You Are Here - 2019-09-18

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1:50 AM

@hippietrail I did the crossing at Poipet from Bangkok in 2012 and it was, indeed, horrible. Honestly these days I'd just fly if possible. At the time the wikivoyage article was fairly comprehensive about the various scams there

it's an exciting experience when a border control officer has your passport in the back room and the person you're traveling with decides to make a fuss about a 3 USD bribe

I'd paid the bribe myself because I didn't have an extra passport photo with me and figured that $3 might be cheaper than getting one, and definitely less effort

1 hour later…

3:11 AM

yeah this is why i would never ever get even close to those godforsaken parts of the world but to each his own. You couldn't pay me enough to go through an "exciting" border crossing when "ordinary" ones are so bad I remember them years later.

I travel a lot but vaguely only in countries that was once descried as first world with a few (very few) second world countries added (which now are EU anyways) but third world? please. If you like undrinkable water, unsafe streets, unspeakable crowds and in general just a mess, go ahead. i can't even.

I really would love to see Angkor Wat but I know it won't (can't) happen.

4 hours later…

7:19 AM

Angkor Wat is the site of the most effective bribe/scam I've ever paid. The upper portions of the main complex don't open until some time after sunrise, so all the tourists gather on the other side of the pond to get their pictures of the reflections at sunrise. My friends and I didn't care about that, so we were just wandering through the complex and ground level, and some guy in a uniform offered to take us up to the closed sections early for $5 each.

Given how he hurried us, he was probably just a random dude in a uniform helping us trespass, but it was really great getting the private access before it was inundated with crowds

7:50 AM

what a strange username...

4 hours later…

12:03 PM

4

Q: UK visa refusal because of system mistake and my bank statement

ECO said I didn't provide a holiday plan but that's not true, I provided 10 days detailed itinerary. This must of have been a system mistake because I chose Ghs currency but some how 2 of the stated amount were in GBP. I earn Ghs5000 a month, my monthly expenditure is Ghs 1500, and my intende...

uk visa-refusals applications proof-provenance-of-funds ghanaian-citizens

Going for that bounty!

2 hours later…

user381237

2:17 PM

And I’m going for:

user381237

5

Q: Is it possible to get legalization of Pakistani documents for Finland visa process?

If you are travelling to Finland on work/residence visa with you family as Pakistani, the marriage certificate, and child birth certificates requires legalization from Finland Embassy. Finland do not have an embassy in Pakistan. What is solution for legalization, and is it possible to get this do...

3:53 PM

@Uciebila, if you edit an old question (2011) to change a minor detail, make at least sure you do it right. The German word is used in the Netherlands, (even though it is not a Dutch word,) and I have never seen the Belgian word in the Netherlands.

Better to slow down with edits, you do a lot that are not really needed and some that are not needed at all.

And editing to change 'info' into 'information' is really not needed.

Even though it is a new/active question.

user381237

4:37 PM

@Willeke Agreed

user381237

5:23 PM

@Willeke Any idea on the downvote for travel.stackexchange.com/a/147065/89966 ?

user381237

Seems like a perfectly good answer to me with a reputable GOV source and relative formatting and clearly answers the question

No, I can not read minds.

user381237

Ok, any ideas at all?

5:40 PM

Your answers show as 'know it all' but 'not well researched'. I do not say that they are but you do tend to do a lot quotes and fewer written lines, and that might be the reason.

user381237

Ok, thanks

I do not have a lot of luck with getting downvoters to explain, have tried and only get nasty remarks if I get too forceful, but no explanation on why they downvoted before I posted the remark.

6:03 PM

@Daniil, if you suspect a user of being a spammer, do NOT edit that post, as it is often the way something looks that shows us whether it is spam or not.

Your edit, which improves the looks, takes away the distinct spam looks.

user381237

6:30 PM

Oh ok, I can roll it back if you want

No need this time, but next time please just flag and not edit.

It is sometimes as small as where they use or not use capital letters or how they use the verb 'to be', the spammers make the same mistakes over and over.

user381237

@Willeke Ok

user381237

Do you think it’s ok that I use a lot of quotes or focus on giving more text answers as well?

It is good to have the quotes but I think it would be better if you write the conclusion and add the quotes rather than have the quotes speak for themselves. I know you already do a little of that but it can be more.

Have a look at how other people answer, concentrate on the ones you like the looks of and copy a bit of the style if you think you can pull it off.

Not become a copycat but learn from people you admire.

user381237

7:03 PM

Ok, i'll learn from you then :-)

I do as few quotes as I can get away with, (as I do not like to do the kind of research and mostly concentrate on question where I do have the knowledge.) So I might not be the best teacher. (But I am honoured.)

user381237

So you think its better if i put the quote in my own words and just link it?

user381237

Like this:

user381237

1

A: Last minute Alhambra tickets in Granada

There are several suggestions to choose from: Buy the Alhambra card which includes a ticket to enter the Alhambra on the day. Book a guided tour, there are almost always tickets online. Get up early, if you want to wait in the line get there early as some tickets are sold on the day Visit the f...

user381237

Even though I could've just quoted it

7:08 PM

Quotes from official sites are good, but quotes from trip advisor and such kind of sites are not that useful, rephrase what is written and add the link.

But do not keep to strict rules, see what works best for you.

Coming back to that painters question which did not make the hot list yesterday, it is likely that the bot checking for new questions runs at intervals and that it just missed it getting hot, so it had to wait for the next round.

user381237

oh ok

It is also good to keep the same questions on the list for a while, so not change every 5 minutes.

user381237

So is that answer a good example of re-phrasing and adding a link?

Later it did get on the list, it is a new look on picking out museums to visit and what to see in them.

user381237

Yeah, not to brag but i find the feed really interesting/useful

7:11 PM

Yes, I like your Alhambra answer, upvoted it when I first saw it.

It is useful. I had never thought to have it run in its own room.

user381237

Thanks :)

user381237

Also downvoters commented on the other answer

I had made it a habit to check the Hot list every day at least once, trying to get all our questions on it and check them out for 'cleanliness'.

Good reason. Would have been nice if they mentioned that first time around, but better late than never.

And that is one of the reasons I tend not to do visa questions, (as you need to be precise in detail.)

user381237

Although i did implicitly suggest a 6 month entry visa isn't possible, i'll add another answer

I am leaving, see you next time.

user381237

7:17 PM

See you

7:39 PM

@Willeke ah apologies, I just approved that edit I didn't make it, I simply removed an extra letter that person had added to the end of that post when I approved the edit. I'll check the countries info next time if I'm not sure of the validity

8:11 PM

@Uciebila, this is one that required local knowledge, hard to get unless you are a local.

I personally think small edits should be done in small batches, not too many at a time.

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