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Tehran updates

2011-05-04T22:54:00.006+08:00

Just to note on the situation of any social unrest in Tehran:

1.) No major unrest that's a cause for concern.

2.) Weekly Tuesday demonstrations by mostly Uni students.

3.) These demonstrations are usually held around Enqelab Sq. or Azadi Sq.

Sources:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2044058

Itinerary 2nd Draft!

2011-04-05T21:47:00.001+08:00

	Date	Day	Location	Morning	Afternoon	Night	Overnight	Accomadation	Remarks
Day 1	5th	Sunday	Singapore/KL/Tehran	Depart SIN (0910) Arrive KL (1010)	Depart KL (1640)	Arrive IKA (2140)	Tehran	Transfer to Khayyam Hotel/Firouzeh Hotel	Transfer IKA - Tehran (2 Hr)
Day 2	6th	Monday	Tehran	Archaelogy and Islamic Museum	National Jewels Museum	Transfer from Tehran - Shiraz (10 Hr)	Sleeper Bus
Day 3	7th	Tuesday	Shiraz	Tomb of Hafez, Eram Gardens and Tomb of Saadi	Shiraz Bazaar and Jameirah Mosque		Shiraz	Anvari Guesthouse
Day 4	8th	Wednesday	Shiraz				Shiraz
Day 5	9th	Thursday	Shiraz/Yazd	Leave Shiraz for Yazd (Depart 0800)	Naqsh-e Rostam/Persepolis	Arrive Yazd (1800)	Yazd	The Silk Road Hotel
Day 6	10th	Friday	Yazd	Fire Temple and Towers of Silence	Old Yazd		Yazd
Day 7	11th	Saturday	Yazd	Jameh Mosque	Main Bazaar		Yazd
Day 8	12th	Sunday	Yazd/Esfahan	Depart Yazd for Esfahan	Arrive Esfahan (1200)		Esfahan	Amir Kabir Hostel
Day 9	13th	Monday	Esfahan	Ali Qapu Palace/ Chehel Sotun Palace	Imam Square/Imam Mosque		Esfahan
Day 10	14th	Tuesday	Esfahan	Vank Cathedral/ Si-O-Seh Bridge	Shaking Minarets/Zayandeh River Bridges		Esfahan
Day 11	15th	Wednesday	Esfahan/Tabriz		Depart Esfahan for Tabriz	16 hours bus ride	Sleeper Bus
Day 12	16th	Thursday	Tabriz	Arrive Tabriz			Tabriz
Day 13	17th	Friday	Tabriz/Dogubiyazit	Leave Tabriz for Dogubiyazit	Cross border	Reach Dogubiyazit	Dogubiyazit
Day 14	18th	Saturday	Dogubiyazit	Mount Arafat			Dogubiyazit
Day 15	19th	Sunday	Dogubiyazit/Tabriz	Leave Dogubiyazit for Tabriz		Night train to Tehran (Depart 2230 )	Train
Day 16	20th	Monday	Tehran	Reach Tehran (Arrive 0900)	Tehran Bazaar/ Golestan Palace		Tehran
Day 17	21st	Tuesday	Buffer	Buffer	Buffer	Buffer	Tehran
Day 18	22nd	Wednesday	Tehran/KL	Free	Free	Depart IKA (2255)	Flight
Day 19	23rd	Thursday	Tehran/KL/Singapore	Arrive KL (1055)		Depart KL (1900) Arrive SIN (2000)

Meeting 4-4-2011

2011-04-04T23:28:00.009+08:00

TASK Jia Wei

To email Khayyam Hotel regarding transport from IKA to hotel + first night stay + overnight sleeper bus cost.

Town assigned: Tabriz + Dogubiyazit.

Thomas

To calculate budget per leg of the trip. Accommadations + transport (bus and train) + food + admissions to museums etc. Information provided within the 2 blogs.

To fix how much communal to collect at which part of the trip as well as the overall budget.

Town assigned: Yazd + Na'in

Seth

To email Firouzeh Hotel regarding transport from IKA to hotel + first night stay + overnight sleeper bus cost.

Town assigned: Esfahan + Tehran

Zhan Liang

To email irantravellingcentre regarding transport from IKA to hotel + first night stay + overnight sleeper bus cost.

Fix next meeting date. Tentative date to be 14/04/11

Town assgned: Shiraz + Perspepolis + Naqsh-e Rotam

TOWN ASSIGNED

For each of us who has been assigned a town, the following information are to be presented the next meeting.

The town map. (simplified version that we can use when moving around)

Hotel we staying. I have listed some in the attachment. Please do further research and know where the ideal hotel for your town is located. You are to choose the hotel we are staying at for your town.

Places to eat. We all love nice food.

Transport out of town. I understand this has been more or less researched. But we need more detailed information (eg what time buses leave the place, where is the bus/train station, how long is the journey to the next town going to take).

Tally the transport timing to the itinerary discussed. Report any discrepency. If you realised the time taken from your town to the next is much longer than stated in the itinerary and will affect the whole schedule, do sound out.

Hope to see all these done by next meeting!

DEADLINE: 10/04/11 SUNDAY

Taxi Costs & random considerations

2011-04-01T17:07:00.005+08:00

Taxi info i stumbled upon:

Going rate:

IK Airport to Anywhere: 25ok rials=25USD, fixed rate, 12am-6am

Fixed Rate preferred over Metre rate

Abundance of overcharging cabs.

Also:

The 4th and 5th of June is a public holiday in Iran. Not sure if its relevant like how it'll affect the availability of transportation, but o well.

Source:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?messageID=18304033#18304033

http://www.uppersia.com/iran-travel-information/public-holidays-iran.html

Visa Issues

2011-04-01T15:51:00.003+08:00

Airline Stance on Visa

Zhan Liang confirmed that getting a Visa for us wouldn't be a problem. However, some airlines still insist on proof of a Visa confirmation before boarding. Fortunately, Air Asia says it doesn't know anything and will follow Embassy stance, so we're safe for boarding.

Dear Mr Seth Koh,

Thank you for writing in to us.

In regards to your enquiry, kindly liaise directly wih embassy as we afraid we would provide the wrong information to you.

Thanks and regards,

Junaidah

Customer Care – AirAsia X

2.)Visa renewal

Original plan was to renew or obtain new visas at Turkey-Iran(Gurbulak-Bazargan) border.

No visas are issued at land crossings anywhere
However, Visa renewal is available at Tabriz, Tehran, Shiraz, Yazd, Mashahd and Isfahan- places which we will be passing by.
I'm currently waiting on answers about the process for Visa renewal at these places.

Source:

http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowTopic-g293998-i9139-k4365483-l32297556-Visa_at_Turkey_Iran_crossing-Iran.html#32297556

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1612468

Itinerary 1st Draft!

2011-03-22T23:59:00.001+08:00

	Location	Day	Afternoon	Night	Remarks
5th June	Singapore/Tehran		Singapore - Tehran	Transfer from IKA to Tehran	Transfer to Khayyam Hotel? USD 35 for 5 pax
6th June	Tehran	Archaelogical Museum	Islamic Museum, Glass and ceramic Museum	Free	I am assuming there is no night life other than bazaars in town
7th June	Tehran	Saadabad Palace, Golestan Palace	National Jewels Museum (2 - 4pm), Carpet Museum	Free	Besides we have to wake up early everyday in Iran
8th June	Tehran/Yazd	10 Hour Bus Ride	Free	Free	Looking at the map, it would make sense to go to Yazd (2nd furthest from Tehran)
9th June	Yazd	Towers of Silence	Free	Free
10th June	Yazd	Free	Free	Free
11th June	Yazd/Shiraz	7 Hour Bus Ride	Free	Free	Shiraz is the furthest from Tehran and a worthwhile place to visit
12th June	Shiraz	Persepolis	Free	Free
13th June	Shiraz	Free	Free	Free
14th June	Shiraz/Esfahan	Shiraz - Yazd - Esfahan (7 + 5 Hours Bus ride)	I see roads connecting Shiraz to Esfahan but no buses	Free	Esfahan is nearest to Tehran
15th June	Esfahan	Imam Square/Imam Mosque	Zoroastrian Fire Temple	Free
16th June	Esfahan	Free	Free	Free
17th June	Esfahan/Tabriz	16 Hour Bus Ride		Free	There's nothing much in Tabriz except that its' the last major city for travllers crossing into Turkey
18th June	Tabriz/Dogubiyazit	Tabriz - Maku - Bazargan - Dogubiyazit (4 Hours Bus - 30 Mins Bus - 60 to 90 mins Customs - 45 Mins)		Free	No sightseeing here as we are crossing for the sake of extending our visas?
19th June	Dogubiyazit/Tabriz	Dogubiyazit - Bazargan - Maku - Tabriz ( 45 Mins - 60 to 90 Mins Customs - 30 Mins Bus - 4 Hours Bus)		Free	There and back. Nuff' said.
20th June	Tabriz/Tehran	10 Hours Bus ride	Free	Free	Maybe we could squeeze in Mount Arafat in the small buffer
21st June	Tehran	Buffer	Buffer	Buffer	1 Buffer day is all we can afford in 17 days
22nd June	Tehran/KL	Buffer	Transfer to IKA from Tehran	Tehran/KL	We would want to be in Tehran in the morning, takes 2 hours to go IKA and our flight is around 7pm
23rd June	Tehran/KL/Singapore	Arrive In Singapore @ 1055hrs




