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Magpie Girl said:
That's a terribly sad and horrific account of the situation there MM, beyond my imagination really
And a nightmare for you

Words are inadequate but, for what's it's worth, I'm thinking of you
Stay safe
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Thanks MG. Much appreciated. Your holiday lifestyle floating around the beauty spots and natural gems of Italy is certainly enviable! When are you off next?
 
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speedytiger said:
Just got back. Philippines was amazing, easily the best people i have ever met. Some brilliant beaches that have hardly been touched. We did a few islands, snorkling, wedding and other adventures but the key thing i remember is the smiley faces.

We were in Hawaii last year, i'll put on the memory cap and try to give you some tips
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Where did you go? I spent a year traveling the Philippines in the 80's.
 
Manic Magpie said:
Where did you go? I spent a year traveling the Philippines in the 80's.
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Stayed in manila (makati and fort bonifacio) and bohol mainly with day trips to other islands. Most of the crew did Cebu and Boracay but i had to get back to work. I am now trying everything i can to get back. Never have i felt so welcome anywhere in my life
 

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I have learned one very important lesson. Travellers' cheques are not what they were. American Express cannot refund cheques in Thailand because they have no office here. The woman who is investigating (she calls it verifying) me is in India and the refund people are in Quezon City in the Philippines. The best they can do here is send 10% of the value of my cheques to a Western Union office where I lose 10% in exchange rate though AMEX graciously pay the fee. The refund of the cheques will not take place till I return to Australia. Unfortunately it took from Thursday till this morning for them to tell me this. In the meantime I got a friend in Australia to loan me $500 and send it to the account of my Thai friend's wife. She will tell me in about 15 mins if it has been deposited into my account. I have lived on the $147 loaned to me by the embassy for the last 5 days. I still have about $40 left so have hardly been living it up. Will let you know the verdict. I live in hope.

I now have a temporary passport. Good for one trip at a cost of $210. Got it at 3pm today.
 
Manic Magpie said:
I have learned one very important lesson. Travellers' cheques are not what they were. American Express cannot refund cheques in Thailand because they have no office here. The woman who is investigating (she calls it verifying) me is in India and the refund people are in Quezon City in the Philippines. The best they can do here is send 10% of the value of my cheques to a Western Union office where I lose 10% in exchange rate though AMEX graciously pay the fee. The refund of the cheques will not take place till I return to Australia. Unfortunately it took from Thursday till this morning for them to tell me this. In the meantime I got a friend in Australia to loan me $500 and send it to the account of my Thai friend's wife. She will tell me in about 15 mins if it has been deposited into my account. I have lived on the $147 loaned to me by the embassy for the last 5 days. I still have about $40 left so have hardly been living it up. Will let you know the verdict. I live in hope.

I now have a temporary passport. Good for one trip at a cost of $210. Got it at 3pm today.
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Do you have a debit card with you?
If so you can access your own bank acct in Aus
 
The credit card was with the passport and money. The debit card in Australia was used to pay for my accommodation here from Australia. I tried to transfer money from my NAB account to my friend's account here but was stalled when it came to the code - my mobile phone is here with me with a Thai sim card in. Next time I will also leave my Australian sim card with my neighbour. In any case, the money sent to my Thai friend's account is here and I am financial again!!!
 
I visited my friend in prison today. As I expected, the security camera was not functioning so there is no evidence of my theft. However, at my friend's urging, I made another attempt to seek medical assistance for him. I stood at the front gate waiting for someone in authority to speak with me, while the 4 guards manning the area between the 2 sets of doors had a bit of a laugh at my expense, as they left me in the sun for about 30 minutes.

Finally the same woman to whom I spoke last time appeared. She was a little more accommodating than last time, and I was all but falling over myself with politeness and gentle persuasion. Any display of anger or frustration would only adversely affect my friend's well-being. Finally, she called for the doctor and invited me into the office upstairs. The doctor actually had a fairly comprehensive history of his consultations with Oh (my friend's nickname), including his allergies to paracetamol and penicillin. It was obvious that the doctor had been unwilling to risk trying any antibiotic for fear that his allergy might extend beyond penicillin.

Tomorrow I am to tell Oh to seek out the doctor with his ID card, and wheels will be set in motion to admit him to hospital for tests. The female warden complemented me on my Thai skills and I on her English skills as I was leaving. Turns out her boyfriend is a soccer player from Cameroon. The doctor (read 'nurse') said it would take up to a month before Oh would be taken to hospital for xrays etc. I don't understand the reasons for the delay, but at least the news will give him some hope.

