MTA Q10 bus connects with A and E subway lines. Leaves from JFK Terminal 4. Approximate travel time: 34 minutes to A; 44 minutes to E. 24 hour service. 10-15 minutes headway during weekdays; somewhat less frequest on weekends.
If payment is by Metrocard, free transfer to subway.
technorati tags: travel | New York
Friday, September 29, 2006
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Tony Wheeler's List of Interesting Hotels, 3 Oct 05
Includes:
Komaneka Suites & Komaneka Resort, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia – US$200. Komaneka Suites overlooks a valley just outside the artist village of Ubud while Komaneka Resort is right on the Monkey Forest Road in the village. The more expensive rooms even have their own plunge pools, they’re both delightful.
technorati tags: travel | asia | shanghai | bali | cambodia
- Hotel Bougainvillier, Phnom Penh, Cambodia – US$49. Right on the waterfront
- Hengshan Moller Villa, Shanghai, China – US$93. The eccentric building which fronts the hotel was the home of a pre-WW II Swedish businessman and although the new block is nondescript and the service is haphazard the location is good, there’s free broadband internet and the prices are reasonable.
Komaneka Suites & Komaneka Resort, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia – US$200. Komaneka Suites overlooks a valley just outside the artist village of Ubud while Komaneka Resort is right on the Monkey Forest Road in the village. The more expensive rooms even have their own plunge pools, they’re both delightful.
technorati tags: travel | asia | shanghai | bali | cambodia
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Less Visited Khymer Temples, Part 3 of 3
3 April 06 -- Monday
Nang Rong, Thailand (South Isaan)
(Ok, after a l-o-n-g break, I'll finish up the Thai temples part of this report and do the remaining trip segments, overland to and through Cambodia and back to Bangkok, piecemeal.)
Current location: Honey Inn , 8/1 Soi Sri Koon, Nang Rong, Buriram, 31110 Thailand; Honey_inn_thai@hotmail.com (mail checked once per week); Telephone: 0-4462-2825 (+66 44 622 825 int'l)
Mobile: 0-1075-9972 (+66 1 075 9972 int'l); Lat 14.629/Lon 102.799
Agenda for today:
In talking to the expat Canadian and German fellow guests last night, I got their thoughts on traveling out to Phnom Rung and the nearby Muang Tam temple sites. One had gone that day by a combination of bus and mototaxi; the other by hired mototaxi. There was a third option of hiring a moto from the guesthouse and driving out to the sites myself.
The bus/mototaxi combination seemed ok, but time consuming. And, frankly, after spending what seemed like half my life on the bus yesterday coming from Kantaralak, spending a lot of time that day on local buses and, of course, waiting for local buses at the roadside bus shelters in the April heat, didn't appeal to me all that much.
The idea of hiring a mototaxi with driver sounded ok, as I had done in Kantaralok to get to Preah Vihear, but, if it seemed reasonable to navigate to the sites myself, well, why bother with the extra overhead of a driver? Hiring the mototaxi/driver in Kantaralak worked out ok, but, having seen how riding was done in the more rural parts of Thailand, it didn't seem all that daunting to ride there myself. After all, I didn't kill myself when I hired the moto in Lao and facilities here in Nang Rong were much better. (For instance, there was a hospital just a block away. I guess I'm trying to provide some of the "traveler tradeoffs" I weigh when on the road.)
Ok, Thailand is "drive on the left," which didn't thrill me, but, while there was traffic, it wasn't all that bad. The larger vehicles didn't seem to actively try to nail you as you drove and, once outside the more built up areas, traffic dwindled to nothing.
It turned out that, in addition to the map in the pages of Lonely Planet Thailand that I had brought, the guesthouse manager, Mrs. Phanna, had a strip map showing the route. Thailand highway signage is pretty good, with highway numbers clearly marked, so I didn't have a lot of concerns about getting lost. The best plan, then, seemed to be to hire a moto from the guesthouse (B250/day, including helmet, but gas extra).
Mrs. Phanna, whipped up breakfast including eggs, which I generally never eat unless it seems to be expected of me, as here; endless toast and jam; a basket of peel-it-yourself mango, and as much coffee as you could drink. B40. It was quite nice sitting at the dining table without feeling extremely pressed to link up with a driver and get going. Based on the previous two days experiences, I had already missed the best light, which was at dawn when the sites weren't open anyway, so I might as well cool it a bit and get going when things felt right. I wasn't going to be that late anyway out to the sites and, if it was roasting by the time I returned, well, that's life. I filled up my water bottle from the cooler (free water from the cooler, or you could get bottles), got my day pack, and I was ready to head out.
There were several motos to choose from, all of which seemed to have working brakes, so I took the one with the most gas (checked visually). I managed not to make a repeat performance of my incompetence in Pakxe, Lao in getting the moto started, once I got some assistance in finding the choke. The road in the immediate area of the guesthouse was pretty quiet, so I had a minute to get oriented, make adjustments, and work out the bugs before I got to the main road. At the main road, after turning left, east, the strategy was pretty simple--hug the shoulder and maneuver carefully around large objects, such as local buses.
After leaving the main part of town behind, just a couple of km, I was heading east on Highway 24, which, though a main east-west artery in this part of Thailand, wasn't all that heavily traveled. Just right for a marginally competent moto rider. After perhaps 12km, I saw signs for my next turn, onto Highway 2117 at the village of Ta Ko, and turned right, south, at a traffic light. Exactly at the intersection it got a bit busy with buses arriving, loading, and departing near the intersection, but after that it became quieter than Highway 24. Around 5km on 2117, I came to a well marked T-junction where I turned left, east, onto Highway 2221, marked on the guesthouse map as the village of Don Nong Nee.
