|
I'm in Bangkok as a dumb tourist in Siam square right now till Tuesday. I'm going to ask the ignorant foreigner question in whether shopping complexes are open on election day and where are the places I should avoid? I may go stockpile food like an idiot survivalist but am hoping it's not as bad as some news (read: poo poo rag Daily Mail) suggest.
|
#
¿
Feb 1, 2014 18:19
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 3, 2024 20:48 |
|
|
ReindeerF posted:You don't need to stockpile anything but maybe beer, heh. Most stuff will be open. Avoid Asoke intersection and, well, Ratchaprasong (where you're staying). From where you are, just head to Silom or Sukhumvit for stuff. I forgot to thank you for the help. We spent election day doing normal touristy bull poo poo ultimately and didn't see anything if concern other than there being a protest bazaar in Siam square area. I tried to convince my traveling companions to go try golden bay leaves but they were absolutely insistent in shopping so we went to central and central world on the end. :/ Also the bazaar had some ridiculously overpriced clothes. 200 bahts for an imitation t shirt purely because it has the Thai flag colors, wtf. Today the stage at ratchaprasong has someone speaking but there were barely any audience. It feels like a balloon has deflated. E: some pics I caught yesterday at Siam Square . I doubt it will be like this any time soon. E: images on android awful app is terrible. http://imgur.com/JXLDWQL http://imgur.com/SxwL3Y3 http://imgur.com/VRx6hec http://imgur.com/BuipHAG http://imgur.com/o6d8X84 The Saddest Rhino fucked around with this message at 09:51 on Feb 3, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Feb 3, 2014 09:39
|
|
|
I don't know if it's kosher to put up  vacation pictures but here's a link to my photos of the election/protest bazaar in Siam Square and Ratchaprasong, Bangkok from 31 January to 3 February 2014:http://imgur.com/a/TDfUl The night shots have a terrible red tint because of a global fault in HTC One phones, and aren't instagram filters. Highlights I noted were:  Taken at the skybridge in front of Siam Station.  This is 31 January, a Friday, with the biggest crowd at the Ratchaprasong stage. At this point of time, none of the media I have read outside Thailand mentioned there was a bazaar going on in Bangkok and people actually made speeches while a band played. It was very surreal. Also there were makeshift massage parlours.  There were lots and lots of patriotic flag-coloured stuff being sold. If it weren't for the number of people just rushing everywhere I would have taken so many pictures of girls in blinged-out thai-flag-coloured caps and dresses.  In front of Central World was a huge, half-finished Christmas tree, obviously abandoned when the protestors started putting up tents there. Most of the shopping centres were half-empty, populated only by local Thais in election-conscious clothing and hats and bracelets. There were very few Mainland Chinese, who presumably all ran over to Pattaya.  I don't know what the hell this lady was doing but somehow people were giving her money to look at the baby.  We went to Asiatique which was the most horrendous tourist trap ever. There was nothing protest-like except for this model hiding in a corner.  People lining up at Ratchaprasong for free brown goo.  An empty Intercontinental hotel. When I got back my friend in the hospitality industry told me hotels in Bangkok were sending SOS out to their headquarters because they had so few guests.  Even the royal silk company selling the overpriced poo poo in Central World was cashing in on it.  Election booth at Ratchaprasong.  Election night, at Siam Center/Discovery area. They had a huge screen that nobody looked at, and the loudspeakers were blaring speeches in Thai, English, and inexplicably, Japanese. I watched a guy getting facepainted with a Thai flag and nobody seemed to give a poo poo about politics when there was mad shopping to do.  Post-election day was a Monday and everyone had to go back to work. Turnout took a huge hit.  Even the economy felt it. All in all I'm glad we didn't cancel my trip to Bangkok, despite the initial worry and the news which kept repeating STAY IN YOUR HOTEL ROOM DO NOT ENGAGE THE NATIVES. Very different from my last few times in Bangkok. I even managed to get one of those lovely SHUTDOWN BANGKOK RESTART THAILAND t-shirts. A++ would visit protest-hit BKK again. The Saddest Rhino fucked around with this message at 19:03 on Feb 5, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Feb 5, 2014 18:57
|
|
|
SurreptitiousMuffin posted:This is the thing you do when you give the policeman money, right? Back in Kuala Lumpur, today I got my car towed because I thought running down to grab a couple of stuff for 10 minutes shouldn't be a problem. Ha ha. The fine is meant to be RM 150 but they added another RM 100 for "towing charges". Then they added another RM 50 because I needed to make a statutory declaration the car is mine, and then another RM 50 because "we could technically start taking things from your car and we were nice enough not to, so pay us our Nice Fees." ReindeerF posted:Frankly, we're much better at corruption here than in most of the neighboring countries. Thai cops will actually give you change on your bribes. I wish we had Thai cops.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 11, 2014 15:18
