HollandChampion

Why the hel_l would you go through all that trouble, to save 200 baht? A taxi to sukhumvit and use of the tollway is 400 thb at max. jeez.

Saving time is one reason. Avoiding the stress of being in a taxi is another.

Saving time? I took a taxi to/from Suvarnabhumi today.

Sukhumvit 24 to suv. - 30 minutes. meter 250 THB or something + i gave him a tip of 150 THB because he got me at the airport so fast. + highway 70 THB

suv. to sukhumvit 24 - 35 minutes. meter around 280 THB + tip 70 THB + highway 70 THB

I don't think you can beat that time with bts or train, from the starting point to the final destination at the doorstep.

I don't see how a taxi can cause you any stress.

c'mon, it is just 11 hours of your life, can not you just listen to mp3/relax/read something? if it is way cheaper, I better spend those 11 hours without the personal entertainment screen and saving some bucks (actually I prefer to just sleep)

I get bored easily and the problem is i can't sleep in an airplane. Listening to mp3 sure for 1 hour and then i keep watching the clock for the next 10 hours. I think it's all about your budget, if you are on a tight budget then yes maybe it's better to choose air berlin. I don't mind the 300 euro extra so i prefer emirates.

The TS also mentioned he's taking his kids with him. I don't know how old they are but if they are under 12 a personal entertainment system is a must. Also for the sake of the other passengers... You really don't want your kids to get bored on-board, screaming and running around.

Thanks alot for your kind information.What about the travelling time? Will there be any major traffic jam? Thank you once again!!

Or if you are the adventurous type, or into saving the environment or wanting to save money, go to the bottom level at the airport and get the Cityline train (not the Airport Express - there are two different walkways with the name CityLine or Airport Express marked on them). Get a ticket at the amzingly discounted price of 15 baht (50 US cents) to Makkasan and get a taxi from there (well marked taxi rank) for about 80 baht. Journey time 40-55 minutes. Have done it with heavy roller luggage, not a problem.

I've done this trip myself at least 4 times in the last 3 months - and the even cheaper variant via Phayathai and the BTS system, which I do not recommend for newbies.

It's a very new quick elevated light rail link which is why most of the posters above are stuck in the road option past (they are probably non-Europeans too!)

Why the hel_l would you go through all that trouble, to save 200 baht? A taxi to sukhumvit and use of the tollway is 400 thb at max. jeez.

Stick with emirates! AIr berlin is a low budget carrier, you get what you pay for.

I made the mistake to fly with air berlin in july.

- NO personal entertainment screen. IMO a personal entertainment screen is a must on a long-haul flight (about 11 hours from/to DUS/BKK)

- Bad service

- No possibility to charge your notebook

- Small/hard seats

- Bad food

- You've to pay for the use of their headphones

- You've to pay if you want something extra to drink

Air berlin? NEIN!

I just bought a new blackberry with 3g and wifi calling. I'm completely new in this 3g thing so can anyone explain to me how to start using it? I understand i have to change my simcard and take a 3G package from AIS or TRUE move. Which service provider is better in Bangkok? Do i have to pay for data usage? The shop told me 3G and wifi calling are free. So if i want to do free phone calls i just have to install skype on my blackberry?

Today i went to rutnin to see a doctor about my dry eye syndrome and redness. The doctor was a bit rude and didn't really answer the questions i prepared. I felt like he was rushing me through it.

I went to rutnin to discover more about the cause of my dry eye syndrome, but again i didn't learn anything new. I told the doc i was diagnozed with DES by two doctors but he still wanted to do the splitlamp test and schirmer test. After that was done he told me i have blepharitis and prescribed me some meds; axitrol (steroid+antibiotic) to be put on the eyelids, cellufresh (i used this before and i didn't help, besides that it contains preservatives, why would he prescribe me such thing?), babyshampoo solution to clean my eyelids, Naphcon-A to reduce redness (anti-allergy). He also wants to put me on antibiotics doxycycline or tetracycline for 3 months! I told him i want my tearfilm analyzed in a lab and a check to see if there's a virus or bacterial infection in my eyes before taking any antibiotics. He told me that's not possible... asked him where i could do it.... response; don't know (started fiddling with his cellphone)....

Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelids and eyelashes, i read about the condition but i don't meet most of the symptoms. My eyelids do not feel inflamated, there's no crust or oily substance on my lashes either and the meibomian glands are also fine.

