother flying from KL to Singapore. It's not very far, but the entire process takes forever. The bus from KL to Singapore isn't much fun, either. It takes ages. Some of the nicer buses are fairly comfortable but they aren't great. I'd get an overnight sleeper train. They're fairly cheap, and quite good. Saves a night of accommodation. Another option could be to head north from KL to Penang, via Cameron Highlands and Ipoh and so on... then fly from Penang to Singapore. North of KL is quite interesting, Penang is good for a few days, and unlike the flight from KL to Singapore the flight from Penang to Singapore is longer than the time taken to get to the airport, check in and collect bags and do the customs/immigration thing,
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May 5, 2010 02:41
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Honestly, I can't remember... I haven't been there for years. I don't expect it would, and even if it did I don't expect that to impact tourists much.
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May 5, 2010 04:01
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Jet Age posted:Thanks. Pretty sure every time I post here I have slightly different plans so appreciate everyones patience No worries. I hope you've included Sabah and Sarawak on your itinerary! Arzakon posted:I am going to take one of the bus lines from Singapore to KL and back in June. I will let you know how that goes if I remember. I used Transtar - on one of their stupidly well equipped "Solitaire" buses. It's a long journey but comfortable enough. Take your own food - the on board food is nasty. I'm not sure if there's a toilet on board, and from memory there's only one toilet break. They even have wifi Internet access if you've got a wifi equipped device... Another option for getting between Singapore and KL that I hadn't thought of before is to fly to or from Kuala Lumpur's Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport rather than KLIA. It's far, far, far closer to the city and the traffic isn't anywhere near as bad. Firefly fly the route five times each day, for 80 ringgit each way.
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May 5, 2010 08:14
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Jet Age posted:Sarawak yes, not sure about Sabah yet. Sweet. Kuching is awesome. I wanted to do the trip up the Batang Rajang but didn't get a chance to do much more than hang around in Kuching feeling sorry for myself for a week. Sabah's nice, Mt. Kinabalu is well worth visiting (if not climbing) and there is a lot of cool stuff, natural and historical, to see. Kota Kinabalu is a bit boring but the seafood is drat good. I didn't make it to Sandakan or anywhere further east than Mt. Kinabalu. I'm definitely planning a return to Borneo...!
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May 5, 2010 09:42
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Jet Age posted:Yeah I want four or five days in Kuching, four or five days in Penang, a couple of days each in KL and Singapore, a day in Melacca. Just a matter of making it all come together. That should be fairly doable - if possible, I'd start in Singapore and work my way north to Penang on trains and buses, via Melacca and Kuala Lumpur. Air Asia fly from Penang to Kuching. This would avoid any back tracking... although, realistically, getting around is so cheap that only time is likely to be a great concern.
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May 5, 2010 09:58
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Broohaha posted:Only drawback at the beach is the water is very salty. Well, it is the ocean... 
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May 5, 2010 12:32
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freebooter posted:Let me repeat myself: It's not *that* hard - $84 buys a plane ticket tomorrow from Phuket to Koh Samui, and a further 250 baht will get you to Koh Phangan or another 550 baht will get you to Koh Tao.
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May 7, 2010 00:54
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My standard setup is a small Barrel from Tatonka (45 litres) and a small (~10 to ~15 litre) day pack, with internal bits varying depending on what I'm carrying. To Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau earlier this year I took the Barrel and a ~9 litre day pack with proper harness and it fit my netbook, DSLR, a book, iPod, and a jacket...
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May 8, 2010 02:23
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Bill Door posted:I'm currently in Nakhon Si Thammarat and want to head to Surat Thani tomorrow, anyone have any idea how regular the trains are here? I'm having trouble finding any timetables online. Have a gander here. That page also links to the website of the Thai railway system so check that out for information that may be more recent.
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May 9, 2010 11:57
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Broohaha posted:So I'm in Singapore and it's kind of... boring. Singapore takes a little while to get one's head around... I could easily spend days in all the museums. They're excellent. However if you're determined to go to Malaysia for a few days then I'd check out Penang. Don't get a bus - get the train! You want train number 2: http://seat61.com/Malaysia.htm#Train%20times%C2%A0
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May 12, 2010 15:18
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Pompous Rhombus posted: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. KL Tower! It's not as free as Petronas Towers (as in, it's not free at all) but the views are better and one isn't rushed due to a time limit.
