craigt3365

I've seen your pics. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

I'm pretty sure I'll fly to Mandalay. Pretty cheap prices right now on AA.

I think I'm too old for a 20 hour bus ride! 55555

And another 1.6% drop today. Wow....

I'd say with the recent crash in the Yuan, there might be a few less shortly.

Stats? About 800 die every day in accidents there. Not to mention the thousands injured. Those are stats to pay attention to.

My first day in Beijing I saw a cop directing traffic hit and killed. He laid in the road and nobody went to help him. A few days later, I saw an old guy on a bike hit and killed. I was only there for a week and was amazed at the number of accidents I saw. Plus, they drive like crazy. As a pedestrian, it's a free for all.

I did that section from Laos to Kunming several years ago, but by bus. Not too much traffic on the roads, except near the bigger cities. Parts were quite scenic.

Hardly a great surprise . The Yuan/RMB operates in a trading range peg to the USD. When the USD is soaring but the Chinese economy is in the toilet , it's pretty obvious that the range needed to be adjusted. But isn't a point looming at which the U.S. Fed might be concerned that any interest rate hike , and consequent strengthening of the USD, will hinder recovery and widen trade deficits again with cheap imports?

hmmm... if a projected ~7% growth in GDP equals "toilet" then what is a befitting expression for the percentages below?

US.................2.20%

UK.................0.60%

Japan............0.75%

Germany........1.10%

Canada..........1.20%

S-Korea.........2.70%

Australia........2.25%

New Zealand..2.50%

Singapore......2.25%

Switzerland...-0.50%

Norway..........0.35%

Sweden.........2.50%

France...........0.50%

Italy...............0.60%

Brazil............-0.50%

I think that 7% number is being questioned?

http://online.barrons.com/articles/anne-stevenson-yang-why-xi-jinpings-troubles-and-chinas-could-get-worse-1417846773?tesla=y

How bad can the situation be when the Chinese economy grew by 7.3% in the latest quarter?

People are crazy if they believe any government statistics, which, of course, are largely fabricated. In China, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle of physics holds sway, whereby the mere observation of economic numbers changes their behavior. For a time we started to look at numbers like electric-power production and freight traffic to get a line on actual economic growth because no one believed the gross- domestic-product figures. It didnt take long for Beijing to figure this out and start doctoring those numbers, too.

I put much stock in estimates by various economists, including some at the Conference Board, that actual Chinese GDP is probably a third lower than is officially reported. And as for the recent International Monetary Fund report calling China the worlds biggest economy on a purchasing-power-parity basis, how silly was that? China is a cheap place to live if one is willing to eat rice, cabbage, and pork, but its expensive as all get out once you factor in the cost of decent housing, a car, and health care.

But even at 4%, it's better than most of the world! LOL

I know it can be done as I've read about people who have done it. One was relatively famous and the government did a special deal for him. From what I've read, it's very difficult and may require a ride along "guide".

Plus, driving in China is insane. They are really bad drivers.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Driving_in_China

According to Chinese statistics [2], China has about 100,000 traffic deaths a year, more than twice the number in United States even though the US has more than four times as many cars [3], [4]. According to the World Health Organisation [5] "In China, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for people between 15 and 45" and the annual Chinese traffic death toll is near 250,000 [6].

To a newcomer, Chinese traffic appears to have no rules or, if there are rules, it appears they are neither followed nor enforced. In reality, of course, there are rules; they do generally manage to avoid hitting each other. However, Chinese rules are very different from what most travellers are used to. To Western eyes, appallingly bad driving is the norm, and insane or suicidal behaviour behind the wheel is fairly common.

Our village manager, who is the jurastic person. He went to the local government office, did all the paperwork, and does the recordings. Took several months to get it all sorted out, but it's a big stick now and we've only got one house more than a year behind. 2 years ago, about 20-25% were more than a year behind.

stop paying the moo-baan service, or if they have other services that work well deduct what you mean is the share of the security.

I think from 10 years here we only paid 3 years. Before we didn't pay because they were corrupt and we couldn't see what happens with the money. With a new leader we paid...and stopped again as it didn't work.

No we never attend the moo baan meeting....waste of time.

typical Thai way, who holds the purse strings in your house ? all what happens if you do what you suggest is the village goes down hill fast, property prices fall cant sell cos no one wants to buy in a run down village. stop listing to your Thai wife and do the right thing

Our village assesses a 1% interest charge per month, recorded on your deed at year end. So when you eventually sell your property, the village gets what's owed. Plus interest.

