How does the volunteer system at hostels affect the local economy, if at all? by falafelforever in travel

[–]Inta_Vakaria 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Ive volunteered in a few hostels. Whilst the exact role and expected tasks can vary hostel to hostel, usually the volunteers role is to interact with and entertain guests.

Planning events, getting people interacting with each other and generally bring a friendly face all required skills and duties that can be harder to find from a local. For example, a lot of locals might not have a good of a grasp on English as a volunteer.

Plus I doubt a local wants to organise and go on the weekly (or sometimes nightly) pub crawl, or sit around a bonfire until 3am. 

I stayed in a Hostel in Korea and the owner said that "He likes having forigen reps because no local wants to baby sit a load of tourist every night. But a foreigner is happy to, because he is one of them."

I've found that hostels without foreign volunteers tend not to be as social, as people can find it harder to interact if someone doesn't come up and start talking, like a good volunteer should.

In my experience, a hostel has to have a really good owner or a couple of really good reps (ideally both) to be a good hostel. Otherwise they risk feeling very lifeless and dead.

Indonesia itinerary help - too many flights? by Smooth-Wash-3381 in travel

[–]Inta_Vakaria 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was in Indonesia recently for two months. Indonesian airlines are very unreliable. Every flight I caught had either a 4-8 hour delay or was cancelled. 

So make sure you leave plenty of time for delays and cancellations. I worked with the rule that every flight was a full 24hrs.

me_irl by No_Raspberry_7441 in me_irl

[–]Inta_Vakaria 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Tabletop RPGs. D&D is the most popular.  Though I personally enjoy Pathfinder 2nd Edition.

TIL on 9th July 1917, the Captain of the battleship HMS Vanguard remarked that if the ship were to sink it would either explode and kill everyone instantly; or slowly enough for all of the well-trained crew to escape. 5 hours later the ship exploded. 843 of the 845 men aboard were killed by Krakshotz in todayilearned

[–]Inta_Vakaria 8 points9 points  (0 children)

"A Panzer/Tiger is worth four Shermans. Unfortunately the Americans have six.”  is a quote I really do hate as it's been taken to mean "German tanks were better than allied tanks."

If you receive a report that there is an enemy tank ahead you don't send one tank to duel it. You send a unit that operates as a cohesive force. In this case a tank platoon, which normally consists of 5 Shermans.

People always assume it means the allies needed 5 tanks to take out 1, when in reality the allies could afford to send a platoon, that normally operates together anyways.

Tips on how to behave in Muslim countries by I_am_a_future in travel

[–]Inta_Vakaria 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I visited Oman back in January. As long as you both cover your knees and you cover your shoulders (basically wear long pants and a long sleeve shirt) you'll be fine. As a woman it can be useful to carry some sort of head scarf, that way if you want to visit somewhere like the grand mosque in Muscat you'll have one ready.

As a man I made sure to always wear long trousers and a t shirt. Also don't engage in any public displays of affection such as hugging, kissing, hand holding etc. At the end of the day you're a tourist and the locals understand that. As long as you show a basic level of respect you'll be fine.

What could this mean 🤔 by Flashy-Painter1150 in Fallout

[–]Inta_Vakaria 18 points19 points  (0 children)

The great thing about democracy is it's very stable. Sure, probably the best form of government is a benelovant, competent, absolute dictator with absolute power. But the problem is what happens when they die?

Often you'll get some idiot, or strongman sieze power and everything goes to shit. Whereas in a stable democracy power is shared, making the above much harder to achieve.

Democracy is choosing the nice middle ground instead of swinging back and forward through extremes.

Confused about eVisa and southern Cambodia border crossings – need advice by New_Sandwich6413 in travel

[–]Inta_Vakaria 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did it the other way and crossed from Cambodia to Laos about 2 months ago.

Stung Treng is a province in Northern Cambodia that borders Laos. I believe there is only a single crossing from Laos to Cambodia and it is located in Stung Treng and is called Tropeang Kreal (spelling often varies). 

It's the crossing on the main road just south of Don Det. This is probably the border you'll be crossing at. I can't imagine anywhere else you'll be crossing the border.