	List of Tehran Places	List of Esfahan Places	List of Yazd Places	List of Shiraz Places
	Archaelogical Museum	Imam Square/Imam Mosque	Main Bazaar	Persepolis
	Glass and Ceramics Museum	Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque	Towers of Silence	Tomb of Hafez and Saadi
	Islamic Museum	Ali Qapu Palace	Kharanaq	Naqsh-e Rotam
	Carpet Museum	Bozorg Bazaar	Jameh Mosque	Afifabad Garden
	Saadabad Palace	Chehel Sotun Palace	Ateshkade	Eram Garden
	Golestan Palace	Shaking Minarets	Amir Chakhmaq Complex	Vakil Mosque
	National Jewels Museum	Vank Cathedral	Doulat Abat Garden	Ali Ebne Hamzeh Mausoleum
	Abyaneh Village (En route to Esfahan)	Madrase-Ye Chabar Bagh
	Kashan (En route to Esfahan)	Zayandeh River Bridges
		Friday Mosque
		Zoroastrian Fire Temple

	HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

	Sources
	http://www.iranvisitor.com/index.php?cID=414&pID=1312
	http://www.babakoto.eu/Articles/Iran/Turkey-Iran/Turkey-Iran-English.htm
	http://www.thelongestwayhome.com/resources/overland/turkey%20to%20iran%20overland.html
	: http://www.outtheresomewhere.ca/turkey/crossing-the-border-from-turkey-into-iran/

Turkey Route - Invalid

2011-03-20T21:04:00.009+08:00

Assuming we cross the Iran border early.

Day 1
Arrive in Turkey (0800) from Iran at Dogubayazit - Mount Ararat (Day 1)

We can choose to stay at Dogubayazit to view Mount Ararat. Otherwise, a transfer to Van would take approx 2.5h. (http://www.allaboutturkey.com/tur-ararat.htm and http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Middle_East/Turkey/Agri_Ili/Dogubayazit-1844604/Transportation-Dogubayazit-TG-C-1.html). We leave Dogubayazit at 0800 on day 2 morning.

O/N in Dogubayazit

Day 2 Dogu-Van
Van(1000) - Lake Van (Day 2 morning, choosing to stay a night in Dogubayazit)

We arrive at van early at 1000 by chartered vehicle. The biggest lake in turkey with astonishing views. Trails across snow-capped peaks are accessible as well. From here, we can take a ferry to tatvan, if there is a train station in tatvan. the ferry ride is 6h(http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/travellers-advisories-safety-security-road/bordercrossing-iran-turkey-iraq-train-47179). Otherwise, a confirmed train will depart from Van at 1612 arriving at Malatya at 1654. Most likely we can find a chartered vehicle willing to take us all the way to Kayseri (nearest train station to Cappadocia)

O/N in Van

Day 3 Van - Malatya - Kayseri
Malatya (1654) - Nothing interesting (Day 3 afternoon)

Here, the next train to Kayseri is at 1937. I think there is a straight train from Van to Kayseri but i couldnt find any. Departing at 1937 and arriving at Kayseri at 0441.

Day 3 night on train from Malatya 1937 to Kayseri

Day 4 Kayseri

From here, we will find a vehicle to bring us to Ugrup, the nearest nicest town to base ourselves before we explore the cappadocia and goreme. (http://www.thereareplaces.com/newguidebook/pdest/tupts.htm) It takes an hour to travel from Kayseri to Ugrup by car.(http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/CentralAnatolia/Kayseri/trans/times.html)

Ugrup (0800) - Cappadocia+Goreme Valley (Day 4 morning)

We will spend 1 night here to visit cave houses etc. Nice scenery here. On day 5 afternoon at 1600, we will take a vehicle back to Kayseri to board the train(buy tickets when we first arrive at kayseri) that departs at 2033 to arrive at 1311 at haydarpasa station in Istanbul.

O/N in Keyseri

Day 5 Keyseri - Istanbul
Istanbul (1311) - Sure got things to see (Day 6 morning)

We are finally here in the afternoon of day 6.

Note

This is a highly compacted schedule for turkey and we can allocate more days depending on the Iran side of the trip.

All train schedule obtained from https://etcdd.tcdd.gov.tr/tcddrezwebapproot/danismatcddservlet?ulkeid=ENG

The transit at Malatya might not happen if we are able to find a direct train service.

We have a total of 17 days for this trip.

Singaporean in Iran

2011-03-20T21:00:00.000+08:00

Nope, we were not in any difficult situation in Iran. Not at all. Our trip was very smooth and enjoyable. We did not even encounter any protest throughout our 10 days in Iran.

Our ticket costed $1.3k return on emirates.

Getting from town to town in Iran is most convenient by bus as some bigger cities such as Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz has more frequent bus services. Plus you can save on accom by taking a night bus also.

Have fun planning for the trip, it is a very nice country to visit. I am sure u guys will enjoy it as much as we had.

regards :)

On 19-Mar-2011, at 7:12 PM, Chanzl wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Did u get caught in any difficult situation? We are quite worried about protests in Iran. Were you in the area when the major protests were taking place?
>
> We are planning to take airasia from sin to kl den from kl to Tehran by airasia again. How much was your airticket? In Iran we are still planning our route but most likely we will be taking bus around. Is it okay for us to do that?
>
> Hope you are enjoying your trip!
>
> Thank you!
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Mar 19, 2011, at 16:06, Kok Kiong Tong wrote:
>
>> Hi there,
>>
>> At the time that we were there, it is very peaceful. I guess is partly due to the Iranians are preparing for their new year, so they dun have much time to go around protest. However on our first night, we were told that there was a minor protest. Nothing much has been reported about it and we din even know about it until our guide in Shiraz told us about the protest. The rest of our trip was very quiet and peaceful. We get alot of curious looks asking where we were from.
>>
>> I have seen your blog, you guys are visiting quite a number of places. Are you guys going on bus from town to town in Iran? As air travel although cheap and fast needs at least 3 days booking and we can't just walk in to buy tickets like what we would do in Sg.
>>
>> You question about airline allowing you to board without a visa, Iran is unlike places like australia, we got on our plane with no visa either and we flew from sg to tehran. it is alright i guess. We flew by emirates as they have more flighs to tehran from sg daily (3 flights per day) and easier for us to plan our time.
>>
>> regards
>> KK
>>
>> On 19-Mar-2011, at 3:52 PM, Chanzl wrote:
>>
>>> Hi!
>>>
>>> Thank you so much for your information. It is really very helpful. My group of friends are actually planning to arrive at Tehran and cross border to turkey in June. We were wondering how is the situation in Iran now? I'd it safe?
>>>
>>> Hope to receive your link soon! You can check our website at vsnpccfusionoize.blogspot.com for information on our coming trip to Iran-turkey we have posted.
>>>
>>> Thanks so so much!
>>> Zhan liang
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> On Mar 19, 2011, at 2:54, Kok Kiong Tong wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi Zhan liang,
>>>>
>>>> Sry for the late reply as I did a Dubai stopover after my Iran trip and just touched down today. We were quite surprise about the visa process in Iran when we landed there. There is no need to apply for any visa at all, no need to even pay 50 euros to get the visa on arrival that you might have read abt on some forums. What happened to us was we went to the Visa on arrival counter in IKA, the guy was shock tat we even went to him. He then told us to go to immigration control (the counters tat u get ur passports stamped). We followed his instructions and the customs guy at the immigration control simply see our passport, keyed into the computer and then stamped our passport. The whole process takes less then 2 mins, even faster then going to malaysia. There isn't any immigration cards for us to fill as well. Wif our passport we can stay in Iran up to 15 days. I am now in the midst of writing up my travel blog on my Iranian trip. I will be happy to share with u the link once it is done.
>>>>
>>>> meanwhile do not hesitate to ask any questions abt traveling to Iran, I'll try my best to reply u
>>>>
>>>> have fun,
>>>> regards
>>>> KK
>>>> (aka diviva on tripadvisor)
>>
>>

FAQ - Iran Visas for Singaporeans

2011-03-16T22:20:00.004+08:00

i am a singaporean who wish to visit iran this coming june with my group of friends. i would like to ask afew questions about visa for singapore passport.

1) Can we get Visa-upon-arrival at IKA airport? do we need to get some sort of pre-approval ref. number? (eg. from iranianvisa.com)

2) Would the airline allow us to board the plane without a valid visa?

Thorn Tree Forums - http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?messageID=18255955

Singapore (Turkey, Malaysia)nationals do NOT need visa for Iran, at least not when flying here! and your visa is FREE, meaning you wont be paying 50 euros for VOA like other nationals do! call and contact Singapore FM to double check....and....also major international air carriers over there. good luck.amir.

Your airline will use a tool such as Timatec to check the visa requirements. There's a good one available online at http://www.staralliance.com/en/services/visa-and-health/

According to that, you'll get a free visa on arrival for a maximum of 14 days, and you'll need to register within eight days.

TripAdvisor - http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293998-i9139-k4321832-l31941697-Visa_for_singaporeans-Iran.html

The Singaporeans can get the airport via with 15 days validity and they can extend it to next 15 days if they want to stay more.

The airline will allow you to board definitely. (doubtful)

What is the airline? I do not think that they make ant problem for you as you are allowed to enter Iran airport without the visa and then get the airport visa. In fact the Singaporeans do not need the visa if they want to stay just 15 days and it is a permission stamp in their passports.

