The New Travel Thread: Now with write ups in the OP

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by Jax Teller, Apr 8, 2015.

  1. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    I'm not sure if you can transfer within the two
     
  2. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
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    Arg...

    The worst thing about CSR is no delta partnership
     
  3. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    If you're close and need to just top off, may be worth just buying the delta miles.
     
  4. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
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    Yeah, it'll be like 700, but want that free shit.

    I also don't know how long I want to wait. I'll get a bunch if skylines in August from a few trips.....

    Is Sept 1 too late?
     
  5. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    Really no way to tell if something will still be available. Seems to me whenever I try to look up delta award flights they are a ludicrous amount of miles anyways.
     
  6. Dillingham

    Dillingham Well-Known Member
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    Just got back from 3 weeks in Africa. If you can get to South Africa, do it. Spent only a week doing the garden route/ Cape Town and its the first trip that has made me feel I NEED to come back to this place. Incredible, and cheap (excluding the flight over)
     
  7. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    We demand more
     
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  8. Where Eagles Dare

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    70k for a 1900 flight doesn't seem too bad
     
  9. Where Eagles Dare

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    Yeah there some 900 deals from ATL to cape town I nearly jumped on just bc Cape town is so fucking awesome
     
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  10. Arkadin

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    I want to do south Africa but I want it to be warm so December 2018 is the earliest possibility I think
     
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  11. Dillingham

    Dillingham Well-Known Member
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    Will do early this week when I get organized with pictures and all that
     
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  12. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    Yeah, thats actually a really good redemption. My feelings about delta are purely empirical from my experience. Every time I try to find something on their it seems like its over 200k miles.
     
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  13. Where Eagles Dare

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    Yeah I went in mid Nov and it was awesome out
     
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  14. NC Wolfpack

    NC Wolfpack Go Pack Go
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    Took this route 4 months ago. You go through customs in Vancouver. Minneapolis is a large airport but you can get around quickly.
     
  15. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    Yo everyone not named BayouMafia hit me with those chiang Mai elephant recs
     
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  16. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    shit all my chiang elephant pics aren't on this phone damnit
     
  17. Where Eagles Dare

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    Elephant Jungle Sanctuary was cool
     
  18. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    Leaving friday for southeast asia. Bali(ubud), Siem Reap, Luang Prabang Laos, Hanoi/Halong bay, and Singapore. Any tips from people who have been would be appreciated. Im sure we'd at least have some Bali Hanoi and Siem Reap vets in here.
     
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  19. ohhaithur

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    Elephant Nature Park for sure
     
  20. 47 straight

    47 straight Well-Known Member
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    I don't know how any of you bros, who have been to Rio, can talk highly of it. Tonight will be night 6 of being treated like a piece of meat.

    If one more unapproachable girl comes up to me and sticks her tongue down my throat without at least saying "hi" first, I'm going to be pissed.
     
  21. ohhaithur

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    I'm in Miami where the girls just show everyone their tits then pretend they don't exist

    it's a hard world
     
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  22. DuffandMuff

    DuffandMuff Well-Known Member
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    Can anyone point me towards their itinerary and/or review of an SE Asia backpack trip? I know it's rainy season, but I'm nearing the end of my funds and need to get there before getting a job. I'll fly into Bangkok next week, but need directions from there. I typically try to hook up with other solo backpackers, but would like at least some general direction. Thanks.
     
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  23. PJP3

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    oh brazil :ohgosh:
     
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  24. CoastalOrange

    CoastalOrange Well-Known Member
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    Fun fact. Those are dudes.
     
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  25. Harvey Updyke

    Harvey Updyke RTR!!!!!1!

    Chania on Crete is my favorite city (town?) I have ever been. Absolutely amazing food, people, and history.
     
  26. 47 straight

    47 straight Well-Known Member
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    I saw quite a "trans" on tinder so that was a real threat, but I didn't feel any penises during the groping sessions.
     
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  27. racer

    racer Yuma, where I work in software.
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    How would you even react if you got a big ol handful of Brazilian wiener?
     
  28. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    Thankfully, I suspect
     
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  29. Nug

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    I know I still haven't gotten around to a write-up, will eventually. But Hanoi is one of the coolest cities I've ever been to, I loved it.

    Are you staying in the Old Quarter? It's awesome, just walk around the Old Quarter---ridiculous shops, so many beer spots and food spots. At night they close down all the roads (sort of) and you can just wander the Old Quarter. Can just munch on random street food and sit on the small stools and drink. I don't really think I had a bad meal, Vietnamese food was my favorite of the whole trip.

