Asia Warnings

Seoul Tower in Nam San Seoul Korea is currently under renovations. They said they will reopened around November. I haven't catched any signs indicating this. It's good work out walking up STEEP 1KM STAIRS, but I wouldn't have walked up if anyone told me this sooner.

ATM doen't work well in Korea. Always look for KEB Bank they are the only bank that takes Visa Check Cards.

*Some* places in India

Be extra careful at any festivals, or general holidays were there are lots of people on the streets or in general 'high spirits'.

This is specifically aimed at female travellers.

When I was in Jaipur me and my boyfriend sumbled upon a Muslim festival, which meant the streets of the old-city were packed with males in very high spirits...
I started to get gropped, when boys would come over seemingly just to shake my hand, then pull me towards them and have a feel.
This led into me being forced against a fence by about 30-40 males all gropping me and trying to kiss me etc (generally sexual assult)
It was scary and lasted (to me) what seemed like forever.
My boyfriend tried to help by fighting them off but was unsuccessful due to the sheer amount!
Eventually a guard came along and beat them off.

I've heard this happen to a few females during festival times - -
just BE WARY!
and safe!

I wanted to bring to everyones attention a problem I had with a hostel in Beijing China. This hostel is in a terrible terrible terrible horrible area called lamp city south of the third ring road. It’s run by a bloke named "Navy Wang" and is the biggest scam ever. I was approached at a University and offered a ride there after being told it was a great place and was cheap. In fact it is quite the opposite! They claimed they could only pick me up at night which I found out later was the way they hide how terrible the location really is. I took my Chinese girlfriend along just in case they didn’t understand English. After one night of average accommodations in a less than average environment we decided we needed to check out asap. It was then they tried to charge us for things we never used and for food we never ordered! To make things worse they tried to charge us a rate almost triple what they had first claimed it would be. Then the most amazing part happened...they said if I was willing to write a letter to lonely planet saying the place was good I could pay a lower rate without all the extra charges, which was no doubt what I was supposed to pay in the first place!! I decided this sounded to unbelievable and then they threatened to call the police. I asked to see their license and they started screaming on the phone! At that point I decided to leave the amount I agreed to in the beginning and run. I’ve now heard rumors that they are attempting to offer foreign students like myself around campus cash to write favorable commentc for them.

If anyone named “Navy Wang” or someone else offers you a hostel in Beijing and their address is Shi Li He Deng Cheng (Shir-li-her-dung-chung) PLEASE PLEASE be WARNED. I really want all fellow backpackers to know about this. If you have any ideas about how I can help spread the 411 about this scam or if you need any more info about this place PLEASE let me know. This hostel ended up causing me to fail an exam because I was so freaked out.

Troubled traveler

Beijing China seems like it's going through major makeover for 2008 Beijing Olympics. You are going to see atleast one building being renovated or re-constructed on almost every major sites. I still think it's worth to see them but some of you may not.

When you get off from the train stations, I suggest you not to fellow a person giving you "some what" great deals on a rooms, unless you speak some Chinese, know how to get around the town, and/or if you want to be only foreigners there.

From the customer service queue:

My friend and I would like to suggest that if you have an appropriate place on your website or in any publications, that you inform other travelers of the following: Unfortunately, we were recently victims of a well-run massage scam in Nha Trang Vietnam. As we discovered after the fact, the ‘Tien Loc’, located at 47B Nguyen Thien Truat is known to locals as having frequent problems with the police. It looks like a nice establishment from the reception area and so we went in and paid for a foot massage. They asked for the money up front (so they can see where you keep your money). They then take you upstairs where they play loud music as a distraction and the massage technique includes loud clapping which acts as a diversion.

My friend and I had a massage in 2 separate rooms, but the sequence of events was exactly the same. We were told it was not a foot massage but a full body massage. During the massage, the door quietly opens, during which time we suspect our article of clothing containing our money was passed out. About 1 minute later, the door opens quietly once again, which is when we suspect the article of clothing was returned. The massage ends shortly after this and you are quickly hurried outside. As soon as we entered the massage room, we had the feeling that something was wrong, but unfortunately neither of us acted on this impulse. We went directly back to our hotel room to check our wallets, and sure enough our money was gone. Though we were carefully watching our bag and clothes during the massage, our head was repeatedly turned away from it, seeming as part of the massage. The operation there is quite slick.

We later learned from locals that they know of other tourists that have had their money stolen there as well...as much as $4,000 CAD from one tourist. We highly recommend asking at your hotel, for the name of a reputable establishment in the area if you are interested in a massage.

It seems like everything in Vietnam closes early, even hotels close at 11:00PM, even 10:00PM in some places. Be aware! Some of the Hotels in Vietnam has curfews. A friend I met during the Ha Long Bay tour was locked out over night and he later found out he lost his $400 cell phone in the process.
If you want to party in Vietnam start early, otherwise you'll find out that most of the bars are closed and your hotel as well. Most of the hotels has a person who will let you in, but not all of them has this luxury.

