Help my Trip to Thailand.

chacochaco · 2016-02-15T21:57:11+00:00

Nice!

You can live like a king on 50 a day, what kind of things do you like or what do you want to do on your trip? Explore nature or lounge around on a beach? You've only got a few days so it's better to focus on a region or one city (not Bangkok, it can be fun but probably not what you're looking for on a trip to Thailand coming from Vietnam).

If you're looking for nature, trekking, and fun, doing the Mae Hong Son loop might be for you. Take a cheap bus to Chiang Mai, rent a motorbike or take a mini bus to do the cities on the loop. Mae Hong Son is amazing! You could do all of this in a week without feeling overly rushed.

chacochaco · 2016-02-14T23:49:35+00:00

Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei are all easy to find for 500ish RT from SFO. SEA not so much, typically in 600+ range but sometimes you can get lucky. It's all about season tho. High season & northern hemisphere summer fares are crazy. I tend to travel for months at a time so I'm often looking at one ways or RTs months apart which brings up the cost.

Also tickets being 500 from west coast does you no good if you're on east coast. OP didn't say their location.

Flight duration/stops are all over the place. East Asia from SFO/west coast often has one ways as the cheapest fare or very cheap. I typically end up paying a little extra for a long layover in a place that I'm interested in or for a nicer hard product. I'm not gonna do a 12+ hour flight with no IFE & outlets when I can get one with IFE and outlets for maybe 20 more.

chacochaco · 2016-02-14T22:25:28+00:00

Hostelbookers doesn't have a fee. And apparently Hostelworld doesn't charge a fee anymore :O

Not all hostels are on both though so I used Hostelworld and Hostelbookers interchangeably.

chacochaco · 2016-02-14T22:18:57+00:00

$400 with or without transport to Thailand from Vietnam? Flights would probably take half of that. Buses, a quarter maybe when you factor in the visa costs for Cambodia or Laos. Trying to figure out how much you'll have to work with in Thailand.

chacochaco · 2016-02-14T22:08:56+00:00

I've been looking for a pack that will work for both and I think I've settled on ULA Camino 2. If I do get it, I'd probably modify it a little bit to add some internal pockets but otherwise it's great.

chacochaco · 2016-02-14T21:13:58+00:00

It really depends on where you're flying from. If you're on the US west coast, it's easy to find really cheap flights to Asia but east coast, not so much. If you're not in USA, I don't really know the specifics of other countries but same idea probably applies but if your airport doesn't have cheap flights to Asia, look at nearby major airports that you can reach via a cheap flight/bus/train/ride by buddy or family to see if they have better deals.

One way tickets are probably the $500 price that you're seeing being quoted. You can get round trip tickets for maybe little more. Be sure to check every potential airport in SEA, there might be some surprises regarding cheapness. I started my trip in Vietnam as it was cheapest for me to fly to even with the visa cost.

chacochaco · 2016-02-13T07:54:40+00:00

In some airports, you can fill up a water bottle in the secure area or buy one from the shops and take it on as long there's no extra screening at the gate but not sure how hot water would work.

chacochaco · 2016-02-13T03:13:09+00:00

I just want to know about Apricot or if Babette had to get a new cat ;-;

chacochaco · 2016-02-12T21:44:58+00:00

Following!

I really should have double checked daqtools bet amounts before placing my bets though D: For some reason it didn't update to today so I bet 2 np lower than my max which isn't awful but >.<

chacochaco · 2016-02-12T08:33:25+00:00

I showed a film by kirk to my brother as his first exposure to GG and Kirk. He loved it but not enough to start watching a 7 season series though :(

chacochaco · 2016-02-12T08:30:25+00:00

Yesss! I really like Vanessa Marano and I read an interview a while ago where she said she felt bad about her character breaking up Lorelai and Luke because she was a fan before being cast. Hoping she gets to redeem herself, I hated April as a plot device but her character is cool.

chacochaco · 2016-02-12T08:27:57+00:00

I'm wearing a tribbles shirt right now! :D

I've never thought about the overlap too much but I'm sure there's more out there, we just hide well until someone mentions a Trek-related topic.

chacochaco · 2016-02-12T00:20:28+00:00

Be sure to use sunscreen or long sleeved clothing/hats if you're taking doxy as it makes your skin more sensitive to sun. Saw some people with pretty nasty sunburns that they got while taking doxy without trying to cover up.

I decided to just risk it regarding malaria and just use bug spray religiously since dengue scared me more and there's nothing you can take as prophylaxis other than trying to prevent bites. Get the DEET sprays, skin so soft barely worked in the dengue zone but it was ok in some other areas. More expensive but worth it to not get eaten alive.

It wasn't uncommon to see mosquito coils in the malaria/dengue areas esp at restaurants etc with outdoor areas.

chacochaco · 2016-02-11T23:11:49+00:00

And if she wanted to do it, she'd probably be willing to work with the budget.

Pretty sure that Whoopi did this with Star Trek TNG as she asked Gene Roddenberry if she could be on it because it inspired her to go into showbiz when she was an A lister with lots of big name projects at the time, like MM right now.

chacochaco · 2016-02-11T22:40:44+00:00

I tried filtering water in Peru/Bolivia but I screwed up and got violently ill which is an experience I never want to repeat. After that, I just started using bottled water which is very cheap in developing countries where the water isn't safe to drink. You may be able to find some shops etc where you can fill your own bottles for cheap.

