Trvlr

Mr Bratpack, since you are accusing central bankers and newspapers all over the world, as well as the good folks on here, of misquoting rates, let's try a little education. What would you say if someone asked you: what is the dollar-baht rate in Pattaya? That's a small place, and a small question, but you really could not come up with an instant answer could you? Every bank has a different rate, as does every moneychanger. Say there are 30 of them in central Pattaya. That's a possible 30 different rates. Now factor in the spread - the buy and sell rates, and you may have 60 different rates. S

The rates I look at are on a popular website owned by Western Union, I think. They are supposed to be "mid-market" rates. Rates at money exchanges and banks available to tourists are not exactly the same. One obvious reason is that these entities set their own rates - some give more, some give less. But in Pattaya the best rates are pretty close. I observed last time, and places like T & T were only .10 to .20 baht less than what I was seeing on the web. So if the web rate was 32 baht, T & T would give 31.80 to 31.90. Changes in rates are not effected immediately, so there is some lag

I agree CTom that you made a fair comment which you reproduced in your post. But what about comments such as the above? "Dodgy types" I can understand and would like to avoid. But what about "dubious national background"? What is that? Are some national backgrounds less "dubious" than others? I have been led to believe that there are good and bad people in all nationalities, and I think most of us believe that. Comments such as those serve no purpose - they simply detract from whatever point the writer is trying to make. I would have believed what the writer was saying if that had not been

" Still, there's a penalty (10% of the premium) for each year you don't participate)." I think a clarification is needed because it is a little more complex and could hurt people who are not aware. This is what I found on the web regarding the Part B penalty: Part B is Medical Insurance (doctors fees, etc.) If you are living abroad, you will not automatically receive Part B, for which there are monthly premiums. It does not cover expenses while abroad; however American medical insurances may require that you sign up for it. TRICARE, the medical care program for military (active and re

I am really curious about which other countries you go to for what Pattaya has to offer. And a brief comparison of cost between Pattaya and the others will really be helpful. We are all looking for greener pastures, from time to time if not on a regular basis...

I am well aware of what I consider the myth of the rude Parisian (Parisienne refers to females only - if you are referring to women only, I actually found them extremely helpful). There may be some truth to it, but I have been going there since the 1980s and have not run into any issues. And English is my only working language. I was putting forward the theory that some English and American accents are so thick that they are incomprehensible. I know of some Angelenos who would run away from such an accent! And there is also the possibility that it is not English that is putting off some Fren

The U.S. dollar climbed past 32 baht in Wednesday trading. The linked report says this is the lowest in three years. Another report I read says lowest in four years. Personally I do not remember it being 32 baht for longer, but I do not follow rates all the times. In any case, hope it keeps going... http://www.themalaymailonline.com/money/article/baht-falls-to-three-year-low-on-fed-minutes-growth-concern

Maybe it's the accent. I have flown LAX-Paris in biz class a few times and found the service to be fine, better than fine actually. The crew was pleasant and responsive, and a couple of the girls took time to go over the workings of one of those chronometers, that I had bought on a previous flight. The Paris airport has its quirks. But crap? Well, I guess that depends on your experience - I was okay with it. I would say it is probably better than the mess that LAX is these days. (They are investing heavily in an attempt to improve it, but they don't have much leeway, being surrounded by heav

A debit card with a Visa or MasterCard logo will work just as well as a credit card. I have used mine for purchases at Big C and so on, and the bank even gives me bonus points for using it. One word of real caution: Make sure it is linked to an account that does not have too much money in it. If there is fraud with your debit card the money will come straight out of your account. And Thai banks sure as hell are not going to be eager to reimburse you That is why I have always had reservations about debit cards. But these days it is even difficult to get a bank card without the Visa or MC link

If you are superstitious then tread carefully around Nong Nooch. I have had two Thai women tell me of a superstition that if a couple visits Nong Nooch, then it breaks up soon after. Maybe an opportunity for some...

Extract: "According to the Journal, the surge in expatriations seems to be driven by the upcoming implementation of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), a 2010 law that forces foreign financial institutions to disclose more information to the IRS about Americans' accounts and investments. Starting in 2014, foreign financial institutions will have to tell the IRS about income accruing to American clients (or businesses owned by Americans), and they'll have to withhold American income tax as appropriate." Has anyone looked into this in any detail? I think the tax law as it existe

If we are talking about the same thing then yes I am sure. I saw that number at two sites. It changes every year. But I just scratched the surface. You may want to dig deeper.