Another 5km or so, past a Thai military Airborne training site, the road to Phnom Rung continues up a hill. After a couple of km one comes to a couple of back gates to the site, spaced about a km apart, but don't stop at these. A bit further and there is a large developed area, a bit obscured, on the right and a smaller one on the left. If you continue on 100m or so , you come to the entrance for the parking area on the right. There are the usual vendors, though much more geared for local Thai people than foreigners. I parked among a bunch of other motos and, after a couple of moments thought, left my helmet on the moto, as others had done.
Phnom Rung
There's a small visitor center with an interesting model showing both Phnom Rung and the nearby Muang Tam sites. Ye Olde Ticket Booth was a bit beyond. I didn't write down the price, but the guidebook says B40, which sounds about right. Same price for Thai people and foreigners, I believe.
Once again I'll take some of the details of the description of the site from Michael Freeman's book A Guide to Khmer Temples in Thailand and Laos. The site is located atop a 383m inactive volcano, 190km to the west of Preah Vihear. The site has been extensively restored and has much less of the tumbled down effect of the usual Khymer sites. The site is oriented east-west, with the entrance at the east.
At the modern entrance to Phnom Rung is a cross shaped terrace measuring 40m north-south and 30m east-west. This is followed by a 160m causeway paved in pock-marked, laterite stone.
At the end of the first causeway is a terrace with naga, serpent, balustrades. From here a staircase leads to the sanctuary. At the top of the stairs is a terrace with four artificial ponds. There is a second naga bridge on this terrace. I wouldn't have known it except for the description in Freeman's book, but a very interesting feature of the balustrades is that the naga at the ends are actually being disgorged by a makara, a marine monster. The body of the makara then forms the remaining part of the body of the balustrade.
The terrace leads to the eastern gopura, or entry tower, which in turn leads to a series of doorways through the enclosure to the sanctuary. There are elaborate carvings on the pediments and lintels. It really helps to have a guidebook that describes the details (plug for Freeman's book or equivalent.) The sanctuary has a magnificent tower with elaborate carvings. For those who have seen the towers in poor, eroded condition at Angkor, it's revealing to see the decorative details of the Phnom Rung tower.
After a couple of hours I left Phnom Rung and headed to Muang Tam, the "Lower City," which is about 8km away. One leaves Phnom Rung the opposite direction from arrival, turning right from the parking lot and heading down the hill, hoping that the brakes were in good shape. After 3km, turn right following the sign for Muang Tam, which is 5km further on, south of a large 1150m x 400m baray, basin. Parking is across the road at the visitor center where there are also some vendor booths, toilet, and a restaurant.
I went to the ticket booth across the road, B40, I believe, and talked for a minute to the ticket vendor and some Thai police that were hanging around the booth eating some typical, unidentifiable Thai sweet snack, which they offered me (and which I took). Then, somewhat to my surprise, the police officer in charge of the small detail wanted to sit in the shade and talk a bit. It turned out that they were traffic officers. He offered me another snack and asked me how I got out there. Well, here I am with no driver's license, on a moto from the guesthouse thinking, what should I say. So, I told him I came out on a moto, which surprised him. He told me to watch out because there were a lot of accidents on motos, etc. etc. I assured him I was careful, etc. etc. We sat there and ate snacks and talked about nothing for a while. His English was a lot better than my Thai, but eventually things wound down and I excused myself to see the temple. Nice guys.
Muang Tam Temple
Muang Tam, which, like Phnom Rung, has been restored, is a very unlike other Khymer sites. It has an outer enclosure with four gopura, entry towers, at north, south, east, and west. Inside the outer enclosure are four L-shaped ponds surrounding an inner enclosure. Within the inner enclosure are five brick towers, arranged in a front row of three and a back row of two. Also within the inner enclosure are two "libraries."
The ponds are a very attractive, defining feature of the temple, adding to an air of serenity, though the site is quite close to modern dwellings. At the time of my visit there were, perhaps, five other people at the site, a nice contrast to the hordes at Angkor sites or even the lesser crowds I encountered that morning at Phnom Rung.
After leaving the temple I walked back across the street to look for some lunch. There's an ok outdoor restaurant with the usual Thai selections and, I believe, an English menu. In any event, ordering was no big deal. For B77 I had shrimp with mixed veg, rice, and bottled water. Somewhat amusingly, or alarmingly, depending on your perspective in this time of concerns about avian flu, were the number of chickens, along with a few ducks, that were running around the area. At one point a customer who went to the cashier to pick up some take out grabbed a chicken that was in his way and tossed it to the side.
To return to Nang Rong from Muang Tam, one could retrace the way to Phnom Rung and then along Highways 2221 and 2117 to 24, or take Highway 2075 west to Lahan Sai and then Highway 348 north to Nang Rong at the 24/348 junction. I decided to take the brute force approach of retracing my steps, which I thought might also allow me to better understand the back gates to Phnom Rung. It was a pleasant, straightforward ride.
I had plenty of gas and decided to wait until I got to Nang Rong proper before filling it up. Once off Highway 2221 and heading north on Highway 2117 traffic came to a standstill as some sort of village celebration in a parade of pickup trucks came south with people waving and singing. The nice thing about riding a moto is that you can take your time and just stop and enjoy the scene.
Back on Highway 24 and in Nang Rong I pulled into a gas station. Once again, as in Lao, it was full service with two attendants helping me. I checked the gas and found, to my surprise, that I didn't really need any. Though the gauge showed about 2/3 full, it seemed about 3/4 full, plenty in that heat. So, once again, I guess the gas gauge was broken. I decided to tell Mrs Phanna, the guesthouse manager, and offer to settle up when I paid my bill. I got back to the guesthouse in about one hour from Muang Tam.
By the time I got back, I wasn't ready to hop on another bus to Khorat/Phimai, so I decided to stay another night in Nang Rong.