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May 14, 2010 03:55
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ReindeerF posted:Last time I was there I swear they had a bungee jump from it or something - does that ring a bell? It's right next to City Forest (?) which is also a fun way to spend an hour if you want to get some nature, but don't have time to head out into the actual beautiful Malaysian countryside. I don't recall a bungee jump but it wouldn't surprise me, to be honest. The forest thing is nice - the walk up to the tower from a monorail station is pretty sweet. Careful of the monkeys! ZeroDays posted:I'm in Chiang Mai just now and it's simply too hot to do anything. I was all psyched up to go trekking, but with temperatures not falling below 38 for the next few days and regularly tipping into the 40s, it's not likely to happen. I thought it'd be cooler up here than in Bangkok but I couldn't have been more wrong. It means I get to chill in cafes and read a book, which is a nice change of pace, but I feel I need to at least do something while I'm here. I now truly appreciate "off-season". And I'm never renting a non air-con room again to save a few baht. Worst feverish sleep ever. Perhaps you should look at heading to Chiang Rai - my understanding is that it's a lot cooler, too. Buuuut I just looked at the current and forecast temperatures for most of Thailand. It's hot and going to be hot everywhere. You can't escape. Go to Koh Tao and spend your days underwater 
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May 14, 2010 07:35
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Smokie posted:Will be arriving in Bangkok on the 22th - can anyone recommend a reasonably priced hotel that isnhot in a protest hotspot? my plan is to leave Bangkok asap, I just need something for the first day. Also I'd like to go to Ko Tao first and do the SCUBA course. Should I take an air asia flight there or train? Flying is a bit of a pain in the arse. I don't think flying to Surat Thani and getting the bus/ferry will be any quicker than just getting a bus/ferry from Bangkok. There are only two Air Asia flights per day (arriving at 3:10pm and 7:40pm) so you'll need to overnight in Surat Thani or get the overnight boat. I don't really know anything about that, though. As has been mentioned, flying from Bangkok to Koh Samui is expensive. One carrier has a monopoly on the route, since they built Koh Samui airport, but the connections work a lot better. It's roughly 3 times more expensive than the flight to Surat Thani, though. I'd just do the bus/ferry thing from Bangkok. I've used these guys before, with great success: http://www.lomprayah.com/. They have a morning departure which arrives at Koh Tao at about 3pm from memory, and another overnight journey that arrives on Koh Tao at about 8am, again from memory. Their office is just off Kaohsan Road, where the backpacker ghetto is. It's cheap, safe, timely, and easy. They pretty much hold one's hand the entire way to Koh Tao and as soon as one walks off the ferry dock they're met by people from their arranged accommodation - or people trying to sell accommodation/dive packages. These guys: http://www.seatrandiscovery.com are also meant to be OK, but their only option for getting from Bangkok to Koh Tao is overnight while Lomprayah offer a much nicer day time service that ensures one arrives on Koh Tao and will have a beer in hand on the beach by evening. Finch! fucked around with this message at 00:45 on May 16, 2010 |
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May 16, 2010 00:39
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ZeroDays posted:I'm heading to Koh Tao either tomorrow or the next day, and thus far, I've been arranging all travel myself and avoiding travel agencies to save a few bahts. But arranging island travel seems a little bit of a headache, and I must admit, having someone else arrange everything would be better than the stress of winging it I've experienced so far. These guys are also mentioned in Lonely Planet guide which is certainly worth a lot, and I've found that book to be absolutely invaluable so far, and don't know what I'd have done without it (gone to travel agencies I guess...). As well you should be hesitant - one of the big problems with DIY island travel are the dodgy operators who will probably eventually get you to where you wish to do, but it'll be uncomfortable and not at all the service that was advertised... and most importantly there's a tendency for valuables to go missing from bags. Songserm, Lomprayah, and Seatran are very reputable. Make sure you do the trip during the day. The scenery from the ferry as one leaves the Lomprayah dock at Chumpon (which is actually a bit out of Chumpon but easy by taxi) is spectacular and well worth seeing. The booking 3 days ahead thing is only relevant to online bookings - just show up at the office or use an agency to book the Lomprayah ticket for you (but make sure it's not Lamprayah or Lompray or other shifty schemes to make you think you're getting what you should be). I've used them a bunch of times and the ferry has never been full, even in the height of the full moon party transport rush.