Maybe it is safer to check with the airline in advance. (more convincing)

(a) contact the airline and ask about their policies,

(b) had all the docs with you proving you are eligible for VOA and intend to only stay for 15 days in Iran, (passport photos, contact in iran, hotel booking confirmation etc)

(c) get ready to talk to the airline’s officers and convince them into checking you on and letting on board.

Tehran Metro + City Map

2011-03-15T12:28:00.004+08:00

Air Fare + Timing

2011-03-15T00:46:00.004+08:00

Per Pax: 65 SGD

Per Pax: 314.80 SGD

Per Pax: 327.16 EUR x 1.77 = 579.07 SGD

Total per pax: 65+314.80+579.07= 958.87 SGD

Tickets Confirmation

2010-12-04T22:55:00.010+08:00

Paid
Thomas, Jia wei, Seth and Zhan Liang

Route
Iran - Turkey

Dates
05/06/11 - 23/06/11

Border Crossing from Turkey to Iran

2010-11-29T01:12:00.008+08:00

Okay, there are very little information about crossing from iran to turkey so hopefully this information is useful the other way round.

Source: http://www.thelongestwayhome.com/resources/overland/turkey%20to%20iran%20overland.html

Getting to the Iranian Border in Turkey

Due to picking up my indian visa I left from Ankara. It's a 55 lira(currency convertor on your left) bus ticket and 19 hour ride to the border town of Dogubayazit (Turkey). I met a Korean girl who opted to cross from Van, but it made little sense to me as Dogubayazit was right on the border. Plus, it had Mount Ararat (an attraction we must see?) where Noah's ark is meant to have landed.

You need to beware of the time of year you take this journey though. The bus goes up to 7,800 feet and around Atiku we got stuck in a snow blizzard. There have been reports of a few crashes in the winters here.

The border town for overland travelers

Once in Dogubayazit (border town in turkey we will pass by?), from the bus terminal you can walk to the center of the town easily. From recollection you go left at the main gates. I stayed at the Hotel Tarhan for about 18 lira for a double en suite. No bargaining as few people were there at this time of year.

Due to heavy cloud it was not possible to see much of Mount Ararat, but there are plenty of tour touts around.

A meal of lamb kebab, rice and soft drink is about 3 lira. Beware that there are a lot of Kurdish speakers around here. Learn a few greetings, and all doors will be opened to you!

Getting a mini bus to the Iranian border

Finding the mini bus stop to the border is a pain. It was nowhere near where the mid east LP guide book writes. Nor is it near any gas/petrol station.

Basically just ask for a domud (small bus) to Iran, saying "Gurbulak" is a waste of time unless your phonetics in Turkish/Kurdish are stunning. The bus stop is about ten minutes walk from the Hotel Tarhan and is a small little empty office. You'll find little signage.

The mini bus journey:

There's no need to book in advance, it leaves at about 7am, so naturally I showed up at 6.15 and we left at 8. It's a case of wait for the bus to fill. You'll be told where to sit, and it's probably best to wait until you are about to leave as your bag is attached to the roof and there's lots going on. There's street food available at that time, just ask in the office.

To be honest I can't for sure remember the cost of the ticket. But it was around 8 lira. It took about 45mins. There was quite a lot of traffic traveling on the border road itself. As we slowed, I opted to get out and walk the rest of the way.

There's a fair bit of Turkish military around the place. Bunkers, tanks, Jeeps and army types, so you might want to keep the camera out of sight.

Crossing the Turkey border into Iran

The first check point border officer just has a look at your passport. Then you walk up a two lane wide new road that's on an incline. At the top are the gates out of Turkey. Here the odd bashful money changer will approach. I changed a little, just to be sure. Your passport is checked for an Iranian visa, and then you are stamped out.

Crossing into Iran at the border crossing

You then walk up another small hill towards the Iranian border under a huge mural of the Ayatollah. And, a sign saying “WEL-COME TO IRAN.” A few soldiers will inspect your passport. Finally at a huge iron gate you wait for it to be opened. I had the pleasure of listening to a soldier shout at a few locals for trying to open it. Then they welcomed me in with a big smile.

At a little glass cabinet to the left you get stamped in with another big smile, maybe. Clean toilets are to the right, but you need to leave your bag outside. Just ask a guard to mind them for you.

Once you cross the Iranian border

Outside you're in a different world. And, 1.5 hours ahead. There were buses heading to Bazargan, but I couldn't make sense of them and they would not let me on anyway.

There were also taxi's, but they were charging crazy fees so I walked. There are more money changers out here too. The walk to the border town was about 30mins. It's full of trucks etc. A few kids came up and tried to ask for money, nothing serious.

You pass through a customs gate, and then finally out through the hectic main gates. You'll be surrounded by touts, taxi men and everything in between. Read my Iran section to be ready on the two different terms they use for Iranian currency.

The nearest town in Iran from the border ()

A shared taxi of 4 cost 6,000 toman each. I took a local taxi (the little beat up gray / yellow ones) to Maku for 1,500 rial. Then a bus to Tabriz for 15,000 Rial it was a 5 hour trip. It's best not to arrive on a Thursday night if you hope to meet up with the infamous tourist information brothers Nasser and Mansour, which I seriously advise you do. They are a great source of information and advise.

They can also offer help to overland travelers with bikes and cars. You need to get Iranian plates, plus fuel cards.

I will write up a travelogue about my meeting with a Syrian couple at the border and how they screwed me over by asking me to wait with them for a shared taxi. I waited 2 + hours, and then they snuck off in another car. So be warned about teaming up with others to travel further on.

I ended up staying at Mashad Hotel in Tabriz at 57,300 a night for a shared bathroom.

Quick Facts on crossing from Turkey into Iran Overland

Ankara to Dogubayazit via bus: 19 hours. Cost about 55 lira

Hotel Tahan: 18 Lira

Minibus from Dogubayazit to Border: 8 Lira

Shared Taxi from Bazargan to Tabriz: 60,000 lira. Private taxi: $40USD.

Taxi to Maku: 1,500 lira

Bus to Tabriz: 15,000 lira

No border charges. Money changers on both sides

Remember the the time change

Maku is not worth staying the night in

Hotel Mashad is run down, bigger than it seems and cost me 57, 300 a night.

Make a huge effort to see the two brothers at the Iranian tourist office in Tabriz, a great introduction to Iran at no charge!

Iran and Turkey Map Simplified

2010-11-28T22:07:00.004+08:00

Turkey to Iran (18 Days)

2010-11-28T21:58:00.004+08:00

Source: http://www.goway.com/adventure/small-group-adventures/small-groups-trip-details.php?trip_id=143

Day 1 Istanbul

Get off the beaten track and visit the city's historical and cultural sites, ending the day among the colours and aromas of the spice markets in the bazaar quarter.

Day 2 Safranbolu

Leave the city bound for a village hidden in the mountains of the Anatolia region. Explore narrow cobbled laneways flanked by heritage-listed houses. Indulge in the local specialty - yaprak helvast - layers of helva interspersed with walnuts.

Days 3-4 Amasya

Explore the picturesque views of half-timbered Ottoman houses overlooking a rocky ravine. Set in a confined valley, Amasya is easy to explore by foot. Why not check out the Pontic tombs or wander the backstreets and end the day at a local teahouse or hamam.

Days 5-6 Sivas

Enter a land suspended in time, boasting beautiful Seljuk buildings decorated with geometric carvings and unique tile work. Perhaps take a day trip to the mountain village of Divrigi with its World Heritage-listed mosque-medrese complex.

Day 7 Erzurum

Travel through wild and beautiful landscapes to reach a town torn between two ways of life. Get an insight into the complexities of eastern Turkish society by exploring the tree-lined boulevards - home to both staunch conservatives and outspoken university students.

Day 8 Kars

Take the opportunity to visit the ruins of Ani, once the impressive Armenian capital. Back in Kars, stroll through the town and discover rich ethnic influences in the architecture and cuisine.

Day 9 Dogubayazit

With free time, perhaps explore the Ishak Pasa Palace with its enchanting mix of Ottoman, Persian and Seljuk architecture. Below Mt Ararat, look out for the fossilised remains of Noah's Ark.

Days 10-13 Tabriz

Cross the border to Iran. See the impressive Poet's Mausoleum or journey to the ancient village of Kandovan and wander among the dwellings carved into the mountains. Alternatively, travel to Jolfa to discover the unique culture of Armenian Christians.

Day 14 Sara'eyn

Perhaps stop off at the Sheikh Safi od-Din Mausoleum in Ardabil. In Sara'eyn, soothe travel aches in hot springs reputed to contain a cure-all mineral mixture.

Days 15-16 Masuleh

Enjoy a scenic drive past the Bandar-e Anzali lagoon to reach a car-free city boasting UNESCO Heritage-listed architecture - here, due to the steep location, rooftops and the village streets above them are one and the same.

Days 17-18 Tehran

Ramble through the Tehran Bazaar, see the impressive display of faith at Imam Khomeini Mosque during prayer time or stop by the National Jewels Museum to see the world's largest uncut diamond. View the excesses of the Qajar rulers on show at the Golestan Palace, check out the political murals surrounding the former US Embassy and perhaps end the adventure with a relaxing puff of a qalyan.