    Beer Street is fun, good for a night out. They do a market somewhere in Old Town every night, similar to the night market in Chiang Mai. I can't remember exactly where it is, but it's easy to find.

    Legend Beer is a really cool bar near the smaller lake in Old Town, definitely get a seat by the ledge and watch the traffic go by--it's insane. It's in a lot of the lists as "best view in Hanoi."

    Ho Tay lake is the bigger lake to the North, out of Old Town, really cool to walk around. Lots of beer and food, could spend a whole day around there.

    Best pho I've had in my life is "Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su"---I ate there like 3 times in 4 days. But there's amazing food everywhere, specifically pho. But try and eat here at least once.

    If you're comfortable on a bike/scooter, riding around Hanoi is one of the craziest experiences you can have. But it's awesome---aren't you going with your GF?

    I'm not a big museum guy, but there are 2-3 war museums in the area that I believe are highly rated.

    Hanoi, and Vietnam in general, has a really strong beer scene. Lots of craft beers. I can't tell you how many times over my 2-3 weeks there I just stopped at a random bar and ordered a beer and spring rolls.

    Vietnamese coffee is really famous and really good, too. Try "egg coffee," it's a little sweet, but unlike anything else you've ever had.

    If you want to get some suits made, you can definitely do it Hanoi. There are a million places, so do some homework and find a good one, but you can get a high-quality full custom tailored suit for less than $100

    Re: Halong Bay, it's incredible. Not much as far as recommendations, that's all on your boating itinerary. But it lived up to the hype for me. Cat Ba Island was cooler than I expected.

    Other things you could possibly look into, depending on time:
    -Ninh Binh for day trip (I didn't make it, but heard great reviews)
    -Sapa -- would need 2-3 days/nights, very easy to catch an overnight train or bus
     
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  30. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    How is it so far? Was you comment tongue-in-cheek?
     
  31. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    I've been to a good chunk of SE Asia. What you thinking? I'd probably try and stay in Thailand--Cambodia--Vietnam--Laos.

    Myanmar is probably my favorite, but I think the weather is pretty shitty right now. But it's really easy and cheap to get to from Bangkok. I'd also recommend going there now because I think it will change a bunch in the next 4-5 years, they just opened up to tourism in 2012 I believe.

    Re: Thailand, need to do the obvious stuff--Chiang Mai, trip to Pai, maybe Chiang Rai, and then down to the beaches. As you're traveling solo I'm sure you're aware of sort of just going with the flow.

    Since you're in that part of the world I'd 100% suggest getting to Siem Reap, Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. Still one of the coolest temples I've ever seen.

    Re: Bangkok, it can be pretty overwhelming, and is chaos, but also a lot of fun. It's massive and pretty dirty, but some of the best street food--and food in general--in the world. Koh San road is ok, just really touristy, but definitely see more than that. Lots of temples to see. Chinatown is the street food center of Bangkok and is amazing. I like Chiang Mai more, but also enjoy Bangkok.
     
    #10281 Nug, Jul 9, 2017
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2017
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  32. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    Awesome, thanks. We are staying in the old quarter, and yes trip is with the gf. Unfortunately we aren't spending a ton of time in Hanoi, 2 nights, and are more using it as a jumping off point for Halong. I'm planning on getting a scooter in Laos to ride out to the Kwang Si waterfalls, but I think the idea of riding in Hanoi scares me a bit too much. I rode on the back of a scooter in Saigon and assuming its like that I would definitely crash. Did you go to Angkor Wat at all on your trip? I'm kinda curious of the logistics of getting to/from siem reap and how much time we would need to dedicate. We have 3 whole days, which seems like a lot.
     
  33. Nug

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    I did Siem Reap back in 2015, I loved it. As far as logistics, 3 whole days is a lot, but there is more to do than Angkor Wat. You can visit mine fields, the killing fields, other stuff. Pub Street is a lot of fun, but Siem Reap itself is kind of tiny, and Cambodia is a really poor country, so it's not the nicest place. I was there for about 3 days:
    -flew in mid-day
    -Angkor Wat on day 2
    -left the morning of day 3

    If you could, I'd maybe try and cut off a day on the front or back, assuming you're only going for Angkor Wat.
     
  34. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    We fly in late, then have 3 nights and fly out later on the third day, so we really have 2 full days and one half day. If we are out of stuff to do our hotel has a pool so we could kill some time there, and I assume spas are cheap so we could always go get massages or something. Is it worth getting a guide for angkor wat? I've heard the best time to go is early, so my plan was maybe do 2 mornings, and then get back before it gets too hot and do something else the third day. I've been to Phnom Penh and southern Cambodia, so I've seen Shitty AMC Show fields and other depressing shit there, so I would probably pass on that.
     