|
|
|
lemonadesweetheart posted:Char Kuay Teow (Char Kway Tee-o) - Flat noodles, can be done in a bunch of ways but usually comes with prawns/cockles and chilis in a weird gravy. People love it but for me it's hit or miss. Yeah, this is really hit or miss. The best can be found in Penang, with large prawns and waxed pork (lap cheong). If you're in KL unless someone local fervently recommends one, skip it because it's usually too greasy and burnt. I personally can't stand the cockles (see ham) they include because it's likely unfresh. quote:Nasi Campur (Nassee Champur) - Like a buffet, you pick out what you want then add on a bowl of rice . This can be literally anything and price will be based on what you pick. There are (sorta) different versions of this "Economy Rice". Nasi Campur is the malay version which commonly has fresh raw vegetables called Ulam on a dish close to the cash register. Chinese is Chap Fan which is usually not halal (they'll put up a sign if it is), and has porky dishes and likely an assortment of tofu. Then there's the Indian-Muslim Nasi Kandar which is totally not economical at all, but they have a lot of good curries and can be very tasty. These are the places where you can also get good fresh Rotis, which can come in a lot of normal fillings (eggs, bananas) to local (kaya/coconut jam, planta) to... I've had this thing called Roti I Love You once and never again because I don't like having diabetes (sugar, milk powder?, milo hot chocolate powder, horlicks powder, some kind of sweet margarine thing). quote:cham - hosed up mix of tea and coffee There's also Milo Dinosaur which... don't drink it. The Saddest Rhino fucked around with this message at 10:36 on Feb 17, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Feb 17, 2014 10:30
|
|
|
ReindeerF posted:Every Chinese Malaysian taxi driver I meet is like Archie Bunker and it cracks me up to wind them up a bit and let them go. "So, I was reading about your old Prime Minister Mahathir, is he still around? Seems like an interesting guy..." Mahathir is a major iffy topic and it's hard to bring him up without either someone (usually Malay) defending him vehemently, or someone (every other race, sometimes Malay) bitching about him for the whole journey. All taxi drivers in Malaysia are political activists behind the steering wheel. lemonadesweetheart posted:I forgot desserts by the way which are actually really different and not bad here. Yeah, definitely go for desserts. I don't care for Ice Kacang/ABC but cendol is usually good. If you're in Malacca's Jonker Street, you can find these delicious abominations called Durian Cendol where they dump creamy, frozen durian into the mix. It's extremely filling so don't just take it as tea and think "yep I'll go have some satay celup for dinner because I have the stomach of a black hole". quote:Fruits Others to consider: Rambutan - little red or yellow hairy balls. Good ones are sweeter than candy, or sour with a sweet tang. Durian - Just to add to lemonadesweetheart's guide, the best variety is called "Musang King". Not cheap. In SS2 Petaling Jaya, there are these stalls selling All You Can Eat Durian which I don't trust at all, because most likely they are giving subpar durian unless the person you're with knows the owner. If you can't stand the fruit, there're gateway food like durian candy (blech), freeze-dried durian (debatable) and durian ice cream (all right). Any orang puteh who eats durian is revered as king. Mangoes - Thai waterlilly mangoes are better in Thailand and cheaper. Go buy it there, not Malaysia. Some good ones are: (a) Dark green, stout and fat mangoes, with orange flesh, are called "Hitam Manis" (Sweet Black). Very sweet and tasty. (b) pale, long, sometimes ending with a rounded "hook", with pale yellow flesh, are called "Gajah" (elephant). Lighter and refreshing. MrNemo posted:Oyster omelette If a restaurant tells you they fry the oyster omelette with beer or Guinness Stout, order it immediately. ReindeerF posted:Do you guys have the same culture of condensed milk on/in EVERYTHING or is that a holdover from the American military days here? I don't recall seeing it nearly as much in my trips to KL and Penang. Another lazy dessert - toast with condensed milk on it. I think the Thai has a stronger condensed milk culture. Most of ours are limited to drinks, but I think it also goes into ABC. I try to avoid it because it's palm oil extract nowadays. ReindeerF posted:
I've had: Satay Pizza with peanut sauce (gently caress me kill me now) Beef Rendang Pizza (OK I guess? Why is this more expensive than normal rendang) Asian Seafood Pizza With Mayo (Kill everything) Tuna Pizza With Mayo (Death is close) Middle-Eastern Square Pizzas (Edible, hence never in menus ever again) The Saddest Rhino fucked around with this message at 11:24 on Feb 17, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Feb 17, 2014 11:21
|
|
|