Fusionoize Iran Turkey

2010-11-28T14:49:00.004+08:00

Duration: 4th June - 25th June 2011 (Tentative)
Costs: 4500SGD~
People going: Mr Khoo, Jiw wei, Seth and Zhan Liang (boon kiat, joseph, justin and thomas?)

a glimpse of jun 2011

2010-06-24T10:36:00.000+08:00

1st Post In 2010

2010-05-17T22:11:00.006+08:00

its been a long long time since this blog is updated. and wah 2010 pass by really fast(thou not fast enough) and its may already! can you imagine by end of the year we would be planning for our 2011 trip le! :) hopefully for now this sunday, 23/05 dinner will be a good one aka no more last min cancellation. hope everyone had a good year so far and a better one for the nxt few months. ORD soon le! haha. take care guys!

My Nephew Says Hello!!

2009-04-19T13:57:00.002+08:00

Hello!!

Think many of us are all in army now so might not get much chance to meet up..

BUT i suggest we sld gather again to play soccer which we have not done so for a long time...

My nephew thinks so too...

Wonder if any of you will read this anyway but ya...interested message me!!!

YAY!

Zhan Liang

Information on YuanYang

2009-01-18T23:05:00.004+08:00

Travelogue for Vietnam/Laos/China

2009-01-12T20:27:00.005+08:00

Fusionoize 2008

This is a summary of all our travel details on the trip that we would want to share with others traveling into the same remote areas or are simply as crazy. This is a round route that would require at least 14 days to cover through overland bus routes and our original itinerary is available on this blog too for reference. Remember to practice responsible tourism and preserve the culture, lifestyles of the people there!

Note: Accurate as of December 2008

Singapore (Budget Terminal) - Vietnam, Hanoi (Noi Bai)
Tiger Airways, booked 6 months in advance - SGD250 taxes included per pax.
Flight takes about 3.5 hours

From the airport to Ga Ha Noi (train station)
Airport Taxi service - 25 USD for a 8 seater MPV
Touts that approached us - 20 USD for a 8 seater MPV
Takes around 40 mins or so

Ga Ha Noi to Ga Lao Cai
3rd Class Sleeper train (overnight) - 88000VND per pax.
*we took the last train @ around 2210 hours; tickets were almost sold out by 2130 (when we purchased them) and only the crazy, the brave or just mad just attempt taking the 3rd class seats overnight!
Departs at 2210 and arrives the next morning at around 0630 in Lao Cai

Ga Lao Cai to Hekou (China-Vietnam border crossing)
Before you do anything, have some breakfast @ one of the many restaurants in town and freshen up.
We chartered a minivan for 8 people for 10000VND per pax. for a 15 mins ride to the checkpoint.
*Apparently some travellers' accounts and the locals say its' a mere 3km to the checkpoint and walking is possible. However from our van ride we doubt its' the 3km we are familiar with (its' waaaay longer).

Hekou Crossing into China
For Singaporeans (or ASEAN nationals), no need for a VISA or anything to go into China. The Vietnam side was particularly slow and inefficient; they were rude and pushy when we did not offer any 'incentives' for them. After stamping passports take a short 3 min scenic walk across the bridge linking both sides and pay 6000VND per pax. (everyone including the locals pay!) for crossing. Chinese customs was a breeze and guards were friendly (esp. if you speak Chinese)
; cleared in a matter of minutes. No baggage check for both sides.

Hekou to Yuanyang (Old Township)
From the border its' a 5 min walk to the town's bus station, ask for directions since its' not highly visible. Theres' only one bus a day leaving here @ 1010 so be sure to catch it; I highly discourage you to be stuck in this town since I did not see anything resembling a guest house! It costs 45 RMB per pax. and the bus captain/driver/ticketmaster was very friendly towards us. If you have missed the bus, you may have to hire taxis to 'chase' after the bus which cost a bomb in our case. BE SURE NOT TO SPEND TOO MUCH TIME IN LAO CAI UNTIL YOU CROSS INTO HEKOU TO MISS THE BUS!
*Theres a new Yuanyang township being built, be specific when asking about buses since both towns are 2 hours by bus apart!

Yuanyang (Old township)
The old township is located on top of a mountain and it gets rather cold at night (10 Deg C in Dec), so please be smarter than us and bring more than a windbreaker and do buy gloves and beanies if you have to! Theres plenty to see for the rice paddy fields around the old township; one attraction you cannot miss is Lao Hu Zhui (Tiger's Mouth), a mountain side full of rice paddy fields that took our breaths away. There are many other sites (all rice paddies though)
that are as beautiful but we only had time to see one. Lao Hu Zhui is a 20 mins drive away from the city centre and it costs 30 RMB per pax. for a 2 way trip there in a chartered minivan.
our accomadation in yuangyang
Yuanyang to Jianshui
Jianshui is a transport hub in the region to get to other detsinations away from Yuanyang. Buses leave here daily to Jianshui and the first buis departs from the bus station @ 0905 for 42RMB per pax. (more than 1 bus daily). However we were lucky when a woman offered to drive us there in her minivan for 40 RMB per pax. Both takes about 3-4 hours to reach Jianshui. You may want to make short stopovers along the way at Yan Zi Dong (swallows' cave)

Jianshui to Jinghong
From the public bus station @ Jianshui, there are 2 public buses leaving here daily for Jinghong, the next major city in the area. the first one is at 1330 and the later one is at 1630. It costs 155 RMB per pax. and its' a sleeper bus that has proper beds for each passenger (its' not as cosy as you think!). For the earlier bus, we arrived in Jinghong @ 0200 in the morning but most of the passengers slept in the bus till 0700 since we were allowed to. The 1630 bus from Jianshui arrives @ around 0700 as well.

Jinghong
This city is like any other major Chinese city; big, crowded with vehicles and people smoking. There are many things you can do here including playing pool, watching movies (yes, theres' a cinema here!) and even purchase Burmese stones from the many jewellers who hail from there.
Personally I would strongly recommend not staying at the Traffic hotel directly next to the bus station as it provides poor service and lousy WCs for a 2-Star hotel. (private joke, sorry....)

Jinghong (China) to Luang Nam Tha (Laos)
The bus station sells direct tickets to Nan Tha (literally as Southern Tower) which is Luang Nam Tha, Laos. This is a new daily service and the bus covering this route was almost brand new and run by a Chinese couple. It costs 70 RMB per pax. and it leaves at around 1040 from jinghong and arrives in the late afternoon @ 1630 in Laos. (trust me, the sun sets at 1730 over there!). The Chinese and Lao crossings are fine and rather efficient; for both sides you don't have to pay anything. No baggage check for both sides. Do note that there are 2 bus stations in town; you get dropped off in the NEW bus station (located near the town centre) but to take buses to other parts of Laos you would have to travel 8-10km out of the town centre from the OLD bus station.
jianshui-jinghong-luang nam tha
Luang Nam Tha
This is a quaint, quiet little town that has its' own rustic setting in the middle of nowhere. You can take a bus to Muang Sing, an Akka people village 2 hours away by bus for an overnight stay if you want something different as well. For travelling around you should hire a bicycle for the day (10000kip for 1 bike). You can also hire motorbikes for the day and explore the Ecotours (I personally think its' a rip-off) outdoor adventures.

Luang Nam Tha to Luang Prabang
The public bus from Luang Nam Tha to Luang Prabang leaves the OLD bus station daily at 0900. Purchase tickets 1 day in advance as I am not sure if there are other buses at later times of the day itself. It costs 85000kip per pax. and its' a winding 8 hour road trip through mountains that is bound to make you hurl. You will be dropped off @ the Northern bus station of Luang Prabang after the sun has set (around 6pm?) and from there you will have to take a tuk-tuk/Strungthew (used interchangeably for this travelogue) into the town centre for 10000kip per pax., its' a 15 minutes ride.

Luang Prabang
This would be one of the highlights of travelling in Northern Laos. Prices are generally higher here for accommodation and meals but the town is more well-developed than other parts of Laos, judging by its' streets, guesthouses and the night market. (shopping paradise, even for a guy like me!) The many beautiful temples and its' rich history is enough to keep you there for a few days for sightseeing or simply RnR after being on Lao roads.
* While you are there, do stop by the Learning @ My Library run by the American non-profit group, thelanguageproject.org. They work towards promoting the learning of English and the teaching of photography as a livelihood for the locals for free. They would appreciate very much an old laptop of yours or any related computer peripherals, photography equipment, English storybooks or simply cash donations.

Luang Prabang to Phonsavanh
This bus departs daily from the Southern Bus station of Luang Prabang to Phonsavanh, a 7 hour ride which is rather winding too. It costs 45000kip per pax. and it departs at 0830; be there earlier at 0800 just in case. Upon reaching Phonsavanh there are many guest house touts around who will offer free rides (10 mins or so) into town if you stay with them. I would recommend the White Orchid Hotel or if not possible, Sabaidee Guest house as a last resort. There are many other guest houses in town as well, but almost all of them look like the set of a typical Chinese ghost flick especially Phonsavanh guest house. (I understand this may be subjective, but if you think you have what it takes then be my guest!)