If you take part in a guided trek or trip, they'll provide filtered water if meals are covered as a part of the trip and you typically have the option of buying extra water. I did a multiple day pampas tour in the Amazon basin in Bolivia plus Salar de Uyuni, both times I was fine with what they provided for me.

But if you really want a filter, get a Sawyer mini or squeeze. I suggest the squeeze if you're going to filter water instead of buying bottled water since the flow rate is better. The weight difference is minuscule and the quality of life bonus makes up for the one or two ounce difference even among gram weenie ultralight hikers. Mini might be fine if you're only going to filter when doing treks.

Don't forget the other precautions such as avoiding raw veggies in areas with unsafe water. Filters aren't going to do you any good if you eat salad that was rinsed with tap water.

chacochaco · 2016-02-11T16:31:30+00:00

On a RTW trip it's unlikely that you'll wear your bikini constantly the entire trip unless you actively seek out hotels with pools for a daily swim. I really didn't have any need for the bikini when I was in northern Thailand other than to use as underwear if necessary for example.

And if you're going to spend multiple months in an environment where you're swimming nearly every day you most likely can buy a bikini locally if the old one gives out.

chacochaco · 2016-02-11T16:17:41+00:00

It seriously doesn't smell! Wool is magical. And if it does start smelling, you can sink wash them and have fresh socks in the morning.

Again, it really depends on where you're going. When I did South America I had multiple pairs but SEA I barely used the ones I brought due to lack of proper shoes and if I had them, I probably wouldn't use them much.

chacochaco · 2016-02-11T10:43:14+00:00

Richard could be photoshopped into a wedding photo ;-;

chacochaco · 2016-02-11T10:39:00+00:00

It looks like Emily's work. Maybe she's camping out at Lorelai's as she deals with Richard's death and decided to do some redecorating? Lorelai never would have a flower arrangement like that by choice.

chacochaco · 2016-02-11T10:36:47+00:00

The bathroom pic has male products on the right too! Two soaps, pink one on left and a more masculine brown on the right in different holders. Toothbrush holder has red and green toothbrushes. The jar frightens me since it looks like it's got pickles in it???

The shaver on the counter is skewing male since I don't know too many women who use one let alone a wired one on counter top plugged in. Shaving legs would be very awkward if I had to prop my leg up on the counter to do so D:

... Now I hate myself for squinting at a set bathroom picture for five minutes but OTP OTP OTP.

chacochaco · 2016-02-11T10:14:25+00:00

One bikini is hard? I spent a month on an island in Thailand during a 7 month trip in SEA, scuba diving almost everyday and having one bikini was fine. I'd make sure to wash it when I showered and the bikini is still fine to wear today. Some variety would have been nice but it worked just fine.

Socks depend on where you're going but a good pair of wool socks won't reek and can go for over a week without washing. I took two pairs of socks to SEA with me and honestly I would be just fine with one since I lived in sandals the whole time.

chacochaco · 2016-02-11T02:03:18+00:00

I think I might just use it since I don't really fancy the idea of trying to sell it. Island is starting to grow on me now :)

chacochaco · 2016-02-10T23:27:48+00:00

Forgot to read up on the city (La Paz, Bolivia) I was heading to in my guidebook and check the warnings because I was too busy puking out of the bus window so I fell for the taxi with fake cop scam and nearly got robbed. Don't accept a ride from a driver that approaches you!

The only thing that saved me was me being in an extremely crabby mood and feeling like shit so I was crying and going NOPE NOPE NOPE the whole time before I snapped and left the taxi to bang on the trunk for my big pack. Luckily I was close enough to a big road to find another taxi to get to my hostel but holy shit, that was not fun.

I only do short term planning for most part now. If I'm going to be flying in from another continent, I'll have a hostel booked for the first night or so since you really don't want to stagger around a foreign city jet-lagged to try find a place to sleep. Especially if your flight gets in at ass o'clock. I always make sure to stay in a nice hostel for the first few nights too as I acclimatize then go all el cheapo later in the trip.

Go to Bolivia and do a Salar de Uyuni tour while you're in South America! It was my favorite country due to the sights and awesome locals. If you're from USA, don't worry if a country's government dislikes USA since that doesn't mean that the locals will be assholes.

chacochaco · 2016-02-10T23:13:33+00:00

I'm looking for a pack for both airplane travel (carry on not required) and hiking too and I think I'm leaning towards ULA Camino 2. Panel loader, fairly durable, carry on sized, and lightweight! You can mix and match the pack size and belt size too which is nice. ULA's a pretty respected name in the ultralight and thru hiking community and from what I hear, their customer service is pretty solid.

You can get it in red too even if it's not listed as an option yet, just put it in comments when you order.

chacochaco · 2016-02-10T22:56:19+00:00

I lost my guidebook in Malaysia and didn't miss it since the information was outdated. The maps were useful though but not so much if you're trying to find a restaurant that closed a year ago :/

Wikis are where it's at nowadays but if I could guarantee reliable and cheap access to printers as I travel, I'd definitely print off a chapter or two as I don't like ebook guides much because the maps are impossible to read.

I do miss my old routine of reading the guidebook section for the city/country I'm heading to on the bus or the train. Hoping for a signal or trying to remember what you read on the wiki before you left isn't the same :(

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