While I negotiated indoors in a foreign language, Oh's wife sat outside playing games on her phone. She only visits about once a month, but you'd think she'd show some interest in his health and welfare. When she spoke to him at the prison, she was berating him for not drinking enough cold water. Never mind that a small bottle of cold water costs about 60 cents inside and is hardly a cure for whatever is wrong with his throat. I am sure the only reason she still visits him about once a month is my financial assistance to the family. As he suspects, she almost certainly doesn't love him anymore, but I would never say anything that might confirm his suspicions. We are the only people who visit him. Being a prisoner in Thailand guarantees the lowest possible social status.

Tomorrow night just after midnight I will be on a plane back home. At least I can leave knowing that I accomplished something of worth, even if it has cost me dearly in money and anxiety. The days spent with little money and no passport in a foreign country were not my idea of fun. My advice to prospective travelers is not to put all your eggs in the same basket, cos if the basket gets snatched, you're left with no eggs at all, except the one on your face.
 
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You're a very special friend Manic Magpie
It must take enormous courage to enter that environment, and require a level of diplomacy way beyond what I'm sure you want to display.

Your friend is very fortunate to have you in his corner.
Have a safe flight home, and I hope you have success with the insurance company to recover your losses.
 
Magpie Girl said:
You're a very special friend Manic Magpie
It must take enormous courage to enter that environment, and require a level of diplomacy way beyond what I'm sure you want to display.

Your friend is very fortunate to have you in his corner.
Have a safe flight home, and I hope you have success with the insurance company to recover your losses.
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You do me more than justice Magpie Girl. I wish I was that good a person.

On a lighter note, the bird from my photo had two babies overnight. When I attempted to photograph it from close range feeding it's chicks, the flash scared it off. I have not dared approach it since it returned to the nest. There is a metaphor to be gleaned from the regeneration of life amidst an atmosphere of cruelty and despair. Unfortunately it is just a bit too deep for a bigfooty thread, unless it refers to the hope invested by Collingwood supporters in Jett Buckley. At the risk of becoming another THAT'SGOLD, a positive spin on life seems more appropriate in the circumstances.
 
16787894269_5ccd4d02d7_b.jpg


Got sent to Sydney last weekend to get some lifestyle shots. I got some landscapes on the side.
 

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TheGreatGrundy said:
That is a stunning photo Mars II. Looks like there is a layer of mist sitting on the sea. What time of did did you take the shot? There appear to be lights in windows in buildings on the hill.
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It was taken during the sunset. It looks misty because it was a 30 second exposure.
 
My Thai friend in jail is now in hospital. He has tuberculosis. He will be sent back to the prison again shortly despite being drained of energy and weight. It is difficult to believe he will receive the six months of medication considered the minimum period required to kill the infection. At least while he is in hospital he is able to see his wife. Also able to talk to me on the phone. There are no phones in prison. Contact visits have been stopped to prevent phones and drugs being smuggled in in body cavities.
 
TheGreatGrundy said:
My Thai friend in jail is now in hospital. He has tuberculosis. He will be sent back to the prison again shortly despite being drained of energy and weight. It is difficult to believe he will receive the six months of medication considered the minimum period required to kill the infection. At least while he is in hospital he is able to see his wife. Also able to talk to me on the phone. There are no phones in prison. Contact visits have been stopped to prevent phones and drugs being smuggled in in body cavities.
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That's really sad TGG, and horrible, and I'm sorry for you and your friend.
 
Just got back from Tasmania for my mums 60th. My wife and I ended up getting a night to ourselves so headed down to MONA (museum of old and new and old art) in the afternoon by boat.

Not sure if anyone else has been there from here, I imagine a few may have because it is quiet popular but I'm really interested to hear people's views because I was told by many that it was absolutely fantastic.

Sadly I didn't find it fantastic at all. I thought the architecture and location was fantastic but the so called art I found plain ridiculous. I wasn't offended by it, only a couple of things like a couple of bits of paper with words written that didn't make sense but contained many F and C words. I don't see how something that can be so offensive written on a wall in public all of a sudden becomes art because it's in a museum.

I'm the first to admit I don't get art, but MONA takes that to a new level.

Anyway, the building was great, the boat trip was fantastic, the wine and food bar was also real good, but I don't get art!
 
NT.Thunder said:
Just got back from Tasmania for my mums 60th. My wife and I ended up getting a night to ourselves so headed down to MONA (museum of old and new and old art) in the afternoon by boat.

Not sure if anyone else has been there from here, I imagine a few may have because it is quiet popular but I'm really interested to hear people's views because I was told by many that it was absolutely fantastic.

