Comments for Daily Travel Pill

Comment on Why I will NEVER go back to Laos – the ugly truth by Noel

Noel — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 03:02:06 +0000

It was interesting reading your article. I have just been on a short visit to Vientiane.
While I thought it was very relaxed, I experienced the airport taxi situation. Partly because the ATMs didn’t work, so they were taking Thai Bhart.
The biggest problem was understanding the value of the currency. I went on a tour in a tuk tuk. When it came time to pay, I was giving a huge amount of notes.
The driver said he would come the next morning, as I wanted to go to the Cope Centre Museum. He charged me the same. I gave a load of notes. I also bought the driver cold drinks both times.
Then he said he would take me to the airport. I asked the price, slightly suspicious. I also asked the conversion on $US 1 to Laotian Kip.
I agreed. I asked my hotel manager, and they explained the currency. I hadn’t been paying $US 5, I had been paying $US 50!
I was annoyed how stupid I was, even though I have traveled a lot and should have learned by now!
It is a shame as it left a cloud over my visit. I met many nice people too.

Comment on Why I will NEVER go back to Laos – the ugly truth by Sebastian

Sebastian — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 10:51:03 +0000

In reply to David Kiwi. Sorry to say, but it is the norm. Go to a touristy restaurant/ hostel in Laos and you hear plenty of these stories. Sad but true :-(

Comment on Why I will NEVER go back to Laos – the ugly truth by Sebastian

Sebastian — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 08:55:17 +0000

Hi,
I am here in Laos now for 1 week and encountered scamming really everytime we wanted to go from A to B. I know that you are overcharged as a tourist all over SEA but what they do in Laos is really over the top.
Here some examples:
– When going back from the Buddah Park to Vientiane, a Minibus came at the exact time of departure and convinced people to hop in as he is the official bus, of course for two times the price that the real (green) bus costs.
– In Luang Namtha we booked a bus ticket incl. Tuktuk to the bus station at Zuelas Guesthouse. We had to pay 100.000 kip more, so that the Tuktuk driver departs in time to reach our bus. Other options just could not have been arranged in time.
– The bus driver in Udomxai refused to depart if we did not pay 100.000 kip extra to the ticket we have already bought. Some of the local Lao people were really desprate, as they just did not have the money. The bus driver did not care and kept on waiting for 2 hours until we had enough „bribe“ together so that he could be convinced to depart

Usually I would say it is not about the money but how un-welcome and unsafe I feel, but the extra money we have to pay all the time sums up. We are really anxious before every trip cause you never know what happens and how much it will cost. We were teavelling a lot the last years but we never had scamming at that extent anywhere else.
You see already many guesthouses closed etc. but with that attitude and the word of mouth spreading fast, Laos will suffer from a severe drop in tourist numbers. I will not come back for sure.

Comment on Why I will NEVER go back to Laos – the ugly truth by Allan

Allan — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 06:45:39 +0000

I like it how you wrote. Even having the worst time, you didn’t create a stereotype. I have been traveling in Laos for two weeks and had a different (besides the tuk tuk part haha). But still that doesn’t change what you been through.

Comment on Visiting The Ubud Monkey Forest in 2024 – Safety Guide by Aurelia Teslaru

Aurelia Teslaru — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 09:27:35 +0000

In reply to Rocio Tarrago. Yes, you can drive. It's in the centre of Ubud :)

Comment on Living in Bali | my experience after 8 months – Pros & Cons + Costs by Emma Stott

Emma Stott — Sun, 20 Aug 2023 03:38:01 +0000

Hi Michelle, they are tourist visa s that Aura is talking about – and its actually illegal to do any kind of work on them even volunteer – so if you wish to live in Bali long term then you can get a working visa or a kitas which is valid for one year or two, and you don’t have to leave bali to make any visa runs – unless you wish to travel. In my experience of living here it doesn’t really rain that much without the sun coming back out soon , in Ubud it can rain for a day or two, but when you get sun all year round sometimes these rainy days feel welcome and cosy. You can rent accommodation on a one year or 5 year lease if you are looking for stability – or by the day – week or month for flexibility, and yes theres wine shops and even wine delivery services – theres even Indonesian produced wines which are ok – but expect to pay a bit more per bottle than you would back home for anything imported. Hope this helps – thanks to Aura for the nice blog..

Comment on Living in Bali | my experience after 8 months – Pros & Cons + Costs by Emma Stott

Emma Stott — Sun, 20 Aug 2023 03:28:15 +0000

In reply to Anita.

Hi dear Viv, If you want to come to Bali the areas where the animals tend to be the best cared for, typically are the richest areas that are more developed due to the impact of tourism, Canggu, the South, Uluwatu and Ubud. You will still see dogs that sometimes have mange – or sometimes look skinny but lots are very well cared for – beyond dogs the Balinese keep birds in cages . So if this would be overwhelming do consider – if you can cope – theres loads of vegan places and charities supporting animals too so its very yin and yang . Well done on helping and making a massive difference in Mauritius for all the animals x

Comment on Visiting The Ubud Monkey Forest in 2024 – Safety Guide by Rocio Tarrago

Rocio Tarrago — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 19:33:00 +0000

Hi! thanks for the ton of info, I have a question, can you drive to the Monkey Forest? you only mention getting there by tour, motorbike or taxi.
Thanks!
Rocio

Comment on 1-day Tokyo itinerary – UNIQUE places to visit + BUDGET by James King

James King — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 05:39:34 +0000

Thanks so much for sharing Aura! Coming up with a 1-day itinerary for Tokyo is so difficult – because there is so much to do. My wife and I spent two months there and still feel like we missed so much stuff!

Comment on Malang Rainbow & Blue Villages – Everything you need to know by Chantal

Chantal — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 17:26:26 +0000

Hello!
I loved reading your blog about the rainbow village. I am actually going to Indonesia in August and my first stop is in Surabaya to specifically visit the rainbow and blue village. After reading this, I am even more excited to go. I do have an a bit off topic question. Mount Bromo was not on my must do list, but since I will be in Malang, I told myself might as well. Everywhere I look, it’s all about the sunrise or sunset tours. We will have been in airports for 30hrs with a huge time change so I was thinking of simply climbing bromo during daytime. Do you think it is still worth it or should I spend it elsewhere? This is a quick stop, we will be sleeping 2 nights in Malang but will only have about a full day and a half to visit.
Thanks 🙂