Phonsanvanh(xiengkhouang province)
Phonsavanh is a rather small sleepy town that pretty much closes by 830pm at night. Theres an excellent Chinese restaurant that serves wonderful eel cooked in various styles that we ate every single meal there (forgot the name but its' the one next to a travel agency). You should also stop by the MAG (mines advisory group) office cum museum to learn abit more about the atrocities of the American bombings of Xieng Khuang Province during the 'Secret War' (they screen related movies for free at night daily). And don't pass up on the Plain of Jars sites, which are the main highlight of the town. All tourists need a tour guide to enter the sites and I highly recommend getting Fue vue or (Witubhmoobvwj@hotmail.com), a local tour guide who speaks good english.

Travelogue for Vietnam/Laos/China Part II

2009-01-11T21:58:00.002+08:00

*Do note that those who wants to do an anti-clockwise route of our itinerary will be faced with much difficulty getting transport from Hanoi to Nam Xoi as direct transport would have to be chartered since there are no direct buses.

Phonsavanh to Sam Neua (Xam Neua)
From here you can take the public bus from the bus station to Sam Neua; it takes about 80000-85000 Kip per pax. and its' a winding 8-9 hour(180km approx.) bus ride. However, you can opt to take the private minivan option provided by the few travel agencies in town which takes about 5-6 hours only for 90000kip per pax. only in a 9 seater Starex(Hyundai) minivan. The difference is that the extra 10000kip per pax. is saved from taking a tuk-tuk to the bus station in Phonsavanh instead, the minivans do offer pick-ups from your guesthouse.

Sam Neua
During the time that we were in this town, there was a Lao-Vietnam ministerial meeting and all the guest houses were full for that week. We could not find accommodation here and thus had to leave for Vieng Xai, a 1.5 hours bus ride away (30-40km) for the night on the day of arrival. However judging from the recommended attractions in the tourism office in Xam Neua, there are plenty of attractions that you should not pass like the 'Stonehenge' and the many waterfalls and hot springs in the area.

Sam Neua to Vieng Xai
From the town center of Xam Neua you have to take a 15 min tuk-tuk ride to the bus station outside of town (don't ask me why they locate their bus stations so far out, I am curious myself!) which costs about 10000kip per pax. Then, from the bus station you have to take another bus (its' just a tuk-tuk, really) that will take you to the bus station in Vieng Xai(its' a 10 min walk from the town centre, unlike the other bus stations) for 10000kip per pax. for 2 hours. The bus leaves at regular intervals daily and ours left the bus station at around 1630 hours. (If I am not wrong, one bus leaves there every 2 hours till evening)

Vieng Xai
This is a place that all travelers should not pass when in northern Laos; a pity so little people know about it. The place is surreal in itself (see our photos, its' definitely worth the trip); there are white cliffs sprouting out in the middle of town alongside houses with no street lighting in town. Its' back to basics here as there is no internet access and hot water has become a luxury. However, the main attractions of the town is the Pathet Lao Caves; there are in total 7 of them in which the Pathet Lao hid out during the Secret War fought with the Americans in the 1960s. One full day would be just nice to view all of them and they all can be reached by renting bicycles (10000kip per bike, 30000kip per pax. for entrance into ALL 7 caves) from the local tourism office. There are only four places to stay in town: Tha Vi Xe Hotel, Naxay 1 GH and Naxay 2 GH and one more that I can't remember. Naxay 2 should be your first choice followed by Naxay 1; Tha Vi Xe hotel was quite a nightmare for us.

Vieng Xai to Na Meo/Nam Xoi
From Vieng Xai your transport options are rather limited: either you back track back to Xam Neua and go to Phonsavanh/Nong Khiaw OR you can choose to cross into Vietnam through Na Meo like us. For the latter, you can choose to either take a bus from the Vieng Xai bus station (ours left at 0800, better be there early) which departs quite frequently for 20000kip per pax. for around 2 hours (55 km approx.) OR you can walk to the main road (linking Xam Neua and Na Meo) which takes about 20 mins by foot and stop a local bus coming from Xam Neua to take you to the border for the same price.
*I would not recommend the latter as the bus may already be full from passengers coming from Xam Neua and cause you to wait for long periods along the road.

Na Meo/Nam Xoi to Thanh Hoa onto Hanoi
The border crossing (international) is rather tricky. First, make sure you have your air tickets printed out or have them on hand that will take you out of Vietnam as the border guards will refuse entry to even foreigners who do not have a pre-arranged way out of Vietnam! (A swedish backpacker was forced to travel back to Xam Neua to print his air tickets after the guards refused him entry into Vietnam, took him 2 days to get it done.)
Next, have at hand something to offer the guards, it will make things get done faster. (For us it was some alcohol the guard 'asked' for, cigarettes would do just fine too). Do note that you have to pay 2000VND per pax. (or the equivalent in kip ) for some health quarantine declaration that is mandatory for all foreigners.
Then, you should change ALL your kip here into VND as it becomes worthless paper outside of Laos. Here they accept your kip for 1.7 VND to 1 Kip while the people in town trade at 1.6VND to 1 Kip. There will be no more chances for you to use your kip anymore, trust me.

Now for the main issue at hand, there is only 1 bus that leaves Nam Xoi (Nam Xoi is the Viet side of the border, Na Meo is the Lao side) for Hanoi via Thanh Hoa which takes about 8-9 hours (we took 10 hours) to Hanoi and 6-7 hours to get to Thanh Hoa. The bus leaves ONLY ON tuesdays, thurdays and saturdays and it leaves at around 1100-1130, one bus only for these few days. IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU MAKE THE CROSSING ON MONDAYS OR WEDNESDAY OR SUNDAY, YOU ARE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! All travelers should take note as there are no guest houses in Nam Xoi and the food there is priced ridiculously high. And heres the best part: the ticket to Ha Noi is 25 USD per pax. (20 USD to Thanh Hoa) which is sky high. But then again, this is the only ride you have out of here, so keep some money to get ripped off here or don't make the crossing at all. (The driver accepts VND too, but at some exchange rate that is highly unfavorable to you thus you should just pay in USD!) You can opt to stop over in Thanh Hoa, a popular beach getaway for Vietnamese that is 3 hours away by bus or by rail to break up your journey. However, for the extra 5 USD you are paying you might as well go straight to Hanoi as it is more worth your while.

NYAA Follow-up?

2009-01-08T19:58:00.004+08:00

Dear Miss Choo,

I am happy to receive your wonderful reply as well. You can contact me at 9******* on my handphone, once again I thank you for your time. I would also be glad to help fellow schoolmates in the months of Feb and March since I would be enlisting in mid-april. I would see you personally on the 12th of Jan, Monday in school then. Thanks!

Cheers,
Jiawei

------------------------------ Original Message ------------------------------
From: Ms Choo Chieh Chen Helen
Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2009 10:17 pm
Subject: Re: NYAA Report

Dear Jiawei

This is so wonderful! Thank you. Welcome!

Would be so good if you have time in Feb/Mar to talk to interested students.

Pl give me your mobile number so we can arrange a more specific time btw 9 - 11.

I will invite our HOD/PE Ms Tay Chiew Guat to come as well if she is not having class.

cheers

Greetings Ms Choo,

I am Zhang Jiawei from 07S32 and I graduated from TPJC in 2008. I was awarded the NYAA Gold level award in the same year and has since collected the report that I have submitted to the council for vetting. In view of your interest in this programme for youths, I would like to personally hand my original typewritten report over to you so that more youths under your charge can undergo the same experiences as I did. The report will come in handy as an exemplar for report submission as reference material for future students to work with. I will be going to school this coming monday, 12th of January when school reopens. I understand it will be a busy day for every staff member, but could you spare me 15 minutes to go through briefly with you the details of the report between 9 to 11am? Thanks!

Best regards
Zhang Jiawei

Further Information

2009-01-08T00:51:00.002+08:00

Accomadation in JingHong

Travelling around JingHong

Townmap of Phonsanvanh

Army Days

2009-01-06T11:59:00.003+08:00

HELLO!

Think secondary and JC life went by really fast and everyone is going into army like this week le! hee. and certainly we will miss every single one of us. just hope that as everyone is busy with your army times we can stil find time to meet up with one another over the next few months and play soccer or whatever. thus! i propose that everyone do check the blog regularly to look for updates or anything. if anyone feels like it can also post something about what you have been doing so that we can keep ourselves update with one another and the blog alive too :) hope to see everyone real soon :)

TAKE CARE!
zhan liang

BBQ 2009

2009-01-04T23:32:00.001+08:00

FW: Happy New Year

2009-01-02T22:06:00.007+08:00

From: tubhmoobvwj@hotmail.com
To: khookymonster@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Happy New Year
Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 19:00:30 -0800

Happy new year 2009
I 'm very happy to hear from you that you are very good in singapore
How do you celebrate the new year in Singapore. For me here we drank alittle of Laolao.But not got drung
I took five photos but i just sent you only two of them i would like to send you more but i have problem with my camera so i just scan them in to the computer and it cost 10000 kip per one photo But How ever i will try to send you more as i can. The students were very happy for help when they recieved the things. The students and also teachers need your more help So please arrange your time to come next year.I'm willing to work with you
Khooky Could you help me some thing? I really need a Computer USB so Could you send me one? and the photos of your school and your city.
Here is my address in Phonesavanh
(342/A Phonsavanh,Xiengkhouang, Loas)

Good luck for the new year
Fue vue or Wi

FW: hi from Phonsavanh

2009-01-02T22:06:00.004+08:00

From: tubhmoobvwj@hotmail.com
To: khookymonster@hotmail.com
Subject: hi
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2008 02:05:47 -0800

Hi
I hope that you are doing well in Singapore now. I'm very good here in Laos
I went to my home town last week and gave the things that you left for the students i gave the poor students and t5he orfans by my hand and the rest of the materail i just left them to the teachers and they will give to students later or will use for activities in the class
I try to send you two of the photos that i took last monday

Thanks for your help

Fue vue (Wi)

Meeting!

