Travelfish culture and politics READ THIS FIRST!
Somehow I just know I'm going to regret setting up this branch on the site -- though I'll be well pleased to be proved wrong! The Culture and Politics branch is for any discussion that, well, covers culture and politics and doesn't better fit into one of the other groups. If you're just having a rant, may I suggest Idle Banter as being perhaps more suitable. The region does have a facinating political and social mix to it and there's no shortage of matters for discussion. There's also no s ...
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Hello, I'm heading to Cambodia, Vietnam and Lous in December with 3 girls, 2 guys all around the age of 20. This will be my first time overseas and I'm very very excited! I'm a little concerned about acceptable dress. I understand as girls we'll need to dress conservatively but just how conservative? As I'm very fair I intend on wearing long sleeve light shirts alot. What is acceptable length for skirts/ shorts? - would just above the knee be okay? When swimming are bikinis okay? (not ...
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Are european values better than American?
Posted by sayadian on 22/10/2011 at 17:31In order to get off the Laos thread I'll start the ball rolling here by bringing up the American entertainment industry. America produces fine series like 'Boardwalk Empire' and 'The Wire' but why do they have to steal our history and our ideas? I'll give two examples. During WWII. H.M.S Bulldog captured the first Enigma coding machine from U110. Not according to Hollywood it was captured from U571 by an American ship. Surely America has enough history of gallantry without stealing ours. In ...
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Being called farang. Is it racist?
Posted by sayadian on 5/8/2009 at 20:45There's a discussion in todays Bangkok Post about the widespread use of the word farang in Thailand.I accept but dislike being referred to in this way.How do other people feel? Is it racist? Is it the equivalent of calling a black man 'a darkie?' The Chinese often call white people 'kwai loh' which is offensive. Is farang the same? ...
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Nauru - The once richtest country on earth ruined by bad politics
Posted by Johnny31 on 12/12/2015 at 13:14After gaining independence from the British in 1968, the smalles island country in the world suddenly had access to indeterminable riches: the large phosphate deposits in the soil of the island. Within a few years only, the country emerged to being the richest country on earth, measured on per capita income. And hardly anyone was actually working. The government, flooded with money, started paying for all its citizens' needs. There was free water, free electricity, free cinema tickets and at som ...
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I continued this one for Chinarocks. "You don't have speak some rubbish MADMAC. Your arguments are actually so wrong that it is hard to counter them because you are starting from such a crazy base. The Iraq war and 9/11 were both LEGAL - incredible stuff!!!" Slow down cowboy. I did not say 9/11 was legal. 9/11 was conducted by a non-state entitity. Only states have the legal right to engage in violence for political purposes. Technically speaking, all insurgencies and revolutions are ...
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An interesting article: Thai mores and sexpats
Posted by sayadian on 18/4/2013 at 02:19It writes about a lot more than sexpats. A lot of interesting data about the morals of Thais and other bits and pieces. Be interested to know what people think? Especially the guys who live there. IMO there is a lot of truth in this article. What do you think? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/9972174/The-Old-Sexpats-Club-members-and-their-young-Thai-women.html ...
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One of the many problems facing Thailand is the amount of stray dogs wandering the city streets.For the first time visitor,from the West,it must be upsetting to see these animals in such a state.I'm sure all of us have seen them,covered in sores,fleas,no hair etc-so what's the answer?I know there are a few homes for them but really the problem is just too great.Culling is probably the way to go and I think there may have been some talk about it a while back but it was taken no further.Anyone g ...
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Hi! I'm travelling to Laos and Cambodia in a couple of weeks and would like to listen and maybe even learn some popular local songs to get to the mood and learn the language better. I've found some on Youtube, but would like to hear suggestions from people who actually live there or have been there, so if you could help me, I'd be grateful! ...
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Do the neo-colonists change a country for the worse
Posted by sayadian on 7/10/2012 at 03:22I've noticed that many barang run businesses in Cambodia have brought higher prices and worse of all their European/N.American attitudes. For example a Khmer business thinks nothing of a food seller peddling his/her wares in their restaurant, similarly they are happy for you to use their bathroom without buying anything.Now I see signs in Sihanoukville prohibiting the latter and have seen vendors 'thrown' out of Western run businesses. The locals are happy for you to sit all day nursing one dr ...
