Posts by Qacer

Qacer

22 Aug 2007

Travel / zloty or Euro [33]

Unless you are exchanging currency with your best friend in Poland, then most likely you're not going to get the exact going rate. The money changers have to make their money somehow. Credit cards are especially notorious since they add an additional 2% or so conversion fees.

One time, I placed an order online to be delivered to Poland from the UK. The final price was around 45 GBP (British pounds). With that time range's current exchange rate, the value never went higher than 1 GBP = 2.039 USD. But somehow the charge on my American Express in USD translated to an exchange rate of 1 GBP = 2.065 USD.

just a hint, you know you can pay 3-4 times more, for driving from Okęcie airport to the city centre, if you accept their "offer", it's always better to call a "radio taxi" (usually 4-digits phone numbers)

I'll have to keep this in mind next time. I'm not familiar with "radio taxis", but hopefully, my friend's will offer a free ride the next time I visit.

Just out of curiosity, do you mean I can just punch in four numbers on my cell phone to connect to a radio taxi?

Qacer

22 Aug 2007

Travel / zloty or Euro [33]

Very true. Airports and tourist areas have lower exchange rates. In the Zakopane area, we drove around until we found a LeClerce (spelling?) away from the main tourist spot. Their exchange rates were more favorable than others.

To put it in perspective, the rate around the first week of August '07 was around 1 USD = 2.78. PLN on average. At Warsaw's airport, they were offering 1 USD = 2.54 PLN at the passport check counter. In the main airport lobby, where taxi drivers greet you, the exchange rate was even lower at 1 USD = 2.45 PLN. At the LeClerce store in the Zakopane area, we got it for 1 USD = 2.71 PLN. At Krakow, it was around 1 USD = 2.65 PLN.

Qacer

21 Aug 2007

USA, Canada / Importing a car from the US to Poland [12]

Just a thought. Can't you ship the car to another European country with lower tariffs and just drive it to Poland?

Qacer

21 Aug 2007

Travel / zloty or Euro [33]

Good! :-) Many Americans may not like your opinion, but we'll defend your right to say it.

Qacer

21 Aug 2007

Travel / 2-week vacation in Poland - it was awesome! Culture shock interesting. [29]

Forgot to metion New Year's Eve in Zak is fully booked now.

I think there are alternative places nearby. There are some in Bukowina Tatrzanska that are close to nice ski slopes. Zakopane is only a few minutes drive if you do not take into account the traffic.

Qacer

21 Aug 2007

Travel / zloty or Euro [33]

Quality is subjective and relative to one's perspective. Your idea of a high quality wine maybe dirt poor to others. :)

and you spend money that isnt yours, and you dont pay your debts so for fuks sake, take your rapidly becoming worthless currency that you spend so much of and shuv it your proverbial

Have you been drinking?

Not everyone has debts. In regards to our currency, it is not becoming worthless. A weaker dollar value against other currencies will allow other countries to buy more American goods. This in turn will boost the American economy, and in time, the American dollar will be worth more than others. This is really just a cycle that happens from time to time.

See this data: dataweb.usitc.gov/scripts/cy_m4.asp?Fl=x&Phase=HTS2&cc=4550&cn=%2D%2DPoland

These numbers will increase by next year since the Polish zloty has increased in purchasing power compared to the American dollar.

Qacer

21 Aug 2007

Travel / zloty or Euro [33]

what is it with americans?

Well, for one thing, we are the number one spender in the world:

33 Poland $71,250,000,000

http://www.photius.com/rankings/economy/budget_expenditures_2007_0.htm l. A country with all that money to spend can't be all dumb and stupid. Stupidity exists every where even in Poland:

What's better and easier to use, the Zloty or the Euro?

Your zloty will work better since you won't need to go to a kantor to exchange the currency. Credit cards also work for major retailers, but watch out for the added fees that you get from your card company.

Qacer

21 Aug 2007

Travel / 2-week vacation in Poland - it was awesome! Culture shock interesting. [29]

Brought the right adaptor with me, but could've used the transformer, as I blew up a curling iron my first day there....fortunately my US hairdryer was made to handle European voltage.

Actually, regarding devices with high current consumption (i.e. hair dryer or hot iron) you have to watch out for the current rating of a transformer. Some transformers may only be rated for 1 Ampere, which may not be able to handle the higher current consumption of the former devices. Just a tip.

I did log onto skype at the Net Cave off Monte Casino and could've sworn I logged out, yet somehow I was still logged on later that evening......

That's why next time I'm going to get a pre-paid SIM card with an Internet plan.

I never had to pay to use any toilet, nor did I see anyplace that actually charged for the use of the toilet.

Really? You're lucky. I know sometimes establishments give free toilet access to foreigners. However, most of the toilets that I've used, including the one in Gydnia's pier, were charging 1.5 zloty.