2008-12-25T00:32:00.003+08:00

Date: 29th or 30th December (monday or tuesday)
Time: Undecided
Venue: Undecided

Heres whats' happening at the moment:

Zhan Liang is leaving for Malaysia on the 30th of December night till early January, so we have to hold the meeting before his departure. Seth is leaving for Desaru from the 26th to 29th afternoon (~3pm arive back) so we have to hold it when he comes back. Edmund is down with a parasitic infection from some spores and hasn't recovered since the trip ended. So that leaves us with the 29th and 30th half-days, which concurs with our unit's UTC. We can decide to have the meeting in VS as well, up to you guys. Pls give me an answer after reading this post.

JW

Vieng Xai videos

2008-12-23T09:44:00.006+08:00

Accounts for 08' Trip

2008-12-23T09:30:00.001+08:00

Just a brief account of our accounts for this 08' trip(all amounts are in per pax):

China

Bus from Hekou to Yuanyang: 45rmb
Tourguide and transportation for rice terraces: 30rmb
Minivan from Yuanyang to Jianshui: 40rmb
Bus from Jianshui to Jinghong: 155rmb
Bus from Jinghong to Luang Nam Tha: 70rmb
Accommodation: 35-40rmb( 2 star hotel rates)
Food: 10-20rmb

Total spent from Communal: 3435rmb(Per Pax: 572.5rmb=130Sing)

Laos

Bike rentals in Luang Nam Tha: 10000kip
Bus from Luang Nam Tha to Luang Prabang: 85000kip
Tuktuks in Laos: approx. 5000-10000kip(subject to your bargaining skills)
Bus tickets from Luang Prabang to Phonsavanh: 45000kip
Minivan from Phonsavanh to Sam Neu: 90000kip
Transportation, tour guide & entrance fees to Plain of Jars(Site 1): 60000kip
Songthaew from Sam Neu to Vieng Xai: 10000kip
Tuktuk to escape from “ghost hotel”: 4000kip
Caves exploration & bike rentals: 40000kip
Songthaew from Vieng Xai to Na Meo( Lao-Vietnam border): 20000kip
Coffee money at the customs: 2000kip
Accommodation: 18000kip- 20000kip(guesthouses)

Total Spent from Communal: 6,211,000kip( per pax: 1,035,100=200Sing)

Vietnam

Taxis: 68000VND (Don’t get duped from bogey ones, only take the ones that are “Hanoi Taxis”)
Accommodation: 12-16USD per night
Train tickets from Hanoi to Lao Cai: 88000VND

Total Spent from Communal: 2,188,000VND(per pax: 365,000VND=30 Sing)

In USD: per pax: 16.5USD=25Sing

Total Spent per pax: 385Sing

Lao in 2002

2008-12-23T01:37:00.001+08:00

Last Journey in Laos

2008-12-23T01:08:00.002+08:00

Fast Facts

2008-12-23T00:38:00.010+08:00

CHINA
Most frequently used word: Melamine
Most frequently heard sound: imagine jw do it (dunnoe how to type but its the sound of spitting)
Composition of passive smoke inhaled: 60% or more
Best dish: Fried spicy eels (in yuangyang)
Cost per meal: S$4
Number of choked toilets: me+jw=2
Hours on bus: 6+3+15+6=27
Number of guesthouses stayed in: yuangyang+jinghong=2
Amount spent: 1100 Yuan=S$250

LAOS
Most frequently used word: Shit
most frequently used phrase: go play with yourself! (Washi Kor!)
Number of 'ghost' guesthouses: phonsanvanh+viengxai=2
Best Whisky: Laos Whisky
Hours on Bus/Tuk-Tuk: 1+8+6+1+4=20
Weather: Lynette cold
Common food: sitimer rice (in portions for chickens)
Accomadation: Geh house

OTHERS
Best seth moment: SMARTIES!
Man of the trip: Thomas! (except for snoring!)
Shittiest person: Edmund :P
Monster seen: Lochness Monster! (Splat!)
Long service award: MR KHOO!!!
Best item bought: Crumpler bags!
Animals heard: Loch Ness Monster (in toilet)
Most thought about local food: Kway Chap Set A/Ter Bak and Ter Kar

* There will be a debrief session by the Great Expedition Leader on the 27 th of Dec, 10am as ZL flies off on the 29th to Burma. If no one sms-es me by the 25th I would assume everyone is ok with the date and time and finalise everything. Khooky may have something for us too, and is a good time to settle all our trip 'business' too so attendance is compulsory. Latecomers go stay in Phonsavanh guesthouse or Tha Vi Se Hotel for 1 night, courtesy of Fusionoize 09.

More photos!

2008-12-22T18:43:00.002+08:00

PICTURES! (at Changi airport, Hekou-Lao Cai, Yuanyang, Nam Xoi-Na Meo, Phonsavanh)

2008-12-22T10:50:00.004+08:00

THANK YOU GUYS.

YOU ARE THE BEST.

Closure?

2008-12-22T06:11:00.001+08:00

Hey guys once again,

its' time to settle some things that need to be done after the trip. Here are some reminders:

1) Have you gotten back all your belongings from the communal luggage?
I just realised I left my cigs and mulberry envelopes in Seth's Ikea bag! Do check once again all your belongings and the additional purchases you made on the trip.

2) Photographs uploaded/developed?
Pls do contribute the moments you have captured on camera as not everyone brought one with them (myself included). Ask around for those who want photos of themselves or group photos by taking the initiative, thanks!

3) Post trip activities
In case you have forgotten, the Great Expedition Leader is supposed to give a debrief which he has meticulously prepared on the last day but did not get the chance to present it. As such, pls arrange a date for us to meet up and get it over and done with before your enlistments in January!

PS: Seth is supposed to do a Language Project report, pls don't forget!

JW

Fusionoize Update III

2008-12-19T22:06:00.003+08:00

Hi everyone again,

heres another update from the six of us in Hanoi, Vietnam. The weather is rather warm and we are living in the old quaters of the city. For those who don't know, things in Hanoi have really changed since 2006. The inflation rate is at 25 %; a decent meal now costs 4-5 SGD while we got ripped off on a taxi by paying around 22SGD for a 15 mins ride. So far, Dog is down with fever and has no appetite (he had a banana desert for dinner only) and Seth is feeling unwell too (he just plays PSP all day on bed) while Edmund is having diahorrea since morning. So far, only myself, tommy and Khooky is fine (don't you see a common similarity between the sick and the strong?!) But those who are worried by that (you know who you are!) don't worry, they will be in my caring hands till the end of the trip.

JW

Fusionoize Update II

2008-12-19T00:16:00.002+08:00

Hi to anyone whos reading.

This is our second and final update for our trip so far. Today is Day 15 and we reached Hanoi from Vieng Xai (Laos) after a 12-hour bus ride, so here I am. We will be staying here in Hanoi till this Sunday (21st Dec) where we will take the 8pm flight; do note that there is a mistake in our itinerary, our ETA is 0050 on Monday morning (1am!) and not 4am as stated previously.

As it is rather late now and we have not showered for 4 days since Phonsavanh (its' 10 degC, not that we were lazy or anything), I will briefly run through our journey in days so far:

Day 7: Luang Nam Tha
Day 8: Luang Nam Tha - Luang Prabang
Day 9,10: Luang Prabang
Day 11: Luang Prabang - Phonsavanh
Day 12: Phonsavanh
Day 13: Phonsavanh - Vieng Xai
Day 14: Vieng Xai
Day 15: Vieng Xai - Nam Xoi/Na Meo(international borders) - Thanh Hoa - Hanoi

To be honest, Laos was not as cheap as we expected due to the global inflation; meals cost about 3 USD per person per meal while bus tickets are rather expensive compared to last year. The border guards at the Vietnam side receives a 'special mention' prize from us for their efficiency in stamping our passports while talking about the 1st leg of the Singapore-Vietnam AFF match the day before. Alcohol seems to make things easier after one of them asked us to give them one of our chinese liquor bottles (we bought as gifts) too, so no one's complaining.

JW

Fusionoize Update!!

2008-12-10T20:15:00.004+08:00

Hi guys,

JW here giving an update on the trip so far. Today is Day 7 and we are in Luang Nam Tha town, Laos which is approx. 10km from the border (Boten) with China which we left on Day 6.

Day 1: Singapore-Hanoi-Lao Cai
By the time we arrived, it was already 2200 and we could only purchase the 3rd class seats on the train to Lao Cai. In short, we didn't sleep well or eat well through the whole night......
*apparently no-smoking signs are meant for display purposes only, people DO smoke in enclosed train cabins!

Day 2: Lao Cai-Hekou-Yuanyang
Finally, stepping into China was a breeze as we spoke a common tongue and the people were very friendly. Except for the part where everyone spits and the horror stories about the Chinese public toilets are 100% true, with a few details that we can add onto.

