#I will limit myself to posting only one poating only one

[jorisjurgen]

Save me "making a depressing animatic set to an obscure japanese song". "Making a depressing animatic set to an obscure japanese song" save me.

This is the first preview you get of my animatic.

[iopeblog-blog]

(ro) Salutare dragii mei! Iata ca ma intorc, asa cum am promis, cu a doua parte a acestui mini ghid de calatorie.

1. Care e cea mai puna perioada pentru a vizita Thailanda?

Sezonul de varf incepe in noiembrie si se termina undeva pe la inceputul lui aprilie, pentru ca in Thailanda, desi e cald tot timpul, acestea sunt cele mai uscate luni din an. Evident, in ceea ce priveste preturile, decembrie si ianuarie sunt cele mai scumpe luni( pentru ca Mos Craciun si Revelion), asa ca daca ar fi sa ma intrebati pe mine, cea mai buna perioada pentru a vizita Thailanda ar fi martie-aprilie. Noi am calatorit in februarie, dar studiind ofertele de pret pentru avioane si cazari am constatat ca am fi economisit destul de mult daca am fi decalat plecarea cu inca o luna. In plus, nu stiu daca stiati, Aprilie este cea mai calda luna din an, dar nu va faceti griji, deoarece va puteti racori la bataia generala cu apa, devenita traditie de Songkran, adica Anul Nou Thailandez. Oricum, in aceasta tara, vremea este destul de imprevizibila, deci, in ciuda faptului ca musonul incepe in general abia la sfrasitul lui Iulie,  puteti da oricand nas in nas cu o ploicica scurta si calda de vara.

PS: In Thailanda, temperaturile difera in functie de zona in care calatoriti, asa ca daca planuiti sa vizitati si partea de Nord, nu uitati sa aruncati si o haina mai grosuta prin valiza, nu de alta, dar noptile din jungla, va pot da fiori (v-o spun din propie experienta).

Calatoreste in sezonul uscat. Oricum vei intra la apa 😀

(en) Hello, darlings! As I promised , I am back with the second part of my Thailand Travel Guide. Enjoy!

 Which is the best period to visit Thailand?

The peak season begins in November and ends somewhere in early April, because in Thailand, although the weather is hot all the time, these are the driest months of the year. Obviously, in terms of prices, December and January are the most expensive months (because you know… Santa and New Year), so if you ask me, the best time to visit Thailand would be between March and April.

We traveled in February, but studying the price offers for airplanes and accommodation we found that we would have saved quite a lot if we would have delayed our departure with another month. In addition, I do not know if you know, April is the hottest month of the year, but do not worry, because you can cool down by joining the water fight, a well-known tradition of Songkran, the Thai New Year. However, in this country, the weather is quite unpredictable, so despite the fact that the monsoon generally starts only at the end of July, you can always catch a short and warm summer rain.

PS: In Thailand, temperatures may vary depending on where you travel, so if you plan on visiting the North, do not forget to throw a thicker coat in your suitcase, because the nights spent in the jungle can give you chills (I tell you from my own experience).

O zi obisnuita in Bangkok. Acum intelegeti de ce avionul ramane cea mai buna optiune?

(ro)

2. Cum ajung si cum ma deplasez in Thailanda?

Daca nu v-ati propus sa bateti vreun record mondial la mers pe jos si inot, va sfatuiesc sa luati avionul. Pentru asta, cel mai bine e sa urmariti cu atentie siteurile companiilor aeriene (Qatar si Turkish Airlines) si sa vanati cele mai bune promotii. Iar o alerta de calatorie setata din timp pe vola.ro sau pe momondo.ro, poate face adevarte minuni. Un bilet la un pret ok-ish pana in Thailanda ar trebui sa va coste undeva intre 450-550 de euro de persoana, dar gasiti si mai ieftin.

Spre exemplu, zilele astea, Quatar are o oferta senzatie spre Chiang Mai, la numai 387 euro. Alte preturi bune mai gasiti acum, spre Krabi, la 473 EUR , sau spre Phuket, la 504 EUR, in luna Martie. (stiu, tot pare mult, dar asta este cea mai costisitoare parte a calatoriei).

Odata ajunsi acolo, pentru a va deplasa dintr-un oras intr-altul,  aveti mai multe variante: tren , autocar, sau avion. Noi nu am apucat sa mergem cu trenul, desi ne-am fi dorit ca timpul sa ne permita o mica plimbare pe Calea ferata Birmania- Thailanda, cunoscuta si sub numele de Calea Mortii, pentru ca din ce am auzit, este spectaculoasa. Am testat insa autocarul, pe ruta Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai si am calatorit in conditii mai mult decat decente, la un pret foarte bun.

Totusi, pentru ca timpul e valoros, pentru distante mai mari, va recomand varianta “inaripata”, mai ales ca preturile pentru zborurile interne sunt foarte mici. Pentru asta, accesati siturile companiilor low cost locale : NOK AIR si Lion Thai Air.  Noi le-am testat si am fost tare multumiti.

Iar daca aveti in plan sa urmati traseul nostru si sa ajungeti in Insula Phi Phi, va trebui sa luati feribotul. Biletele le puteti rezerva online, sau le puteti achita direct la fata locului. Feribotul pleaca din portul Rassada, din Phuket, intre orele 8:30 si 13:30, iar durata calatoriei este de aproximativ 2 ore.