That night the expat Canadian and German guys and I were joined at dinner by a middle aged French couple as well as a German girl and her companion. Once again the dinner was great, especially for B100, with 4 or 5 courses.
After dinner the plan was to walk up to the 7/11 on the main road for some ice cream with the Canadian and German guys. After a while, including checking email at the local LAN gaming/cheap high speed Internet place, I ended up back at the guesthouse, helped myself to some beer from the refrigerator, read for a while, and zonked out.
So ends the tale of traveling to see the less visited Khymer temples in Laos and Thailand. I didn't make it to Phimai on this trip, which was a major omission. The rest of the trip was travel to Siem Reap overland, then to Snookyville by way of Phnom Penh; by boat, truck, and minibus to Trat; and bus to Bangkok. I'll cover those segments separately.
technorati tags: travel | thailand |
Nang Rong, Thailand (South Isaan)
(Ok, after a l-o-n-g break, I'll finish up the Thai temples part of this report and do the remaining trip segments, overland to and through Cambodia and back to Bangkok, piecemeal.)
Current location: Honey Inn , 8/1 Soi Sri Koon, Nang Rong, Buriram, 31110 Thailand; Honey_inn_thai@hotmail.com (mail checked once per week); Telephone: 0-4462-2825 (+66 44 622 825 int'l)
Mobile: 0-1075-9972 (+66 1 075 9972 int'l); Lat 14.629/Lon 102.799
Agenda for today:
- visit Phnom Rung, as well as the nearby Muang Tam, Khymer temple sites
- decide whether to leave Nang Rong on an afternoon bus for Khorat/Phimai or stay another night.
In talking to the expat Canadian and German fellow guests last night, I got their thoughts on traveling out to Phnom Rung and the nearby Muang Tam temple sites. One had gone that day by a combination of bus and mototaxi; the other by hired mototaxi. There was a third option of hiring a moto from the guesthouse and driving out to the sites myself.
The bus/mototaxi combination seemed ok, but time consuming. And, frankly, after spending what seemed like half my life on the bus yesterday coming from Kantaralak, spending a lot of time that day on local buses and, of course, waiting for local buses at the roadside bus shelters in the April heat, didn't appeal to me all that much.
The idea of hiring a mototaxi with driver sounded ok, as I had done in Kantaralok to get to Preah Vihear, but, if it seemed reasonable to navigate to the sites myself, well, why bother with the extra overhead of a driver? Hiring the mototaxi/driver in Kantaralak worked out ok, but, having seen how riding was done in the more rural parts of Thailand, it didn't seem all that daunting to ride there myself. After all, I didn't kill myself when I hired the moto in Lao and facilities here in Nang Rong were much better. (For instance, there was a hospital just a block away. I guess I'm trying to provide some of the "traveler tradeoffs" I weigh when on the road.)
Ok, Thailand is "drive on the left," which didn't thrill me, but, while there was traffic, it wasn't all that bad. The larger vehicles didn't seem to actively try to nail you as you drove and, once outside the more built up areas, traffic dwindled to nothing.
It turned out that, in addition to the map in the pages of Lonely Planet Thailand that I had brought, the guesthouse manager, Mrs. Phanna, had a strip map showing the route. Thailand highway signage is pretty good, with highway numbers clearly marked, so I didn't have a lot of concerns about getting lost. The best plan, then, seemed to be to hire a moto from the guesthouse (B250/day, including helmet, but gas extra).
Mrs. Phanna, whipped up breakfast including eggs, which I generally never eat unless it seems to be expected of me, as here; endless toast and jam; a basket of peel-it-yourself mango, and as much coffee as you could drink. B40. It was quite nice sitting at the dining table without feeling extremely pressed to link up with a driver and get going. Based on the previous two days experiences, I had already missed the best light, which was at dawn when the sites weren't open anyway, so I might as well cool it a bit and get going when things felt right. I wasn't going to be that late anyway out to the sites and, if it was roasting by the time I returned, well, that's life. I filled up my water bottle from the cooler (free water from the cooler, or you could get bottles), got my day pack, and I was ready to head out.
There were several motos to choose from, all of which seemed to have working brakes, so I took the one with the most gas (checked visually). I managed not to make a repeat performance of my incompetence in Pakxe, Lao in getting the moto started, once I got some assistance in finding the choke. The road in the immediate area of the guesthouse was pretty quiet, so I had a minute to get oriented, make adjustments, and work out the bugs before I got to the main road. At the main road, after turning left, east, the strategy was pretty simple--hug the shoulder and maneuver carefully around large objects, such as local buses.
After leaving the main part of town behind, just a couple of km, I was heading east on Highway 24, which, though a main east-west artery in this part of Thailand, wasn't all that heavily traveled. Just right for a marginally competent moto rider. After perhaps 12km, I saw signs for my next turn, onto Highway 2117 at the village of Ta Ko, and turned right, south, at a traffic light. Exactly at the intersection it got a bit busy with buses arriving, loading, and departing near the intersection, but after that it became quieter than Highway 24. Around 5km on 2117, I came to a well marked T-junction where I turned left, east, onto Highway 2221, marked on the guesthouse map as the village of Don Nong Nee.
Another 5km or so, past a Thai military Airborne training site, the road to Phnom Rung continues up a hill. After a couple of km one comes to a couple of back gates to the site, spaced about a km apart, but don't stop at these. A bit further and there is a large developed area, a bit obscured, on the right and a smaller one on the left. If you continue on 100m or so , you come to the entrance for the parking area on the right. There are the usual vendors, though much more geared for local Thai people than foreigners. I parked among a bunch of other motos and, after a couple of moments thought, left my helmet on the moto, as others had done.
Phnom Rung
There's a small visitor center with an interesting model showing both Phnom Rung and the nearby Muang Tam sites. Ye Olde Ticket Booth was a bit beyond. I didn't write down the price, but the guidebook says B40, which sounds about right. Same price for Thai people and foreigners, I believe.