Day 3:Yuanyang
Day 4: Yuanyang-Jianshui-Jinghong
Day 5: Jinghong
China was pretty much the same; big cities, spitting people, smokers everywhere, spicy and salty food but we survived it. We have travelled at least 1000km so far through China getting from one place to another in Yunan Province, China. Yuanyang was the coldest place we visited (8 deg C at night) but the worst is behind us. I just worry how to adjust to Laos given how relatively comfortable our travel in Yunan has been so far.

Day 6: Jinghong-Boten-Luang Nam Tha
Laos was a totally different experience, given that we don't know howto speak Lao in the first place. The prices of food have gone up (1 meal = approx. 3-4USD) but other than that the weather is less cold and the hotels have HBO, Star Movies and so on so we should be just fine! Apparently due to the economic crisis, there are lesser Whites around in town now which is the same for China tourism as well.

In closure, the six of us are generally fine with no illnessesor injury thus far and we are on track for the itinerary, just that we changed some destinations. Our money will definitely last us the whole trip and we have access to computers from this part onwards of the journey.

PS: To the person who thinks I should be dead by now, sorry to disappoint you! Lol do take care of my stuff I passed to you though, I need it till April!

Final Itinerary

2008-12-03T15:03:00.002+08:00

Note: We all need Renminbi (RMB) since we are passing thru China for a few days. Bring along more USD (Hanoi and Laos) and some SGD as well just in case.

In my case: SGD500 to USD330 approx, SGD250 to RMB (haven’t changed), plus extra SGD 250.

*MPFSC gave us some handy thermos bottles meant for travelling on Tuesday; if you don’t wanna bring along with you on the trip pls SMS me to remind me not to bring it for you on departure date, thanks.

In case you are still blur, we are meeting @ 1500(3pm) tml at the budget terminal.

Day /Time	Morning	Afternoon	Night	Comments
Day 1 – 04/12/08	-	SIN-HANOI (1735 ETD, Meet at 1615 budget terminal!)	HANOI-LAO CAI (2000 ETA in Hanoi; overnight sleeper train)	From Noi Bai airport we go directly to the train station and buy the tickets immediately.
Day 2 – 05/12/08	LAO CAI-HEKOU-YUANYANG HoursH	YUANYANG
Day 3 – 06/12/08	YUANYANG AND/OR SURROUNDING AREAS
Day 4 – 07/12/08	YUANYANG-SIMAO		SIMAO
Day 5 – 08/12/08	SIMAO-MENGLA-MUANG SING		MUANG SING
Day 6 – 09/12/08	MUANG SING AND/OR SURROUNDING AREAS
Day 7 – 10/12/08	MUANG SING-LUANG NAM THA	LUANG NAM THA
Day 8 – 11/12/08	LUANG NAM THA-LUANG PRABANG		LUANG PRABANG
Day 9 – 12/12/08	LUANG PRABANG AND/OR SURROUNDING AREAS
Day 10 – 13/12/08	LUANG PRABANG-SAM NEUA		SAM NEUA	We can skip Phonsavanh totally by backtracking up north and taking a smaller road seen in thr google map on our blog!
Day 11 – 14/12/08	SAM NEUA AND/OR SURROUNDING AREAS (e.g. Vieng Xai) OCIP Section!			We can base ourselves in Sam Neua to access Vieng Xai (1 hour)
Day 12 – 15/12/08
Day 13 – 16/12/08
Day 14 – 17/12/08	Buffer Day
Day 15 – 18/12/08	SAM NEUA-VIENG XAI-NA MEO		NA MEO
Day 16 - 19/12/08	NA MEO-MAI CHAU or NA MEO-THANH HOA		MAI CHAU/THANH HOA	At Na Meo buses are irregular, so we cannot decide which route back to Hanoi till then.
Day 17 – 20/12/08	MAI CHAU-HANOI or THANH HOA-HANOI		HANOI
Day 18 – 21/12/08	HANOI		SIN-HANOI (0400 ETA)
Day 19 – 22/12/08	SIN (home sweet home, after almost 3 weeks! )

Getting around Vietnam-Laos-Yunnan

2008-12-02T22:54:00.002+08:00

Lao-Vietnam border at Nam Xoi-Na Meo

Xam Neua - Vieng Xai - Nam Xoi
One Sangthaw to the border leaves at 7.10 in the morning and should be 25.000 kip. 3 hours of beutiful landscape included!

Vieng Xai - Nam Xoi
We never sorted this out, but the locals advice us to be at the big road at 6.45 to catch the ride to the border. They say its the one from Xam Neua but that kinda brakes the rules of physics.. But at 7 we actually found 2 rides to the border, one truck and one sangthaw, both coming from Vieng xai. We took the Truck and payed 25.000 (21.000 is the advertised price for the one from XN). Sangthaw from Xam Neua passed by later (the day we went it didnt leave Nathong until 8.00)

Nam Xoi - Na Meo
No problems at the Lao side of the border, they seems to be helpful.
Walk a few hundred meters and arrive at the vietnamese side. Pay 2000 dong (1.500 kip) and have your bag "searched".

Na Meo-Thanh Hoa/Mai Chau
unless you're in Na Meo on a tuesday, thursday or saturday, don't expect leaving the town.
-A few other options, including minivan to Mai Chau ($35/person!, no further discussion) and some motos willing to go 50km at $15-20.
-A local bus at the worst, the first hours are really bad. Leaves at 12.00 (12.40 in our case).
-In Na Meo - little to eat, we managed to buy some rice (worst rice we had in the whole trip) and vegetables. Everyone in town accept KIP at 1.6 rate.

Xam Neua - Thanh Hoa (vietnam).
Leaves at 7.40 (according the time tables we saw, time unconfirmed) and goes straight to Thanh Hoa. A bargain at 100.000 kip ($12) for the 11 hour trip. You can flag down the bus from Vieng Xai, just hang around the main road in the morning.

Luang Prabang to Sam Neua
07:30 departure, standard bus, 120,000 kip, approx 24 hours.
Goes via Vieng Thong, Nong Kiaow, Pak Mong, Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng. Prices vary accordingly.

Hekou-Yuanyang-Jinghong!

2008-12-01T23:36:00.003+08:00

''Buses from Hekou to Yuanyang''

There are 2 buses destinated to Yuanyang元阳 from Hekou河口 each day, depart at 06:00 and 09:50, which take no more than 5 hours depend on the road condition.
and one bus go the Luchun绿春 from Hekou at 10:20 will also drop you at Yuanyang on the same road.
your last chance will be the Hekou - Honghe红河 bus which depart at 11:40. you get off at Nansha(the new Yuanyang township), and switch to the fill-&-run mini-bus from Nansha to Yuanyang, only another 45 minutes away.

Last updated : March 2008

''Transportation from Yuanyang to Jinghong direction or to cross the Chinese border into Laos''

1. Take the first bus from Yuanyang to Luchun绿春(07:30) if you are in a hurry. 121km trip and take more than 4 hours. Travel on praved road but be aware during rainy season, as road surface always collapsed. there are also buses to Luchun at around 09:30, 11:30, 12:30 and 13:30, which is coming from Jianshui and passing through Yuanyang. just wait by the carpark near the Chen's guesthouse.

2. there are 3 buses per day from Luchun to Jiangcheng江城(06:10, 09:30 and 12:00). Sometimes they do have extra bus running in the afternoon by 2, but don't count on that. 264km trip and take about 6 hours on mostly praved road. And same problem as the Luchun road during rainy season, so don't try this if you have a tight schedule. There are also buses to other destination from Luchun everyday, a 313km trip to Simao(06:40), and 411km trip to Mengla(07:20). Boths buses passing through Jiangcheng as well.

3. You need to stay the night either in Luchun or in Jiangcheng to be able to catch the carry on transportation. From Jiangcheng there are direct buses to Jinghong景洪(06:30, 09:40), a 264km trip and it go through unpraved winding mountain road. It goes the same direction as the Mengla bus, but turn right after the town Mengsing勐醒. If you are short of time and want to get to Jinghong quick, better take the much frequent depart bus from Jiangcheng to Simao思茅, then switch to Jinghong bus that run all through the day from Simao, it will be far more quicker by this route. If you are heading to Laos direction, from Jiangcheng take the bus trip to mengla勐腊(07:10, 13:40), a 240km trip take about 8 hours.

4. Every morning there are international buses depart from Mengla to Louang Namtha(09:00), and Luang Prabang(07:30) through the small border town Mohang磨憨 into Laos, and even a bus all the way to Vientiane on every even-number day at 08:00am.

last updated March,2008

Itinerary Ver 2

2008-11-29T22:15:00.003+08:00

The journey from Jinghong to Kunming is a mere 8 hours by bus; 2 days was the older route (my apologies; thanks Seth!). Since there are even overnight sleeper buses, we can fit the new itinerary (personally I support this one!) into our 18 days of travel. Read, comments please.

*Both itineraries are similar from Day 1-11 as we would have to cover these places anyway; note the changes from Day 11 onwards which is a pretty drastic route change. This itinerary is a worst case scenario already i.e. overland trvaelling by day if we cannot find overnight transport to our next destination.

