Taxi/ Uber/Gab/rent a car in Thailand

If you are planning to visit Thailand then this blog will certainly prepare you for the possible taxi scammers.

First of all, there are different color of taxis in Thailand, meter and non meter taxis, UBER and GRAB taxis, and illegal taxis.

Just keep it very clear that the METER taxis is the CHEAPEST option for you in Thailand. Usually driver will try to negotiate for LUMP SUM amount, DO NOT FALL IN TO IT, the meter amount in any case is still the cheapest option. 

The foreigner who visit Thailand usually trust the app based taxis services like UBER and GRAB and from my experience they are twice the cost of the METERED amount. But people usually have a long trust in the app and hesitant to take the actual taxis they still prefer the app service.

Rent a car or Motorbike

Taxis are available abundantly and I do not recommend the renting option for 2 reason, the Unclear insurance system if car is stolen or damaged, secondly the parking. If still very necessary to have a car for yourself then take it with driver and it wont cost much extra.

" I asked the renting person what happen if the car is stolen or damaged and he said me with big smile , YOU PAY IT"

AIRPORT Taxi

Both the airport in Bangkok has improved taxi service, there is a single counter and the customer takes the taxis one by one, the address is informed to the counter and receipt is given to the customer and the driver, you need to pay the total amount end of the journey.

IT looks simple BUT there are many issues later on, which you must know it.

1- Buy a sim card with internet service and use mobile internet for mapping ( Google map works online only and Sygic is a good software to use as offline in Thailand) most of the drivers are not sure about the way and sometime I think they just like to be stuck in traffic.

2- HIGHWAY ISSUE, 

This is one of the biggest issue if you are taking taxi from or To airport, you need to inform the driver if you agree to take highway or not, this can be an easy option if you have google map and you can see the traffic condition, there are 2 portions of highway involved and both parts cost 70 and 50 Baht respectively, this money need to be paid by the customer. If you do not say him to take highway , the driver will take normal way and possible to stuck in traffic for minimum 1 hour. sometime its just enough to take one part of the Highway and then back to normal road. just keep checking your gps traffic condition. Or just say driver to take highway and pay the money, which is hardly 3 Euro in total and does save a lot of time.

3-AIRPORT fees

There is fixed airport fees of 50 Baht, which must be given at the end of journey to the driver, this is also written on your receipt. Just be prepared for it as many tourist think this as a scam and fight with the driver.

4- Taxi commission

If you are single, its high possibility that the taxi driver will try to show you some parts of Bangkok, usually red lights areas, they get some commission from these places so be very clear about your address and DO NOT fall in to this offers.

5-Taxis at the islands like Krabi or Phuket

Meter Taxis on the islands are hard to find and usually illegal taxis ( I think its a monopoly of some car renting agents) run in this area and rate is fixed before the journey. The fare is abnormal high and cars are limited so usually people prefer to rent BIKES here, but the driving style and parking issues makes it a night mare, I recommend to use hotel tourism service and there are few websites that gives great fare for transfer from airport to the hotel or any other place. I recommend this service for Phuket transfer( http://www.phuketsrctravel.com/transfer_service.php ). I find them cheapest and professional.

6-TUKTUK

It is more like a tourist ride and are much more expensive then other car services, better fix a rate before and use your bargain skills.

Lastly, when you still in Meter Taxi, make sure the starting price is 35 and its counting as the car start running.

Finally its a quite safe and interesting city, wish you a safe travel. 
and short distances the bike taxis are best deal in traffic conditions.

Osaka to Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto is one of the famous places to visit in Japan. I would say if you want to see the modern and advanced japan then go to Tokyo and for real cultural and historical Japan then visit KYOTO.

Kyoto doesn't have his own airport and its necessary to arrive at the OSAKA airport and then there  are a lot of complicated options to reach Kyoto. Complicated in a way as your choice of transport is really dependent on how long you stay in Japan, what is your future travel plan and how much you can afford.

