Good News on Philippines Visas

The visa situation for foreigners wishing to visit Southeast Asia has worsened over the last decades as many countries tighten up on restrictions and make it far more difficult (and expensive) to spend a longer time in each destination.

Just a few years ago, most Western nationals could arrive in Indonesia without a visa and be given a two-month "permit" (also called visa on arrival) free of charge, and then could easily apply within the country for a one-month extension. With three months of travel freedom, backpackers could first do the obligatory visit to Bali and then head off to more exotic and remote destinations such as Lake Toba in Northern Sumatra or the islands of East Nusa Tenggara such as Flores and Sumba.

Alas, no more. A few years ago, the Indonesian government decided to tighten entry requirements and only allow a month visit with no possibility of extension. That hasn't affected Bali tourism arrivals, but most of the remote destinations saw tourist arrivals plunge as few travelers had sufficient time to cover the great distances.

Thailand has been even worse, dropping the two-month visa option, with an additional month possible after arrival in the country. Three months in Thailand was an ideal limit for most travelers, who could visit all the hot spots and then perhaps knock around the more remote parts of the Kingdom such as smaller towns in the north and the villages of the Issan. But the Thai government tightened up and raised prices and made it far more difficult and expensive to really experience the delightful charms of the country. Tourist arrivals even in once favorite destinations such as Chiang Mai have plummeted, and hotel occupancy levels have dropped, as many visitors opt to visit beach spots such as Phuket and Ko Samui rather to explore the more traditional regions of the country which have long relied on the love of history and culture.

It's been a big blow to the type of tourism that encourages people-to-people encounters rather than the sun-and-fun crowd.

And so it was with great surprise that the Philippine government recently announced plans to reverse the tide, and allow foreign visitors to stay much longer in the country and get off the beaten track and certainly put their tourist dollars in local ventures rather the mega tourism developments that dominate the familiar destinations. Frankly, I'm amazed that the government has implemented this vision, but if you're going to attract wealthy tourists in decade or two, you need to first encourage budget backpackers to fall in love with your country, then return later in life to spend the big bucks.

Want to stay longer in the Philippines? Now you can!
Posted by Chris on August 16th, 2007

Over the last few years, some countries in Asia made it more and more difficult for long-term tourists (or none-working Expats) to stay longer than just a few months in country. Thailand only recently made their Visa Rules more difficult and complicated; before that monthly Visa Runs to the neighbouring countries were quite common.

Indonesia introduced a Visa-On Arrival (VOA) for maximum 30 days with respective fees only back in 2004 - before you could get a 3 months stamp for free. The bureaucratic processes to attain and extend a Social Visa are legendary. Although there were some rumours of longer VOA (up to 120 days) a few months back, those have yet to materialize.

I remember when I first went to the Philippines and overstayed my Visa for a few days, I paid something around USD 150 to be able to follow my already checked-in luggage on my plane out.

Ouch!

So it’s nice to hear that things are changing for the better:

The Philippines announced just a few days back, that foreigners are now allowed to stay in the country for up to 24 months! That is really great news - as the Philippines are quite far off from the rest of Asia and therefore a more expensive flight ticket would be required to just doing a Visa Run.

Of course there are always these kind of ‘agencies’ who only let your passport travel; but then, those can be quite tricky too in case something goes wrong. Thailand tried to eradicate this kind of businesses with some success, too bad for the foreigners who were caught in the middle.

The Bureau of Immigration of the Philippines is going even further, they are even thinking of doing away with Visas completely!

Nomad4Ever Link

The Myth of the American Traveler

Jon Flinn?

Whenever I travel around the world, I find myself attracted to fellow American travelers who, despite their poor dressing habits and fondness of Hawaiian Aloha shirts, seem to have more life and friendliness than most other people on this planet. And they seem popular with most of the locals who appreciate their friendly attitudes and approachability than others from more insular European nations. This was all pointed out today by San Francisco travel writer John Flinn who picked up some stats from a European survey firm.

John, if you're reading this, you really need to do something about the website travel page, since it's almost impossible to find your articles, unless you do a search and remember the spelling of your last name. I thought you were Flynn and it took several tries to get this link.

They like us - they really like us

Maybe we're not as ugly as we think. In a new poll, nearly two-thirds of American travelers said we're perceived more negatively in other countries than we were five years ago. But another poll commissioned by the same organization found a big surprise: In a survey of 1,500 European hotel managers, Americans were ranked second, behind the Japanese, as the world's best tourists.