I was going to enter at Ranong and exit at Mae Sai. Or vice versa. But seems the northern part is a bit restricted. And with only 3 weeks, travel from Yangoon down to Ranong should take a bit more time than I have. Too much to see! 55555

So, going to focus on the northern part this time. Trying to arrange it during a few festivals around Inle. The Phaung Daw OO Pagoda festival and the Festival of Lights.

Richard: is it hard to get to Mrauk-U??? I've read various reports that seem to indicate it could be an issue. Especially without a guide.

I was at a major resort, getting a cup of coffee on the patio. Rooms were on the beach, so walked over barefoot. Grabbed the coffee pot on the outdoor deck and was knocked down. The fall broke the circuit, but I was stunned for well over an hour. Could hardly feel anything in my arm. Hot coffee was all over me. Staff barely attended to me.

And they are worried about saving face? Wow...

I was quite bummed to see I couldn't sell every page to make money.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-33858433

China's central bank has devalued the national currency, the yuan, to its lowest rate against the US dollar in almost three years.

The lender said the move was a "one-off depreciation" of 1.9% in a move to make the exchange rate more market-oriented.

It comes in the wake of a string of weak economic data from the world's second largest economy.

At the weekend, China reported a sharp fall in exports and a slide in producer prices to a near six-year low in July.

Continued:

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-33858433

Hmmm....I get quite a few news blasts from various travel outlets. I'll keep an eye peeled for this! Big news for sure.

YANGON, 11 August 2015: Experts warn that Myanmar must prepare for an increase in so-called orphanage and child-sex tourism, problems that are evident in other Mekong Region countries.

In a recent news report, Myanmar Times quoted an tourism impact assessment conducted by the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, the Danish Institute for Human Rights and the Institute for Human Rights and Business.

“Children are particularly vulnerable to negative impact from tourism. Lessons from neighbouring countries, particularly Cambodia and Thailand, highlight the importance of awareness-raising at both tour operators and tourist levels to highlight the negative impacts on children,” the report said.

Continued:

http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2015/08/myanmar-faces-tourism-ills/

BANGKOK, 11 August 2015: Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul says Thailand tourism development plan will help to improve the country’s competitiveness and improve connections to neighbouring countries.

She said the Cabinet approved, last week, the draft of the Thailand Tourism Development Strategy Plan (2015 to 2017), while the plan to develop five priority tourism clusters will go to the National Tourism Policy Committee this week.

The five tourism clusters are: Lanna Culture; South I-San Civilisation; Active Beach; Royal Coast; and Andaman.

The strategy covers both short and long-term goals and shifts the emphasis away from mass tourism to quality tourism measured by revenue earned and length of stay. According to the plan, next year’s tourism revenue should reach THB2.3 trillion and THB2.5 trillion in 2017.

Continued:

http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2015/08/thailand-approves-draft-strategy/

I'm a 68 year old guy from Canada, ... living in a big complex with guards at the gates and in every lobby of the 5 buildings. Last week a girl was being beated and raped on my floor, .... I went to her aid while a younger and bigger guy went to get Security. I forced my way into the room and got the girl out safely, ..... police were also called but no one came to help! They are window dressing only

You actually expect a security guard anywhere in the world to put their life on the line for minimum wage ?

One of our neighbors got into a business dispute with somebody and they sent a gang on scooters to our village to "rough" up the neighbor. They didn't get past the front gate. As soon as they found out the guards were navy, they left. Knowing the repercussions would be dire if they started anything.

We had problems with our guards many years ago. Got new ones and they were OK, but did sleep at night. The new ones we have now, off duty navy guys, are fantastic. They might doze off from time to time, but not on a regular basis. Plus, it keeps all the riff raff out of our village. With the guards a long time ago, they'd let all sorts of people into the village to go door to door selling stuff. Ugh....

We've not had a break in or problem in years.

Thanks! I appreciate the confirmation. I'm hoping to be a bit more flexible with my time on this trip, perhaps even coming back overland rather than by air. Or, just buy a last minute ticket from the nearest airport.

The only activity I have planned that would be a problem with rain is the 3-5 days of trekking in and around Inle. Otherwise, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

I'll start in the North and then work my way down!

Again, thanks.

I'm in the initial planning stages for a trip this fall. Looks like the dates will be roughly October 18 to November 8th, or so. Is this an OK time to visit? I'm basically going to do the major tourist spots and hopefully get a few treks in around Inle Lake.