Qacer

21 Aug 2007

Travel / 2-week vacation in Poland - it was awesome! Culture shock interesting. [29]

Awesome pictures!

I really want to schedule my next vacation to Poland during the winter. I hear New Year's at Krakow is awesome. If I do this, then I can head down south to Zakopane afterwards and ski for a few days. Then, I'll take the road back to the Tri-City area and visit some friends.

Qacer

20 Aug 2007

Travel / From where to get travel insurance... for visit in Poland :-) [6]

Why not try worldnomads.com? It's recommended by Lonely Planet. Depending on your country of residence, the company underwriting your insurance could vary.

Qacer

20 Aug 2007

Law / Setting up an internet gaming cafe in Poland [9]

Are video games popular in Poland? If so, do most prefer console-based or PC-based gaming?

While on vacation there, I tried finding a power adapter for my Nintendo DS. None of the stores I visited in the Zakopane and Tri-City areas had any. I did see some Xbox and Playstations, but didn't see anyone browsing the game aisles.

Qacer

20 Aug 2007

Food / Pozdravy - What kind of food is this? [11]

That thing is making me really hungry right now. It does remind me of siopao, a Filipino delicacy stuffed with meat, but without the sauce. I think I'll attempt to make the dish in the picture above once I find a recipe online.

Qacer

19 Aug 2007

Food / Pozdravy - What kind of food is this? [11]

I think that's the name of it according to the picture's comments. What's in it? I've never had this before. It seems Polish.

Qacer

13 Aug 2007

Love / The sounds of Polish porn [74]

I forgot that Poland is 6 hours ahead of Florida. Isn't it the case that the amount of nudity on TV increases proportionally the later the night gets? If so, some of you must be watching those shows. ;-) You guys are funny.

Qacer

13 Aug 2007

Love / The sounds of Polish porn [74]

hmm, this must be quite a funky experience, for a Norwegian guy makin love to a Polish girl who keeps on thanking him, loudly :)

Hahaha.. That's if a Polish girl would actually scream "Tak" multiple times. I don't know the answer to that, yet.

Qacer

13 Aug 2007

Language / Things Polish people who speak English language say [180]

Try getting some non-English speaker to say the following: hippopotamus.

Listen to the pronunciation m-w.com/dictionary/hippopotamus.

I've tried it with my Filipino and Polish friends. The first try is always tricky. :-)

Qacer

13 Aug 2007

Love / The sounds of Polish porn [74]

I'm sorry if anyone will be offended with this posting.

On my recent trip to Poland, I noticed that late night TV channels show naked women. I found this surprising because I never see nudity on public TV in the US and the fact that Poland is mainly Catholic, the church would have thrown a fit already.

It makes me wonder. In the US, porn actresses are normally depicted as screaming "YES" multiple times while being rammed. Do Polish porn actresses scream "TAK" multiple times as well?

If that were true, for non-Polish speakers, I would imagine it as sounding like cackling hens.

Qacer

12 Aug 2007

Travel / Warsaw Etuda airport? [10]

I haven't been to many international airports. However, I've had my fair share of being in domestic airports in the US. From my perspective, Warsaw's airport was not as bad as described. Although the lines were somewhat disorganized, it didn't compare to the extremely exaggerated picture that I had in mind. I was able to get to my gate in less than 1 hour and the restrooms were abundant and clean.

Qacer

12 Aug 2007

Life / Internet access via Sony Ericsson GC89 and cellphone provider [11]

I tried an Internet connection via bluetooth thru a Nokia handset. It was extremely slow for my needs. It was only good for checking email and not for sending documents that were over 500kB in size.

Also, I am not trusting checking my email or connecting anything thru one of the Internet cafe computers. I used my USB thumb drive to send pictures. When I got home and connected the USB drive to my laptop, it detected a trojan horse / virus. Tsk. I hope they weren't able to grab something from my email before I was able to change my password.

Qacer

12 Aug 2007

USA, Canada / Purchasing online from Polish website while in USA [14]

Thanks! I was thinking more of a flower shop or a place that delivered packaged goods like a cheese and wine set. But the sites will surely be helpful to me in the future.

Qacer

12 Aug 2007

Food / Are there any 24 hour establishments (stores, restaurants) in Poland? [12]

Usually when a shop has 24hr written on the door it means it closes at midnight / 24:00

Haha. Your post just made me realize that all the skleps and zajads that I saw with a 24H marking were not really open 24 hours. I was telling my friends that I saw a little store on my way to Gdansk that was open 24 hours. I told them that I was very impressed to see a little store located in the middle of nowhere that was open for 24 hours.

Qacer

11 Aug 2007

USA, Canada / Purchasing online from Polish website while in USA [14]

Merged: Online Polish stores?

Hello! I want to send a small thank you package to some people in Poland. However, if I send a package to UPS it will cost me $200 USD. Is there an online store like an Amazon.com version for Poland?