pomegranates posted:Does anyone know how easy it is to get Malaysian food in Indonesia? Or how much crossover there is with the two cuisines? I love those weird ice desserts and if I can get them in Indonesia I'll be pretty chuffed. I'm already salivating at the thought of all the satay I'm gonna eat, too bad half my trip takes place during Ramadan. I think the Indonesians may have their own type of satay? May be mistaken though - I've only been to Bandung and Bali. I think it's somehow easier to get Indonesian food in Malaysia, since I keep seeing Ayam Penyet stores mushrooming, and there's that Bumbu Desa/Ole Ole Bali chain which is going strong. And if it's anything like Malaysia, they should have Ramadan markets where they set up a bunch of stalls and sell a FUCKLOAD of amazing, super-unhealthy food during the hours before sunset until after dinnertime.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 17, 2014 14:14
|
|
|
MrNemo posted:I will murder the gently caress out of a plate of beef rendang. Only sad thing in KL is that the best place I've found for that so far is a mall food court since mamaks don't tend to do it. Rendang is a Malay dish, not a mamak thing. Keep looking for anywhere that sells Malay Nasi-based dishes, there's definitely going to be one that serves it. I'm relatively sure there's at least ONE Nasi Lemak stall at one of the LRT stations which offers rendang daging, along with deep fried lungs and other kinds of crazy things.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 18, 2014 06:54
|
|
|
Video of the grenade attack   http://vimeo.com/86981734 
The Saddest Rhino fucked around with this message at 17:43 on Feb 18, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Feb 18, 2014 16:35
|
|
|
Cheap oil can be bought in huge plastic packets. There have been rumours (or maybe substantiated news) that street vendors typically don't even bother emptying them, and dump the whole thing including the plastic packet into the oil to increase crispiness as wid mentioned. I'd probably trust a place that is in a store more than something by the streetside operated by someone with only two teeth, but really if you see a bunch of people eating there, it (hopefully) should be fine. The best goreng thing I have seen is in Siem Reap where a bike stall sold tarantula, and they look fried to death and limp and absolutely poo poo, for USD 1 each. And there's a sign saying "To take photo please pay USD 5".
|
|
#
¿
Feb 20, 2014 07:04
|
|
|
CronoGamer posted:Usually the places which say that have a live tarantula there which the people are taking photos with. Surely that's what it was, right? Not trying to charge you $5 when you could just buy it for $1 and throw it away if you wanted after? Ahahaha, no. He was trying to charge us USD 5 to take a photo of a cart full of deep fried tarantulas. You could either buy one and take a picture of it for USD 1, or take his whole cart for USD 5. When I pointed at the sign he got mad so we had to walk away really, really briskly.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 20, 2014 14:56
|
|
|
MrNemo posted:I'm going to be going to Perhentian for diving in a month or so with Panorama diverts. Anyone here dived there before? It sounds like it's a very, very quiet place with some pretty but very relaxed diving. I've been offered a 4 day 8 dive package that seems pretty laid back from my experience of diving trips but might be good as I haven't dived in over a year. Perhentians is near Redang Island, which is a tourist blackhole now and I'd strongly suggest not bother going to the latter. More than a decade ago, they made this Taiwan-HK film (Summer Vacation? The Chinese will call it "Mo Mo Tea/Cha") that was insanely popular, and they built a resort around the film set and all the people from China/Taiwan/HK will go there and just gently caress everything up. They recently made a sequel to that film at Lang Tengah, one of the Perhentian island bits and I'm kinda hoping it doesn't turn into a tourism shithole too. I think there's a spa resort there. Perhentian islands are generally relaxing as hell, way quieter than you'd expect for a place with a reasonable number of tourists. For snorkelling, corals have gone a little bleached nowadays, but diving is apparently still good. Local divers are fun to hang out with and regardless of the whole Muslims Should Not Touch Alcohol bullshit, the'll be those who are perfectly willing to go out drinking.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 21, 2014 08:48
|
|
|
I didn't catch the "travelling to Perhentian" question. Fly to Kota Bharu - it's closer to Besut. Then take a cab or bus there, and take one of the small ferries/speedboats there. Do not take the barge (which I think doesn't go from Besut) because that is a goddamn nightmare from a Mad Max movie and you don't want to be in that poo poo. I don't know the schedules off my head (check out not just Airasia, but also Firefly and Malindo airlines), but the ideal time is that you step out from the plane, take a bus/cab to Besut - which should NOT be 7-9 hours, probably 3 or so - arrive in Besut before 9, catch a speedboat that takes about 1-1.5 hours, and you'll be there around lunch hour. If you are driving from Kuala Lumpur, then it COULD be 7-9 hours. E: I haven't been to Perhentian/Besut since 2012, but I recall there are dive shops in Besut you can schedule trips at? The Saddest Rhino fucked around with this message at 09:34 on Feb 21, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Feb 21, 2014 09:31