Arrival at the airport.
The airport is modern, before going to the immigration fill out completely the immigration form( most airlines give it during flight) or just take it form the counter before immigration control. I totally recommend to fill the form before landing and save time. As you walk towards the immigration one officer check if you have filled the immigration form and also the custom declaration form. After this there are counters which just scan your passport and finger print and then you stand in for the immigration counter. The process is quick and they just put a sticker on your passport showing the validity of your visa.
After immigration take your luggage and pass through the custom control and hand over the custom declaration form and they will check your passport again.

 Exit the main door and on the right side you will find INFORMATION center, usually crowded with the tourist. Before going there its better to decide what ticket you actually want.Option are
1- Take JR pass for 7 days and travel unlimited on JR lines
2- Take single journey train HARUKA etc card for one time travel
3- Take bus
How to choose
If you plan to visit multiple cities in Japan and stay like a couple of days in each city, then its totally recommended to take the JR pass which cost nearly 217 Euro and travel hassle free to different cities using fast trains.
If you like to travel by train and use prepaid card and then HARUKA and IOCOA is good option, and cost nearly 3000yen for one way and takes 78 minutes to Kyoto station.
BUT
if you are going to stay longer in Kyoto and you don't have plan to visit another cities soon, so the bus is the cheapest option. One way cost 2300Yen and return ticket cost 4000 yen. Which is a cheap way to reach Kyoto station and takes 88 minutes.

 The lines for the bus, First come First serve basis, buses depart every 20 min in day time so do not panic if you don't get a free space.

 The time table and bus time is shown on the screen, remember PLATFORM 8 to get the bus.

There is ticket office just next to the bus station too, encase you just rushed out of airport with out buying ticket.

 After reaching to Kyoto you can take a SUBWAY ticket for 290 yen for one way, 600yen for one day and 1000 yen for SUBWAY+ BUS for one day pass.

Change the currency at the airport, its similar rate as in the city. you can use CARD money in most of the places in Japan but cash is more welcomed, and small vendors you can just use cash.

Below find some useful links
1- For JR pass
https://www.jrpass.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9afOBRDWARIsAJW4nvy31uaiIUC5b69qaJ9Rt-RHbDDMuePf9PvQpG8LrVW1NFKpguiaeJoaAjUZEALw_wcB

2-Kyoto subway
https://www.kyotostation.com/kyoto-subway-lines/

Heviz Thermal Lake

Hungary is famous for its spa and thermal lakes.
Heviz is the largest (47,500 square meters) thermal  lake in the world and quite famous for tourists and locals.
Heviz thermal lake is about 200 km from Budapest and located at the edge of famous Balaton lake ( fresh water lake). The most easiest way is to come by car or take a day trip by some travel agency. The water of the lake includes many useful minerals and the temperature of the lake remains warm enough even in cold winters, and ranges form 22 to 38C. The water is replaced naturally in 3 days and its possible to see many water lilies floating on the lake.
Time and Cost
It takes nearly 2 hour to reach by car and there are multiple car parking nearby, the parking is not expensive but can be full in peak season and you need to park at a far place. The parking cost 100 HUF per hour. There are multiple option when visiting the lake, you can visit( without going inside lake) for 30 min for the cheapest price, the 3 hour swimming package is the most common choice for tourist, and it cost 9 Euro for adults and nearly 7 Euro if you are student. The ticket counter gives you a plastic band to enter the area and inform you about the remaining time. There are free lockers to keep your expensive things like jewelry or mobile and key can be attached to the band. the locker requires a coin to operate and the coin is automatically returned after you leave the key.
What to Expect
The thermal lakes are warm and source for may flora and fauna,the green algae and water lilies could be irritating for some but the warm water and beautiful surrounding is just inexpressible. There are multiple Shezlong Chairs available near the lake and if you cant find then walk few meters and you will see many option where you can swim and keep your belongings.
Swimming
You can chose to swim either the closed roof area of the open air, usually old people are in the closed roof area, but there is not fixed rule. Keep a floating tube with you as the lake is huge and the depth is 2 meter till 80 meter so that means you cannot put your feet to ground and its not possible to keep swimming all the time. There are metal frames after every 10-20 meter to hold and rest in the lake. The tubes and swimming accessories can be rented on spot too. The water inside the closed roof smells little strange but that can be just because of the algae growth in the water.
Facilities
The lake has excellent facilities like shower rooms, toilets, food area, massage center, fitness center etc. There is no need to do any reservation before going.
Here are some pics form the place.