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May 16, 2010 05:38
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ZeroDays posted:Thanks - having just done some digging around online, it appears Lomprayah is the safest and best choice, and will actually be cheaper than were I to arrange the train and catamaran myself. I'll definitely go to their offices when I get to Bangkok tomorrow, which I understand is in Soi Rambuttri, near Kao San Road. I'll be extra vigilant for slight mispellings (devious fuckers). No worries. The office is very close to Khaosan, but the bus doesn't leave from there - it's a few hundred metres down the road and around a corner, but there's a guide to lead the passengers when all the paperwork is complete. Basically all the passengers check in at the office, and then walk to the bus. If you're worried about Bangkok (but it doesn't sound like you are!) it may be worth considering another fun option to get to Koh Tao: 1) (optinal) Fly to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. 2) Transfer to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (Subang) airport. Allow 2.5 hours for the transfer by taxi. KL traffic sucks, and the airports are nowhere near each other. If one is already in KL then it shouldn't be more than an hour from KLCC to Subang by taxi. 3) Fly Firefly from Kuala Lumpur to Koh Samui. It's much cheaper than a Bangkok to Koh Samui flight. 4) The morning flight will allow a connection to the afternoon Lomprayah ferry. Another Malaysian airline, Berjaya Air, fly between Subang and Koh Samui but their flight doesn't connect with a ferry the same day on the way to Koh Tao, but on the way back to Kuala Lumpur they are the best option because they operate an evening flight that the ferry from Koh Tao to Koh Samui will connect with.
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May 16, 2010 06:30
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brendanwor posted:Re. taxi drivers, I wouldn't let their dodgy poo poo rub off on you as a negative impression of Malaysians overall. It's just a taxi driver thing no matter where you go; they pull the same poo poo in western countries, like here in Sydney. Kuala Lumpur is pretty bad for taxi drivers trying to screw people out of money, though. It's not just particular to whiteys, either. I went to school with a guy from Malaysia. He's lived in Kuala Lumpur for 15 years. Maybe he's just a sucker (possible) but he complains about being ripped off by taxi drivers too. Outside KL and other major tourist places, the screwing stops - or at least, they're more subtle about it. I was surprised that even on Langkawi, the taxi drivers weren't trying to rip me off. Sabah and Sarawak even more so - they seemed to go out of their way to ensure the metred fare was as low as possible.
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May 16, 2010 23:14
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In Taiwan recently I took a taxi from Taichung high speed rail station to central Taichung. I was interested to see the difference in price between the legit taxis and the guys finding dumb white guys like me and fixing a price. Taxi - fixed price - from the station to the Holiday Inn Express was - and I'm picking a figure out of the air here - about $500. A taxi, using the meter, pretty much the reverse of the route we took, from the Holiday Inn Express back to the station was $700. Sometimes they're not always out to rip people off
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May 21, 2010 01:15
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If anyone is interested, Jetstar are starting non stop flights between Singapore and Melbourne in mid December this year. Today they are having an introductory sale - $99 one way between Melbourne and Singapore, but I'm not sure what the price is on the return leg. I'm hoping to score Singapore to Melbourne to return from my diving adventure in January...!
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Jun 9, 2010 06:40
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http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/cheap-flights/sales.aspx The sale fares should be up there in about 90 minutes.
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Jun 9, 2010 07:02
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Jet Age posted:Awesome, thanks. I wanna go to Japan in February and thought it might be cheaper out of Singapore. From Australia? Probably not... no low cost carriers fly between Singapore and Japan. For Australia to Japan on the cheap you're best off looking at Jetstar, but direct from Australia, or Malaysia Airlines. They're good, and to compete with Air Asia/Air Asia X they often have stupid sales, too. freebooter posted:I flew Perth to Singapore with Tiger a few months ago and it was absolute agony. I don't know if all budget airlines are the same, but I will never do it again. Ever. Jetstar and Air Asia X are fairly good. They use much larger aircraft for their long haul flights. Tiger use the same planes they use from Adelaide to Melbourne for Perth to Singapore... I'm actually a big fan of long haul Jetstar and Jetstar Asia. I don't like their Australian operation but their long distance flights are awesome value for money, and their intra-Asia stuff is alright, too. Air Asia X's new seating should make them a lot more enjoyable too, even though there was nothing really wrong with their service to begin with. For the money, they're great - and with the ridiculous sales they often have, they're fantastic.