I feel i'm wrongly diagnozed by this doctor at rutnin. All i want is my tearfilm to be analyzed in the lab and a check to see if there's a bacterial infection or virus in my eye. I hoped they were able to do that at rutnin but unfortunately they are not as state-of-the-art as they claim to be. Can anyone please point me in the right direction where i can have my eyes extensively diagnozed? Should i just call all big hospitals in bangkok?

Costs of the disappointing visit at rutnin:

Outpatient medication 665thb

Other medical service charges 410 thb

Physician evaluation and management service 840thb

Other hospital charges 50thb

------------

total 1965thb

If it arrived on Saturday it will need at least a day or two to leave customs and dispatch.

Try entering the USPS tracking number in the Thailand Post tracking system.

http://track.thailan...et/Default.aspx

That helped a lot! The tracking information on thailandpost.co.th shows the package has been delivered at carrefour on saturday the 30th and signed for by a security guard. My GF called the mailbox company and they would look upstairs for me, seems like that douchebag security guard was holding my package and hoping i'd not find out. One advise to all of you, ALWAYS have your stuff shipped by recorded express mail!

I recently ordered something online from the US and it was shipped by USPS express mail. The tracking information displays the order has been delivered in Bangkok on October 30th.

I had it shipped to my P.O. box in carrefour rama 4 road (postal code 10110), the reception has no record of any package delivered for me or my P.O. box. The company i ordered the goods from told me to contact the local post office. Which one should i contact? Is there some kind of depot in Bangkok where they may hold my package?

Guys, they don't sell the lifetime membership anymore, i asked for it multiple times. The sales rep told me they got into more financial problems if they would continue selling lifetime memberships. Dunno if he's speaking the truth but that's what he told me.

I want to join a gym somewhere in sukhumvit, Bangkok so i went to visit a few. I received clear offers from all gyms except California WOW asok, it's like they are keeping something away from me.

California wow offered me a 1-year membership at 14k thb and 19k thb for 2 years after bargaining for one hour and talking to 3 sales reps! I asked about the signup fee and deposit a few times but they evade my question every time. Can anyone tell me if there's a deposit, sign up fee or any extra hidden fees taken from the creditcard after signing up?

I don't want to give them any large deposit due to the fact that there are rumors about their poor financial position. I'm only willing to pay the 14k thb / 12 = 1166 thb/month.

I want to join a gym somewhere in sukhumvit, Bangkok so i went to visit a few. I received clear offers from all gyms except California WOW asok, it's like they are keeping something away from me.

California wow offered me a 1-year membership at 14k thb and 19k thb for 2 years after bargaining for one hour and talking to 3 sales reps! I asked about the signup fee and deposit a few times but they evade my question every time. Can anyone tell me if there's a deposit, sign up fee or any extra hidden fees taken from the creditcard after signing up?

I don't want to give them any large deposit due to the fact that there are rumors about their poor financial position. I'm only willing to pay the 14k thb / 12 = 1166 thb/month.

Thanks for the tips but i'm really looking for a physical store in Bangkok.

I want to buy some whey, creatine and a NOX product, where can i buy that stuff except from GNC? I found a GNC store at rama 4 in the carrefour building but i find their assortment to be on the small side, not much to choose from and it's a bit overpriced. I know about the online shops selling supplements but i prefer to buy it from a real store.

Thanks

Hi

I have the same problem and have been using Vidisic Gel which is supposedly the best according to Thai opthalmolgists. I was diagnosed with meibomian gland dysfunction which is often the cause for dry eyes. The gel which I apply two three times a day is a relief, but it is symptomatic treatment. The underlying cause are the meibomian glands. You can find a lot of information on the net. Symptoms can get worse with wind from ACs and certain medication. My eye specialist is Dr. Anuchit from Rutnin Eye Hospital in Asok. He is very good and also the hospital has a good reputation.

Thanks for mentioning it, i'm going to make an appointment with Rutnin eye hospital tomorrow.

How did your doctor diagnose it? Did he analyze your tearfilm in a lab?

I think i have the same problem as you do, i produce enough tears but the film evaporates within 3 to 4 seconds!

Re. the Visine, I used this too previously as i also get dry eyes. It appears that around 6-12 months ago everyone stopped buying it in. I have tried everywhere to no avail. I'm not sure what happened so not too helpful. Haven't found anything similar either.