Overall its a great place with good facilities and I totally recommend it.
This website can give more details on the facilities and prices
http://www.lakeheviz.com/

Albania ( Tirana) part 1

Albania
My travel experience of Albania
5 days in Albania, time is short, fears are more, expectation is low.
Fears before travel:

1. Yogoslavia war and continuous negative news in media makes it a difficult choice for the tourist to go to Albania. 
2. No proper public transport information on internet.
3. pick pocketing and money frauds.

Why I decided to go
My last trip to Dubrovnik ( Croatia) and Bosnia made beautiful memories of southern Europe. The people, food and the nature is totally different then other developed EU countries. I thought that Albania being next to Greece and with a long coast line is worth visiting. Also Albania being 70% Muslims pulls me religiously.
Plan
Plan was simple we need to see 3 famous( based on internet) cities of Albania in 5 days.
Cities are

1. Tirana ( Capital) and KRUJA CASTLE
2. Durres ( sea side/beaches)
3. Berat ( South of Albania)

Flight

The biggest disadvantage of Albania is poor flight connections. The flights are usually expensive and rarely possible to find diect flight to big cities in europe ( other then Italy and neighboring countries). The flights are usually costly and takes longer time due to connection. I took AirSerbia, it restarted its service 3 years back with Eitehad and improving slowly but planes( ATR72) are small and old and takes long time to reach.

View before landing

Hotel and transport

Choice of hotel was difficult as I like to staynear center so to see the city in night by just walking around and easily reachable. Albania the hotels seems to be more expensive then I expected and 1 night near center cost nearly 30Euro/ room in decenet 3 star hotel. which i think is little expensive for this city in a non-tourist season ( November). I made booking for Hotel BROADWAY, its wasn't far from center and hotel agreed to pickup from airport in 15 Euro ( for all 3 people).

I recommend to either preorder a pickup or use taxi to go hotel ( it can cost from 12 to 25 Euro), some buses do go to center but I find it not easy to access or understand.

Arrival at Rinas Airport ( Tirana)

Tirana is the only international aiport, the immigration officer were very friendly and with in 15 min almost all people form the flight got the immigration process done. 

Its a small airport and 3 belts run for the luggage and flghts are not very frequent so its not very crowded. there is Exchange office just in front of the luggage belts. There is also an City information office at the airport but closed may be as it wasnt a tourist season for them.

First Impression

The first impression of the city is not very appealing, the street looks messy, shops looks under construction and buildings are made over long time as structure is not uniform. Traffic was just chaos.

Hotel, people and currency

It was a family run Hotel and  was simple but nicely managed. People gave a great positive energy, they are warm welcomming and smiling and helpful. The currency is LEK and you get nearly 136 LEk in 1 Euro. ( some cultural issue is there and still people use thousand to actually say 100 ) I am not sure why but most of the people would say you amount in thouand but they mean in reality in hundreds ( of course not for cheating any one, its just common for them ).

Safety

The fast impression wasn't that nice but walking around in city day and night in narrow and dark streets we feel quite safe as a lot of locals ( specially women) are walking in the streets and they have a lot of grocery shops in every street and local area. I always keep small cash in pocket accordign to daily need and avoid dark places but in Tirana We walked in night in very narrow streets through shortcuts to reach our destination and luckily nothing bad happened and we didn't feel great insecurity too.

What to see in Tirana

It depend on person interest, if you like museums then its good to see 

National Historical Museum

National Art Museum

Science Museum( near University)

I like center, squares, food streets so I recommend spend more time 

near the center square, the natioanal museum is also there and cost 1 Euro.

walk from center towards the University and all famous places like presidence house etc are covered.

Rina park is also a worth visiting place. Ottomon times old bridge and dictator house is also impressive to see.

