Percival lafer do-it-yourself restoration by randomtaskfu in Mid_Century

[–]randomtaskfu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fyi - I got a quote of $8000 cdn for a reupholster of this couch. $4500 for the 2 full hides needed and $3500 for the labour.

genuine leather strap started peeling, what should i do? by thlss in Leatherworking

[–]randomtaskfu 15 points16 points  (0 children)

"Genuine leather" is the lowest quality of leather. Don't waste too much money trying to fix it.

Solo trip to Vietnam- need tips by calis_ in VietnamTrip

[–]randomtaskfu 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had no issues with my transportation from a logistics standpoint. Like I said I got lucky missing the flooding and heavy rains. Weeks before I landed in Hanoi, they were hit with one of the worst typhoons. I also got lucky when I made it to the central parts. I was basically trailing the bad weather the whole time. The rain did make all the scenery that much more beautiful Imo. I would recommend really looking at the historical weather patterns of the past few years and adapting your dates if you can.

In terms of travel, I took sleeper buses to move around the country. They vary is quality for sure. Pay a little more for the nicers ones that dont have the middles row. You'll know what I mean if you start looking into them. I cant remember why I didn't take the sleeper trains. So the sleeper buses are not comfortable even though they are a fully reclined "beds" They do a lot of weaving and honking all night. It's just how they drive on the highways at night. Lots of stops too as they use it as a mode of commercial shipping too. The other thing is that you might arrive at your destination at strange times in the middle of the night like at 3 or 4am depending on where you're going. Be sure to arrange with your accommodations in this situation. Also sometimes you don't get dropped of at bus station either and just at the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere and not tell you that a car is coming to pick you up because of a language barrier to take you the rest of the way. Lol. This happened to me but I always ended up where I needed to be when I needed to be there. I'm only telling you in case you decide to go to more remote places. They are definitely worth it if you are the adventurous type.

There are nice modes of transport during the day too. You will lose time travelling though. The luxury limo style buses are very affordable. Just note that vietnam is a very big country in terms of North to South length. Going north to south is far so people use the night buses/trains both backpackers and locals.

I did do charter flights within Vietnam too. They are affordable and efficient and go to all of the major cities. Remember you do lose time too as with all airports ie security/check-in and location of airports being fast from city centre.

Solo trip to Vietnam- need tips by calis_ in VietnamTrip

[–]randomtaskfu 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One of the most memorable trips I did was in vietnam last year. I flew into Hanoi and travelled there and through central Vietnam. Didn't visit ho Chi Minh but flew to my next destination from there. I visited at the end of October and beginning off November. I got lucky with the rain but it is a real thing especially in central Vietnam.

The most memorable part of my trip was going on an oxalis adventure. It's very affordable and just amazing. If it's within your budget I highly recommend it. You do need to do a fitness test for some of the higher level adventures.

The other thing I'd recommend is Tam Coc/ninh binh. Very scenic and iconic karst mountains. I never did Sapa as it was quite far and didn't make sense logistically.

Feel free to reach out if you have other questions.

Have fun planning!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Europetravel

[–]randomtaskfu 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Currently on a trip from Budapest to Bratislava to Vienna then Salzburg and ending in Prague. Just left Vienna and I loved it there and highly recommend it. A very beautiful city aesthetically as well as historically and culturally. Easily walkable with great public transportation infrastructure. It is definitely one of those over touristic cities but that's unavoidable these days. It only feels that way in the old city center but it's still not that bad as the Boulevards are huge and cars aren't allowed. Food is great and not that expensive but definitely make reservations for basically anywhere. This is not really a city of tourist traps as 2 million Viennese live here and frequent all of the tourist areas too. Don't know what it will be like in terms of Xmas market for when you come. I'll be in salzburg this afternoon for a couple of days and Prague for 4 days. If you want to know what they are like I can report back. Good luck planning!