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Jun 9, 2010 07:38
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Jet Age posted:Ta for the advice, my girlfriend has been watching jetstar like a hawk. No worries. Jetstar regularly have Japan sales. They also have a thing called a Friday Frenzy - sign up for their emails, and they'll give you a heads up. On Friday afternoons they can have some killer deals. I've seen Cairns to Tokyo (or Osaka, I can't remember) for $189 one way - insanely cheap. freebooter posted:I suppose it was worth the money I saved, but the non-reclinable seat is a perfect L shape (human spines aren't shaped like that), my knees were crammed up against the seat in front of me (I'm six foot), and it was between 9.30 pm and 3.00 am. Sleep was impossible and I then spent nine hours wandering around Singapore with my backpac on trying to find a hostel that wasn't booked out. An atrocious start to my RTW trip. Ouch! That's pretty average. In fact, that's very average... hope the trip is better now than it was!
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Jun 9, 2010 07:53
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Done. $106 Australian per person from Singapore to Melbourne. I had to book through the mobile.jetstar.com site because the main sites were getting hammered.
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Jun 9, 2010 08:59
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freebooter posted:My most recent mode of transport was riding a motorcycle up a foggy mountain in drenching raiin, freezing cold and with all my stuff getting soaked. (Other than that, travel by motorbike is awesome). Sounds awesome
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Jun 10, 2010 01:17
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poop posted:South East Asia gives a great balance of value for money, easiness, and beauty. It can be as "tourist trail" or as rustic and remote as one wishes. I wouldn't restrict yourself to just Thailand. The entire region is amazing, and with low cost airlines providing safe and efficient flights for  it's easy to get around. I'm very partial to Malaysia. I have friends there, I speak fairly basic Bahasa Malaysia, and I lived on Penang with friends for six weeks when I was 16. I go back every chance I get... there's always more to see. Travelling solo is fine. Travelling with friends is fine. I've done both in South East Asia. Each had its own challenges, but each was rewarding. Meeting people is easy if you're at all sociable (not necessarily involving alcohol) and make an effort to do things in a group. If you're keen to go to the region earlier, you have plenty of options to doge the worst of the rain and from memory (I'm too slack to check at the moment) two to three months to December would best be done from south to north - Mae Hong Son, for example, is beautiful in December. November is probably the worst time of year to visit places like Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, as the weather is pretty average. A three month itinerary... if I had that time I'd probably do the following. Assuming you're from a country where no visa is required for Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the following route removes the need to get a visa in advance: - Bangkok. Acclimatise to Asia. See the stuff nearby, such as Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, and so on. Head south to Koh Tao, stopping along the way if you wish or just do it all in one trip. - Koh Tao. Do a diving course. Meet lots of cool people and hang out on the beach drinking overpriced but still cheap beer. - Koh Phangan. Get your full moon party on, or just relax with reasonably cheap accommodation and food. - Koh Samui. This place sucks, just use it as a transit point to get to the mainland. - Surat Thani. There's not much here, except a train heading south. Get the train to Penang in Malaysia. - Penang. The history is fascinating and the food is awesome but it's a little boring. - Peninsula Malaysia. Jungle Railway, Taman Negara, Cameron Highlands, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Melacca, Pulau Perhentian and the Tioman Islands... Malaysia is a very cool and interesting place. - Singapore. Expensive and western and modern but again, great history and good food. The museums are excellent and it's worthwhile spending a few days to check the place out and perhaps meet other tourists. - Back to Malaysia, but this time to Borneo. Sabah and Sarawak are great, and my favourite city in Malaysia is Kuching. See orang utans and all sorts of cool wildlife. Climb Mt. Kinabalu, soak in hot springs, check out Gunung Mulu. - This can probably be done in one day but it's a bit of flying - necessary to get another 30 day visa free period for Thailand: Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to Phuket. If more coastal/island stuff doesn't interest you then skip Phuket and fly straight from Kuala Lumpur to Chiang Mai instead. - Phuket. Leave immediately and go somewhere else - Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, use your diving course skills at Koh Tarutao or Koh Lipe. Head back to Phuket, or head north to other islands or coastal bits or inland national parks (Khao Sok National Park is supposed to be awesome). - Fly to Chiang Mai from Phuket. It shouldn't be too pricey and saves a few days in transit. - Chiang Mai. Spend a few days here, then go to Pai. Pai is the sort of place one will either