Once again I'll take some of the details of the description of the site from Michael Freeman's book A Guide to Khmer Temples in Thailand and Laos. The site is located atop a 383m inactive volcano, 190km to the west of Preah Vihear. The site has been extensively restored and has much less of the tumbled down effect of the usual Khymer sites. The site is oriented east-west, with the entrance at the east.
At the modern entrance to Phnom Rung is a cross shaped terrace measuring 40m north-south and 30m east-west. This is followed by a 160m causeway paved in pock-marked, laterite stone.
At the end of the first causeway is a terrace with naga, serpent, balustrades. From here a staircase leads to the sanctuary. At the top of the stairs is a terrace with four artificial ponds. There is a second naga bridge on this terrace. I wouldn't have known it except for the description in Freeman's book, but a very interesting feature of the balustrades is that the naga at the ends are actually being disgorged by a makara, a marine monster. The body of the makara then forms the remaining part of the body of the balustrade.
The terrace leads to the eastern gopura, or entry tower, which in turn leads to a series of doorways through the enclosure to the sanctuary. There are elaborate carvings on the pediments and lintels. It really helps to have a guidebook that describes the details (plug for Freeman's book or equivalent.) The sanctuary has a magnificent tower with elaborate carvings. For those who have seen the towers in poor, eroded condition at Angkor, it's revealing to see the decorative details of the Phnom Rung tower.
After a couple of hours I left Phnom Rung and headed to Muang Tam, the "Lower City," which is about 8km away. One leaves Phnom Rung the opposite direction from arrival, turning right from the parking lot and heading down the hill, hoping that the brakes were in good shape. After 3km, turn right following the sign for Muang Tam, which is 5km further on, south of a large 1150m x 400m baray, basin. Parking is across the road at the visitor center where there are also some vendor booths, toilet, and a restaurant.
I went to the ticket booth across the road, B40, I believe, and talked for a minute to the ticket vendor and some Thai police that were hanging around the booth eating some typical, unidentifiable Thai sweet snack, which they offered me (and which I took). Then, somewhat to my surprise, the police officer in charge of the small detail wanted to sit in the shade and talk a bit. It turned out that they were traffic officers. He offered me another snack and asked me how I got out there. Well, here I am with no driver's license, on a moto from the guesthouse thinking, what should I say. So, I told him I came out on a moto, which surprised him. He told me to watch out because there were a lot of accidents on motos, etc. etc. I assured him I was careful, etc. etc. We sat there and ate snacks and talked about nothing for a while. His English was a lot better than my Thai, but eventually things wound down and I excused myself to see the temple. Nice guys.
Muang Tam Temple
Muang Tam, which, like Phnom Rung, has been restored, is a very unlike other Khymer sites. It has an outer enclosure with four gopura, entry towers, at north, south, east, and west. Inside the outer enclosure are four L-shaped ponds surrounding an inner enclosure. Within the inner enclosure are five brick towers, arranged in a front row of three and a back row of two. Also within the inner enclosure are two "libraries."
The ponds are a very attractive, defining feature of the temple, adding to an air of serenity, though the site is quite close to modern dwellings. At the time of my visit there were, perhaps, five other people at the site, a nice contrast to the hordes at Angkor sites or even the lesser crowds I encountered that morning at Phnom Rung.
After leaving the temple I walked back across the street to look for some lunch. There's an ok outdoor restaurant with the usual Thai selections and, I believe, an English menu. In any event, ordering was no big deal. For B77 I had shrimp with mixed veg, rice, and bottled water. Somewhat amusingly, or alarmingly, depending on your perspective in this time of concerns about avian flu, were the number of chickens, along with a few ducks, that were running around the area. At one point a customer who went to the cashier to pick up some take out grabbed a chicken that was in his way and tossed it to the side.
To return to Nang Rong from Muang Tam, one could retrace the way to Phnom Rung and then along Highways 2221 and 2117 to 24, or take Highway 2075 west to Lahan Sai and then Highway 348 north to Nang Rong at the 24/348 junction. I decided to take the brute force approach of retracing my steps, which I thought might also allow me to better understand the back gates to Phnom Rung. It was a pleasant, straightforward ride.
I had plenty of gas and decided to wait until I got to Nang Rong proper before filling it up. Once off Highway 2221 and heading north on Highway 2117 traffic came to a standstill as some sort of village celebration in a parade of pickup trucks came south with people waving and singing. The nice thing about riding a moto is that you can take your time and just stop and enjoy the scene.
Back on Highway 24 and in Nang Rong I pulled into a gas station. Once again, as in Lao, it was full service with two attendants helping me. I checked the gas and found, to my surprise, that I didn't really need any. Though the gauge showed about 2/3 full, it seemed about 3/4 full, plenty in that heat. So, once again, I guess the gas gauge was broken. I decided to tell Mrs Phanna, the guesthouse manager, and offer to settle up when I paid my bill. I got back to the guesthouse in about one hour from Muang Tam.
By the time I got back, I wasn't ready to hop on another bus to Khorat/Phimai, so I decided to stay another night in Nang Rong.
That night the expat Canadian and German guys and I were joined at dinner by a middle aged French couple as well as a German girl and her companion. Once again the dinner was great, especially for B100, with 4 or 5 courses.
After dinner the plan was to walk up to the 7/11 on the main road for some ice cream with the Canadian and German guys. After a while, including checking email at the local LAN gaming/cheap high speed Internet place, I ended up back at the guesthouse, helped myself to some beer from the refrigerator, read for a while, and zonked out.
