Suggestions '08
From Macska Travel Co.
Hi Matt and Katt,
We saw a reference you had made about getting a visa for Russia. You used an on-line visa service. Did it work out okay? We are planning a trip there in May/June 08.
We spent 7 months in Europe in 2006/07 and have travelled to Thailand often so we can make a few suggestions there if you have any specific queries (and we've of course been to Oz). Which brings us to the big question...if you're thinking of going to Tasmania, why wouldn't you take a slightly bigger step and visit New Zealand??? It's a beautiful place (unbiased as we are...).
Best regards, Mike, Jo(anna)and Alysia(12) Auckland, NZ
Hi Mike, Joanna, and Alysia!
Thank you for the comment! We only just found it this evening or else we would have responded sooner. It's very nice to hear that our wiki is being of some use to fellow travelers. :)
As regards Russian visas: We used an online service to get our visa support, but went through the Russian embassy ourselves to obtain the actual visas. Arranging the visa support was fairly straightforward through Way to Russia. We paid $30.00 per person for standard processing of a 30-day tourist invitation. For an additional $15, the paper-pushing could be expedited. (After just checking with the website, we can confirm these prices are still current). Though their website claims next day delivery of the documentation, ours arrived after 3 days. We were operating far enough in advance from our departure that this wasn't a real concern, but on a tighter schedule the delay could have been pretty exasperating, not to mention costly. Once we had our visa support in place, applying for visas through the embassy directly was a bit more effort, but it saved us the middleman-markup of going through a tourist agency.
Your comment has inspired us to go back and finally add more information on our post-travel thoughts and revisions for Russia. Just a couple main points that come to mind.
- We were concerned about the hassles of visa registration and police interaction after reading stories of bribe-passing and tourist-targeting. We faithfully kept up with all of our paperwork, but in the end we were never stopped by police nor were our registration documents examined, even when passing through the border to Finland. Though this is just our experience, let it be a favorable story to offset some of the more worrisome ones.
- If you are planning on taking trains and don't mind a bit less space, we would highly recommend taking the third class open-cart. We had trepidations on traveling in third class, imagining a cold, wooden bench for a bed, but the accommodation seemed just fine and there were many more Russians to interact with. Not only would this save money, but perhaps provide a richer experience as well.
We'd certainly appreciate some advice with a few things on Thailand. It will be our first trip and (unfortunately) we will be under fairly tight time constraints. Likely there will only be time to see Bangkok and one other locale, preferably a nice beach with easy access to Pad Thai and cold drinks. We've gotten a vague recommendation for the island Koh Tao, but not a lot to go on besides. Also, are there any scams or shady areas of Bangkok to be wary of?
We would both love to go to New Zealand, but feel it would deserve more time than we have available for this year's trip. (Matt actually has visited once upon a time in his long days past of youthful orchestra touring). It will be a wonderful trip to look forward to when we can do it justice.
Best and take care,
Matt and Kat
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15 April 2008
Dear Matt and Kat,
We were very happy to see you had replied to our message. Thanks so much. We’ve never ‘crashed’ someone’s site like this before, so didn’t know if we’d get a reply.
We really appreciate your comments. Now all we have to do is work out how to do the ‘registration’ thing once we get to Moscow (within 72 hours apparently). As we are not staying in a hotel – we prefer to stay with local families – this appears to be a bit of a challenge. All part of the adventure we know, but as we travel with Alysia, who is 12, we try and get as much organised as we can prior to leaving (and we must take the opportunity of commenting on the fantastic preparations/itinerary you do before you go!!). Any clues you can give us about registration, if you have any, would be great.
As for Thailand…we have been about 7 or 8 times now, so have got to know it quite well. Bangkok is fantastic, and well geared for tourists and adventurers alike. To be honest we prefer to travel off the main tourist routes, but if you prefer the backpack/student traveller set, and the cheaper accommodation/bars/restaurants that come with it, stay around Khao San Road. It’s always worth a visit in the evening whether you stay there or not.
For what its worth, we normally stay around Silom Road, as we like the area and enjoy visiting the Patpong night market (but a word of warning, this market is right in the heart of the red light/go-go district, so you see some interesting sights).
The must-do’s you will find on any internet site, and they are all worth a visit: Grand Palace, Wat Pho (reclining buddha), Jim Thompson House, Chatuchak Market (weekend only – take the subway, not the Skytrain), Wat Arun etc.
But we would also recommend: Having a massage at the Traditional Massage School at Wat Pho (family friendly,clothes on) Attending a cooking school for a couple of hours’ lesson (eg. Baipai Thai Cooking School or similar) We usually do a fun ‘transport loop’ while we’re there. We jump on the subway at Silom, get off at Phetchaburi , walk 100 metres to a klong (canal) taxi heading west – which incidentally goes past Jim Thompson house - get off at its final stop near Democracy Monument, grab a tuk-tuk to the Chao Phraya River, take the public river bus south to the end of Silom, and join the Skytrain (BTS) back to where we started. Take a long-tail boat trip down the Khlongs (negotiate very hard, and stick to your price) Visit the flower market in Chinatown early in the morning (and Chinatown proper) Taking a taxi is normally cheap and safe, and the meter charge is inexpensive (but can take forever depending on traffic). Even pretty cost efficient from the airport…but set the price first so you know what you’re up for. We eat from the street vendors, but be careful what you chose (eat early). Although all the food in Thailand is of course fantastic and not expensive– wherever you are (although I suspect they may have ‘europeanised’ the food around Khao San Road restauramnts a little). ALWAYS drink bottled water. The really interesting floating markets are about a 3 hour drive from Bangkok. There are small examples in Bangkok itself.
