TurnBackNowDog

Is it possible to buy train tickets somewhere in the city of Luang Prabang or online?

I read online it's only possible to buy them at the train station, but it's a rather inconvenient and long way, adding to the cost with tuktuk both ways. Also, they said that if buying right before departure, it's unlikely seats will be available.

Allegedly there's a ticket office at an undisclosed location somewhere in the city, but they don't take cards or cash (wtf!?), just some odd Lao or Chinese cashless payment methods.

Has any of this changed recently, is there an agency or a website selling train tickets?

Traveling to Laos soon, and I heard black market exchange rates are much higher, like 19-20k LAK for 1 USD vs the official rate of 15k.

Is there a website that tracks prevailing black market rates? What places to go to for doing the exchange in Viantiane and Luang Prabang?

Any other tips when exchanging money? For example, in Thailand, $100 bills get a slightly better rate than smaller ones.

For those in Thailand, does it make any sense to exchange THB to USD before going, and then get a good rate for USD to LAK, or is it better to just exchange THB for LAK directly?

Is there a good way to predict where and when it will rain in Bangkok with any degree of accuracy? Even just knowing the areas where it's raining right now would be useful.

I tried various Android apps: Google Weather, Weawow, Dark Sky, The Weather Channel, but they have all been worse than useless.

Today, an app was showing me 10% probability of rain in the middle of a major downpour. It started raining an hour ago, so it's not like it missed by a few minutes. Not the first time. I get it that prediction is inherently hard, but is there no app that can at least get the answer to "is it currently raining at place X" correct?

It's even worse when they predict rain which never comes. A f

Thailand requires an outbound ticket for the 30-day visa-exempt entry stamp.

A common suggestion is to get a refundable ticket out of Thailand. Which specific airline should I look for?

Some airlines are likely to be a massive pain with refunds, even if you're entitled to one due to a fare conditions or another reason. I would avoid, say, Thai Airways or Air Asia for this reason alone.

One airline I know is good with refunds is Qatar (on all tickets until Sep 2022), I've gotten money back from them in the past with a single click. However, I'm not too eager to tie up a big amount like $1000. In case anything does go wrong, I'd rather be out less money.

What do people normally use and re

Can anyone recommend a cheap health insurance accepted for entry to Indonesia?

In the past I used Jagawisata (500k IDR), but conditions clearly state it's only valid for Bali, and I'll be entering through Jakarta and staying there first.

I don't care for insurance benefits, just that the policy is cheap and easily accepted on entry (by airlines and immigration) since I might have to enter Indonesia several times over the coming months.

Does the policy have to cover the entire visa-on-arrival duration (30 days), or only the actual time in the country, until my outbound flight?

This step-by-step guide claims it's necessary to book the hotel for the entire length of your stay in order to obtain the VOA (in addition to a CHSE hotel for 1 night).

Is that really the case? Can anyone confirm they were asked, either by the airline, or by Bali immigration on entry?

I'm visiting for almost the entire month without clear plans, and would prefer not to book stuff for an entire month.

News story as of March 21: Indonesia scraps quarantine for overseas arrivals

What does this actually mean for people arriving to Bali? Is booking a CHSE hotel no longer required for entry?

What about when arriving to Jakarta? Can you take a test on arrival and go straight to your friend's house or condo?

About 10 years ago, Kan Air used to fly a small Cessna C208 to places like Mae Hong Son, Pai and Phitsanulok. Those flights were an adventure in their own right, low altitude, on a tiny plane, with spectacular views. Nothing like the boring trips on an ATR-72/A320/B737.

Kan Air is long gone, but are any similar interesting flights still operating in Thailand?

The only I came across is C208 to a private hotel airstrip on Ko Mai Si (near Ko Chang), but that's only for guests of a hotel way outside my price range.

Has anyone seen first-hand reports online from people entering Bali using the VOA?

Supposedly it has been approved today (March 7).

It's a bit worrying that IATA Timatic database of entry requirements (the one that airlines use) has not been updated yet (as of right now), so check-in agents are would not be officially aware of the VOA and could deny boarding to people who try.

I'm trying to go to Jakarta (not Bali at first) and need to obtain an Indonesian visa.

Can anyone recommend good visa agents that they used, along with the price and the approximate time it took for the visa?

I also have a close Indonesian friend to help with the visa and send an invite/guarantee as needed. Is this mostly straightforward, or is it too much risk/hassle to try?

Thank you!

(posting on r/bali since it's the most active English speaking community)