craigt3365

I find this topic quite interesting. I've done some research on VPNs, but am not technical at all. From what I understand, it's primarily used for protection. Not really for performance issues.

From what I've read, due to encryption, unusual routing of data, etc, you will "probably" get slower speed with a VPN than without. Yes, switching from one host country to another might give you better speeds, but will they be that much better than without? And is the minimal gain worth the hassle if all you are looking for is speed improvements???

Appreciate the input. My brother just told me they automatically upgraded him to 30mb for free back in Arizona! I'm desperately trying to get 10mb here! LOL

Seems it does close at 5PM, and considering there are places to stay inside the part, I'm guessing once you are in you'll be OK to roam about. Considering the sun sets at about 6:30PM, not sure how much you'll be able to see after that....

I went through the road block as well. I went to jail and court for drink driving over new year and i wouldnt wish that shit on anyone. I wont drink and drive again. They are doing there job and its not time to leave because of it. There are so many motor cycle taxis around and if u r too tight to pay for one then i think u are nothing but a cheap charlie.

I've read about this experience a few times here on our forum. I understand it's a terrible experience. From what I've heard, the actual fine is not much, but many are more than willing to pay a substantial sum to avoid all of this.

Not much different than back in the US, or many other countries. Maybe the jails are better, but the consequences are dire. My friend got caught and he was just barely over the limit. 30 minutes later and he would have been OK. Weekend in jail, loss of license for 6 months. Several required visits to court, community service time, and out about $7,000 for legal expense, etc. One reason my brother NEVER drives after drinking back home.

An interesting stat for the US:

In 2013, 10,076 people died in drunk driving crashes - one every 52 minutes - and 290,000 were injured in drunk driving crashes. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration FARS data, 2014. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812102.pdf. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The Economic and Societal Impact Of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, May 2014, DOT HS 812 013. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812013.pdf.

Yes, aware of how the UPS works. I've had one for years even back in the US and also had the phone line plugged into it for protection. But new to me that it's possible for it to get fried! 5555

I have my PC, monitor and modem plugged into the UPS. When the power goes out....which is often, I don't have a "hard" shutdown for these devices. And from what I understand, it's common during these events for power to spike. Something electronics don't like! I also have my TV plugged into one. But not my house alarm, which the technician just told me got fried due to these spikes. Need to find one just for it some day....

Many times when the power goes off, so does the phone connection. Not all the time, but sometimes. So even if the modem is connected to the UPS, you might not have a phone connection. My guess is some piece of their equipment got shut down somewhere along the line?

If my wife is constipated, what does she do? Order somtam. Unfortunately, a few times it goes overboard. But only one trip to the hospital so far.

Some really interesting posts here! Love the discussion.

Just booked a room right on Beach Road for the 19th. Plenty of availability....strange....

sounds like someone is promoting Couchsurfing website, FOR FREE

How is that? I know this guy and found this article interesting. I don't think he actually does couch surfing. I know I sure don't.

I put up articles here all the time that I think might be of interest to others...and hopefully start a nice discussion. Couch surfing would actually be an interesting topic for discussion....hmmm....

Glad to hear they are getting the drunks off the road, should do it all the time not just during songkran!

I saw a big tent setup on the road out by you 2 days ago. It was already staffed by what looked like rescue personnel. They weren't stopping anybody, but it was only 2PM.

P.S. Road blocks have always happened around Songkran. As you mention, they should be in action more often.

I've not been for a few years, but when we were there a minivan took us to/from the Krabi airport to Ko Lanta. Relatively quick.

The UPS is great. I've had it for 2 years now. Keeps my PC on even when the power is cut and protects all the electronic stuff from getting zapped during lightning storms.

From what this guy said, it got zapped. And probably saved my modem. Unfortunately, it's out of action now! At least for the phone line part.

Mod Rimmer has had his modem zapped a few times. One time, you could actually see black marks where the phone line went into the modem!

Well...finally got tired of this so had ToT come out to the house. Guess what? I was running my phone line though my UPS. Which has worked great for the past 2 years. Apparently, we had a spike and it fried that part of my UPS. He just unplugged it from the UPS box, plugged it into the modem and I'm back to 10mb. Tested it this morning and I was at 3-4mb.

FYI. The ToT guys were great. I gave them a tip and off they went.

Of course you can still discover things on your own. A guidebook doesn't force you to obey it. You can step off the beaten path any time you like.

Exactly! I do like guide books, but don't use them as a bible. Just a reference source. I've found many very interesting things via guide books. And many more by just exploring on my own.