I think it would be better for me to order it online and have it shipped locally than from across the Atlantic. I also read the other shipping threads, but some seem hesistant of shipping goods via the post office.

Dziekuje!

Qacer

11 Aug 2007

Travel / 2-week vacation in Poland - it was awesome! Culture shock interesting. [29]

I just came back from my two weeks vacation in Poland. I had such a blast that I want to go back soon. I stayed in Zakopane and near the tri-city area (Gdansk, Gydnia, Sopot).

A few things I learned:

- You have to pay to use the toilet.
- Meals are structured differently than the US (light sandwich or fresh veggies for breakfast, huge supper (late-lunch), and a light dinner).
- Polish people are CRAZY drivers especially the young ones.
- It gets chilly (21 degrees C) at the beach (Baltic) especially towards the afternoon during summer season.
- Not all Internet cafes are safe. I got a virus in my USB drive when I visited one of the cafes.
- It is tricky to find a power transfomer (US standards to European) especially in smaller towns.

A few things I really like:
- Grossly obese people are in lower numbers compared to the US.
- The FOOD! Flaczki (sp?), Blood sausage, Peirogies, warm beer, spread made of 100% fat, and all the rest!
- The awesome views! Castles, beaches, farm lands, mountains, etc.
- Overall friendly attitude.
- The beer and drinks selection!

I'm sure I left out a few other stuff, but the bottom line is that I really enjoyed my vacation. I did have trouble communicating with the older crowd because my Polish is very limited, but regardless of the barrier I got away with using primitive sign language.

Qacer

24 Jul 2007

Travel / Warsaw Etuda airport? [10]

I just read the reviews in the link provided by BubbaWoo. Is Warsaw airport really that bad? One comment stated that you should not check in any luggage; you should only have carry-on. How true is this?

I've never been to Warsaw airport. I'll be flying from Chicago to there soon. Will I expect the same experiences as the reviewers?

Well, for those who have flown from the US to Warsaw, do you have any tips as to how to make things smoother? I really don't know what to expect.

Thanks!

Qacer

23 Jul 2007

Life / Internet access via Sony Ericsson GC89 and cellphone provider [11]

You can use your cell as a modem to connect to the internet. Just take a look whether your phone support gprs (which in almost cases is true) and optionally edge or umts

It's funny because I was actually thinking about this, too. I have a V195 and it says it supports GPRS, but I could never figure out how to make it work with my laptop to get Internet access.

Thanks everyone!

Here It is but seems to be damn expensive.

iplus.pl/en_offer_simdata_modem.html

Yikes! I can get a compatible modem on Ebay for less than $100. But since there is a possibility that I can use my phone as a modem, then I'll try to figure out how to do that.

Qacer

23 Jul 2007

Law / Shipping port hubs in Poland? [9]

Thanks for the response everyone! I didn't realize that Poland is a major furniture exporter. I will have to re-think my business plan. Currently, the Philippines and Poland has an established trade partnership. I would like to take advantage of this relationship, but I suppose I need to scour some more research data.

My ultimate plan is to establish some an international trading business using goods from Poland and the Philippines exported to the US.

Thanks!

Qacer

23 Jul 2007

Life / Internet access via Sony Ericsson GC89 and cellphone provider [11]

Actually, the purpose of the GC89 device is to allow your laptop to surf the Internet using your cellphone providers network. I already have a phone for use for calling. I just need a means to access the Internet while I'm outside from the populous areas.

I found a company that has prepaid services: simplus.pl. But I am not too sure about their rates for Internet access (via GPRS data transfer). They do say that their prepaid services have the Internet option.

Qacer

23 Jul 2007

Life / Internet access via Sony Ericsson GC89 and cellphone provider [11]

Czesc! I think I may have a solution on how to maintain Internet access while I'm in Poland. I was thinking of getting a Sony Ericsson GC89 PC Card. It can accept a SIM card and connect to the Internet via a cellphone provider.

I would like to know what my options are in terms of using this PC card with a temporary SIM card. Do providers of these SIM cards allow Internet access via their network? If so, what companies' SIM card should I get?

Thanks!

Qacer

21 Jul 2007

Life / Stereotyping in the Polish culture: Are Polish blondes really dumb? [130]

The Polish blonds that I know have degrees in Business, Neurology, etc. I can safely say that not all blond Polish girls are dumb.

Really, dumb is every where. I have a brunette friend who is kind of air-headed. One time, I was feeling jovial and told her about a dead bird while pointing my finger up in the sky. She looked up without hesitation. Common sense would tell an average person that there are no dead birds in the sky. ;-)

Qacer

21 Jul 2007

News / There is no Muslim in Poland [116]

How did the "black genus" play into your topic title regarding Muslims in Poland? I'm utterly confused by your post. I reckon you must be drunk.