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samroberts
Jun 14, 2008, 4:59 PM
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Registered: Apr 28, 2004
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I'm thinking of going for 4 weeks in September. Am I crazy, or am I going to have a good time, even if there are some rain days? I have been googling, and read such different stories :-(
Is there anybody who has direct experience? Whats it like? Are there regular short showers every afternoon? Are there just occaisonal days when it rains all day?
Also, my girlfriend loves fresh sea food and LOVES exotic fruit, but loses her appetite when eating spicy food... Should we make sure to find a place when we can cook ourselves, or is it reasonable to eat out all the time? What are the fruit highlights in September?
We're not rich, but not poor. I don't get that much time off so I can afford to try and live well on my 1 vacation...
Thanks,
Sam
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azenari
Jun 15, 2008, 7:58 AM
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hahaha! She's going to miss durian fruit season. If you've never tried it, you won't soon forget it.
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samroberts
Jun 16, 2008, 9:55 AM
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I really like Durian!
What about Mangosteen? I've hear you can buy bags of them for cheap, cheap, cheap...
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anykineclimb
Jun 16, 2008, 10:25 AM
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Mangosteens are awesome.
too bad you'll miss Durian season
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colatownkid
Jun 16, 2008, 10:32 AM
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mangosteen is good stuff. you can get them pretty cheap. they're good as one of the "cold" fruits to eat after having a durian.
you can also try rambutan and leechee (spelling anyone?) they're fairly sweet, but the texture might get to you. pomegranate is also usually cheap.
my favorite is pomelo. it's a large citrus fruit (bigger than grape fruit) with a ridiculously think skin. but once you crack inside it, it's amazing.
i can't speak to climbing in the rain, but from what i recall of my time spent in malaysia (just south of thailand, as i'm sure you're aware) the rainy season would probably be okay for climbing.
it typically rains all afternoon, but dries out fairly quickly (especially with good sun exposure). so you could climb in the mornings, chill in the afternoon while it rains, and have some very soggy/humid nightlife later on.
as for eating out v. cooking, it depends on where you eat and what you order when you get there. if you go to a tourist trap, most of the food is toned down anyway. if you go to a little open-air restaurant, you'll probably get to choose between whatever they cooked that day and a pot of week-old tom yam soup (which is INCREDIBLY spicy. like, lick your lips the next day and still taste the heat kind of spicy. it's pretty good though.)
safe bets are typically noodles, fried rice, and vegetables. it's the meat and seafood that is spicy because it's the stuff that's most likely to be rotten.
on that note, cooking your own food will definitely allow you to assure the quality control. either way, expect to get worms and plan accordingly.
(some of the above may have changed as i haven't been to that part of the world in 10 years. however, when i was there, it was typical for ex-patriots to contract worms within the first month. you just take some pills to treat it, but it's worth knowing about in advance. staying anything less than a month was hit or miss.)
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jp_sucks
Jun 18, 2008, 7:27 AM
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Registered: Oct 31, 2006
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The weather in September is definitely fine. I've been there twice during that time and it generally rained for 30min every afternoon. It was usually a welcome break and it cooled things down. The rock was dry in minutes.
Your girlfriend will have no problems eating out there while avoiding spicy food. One of my travelling companions didn't eat anything spicy at all and ate there with no problems for a few months.
Cooking on your own is way too much of a hassle. Food at restaurants is super cheap and always amazing. Tons of fresh fruit and seafood all the time.
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samroberts
Jun 24, 2008, 8:22 PM
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Registered: Apr 28, 2004
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I thought pomelo just tasted like a big grapefruit? I'll have to try again. Maybe its better in Thailand!
Thanks for the feedback you all, I'll be buying my tickets this week.... really looking forward to it!
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