Guest Area

I found this excellent hostel (HQ Hostel) in Bangkok, Thailand just the other day. It’s very affordable and modern.

This hostel is located in the center of Bangkok. It’s with in walking distance of the all the major attractions and major transportation hubs.

Check out their website to see more pictures and video’s of the place.

Open Air markets are one of the oldest way of selling goods in any culture.  Also one of the best ways to understand a local culture. These markets share a lot about what local economy looks like especially in a third world country.

Since supermarkets or grocery stores are only found in westernized cultures. The majority of world get their fresh produced from local markets. This is a great way to hang out with the locals and learn first hand about the local cultures and get a way from the tourist hot stop. Also you can get some pretty sweet deals on local fruits and gifts to take home.

This website ( Openairmarket.com ) is a pretty good resource to find local markets across the world and the US, but when all else fails ask a local.

Okay so I ran across this site dedicated to Belgian Fries and since I had the please of enjoying a true Belgian Fries in Amsterdam. I needed to share this.

So a true Belgian Fries are:

1. freshly cut, irregularly shaped
2. cooked (fried) twice
3. fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside
4. a distinct potato taste
5. at least 10 mm thick
6. preferably served in a paper cone

Check out this fella’s Site to Learn all kinda of sweet things about Belgain Fries.

When embarking on a backpacking adventure to Europe here are a few things I learned from my experience.

• Backpack- Could probably be the most important piece of gear you take with you. Reason I say this is because this will be literally be your home for durations of your trips.  Qualities to look for in a good Pack-  Internal Frame (this will provide good disruptions of the weight to your hips) and  5000 Cubic inches of space
• Head lamp- I would recommend one that is LED lite and has red lens for when read at night or in a hostel where you don’t want wake anyone.
• Clothes- any light weight or clothes that will easily dry.   ExOfficio and Patagonia makes some really good gear.
• Swimmers Towel- It dries quick, and maybe more importantly they pack light.
• Silk Sheet- If you are hosteling, some hosteling will charge you for your linens. Plus they are comfortable.
• Sleeping bag- only need if you are going in the winter. (I didn’t take one when I went)
• Thermo-rest- makes sleeping on those hostel beds a lot more comfortable.
• Shoes- A good pair of walking shoes is a must!!!
• Watch- A good watch will definitely help with making the trains.
• Ipod- For those long train rides
• Universal power converter- to keep the Ipod charged

Odds are that if your phone is a smartphone (iphone, Blackberry, or Treo) your phone will work in most country. The down side to having a phone that works just about everywhere is will be pay anywhere from $3.00 to $10.00/ min if you aren’t careful.

A Few Tips to make sure you aren’t suck with a huge bill.

1. Check with your wireless provider to see what your options are for when traveling abroad. Personally if i am traveling only for about a month or less I will buy the international plan for my iPhone, because It allows me to browse the web, and use skype to make cheap calls.
2. The best route for most people would just be a buy  a simple prepaid phone in the country they are going. Most people with choose this method only when they will be using the phone for emergency’s and special events.

Allow phones are nice anther cost effective way of communicating when abroad is good old fashion e-mail. With the abunance of internet cafes throughout the world it makes it easy to use the internet to say in touch without even buy a phone. Not to mention that it is super cheap to use.

Things your will need to do before  going to apply for a passport. Note: getting your first passport means you need to apply in person. Locations

• You are going to need at least one of the following form of identification Previously issued, undamaged U.S. Passport.

1. Previously issued, undamaged U.S. Passport Certified
2. Birth certificate issued by the city, county or state
3. Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth
4. Naturalization Certificate
5. Certificate of Citizenship

• Fill out a DS-11 Application this can be done two ways online and printed off or printed off fill out by hand. (Note: they still need to be printed off and applied for in person)
• You will need some pictures. Usually the best place to get pictures is at your local Wallgreens, but if you want to get them somewhere else here are the requirements.
  1. Identical
  2. In Color
  3. 2 x 2 Inches in size
  4. Taken in within the last 6 months
  5. Full face, front view with a plain white or off-white background
  6. Between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head
  7. Normal Street Attire (aka No uniforms, headbands, hats, etc.)

It’s usually just easier to go to Wallgreens or a professional place that takes them all the time.

• You will need a government issued ID also (Driver’s license, Military ID, Current government ID)
• and Bring about a $120 to get your passport.   What Fees are Now? Note: (Fees A subject to change at any time)

To Get even more information you can go straight to the governments home page