How does Bali compare to Pattaya or Phuket

[thaibeachlovers]

On 11/27/2023 at 7:31 PM, JulesMad said:

....and a million times better...

Anywhere is better than what Phuket became. Pity, as it used to be great.

[Old Croc]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

That's lucky for Thailand then.

 

I once took my Thai girlfriend on a trip to Kanchanaburi and on the return private bus trip a couple of Oz matrons were so chilly towards me that the bus didn't need the AC turned on. I used to love flaunting my young and beautiful Thai girlfriend in front of middle aged western women.

Wow, you encountered a couple of judgmental middle-aged women! Hold the presses!!!

 

Isn't your country the birthplace of the modern "Karen"?

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, Old Croc said:

Wow, you encountered a couple of judgmental middle-aged women! Hold the presses!!!

 

Isn't your country the birthplace of the modern "Karen"?

I think that's over the ditch. I haven't heard anyone call women that here.

While they haven't been given a label here per se, <...................> would be appropriate ( insert word of your own choice ).

Anyway, real men seem thin on the ground now, and there are too many sheeple that take any old <deleted> the government dumps on them.

I don't count gangsters that beat up women and children as "real men", and sadly that happens way too often.

[JimTripper]

On 11/26/2023 at 2:27 PM, still kicking said:

Hindu 

Cow

[Old Croc]

19 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I think that's over the ditch. I haven't heard anyone call women that here.

While they haven't been given a label here per se, <...................> would be appropriate ( insert word of your own choice ).

Anyway, real men seem thin on the ground now, and there are too many sheeple that take any old <deleted> the government dumps on them.

I don't count gangsters that beat up women and children as "real men", and sadly that happens way too often.

Try searching YT using that name.

[JimTripper]

On 11/29/2023 at 5:19 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

Anywhere is better than what Phuket became. Pity, as it used to be great.

What changed? I have not been there for 10 years.

[bignok]

6 hours ago, JimTripper said:

What changed? I have not been there for 10 years.

Seems much the same to me

[Prubangboy]

I'm going to Sulawesi in April. My friend describes it as Muslim Laos. 'Wouldn't mind a cruise of the little islands like Ambon either.

 

Youtube shows Sulawesi as some really ugly towns with low class soup restaurants. It's like less developed Sumatra, a place you drive thru spectacular scenery to samey dumps.

 

As far as Asian Muslims go, Indo's are my fave. If they're eating pork at every meal, they're def Allah-lite. My friend had 2 Muslim Tinder scores in Jakarta.

[scubascuba3]

2 hours ago, Prubangboy said:

I'm going to Sulawesi in April. My friend describes it as Muslim Laos. 'Wouldn't mind a cruise of the little islands like Ambon either.

 

Youtube shows Sulawesi as some really ugly towns with low class soup restaurants. It's like less developed Sumatra, a place you drive thru spectacular scenery to samey dumps.

 

As far as Asian Muslims go, Indo's are my fave. If they're eating pork at every meal, they're def Allah-lite. My friend had 2 Muslim Tinder scores in Jakarta.

Scuba diving in Sulawesi meant to be some of the best in the world, i only did Flores and Bali in Indonesia 

[bignok]

8 hours ago, Prubangboy said:

I'm going to Sulawesi in April. My friend describes it as Muslim Laos. 'Wouldn't mind a cruise of the little islands like Ambon either.

 

Youtube shows Sulawesi as some really ugly towns with low class soup restaurants. It's like less developed Sumatra, a place you drive thru spectacular scenery to samey dumps.

 

As far as Asian Muslims go, Indo's are my fave. If they're eating pork at every meal, they're def Allah-lite. My friend had 2 Muslim Tinder scores in Jakarta.

Good for 1/2 a day only

[Prubangboy]

7 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Scuba diving in Sulawesi meant to be some of the best in the world

True, I'm almost tempted.

 

Sulawesi is also a cheap/unspoiled place for rain forest lodges and wildlife viewing of not seen elsewhere animals. There's a town with funny roofed houses where their way of life is based around elaborate funeral planning. 

 

Every attraction is a day's drive in between or a very fickle flight. There's enough to fill 12 days without even going to the Togean Islands. All of the islands def take some time to get to (no flights). Most people do long stays on a single island or two.

 

The far flung Indo islands are still very untouristed. 95% of Indo-bound tourists just go to Bali. Maybe Medan for the orangutans and Lake Toba for hippies after Medan. The rest of Indo sees few whities, partic the non-beach parts.

 

Not that cheap. Call it $60 for a passable room and the same again for someone to drive me around. But Borneo would cost double and Papua is too dangerous.

[VocalNeal]

32 minutes ago, Prubangboy said:

and Lake Toba for hippies

 

Hey I resemble that remark.🤔

 

Medan was OK for me. I'm not truly a beach person.

Edited December 1, 2023 by VocalNeal

[scubascuba3]

10 hours ago, Prubangboy said:

True, I'm almost tempted.

 

Sulawesi is also a cheap/unspoiled place for rain forest lodges and wildlife viewing of not seen elsewhere animals. There's a town with funny roofed houses where their way of life is based around elaborate funeral planning. 

 

Every attraction is a day's drive in between or a very fickle flight. There's enough to fill 12 days without even going to the Togean Islands. All of the islands def take some time to get to (no flights). Most people do long stays on a single island or two.

 

The far flung Indo islands are still very untouristed. 95% of Indo-bound tourists just go to Bali. Maybe Medan for the orangutans and Lake Toba for hippies after Medan. The rest of Indo sees few whities, partic the non-beach parts.

 

Not that cheap. Call it $60 for a passable room and the same again for someone to drive me around. But Borneo would cost double and Papua is too dangerous.

Borneo is relatively expensive, less cheap accommodation, less travellers, still, glad i visited once

[Prubangboy]

Looked hard at Borneo. You're pretty much locked into a pricey tour these days. Sulawesi is unique among junglish places with a little bit of anthropological interest in that it lacks a strong touristy brand. You virtually never hear about the place. I'd liken it to Trinidad, a place with a lot of interest that doesn't really need or particularly want tourists due to natural resources and port status.

 

See also: Amazon Rain Forest, Madagascar, African Safari, Easter Island -other expensive places where you're kept well on a leash. Small boat cruises to the little Indo islands run about $500-$800 a day, with a painful single supplement if you go alone. Oddly, Antartica cruises are very forgiving about the single supplement these days. But doing them outside of the summer months is pure misery.

 

This coming burning season is my year to push out the boat, travel-wise. I want more of an Indiana Jones type experience than luxury (but not too onerous) It's not been hard to find places to take my money. The adventure travel segment has plenty of vacancies.