|
|
|
Pattaya is practically Mainland China central now, don't go there. http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2013/dec/22/chinese-tourism-changing-the-world quote:Pattaya's spectacular ladyboys are another example of something they can't see back home. (On one tour group's itinerary, the Chinese word used to describe them translates as "person-creatures".) After the show, the sequin-bedecked performers in towering headdresses crowd into the lobby to pose for photographs with tourists for an extra charge of 40 baht (80p) a time. "Please inform management if the artists misbehave," says a large sign warning about potential overcharging. But on this occasion it's some of the Chinese men who misbehave by trying to squeeze the ladyboys' breasts during their photo sessions. "They think it's OK because the breasts are not real," says Wu wearily.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 5, 2014 09:09
|
|
|
MrNemo posted:Flying out of KL LCCT to Kota Bharu. KL side I know they don't give much of a gently caress, at least regarding liquids any way. I'm surprised they didn't immediately asked for it. Losing radio contact completely is really weird and unheard of at this time and age. Domestic flights are usually more relaxed. They put your bag through a scanner but I don't know a line cutter well enough to think it may get picked up in the monitors. If it's the other way round (from kb) they don't give a single poo poo. From what I know Airasia is way more concerned about your bags being overweight (so they can charge you) than anything else.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 9, 2014 01:42
|
|
|
MrNemo posted:Go to a ping pong show /caberham Probably because this is your plane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amS3tsCQVNU
|
|
#
¿
Mar 13, 2014 05:44
|
|
|
lemonadesweetheart posted:Bomoh is the melayu word for wizard/witch just in case anyone is wondering what the gently caress. Those guys are using their magic to help locate the plane. I don't know if this is a doctored image but I sure am glad that the POTUS will be reminded of these people whenever he sees the word "Malaysia": 
|
|
#
¿
Mar 13, 2014 11:56
|
|
|
The Malay tradition of butt-wiping is to use your left hands, not toilet paper (I can't recall why). Hence the bum gun. This is intrinsically tied to why it's rude to give/accept anything to/from a Malay person using only your left hand, because it's your poo poo-smeared claw.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 1, 2014 11:44
|
|
|
lemonadesweetheart posted:Sarongs aren't buttwaterproof sheesh. I can't believe I have to say this but seriously the only valid reason not to use paper after is if there's none. Uhrm I'm sorry don't you know the seats are there for you to squat on? You shouldn't be sitting on it like some orang puteh philistine.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 1, 2014 17:58
|
|
|
To give your butthair some well-needed volume and shape.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 2, 2014 06:27
|
|
|
I'd totally be into it if you post pics. Haven't had the chance to dive there myself.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 4, 2014 15:44
|
|
|
My family's going over to Krabi somewhere in May or June, and quite likely we'll be staying near Ao Nang. It's more of a "let's sit back and chill out" thing. What are some good places for local food, drinks, stuff to do, etc?
|
|
#
¿
Apr 6, 2014 05:18
|
|
|
Thanks for the Krabi recs. Didn't know about the monkeys, so the niece is probably going to get a kick (until we start comparing her to them). Not sure about the mountain climbing myself since I'm poo poo at it, but I'm gonna give it a look. Also thanks MrNemo for diving pics. If you're really into diving in Malaysia, I'm told Sipadan is loving amazing, although the hostage situation right now means it's probably not the best time to go...
|
|
#
¿
Apr 8, 2014 13:45
|
|
|
sinking belle posted:Hi SEA thread. Water rationing loving blows. Best regards from jungliest Selangor. They're still rationing water? Isn't it thunderstorms every two days or so now. (KL is not rationed)
|
|
#
¿
Apr 15, 2014 17:05
|
|
|
I'm in Segambut/Mt Kiara area and there were maybe two days of rationing last month, and then it was smooth sailing all the way.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 16, 2014 04:22
|
|
|
I just discovered this thing is being served in Malaysia
|
|
#
¿
May 18, 2014 05:22
|
|
|
Apparently it is possible to get food poisoning from un-fresh seafood in Krabi, a town famed for its beaches and islands and the ocean. I don't understand how these things work. The restaurant/tourist trap has the most incredible menu and I really have no way of explaining other than by this picture:  Every single page has that anime boy stationery and all the words are multicoloured.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 6, 2014 18:05
|
|
|
KL is still having the lovely loving haze so stay away. I may get seconded to Yangon for a few months from Nov onwards. Is there anything particular I need to know about?