There is a hotel recommeded by the lonely planet in the north east of Koh Pha Ngan, called Baan Pan Buri. Apparently Joe Cummings (the author of LP) didn't stay in the bungalow that is right next to the all night bar, and with the roof that leaks all over you when it rains. To top it all off the extremely rude reception staff just laughed at us when we told them what had happened, without even apologising, and pointed to a big sign saying 'NO REFUNDS'. It has obviously happened plenty of times before.

Watch the motorbike drivers in HoChiMinh city, Vietnam. Hiring one for the day is a brilliant way of seeing the city, and some of the drivers are great craic.

My warning is to be sure to agree on a price BEFORE you go, and make sure it is clearly understood by all parties involved and that you have shook on it. I thought I had a deal sorted out with one guy I was using the entire week...turns out the final day, he drove me waaaaaay out of town, and told me I had to pay him 3 times more than I had origionally agreed on.

Hoi An, Vietnam

Avoid the Full Moon Bar or any bar that stays open past midnight when all the other bars close. You'll agree on a price with a moto driver to take you there and back (5K away) and once there, the story changes & he wants more $$ to take you home (not uncommon when traveling). But these guys will threaten you with bamboo staffs. They beat people up, steal their wallets, and I've even heard of stabbings. Everyone in Hoi An knows this happens but don't warn you about it. Stay away!

I just got back from my 2 weeks in HK area and then to Thailand for 4 weeks. I loved HK, especially hiking on Lantau island for 4 days.

My warning is the air is sooooo bad here. It turns out all the smog from mainland china blows into the HK harbor area. Victoria Peak -- forget about it! I have a photo of my mom, cousin and me at the peak and its all white behind us. The visibility was less than a 1/2 mile. I asked when is a good time to get a photo up there and they said it was clear in Oct for a few days.

I ended up getting pneumonia for the rest of my trip but my cousin is a doctor so I did the double-dosage of antibiotics for double time.

I doubt I will ever return to China. They have no EPA and it shows. They had a major water leak of benzene in the NE and then a few weeks later it happened near Guangzhou. The air is the worst and I have been to BKK and Mexico city. NO wonder they have a $300 spitting fine. Heck, I was coughing up loogies left and right myself!

This isnt a rave, but a non-recommendation. My uncle hangs out in Pattaya Beach and since I was traveling with my mom (his sister), he wanted us to stay over xmas with him. He rents the Pinewood Residence in central Pattaya for a few months at a time. I hated Pattaya Beach so much that I copped out early on xmas day to get back to Bangkok. The beach was filthy and you have to pay 50 cents if you sit in a chair. Every alley is an open-air brothel where even if you are a woman, you are yelled at with "We have sex for you". I had German and Thai men telling me this. I got tired of seeing old ugly white farts holding hands with young thai ladies that are just fucking to survive.

Everything was so much more expensive than real Thailand. Heck, it was hard to find thai food here! I had to eat off the streets to get it. Otherwise, it was McDonalds, Subway, etc. I dont eat at those places at home.

The good news is that my uncle who is 78 and rich will be marrying his girlfriend, Bee, who is 45 and from NE thailand near Khong Khan. Uncle is thinking of building a home near her parents. No excuse to see the Tihuana of Thailand any more!

Sometimes you ONLY see and HEAR what you expect in Pattaya!

McDonalds - half the price you find back home!
Fried Rice with choice of meat - 35 baht (less than $1.00)
All you can Breakfast Buffet 90 - 110 baht. (under $2.80)
Regular breakfast at restaurant including coffee 35 baht
Ride on taxi truck 10 baht ($.25 - my town in U.S. $5-$7)
Current first run movie 70 - 90 baht (around $2.00)
Jomtien Beach 20 baht on taxi truck (50 cents.)
Rent beach chair 20 baht ALL DAY (French Riviera $15 4hr.)
Noodle soup 20 baht. White rice 5 baht.
AirCon hotel with private bath, HW, TV ($8 - $15)

At 78 your uncle will kick off pretty soon and leave everything to his wife! He'll die with a smile on his face though!

Laos - Pak Beng - This village on the Mekong is the halfway point for the slow boat to Luang Prabang. This is where the boat stops for the night.
A fellow traveller had just gone out to get a dinner after arrival and locked his room up . . . BUT he used their padlock. Sure enough when he returned his digital camera was gone. I happened to use my own padlock and nothing was taken from my room. Clearly this is an inside job, but when questioned everyone just looks confused.
The point being; Use you own locks, especially in Pak Beng and also avoid that guest house. The name of the place was the Phanthavong Guest House which is above an indian restaurant.

P.S. Also, there are many people offering all sorts of drugs and regardless of your disposition toward said drugs, it is not a great idea to deal with them. Just stay one night and get on the boat to luang prabang!!

I am saddened for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I am saddened by the theft. Secondly, I saddened that nobody offered me any drugs when I was in Pak Beng.