Where would you go if you were denied entry?

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sigmoid
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Re: Where would you go if you were denied entry?

Post by sigmoid »

Anywhere but Laos. Whatever you do, never go to Laos...
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Re: Where would you go if you were denied entry?

Post by AnaPol »

if i was denied entry, i'd just travel..
2 months here, 2,3 there and on and on

BUT It might be different if one needed a home base to make $$$
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The Seawolf
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Re: Where would you go if you were denied entry?

Post by The Seawolf »

Kung-fu Hillbilly wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 8:37 pm Johor Bahru, Malaysia,
Cultureless shit pit with terrible cuisine.
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Re: Where would you go if you were denied entry?

Post by Kung-fu Hillbilly »

bittermelon wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 8:46 pm
Joshcanggu wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 8:33 pm
bittermelon wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 8:20 pm lower costs than Cambodia and Thailand (except for beer and possibly accommodation),
Except for beer and accommodation there isn't much left 😜
Fair point Josh, though I'm thinking more in terms of cheap g-h's, long term rentals might be different, @Kung-fu Hillbilly might have a better idea.
And I have always heard of these Chinese sly-grog spots with imported duty-free booze but have never found them-I guess because they are sly.
The bane for many drinking expats is of course the western prices you have to pay for your grog - most single drinkers I know in the SEA or the region attribute booze to being their largest expense in relation to monthly costs. It's my experience Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand as well as India and Nepal all charge around western prices for alcohol, making for what should be dirt cheap places to live much less appealing for many who like a drink.

I maintain if you don't have a vice like the grog, and don't require an extravagant hobby or distraction, you can live in most SEA (and other) countries on $500 a month or less easily! Last year I was in Johor Bahru for three months in a small studio apartment spending less than that. In lake Maninjau $120 a month can get you a nice room on the lake - Indonesia is incredibly cheap! last year again I was paying $100 a month in Jogya for a perfectly serviceable large room. Kochi in India is super cheap to live, as are many other parts of India including the Parvati and Kullu valleys. I'm back in Nepal in a few weeks for another three months where in Pokhara you can rent a local style flat for $60-$70 a month.

You CAN still live for dirt cheap in SEA and beyond, but not if you like the grog, sadly.
Last edited by Kung-fu Hillbilly on Sun Aug 11, 2019 9:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Where would you go if you were denied entry?

Post by Kung-fu Hillbilly »

The Seawolf wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 9:41 pm
Kung-fu Hillbilly wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 8:37 pm Johor Bahru, Malaysia,
Cultureless shit pit with terrible cuisine.
That's not my experience.
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Re: Where would you go if you were denied entry?

Post by The Seawolf »

I cant go to Thailand for 5 years (for visa overstay of about 10 days) so I am denied entry there and I cant get a by the book fully legit work permit in Vietnam either, although I did live and work there for 5 years.

Currently in Vientiane and I intend to settle down here for the long haul. Maybe it is my age and current predicament in life but it's really good here. I accept that some mind find it boring here. It is more like a town than a city with no bustle or extensive night life or anything like that.

It also has no traffic jams, no rush hour, clean air, I can hear the birds singing from my apartment, and once out of the tiny central area by the river no old man expat beer dickheads or backpackers. Plus work permits visas are easy.

sigmoid wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 9:30 pm Anywhere but Laos. Whatever you do, never go to Laos...

Just curious - why don't you like it?

I like it here a lot.
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Re: Where would you go if you were denied entry?

Post by The Seawolf »

Kung-fu Hillbilly wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 9:45 pm
The Seawolf wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 9:41 pm
Kung-fu Hillbilly wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 8:37 pm Johor Bahru, Malaysia,
Cultureless shit pit with terrible cuisine.
That's not my experience.
Obviously not. I thought the food was terrible and I was amazed at how many fat people I saw. I also found it to be devoid of any atmosphere or cultural identity.
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Re: Where would you go if you were denied entry?

Post by Joshcanggu »

sigmoid wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 9:30 pm Anywhere but Laos. Whatever you do, never go to Laos...
I went to vang vieng 13 years ago. Shit was buckwild. Penang actually looks decent. Clean. Cheap. Good hospitals it's about 100km to thai border so I'm guessing Visa runs would be pretty hassle free? My wife and I lived in Bali for 5 years it's not for us anymore..
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Re: Where would you go if you were denied entry?

Post by sigmoid »

The Seawolf wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 9:50 pm

Currently in Vientiane and I intend to settle down here for the long haul. Maybe it is my age and current predicament in life but it's really good here. I accept that some mind find it boring here. It is more like a town than a city with no bustle or extensive night life or anything like that.

It also has no traffic jams, no rush hour, clean air, I can hear the birds singing from my apartment, and once out of the tiny central area by the river no old man expat beer dickheads or backpackers. Plus work permits visas are easy.

sigmoid wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 9:30 pm Anywhere but Laos. Whatever you do, never go to Laos...

Just curious - why don't you like it?

I like it here a lot.
Actually, I also like Laos a lot so I was just half-jokingly discouraging others. I have travelled there on occasion since 1997 and was in Pakse for 10 days last year. Lived in Vientiane for a year in 2008 - 09 and then 4 years from 2011 to 2015. Love the food (well, stuff like ping gai, khao neo, larp moo, dtam mak hoong, dtam mak dang, sai gork, ping pa, ping pa dook, nam tok moo...), the Mekong sunsets, the chill but international scene in the capital (French, Italian, Korean, Indian, Singaporean, etc. in addition to the usual UK, USA, Aus, NZ people). Travel within Laos is difficult but well worth it. The Lao are generally very nice people and the language is fun to learn and easy to speak.

I will say though that there is a kind of bittersweet melancholy dead-end waiting for godot type of feel to it that creeps up, well, at least in my experience, which eventually wore me down. I do also know some people who are still there after quite a few years. Also, if you are teaching at KIS, PIS, Oscar, VC, or wherever really, some of your colleagues will be real weirdos. Yes, you meet weird folks all over SEA, and I don't claim to be normal myself, but many of the people I met in VTE were completely off the chart.

Anyway, best of luck in your new home!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
I may be going to hell in a bucket,
but at least I'm enjoying the ride.
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Re: Where would you go if you were denied entry?

Post by SternAAlbifrons »

What is the long term visa situation in Indonesia these days?
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