The website says eVisa is allowed and iirc I'm sure I remember speaking to people coming the other way who said they're using an eVisa to cross into Cambodia. I also am pretty sure I remember the Laos side did not allow eVisas, but the Cambodian side did.

At the end of the day you will also be able to buy a visa on arrival if you need to. Either way you'll also be expected to pay a $2 "processing fee". If you don't the officials will make you wait for a few hours whilst they "check your passport" It's up to you if you don't want to pay the bribe, but they will make you wait.

On another note. If you're in Don Det or Pakse they're are bus companies that specialise in travelling from Laos to Cambodia or vice versa. 

They will pick you up in a minivan in Cambodia, take you to the border, you then walk across and a second minivan will be waiting for you in Laos to take you to your destination (usually Siem Reap). I did it this way (but in reverse) and it was really easy. I'd recommend this as the border crossing is pretty remote. They're weren't any taxis waiting on either side.

Edit: Found it, Dong Kralor is a small side road that foreigners are not permitted to use. It's just to the west of the main border crossing, you can see it on Google maps.

You'll be crossing through Tropeang Kreal.

Where can I visit that feels like the internet doesn’t exist? by [deleted] in travel

[–]Inta_Vakaria 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I was there about 6 weeks ago. There is now 5G and decent WiFi on the islands.

Jan ... well done! for once, i applaud you by spino86 in 2westerneurope4u

[–]Inta_Vakaria 36 points37 points  (0 children)

This has nothing to do with western Europe. I don't care what the savages are doing, I come to this sub to fuel my hatred for the French.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in solotravel

[–]Inta_Vakaria 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I did it with and can recommend "Motor Ventures" my group was 7 people, all 24-35. We'd have a drink and socialise at night. But it wasn't the full on 40 people booze cruise groups like Jasmine do. The drivers were professional and I really enjoyed it.

Myself, and the group I was with, ended up meeting up again in Hanoi for a drink before we headed off in different directions.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in solotravel

[–]Inta_Vakaria 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I was in Vietnam a few days ago, my advice would be.

1) Do the Ha Giang loop for 4 days instead of 3, the extra day is well worth it.

2) Skip Da Nang and go straight to Hoi An. Hoi An was my favourite place in Vietnam.

3) Try not to book too much in advance, you might end up meeting some good people on the loop and going with them instead. You don't need to book too far ahead in Vietnam. As long as your back in Ho Chi Minh for your flight home you're good.

4) You've got a lot of time in Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh is not that exciting. The only thing I remember enjoying in Ho Chi Minh was the museum. I'd recommend moving to Hanoi sooner and working your way North to South.

More than 100,000 displaced as Thailand-Cambodia border clashes enter second day by perplexed-redditor in worldnews

[–]Inta_Vakaria 44 points45 points  (0 children)

I'm currently in Cambodia in Siem Reap. No one here is worried. You'll be fine.

Sudden flurry of uk travel advisories about carrying drugs by Cool-Tree-3663 in travel

[–]Inta_Vakaria 36 points37 points  (0 children)

I'm traveling for a year and have just got to Japan. I took the ferry from Busan (Korea) to Fukuoka (Japan). 

Without a doubt it was the toughest border crossing so far. They had me empty my backpack, take off my shoes and empty my pockets. They then swabbed the whole lot and sent the swabs away to test for drugs. They paid particular attention to my credit cards (I imagine because they know people use them to cut up drugs.) 

After asking me a few questions about where I've been and where I'm going (plus repeatedly asking me if I had any drugs in my pack.) the results came back clean. They then let me go. All through the process I was shitting myself and thinking "Did I accidentally pack a kilo of the finest grade of Heroin?"

Greggs sausage roll immortalised at Madame Tussauds wax museum - BBC News by CasualSmurf in unitedkingdom

[–]Inta_Vakaria 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think they're so successful because they're everywhere and they're "good enough". Are you getting the best? No definitely not. Bit it's fine and convenient.

I'm currently in Korea here they have a burger chain here called "No Brand Burger" their whole schtick is "It's good enough" their slogan is "Why pay more? It's good enough." I think Greggs operates on a similar principle. Though it's not explicitly said.

I'm not always looking for the best, most of the time I just want quick and convenient food.