In the poll, conducted in April by the online travel site Expedia's German branch, Americans were seen as the most likely to try to speak a foreign language and the most interested in sampling local food.

We came in third, behind the Japanese and British, as the "most polite" tourists, and third, behind the Japanese and Germans, as "best behaved." And - we're sure this has nothing to do with how the hotel managers view us - Americans were ranked far and away as the world's most generous tippers and biggest spenders.

On the other hand, Americans were seen, by an overwhelming margin, as the shabbiest dressers, the most likely to complain and the second noisiest. Who's louder? Only the Italians.

Some of the other findings: Russians were seen as the least polite travelers, followed by the Israelis and French. The stingiest tippers: the Germans, followed by the French and Israelis.

Italians, by far, were ranked as the best dressers, followed by the French and Spanish. In terms of slobby dressing, the British were a distant second to us, followed by the Germans.

Who's the most unwilling to try speaking in a foreign language? The French, the British and the Italians, in that order.

The Chinese are the most reluctant to sample foreign food, followed closely by - this is odd - the British, whose home cuisine is probably the world's most grievously mocked (a little unfairly, perhaps.)

And, finally, the overall award for "worst tourists in the world" goes to the French, with the Indians and Chinese taking home the silver and bronze, respectively.

- John Flinn

San Francisco Chronicle Link

Beijing: Olympic Stadium Muse Muses

The famed son of a famed exiled poet was asked a few years ago for his thoughts on possible design of a new ambitious design for the Olympics Beijing 2008 Stadium, and he said "Bird's Nest" and so will the famed traditional birds nest and bird spit coagulant which forms the basis of the most overpriced and mundane tasting animal death sentence ever see the light of life and stop killing small birds to keep suspicious Chinese assured that they can keep it up late at night with their prepubescent hooker after a six pack ot Guangzhou Thunder?

I doubt it.

But kudos to Li who hates not only Chinese government censorship but also Hollywood directors who are happy to make films sympathetio to the Holocaust but seem willing to work with the Chinese in their efforts to reshape the world prior to their 10 days on stage.

Maybe DeNiro should do Taxi Driver Shanghai.

Olympic artist attacks China's pomp and propaganda
Jonathan Watts, East Asia correspondent
Thursday August 9, 2007
The Guardian
The Chinese National Olympic Stadium, also known as the 'bird's nest', designed by Ai Weiwei. Photograph: AP

The Chinese artist behind Beijing's spectacular new Olympic stadium has said he wants nothing to do with the propaganda for which it will be used during next year's games.

In an attack on the "disgusting" political conditions in the one-party state, Ai Weiwei told the Guardian he would not attend the opening ceremony a year from now, or allow himself to be associated with either the government or the games.

"I would rather be disconnected or forgotten," said Ai, one of China's most prominent figures in the arts. He conceived the stadium's steel-lattice design - nicknamed the bird's nest - with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron.

Guardian Link

Ai Weiwei hates his bird's nest

The contrarian and sometimes controversial Chinese artist Ai Weiwei (艾未未), who was a consultant in the design of the new Olympics stadium (known as the "Bird's Nest"), has disavowed his creation:

In an attack on the "disgusting" political conditions in the one-party state, Ai Weiwei told the Guardian he would not attend the opening ceremony a year from now, or allow himself to be associated with either the government or the games.
Ai likened the Bird's Nest and the general use of art/architecture for propaganda purposes to a "fake smile" used to hide the unseemly reality of China:

When asked about what China was trying to hide, Ai said: "There are too many things. The whole political structure, the condition of civil rights ... corruption, pollution, education, you name it."
Therefore, he prefers that his relation to the whole thing be forgotten. He says that he was not hired by the Chinese government, but rather by a Swiss architectural company.

At this point, most of the media reports make an obligatory mention of Ai's familial history — he's the son of the famous poet Ai Qing, who was exiled to Xinjiang for being a "rightist".

Honestly, none of this makes much sense to us: when asked why he did it, Ai replied "I did it because I love design and the idea of how it would be looked at by others," he said. "I can also do self-criticism."

