What Are You Doing Right Now? (293 Viewers)

[Ford Prefect]

I'd love to go to Thailand but I have to get a passport first. So til then I'll stay stateside.

Filling out a form, sending a photo and $80 isnt hard man. You could have the time of your life and see somewhere new, something fucking amazing...and your excuse is 'i need to get a passport' - you can teach me how to speak in public, but fuck it man you need to see the world. Im insanely introverted and did it and it was the best time of my life.

 

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[Quetzalcoatl]

Filling out a form, sending a photo and $80 isnt hard man. You could have the time of your life and see somewhere new, something fucking amazing...and your excuse is 'i need to get a passport' - you can teach me how to speak in public, but fuck it man you need to see the world. Im insanely introverted and did it and it was the best time of my life.

I don't know how it is where Aaron is, but getting a passport is hell in some places. I had to make an appointment a year and a half in advance to get mine.

 

[Enron]

Filling out a form, sending a photo and $80 isnt hard man. You could have the time of your life and see somewhere new, something fucking amazing...and your excuse is 'i need to get a passport' - you can teach me how to speak in public, but fuck it man you need to see the world. Im insanely introverted and did it and it was the best time of my life.

Yeah, you're not the first person to tell me that. It really is something I need to do and I have no excuses. I just need to do it.

 

[Enron]

I don't know how it is where Aaron is, but getting a passport is hell in some places. I had to make an appointment a year and a half in advance to get mine.

It can take a long time, but the process of applying is pretty simple.

 

[Ford Prefect]

I don't know how it is where Aaron is, but getting a passport is hell in some places. I had to make an appointment a year and a half in advance to get mine.

In the UK what i said is what you do, if its a first time application you have an interview and thats it. Is T & T part of the commonwealth? (I have not interested in which counties are - which is why i dont know) But im suprised that its an 18 months wait if you are.

 

[swag]

I want to go somewhere I would consider living or working and somewhere I've never been. So that eliminates the whole of Texas and Spokane, Washington.

Other than that, I'm open but I guess I would want to visit a decent "walking city". Portland came up, but that seems cold and too hipster for my tastes.

Portland is okay, but a little sleepy for my tastes. How about Tucson?

 

[Ford Prefect]

Yeah, you're not the first person to tell me that. It really is something I need to do and I have no excuses. I just need to do it.

Then do it, its a big world out there man. The reason I said thailand is because it is probably the most western of the the south east asian countries. Cambodia, laos and nam have more to offer but Thailand is kinda bit of everything the region has to offer. You could do a month between the 4 countries for $800 max (exc flights). I did 3 months for $2000.

I am aware that my saying this is a bit redundant. But really think about doing it.

Its only 12 hours away.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

In the UK what i said is what you do, if its a first time application you have an interview and thats it. Is T & T part of the commonwealth? (I have not interested in which counties are - which is why i dont know) But im suprised that its an 18 months wait if you are.

Yeah, it is. Why would being commonwealth make it different? It's just the regular inefficient bureaucracy and corruption that makes it so long.

 

[Enron]

Portland is okay, but a little sleepy for my tastes. How about Tucson?

Could be a winner. I'll have to check into it.

Then do it, its a big world out there man. The reason I said thailand is because it is probably the most western of the the south east asian countries. Cambodia, laos and nam have more to offer but Thailand is kinda bit of everything the region has to offer. You could do a month between the 4 countries for $800 max (exc flights). I did 3 months for $2000.

I am aware that my saying this is a bit redundant. But really think about doing it.

Its only 12 hours away.

It's not redundant, travel is an amazing experience. The encouragement is much appreciated.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Yeah, it is. Why would being commonwealth make it different? It's just the regular inefficient bureaucracy and corruption that makes it so long.

Because of the commonwealth countries i have been to, they follow the same procedure as the UK. (NZ & OZ). I assumed it would be due to the commonwealth, you disproved my hypothesis .

 

[Ford Prefect]

It's not redundant, travel is an amazing experience. The encouragement is much appreciated.

I meant to the extent of - I can say it all I want but if your mind isn't open to doing it then its redundant.

Have a look up on what the area has to offer. Elephant rides, rainforest treks, temples, meditation courses, desert islands. Its all easy to find, cheap and the area is geared towards sending the travellers to where they want to be. The thing that suprised me the most, in a good way, is that not many young people travel over there its mostly 26-35 yr olds - I was always the young one & if it is of importance to you - not many Americans go that way. The few I met said that most young americans now head to south/central america.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

I have one fear of travelling: that I wouldn't know what to do when I get there. Too many things in a short space of time Not that that's preventing me.

 

[Enron]

Portland is okay, but a little sleepy for my tastes. How about Tucson?

I meant to the extent of - I can say it all I want but if your mind isn't open to doing it then its redundant.

Have a look up on what the area has to offer. Elephant rides, rainforest treks, temples, meditation courses, desert islands. Its all easy to find, cheap and the area is geared towards sending the travellers to where they want to be. The thing that suprised me the most, in a good way, is that not many young people travel over there its mostly 26-35 yr olds - I was always the young one & if it is of importance to you - not many Americans go that way. The few I met said that most young americans now head to south/central america.