So ends the tale of traveling to see the less visited Khymer temples in Laos and Thailand. I didn't make it to Phimai on this trip, which was a major omission. The rest of the trip was travel to Siem Reap overland, then to Snookyville by way of Phnom Penh; by boat, truck, and minibus to Trat; and bus to Bangkok. I'll cover those segments separately.
technorati tags: travel | thailand |
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Thailand tightens visa rules for US long term "tourists"
Thailand tightens visa rules for tourists to cut illegal workers - Forbes.com: "From October [2006], tourists from the designated countries [41 countries including Australia, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the US],can still enter Thailand without visas and stay for up to 30 days, but their entry stamps will be renewable twice at most for a maximum stay of 90 days.
Tourists who stayed for 90 days must leave the kingdom for at least 90 days before being permitted to re-enter Thailand..."
Doesn't affect me, but lots of long term expats will have a big problem.
Tourists who stayed for 90 days must leave the kingdom for at least 90 days before being permitted to re-enter Thailand..."
Doesn't affect me, but lots of long term expats will have a big problem.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Crack the case and upgrade a laptop to 802.11 abg
How to upgrade a laptop to 802.11 abg for $30 by ZDNet's George Ou -- Learn how to upgrade your laptop internal wireless adapter to support 802.11 b/g and 802.11a for $30. No need for expensive and bulky Cardbus adapters that ruin the form of your laptop. Follow this step-by-step guide to install your own Intel2915ABG 802.11 a/b/g adapter."
One problem is that IBM apparently blocks use of non-IBM cards. The article gives a software workaround.Saturday, August 26, 2006
Thai Lao Border Crossings Added
The usual not quite informative announcement about additional ways to cross between Thailand and Lao:
MCOT : TNA English News :: "LAOS, Aug 26 (TNA) - Thailand and ... (Lao PDR) have agreed ... to upgrade a temporary border crossing point in Thailand's northern Uttaradit Province to permanent status, as well as to open two temporary border points in the country's northeastern region a bid to boost blateral tourism.
...
Under the agreement, both sides will upgrade the temporary border crossing in Uttaradit's Baan Kok District to permanent status.
Two more border crossing points in the northeastern provinces of Nakhon Phanom and Amnat Charoen will also be opened."
What's needed are details about:
technorati tags: travel | thailand | laos
MCOT : TNA English News :: "LAOS, Aug 26 (TNA) - Thailand and ... (Lao PDR) have agreed ... to upgrade a temporary border crossing point in Thailand's northern Uttaradit Province to permanent status, as well as to open two temporary border points in the country's northeastern region a bid to boost blateral tourism.
...
Under the agreement, both sides will upgrade the temporary border crossing in Uttaradit's Baan Kok District to permanent status.
Two more border crossing points in the northeastern provinces of Nakhon Phanom and Amnat Charoen will also be opened."
What's needed are details about:
- the exact places one might cross
- whether Lao visa on arrival will be available for non-Thai.
technorati tags: travel | thailand | laos
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
A9 Search Hosed?
For about the last 20 hours (?), search using A9 yields a nice diagnostic message like this:
We'll see if submitting feedback does any good (or if it's just me). For now, back to Google.
Edited to add: ok, now back to normal.
Did you mean: language "quote quote quote quote" a9 searchThere are no web results for this query.
We'll see if submitting feedback does any good (or if it's just me). For now, back to Google.
Edited to add: ok, now back to normal.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Pre-Pasted Disposable Toothbrushes
Here's a dentist oriented site with prepasted toothbrushes.
Figure $.15/each including shipping and tax. Minimum lot is 144, though.
Figure $.15/each including shipping and tax. Minimum lot is 144, though.
Sri Lanka Airport Transport (Transfer)
Airport transport between the CMB airport to Colombo can be arranged in advance to try to avoid the arrival area chaos.
Airport Express (PVT) LTD.
+94 11 555-5050 or 011 555-5050 in Sri Lanka
R2000/per person, one way, (though this should be verified).
(Skype call to SL is US.148/minute)
This recommendation is based on a ride from Colombo to CMD in Nov 03. Service availablility and rate checked by phone Aug 06.
technorati tags: travel | Sri Lanka
Airport Express (PVT) LTD.
+94 11 555-5050 or 011 555-5050 in Sri Lanka
R2000/per person, one way, (though this should be verified).
(Skype call to SL is US.148/minute)
This recommendation is based on a ride from Colombo to CMD in Nov 03. Service availablility and rate checked by phone Aug 06.
technorati tags: travel | Sri Lanka
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Vietnam Telecomm Investment in Cambodia
A report titled A new way of development of Vietnamese telecom enterprises discusses Vietnamese investment in telecomm in Cambodia:
"The military-run telecom corporation, Viettel, is applying to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for a licence to invest US $1 million in a project in Cambodia. If approved, this will be the first project invested abroad in the telecom service field by a domestic company, opening a new way of development for Vietnamese telecom businesses. ...
Viettel plans to provide VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) telephone services throughout Cambodia. To begin with, in April, Viettel established Viettel Cambodia Pte Ltd headquartered in Phnom Penh to seek the Cambodia telecom market.
Viettel also plans to supply mobile phone and internet services in Cambodia and Laos and co-ordinated with Cambodian partners to install two international on-land optic cable networks to Cambodia."
It would be interesting to know the routes of the fiber optic cable and whether it will be installed in trenches or aerially on power poles and transmission towers.
technorati tags: cambodia | vietnam
"The military-run telecom corporation, Viettel, is applying to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for a licence to invest US $1 million in a project in Cambodia. If approved, this will be the first project invested abroad in the telecom service field by a domestic company, opening a new way of development for Vietnamese telecom businesses. ...
Viettel plans to provide VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) telephone services throughout Cambodia. To begin with, in April, Viettel established Viettel Cambodia Pte Ltd headquartered in Phnom Penh to seek the Cambodia telecom market.
Viettel also plans to supply mobile phone and internet services in Cambodia and Laos and co-ordinated with Cambodian partners to install two international on-land optic cable networks to Cambodia."
