Quote:
Originally Posted by AcesWon
Thailand vacation!
I just got back a few weeks ago and the country is fantastic, along with
the beautiful women and great food. Nothing could have prepared me for
the culture shock though. Plus going in March, which is cold in my part
of the states, then suddenly in tropical heat during the second hottest month
of the year. Quite an adjustment.
Since poker, both physical and online is strickly illegal, I have to put that
on the negative side of the equation as far as places to move to. I don't
want to get caught breaking Thai laws whether I agree with them or not.
So, has anyone who has been to Thailand also been to other countries
that you'd recommend? Along with a comparison to Thailand? Such as
the Philippines? Cambodia? Any others? I like Asia more than Latin America
so I'd prefer that part of the world. I've heard that Bali is the closest thing
to paradise, but their immigration policies are a convuluted mess.
Any suggestions?
BTW, I posted before the trip that I'd like to meet any 2+2ers in Thailand
but if anyone responded, sorry I was gone by then. Maybe next time. The trek
included Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket (Patong), and Bangkok. I'll definitely
be going again. 2 1/2 weeks isn't enough time to take in a whole country,
also there are a couple of amazing ladies I want to see again :-)
I have lived in Manila (Makati) and Bali. Bali is amazing and definitely parts of the island look like paradise. Certainly not Kuta the main touristy area. When I lived there about 3 years ago internet was not totally stable and could get several disconnects in a day. I lived there for almost a year and loved it but was ready to leave. It is a tourist island so people are coming and going all the time and it is hard to make many friends that are actually staying for more than a few days or weeks. Most of the foreigners that live in Bali are older retired guys.
Immigration is a pain in the ass with Indonesia. It is possible to pay a decent amount to a company and get something like a 3 or 6 month visa. You have to go there first get all the paper work and then fly to Singapore to get it all taken care of. I did this one time but it is not a multi entry so once you leave you have to do it all over again. What I did was just leave the country every 30 days. You can usually get flights round trip same day to Singapore for about $250.
Visa's in the Philippines are much easier (assuming you are american). You get a 59 day stamp when you arrive then you can just take your passport to a travel agency and pay them and they can get you another 59 day extension. I did this for 6 months before I ever took a trip out of the country and never had a problem.
I lived in Makati, really a city within Manila, and I thought it was great. Not that the city itself is really that great because compared to here in Bangkok it is ****. However the people are friendly and anywhere in Makati and Fort Bonifacio almost everyone will speak good to great english. It is easy to make friends in Makati if you are social and unlike Bangkok where most foreign guys only have a few thai guy friends. In Makati it is easy to have a bunch of filipino guy friends because the all speak english and have been exposed much more the the american culture.
I think I actually prefer filipino girls over thai mostly because the filipino girls (from makati) can understand western culture more. It is easier to hang out with them for more then a few weeks with out getting bored as hell which happens often in Bangkok. Plus when you approach a girl at a club you can say something witty and they will understand you.
Internet within Makati is fairly stable if you stay in one of the bigger nicer condo buildings. I have no idea how stable it is outside of that. Cost of living in Makati is going to be about 10% more than bangkok but not much. I would only suggest Makati if you are a big city person though.