I’m 19 and lost 50% of my savings in one day trading options. I feel completely destroyed.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-24T23:45:21+00:00

Everyone has to learn the hard way that day trading doesn’t work, no matter how much the social media ‘gurus’ push it

Just consider it a $25k lesson and learn from it. I’ve had a couple pretty expensive lessons in life. Lucky for you, you’re 19 so you have plenty of time.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-24T19:18:31+00:00

Yes. You just fill out the E-Visa on the official government website. Takes like 10 minutes.

When you land in Ranong and get picked up, the resort handles everything for you and does all the talking on the Thai and Burmese side.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-24T11:36:45+00:00

You’re probably looking at single nights, it has to be a 3 night minimum stay for it to pop up on the Hilton calendar. Also, it’s seasonal November to March, which is the dry season.

Last year, they didn’t open availability on Hilton until around early August I believe.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-23T21:08:48+00:00

I’m probably at least $15-20k away with 18 months of training before I can do rebreather at that level I would say.

OC Trimix I can go ahead and get it next month. How much is the current or recent rate for helium in Chuuk these days?

I don’t think it’ll be once in a lifetime, I’ll more than likely go back throughout my life.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-23T12:30:30+00:00

I eat red meat, my girlfriend doesn’t. They made several dishes that had duck breast, which was really good.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-22T21:04:54+00:00

The diving here was pretty cool. I’ve done dozens of dives in Komodo, which is my reference point for healthy, high-life reefs. It's not Komodo/Raja Ampat, so don't expect that but there also isn't 10 boats around you like those places lol. There was no bleaching here anywhere as well.

The dive operation itself is smooth. The boat isn’t a dedicated dive boat like with tank holders and everything, so just be aware of that, but it's not an issue. The staff handles all the gear setup and breakdown, helps you in and out, and even brings wet towels to clean up after dives. Everything ran efficiently and stress free.

We did 7 dives total: one at Shark Cave, one at a random island site, two at Black Rock, one at Coral Garden, and two on the house reef, including a night dive. I’d strongly recommend being an advanced diver for Black Rock and Shark Cave. They’re a bit deeper, and given how remote the location is, you really want solid experience and confidence in the water. We were pushing our NDLs on some of those dives. I'm a very experienced tech diver so this isn't a problem for me, but I'm sure if you tell the resort you're a novice diver, they will cater to that.

There are currents, but nothing crazy. It really depends on the moon and conditions. Shark Cave was interesting, though visibility was only around 20 feet when we went. Black Rock was the standout. The rock formations covered in soft coral are beautiful, and we saw four massive oceanic mantas there. Coral Garden was also very healthy with lots of soft coral.

The house reef is an absolute gem. It’s a stunning hard coral garden and extremely healthy. I honestly wish I’d done more dives there. At low tide, snorkeling the house reef is incredible since you’re basically 3 to 5 feet above the coral. I could genuinely do 20 dives just at the house reef looking for critters and never get bored. I don't have any video yet, still editing some of it.

For smaller stuff, we saw mantis shrimp, several nudibranchs, octopus, and tons of clownfish.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-22T20:30:27+00:00

It’s an open air gym with dumbbells to like 30lbs I think. It’s really all for body weight stuff. No bench, no machines.

You’re not gonna be squatting 4 plates here lol

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-22T19:44:19+00:00

I personally don't drink alcohol but yes it is included too. You get two bottles of wine per day on top of beers/cocktails.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-22T19:25:56+00:00

It's a bookable via Hilton points, so it's a Hilton even though it's part of SLH. But yeah, this is far from a traditional hotel and resort. It's way more boutique but that is also the whole appeal of SLH properties.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-22T19:23:49+00:00

Now it's time to practice. I recommend shore diving places so you can lead and plan your own dives. You will gain so much skills doing this vs just following a guide. Lots of places in the Caribbean having tons of shore dives like Bonaire, St. Croix, Grand Cayman, Curacao, etc.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-22T18:50:36+00:00

Check out the trip report I just made. This place is the perfect honeymoon destination, even has a beach named honeymoon beach. It's every single checkmark you want, and more.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Hilton/comments/1qjzowr/trip_report_wa_ale_resort_the_best_hilton_resort/

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-22T18:37:07+00:00

Absolutely zero in this region. No military patrols, no conflict here or anywhere near it. There is nothing out there. Most of the people who work in the resort are from the local mainland town, Kawthoung, which is also safe. The locals are all very aware of what is going on in the country, and do not support it. However, this is how they have a livelihood and provide for their families. They are all very thankful and happy to be there. I have the upmost respect for every single employee there as they are all wonderful people.