I am not old enough for Medicare, which is the U.S. government run health program for people 65+. But old enough to wonder about it. I looked at it briefly and found that: If you are collecting social security benefits you are automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A. This covers hospital stay. Part B covers doctor visits, tests etc. This you have to pay for, but you have to sign up the year before for it during a sign up period. This is obviously to prevent scofflaws from trying to pay a premium only when they need medical care, instead of paying all year which is what insurance is. The sa

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/23/travel/thailand-tourist-safety/index.html?hpt=hp_bn5 Excerpts: The country has one of the world's worst road-safety records, according to figures from the World Health Organization (WHO). "In Thailand, a country with 50,000 British residents and over 870,000 British visitors per year, there were 68,582 road traffic incidents resulting in 9,205 deaths involving both Thai residents and tourists in 2011," says the U.K. government post announcing the new campaign. "In contrast 1,901 people were killed in road accidents in the UK in 2011." Accor

It is registered in my name with my ID. I suppose the chances of any issues from someone else using it are remote, but why take the chance? Besides, I prefer to be petty, and not give TrueMove any business!

I recently had the misfortune of buying a TrueMove SIM because they were offering a promotion I liked. Instead of that attractive promotion I ended up in a web of lies and misinformation. I will not bore everyone with the details but some high points to substantiate what I am saying: I was told domestic SMS would be 1 baht a message. I am being charged 3 baht a message. At one point the SIM stopped working - I went to a nearby office and was told my phone was locked. When I pointed out that I had been using it I got an indifferent look. WHen I put a DTAC SIM inside and called them, I still

Can I ask what you paid for the Nuvi, out the door? An even more important question: will the device readily recognize Thai addresses that are in the format "111/11 Moo 11, Pattaya" etc? I have to practice what that means, because I cannot decipher an address like that.

Do you have a link to where the map is available?

Yes, that was a weird back and forth. Anyway, for what it is worth, I used to walk every morning from near the police box at the Jomtien Beach Road turn (first box) to Russian territory near Pattaya Park. I sometimes saw topless women sunbathing on the beach - no one seemed to care. It is not secluded, but you can try that if you do not find anything else. If you keep walking toward where the path ends, you may see a rock outcrop behind which it is possible to have a hint of privacy. Enough to take pictures anyway. Early mornings are best - not many people around at that time.

I did not have to take any kind of test, other than the eye and reaction ones. Maybe someone else can answer your question, if it has not already been answered somewhere on this board.

Mataleo - there is no need to be sorry. Your English works reasonably for everyday communicating, though I am not sure what you mean by: Was it theory thing in english ? It's just that in a formal document it is better to have everything looking professional. As to your question about visas, I have a two-entry tourist visa. No one questioned that. You have enough information - now it is time to take the plunge! What is the worst that can happen - you will be refused and will need to walk for the rest of your life? Good for health. Let us know how it goes.

Your passport and copies of all relevant pages. Two photos for one permit or certificate, whatever it is called. I gave them a copy of a rental receipt. You can maybe ask your girlfriend to give you a rental receipt in your name. But it should be professionally done - do not do it the way you write your posts here. There may be other ways of getting round in your situation. If you want to know what they are then ask a professional. Incidentally, I got my licenses today - the process took a tad over two hours. It was straightforward, other than not knowing initially how to start (take a numb

Until this year, I used to stay in Jomtien whenever I visited, for the last 5/6 years anyway. Songtheos would often take this detour when faced with a jam at Third Road, especially in the evenings. The city has just formalized what many drivers used to do anyway. I went this morning and traffic was flowing very nicely. Dont know what the evenings are like. Maybe someone will report?

It may still be 200 baht. I went today (July 15) and, when asked, informed them that I needed both car and bike licenses. They decided to give me two residency permits and charged me 200 baht for each. I did not want to argue that one would do. As a bonus I got a very nice thank you and wai. I was in and out in less than 30.minutes.

So I take it you are Thai? As to the rooms, I was shown two by this company recently, and both were perfectly fine. Clean, and the furniture was good. Though I did not lie on the mattress to test it. Depending on the kind of rental arrangement you make, you may need to get your own internet and cable service.