We completely sympathize with his sentiments about the Olympics and the "shitty directors" (Zhang Yimou and Steven Spielberg) involved in it, but still, didn't he know things would end up this way? If he had "boycotted" the Olympics by not participating at all, his later criticism might have carried less weight as an outsider. But as someone intimately involved with the design of the stadium, his criticism will carry more weight, especially coming right after China celebrated the one-year countdown to the start of the Games.

Shanghaiist Lihk

San Francisco Terminal Proposals 4

Pelli Clarkes Pelli
Roberts Stirk Harbour
Skidmore Owens Merrill

Thai Charter Elections Today

Thailand had its longest run of Democracy until late 2006 when the military once again decided that they didn't like civilian rule after an intolerable five years, and so charged the gates and seized control of those perky freely elected leaders, who were admittedly just as corrupt and sleazy as all the other previous regimes that have ruled the country. Today, ordinary citizens go to the polls to approve (accept the bribe from the military) or reject the latest constitution in a long and dreary line of new constitutions foisted on the people since 1932.

Who controls Thailand? The military. I doubt that the military will lose this charade, or that most Thais understand the longterm implications, but it's still sad to see my favorite country in Asia fall under the boots of the military and their vested interests in this charter, new constitution.

Letter from Thailand
Slowly but strongly the elephant responds
By Richard Bernstein
July 29, 2007

BANGKOK: About a week ago, the Thai press reported on a 30-year-old man, apparently not a brilliant one, who, for unexplained reasons, was tormenting an elephant. He hit the animal, according to the newspapers, whereupon the usually placid beast wrapped the man in his trunk, slammed him down, and trampled him to death.

This may be stretching a point, but it seemed to me, visiting Thailand after an absence of a few years, that the elephant-kills-man story is a pretty good metaphor for the delicate state of Thai politics these days, almost a year after an army coup overthrew a democratically elected government that had run afoul of important segments of Thai society.

The ruling coup's leadership is the elephant in this scheme of things, striving to be a useful beast, indeed making plans to exit the stage as soon as its plans for a constitutional referendum and new elections, all by the end of the year, have been carried out.

But then there are those people angry about military rule and, in some cases, allied to the government of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra that was overthrown last September.

They have been trying, in the name of democracy, to get all Thailand sufficiently riled up to attack the elephant

International Herald Tribune Link

Deposed in a bloodless coup last September, Thaksin has acquired quite the post-power diversion. Last month, he bought Manchester City Football Club for $162 million — mere pocket change compared with the roughly $2 billion in funds Thai authorities have frozen from his family bank accounts. The military junta now controlling Thailand condemned his acquisition of the team — Thai courts have slapped Thaksin, who made his fortune in the telecom business, with corruption and abuse-of-power charges stemming from his time in office. On Tuesday the Thai supreme court issued a warrant for Thaksin's arrest for failing to show up in court to face the graft charges. International human-rights monitors such as New York City-based Human Rights Watch have also chimed in, accusing Thaksin of presiding over a range of abuses, including extrajudicial killings, during his tenure as PM. Through his lawyer, Thaksin denied the human-rights group's charges.

But the tycoon hasn't allowed negative publicity to curb his enthusiasm for his new role as proud owner of a well established team in a league watched by a worldwide TV audience of 570 million. Thaksin has signaled his ambitions by hiring former England coach Sven-Göran Eriksson to run the team, handing the Swede a war chest of almost $80 million to acquire players from clubs worldwide who can help City improve on last season's 14th place in the 20-team league.

Thaksin, who owns a home in London, is also working hard to turn on the charm in his country of exile. On Aug. 4, Thailand's longest-serving elected Prime Minister (O.K., it was only five years) threw a street party in Manchester that drew thousands of revelers. City fans were treated to Thai delicacies such as red curry and stir-fried rice noodles, while karaoke-loving Thaksin lent his voice to a rousing rendition of the team's anthem, Blue Moon

Time Link

San Francisco Terminal Proposals 3

Singapore: Gay Joggers Busted!

In an amazing feat of police investigation, Singapore authorities last week busted a group of gay and lesbian joggers who planned to run around Boat Quay and then retire for cocktails. Good work Singapore! You've once again made yourself the Orwellian laughing stock of Southeast Asia.

Shame on the Police

On a Saturday morning, 40 people put on their running shoes and get together to jog along the Singapore River. A nice, healthy activity. However, they get harassed by the police.