Well, I'm 27 so it does fit my age group. The south Pacific and lower Asia have been areas of major interest. Contact with my on nationals isn't really of importance. I think I would be most interested in rainforest trekking and visiting villages rather than a city centered journey.

 

[Enron]

I have one fear of travelling: that I wouldn't know what to do when I get there. Too many things in a short space of time Not that that's preventing me.

That's the beauty you can do anything, but you don't have to do everything.

 

[Ford Prefect]

I have one fear of travelling: that I wouldn't know what to do when I get there. Too many things in a short space of time Not that that's preventing me.

Haha, I remember waking up on my first morning of travelling at like 11 am (I was drinking late with some swedish guys + jet lag) and I was like 'what the fuck am i gonna do?'. I kinda bummed around until 2pm and I was like 'fuck im on the other side of the world and im reading a book, need to get out of here'. After that every morning i was out on the streets by 10 am and out all day walking around and exploring. The whole time i was in asia i didnt eat a single western meal either, on my second day i almost went into a mcdonalds and my "mind" kicked in again and i was like 'what the fuck am i doing, this food i love eating ocasionally at home is cheap and authentic here and i can't get it this good anywhere in the world'.

Im fucking glad that kicked in, because I could have easily wasted it. Some of the best times i had were finding some tiny cafe in the back streets of cities that didnt have english menus. The locals fucking love it too.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

That's the beauty you can do anything, but you don't have to do everything.

Yeah, I know. I might just feel incomplete not getting to do everything

Haha, I remember waking up on my first morning of travelling at like 11 am (I was drinking late with some swedish guys + jet lag) and I was like 'what the fuck am i gonna do?'. I kinda bummed around until 2pm and I was like 'fuck im on the other side of the world and im reading a book, need to get out of here'. After that every morning i was out on the streets by 10 am and out all day walking around and exploring. The whole time i was in asia i didnt eat a single western meal either, on my second day i almost went into a mcdonalds and my "mind" kicked in again and i was like 'what the fuck am i doing, this food i love eating ocasionally at home is cheap and authentic here and i can't get it this good anywhere in the world'.
Im fucking glad that kicked in, because I could have easily wasted it. Some of the best times i had were finding some tiny cafe in the back streets of cities that didnt have english menus. The locals fucking love it too.

That's exactly what I feel it'd be like. But yeah, I guess I would just get up and go about the place.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Well, I'm 27 so it does fit my age group. The south Pacific and lower Asia have been areas of major interest. Contact with my on nationals isn't really of importance. I think I would be most interested in rainforest trekking and visiting villages rather than a city centered journey.

You could go to bangkok and hit up the Kao yai national park (sp?) and then head up north to Chiang Mai and then east to Laos. Thats all jungle trek area. I did trekking in north vietnam in a place called Sa Pa where you can visit tribal villages, it was cool.

 

[Enron]

Haha, I remember waking up on my first morning of travelling at like 11 am (I was drinking late with some swedish guys + jet lag) and I was like 'what the fuck am i gonna do?'. I kinda bummed around until 2pm and I was like 'fuck im on the other side of the world and im reading a book, need to get out of here'. After that every morning i was out on the streets by 10 am and out all day walking around and exploring. The whole time i was in asia i didnt eat a single western meal either, on my second day i almost went into a mcdonalds and my "mind" kicked in again and i was like 'what the fuck am i doing, this food i love eating ocasionally at home is cheap and authentic here and i can't get it this good anywhere in the world'.

Im fucking glad that kicked in, because I could have easily wasted it. Some of the best times i had were finding some tiny cafe in the back streets of cities that didnt have english menus. The locals fucking love it too.

That sounds amazing. I think local food is probably the one thing people miss out on when they travel. Even traveling through the states, you can get so much good local food or if you're in a major city some melted version of a foreign dish. It's amazing what people miss out on by simply not trying new things.

 

[Enron]

You could go to bangkok and hit up the Kao yai national park (sp?) and then head up north to Chiang Mai and then east to Laos. Thats all jungle trek area. I did trekking in north vietnam in a place called Sa Pa where you can visit tribal villages, it was cool.

My cousin is from Vietnam, I would definitely want to visit there, see the village she was born in, etc. How is the travel between nations in Asia? I've read it can be easy or a pain in other parts of the world.

 

[Ford Prefect]

That sounds amazing. I think local food is probably the one thing people miss out on when they travel. Even traveling through the states, you can get so much good local food or if you're in a major city some melted version of a foreign dish. It's amazing what people miss out on by simply not trying new things.

If you are serious about going then I will pm you about it because I got into a situation with cambodian army when i went between thailand and cambodia .

Thailand to laos
Thailand to Burma
Laos to vietnam
Laos to cambodia
Cambodia to vietnam
Thailand to Cambodia - but I can explain what happened to me if you need.

Its hard to explain unless you are there and can see it, but the whole region is heavily geared towards tourism (not in a bad way). The whole aim is really to make life for tourists as easy as possible as we are the main economic income. The upshot of that is that there are loads of companies that offer buses between cities and countries.

I did all of my trips on night transport as it was cheaper (a night not in a hotel) and time efficient - for when it was more than 6 hours. Most of the cities are within 4 hours and they stop often to give you a break. You can fly for little money too.