We wouldn’t recommend: Buying a suit (these guys really hassle) Going to a gem factory (ditto) Having an oil massage (tend to be sleazy – but there may be exceptions)
If you go to the night market, like Patpong, you will get hassled. Just smile and say no thanks. The price they offer is normally twice the going rate (or more), but I’m sure you are used to that.
How much time do you have?
It will influence our recommendation of what other place/beach to visit?
Hope this helps. A bit rushed, but maybe some wee gems included.
Very best regards, Mike, Jo and Alysia.
P.S. Alysia is cat mad. She’s cuddled every cat around Asia, the UK and Europe, much to our trepidation…
15 April 2008
Hi Mike, Jo, and Alysia!
Many thanks for the very detailed recommendations for Bangkok! You are obviously seasoned veterans. It hadn't even occurred to us to visit night markets or get a massage, but now these are a must. We especially like your transport routine (Kat enjoys making similar travel rituals) and will try to do it ourselves.
We'll only have about a week in Thailand, before having to move on to Cambodia. After a few days in Bangkok, that probably gives about 3 or 4 days for traveling to a nice beach and a enjoying a little leisure before heading off. The trip is already beginning to feel somewhat packed. We have a bad habit of getting infatuated with a place, doing a little research, and then quickly warming up to its neighbors. Travel ends up getting a bit rushed this way.
We remember what a headache it was to worry over registration. We perused various websites on the standard procedures, but it seemed that the relevant laws were changing at such a rapid pace that it was hard to take anything as a definitive source. After deciding to purchase our Visa support through Way to Russia, we focused on their registration recommendations (though these are certainly convoluted as well). Because you're staying with local families, this might apply to you and make the bureaucracy a little easier to handle. We stayed in hostels throughout our trip and got registration as a byproduct (even though various sources disagreed as to the legitmacy of getting registred from a hostel that didn't originally provide visa support). We were never stopped by police ourselves and we only observed others being questioned in two locations specifically (both in Moscow): inside the subway and around Red Square. As long as you can resist taking pictures in the Moscow subway (which can take some will power and is actually illegal) and are discreet in major tourist areas, hopefully things should be fine.
Where will you be going in Russia exactly? That is the country we traveled in most extensively last year, so we'd be happy to help with anything we can.
Best,
Matt and Kat
P.S. It is amazing that Alysia has seen so much of the world at 12!
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Hi Matt and Kat,
A quick note before things get completely crazy here before our departure on 24th May.
We're spending a week each in Moscow and St Petersburg. Thanks for the 'no photo' heads up in the Moscow subway. I'm sure we would have been clicking away furiously.
With a week in Thailand, I think it may be best to stick to a mainland beach like Pataya (very touristy) or Hua Hin (not quite so touristy) - both accessable by bus or rail, noting the latter (rail)is a bit of an experience. Hua Hin would be our pick. It would be tempting to get a cheap flight to an island like Krabi however, so do check it out. And check out the airfare to Hua Hin, sometimes you can get a bargain. If you fly to Phuket, please bear in mind the airport is a fair distance from the decent beaches. Try 'Som Tam' (papaya salad) somewhere. It's addictive - but you may need to ask for it 'not too hot'.
Had we mentioned we'll be back there again in November for a month? We're heading north to Chang Mai, then to Cambodia just like you guys. Then probably back to Krabi before heading home.
So our itinerary: Shanghai a week; Moscow a week; St Petersburg a week; a month in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania; a few weeks travelling from Vienna to Bucharest (via Danube and Transylvania); 5 weeks in Turkey; 3 weeks in the Greek Islands (Rhodes, Santorini, Paros etc); mainland Greece a week; London for a few days; Morocco for 2 weeks; Spain/Portugal for 3 weeks; then Thailand/Cambodia and home for Christmas.
As mentioned, we did something similar in 06/07, but focused on Western Europe & Poland, Czech Republic; Slovenia; Croatia (18 countries I think). It got pretty cold last time in France at Christmas so the girls are opting for a slightly warmer route this round.
Did we also read you were spending time in Locarno? Mike lived up there for a month back in 2002 and we all stopped by during our last trip. Make sure you check out the huge dam in the hills right behind Locarno. It's an incredible place for a bunghie jump...
Happy travelling you guys. Thanks again for replying to our Russian query. If you ever want to drop us an email please use: norton.clan@xtra.co.nz.
With best regards from 'down under', Mike, Jo and Alysia.
