Basics - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 45

Singapore W yoursingapore.com; Australia T 02 9290 2888;
Canada: contact nearest o ce in the US (see below); New Zealand
T 0800 608 506; UK and Ireland T 020 7484 2710; US: Los
Angeles T 323 677-0808, New York T 212 302 4861.
Thailand W tourismthailand.org; Australia and New Zealand
T 02 9247 7549; Canada: contact nearest o ce in the US (see
below); UK and Ireland T 020 925 2511; US: Los Angeles T 323 461
9814, New York T 212 432 0433.
Vietnam W vietnamtourism.com. Contact the relevant embassy
(see opposite).

Indonesia (Bali, Lombok, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi
and south and east Kalilmantan), Malaysia, the
Philippines and Singapore are all 8 hours ahead of
GMT , 13 hours ahead of New York, 16 hours ahead
of LA, 2 hours behind Sydney and 4 hours behind
Auckland. Eastern Indonesia (Irian Jaya and Maluku)
is 9 hours ahead of GMT , 14 hours ahead of New
York, 17 hours ahead of LA, 1 hour behind Sydney
and 3 hours behind Auckland. Myanmar is 6-and-a-
half hours ahead of GMT. No countries in the region
use daylight saving time.

Useful websites
For country-specific websites see the relevant
country introduction.
AsianDiver W uw3some.com. Online version of the divers' magazine,
with good coverage of Southeast Asia's diving sites, including
recommendations and first-hand diving stories.
Internet Travel Information Service W itisnet.com. Specifically
aimed at budget travellers, this site is a useful resource on many
Southeast Asian countries, regularly updated by travellers and researchers.
Info on airfares, border crossings, visa requirements and hotels.
Open Directory Project W dmoz.org/Recreation/Travel. Scores of
backpacker-oriented links, including many Asia-specific ones, plus
travelogues and message boards.
Tales of Asia W talesofasia.com. Reliable practical advice on border
crossings, overland travel and assorted off-road adventures across
Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Tourism Concern W tourismconcern.org.uk. Website of the
British organization that campaigns for responsible tourism. Plenty of
useful links to politically and environmentally aware organizations
across the world, and a particularly good section on the politics of
tourism in Myanmar.
TravelFish W travelfish.org. A frequently updated online resource on
eight of the most popular Southeast Asian countries, dedicated to
backpackers. There's a useful message board, plus you can read travellers'
reviews and get advice on specific trip planning.

Visas

Country-specific advice about visas, entry require-
ments, border formalities and visa extensions is
given in the introduction at the beginning of each
chapter. As a broad guide, the only countries in
Southeast Asia for which citizens of the EU, the US,
Canada, Australia and New Zealand need to buy
a visa in advance are: Vietnam (a pre-arranged
“visa-on-arrival” can be sourced from a Vietnamese
travel agency, but it's better to get one from a
Vietnamese embassy/consulate; from US$25);
Indonesia (purchase a visa for US$25 on arrival at
the airport or from a local consulate if travelling
overland); and Myanmar (purchase in advance at an
embassy or consulate; $20-30).
However, different rules usually apply if you're
staying more than thirty days or arriving overland;
in Indonesia you can only get a thirty-day visa on
arrival at certain designated air and seaports (see
p.164). However, as all visa requirements, prices
and processing times are subject to change, it's
always worth double-checking with embassies.
Most countries require your passport to be valid
for at least six months from your date of entry.
Some also demand proof of onward travel or
su cient funds to buy a ticket. For the most
up-to-date information, see the Basics section of
each country.

Travellers' forums
Rough Guides W roughguides.com. Award-winning site for
independent travellers, with online travel guides, features and a
community section.
Virtual Tourist W virtualtourist.com. Interactive site that allows
travellers to post reviews and photos of destinations, accommodation,
restaurants, and travel-related advice.

Embassies and consulates abroad
It's usually straightforward to get visas for your next
port of call while you're on the road in Southeast
Asia. Details of neighbouring Southeast Asian
embassies are given in the “Directory” section of
each capital city within each country chapter.
Brunei W gov.bn. Australia: 10 Beale Crescent, Deakin, ACT 2600,
Canberra T 02 6285 4500; Canada: 395 Laurier Ave E, Ottawa, ON
K1N 6R4 T 613 234-5656; New Zealand: Contact the embassy in
Canberra; UK and Ireland: 19-20 Belgrave Square, London SW1X
8PG T 020 7581 0521; US: 3520 International Ct NW, Washington
DC 20008 T 202 237 1838.

Time zones
The region is covered by four time zones.
Cambodia, west Indonesia (Java, Sumatra,
Kalimantan Barat and Kalimantan Tengah), Laos,
Thailand and Vietnam are 7 hours ahead of GMT ,
12 hours ahead of New York, 15 hours ahead of LA,
3 hours behind Sydney and 5 hours behind
Auckland. Brunei, Hong Kong and Macau, central