  35. Nug

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    Yea, the massages are awesome and even cheaper than in Thailand. I didn't get a guide, but would strongly consider it because I would've liked to know what the specific temples were and how old--I did read up on them after the fact, but it would've been better to appreciate it as you saw it.

    The temple area in Angkor is an enormous complex, something 30+ temples, and can get repetitive towards the end. The iconic one, Angkor Wat, is the first one you see and obviously the most crowded. To see all of them takes a full 5-6 hours, but 2 sunrises/sunsets at Angkor Wat would be pretty awesome. Maybe find another temple with less crowds for the 2nd time. You can hire a tuk-tuk driver for like $10-20 US and he'll take you to all the temples and wait on you to view, but they're certainly not guides. I'd maybe consider hiring a guide for the first day, then on the 2nd day find a place on your own. It's really, really awesome to just wander around the temples on your own, may not be able to do that too much with a guide.
     
  36. ohhaithur

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    I loved Siem Reap and my hostel. I enjoyed all three days and wouldn't cut a second off

    Logistics of getting there suck though
     
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  37. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    I really need to move to southeast Asia
     
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  38. 47 straight

    47 straight Well-Known Member
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    Quite literally.

    Of course, I'm still on the trip high but it may have moved into #1 for me.
     
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  39. 47 straight

    47 straight Well-Known Member
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    I don't even know. Thankfully it was never an issue
     
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  40. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    BamaNug Took your advice and changed my flights a bit. Going to do an extra day in Bali and cut a night out of siem reap. It actually works really well because we had a shitty flight from bali to SR with like a 6 hour layover and was going to be like 15 hours of travel door to door. Now, we get almost an extra 24 hours in Bali and our door to door time is like 8 hours. Instead of getting in at 9pm on a wednesday we now get in the next day, thursday, at 2pm have 2 nights and dont leave till 6pm Saturday so I feel like we should still have plenty of time to see Angkor wat.
     
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  41. Gin Buckets

    Gin Buckets Well-Known Member
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    Cape Town was perfect weather during the World Cup, even at night. Gave me the assumption that Cape Town was more like Cali, and never really got cold period. Jo-berg was a bit colder, just had massive temp swings (80 in day and 30s at night).
     
  42. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    Is highs around 60 there right now. I'd like warmer imo
     
  43. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    Nice. Could do a full day on Friday for Angkor, then Sat for sunrise if you want to as well. Looking forward to hearing about it.
     
  44. Nug

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    Will be in Africa next July, still undecided on South Africa or Kenya/mainland Africa. Perfectly fine with cooler temps.

    I think because I grew up in the fucking oppressive heat of the South, and have experienced 110+ degree days in multiple places around the world, 60s is heaven on earth to me, but I also sweat really easily. I also enjoy cooler temps, though. Would much rather have 60s/70s than 90s.
     
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  45. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    Travel and leisure voters just named charleston #1 city in the US for the 5th consecutive year. #2 in the world this year, down a spot from last year's ranking
     
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  46. DuffandMuff

    DuffandMuff Well-Known Member
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    Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam were all the "definite" countries on my list. Nearly everyone I've met during my travels have said that's pretty much the basic SE Asia circuit for backpackers.

    And as you said, since I'm traveling solo I plan/hope to just tag along with people or get a feel for where everyone goes once I'm out there. My tentative itinerary is to fly in to Bangkok, get to my hostel and figure it out from there.

    Still interested in seeing Bali and perhaps some of Malaysia/Myanmar. Stretching it out to South Korea and/or Japan would be an added bonus.

    One thing I've learned about myself after traveling the past five or so months is that I can only do so much history. The museums/monuments/cathedrals got old relatively quickly. I definitely prefer exploring nature and along the coasts more.
     
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  47. DuffandMuff

    DuffandMuff Well-Known Member
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    It also named Santa Fe as the #2 city in America :gross:
     
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  48. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    ive never been to new mexico but people say its dope
     
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  49. Nug

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    Yea, that's definitely the primary circuit, and easy/cheap to travel between all those countries.

    Malaysia and Indonesia are a good hike from SE Asia, expensive and long to get to, but cheap when youre there. South Korea and Japan would be similarly hard to get to, and significantly more expensive.

    I'd keep it confined to those 4 countries and see how it feels. Theyre all so insanely cheap you'll be very happy with how far your dollar goes. Thailand and Vietnam are the most developed of the 4, and have the best tourist infrastructure in place.
     
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  50. Nug

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    #10300 Nug, Jul 11, 2017
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2017
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