It would be interesting to know the routes of the fiber optic cable and whether it will be installed in trenches or aerially on power poles and transmission towers.
technorati tags: cambodia | vietnam
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Extreme Sports Camcorder with Wireless Lens -- Samsung SC-X210WL
Samsung has annnounced a hands free camcorder with an outboard, wireless lens, the: SC-X210WL/XAA: "sports camcorder with wireless lens
Here's the feature set:
--ultra-compact camcorder
--wireless weather resistant external clip-on auxiliary lens for hands-free operation up to 15 feet away from base
--1GB of built-in memory lets you record up to 34 minutes of high quality MPEG4 --SD/MMC slot
--2' LCD screen
--10x optical/100x digital zoom,
--680K pixel CCD
--electronic image stabilization
--MP3/webcam/voice recorder/data storage.
Available in September, 2006 for US$680. Samsung hosts a site to view and post videos.
Here's the feature set:
--ultra-compact camcorder
--wireless weather resistant external clip-on auxiliary lens for hands-free operation up to 15 feet away from base
--1GB of built-in memory lets you record up to 34 minutes of high quality MPEG4 --SD/MMC slot
--2' LCD screen
--10x optical/100x digital zoom,
--680K pixel CCD
--electronic image stabilization
--MP3/webcam/voice recorder/data storage.
Available in September, 2006 for US$680. Samsung hosts a site to view and post videos.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Vietnam Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)
"Liquid" in the Flyertalk forums reports FYI - Location of Vietnamese Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar: "...the Embassy of Vietnam in Yangon, Myanmar has moved. The address is:
70-72 Thanlwin Road
Bahan Township
Yangon, Myanmar
Tel: 511305"
Current as of July, 2006.
technorati tags: travel | vietnam | myanmar | burma
70-72 Thanlwin Road
Bahan Township
Yangon, Myanmar
Tel: 511305"
Current as of July, 2006.
technorati tags: travel | vietnam | myanmar | burma
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Second Thai-Lao bridge to be opened in December, 2006
The People's Daily reports, from a Xinhua source: People's Daily Online -- Second Thai-Lao bridge to be opened in December:
"The second bridge linking Thailand and Laos across the Mekong River will be opened in December, Laos' Radio Vientiane announced on Friday.
Construction on the bridge, linking Mukdaharn province in northeastern Thailand to Laos' southern province Suvannakhet, began in December 2003, and will be completed by this December, the radio reported.
The project, which costs about 69 million U.S. dollars, was partly financed by the Japanese government and half by the Lao government.
It will be the second bridge to link Thailand and Laos across the Mekong River, which is the common border of the two countries.
The first Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge was completed with Australian assistance in the early 1990s, linking the Lao capital Vientiane with Nong Khai province in northeastern Thailand."
technorati tags: thailand | laos
"The second bridge linking Thailand and Laos across the Mekong River will be opened in December, Laos' Radio Vientiane announced on Friday.
Construction on the bridge, linking Mukdaharn province in northeastern Thailand to Laos' southern province Suvannakhet, began in December 2003, and will be completed by this December, the radio reported.
The project, which costs about 69 million U.S. dollars, was partly financed by the Japanese government and half by the Lao government.
It will be the second bridge to link Thailand and Laos across the Mekong River, which is the common border of the two countries.
The first Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge was completed with Australian assistance in the early 1990s, linking the Lao capital Vientiane with Nong Khai province in northeastern Thailand."
technorati tags: thailand | laos
Friday, June 30, 2006
Quy Nhon, Vietnam - Vientiane/Pakxe, Laos Direct Bus
Nhan Dan-Travel reports 30 June 06: "The Binh Dinh [Vietnam] Trade and Transportation Joint- Stock Company (VATACO) will open a 600 kilometre-long bus route from Binh Dinh province to Pakse of Laos on July 4.
update: Buses will depart from Quy Nhon city in Binh Dinh province every Monday and Thursday and from Pakse city in Champassak province every Wednesday and Saturday.
They go through Pleiku city (Gia Lai province), Kontum province, Bo Y border gate, and Lao provinces of Attapu, Sekong and Champasak. It takes 12 hours and the fare costs US $16 (160,000 KIP).
...
Besides, the Ministry of Transport and Communications has also allowed the Quy Nhon-Vientiane 1,300 kilometre-long bus route to start operation. There will be eight trips a month at the one way fare of VND 390, 000 for one person.
The bus routes target 1,500 people, who are working in Laos and 500 Laotian students in Quy Nhon. ..."
technorati tags: laos | vietnam | travel
update: Buses will depart from Quy Nhon city in Binh Dinh province every Monday and Thursday and from Pakse city in Champassak province every Wednesday and Saturday.
They go through Pleiku city (Gia Lai province), Kontum province, Bo Y border gate, and Lao provinces of Attapu, Sekong and Champasak. It takes 12 hours and the fare costs US $16 (160,000 KIP).
...
Besides, the Ministry of Transport and Communications has also allowed the Quy Nhon-Vientiane 1,300 kilometre-long bus route to start operation. There will be eight trips a month at the one way fare of VND 390, 000 for one person.
The bus routes target 1,500 people, who are working in Laos and 500 Laotian students in Quy Nhon. ..."
technorati tags: laos | vietnam | travel
Schedule & Fares for China-Tibet Rail Link
China Daily reports 27 June 06:
"...fares and schedules for the Qinghai-Tibet Railway were unveiled yesterday the service begins on July 1 and it will take 48 hours and a minimum of 389 yuan (US$49) by hard seat to get to Lhasa from Beijing.
A hard sleeper (bottom berth) will cost 813 yuan (US$102), and a soft sleeper (bottom berth) 1,262 yuan (US$158). The most expensive ticket is priced at about half the fare of an air ticket, 2,540 yuan (US$318).