Sadly I didn't find it fantastic at all. I thought the architecture and location was fantastic but the so called art I found plain ridiculous. I wasn't offended by it, only a couple of things like a couple of bits of paper with words written that didn't make sense but contained many F and C words. I don't see how something that can be so offensive written on a wall in public all of a sudden becomes art because it's in a museum.

I'm the first to admit I don't get art, but MONA takes that to a new level.

Anyway, the building was great, the boat trip was fantastic, the wine and food bar was also real good, but I don't get art!
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Do you mean that you don't get art at MONA, or you don't get modern art, or you don't get art in general?
 
I see NT.Thunder's perspective. If art is something I could replicate myself, then it is decidedly amateur and unworthy of public display, like the vulgar words purporting to be making a statement about life, or a small black square on a white background, or what looks like egg crates stuck to the wall, or any of the other mediocrity likely to be included in modern art museums. If I can do it, don't display it.
 
TheGreatGrundy said:
I see NT.Thunder's perspective. If art is something I could replicate myself, then it is decidedly amateur and unworthy of public display, like the vulgar words purporting to be making a statement about life, or a small black square on a white background, or what looks like egg crates stuck to the wall, or any of the other mediocrity likely to be included in modern art museums. If I can do it, don't display it.
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Gotta disagree there TGG. For me art is first and foremost about the quality of the ideas, not the quality of the craft. If something anyone could have made makes you think a certain thought or feel a feeling which you wouldn't have otherwise I think that makes it worthy of display no matter how many people 'could' have made it
 
ppoiter said:
Gotta disagree there TGG. For me art is first and foremost about the quality of the ideas, not the quality of the craft. If something anyone could have made makes you think a certain thought or feel a feeling which you wouldn't have otherwise I think that makes it worthy of display no matter how many people 'could' have made it
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As the saying goes - 'Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.' :)
 
Beauty was in the eye of this beholder,or at least in the mind and imagination. I fronted up to reception at the Royal Mekong Boutrique Hotel in Phnom Penh. I'd booked on Agoda for 5 nights. Their photos and description suggested that a spacious and tasteful low season steal awaited me. Throw in a decent size swimming pool, and for $US 18 per night I would taste a discounted version of the level of luxury that my finances might otherwise not entitle me to expect. 'Would I like to update a standard to deluxe double with breakfast for an extra $US6 something?' Agoda gives me 10 minutes to accept the offer and I say no. I reckon I can get breakfast for $4 outside. So I save $2. US.

Bad decision. This place does really good coffee and omelette to order.Worse there appears to be a significant difference between standard and deluxe double rooms. I was escorted over the road to the old hotel. Three days later, my room has gone from a windowless box with some big shells on in-built ledges and tasteful lighting, and generally nice fittings, to a smaller box with windows, and blinds with gaps that leave me exposed and that let in the light from the room opposite me. Not to mention the noise of the 3 maids who all gather early each morning in their cleaning and sheet closet. Along with the scrapes and bangs whenever an occupant uses their door.

Both my rooms have been on the ground floor.My windowless cave at least insulated me from sound and light. This much smaller corner box has 2 lots of windows with bars criss-crossing them. There is a nasty urine smell in the bathroom which wafts into the bedroom. Both rooms have a decent flat screen TV, a neat little fridge, an electric jug, cups and saucers and tea and sugar bags. There's even a hair dryer. The pillows aren't hard and big like they have all been so far. The mattress even has a bit of give. The metal doors are noisy, get stuck and require pushing, pulling and banging to open or lock them. Not just mine, but everyone else's doors have their own crunching and screeching sounds.In my mind, the negatives of this experience,significantly outweigh the positives.

There is a pool, but though it's immeasurably bigger than my room, it's still small and exposed and not my kind of scene at all. I will ask for an upgrade tomorrow. If it costs me an extra $10 a night for my last 2 nights, so be it. I promised myself a bit of a treat. Instead my nostrils are working overtime at filtering out the urine, and I am continually looking for spots to put my stuff within my tiny surrounds. I feel like Gulliver living in the barn or whatever the Lilliputians sheltered him in. The control for the air con has disappeared. It's right over the bed so I am going to freeze overnight. The air-con, not the remote control. I can only gather that has been lost.

My old room was better than this. It even had a biggish bathroom boasting no less than 3 shower heads and hoses, and a bathtub. If a bathroom's worth is measured by it's shower capacity, this one is only a third as good as good as the one I gave up. Having requested windows, I felt a compulsion to accept the move. My decision making skills appear lacking in objectivity. From the frying pan straight in to the fire. Of the many comments on Agoda no one has stated the bleeding obvious - don't book a standard room at this hotel.

I quite enjoy doing Agoda hotel reviews. Mine are significantly longer and more detailed than the average review. The manager of this place is going to wish I had never stayed here.
 
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