View from the University

 University

 President/ prime minister house

 Street dogs are common and will accompany you where you go :)

 Bunkers form the war time at Rina park

 Pyramid

 Cloud structure near the architecture museum

 Mosque near the square

 National museum of arts

Newly built church in a mosque style

Food

Tirana( Albania) offers one of the best cuisines of Europe, the quality of vegetable,meat and overall food is unmatchable  to any northern or western European countries. The restaurant offers a big variety and very economical. A complete menue at a decent restaurant including starter, drink, main food and the sweet cost just around 8 Euro per person. 

My recommendation for Food is restaurant name ERA. ( I can write in another blog where to eat what )

Coban Kavurma ( Lamb meat)

Fergesse

Lamb meat dish ( forgot the name)

Trileche

Overall I think its a pity that Albania is a underrated Country for tourism. The country has great potential and I totally recommend tourist to go there without fear.

Dinner in Milan, Itlay

Milan is a beautiful city, specialty famous for exhibition, expo and business meetings. The city is a complete mixture of different nationalities and almost everywhere you can find the English translations of boards, menu and advertisements.

The plan is to have a Italian style dinner in the center of town in an old famous Italian restaurant. Make the booking before on weekends as the restaurants are fully crowded and people queue outside for a place. The restaurant chosen is Santa Marta restaurant, near Duomo (city center).

Italian style: Italian are really good eaters, I haven't seen any other who eat this much amount and spend 3-4 hours just for dinner.

The booking s made form 08:00 pm and that's actually little early time for locals to eat dinner, the dinner actually starts from 08:30 and goes till midnight. The menu are with a 2 types of starters,some bread and snacks are on the table all the time, then comes the white or red wine, then a middle dish of pasta and finally the main dish,lastly there is sweet. The service is repetitively slow,may be just to make the food digested till the next dish come. Finishing everything from the plate is a common practice and locals eat everything whatever served.

See whats offered in a restaurant in Italian way.

starter bread, the back one is really nice,its like bread baked and then dried .

Potato snacks are crispy and I think a paste of potato with flavor is deep fried

4 different style of marinated fish with vinegar, olive and salt and steamed prawn in the middle

steamed vegetables with olive oil

Pasta with a fish sauce

small pasta with a tomato sauce

Fried Fish with lemon, nice taste but not sure what type of fish it taste like chicken and feel like the fish meat is pressed in this shape and then fried

Steamed spinach with salt. Little garlic and yogurt would make it good

Soft cookies made form white part of egg 

I could hardly eat half the things,but I think they offer according to local eating style.

Lugano, Switzerland

If you are in Milan, the best thing you can do is to to travel to city LUGANO, its in north of Italy and less than 100 Km from Milan.

The easiest way is to take a direct train from MILAN CENTRAL STATION (centrale) to Lugoano , which takes nearly hour

Milan railway station (centrale)

Train at Milan

and 10 min and cost 23 Euro one way. The train is fast and run German and Italian company. There are many options of train but better take the train which is going to Zurich and Lugano is a stop in between,

 Lugano Train Station

Lugano train station

View from the train

Its a  small city surrounded by white top mountains and three sides covered with the Lugano lake, the lake is huge enough to give a view of a sea. The nature, cleanliness and street view is just marvelous and can't be expressed in words.

 Street view Lugano

Walking towards the Lake

From the train station, take the exit from the right (the main building) and go down the street till towards the lake, it takes nearly 10 min to reach to the lake by walking. The streets have old style shops and beautifully decorated cafes. There is McDonald just in front of the lake view. 

Restaurant on the streets of Lugano

 Lake 

food street 

Pumpkin sweet selling on the street

Walk as much as you can on the pedestrian walk lanes near the lake and every view is spectacular. Don't forget to walk inside the town center and small streets connecting the center hall, there are multiple street vendors and shops which offers some unique things like food and souvenirs. When you get tired then walk to the shopping mall named MANOR LUGANO, it has 5 floors and sells almost everything from electronics, cosmetics to clothing, There is also a supermarket in the -1 floor and you can find many cheap swiss/Italian chocolates and snacks.

Manor shopping mall

There are many things to see in the city and main attraction can be seen within 4 hours but time spent  sitting next to lake and enjoying the lake view is just uncountable. 

 Foutain next the lake and good wished from me ( have a wonderful travel)