love or hate, but I thought it was pretty cool for a few days. - Pai to Mae Hong Son. If the season is right, it's possible to skip the long bus ride and do an overnight white water rafting trip through the jungle. It's well worth doing and is a hell of a lot of fun. The scenery is spectacular and the rapids aren't scary at all. - Mae Hong Son. A beautiful mountain town. Lots to see and do. - Back to Chiang Mai - either fly (half an hour) or get a bus (10 hours or something). - Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. - If time and money permit, go to Laos. Otherwise, find your way back to Bangkok and either go home or go to one of the many places other travellers have told you about but which you skipped when you were nearby. - If you really want to go to Indonesia, Air Asia fly to Bali for not too much money. Bali is a big place, try not to get too caught up in the miserable shithole that is Kuta. All of the above is pretty much part of the standard whitey backpacker tourist route in all of the above countries, but with a little research and insight it's possible to stray quite comfortably from the norm and see some really cool stuff. Homestays, smaller towns and villages, perhaps even volunteer somewhere for a while and really get a feel for the place. The possibilities are pretty much endless. Where are you travelling from? If you're travelling from Europe/UK, you'll want to look at Air Asia X from Stansted to Kuala Lumpur. As such, you'll start in Malaysia. If you're travelling from Australia then a cheap flight will either be Air Asia X to Kuala Lumpur, or Jetstar to Bangkok or Phuket or Singapore. Jetstar will soon fly non stop between Auckland and Singapore, so that's an option if you're travelling from there too. It's a bit more pricey from North America or Canada. Instead of flying as direct as possible to Bangkok, if the fare works out to be well priced it may be worth flying to Taipei or Hong Kong or somewhere in China and getting a cheap Air Asia flight to Bangkok (or wherever). I've seen Bangkok to Taipei for as low as about $50, and I flew Kuala Lumpur to Taipei earlier this year for not much more than that. Good luck! Edit: Having more thoroughly read the stories in the link you posted... wow! Some people are natural travellers - that girl is one of them. Travel like that requires a different mindset to that of most people, and I'm willing to bet that most people don't find out if they have the correct mindset until they arrive wherever they're going. I'm sloooooowly learning, but it'll take a lot more adventure until I'm happy to do the things that she did. I'm jealous. Indonesia is definitely on my list of places to go. I studied the language (hence why I speak some Bahasa Malaysia - it's similar to Bahasa Indonesia) and the culture and so on in high school for years. As a travel destination it didn't interest me at all until recently... Finch! fucked around with this message at 06:42 on Jun 20, 2010 |
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Jun 20, 2010 05:48
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No worries. I'm happy to help - if I can't have adventure, I'm happy to talk about it I don't think Jetstar begin their Singapore/Auckland flights until December. Another airline worth checking out for the Auckland/Asia thing is Royal Brunei. Their regular fares aren't anything special but they can have some amazing deals. They fly non stop between Auckland and Bandar Seri Bagawan. Brunei is worth checking out, too, if only for a couple of days at the most. I'm going on a dive trip to Thailand in December, and it's looking like I'll meet up with my mother in Bangkok as I'm travelling to Laos and she's coming back from Europe to Australia. After a few days with her, I'll lead to Laos for a few weeks then back to Koh Tao to spend one month diving. Can't wait...! If any goons will be on Koh Tao from say... Christmas to one month later, let's do a beer or ten on the beach 
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Jun 20, 2010 11:44
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This is my pick of the well priced places to stay in KL: http://www.classicinn.com.my/ It's well located, very clean, and friendly.
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Jun 25, 2010 09:42
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Veeeeeery comfortable beds!
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Jun 25, 2010 13:08
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1) I think Malaysia and Singapore are the same: UK citizens receive 90 days visa free upon arrival. I'm not sure how this would change if one needed 180 days, but it shouldn't be too difficult to get a multiple entry visa for that period in advance. 2) Singapore is very expensive, compared with Bangkok. If it's only six months and I was following a girlfriend to Singapore, I'd live in Singapore. Take weekend trips elsewhere, but I wouldn't bother with the commute. 3) Bangkok to Singapore? Often stupidly cheap on any one of Jetstar, Air Asia, or Tiger Airways. Think $AU20 or less - factor in time in transit, and transport costs, and the Singapore option looks better and better. That said, if you decide not to live in Singapore but to commute to see her, I reckon 2 months in Bangkok, 2 months in Malaysia (not KL), and 2 months in Singapore could be an option...
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Jun 29, 2010 12:09
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