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North Korea as a tourist destination
Posted by sayadian on 30/12/2011 at 06:26With a new sucession announced it doesn't look like North Korea will be suddenly openning its doors to backpackers. Has anybody had a hankering for exploring this 'Socialist paradise'? ...
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/jul/30/pussy-riot-trial-vladimir-putin Could this lead to Putin's premature ejeculation? ...
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desige a 3 weeks trip Malasyia, Singapor, Thailand
Posted by Lau_lau on 22/6/2012 at 07:21Me & my husband are planing to go for the first time to visit Malasyia, Singapor & Thailand.. We have already bought our airline ticket and we will arrive to Kuala Lumpur at 31 of August 2012. Our departing fly home is 22 of August So, our trip will start and will and at KL. We think to organise our staying like this: 1. Kuala Lumpur - 4 nights 2. Penang  & Langkawi - 3 nights 3. Melacca - one night 4. Singapore - 2 nights fly to Bangkok 5. Bangkok - 2 nights/ three days fly t ...
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adultorous woman's execution cheered by afghan men
Posted by sayadian on 8/7/2012 at 19:47http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/9384963/22-year-old-accused-of-adultery-executed-in-Afghanistan.html Got angry when I read this. Can't believe young Brit (and American) lads are dying out there. For what? Nothing has changed. These people are savages. ...
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Prominent environmentalist shot by military in Koh Kong
Posted by sayadian on 28/4/2012 at 11:14http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012042655803/National-news/environmental-activist-chut-wutty-shot-dead.html This one will take a lot of explaining,this guy has been instrumental in exposing military involvement in illegal logging' The quote below comes from the article and is mind-boggling!! What was he driving an armoured car! 'He alleged that In Rattana threatened to shoot a defiant Chut Wutty and opened fire with an AK-47 when he attempted to drive his car away, but was also killed ...
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I didn't realize that bomb making...
Posted by MADMAC on 13/7/2011 at 00:26... was part of the Islamic school curiculum. http://news.yahoo.com/explosion-islamic-school-indonesia-kills-1-071943390.html ...
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Coming back on the Sorya bus 1.10 p.m. on Saturday the bus suddenly hurled to the left and then back onto the right side.Three boys on a motorbike had just pulled off the dirt at the side of the road diagonally and straight into the path of the bus.The driver completely lost his cool and pulling to the side of the moving motor began a long and very rude invective aimed at them.One of them must have said something back as he told the conductor to fetch an ugly, long iron bar.It was clearly the in ...
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Respecting local sensibilities. why should i when they have no respect for me.
Posted by sayadian on 2/1/2012 at 20:22went in to buy a very ordinary plug for my pc.The girl didn't even look at the old part which I held out for her to examine.Just kept on chatting to her colleaues ( small shop but there were 4 of the lazy cows working there) didn't even look at me.Just said curtely. 'we don' have.' How do you know if you haven't looked.' I replied She totally ignored me. This isn't the forst time this has hapenned. I believe it's endemic in Cambodia. Went into the Post Office, 6 of them sitting there doing the ...
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Risk for woman abuse (VN) when to interfere???
Posted by asia4life on 6/12/2011 at 22:01A few days ago the following happened in Hanoi, and I honestly do not know if our action helped the women or did it make it all worse? As background I had been reading the Vietnam Views Opinion site, and their next weeks question regarding women abuses (mostly inside marriage). Later same evening we were going home, buy some of the narrow streets, it was dark, but not late, around 6-7pm. In one of the darke spot in the narrow lane, we see a young man and women having an argue, or are they fight ...
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Tired of South-East Asia? try this.
Posted by sayadian on 29/10/2011 at 11:42Didn't know which section to put this but I felt, as someone who comes from Wales, that it should be seen by more people. Wales, the only country in the world that you can walk unimpeded around its own borders including an incredibly beautiful coastline. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/10/28/welcome-to-wales-coastline-the-greatest-region-on-earth-in-2012-91466-29675500/ ...
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