Trains will run between Lhasa and cities in three directions Beijing, Chengdu/Chongqing and Xining/Lanzhou...
The train from Beijing to Lhasa, T27, will leave Beijing's Western Railway Station at 9:30 pm, and arrive in Lhasa at 8:58 pm on the third day, taking 47 hours and 28 minutes.
The train from Lhasa to Beijing, T28, will leave at 8 am and arrive at 8 am of the third day, taking exactly 48 hours.
The ministry did not say whether trains would run daily.
The trains will stop at six stations: Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province, Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, Lanzhou in Gansu Province, Xining and Golmud in Qinghai Province and Nagqu in Tibet Autonomous Region.
Passengers can get on the train at any of the six cities along the 4,064-kilometre rail line of which 1,110 kilometres is new track, mostly at least 4,000 metres above sea level.
Trains will also link Lhasa to Chongqing and Chengdu in Southwest China; and Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province; and Xining in Qinghai Province in Northwest China."
technorati tags: travel | china | tibet
"...fares and schedules for the Qinghai-Tibet Railway were unveiled yesterday the service begins on July 1 and it will take 48 hours and a minimum of 389 yuan (US$49) by hard seat to get to Lhasa from Beijing.
A hard sleeper (bottom berth) will cost 813 yuan (US$102), and a soft sleeper (bottom berth) 1,262 yuan (US$158). The most expensive ticket is priced at about half the fare of an air ticket, 2,540 yuan (US$318).
Trains will run between Lhasa and cities in three directions Beijing, Chengdu/Chongqing and Xining/Lanzhou...
The train from Beijing to Lhasa, T27, will leave Beijing's Western Railway Station at 9:30 pm, and arrive in Lhasa at 8:58 pm on the third day, taking 47 hours and 28 minutes.
The train from Lhasa to Beijing, T28, will leave at 8 am and arrive at 8 am of the third day, taking exactly 48 hours.
The ministry did not say whether trains would run daily.
The trains will stop at six stations: Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province, Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, Lanzhou in Gansu Province, Xining and Golmud in Qinghai Province and Nagqu in Tibet Autonomous Region.
Passengers can get on the train at any of the six cities along the 4,064-kilometre rail line of which 1,110 kilometres is new track, mostly at least 4,000 metres above sea level.
Trains will also link Lhasa to Chongqing and Chengdu in Southwest China; and Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province; and Xining in Qinghai Province in Northwest China."
technorati tags: travel | china | tibet
Vietnam, Cambodia sign agreement on Highway 78
Viet Nam News reports 29 June 06: "Viet Nam and Cambodia agreed to working conditions for the construction of a section of Highway 78 from Ban Lung to O Yadav in the Ratanakiri Province of Cambodia...
The two sides worked on the upgrade of Highway 78 and on the construction of Long Binh-Chrey Thom bridge, which will link Viet Nam’s southern An Giang province with Cambodia’s Kandal province.
Discussions also focused on the implementation of the Agreement on Land Transport signed by the two governments in October 2005, including opening four border gates to traffic between the two countries."
technorati tags: cambodia | vietnam
The two sides worked on the upgrade of Highway 78 and on the construction of Long Binh-Chrey Thom bridge, which will link Viet Nam’s southern An Giang province with Cambodia’s Kandal province.
Discussions also focused on the implementation of the Agreement on Land Transport signed by the two governments in October 2005, including opening four border gates to traffic between the two countries."
technorati tags: cambodia | vietnam
Lao Airlines Adds Flights to Cambodia
People's Daily Online reports 29 June 06:
Lao Airlines...will offer two additional flights per week starting in October from Phnom Penh via Pakse, Laos, to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. [The] company plans to fly daily from Siem Reap via Pakse to Vientiane.
Laos Airline previously flew three times a week from Vientiane to Siem Reap during the dry season. The airline started flights to Cambodia in 2001.
...
Cambodia's tourism industry developed rapidly in recent years. In 1999, Cambodia welcomed 367,734 tourists, but the number rose to 1,421,000 in 2005. Tourist arrivals have increased by 286.41 percent.
Source: Xinhua
technorati tags: travel | cambodia | laos
Lao Airlines...will offer two additional flights per week starting in October from Phnom Penh via Pakse, Laos, to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. [The] company plans to fly daily from Siem Reap via Pakse to Vientiane.
Laos Airline previously flew three times a week from Vientiane to Siem Reap during the dry season. The airline started flights to Cambodia in 2001.
...
Cambodia's tourism industry developed rapidly in recent years. In 1999, Cambodia welcomed 367,734 tourists, but the number rose to 1,421,000 in 2005. Tourist arrivals have increased by 286.41 percent.
Source: Xinhua
technorati tags: travel | cambodia | laos
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Attopeu, Laos -- Bo Y, Vietnam Road Completed
Nhan Dan ---Business reports 6 June 06: "Road 18B from Laos' southern Attopeu city to the Vietnam-Laos border, built at a cost of US $48 million in soft loans provided by the Vietnamese Government to the Lao Government, was inaugurated on June 5.
At the inaugural ceremony held in Attopeu city of the Lao southern province of the same name, the 111km-long road linking Attopeu city and Bo Y border gate in the Vietnamese province of Kon Tum was handed over to Laos and opened to traffic by the project contractor, the Vietnamese Construction Joint Venture Corporation 18 (CEI-18).
The construction of the project, including three major bridges and 16 small and medium bridges, began in December 2001 and was completed on April 15, 2006."
technorati tags: travel | laos | vietnam
At the inaugural ceremony held in Attopeu city of the Lao southern province of the same name, the 111km-long road linking Attopeu city and Bo Y border gate in the Vietnamese province of Kon Tum was handed over to Laos and opened to traffic by the project contractor, the Vietnamese Construction Joint Venture Corporation 18 (CEI-18).
