Recent content by roamfree

You can buy a train ticket when you arrived at Hanoi, but do note that most of the train tickets will be booked out by local travel agencies and you may have to pay a lot more than the actual price if you want to secure a ticket. Getting a ticket booked online will of course, more or less ensure...

If you have only 10 days, then I suggest you fly in. Having to make a transfer at BKK, that will only give you about 8 days. Taking into account you will need time for traveling from one place to another, that does not give you a lot of time to play with, so you may not have the time to go all...

You will have to fly in/out from bkk to get to Luang Prabang or Vientianne. The other alternative is to take a flight to Chiang Mai, bus it to the borders at Chiang Khong and cross the river to get to Laos. From there you can take a slow two days boat down the river to Luang Prabang or you can...

Please DO NOT give anything to the children that you meet in these third world countries. Yes, I understand you emphatized with these kids and I do too. No, I am not trying to be hard hearted by telling you not to give, nor am I being a selfish brat. Giving the children stuff is not right...

It was organised by CIA. No, not the one from the States, but Canon Imaging Academy.

If you want to have more interaction with the locals and see nature at the same time, I suggest you stick to Sapa. I spend 11 days in Sapa alone the last time I was there. If you want to avoid the touristy stuff, then spend your time in the many little villages around Sapa town and not stay the...

actually, if you want to catch the sunrise in Alishan (which is wat most people do), get to Alishan itself the day before. You can either take a train up or a bus. There are many hotels there. But if you are on your own and don't want to spend too much money, there are some small guest houses...

i sent my lens for cleaning at tamron just 2 months ago and it cost $80. if they tell you that it cost $400, it probably means your "a bit of fungus" is located inside and not on the outside like mine. They don't charge according to the size of the fungus. It's more of where the fungus is...

One week is actually enough for both places. If you have two weeks, you can do some other places in Cambodia. If you are very into temples and am sure you will not get a overdose of it, you can go for a 3 day Angkor Wat pass, gg there during sunrise or sunset for photos. If you worry about an...

Safe or not safe is relative. Bring loads of common sense with you while you are on the road and everywhere is safe, be it SEA, Africa or middle east. Leave your common sense at home and do dumb stuff, it will not be safe, even if you are in Singapore. Examples of having common sense: keep away...

If you like markets, you can check out the fish market in Negombo. It is good for early mornings where you can see them bring in the catch. If you are lucky, you will be able to see some huge fish there. Early meaning 6am or earlier. Check with the locals. If you are into ancient ruins, you...

http://www.fivestarsonline.com/coach_booking/coach_listing.php Konsortium Express & Tours Pte Ltd You can always "google" or else just go down to the coaches company at Golden Mile to get your tickets. If you do not want to get your coach ticket directly from the coach company, there are...

actually, you can find them in Army Market. Didn't you check it out when you go there the other day? Like what others said, you can check it out at shops like Cold Wear or Planet Traveller. Else, go to Campers' corner at waterloo street. You can find all the gears for hiking and trekking there...

"lacking in many ways" does not mean "missing". It just means that there are some areas that can be better aka tourism infrastructure or public transport ("lagging" like you say). Like you, I don't find anything "missing". In fact, I find that these are actually the charms of travelling in these...

I beg to differ. Eastern Europe may be lacking in many ways, but it does not mean that it is more "dangerous" than Western/Central Europe. Thefts or other unfortunare incidents may happen to anybody anywhere in the world, even in Singapore. I travelled through all the countries in route 1 on my...