  Oferta zbor Krabi (valabila la data publicarii articolului)

Oferta zbor Phuket (valabila la data publicarii articolului)

Oferta zbor Chiang Mai (valabila la data publicarii articolului)

(en)

How do I get to Thailand and which are the best means of transport around there?

If you did not intend to beat any world record of walking and swimming, I advise you to take the plane. For that, it’s best to watch the airlines’ sites (Qatar and Turkish Airlines) and hunt for the best promotions. And a travel alert on vola.ro or momondo.ro, can do real wonders. A ticket at an ok-ish price to Thailand should cost somewhere between 450-550 euros per person, but you could find it even cheaper.

For example, these days, Qatar has a sensational offer to Chiang Mai, for only 387 euros. Other good prices are now available to Krabi at 473 EUR or Phuket at 504 EUR, in March. (I know it still seems a lot, but this will be the biggest expense of the trip).

Once there, in order to travel from one city to another, you have several options: train, bus, or plane. We didn’t try the train, although we would have liked to have time for a small trip on the Birmania-THAILAND railway, also known as the Death Railway, because from what I heard it really is spectacular. But we tested the bus on the Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai route and I must admit that we traveled in very decent conditions at a very good price.

However, because time is valuable, for longer distances, I recommend the “winged” option, especially as the prices for domestic flights are very low. To do this, visit local low-cost websites: NOK AIR and Lion Thai Air. We tested them and we were very pleased.

And if you plan to follow our route and reach Phi Phi Island, you will need to take the ferry. Tickets can be booked online, or you can buy them directly at the pier. The ferry departs from Rassada Pier, in Phuket, between 8:30 and 13:30, and the journey time is about 2 hours.

Padure tropicala sau curtea hotelului Laluna din Chiang Rai?

3. Cum gasesc si cat costa o cazare in Thailanda?

Pentru asta, ma declar fan absolut Booking.com. Stiu, exista multe alte siteuri de acest gen, dar il prefer pe acesta pentru ca nu are costuri ascunse, pentru ofertele speciale pe care le are pentru membri, pentru avantajul rezervarilor anulabile, pentru review-urile relevante si pentru propriul meu mecanism de rezervari pe acest site, care nu a dat gres pana acum, dar despre care o sa va povestesc intr-o alta postare. Daca nu aveti inca un cont inregistrat, va invit sa intrati pe linkul ASTA si Booking va va restitui 10% din costul rezervarii.

Cat despre cazari, va sfatuiesc sa nu investiti o avere in asta, oricum nu veti sta prea mult in camera. Noi, dupa cum spuneam, am avut un buget nici prea-prea, nici foarte-foarte, dar am reusit sa gasim niste cazari senzationale, de 3 si 4 stele, la preturi de pana in 50 de euro pe noapte, pentru o camera (iar asta in sezon de varf). Evident, puteti gasi si variante mult mai luxoase, dar si mult mai ieftine(undeva la 10-15 euro), in hosteluri. Cel mai important, inainte de a rezerva, verificati review-urile si aveti grija ca nota hotelului sa fie mai mare de 8. Ca un mic pont, de regula, cazarile arata in realitate, mai bine decat in poze (cel putin asta a fost constatarea noastra).

Un resort care mi-a ramas in minte si in suflet, pentru ca e paradisul pe pamant, nu alta, este Laluna Hotel & Resort, din Chiang Rai. E drept, aici am avut norocul si am prins o reducere substantiala last minute, dar merita pandit!

(en)

Haha! E curtea hotelului Laluna! Un adevarat paradis

How can I find accommodation in Thailand and how much money do I need for that?

For this, I declare myself an absolute fan of Booking.com. I know there are many other sites of this kind, but I prefer this because it has no hidden costs, many special offers for the members, relevant reviews and because I found my very own reservation mechanism for this site, which I intend to present in another post. If you don’t already have a registered account, I invite you to enter this link and Booking will refund 10% of your next reservation’s cost.

As for accommodations, I advise you not to invest a fortune in this, because you won’t spend very much time in the room. We, as I said, traveled on a medium budget but we managed to find sensational 3 and 4-star accommodation at prices up to 50 euros per night for a room and this in the peak season. Obviously, you can find much more luxurious accommodation (the sky is the price’s limit), and also cheaper alternatives (somewhere at 10-15 euros), in hostels. Most importantly, before booking, read the reviews and make sure that the hotel’s rating is greater than 8. As a small tip, accommodation usually looks better than in pictures (at least from our opinion)

A resort that won my soul, because it’s paradise on earth, is the Laluna Hotel & Resort in Chiang Rai. The truth is, we were lucky to find a great last-minute deal for this hotel, but it is worth keeping an eye on it.

To be continued. Can you guess what’s next?

Don’t forget to run wild. Io

Thailanda: ghid de calatorie. Partea II: Care e cea mai buna perioada de calatorie? Cum ajungi si unde te cazezi? (ro) Salutare dragii mei! Iata ca ma intorc, asa cum am promis, cu a doua parte a acestui mini ghid de calatorie.