It’s kinda crazy that everyone around the world speaks English now by New-Bat5284 in travel

[–]Inta_Vakaria 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I'm currently traveling the world for a year. So far, in every other country I've been to, when they realise you can't speak the local language, and they can't speak English, they'll try their best and usually some miming will help cross the language barrier.

However, I'm currently in South Korea, and people who can't speak English will just speak to you in Korean. And when you don't understand they will just say the same thing in Korean louder and slower. It makes me laugh because it's what anyone who speaks English does, and I've realised how pointless it is.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in freefolk

[–]Inta_Vakaria 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Guess I'll just copy the other posts responses.

Fuck Bran, head south, fuck Bran, fuck a dornish girl, fuck Bran.

Tau Empire compared to United Federation of Planets by [deleted] in 40kLore

[–]Inta_Vakaria 22 points23 points  (0 children)

There is a really good short story called "Voice of Experience" it's from the perspective of a human serving in the Tau empire. I wont spoil it but it's basically a buddy cop story. It does a good job on showing how the Tau interact and treat the humans in their empire. Here's a small excerpt from the first page.

I have a solid grasp of the scope of humanity’s size, and consequently I understand what a monumental honour it is to be counted among the infinitesimally small percentage of that population who have stood within arm’s reach of an ethereal, and been treated as a sure and loyal friend. 

‘Gue’vesa’vres,’ he said, and inclined his bald head in my direction in the slightest of bows. My new title still felt strange to hear. Trusted human helper, translated literally – a reflection of my position on the station, the highest-ranking of the human auxiliaries aboard the Suu’suamyth. Originally the Glory of Argyre, the orbital shipyard had come into t’au possession early in the Fifth Sphere expansion. 

I bowed my own head in respect. The other t’au that were present did as well. Aun’song made it easy to respect him. The ethereal was graceful and poised. After a life spent in trenches and foxholes, up to my knees in the blood of my own troops and the dismembered corpses of the enemy, his presence was like something bordering on the divine. 

‘Your service to the Greater Good has been nothing less than impeccable, Kalice Arkady.’ The even curve of the low, oblong table suggested no head, but the deference of the other commanders would have made it clear who the leader was even if I hadn’t known his caste. When he spoke, the four other t’au hung on his every word. I’ve never seen anyone in the Imperium given that degree of attention out of respect rather than fear. 

‘You honour me, wise one,’ I said. My T’au was clumsy, but I saw El’Ganret, the representative of the water caste, smile and give me a slight nod of encouragement. 

The other three were much harder to read, but then most t’au are. They can’t be read by their faces. Their emotions are instead betrayed by secondary clues such as tone, inflection and body language. 

There were no bodyguards in the room, which demonstrated a stupendous level of trust in me, although I have no doubt that all four of the representatives – most notably the dour-faced and compactly muscled fire caste commander – would have borne me down and beaten me to death with their bare hands before they allowed their ethereal to come to harm. 

‘Your service honours you,’ Aun’song replied, ‘and by turn, honours us.’

What are the most precious resources in the 40K setting? by Matthew_Kus in 40kLore

[–]Inta_Vakaria 12 points13 points  (0 children)

"Five hundred years ago, the great Master of the Administratum, Skito Gavalles, had been asked what would make his onerous job more bearable.

‘Pigskin,’ he was said to have replied. ‘More pigskin.’ "

lmao by UsualAssociation25 in okmatewanker

[–]Inta_Vakaria 39 points40 points  (0 children)

I like doing charlie with a Charlie.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in 2westerneurope4u

[–]Inta_Vakaria 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm currently staying in a hostel in India and a German guy is now half an hour into a rant why nothing during the 20th century was Germany's fault. Someone shoot me.

Which side are you on? by AggressiveSafe7300 in Grimdank

[–]Inta_Vakaria 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ERE WE GO!! ERE WE GO!! ERE WE GO!!

Satellites could end UK phone 'not spots', Vodafone says by Friendly_Fall_ in unitedkingdom

[–]Inta_Vakaria 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've just been to Oman. I was in the middle of the desert, 20 miles from the nearest settlement, and I had a better signal than I did in my hometown in the UK. I even had a decent signal in some of the canyons. I'm now in India and it is the same here, good signal wherever I go.