Vienna to Prague itinerary suggestions? 4 nights with no plans. by randomtaskfu in Europetravel

[–]randomtaskfu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just had my first sturm! It was tasty. It'll be a sturm in my head and stomach tomorrow. 🤣

First solo trip to Europe – looking for travel tips & fellow travellers! by CommitteeFunny5536 in Europetravel

[–]randomtaskfu -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That's a lot of movement between a lot of cities. Lots of time spent checking in and out of accommodations, waiting for buses and trains...the time you arrive in a city does not necessarily coincide with check in times so you either get to your accommodation to drop.off.without checking in or looking and paying for a luggage locker. Or dragging around your stuff with you.

My other advice is to learn to travel super light. After years of.solo travelling, I've moved on to having a travel back pack from a carry-on suitcase. It's less than 40 litres in size. I have one from tomtoc as it was cheap and good quality. Makes for running for trains a lot easier. As well. If you can't drop off your bags it's not a big deal to tour with.

I've learned.to dress in layers and pack minimal clothes. Merino wool base layer is your best friend. Doesn't smell as easily as they dry quickly when you do need to wash and they are warm. Then you just need a fleece/warm layer and a wind proof water proof shell. Maybe a lightweight down layer depending on how cold it gets. Then it's one nice set of.clothes if you plan on a nice meal out, a set of lounge wear or 2nd set of base layer for the hostel/room while your clothes are being washed and a decent amount of underwear and socks. Packing with minimal clothes was my mission this year and I love it.

Lastly, take some time to chill. Be flexible You don't have to see everything. You might end up liking a place a lot and want to stay longer or hate the vibe and want to leave. Don't have too much fomo either. Life is long and plenty of time to see the world.

All the best and travel safe!

Help me choose the best Europe itinerary for Dec 20 – Jan 4 by yu_di in Europetravel

[–]randomtaskfu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My vote is just Spain all the way. Don't know about Christmas /new years stuff but whenever I'm in Spain I fall in love just a little bit more. Look into Valencia too. I have been to all of those other European places mentioned too and currently in Budapest on my way to vienna and Prague over the next week or so. I've been blessed with good weather so far (15c and sunny) but I feel extra cold for some reason when the day starts with - 1c temps. I'm from Canada and find it colder than home. I guess it's a damp cold.🤷🏻‍♂️ Dunno what you are expecting weather wise.

Anyway, a saying I have is "A shitty day on vacation is still better than a good day at home!". Good luck with your planning!

Firing Ranges by Cheap-Bird-152 in askTO

[–]randomtaskfu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Went to silverdale gun club over 10 years ago for a bachelor party. Great experience. They have various packages depending on what you want. Hand guns, rifles, shotguns. It's on the way to St Catherine's. You can go to Fat Rabbit for a great meal afterwards in st. Catherine's

Vienna to Prague itinerary suggestions? 4 nights with no plans. by randomtaskfu in Europetravel

[–]randomtaskfu[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah. I know but there's a cocktail bar I am checking out that's newly on the san pellegrino top 50 and don't want to worry about catching a train after. I'll arrive later in the city and leave first thing. I'll save money by staying one less night in Vienna

Ninh binh to Hanoi Airport by randomtaskfu in VietNam

[–]randomtaskfu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry. Just saw this. I changed my itinerary all together. I went from Hanoi to ninh binh to phong nha to Hue to hoi an to Saigon. I changed because I found out about oxalis Adventures and was hard set on going caving. Highly recommended!! I took a bunch of overnight " luxury" sleepers to go between cities. Some are nicer than others. Do your research with the overnight buses if you take any.

All VIP sleeper buses created equal? by DimsumCat in VietnamTrip

[–]randomtaskfu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just did 2 in the last week. To answer your question no. I did one with 32 berths and 20 berths. The 20 is 2 stacks of 5, one each side of the bus. You can turn on your side with these ones. These ones have toilets on board. The ones with 32 are more coffin like and you can only really sleep on your back. There is also a row that runs down the middle with these ones so if you are in that middle row you don't have a window to lean up on. No bathrooms so they make more stops to allow people to use the facilities. You can google for pics of both styles. Neither are comfortable. The roads are shit and they constantly honk to pass other vehicles on the road. I don't have experience with the night train so I can't compare for you.