I did a long trip back in 1984 from the US to Europe. No guide book, just hit the road. But had a car, so that made it a bit easier to really get off the beaten path!!

Crazy to see backpackers in Thailand all staring down at their smart phone rather than enjoying the surroundings.

They used to stare down at a guidebook. Now they stare at a smart phone instead. Don't see much difference.

That's a bit true, but there's only so many pages dedicated to a place like, say, Samui. Hard to just sit and read the few pages dedicated to that area for very long. With an internet connection, you can waste a whole day! 5555

I recently met this guy at a meetup.com international travel group event. I read this article and found it interesting. Thought I would share it. Amazing at how things have changed so rapidly in the past 10 years or so.

He's into rallies. If anybody else is interested in these, he's a good guy to chat with. I understand one is coming up in Cambodia soon.

Has travel lost its magic? What happened to discovery and kismet and awe? Are there no surprises left?

I strolled down Peace Avenue, the main thoroughfare, in Ulaan Batar, it was cool yet sunny. My black Columbia jacket was zipped up to my chin. One eye rested on Google Maps on my iPhone, the other on the oncoming pedestrians. I had purchased a local Mongolian SIM card and was gobbling up data on the local network. My hunger grew, and I spied a restaurant. I inputted the name of the restaurant in TripAdvisor, and decided to pass. Other travelers had only provided a 3 star rating to the Italian restaurant. I decided I had a taste for Mexican. I Googled Mexican restaurants in UB and found my mark. I waived down a taxi and directed the older driver in Russian to my destination. This was courtesy of Google Translate (Mongolian is not available yet). While on route, I Skyped my Dad in Boston to say hi, and followed up by Face Timing my god-daughter also in Boston. She beamed. She quickly compiled a gift list, which I promised to DHL her. As I munched on some quesadillas my phone chimed. It was Narantsetseg, we had met on Couchsurfing.com, and we planned to meet later that evening at my hostel. I had chosen Zaya Guest House, a cozy and clean option in the city center. I had compared and read reviews of different accommodation on Hostel World.

The land of Genghis Khan. Alien terra firma nestled between a fading and bitter super power, Russia, and juggernaut China. Populating my mind were visions of horses galloping across the steppes, Buddhist monks chanting in isolated monasteries, and felt-wrapped gers dotting the open-sky horizon. Exotic and mysterious. Isolated and wild. Yet, was that really the case?

continued:

http://globalgaz.com/magic-gone-travel/

I sure hope they find whoever did this. RIP.

Will you have a car? Traveling around these areas could be tough without your own transport.

Bang Saray does have some interesting places to stay. I can't recommend any, but would use booking.com, agoda, tripadvisor and for sure airbnb. I've seen some recently on airbnb that don't show up anywhere else....

Pretty much every town will have a place to stay. Most likely not listed on the internet in English and probably a good value. Some may argue, but I don't think Sattahip has much to offer. If you are in Bang Saray, it's easy to pop over and see the beautiful beaches on the navy base. Definitely worth a peek....but very crowded on weekends.

I'm not really recommending Ban Amphur, just saying that Songkran outside Pattaya doesn't last 10 days! 55555

Yes, quite a few hotels in the area. Some on the beach, some inland. Bang Saray is quite nice. Several of my favorite places to watch sunsets are down there. Relatively quite except on the weekends. I have no idea what it will be like over Songkran....but I'm guessing it will be busy. Too close to Bangkok!!!

I saw this not too long ago. Looked interesting:

http://www.homeresortgetaway.com/

I'll keep my eye open for others. I have read about a national part in Chantaburi. Has a beautiful waterfall and rooms that you can rent in the park. Also, you might consider Chao Lao Beach down there. It will be busy, but a fairly nice place to hang out.

I think a great trip would be to just cruise down the coast. Check out Bang Chang (there is one street with lots of action, and a few good hotels nearby), then down to Laem Mae Phim, Chao Lao and even Chantaburi has a nice old section of town. Only takes a short while to explore, but a nice place for a drink overlooking the "river". It's OK.

Just brainstorming!

Armin, You realize that you are effectively asking someone to write something just like this, https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Ko_Chang, only just for you. Do you have specific questions?

I think that description is pretty spot on. Answers most of what the OP is looking for. Smaller than Pattaya, still a tourist attraction...so expect the odd scam. Nice beaches, but lots of development recently.

It's a nice island. If you've never been, go check it out. I doubt you'll be disappointed. Then please report back what you think. We'd love to hear your thoughts!!

We've been through several pool guys. Start out good and down hill from there. I think we're on our 4th one in 5 years. So far, these guys are pretty good.

Best bet is to get a reference from others in your village. What part of town are you located?