The construction of the project, including three major bridges and 16 small and medium bridges, began in December 2001 and was completed on April 15, 2006."
technorati tags: travel | laos | vietnam
Cambodia Rebuilding Sihanoukville and Kratie Airports
The Standard - China's Business Newspaper reports 13 June 06:
"Cambodia has approved plans for an international airport in the coastal city of Sihanoukville, hoping that rebuilding the facility will boost tourism.
Soy Sokhan, an undersecretary of state for civil aviation, said a rebuilt airport would be able to take direct flights from neighboring countries, allowing visitors to head for the country's beaches and have a quick link to the Angkor temple town of Siem Reap.
Like many of Cambodia's smaller airports that were once part of an extensive domestic network, the facility in Sihanoukville, 230 kilometers southwest of Phnom Penh, is closed.
The government hopes to reopen it to domestic flights by the end of the year and later introduce international routes, said Soy Sokhan.
There are also plans to reopen the airport in the northeastern town of Kratie, near a stretch of the Mekong river home to endangered Irrawaddy dolphins that Cambodia hopes to preserve as a tourist attraction."
"Cambodia has approved plans for an international airport in the coastal city of Sihanoukville, hoping that rebuilding the facility will boost tourism.
Soy Sokhan, an undersecretary of state for civil aviation, said a rebuilt airport would be able to take direct flights from neighboring countries, allowing visitors to head for the country's beaches and have a quick link to the Angkor temple town of Siem Reap.
Like many of Cambodia's smaller airports that were once part of an extensive domestic network, the facility in Sihanoukville, 230 kilometers southwest of Phnom Penh, is closed.
The government hopes to reopen it to domestic flights by the end of the year and later introduce international routes, said Soy Sokhan.
There are also plans to reopen the airport in the northeastern town of Kratie, near a stretch of the Mekong river home to endangered Irrawaddy dolphins that Cambodia hopes to preserve as a tourist attraction."
Southeast Asia Road and Rail Construction
Xinhua - English reports 10 June 2006: "China, the Laos and Thailand have agreed to build a 1,818 km international highway which will start from Kunming, capital of Yunnan, and end at Bangkok of Thailand.
And construction has completed on 60 percent of this international highway's Chinese section that starts from Kunming and stops at Mohan, an important trade port on the Sino-Laotian border. The remainder of the section will be finished by late 2007.
The Chinese parts of two more highways connecting Kunming to Hanoi of Vietnam and to Yangon of Myanmar will be finished by late 2007 and will be upgraded to freeways in 2010.
[Pan Pearl River Delta Region] PPRDR highway network can be expanded into ASEAN via the three main international highways: the Sino-Myanmar highway (Yangon-Mandalay-Kunming), the Thailand-the Laos-China highway, and the Sino-Vietnamese highway (Hai Phone-Hanoi-Kunming), according to Xu Rongkai, governor of Yunnan.
In the meantime, China is also stepping up construction of a railway scheme that link up China and ASEAN via Yunnan.
A feasibility study has completed for construction of the China section of the proposed Pan-Asian Railway that will run from Singapore, through Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar before reaching China's Yunnan Province.
The new 340-km railway section will connect Dali, a well-known scenic site in Yunnan Province, southwest China, to Ruili, another Yunnan town on the Sino-Myanmar border.
The feasibility study calls for a construction budget for Dali-Ruili railway section of 10 billion yuan (about 1.23 billion U.S. dollars), said Bai Enpei, secretary of Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China. He said construction work on the section could begin soon.
The proposed 2,600 km-long Pan-Asian Railway will start in Singapore, pass through Kuala Lumpua in Malaysia, Thailand's capital Bangkok, Yangon in Myanmar, and terminate in Kunming, capital of Yunnan.
Highways linking up Nanning, capital of Guangxi, Yunnan's close neighbor, to Guangxi's land border ports and seaports with Vietnam have also been under swift construction."
Presumably the Lao portions of the links would have to be sponsored from a foreign donor.
And construction has completed on 60 percent of this international highway's Chinese section that starts from Kunming and stops at Mohan, an important trade port on the Sino-Laotian border. The remainder of the section will be finished by late 2007.
The Chinese parts of two more highways connecting Kunming to Hanoi of Vietnam and to Yangon of Myanmar will be finished by late 2007 and will be upgraded to freeways in 2010.
[Pan Pearl River Delta Region] PPRDR highway network can be expanded into ASEAN via the three main international highways: the Sino-Myanmar highway (Yangon-Mandalay-Kunming), the Thailand-the Laos-China highway, and the Sino-Vietnamese highway (Hai Phone-Hanoi-Kunming), according to Xu Rongkai, governor of Yunnan.
In the meantime, China is also stepping up construction of a railway scheme that link up China and ASEAN via Yunnan.
A feasibility study has completed for construction of the China section of the proposed Pan-Asian Railway that will run from Singapore, through Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar before reaching China's Yunnan Province.
The new 340-km railway section will connect Dali, a well-known scenic site in Yunnan Province, southwest China, to Ruili, another Yunnan town on the Sino-Myanmar border.
The feasibility study calls for a construction budget for Dali-Ruili railway section of 10 billion yuan (about 1.23 billion U.S. dollars), said Bai Enpei, secretary of Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China. He said construction work on the section could begin soon.
The proposed 2,600 km-long Pan-Asian Railway will start in Singapore, pass through Kuala Lumpua in Malaysia, Thailand's capital Bangkok, Yangon in Myanmar, and terminate in Kunming, capital of Yunnan.
Highways linking up Nanning, capital of Guangxi, Yunnan's close neighbor, to Guangxi's land border ports and seaports with Vietnam have also been under swift construction."
Presumably the Lao portions of the links would have to be sponsored from a foreign donor.
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