I'm guessing they've got the same weather pattern as here, with the monsoon tapering off, but still a chance for rain and storms????

I'll post some updates later as I start to get the schedule laid out. But looks like I'll fly into Yangoon and out of Mandalay. Or the reverse.

Thanks!!

Restaurant meals are tough to compare to other places outside Asia. Street food helps make prices low. But then you're eating off a cart in a plastic chair on the side of the road with dishes washed in cold water. LOL Or, in a food court. Of which some food courts are good and some are...well...less than good. But you can have some really cheap meals in these places.

Interesting to look at the Mercer report. Shows Thailand jumped a bunch of places this year and Spain went down a bunch.

https://www.imercer.com/uploads/GM/col2015/e654123/index.html

Madrid is at 115, Bangkok at 45.

Damn...well this rules Spain out:

http://spain.angloinfo.com/money/income-tax/

You will become liable for tax as a resident of Spain if:

• a) You spend more than 183 cumulative days in one calendar year in Spain i.e. 1st January to 31st December, which is the tax year. You will become liable whether or not you formally register in the Registro Central de Extranjeros or
• Your centre of economic interests is in Spain, i.e. the base for your economic or professional activities is in Spain or
• c) Your centre of vital interests is in Spain, i.e. your spouse lives in Spain and you are not legally separated, and/or your dependent minor children live in Spain.

In Spain, an individual is either resident or not resident for the whole tax year. Part-year tax residency is not part of the Spanish system.

As As a resident of Spain you will be liable for tax on your worldwide income at scale rates after any available allowances and deductions.

Non-residents of Spain will be liable for Spanish income tax only on Spanish income, generally at fixed rates and with no allowances or deductions.

http://spain.angloinfo.com/money/income-tax/how-income-is-taxed/

My wife and I ate at an AC restaurant here a few days ago. We had great Thai food and soda drinks for about 220B. Very clean restaurant, great wait staff, brand new in a nice mall. Food was very good and well sized. I tend not to do street food.

I remember a few years ago in Spain doing the tapas thing. It's not cheap. Wine is definitely cheaper. But each tapas dish is 2.5-5 EUR+. On average, I'd say restaurant prices were quite higher than here. Even in out of the way places. But, what a variety! Thai food is cheap here, anything else typically isn't. But apples to apples, prices are perhaps about the same? Of course, we don't have the variety nor style of restaurants in, say, Madrid. Great eating options!

It's definitely colder there also. We were there in early November and it was cold. Not too bad in the very south, but Madrid was a bit cool. Even in Seville, we had to wear jackets.

Somebody just died down south from a jelly fish sting. It's a big problem in certain areas here. As far as the stings, I think it's sea lice or nettles. They are microscopic and really bothersome!

http://www.oceanfit.com.au/sea-lice-an-itchy-problem/

http://dermnetnz.org/arthropods/sea-bathers.html

http://www.beachhunter.net/thingstoknow/sealice/

As far as the horses. It sucks. I won't go to a beach that has horses.

Yes, the world wants peace, but doesn Iran?

Their creation and support of Hezbollah may indicate otherwise???

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezbollah

Hezbollah was conceived by Muslim clerics and funded by Iran following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, and was primarily formed to offer resistance to the Israeli occupation.^[3] Its leaders were followers of Ayatollah Khomeini, and its forces were trained and organized by a contingent of 1,500 Iranian Revolutionary Guards that arrived from Iran with permission from the Syrian government.^[20] After the 1982 invasion, Israel occupied a strip of south Lebanon, which was controlled by a militia supported by Israel, the South Lebanon Army. Hezbollah waged a guerilla campaign against them; with the collapse of the SLA, Israel withdrew on May 24, 2000.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_and_state-sponsored_terrorism

And of course there was this:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/533506-3-foreigners-injured-in-bangkok-bomb-explosion/

I like Bali a lot. Beautiful island. I'm not keen on Kuta and the surrounds. Too many cowboys and too much traffic. But the beaches are nice.

I hired a car and driver for a few days. We got stopped many times for tea money. And here constantly harassed by vendors trying to get us to buy stuff. Some very aggressively.

There are women, but nothing like here. There are quieter areas, but same with here in Thailand. And all the pros/cons that go along with quite areas.

I think the food is more interesting here. But I do like Bali a lot. Why not head over for 2-3 weeks and check it out? Flights are relatively cheap.