chappy Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Yeah I did read that you can't take hire cars into Albania, however I don't drive so if my friends don't want to then it will be buses. Would love to fit in Pristina if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Yeah I did read that you can't take hire cars into Albania, however I don't drive so if my friends don't want to then it will be buses. Would love to fit in Pristina if possible. as i understand it if you enter Kosovo via Serbia it's fine , but if you enter through Albania / Macedonia etc and then try and exit into Serbia you can experience difficulty with border officials who claim you have illegally entered Serbia ... this could well be old news by now of course , and was usually resolved with a small bribe ..but just something to consider if you are in that neck of the woods Kosovo has a few interesting places and supposed to have decent night life ... Pristina train station and bus station are a way out of town so think you have to negotiate a cab into town on arrival ..just another thing to consider handy info here yeah I love travel .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 All tips much appreciated thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted January 10, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted January 10, 2014 Potentially heading to Thailand with the gf at some point. She's dying to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I've never understood the fascination people have with Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) I've never understood the fascination people have with Thailand. It's ok for you , you can go to the 4 floors to get banged by a lady boy but us Westerners have to travel to Thailand for it Tbh it's not a patch on Vietnam and it's beaches aren't a patch on say Mauritius or the Maldives But what it does offer is almost a package tour type holiday to somewhere exotic for those that feel they are a bit more adventurous than a week in Marbella it is also of course where wanky back packers go for their gap year after watching The Beach Edit : sorry no offence meant (Stevo ) I wasn't insulting your GF , I do understand the appeal of Thailand and why people want to go there ,I'm just having some interweb fun Edited January 10, 2014 by tonyh29 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Why is it not a patch on Vietnam praytell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted January 10, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted January 10, 2014 I've never understood the fascination people have with Thailand. It's ok for you , you can go to the 4 floors to get banged by a lady boy but us Westerners have to travel to Thailand for it Tbh it's not a patch on Vietnam and it's beaches aren't a patch on say Mauritius or the Maldives But what it does offer is almost a package tour type holiday to somewhere exotic for those that feel they are a bit more adventurous than a week in Marbella it is also of course where wanky back packers go for their gap year after watching The Beach Edit : sorry no offence meant (Stevo ) I wasn't insulting your GF , I do understand the appeal of Thailand and why people want to go there ,I'm just having some interweb fun None taken. I've never been and don't myself understand the fascination. But she seems obsessed with it so I'm happy enough to go along. My list of countries visited is pretty embarrassing so I'm happy to add one or two. I'm basically not really fussed, so if she's keen on there then I'm up for it. I'd rather go somewhere Spanish speaking actually, to make use of my recently acquired fluency in the language (and by fluency, I mean barely understandable Spanish that's fine as long as I want to order some dinner, talk about my family tree or ask for directions) but we can do that with a long weekend to Barcelona or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Why is it not a patch on Vietnam praytell? probably should have added IMO on the end of that Vietnam just has more interest for me I guess ..the war stuff , not just with the Americans but with the Surrender monkeys as well it's not as touristy which is the other plus point ... BA fly there direct now so invariably more and more Brits will go visit but there was something great about getting into Chau Doc and when we went into the town finding next to nobody spoke a word of English .. after finally finding some backwater cafe / restaurant we had to order food via guess work and the universal chicken motion with clucking ( i ended up with pork ) My best mate has lived in Thailand for 13 years now he loves it , but he loves it for the reason western men love it rather than any cultural reason ... I'm no prude , but I don't like that particular scene ( seeing men my dads age with a 20 year girl is just a tad weird for me ) and I guess ultimately that's what puts me off Thailand ( though you do still get it in Vietnam as well ) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I've never understood the fascination people have with Thailand. It's ok for you , you can go to the 4 floors to get banged by a lady boy but us Westerners have to travel to Thailand for it Tbh it's not a patch on Vietnam and it's beaches aren't a patch on say Mauritius or the Maldives But what it does offer is almost a package tour type holiday to somewhere exotic for those that feel they are a bit more adventurous than a week in Marbella it is also of course where wanky back packers go for their gap year after watching The Beach Edit : sorry no offence meant (Stevo ) I wasn't insulting your GF , I do understand the appeal of Thailand and why people want to go there ,I'm just having some interweb fun None taken. I've never been and don't myself understand the fascination. But she seems obsessed with it so I'm happy enough to go along. My list of countries visited is pretty embarrassing so I'm happy to add one or two. I'm basically not really fussed, so if she's keen on there then I'm up for it. I'd rather go somewhere Spanish speaking actually, to make use of my recently acquired fluency in the language (and by fluency, I mean barely understandable Spanish that's fine as long as I want to order some dinner, talk about my family tree or ask for directions) but we can do that with a long weekend to Barcelona or something. we had a stag do in Barcelona once .. one of the group spoke decent Spanish , could do everything , even got my 3am Kebab without any salad and chilli sauce in Spanish .... and yet during a meal when he tried to order someone a glass of port , he failed .. repeatedly , even though to the best of my knowledge its the pretty much the same word (Puerto v port ? ) guess you had to be there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Cheers Tony, as you may have noticed, I like to tap you for travelling reviews from time to time. I've no doubt that Vietnam would represent the more authentic travelling experience. I was actually planning on going there this year until budgeting reigned in my ambitions a little. Maybe next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Cheers Tony, as you may have noticed, I like to tap you for travelling reviews from time to time. I've no doubt that Vietnam would represent the more authentic travelling experience. I was actually planning on going there this year until budgeting reigned in my ambitions a little. Maybe next time. best bet is to do the whole sorta triangle , it's not as expensive as you'd think once you've got yourself to BKK BKK into Burma is a short flight and quiet cheap (limited routes so you have to go back out to BKK) then you can fly Air Asia up to Udan Thani .. bus or car over the friendship bridge in Laos .. Vietnam air will get you from Laos to Vietnam and around and about Vietnam as well if you dont' want to train or road trip it ... car to Chau Doc , river speedboat into Cambodia .. twin prop flight form PP to Siem Reap and then Silk Air onto Singapore for your flight home ( open jaw ticket from London so you don't have to return via BKK) Simples Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Had a European stag do added to the mix in August. Should be a good year if all goes according to plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 my 2 mates are in thailand at the moment travelling round, went last year too this week they are at some place where they get a girlfriend for the week, seen the pictures on facebook earlier cos its a birthday of one of them, sat on a beach with 2 girls who they don't pay for sex but basically they pay for everything like food / drinks and doing stuff all day and then they take them out to restaurants and clubs on the night again paying for everything, and then bang them on the night for "free" so they arent prostitutes at all... both of them are shockers, small ugly things with petite bodies and no shape or anything attractive about them last week they were at some place that is apparently just like malia / faliraki / magaluf both of them are 30 i really don't get it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted January 11, 2014 Author Share Posted January 11, 2014 Yeah, never understood the whole 'hire a girlfriend for a week' thing you get in Thailand, and most other countries in Southeast Asia. You can get laid (legitimately, not paid for) every night over there so sticking with the same one for a week is silly! Thailand is a vast country with lots to see so when people write the country off as a sleazy destination (as people in my office who have never been further than Wales often do) , its akin to writing Spain off as a whole due to drunks in Benidorm. Thailand, granted can be sleazy, Pattaya for one, but it also can be idyllic. I've been 5 times and love the place... Bangkok is a wonderful international city, which so much to do, and a great nightlife. Some of the islands are near perfection, but tourism has changed the place over the years. I have noticed a change for the worse in the demographic of the holidaymakers there. I think even Thomas Cook fly to Phuket now as a package holiday so the country is attracting the more 'mainstream' holidaymakers. I don't say that in a hipster 'its shit now its popular' type of way, but everything has become more sanitised and westernised as a result and i'm not sure that is for the best. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Cheers Tony, as you may have noticed, I like to tap you for travelling reviews from time to time. I've no doubt that Vietnam would represent the more authentic travelling experience. I was actually planning on going there this year until budgeting reigned in my ambitions a little. Maybe next time. best bet is to do the whole sorta triangle , it's not as expensive as you'd think once you've got yourself to BKK BKK into Burma is a short flight and quiet cheap (limited routes so you have to go back out to BKK) then you can fly Air Asia up to Udan Thani .. bus or car over the friendship bridge in Laos .. Vietnam air will get you from Laos to Vietnam and around and about Vietnam as well if you dont' want to train or road trip it ... car to Chau Doc , river speedboat into Cambodia .. twin prop flight form PP to Siem Reap and then Silk Air onto Singapore for your flight home ( open jaw ticket from London so you don't have to return via BKK) Simples My 28 hour bus ride from Luang Prabang to Hanoi was one of the best and worst experiences of my life. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenm Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 After ideas of where to take the family for the main summer holiday. We normally do a few lower priced holidays throughout the year but we've decided to a major summer holiday instead. It'll be for me, the wife, 2 kids (8 and 10 when there) and I don't really want to spend more than about £4k, but will go a bit higher for something amazing. I'd prefer something a bit longer than a week, maybe 10 days or 2 weeks. I went to the Maldives years ago and absolutely loved it. I like comfort and luxury, the wife likes sun, the kids like pools. I've been looking at the Sensatori resorts like this Does anyone have any suggestions? I know the criteria is pretty open but I'm after something I haven't yet thought of. Suggest anything please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Sharm is pretty decent for a family holiday ... Not sure i'd do 14 days there though ... We twined it with Cario when we went and had Christmas Day at the pyramids ,so that's an option to consider ... My kids are 9 and 6 and they loved going inside the pyramids and going to see Tutankhamen's mask etc in the Cairo museum If I went back I'd get the Sharm flight down to Aswan and see the dam , can do that as a day trip Other place to look at would be Jordan ... Aqaba is also a nice beach resort and with the kings highway you could drive down from Amman... Day 1 stop at the Dead Sea and do the float in the sea bit , can either stay there overnight or carry in down to Petra same day .... Few days in Petra ( really love that place , been twice and would go a third time no hesitation ) and then carry on down to Aqaba and do your beach Hol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Cheers Tony, as you may have noticed, I like to tap you for travelling reviews from time to time. I've no doubt that Vietnam would represent the more authentic travelling experience. I was actually planning on going there this year until budgeting reigned in my ambitions a little. Maybe next time. best bet is to do the whole sorta triangle , it's not as expensive as you'd think once you've got yourself to BKK BKK into Burma is a short flight and quiet cheap (limited routes so you have to go back out to BKK) then you can fly Air Asia up to Udan Thani .. bus or car over the friendship bridge in Laos .. Vietnam air will get you from Laos to Vietnam and around and about Vietnam as well if you dont' want to train or road trip it ... car to Chau Doc , river speedboat into Cambodia .. twin prop flight form PP to Siem Reap and then Silk Air onto Singapore for your flight home ( open jaw ticket from London so you don't have to return via BKK) Simples My 28 hour bus ride from Luang Prabang to Hanoi was one of the best and worst experiences of my life. I did one of those bus journey type things from Kathmandu to pokhara back in 2001 .. It was hell on wheels and interesting and exciting at the same time .... But I vowed never again We flew Laos to Hanoi with Vietnam air for about £50 ... Was around 2009 so might not be that cheap anymore ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 (edited) Cheers Tony, as you may have noticed, I like to tap you for travelling reviews from time to time. I've no doubt that Vietnam would represent the more authentic travelling experience. I was actually planning on going there this year until budgeting reigned in my ambitions a little. Maybe next time. best bet is to do the whole sorta triangle , it's not as expensive as you'd think once you've got yourself to BKK BKK into Burma is a short flight and quiet cheap (limited routes so you have to go back out to BKK) then you can fly Air Asia up to Udan Thani .. bus or car over the friendship bridge in Laos .. Vietnam air will get you from Laos to Vietnam and around and about Vietnam as well if you dont' want to train or road trip it ... car to Chau Doc , river speedboat into Cambodia .. twin prop flight form PP to Siem Reap and then Silk Air onto Singapore for your flight home ( open jaw ticket from London so you don't have to return via BKK) Simples My 28 hour bus ride from Luang Prabang to Hanoi was one of the best and worst experiences of my life. I did one of those bus journey type things from Kathmandu to pokhara back in 2001 .. It was hell on wheels and interesting and exciting at the same time .... But I vowed never again We flew Laos to Hanoi with Vietnam air for about £50 ... Was around 2009 so might not be that cheap anymore ... A flight was available for about £120 at the time but I fancied the bus. They put the travellers in the sleeper seats then cram the aisle with Vietnamese! I got the unluckiest seat on the bus, back middle which joined straight onto the aisle, so that saw me with a Vietnamese guy sleeping on my lap. He then went on to steal my iPod, which I then stole back. It was a hellacious trip but a good laugh and memorable all the same. I did better it with a 28 hour non sleeper train from Nanning to Beijing. I faced this one alone and became a total celebrity in my carriage. I received a great haul of gifts too. Positive racism FTW. Edited January 11, 2014 by Wainy316 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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