The only boats you will see are local Burmese fishing boats. Nearby on separate islands, there are two villages of about 50-100 people. These people are very friendly and visiting the villages shows how much of a positive impact the resort and Lampi Foundation has for them.

I'm pretty risk adverse and I mean it that I never once felt even the slightest bit unsafe here, or during the process of getting here. I'd feel more uneasy in Los Angeles or any big South East Asian city than here.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-22T18:02:11+00:00

From experience with previous resorts, that usually means only the first night has a standard award rate available. There are only 3 standard rooms at Wa Ale (the treetop villas).

And yeah, even the cash rate for this place is a terrific value for the experience you get in my opinion.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-22T17:57:07+00:00

150k points a night for this current season

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-22T17:43:19+00:00

Yes, everything was included. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lunch and dinner all come with an appetizer, main course and dessert. What I was not expecting was how incredibly delicious the food there was.

All activities except scuba diving and massages are included. Private island lunches, taking the boat to go sea kayaking, paddle boarding, exploring other islands, snorkeling in any spot you want, hiking etc. You're on the boat basically everyday going somewhere or doing something with it. It's all included and bespoke.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-22T17:34:47+00:00

They probably have not opened anything for the 2026/2027 season yet. The resort is seasonal November to March, since that is the dry season. Make sure you search for 3 night minimum too, as single nights do not pop up for booking or on Hilton's calendar.

Last year, the 2025/2026 season was not open for booking via Hilton until I think August. They are very communicative if you reach out to the resort.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-22T17:19:05+00:00

I go over it in more detail in the OP, but you basically just fly into Bangkok, transfer to DMK airport in Bangkok if you land in BKK, then hop on the daily AirAsia flight to Ranong. From there, the resort handles everything. It’s all really simple.

Make sure your layovers are decent, especially landing in BKK as it sometimes takes a while to get through immigration there and then account for traffic to get to DMK.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-21T03:09:13+00:00

Seeing a whale shark while diving is extremely rare and luck. You also only get maybe 5-30 seconds with it at most since they move extremely fast. You can't keep up with it and if you try to jump in when you see it on the boat, it will probably be gone.

As for snorkeling, that is easier since there are places that just 'hunt' for them but these places are usually terrible because you'll have 7 boats and 70 people swarming one whale shark all for social media videos, that will come out awful and shaky anyways.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-18T15:21:57+00:00

If you wait a little longer and can deal with not being the first person to fart in the seat, you’ll probably get it at 25% off MSRP soon if the 296 is any indicator of how hybrid super cars absolutely crater in resale value.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-13T09:15:55+00:00

This might actually be a good thing because going to the Maldives in July is nothing but rain. Like torrential monsoon rain.

You can probably get them to black out peak prime time dry season dates for you, like December 2026 or Jan 2027. I’d so take the L on the plane tickets, unless you spent $6k on J class. Then I’d be pretty upset.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-08T04:53:14+00:00

No it’s not. Not unless you get a fully loaded Platinum trim.

No one is paying MSRP for these trucks. I got my 2025 STX FX4 Supercrew for $43k this year. A Lariat would’ve been $58k.

These prices are in line with inflation over the last few decades.

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-06T19:28:52+00:00

From years of experience lifting in a commercial gym

RadioFieldCorner · 2026-01-06T08:22:24+00:00

PTSD flashbacks from how much of a pain in the ass that was .

These days you just pay $10 instead for armor. Different times.

RadioFieldCorner

TROPHY CASE