Note: Charter – private bus, motorbike/tuk-tuk or taxi

Bus – Public transport

Day /Time	Morning	Afternoon	Night	Comments
Day 1 – 04/12/08	-	SIN (1735 ETD, Meet at 1615 budget terminal!)	HANOI (2000 ETA in Hanoi)
Day 2 – 05/12/08	HANOI-MAI CHAU (approx. 2 hours by charter, 4 hours by bus)HoursH	MAI CHAU-NA MEO (approx. 4.5 hours) NA MEO-VIENG XAI (approx. 2 hours by bus)	VIENG XAI
Day 3 – 06/12/08	VIENG XAI (Pathet Lao Caves)	VIENG XAI	VIENG XAI
Day 4 – 07/12/08	CIP (VIENG XAI OR SAM NEUA)	CIP (VIENG XAI OR SAM NEUA)	CIP (VIENG XAI OR SAM NEUA)	Note: approx. 1 hour by charter between both villages
Day 5 – 08/12/08	SAM NEUA	SAM NEUA	SAM NEUA	Can be based in either village given close proximity for CIP
Day 6 – 09/12/08	SAM NEUA-PHONSAVANH (approx. 10-12 hours by bus)	SAM NEUA-PHONSAVANH (approx. 10-12 hours by bus)	PHOSAVANH
Day 7 – 10/12/08	PHOSAVANH (Plain Of Jars)	PHOSAVANH	PHONSAVANH	Given only one attraction worth seeing, we may leave in the afternoon for Luang Prabang and spend the night there instead of Phonsavanh.
Day 8 – 11/12/08	PHONSAVANH-LUANG PRABANG (approx. 8 hours by bus)	LUANG PRABANG	LUANG PRABANG
Day 9 – 12/12/08	LUANG PRABANG-UDOMXAI (approx. 5 hours by bus)	UDOMXAI-LUANG NAM THA (approx. 5 hours)	LUANG NAM THA	If possible, we would get a straight ride to Luang Nam Tha and avoid Udomxai except for lunch. Night buses are available too, have to play by ear and ask around.
Day 10 – 13/12/08	LUANG NAM THA	LUANG NAM THA	LUANG NAM THA	Given travelers’ accounts,2 full days is already the bare minimum to spend here.
Day 11 – 14/12/08	LUANG NAM THA	LUANG NAM THA	LUANG NAM THA
Day 12 – 15/12/08	LUANG NAM THA-BOTEN-MENGLA (approx. 1-2 hours)	MENGLA-JINGHONG	JINGHONG
Day 13 – 16/12/08	JINGHONG	JINGHONG	JINGHONG
Day 14 – 17/12/08	JINGHONG	JINGHONG	JINGHONG	There are overnight sleeper buses (8 hours, Dog) but irregular.
Day 15 – 18/12/08	JINGHONG-KUNMING (approx. 8-10 hours by charter)		KUNMING
Day 16 - 19/12/08	KUNMING-LAO CAI-HANOI (2 days by train? Overnight sleepers OR 10 hours from Kunming to Hekou by bus then overnight sleeper from Lao Cai to Hanoi)			Have to check exact time and train route beforehand!
Day 17 – 20/12/08				Have to check exact time and train route beforehand!
Day 18 – 21/12/08	HANOI	HANOI	SIN-HANOI (0400 ETA)
Day 19 –22/12/08	SIN

MAPS

2008-11-28T14:02:00.002+08:00

Luang Prabang map

Luang Nam Tha Map

JingHong Map

Option: Travel to JingHong

2008-11-28T00:07:00.003+08:00

Getting In

This is the first big city for travelers coming from Laos. This is the first place with banks that accept foreign cards, but most travelers will have to change buses in Mengla to get here.

Getting out

Getting from Jinghong to Vietnam can prove to be a bit of a problem, with two imperfect solutions. The obvious one is to go back to Kunming and start from there. This can cause problems in that you may have to wait for a day or two to get a train or bus ticket to the border.

The second, marginally preferable option is to take a sleeper bus from the North bus station to Mengzi. These leave every day at 2pm, cost ¥170 and arrive at Mengzi at 6am the following day. A taxi will be ready to take you to the town's second bus station where a minibus leaves for the border town of Hekou at 6.50am and gets there at 11am. From there you can cross over the bridge into the Vietnamese town of Lao Cai.

Source: http://wikitravel.org/en/Jinghong

Itinerary 2008

2008-11-27T20:25:00.005+08:00

Note: Charter – private bus, motorbike/tuk-tuk or taxi

Bus – Public transport

Day /Time	Morning	Afternoon	Night	Comments
Day 1 – 04/12/08	-	SIN (1735 ETD, Meet at 1615 budget terminal!)	HANOI (2000 ETA in Hanoi)
Day 2 – 05/12/08	HANOI-MAI CHAU (approx. 2 hours by charter, 4 hours by bus)HoursH	MAI CHAU-NA MEO (approx. 4.5 hours) NA MEO-VIENG XAI (approx. 2 hours by bus)	VIENG XAI
Day 3 – 06/12/08	VIENG XAI (Pathet Lao Caves)	VIENG XAI	VIENG XAI
Day 4 – 07/12/08	CIP (VIENG XAI OR SAM NEUA)	CIP (VIENG XAI OR SAM NEUA)	CIP (VIENG XAI OR SAM NEUA)	Note: approx. 1 hour by charter between both villages
Day 5 – 08/12/08	SAM NEUA	SAM NEUA	SAM NEUA	Can be based in either village given close proximity for CIP
Day 6 – 09/12/08	SAM NEUA-PHONSAVANH (approx. 10-12 hours by bus)	SAM NEUA-PHONSAVANH (approx. 10-12 hours by bus)	PHOSAVANH
Day 7 – 10/12/08	PHOSAVANH (Plain Of Jars)	PHOSAVANH	PHONSAVANH	Given only one attraction worth seeing, we may leave in the afternoon for Luang Prabang and spend the night there instead of Phonsavanh.
Day 8 – 11/12/08	PHONSAVANH-LUANG PRABANG (approx. 8 hours by bus)	LUANG PRABANG	LUANG PRABANG
Day 9 – 12/12/08	LUANG PRABANG-UDOMXAI (approx. 5 hours by bus)	UDOMXAI-LUANG NAM THA (approx. 5 hours)	LUANG NAM THA	If possible, we would get a straight ride to Luang Nam Tha and avoid Udomxai except for lunch. Night buses are available too, have to play by ear and ask around.
Day 10 – 13/12/08	LUANG NAM THA	LUANG NAM THA	LUANG NAM THA	Given travelers’ accounts,2 full days is already the bare minimum to spend here.
Day 11 – 14/12/08	LUANG NAM THA	LUANG NAM THA	LUANG NAM THA
Day 12 – 15/12/08	LUANG NAM THA-BOTEN-MENGLA (approx. 1-2 hours)	MENGLA	MENGLA
Day 13 – 16/12/08	MENGLA	MENGLA-LUANG NAM THA (approx. 1-2 hours)	LUANG NAM THA	We can choose to leave in the morning for Luang Nam Tha if nothing is left in Mengla
Day 14 – 17/12/08	LUANG NAM THA-UDOMXAI (approx. 5 hours by bus)	UDOMXAI-MONG KHOA (definitely within one day total)	MONG KHOA	MONG KHOA/ MUANG KHOA (different spellings)
Day 15 – 18/12/08	MONG KHOA-DIEN BIEN		DIEN BIEN
Day 16 - 19/12/08	DIEN BIEN-LAI CHAU		LAI CHAU
Day 17 – 20/12/08	LAI CHAU-LAO CAI	LAO CAI	LAO CAI-HANOI (overnight sleeper train)
Day 18 – 21/12/08	HANOI	HANOI	SIN-HANOI (0400 ETA)
Day 19 – 22/12/08	SIN (home sweet home, after almost 3 weeks! )

Research assignment

2008-11-24T11:22:00.000+08:00

Transportation to downtown

Hanoi city bus number Kim Ma - Noi Bai(07) and Long Bien - Noi Bai(17) connect Noi Bai Airport with Hanoi city center. The bus stop is just on the right side of the terminal exit. Traveling by bus costs 3-5,000 VND (0.3 USD) per person and takes about one hour. However, passengers with too big luggages are known to be denied boarding. Buses run from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Airport taxi costs a fixed 250,000 VND (15 USD) for a sedan and toll charges are included in the price. A sign by the taxi stand outside the terminal will show the latest official prices. A taxi to city center takes about 30 minutes.

There is also the Airport MinibusNo. 1 Quang Trung,which is 22000-30,000 VND (2.0 USD) but only leaves after it is completely filled.

Minibuses and taxis park right in from of the airport exit gate. There are 3 companies operating several kinds of taxi/minibus and they are almost the same in price and service.

Lodging in Hanoi

Movenpick Hanoi, 83A Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan kiem district,

Majestic Salute, 54 - 56 Hang Duong St. Hanoi

Army, 33C Pham Ngu Lao St., Hoan Kiem Dist.

Viet Anh, 11 Ma May Str., Hoan Kiem Dist

Platinum Hotel II, 57 Nguyen Truong To str Ba Dinh

and Greenpark hotel, 48 Tran Nhan Tong,

all range from USD 43 to 65 for the cheaper hotels

More hotels can be found in this website: http://injury2008.org/Visitorinformation/Accommodation/tabid/276/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Crossing into Laos from Vietnam

There is some info in this website on Na Meo-Nam Xoi: http://www.travelfish.org/board/post/visabordercrossings/3689_Vietnam-Laos-border-crossing--Na-Maew-Nam-Xoi-/0