Is "harass" a fair word? Judge for yourself. How would you like it if you go jogging with your friends, and you find that undercover cops are following you, and filming you on camera?

And then the police officers ask for your NRIC, and they insist that you were committing a crime under the Miscellaneous Offences Act. And when you ask the police what exactly you're doing wrong, they say that they don't know.

Well, let me tell you what the "crime" was. These 40 people were gay. That is all.

They were not having sex. They were not in the nude. They were not even waving flags or making public speeches. They were at the Singapore River because they wanted to go jogging.

However, because they were gay, jogging suddenly became a crime.

Mr Wang Says So Link

Miak Siew noticed that there were undercover cops hanging around the area as soon as he arrived for the Pink Run, an event that was to involve a 4-kilometre run/jog/walk along the scenic Singapore River on the morning of Saturday, 11 August 2007. It was to be just a social event catering to the interests of gays and lesbians whose passion was for sports and outdoor activities, under the umbrella of Indignation, the Pride Season.[1]

When a fair number of the participants had arrived, the police started up their video camera to film the group. Then a Kelvin Yeo -- whom Miak could recognise for having shadowed other gay events recently -- stepped forward and asked who the organiser was.

Ethan Lim, a medical doctor, said he was. Kelvin and a female associate then asked him for his identity card, and to step to one side to talk.

Miak was in no way surprised. He had heard from me the night before that the police were going to cause trouble.

Yawning Bread Link

San Francisco Terminal Proposals 2

Message from the Sassy Lawyer

Connie, the Sassy Lawyer

The sweetest post this month comes from Connie, the "Sassy Lawyer" who writes a message to her daughter on her 15th birthday.

Dearest Sam,

There was a time when you and Alex were in pre-school that you each had a notebook where were wrote and answered each other’s notes everyday. I think we stopped doing that when we moved to Lola’s house and I really missed answering your short notes. It was a good introduction to communication, wasn’t it? Perhaps, it was even partly instrumental in honing whatever writing skills you have today. Your teachers have been saying that your English essays are exceptionally good and your argumentation even more so.

I reread that first paragraph and it’s like capturing a lifetime in so few words. Fifteen years. I can almost still feel you in my arms, so tiny (okay, Alex was tinier — just so you don’t complain) and so dependent. You’re not so tiny nor dependent now. My, you’re taller than I am and, pretty soon, your boobs will be bigger than mine (don’t object!!!). hehehe

Honestly, I am just so amazed sometimes when I look at you. It seems unbelievable that you were that baby with a head full of hair, wrapped in a yellow blanket and sleeping peacefully in the hospital’s nursery. I cried when I first saw you, you know that? Not because I was sad — oh no! The feeling was just so overwhelming. I could see you, finally, after struggling to keep you alive and healthy in my womb for eight months. It was a mixture of relief and celebration. You were alive, you were whole and you were healthy. Considering how many times we almost lost you, that moment was nothing short of magical.

And when I first held you in my arms… well, I was so still. In fact, I felt that the world stood still for a few moments in deference to that wondrous moment. As the years went by, there would more special times. But nothing — nothing — will ever compare with that moment when I first held you, and I pulled back the blankets to see you while you just laid there peacefully which I took to mean you were happy and content that I was your mommy.

But that wasn’t the first time I knew that I loved you. I loved you even before I saw you and held you — even before I knew what you looked like

House on a Hill Link

Virginity Tests for Indonesian Students?

I don't know how I missed this one, but if they're hiring testers, then I'm ready to leave my place in San Francisco and permanently reside on the island of Java. Apparently, a few college students in the university town of Kerdiri made a short porn film, which has understandably been a major hit with connoisseurs of the craft. And recently, a somewhat prudish governor in West Java decided to crack down on the decadence and has ordered virginity tests for the local high school girls. It's all covered in hilarious detail by Patung at Indonesia Matters. Be sure to read the comments.

The provincial backwaters of Java are awash with homemade student sex videos.

Kediri - A sex video in circulation in the East Java town of Kediri, entitled “Reality Show Cah Uniska”, reportedly features students from the Law faculty of the Islamic University of Kediri, (Universitas Islam Kadiri (Uniska)). The 3gp file lasting five minutes and 35 seconds is said to be in hot demand at VCD stalls, mobile phone dealers, and internet cafes in the normally sleepy country town.

