BootsnAll Travel Community

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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.

Stay in hotels or hostels with security/safety boxes - and use those safety boxes for your valuables!

Cheap Chinese brass lock about 40 baht, good digital camera about 8000 baht. Hmmmm?

quote:

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

The drugs in Pak Beng don't work anyway. I've gotten higher off water.

I second Baruch's advice: "Just stay one night and get on the boat to luang prabang!!"

quote:

Originally posted by vbrookie:
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.

I wouldn't up the stairs unless I was in mountain goat training since you can take the cable car up for a mere $3.

ATM works if you know how to make it work. KEB isn't the only one that takes foreign cards - check in subways and the machines in post offices. You're pretty much able to find a working ATM machine in each subway station. Also, if the first "ATM international" doesn't work, just move on to the next one.

Generally, women in India dress considerably more modest than women in the U.S. & Europe. I'm not justifying women getting groped by any means, but it's a good idea to look into what is considered appropriate, and what is considered inappropriate, before traveling. It MAY invite less reaction to respect Indian culture and abide by their norms.
For example, if women wear pants in India, it is considered provocative if their shirt is short enough to be above their rear ends. Of course Mumbai is more westernized, but I would just play it safe.
I knew a girl who traveled around India for months (she wore saris) and she said she got groped because she had blonde hair. I guess you can't do much about that . . .

Hey Static! . . . I can't believe you missed those guys every 20 meters saying "Ganja, Ganja . . . Opium" I swear that I could throw a Bangkok Tuk-tuk driver with my eyes closed and hit more of those guys than I would hit an internet cafe or a bargirl . . . probably better that your internal screen filtered them out

I think that those of us who are over 40 get vastly different offers.
Instead of offering us drugs, the Tuk-tuk drivers whisper "Depends? Metamucal? Early bedtime?"

Believe me, I would prefer the ganja.

Nepal: the current political situation in Nepal can best be desribed as tense. The last two days have seen violent exchanges in central Kathmandu between the security services and the protestors. There have also been widespread protests across Nepal.

There are many credible reports that innocent passers-by have also been caught up in the violence. A Nepali newspaper reported that a Polish tourist arrested and beaten by police while observing the confrontation. For your own safety, do not attend political rallies, etc anywhere in Nepal.

Bandhs have been scheduled for January 26th and February 5-11th. Early February is likely to see more confrontations due to political aniversaries and events occuring at this time. Feb 1st is the first anniversary of King Gyanendra's takeover of power, Feb 8th is the date set for municipal elections and mid-February sees the the 10th anniversary of the Maoist rebels' "People's War".

It could turn nasty or it could be a storm in a teacup - I don't know but please stay safe if you're going to Nepal.

Not quite a warning, but some firsthand experience if you're looking for peace of mind...
Bring a combination lock (regular, like the one on your Jr. High P.E. locker) and a cable lock (bike lock). There are lots of places in Thailand (and India, I hear, and probably elsewhere) that have metal "eyes" on the outside of the door to your room/bungalow. I feel so much more secure using my own padlock instead of the one provided to me. Who knows who else has the key? Also, the cable lock was perfect for a night train -- I just locked my back to the metal luggage rack and slept like a baby in the upper bunk without feeling like I had to check on my bag. (My bag has tiny combo locks on the important zipper compartmets as well.) The cable lock also helped the bag keep from falling over, something the backpakers across the way were not as fortunate with.

About Pak Beng...My daughter and I took the "fast" boat from Luang Prabang to Thailand rather than stay a night in Pak Beng, because we had reports that it was a place to avoid, unless traveling from the river into the hinterlands at that point. We didn't because the rains had the public busses delayed days while stuck in mud. Taking the fast boat was thoroughly miserable for our bodies, however--the frying pan or the fire of Pak Beng, so to speak. Arm yourself with earplugs, protect gear from water, wear glasses/sunglasses/sunscreen/hat that ties on, locate something soft to sit on, and practice isometrics and deep breathing to get you through the pain of sitting in one cramped position for too long. Usually very leary of the minibus guys offering private transportation, we jumped at the chance to go from the Mekong to Chang Mai in a mattter of hours, an excellent move as it turned out. I spent 6 months in SE Asia this past year, and, oddly, I was never approached to buy anything "off"(or "on"...), and I never had anything stolen. I did carry my own padlock and slept on trains and buses with my little bag's strap wound 'round my arms... and I dressed the part of a Thai school teacher. I recommend blending in as one strategy to remaining safe and being well received by locals. Must sound boring to many, however, huh?
Blessings,
Carolinda