|
|
#
¿
Aug 8, 2014 10:39
|
|
|
My question got buried somewhere before but I kinda still want to know what to expect when I go to Yangon, Myanmar, if anybody knows anything about it. I'm Malaysian so I'm fairly aware of mosquitoes (lol) but my Singaporean colleagues have been informing me (a) avoid street food because they are all made of cigarette ash and deep fried turds (b) use bottled water for everything including baths and (c) if you don't take taxis everywhere you would either fall through pavement holes which form under your feet, or get repeatedly raped. Please also advise if my Singaporean colleagues are just being loving Singaporean.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 20, 2014 04:52
|
|
|
I'm already very excited about the 'boring as poo poo' aspect. Oh god, I have to be there for 2-3 months  (The work apparently is very exciting because Myanmar is meant to be one of those third world countries that are finally opening up to globalisation and capitalisation etc but I'm vaguely apprehensive about it)
|
|
#
¿
Aug 20, 2014 05:30
|
|
|
duckmaster posted:I went to Mandalay earlier this year which is apparently a smaller version of Yangon. Random Burma info (sorry about my writing style, I'm very hungover): Thanks for the writeup. This is really useful and better than the Singaporeans constantly telling me about the bottled waters etc. And yeah I've been passed pictures of those pavement holes which are very charming. E: I'm trying to locate a series of alarmist "advice" my sister's friend passed her but the email seems to have gone into the void. I'll post it when I find it.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 24, 2014 13:25
|
|
|
The Saddest Rhino posted:E: I'm trying to locate a series of alarmist "advice" my sister's friend passed her but the email seems to have gone into the void. I'll post it when I find it. This was what I got (truncated some bits): quote:I HATE IT HERE. REALLY AND TRULY, I CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW ANYONE CAN STAND IT.  YAY
|
|
#
¿
Aug 25, 2014 05:20
|
|
|
It's a fair reminder that all human lives are temporary and that you should strive not to be the next dead SEAgoon.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 25, 2014 08:27
|
|
|
duckmaster posted:What kind of work are you doing if you don't mind me asking? It's mostly legal/corporate stuff and I'm Malaysian, so it's my typical SEA wages plus an allowance which I'm hoping is not poo poo. The Singaporean colleagues are given the same allowance too but they aren't telling me how much it is. They told me though they have a water fountain in the apartment the company's housing me at with regular servicing so that can't be too bad, except I intend to drink a lot of cheap beer and be the That Guy. A friend told me wine there is ridiculously cheaper than in Malaysia so expect me to fall into lots of potholes! XyrlocShammypants posted:You thing Yangon is lovely and awkward, for reasons I don't care to explain I landed at Mong Hsat "airport" and had to visit some villages north into the mountains. Someone literally offered me rice with blood in it, fresh, from an animal he just slaughtered.  ?Taiwanese pig blood cakes
|
|
#
¿
Aug 25, 2014 08:33
|
|
|
I'm sorry I don't know Poon but I know people with the name "Ericz" and also I used to know a "Power Jackson".
|
|
#
¿
Aug 25, 2014 09:03
|
|
|
retpocileh posted:This might be the wrong place to ask but figured I'd give it a shot. We're almost 2 months into our trip around SEA and my gf is running low on money. We're trying to make it one more month, and we're currently traveling through Vietnam and probably heading to Cambodia next. I have enough money to mostly support us but it's gonna be really tight. Do you guys have any ideas for how she can make a little money along the way without a huge commitment, either in person or online?
|
|
#
¿
Aug 28, 2014 06:59
|
|
|
This morning I farted.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 30, 2014 01:25
|
|
|
Remember to check if any girls you are talking to are in fact boys!
|
|
#
¿
Aug 30, 2014 06:24
|
|
|
It's a SEA thing actually it plays in every karaoke EVERYWHERE Also Bon Jovi - It's My Life the worst dadrock song of all time.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 1, 2014 06:24
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 3, 2024 20:48 |
|
|
Sing karaoke sir. Then drink many singha and hug Thai girl. Maybe one marry you yes? No shy shy!
|
|
#
¿
Sep 1, 2014 12:07
|
|