The rector of the university, Mustain, says the video is part of a plot to tarnish the good name of Uniska, and is connected with competition between the various centres of higher learning in the town.

Indonesia Matters Link February 2007

Schoolgirl virginity tests in Indramayu.

Because of recent cases of student sex videos involving young high school students in the area the local government of Indramayu in West Java intends to carry out tests on several thousand teen girls (in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth year of high school) to determine whether they are still virgins.

Indonesia Matters Link August 2007

UPDATE: Rats, the dude has changed his mind and decided that virginity checks weren't perhaps the best idea in the world, disappointing thousands of males who were ready to pack their bags and move to West Java to help out with the testing. Words cannot express my personal and professional disappointment.

PROTESTS from parents have forced an Indonesian official to abandon plans to check on whether female high school students were virgins.

“Because there are many people who object to this, well, I am cancelling the plan,” the head of Indramayu district in West Java, Irianto Safiudin, said, according to the Detikcom online news service.

Safiudin unveiled his plan last week following the circulation via mobile phones of a brief video shot of two local high school students having sex.

Both students have since left school and their whereabouts are unknown.

He said that a virginity examination on 3500 female students in his district would have been aimed at informing parents about their children, helping them to become more attentive.

The plan had sparked outrage from parents as well as local public officials and religious leaders

Courier Mail Link

Lonely Planet Afghanistan

When I left on my first round-the-world trip some many Moons ago, I expected to cross Asia and India and then visit the wonders of Afghanistan, where Kabul ranked among the top three of the great "Ks" (Kabul, Kathmandu, Kuta), but the Soviet invasion cancelled that plan. Ditto for the Islamic revolution in Iran, so after a year on the road I purchased a ticket back home from Columbo to Los Angeles. Talk about culture shock.

Lonely Planet has covered just about every nook and cranny of our planet, and probably knocks off the last remaining large country with their newly printed edition of Afghanistan, which hits the bookshelves this month. Several of my local travel writer friends, including Diane Lebow, President of the Bay Area Travel Writers, have been to Afghanistan this year, so it sounds like it's feasible if somewhat problematic. But if you're looking to get off the beaten track, then pick up the book and head East (or West).

Gadling Link

San Francisco Terminal Proposals 1

San Francisco has been going through an amazing architectural renaissance over the last decade or so, as major highrises have radically changed the skyline and public institutions such as libraries and museums have proliferated. The recently capped One Rincon Tower has completely changed the view you get as your drive across the Bay Bridge and approach the city, but the complete redevelopment of the bayshore from Ghiradelli Square to the stunning ATT Ballpark are just as inspirational. I've lived here for several decades and I've never seen The City in better shape.

But perhaps the most startling proposal, which has the support of most citizens, is to scrap our old height limits and let the reconstruction of the decrepit bus terminal become the tallest highrise on the west coast of North America. Three proposals are on the books, all beautiful projects that will keep San Francisco in the race to be a major architectural destination.

San Francisco Chronicle Links

Seoul Yongsan Station Project

Robert at The Marmot's Hole reads the local Korean press so you don't have to, and he just uncovered a local story about a proposed new development near the Yongsan Station in downtown Seoul. It's still just a proposal, and as Robert points out, getting all the necessary land will be a challenge, but it's a great looking project.

Busan, down south, is also going through some major construction and I followed it fairly closely when Jodi was doing her Asia Pages blog, but she seems to have disappeared. Anyone know what happened to Jodi?

The Marmot's Hole Link

Shanghai 2 Airport

An expat working on the second airport in Pudong recently snapped a few photos, of which I found this typical misspelling the most humorous. He also compares the airport to the newish one in Incheon, which could be taken as either a compliment or a criticism depending on your perspective. I've been through Incheon and found it rather sterile and unimaginative, aside from an interior elevator that exposes all of its internal workings to the public. Somewhat like the exposed elevators in the HKSB building in Hong Kong.

I Spy Shanghai Link

Giant Catfish of Southern China

Dan Washburn and his Shanghaiist blog may be somewhat skeptical of the news about the giant catfish recently caught in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, but it seems obvious that these monsters far outsize the famous fish of the Mekong near Chiang Khong on the Thai-Lao border. But the reports of human remains found inside these giant catfish isn't obvious.

Shanghaiist Link