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  1. #26
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    in the mouth of a desert
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    2,151
    Def. make it longer if you can stretch it. Two weeks ain't two weeks when you're basically burning three days on the front end--you're spending 24 hours+ in transit, losing a day to a time change, jet lagged once you get there, etc. Sure, you get some of that time on the trip home, but it's still a full day's travel...

  2. #27
    Hugh Conway Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by PassTheDutchie View Post
    Not sure what Pnom Phen is like nowadays--I was last there six years ago and the development since has been crazy, from what I understand. I really enjoyed it, but from what I understand, much of what I enjoyed about it has likely disappeared--it used to have a real decrepit, hard scrabble, end of the world kind of feel, all doused in a gentle French colonial perfume. It was what you think BKK is/was reputed to be.

    Luang Prabang is very pretty/romantical, if a bit like a giant French Colonial theme park for well-heeled, sexagenarian westerners...
    Heh, that's a very good summary of what PP was to me, and yes, some of that is now gone I believe. the lakeside tourist ghetto certainly is, dunno if you can find a guesthouse with the weed dealer at checkin anymore.

    it's been 4 years since I was in LP so I'm sure it's more developed, but then there were still some places that weren't completely touristy (the morning market where everyone would come in from the hills with produce/whatever mystery endangered species they'd just killed) and you could still get cheap food - Lao noodle soup and a Beer lao for <$2. I guess even then I'd prefer the tourist themepark with preserved buildings to the bulldoze everything old and replace it with interchangeable crappy reinforced concrete and shiny mirrors approach that most every other city in Asia has taken.

    Definitely the other temples around Angkor if you've time, and before getting up for "sunrise" make sure the weathers such you'll actually see the sunrise. If you want to see slice of life - take a riverboat ride. That way of life will shortly be gone forever thanks to the fuckers in China. I thought the boat ride down the Tonle Sap from SiemReap to PP was pretty cool. There's also the Cambodian beaches (unsure what those are like at the moment) and Battambang or the like.

  3. #28
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    in the mouth of a desert
    Posts
    2,151
    Beer Lao is a good mention; drink as much of it as you can. Es muy excellente.

  4. #29
    Hugh Conway Guest
    For beer, Hanoi had the cheapest (Bia Hoi on the streets for like 5-10 cents) and the most micro breweries of any place in asia I encountered. Not much on the hoppy ipa thing, but tasty none the less. tons of good food there.

    my main objection to VV was the sausage fest. if I wanted that I'd go to a ski town.

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    in the mouth of a desert
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    2,151
    Unbelievably, there was actually a Belgian beer bar in Luang Prabang when I was there--right on the road running along the Mekong. Run by a chavy British chick. Drank a redik amount of Maredsous; projectile vomited all over my hotel room the next day. As hung over as I've ever been. Good times.

  6. #31
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Ogden
    Posts
    9,110
    Good advice here, per usual. We ended up doing BKK-Krabi-Siem Reap-BKK. All flying cheap regional airlines. Trying to fit in more than those three places in the 16 days would have felt like too much travel and I'm glad we didn't waste time on buses and trains. The regional airlines are cheap and easy although they contain an amazing level of B.O.

    Some advice of my own: don't buy the 45 baht "whiskey" in the brown bottle with an elephant on the label. I'm pretty sure it's fermented fish sauce mixed with gasoline and it causes an instant headache.

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    3,262
    Any of you maggots stayed on or heard of a relatively undeveloped Koh within a decent boat ride from Krabi/Phuket town? Snorkeling off beach and relatively laid back place to stay a week or so is what I am looking for, amenities and price low are better, but if cool I can pay $75 USD 2000 BHT an night. Looking for rustic and good snorkeling.

    I have been bouncing around a bit on the West Coast beaches of Phuket, but would like some relief from the crowd after my dives in Similan Islands. Any other advice welcome as well. Thinking of hitting Khao Lak National Park, but would love a review and any advice on amount of time needed there as well.

    Yo CJ/HC, feel free to create a new alias and tell me what a dumbass I am for asking TGR for advice on this type of travel, then drop a nugget for me :-)
    Education must be the answer, we've tried ignorance and it doesn't work!

  8. #33
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    3,262
    You can PM me if you don't feel like giving it up on the ether. Any beta appreciated. I know one of you mags reading this has been in same spot wondering the same thing. Perhaps you found the beach.
    Education must be the answer, we've tried ignorance and it doesn't work!

  9. #34
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars
    Posts
    3,807
    Koh tarutao. Super chill non touristy. Run by parks .
    You are what you eat.
    ---------------------------------------------------
    There's no such thing as bad snow, just shitty skiers.

  10. #35
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Ogden
    Posts
    9,110
    Quote Originally Posted by Rip'nStick View Post
    Any of you maggots stayed on or heard of a relatively undeveloped Koh within a decent boat ride from Krabi/Phuket town? Snorkeling off beach and relatively laid back place to stay a week or so is what I am looking for, amenities and price low are better, but if cool I can pay $75 USD 2000 BHT an night. Looking for rustic and good snorkeling.

    I have been bouncing around a bit on the West Coast beaches of Phuket, but would like some relief from the crowd after my dives in Similan Islands. Any other advice welcome as well. Thinking of hitting Khao Lak National Park, but would love a review and any advice on amount of time needed there as well.

    Yo CJ/HC, feel free to create a new alias and tell me what a dumbass I am for asking TGR for advice on this type of travel, then drop a nugget for me :-)
    IMO, the snorkeling wasn't good in any of the areas around Krabi. The water was cloudy (currents, time of year?) and the reef seemed damaged. It was magnitudes less spectacular than Belize for instance. Stunningly beautiful beaches though.

  11. #36
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    oregon
    Posts
    2,870
    Koh Jum is quiet. Didn't snorkel when I was there.
    "These are crazy times Mr Hatter, crazy times. Crazy like Buddha! Muwahaha!"

  12. #37
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    SF & the Ho
    Posts
    9,299

    Thailand travel advice needed

    You're in Thailand and you're asking the interwebz? Go chat up some Israelis in a backpacker cafe. And if you can't find it, you don't deserve to. Enough places have been wrecked over there already by easy directions so the rest of you experts stfu.

  13. #38
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Posts
    793
    Koh jum ..... Chillest of the chill islands....if ya have to snorkel day trip to koh phi phi.

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