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Post by Banjo on Sept 19, 2012 10:18:42 GMT 7
Sounds like not a lot has changed since I was last there in 2004. I drank plenty of San Mig Light and found it a top beer. I seem too recall paying about the same for it in the big bars as well but it was a lot cheaper elsewhere. Thailand is the same, the drinks are cheaper if you get of the tourist strip a bit.
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Post by Banker on Sept 19, 2012 10:40:10 GMT 7
Sounds like not a lot has changed since I was last there in 2004. I drank plenty of San Mig Light and found it a top beer. I seem too recall paying about the same for it in the big bars as well but it was a lot cheaper elsewhere. Thailand is the same, the drinks are cheaper if you get of the tourist strip a bit. I found a great little Rest close to where Im staying. Most expensive meal is 70B includes drinking water. The lady that owns it use to be a chief in Canberra at the Navel college. The prices are good the food is great and a nice lady that owns it, what more could I want. Also a couple small bars near by if that floats your boat. I will put a smiley here just to show Im happy. ;D
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Post by Banker on Sept 19, 2012 10:41:44 GMT 7
Sounds like not a lot has changed since I was last there in 2004. I drank plenty of San Mig Light and found it a top beer. I seem too recall paying about the same for it in the big bars as well but it was a lot cheaper elsewhere. Thailand is the same, the drinks are cheaper if you get of the tourist strip a bit. I found a great little Rest close to where Im staying. Most expensive meal is 70B includes drinking water. The lady that owns it use to be a chief in Canberra at the Navel college. The prices are good the food is great and a nice lady that owns it, what more could I want. Also a couple small bars near by if that floats your boat. I will put a smiley here just to show Im happy. ;D There are some nice looking girls in the bars, so Im told.
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Post by Banjo on Sept 19, 2012 11:08:46 GMT 7
mate, after a few San Migs they all look good.
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Post by Banker on Sept 19, 2012 12:27:46 GMT 7
mate, after a few San Migs they all look good. I would not know as I don't drink and I don't go into bars. ;D
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Post by Seano on Nov 18, 2012 16:32:09 GMT 7
I got back to Australia on Friday night. Brought in two packets of Winnie Blues duty free from Changi, and smuggled another three fliptops of Marlboro Red which were fully taxed and paid for back in Thailand, (so they weren't duty free at all, technically).
Duty free stores in Changi have started stocking twinpacks of Winnie Blue and the 7mg ones, and B&H, but Marlboro haven't adjusted to the new Australian rules yet, so that was why I had to change brands, which is a big health no-no! (forced by the new rules, basically)
I had a good chat with the girl at the duty free store, and she somewhat confirmed my assumptions, in the typical Singaporean way - she didn't deny or elaborate but just nodded and smiled, which may have meant, "Yes that is correct" or "Yes I can hear what you are saying".
What I suggested to her, which she seemed to confirm, in a way, is that when I go to the duty free store at Changi and buy anything which is regulated by the Australian government, I provide my passport number and boarding pass, and that, added to the purchase, is recorded in Singapore, and then forwarded back to Australian Customs before the plane flies into Australian airspace.
It is then a simple matter for Australian customs to wait for the flight coming in for anyone who has a boarding pass on that flight, and who bought more than they were allowed, and reconcile them through the passport number, and easy as catching a fish in a bowl.
Still some uncertainty as to how much of what I imagined actually happens in real life, but I would suggest travellers conform with the new draconian laws at the duty free stores, because you are on the record, and pickup what would have otherwise been your duty free quota at the 711 store and pack it in the middle of your suitcase before you leave for the airport.
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Post by aussie25 on Nov 18, 2012 18:29:13 GMT 7
I got back from Philippines on Wednesday and brought in 70 packs of 20's. I had about 55 packs cramed into my cargo short pockets and then 15 packs in my carry on luggage. I got called up to go through all my bags and while I was walking upto the end I crossed out the x about nothing to declare for cigarettes and then x that I had over 50. When I was chatting to the guy about my laptop as he wanted to go through it to check if there were and videos or photos of underage girls on it. I told him I sometimes look at porn online but defiantly nothing on my laptop with underage girls.
I then asked him about the new duty free allowance and he said oh your a smoker and I said yep he asked me how many I had and I said about 15 packs in my bag and he looked at the customs form and said you have declared them and asked me to show him the cigs. He just said oh youv'e been honest with us you can go now without checking the laptop or the rest of the things in my bag and without paying any duty on the excess cigaretts in my bag.
So I will be here in Australia for 10 weeks so I have a pack a day to last me.
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Post by Seano on Nov 18, 2012 19:15:40 GMT 7
... he looked at the customs form and said you have declared them and asked me to show him the cigs. He just said oh you've been honest with us you can go now without checking the laptop or the rest of the things in my bag and without paying any duty on the excess cigarettes in my bag. So I will be here in Australia for 10 weeks so I have a pack a day to last me. I wish I had known that on Friday. Good luck meeting a decent customs bloke or standard procedure? Now I'm perplexed, but might give it a try next time I get back - not much to lose at those prices. I'm glad to hear that someone had some success going through lately, more than I was prepared to risk this first time under the new rules.
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Post by aussiebernie on Nov 18, 2012 19:47:29 GMT 7
I flew into Perth airport on the 6th September with a few pouches of Thai tobacco that I paid about 12 cents for a 20 gram pouch. I declared them thinking that the new law had just come into place on the 1st September and they may let me get the extra ones in. NO such luck, they wanted to charge me about $45 for 4 pouches. I let them keep them as I only lost 48 cents and the stuff tastes terrible. A good time to give up smoking.
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Post by aussie25 on Nov 18, 2012 20:14:24 GMT 7
Beer and cigarettes will more then double in the Philippines from the 1st of Jan 2013 with the new Sin Tax being introduced.
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Post by aussiebernie on Nov 18, 2012 21:28:25 GMT 7
Yes, but a carton of local cigarettes in July was 150 peso or $3.50. Even at double the price a carton of cigarettes in the Philippines will still be a lot cheaper than a packet here. In Thailand 20 gram of tobacco was 12 cents. Here it costs 16.60 for 25 grams.
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