We are a retired couple travelling in December from Bangkok, to Hat Yai, to Kolok to Kota Bharu, Malaysia. We have been to Phuket, and to Hua Hin and we would like some of your opinions on which island or beach to spend 5 days in mid dec to avoid the Xmas high season.
We plan to take the train from Bangkok to Hat Yai, so we could stop in either Surat Thani or in Hat Yai to go to either Krabi, or Ko Lanta or Ko Phi Phi. We can snorkel, not really interested in scuba diving. We have heard of Ko Lipe but that may be a bit too going too far south.
Then return to Hat Yai, for one night if need be before taking train to Kolok.

Hello I will be heading to Seoul alone on the 24-12-18 to 02-01-19 for 10 nights. Just looking for a combination of nightlife and day trips/sightseeing
Could anyone recommend :
1) where to go for NYE in Seoul
2) Which other cities should I visit, is 10 days to long in Seoul?
3) Transport and getting around
3) Any other things I should see and do?

Thanks in advance
Phil,37, Male, UK

A lot of information we found online and in guidebooks beforehand was outdated and/or conflicting, so here's detailed updated info on taking the bus from Thanh Hoa, Vietnam, to Sam Neua, Laos, and the situation at the Na Meo / Nam Soi border crossing, as of 23 November, 2019.

Short version: Bus left at 8:15, cost 500K dong, took 9 hours. Visa on arrival for Laos is available now, but will NOT be in 2020.

Long version:

The bus leaves Thanh Hoa from the Western bus station, "Ben xe phia Tay", between Nguyen Trai and Nguyen Xuen Khoat streets, about 1 km south of the railway station. There is no ticket office, booth, or desk of any kind here, so no way to book or buy tickets before getting on the bus. No information on schedules or prices either.  It's just a parking lot with bathrooms and food stalls.

We took the bus on a Sunday, so it probably leaves every day. There were actually three identical buses (Quang Ninh company midibus with 25 seats) leaving towards Laos in the morning, but apparently only one goes all the way to Sam Neua.

Some information online suggests that there may be a (different?) bus leaving from the main Thanh Hoa bus station Tuesday-Saturday, but we have no confirmation about that.

We had read that the bus may fill up and leave well before the scheduled 8:00 departure time, so we arrived at 06:50. However, there was nobody on the bus yet. They started packing the bus with cargo around 07:15, and most passengers arrived 07:30-07:45. The aisles and backseat were filled with rice sacks and other cargo, but several seats were vacant when we departed. Things may well be different other times of the year or on other days of the week. The bus left at 08:15.

As for the price, the driver and conductor quoted us 500K dong per person when we asked about it before getting on the bus, and that's what we paid. No tickets or receipts.

There may be some foreigner extra in this price, as we saw a woman going all the way to Sam Neua pay 400K. However, 500K dong is fairly close to the posted price in the other direction (Sam Neua -> Thanh Hoa), 180K kip, so it's not really a big scam or anything. In any case, it's best to confirm the price before getting on.

There was a bathroom break at 9:30 and we stopped for lunch for 15-20 mins around 11. The roads are fairly good, though serpentine and a bit bumpy on the Vietnamese side.

We reached the border in good time at 13:45. Border formalities were effortless in Vietnam. After being stamped out of Vietnam, you need to walk (without your main luggage) a few hundred meters across no-man's land to the Lao immigration offices. The bus will wait for you there.

Lao formalities were fairly quick also. Did not have to pay any additional $1 tourism fee, although there are posters about such.

Now in November 2019 visas on arrival for Laos ARE still available at this crossing (Na Meo - Nam Soi). However, Lao authorities have notified that after December 31, 2019 visas on arrival will NOT be available here anymore (see, e. g., https://laotiantimes.com/2019/10/18/nine-border-checkpoints-to-discontinue-visa-on-arrival-services/).

We had organized visas beforehand at the Lao embassy in Hanoi, which was easy and quick (got them in 15 mins while we waited).

The bus left the border area around 14:20. The road was far, far worse on the Lao side, especially for the first 20 km or so. They appear to be still fixing the results of major landslides earlier this year. At one point, we were held up for 25 mins waiting for such clearing work.

Still, we arrived in Sam Neua around 17:15, so the trip took around 9 hours total. This bus only stops at the inconvenient Nathong bus station, around 4 km outside town and does not enter the centre of Sam Neua. A single taxi was there and took us to town for 20K kip, waiting at the ATM while we withdrew the cash.

So, unlike some have suggested in past years, a pretty straightforward trip in the end with no major scams or problems. But in the near future, you will need to have a Lao visa beforehand.

Hi,
I am planning a three month winter getaway, from Jan.1st -March 31st, 2019 and Panama is one place that I was considering. I have never been there, but have spent considerable time in S.E. Asia(Thailand, Vietnam, The P.I.) and was looking for a tropical destination to escape the cold, eastern Canadian winter. I have a few questions for experienced Panama hands;

1. First, do Canadians get a Visa On Arrival in Panama or must you apply for one before leaving Canada? If Canadians do get a VOA, how long is it(90 days, 180 days,etc.)?
   2.What area would you recommend for a three month stay? A little background on my preferences; close to, but directly on a "good" swimming beach(low surf, no rips), quiet at night(some place with little or no bar noise and associated drunken caterwauling-I've had enough of that in Thailand) and a bit of a North American expat community.
2. Prices for recommendations( I'm a bungalow kind of guy in my early 60's); for lodgings, food, etc.
3. Also, what are the malaria/dengue situations like in any areas near beaches that fit my preferences?
   Any and all constructive replies welcome. Thank-you.

Hi, I am a female (48 yrs) solo travelling to ho chi minh city this weekend and looking for female buddy to go around sight seeing etc.. if any other solo female traveller going to be there during this time around the city.

Hello,

I planned to pass the New Year in Ko Pha-Ngan attracted by the full moon party. Going through the guide, I realized that December is in the Monsoon Period when rains are very common.

Should I re-arrange my schedule? Should I fear the rain?

I planned to stay just one day and an half and leave from Ko Samui on 2nd January (I bought already the flight ticket).

In case I decide to confirm the current schedule, I am worrying also about the boat that should bring me from Ko Pha-Ngan to Ko Samui to take the flight (8am on 2nd January): the first boat in the morning is at 7 (too late) and if I want to leave Pha-Ngan the day before, this would mean take the boat on 1st of January. Are the boat services working on New Year?

thanks
Saverio