I just tried at another pharmacy and again no success. I asked the pharmacist if visine is still available in Thailand and he told me they stopped production. I don't know if visine was ever produced in Thailand but if they really stopped it, then why not import it? Now i have to buy it from ebay or something, hopefully the Thai customs will let it through.

I developed a dry eye syndrome about 5 years ago and i visited countless eye doctors in Holland, the result was always the same. They couldn't help me except prescribing me eye drops and they refused to do a tearfilm test because that wouldn't solve anything (they mean they wouldn't get their bonus from the health care insurance if they helped me).

"Evaporative dry eyes" like i have can be caused by an underlying disease, clogged glands or a hormonal disbalance.

I want to see an eyedoctor again in Bangkok to do a tearfilm test to know exactly WHY my tears dry up so quickly, which hospital or doctor can i best contact to do some research on my tearfilm?

Does anyone here have experience with the eye hospital located in Asok, sukhumvit 21?

My eyes also get very red at times due to the dryness, i always used visine to treat the redness with great success. http://www.visine.com/product-visine-maximum-redness-relief.jsp

Is visine available in Bangkok? I already tried at boot's and some local pharmacies.

I'm going to Hongkong as well with my thai girlfriend at the end of this month. I've travelled to a fair bit of countries and never encountered any problems at the immigration. But my girlfriend is Thai and she just got her passport, it's new and empty. I've heard HK immigration can be kind of wairy towards thai ladies with blank passports. Are there any extra precautions we can take to ensure her pass through immigration without problems? I've already printed the return ticket and hotel booking confirmation.

Just like the topicstarter i'm a bit nervous they will start asking her some stupid questions or want her to show money. I told her already just put on some nice clothes, look good and smile.

I'm taking my Thai girlfriend on Holiday to Hongkong soon and i want to fly with Emirates. Normally i book my tickets on the website of a major Dutch travel agency.

Does anybody know if i can book a ticket for my TGF at a Dutch travel agency, or do i have to book it at a Thai agency? I know it sounds like a stupid question but the reason is when i fly with airasia they ask me a lot of extra information and a copy of my passport, while the Dutch travel agency only requests my address and name.

This question sounds stupid but i hope you get what i mean.

Lol, i'm really messed up today. The title should be from BKK to HKG.

Nevermind

Hong Kong could be a great place to visit. The best thing about Hong Kong is the diverse mixture of culture there. Three days would be enough to experience the best of the city.

Must visit places in HK includes:

1) Hong Kong Disneyland

2) Hong Kong Museum of Art

3) Ocean Park

4) Victoria Peak

5) Water World

6) Hong Kong Space Museum

If you wish to enjoy the beauty of HK with your girlfriend in your personal car or 3 days, then rent a car for your trip and book online through reliable service providers like http://www.australiarentcar.com/ which I preferred during my visit. Enjoy the classic Hong Kong experiences of endless shopping and don't forget to take in Hong Kong's spectacular night views.

Thanks for the great tips Robert121. I didn't know Hongkong had a disneyland so we are going to visit it! I'm going to book a 2 days entrance + 1 night disney hotel arrangement. After disneyland i'm planning to book 3 nights in HK and do some sightseeing, probably visit some places you mentioned, i just have to check tripadvisor.com

So that leaves 3 days, perfect for an add-on trip to koh chang to escape the busy city life

Anyone been to the Amari Emerald cove?

Food, you never mentioned it. Take an Issan girl out of Thailand for the first time it can be a shock to the system. I was also in Langkawi 2 weeks ago during Ramadam, stll having my beer on the beach at lunchtime as usual. Anyone who has been there will tell you its one of the most laid-back places in SE Asia, Muslim or not. A pity you don't like Malaysia, good way to test your gf's ability to enter Singapore is through the causeway at Johor, if she does not get entry she just turns around and walks back, a very different scenario from being deported from Singapore airport.

Maybe next time. I go to Malaysia next week to renew my tourist visa so let's see how my experience with malaysia will be then.

Considering its her 1st time outside thailand, There's only 1 choice LAOS, the language & food are similiar, more importanly the people friendly, not like cambodia, I took isaan g/f to camb & because of her dark skin & beauty yhey asumed she was cambodian, & was stared at which got a bit off putting,Laos is a beatifull country, I have only been to mid- to south regions, but plenty of things to see, & cheap compare to thailand.

regards songhklasid.

Sure she'll like Laos, she likes everything i take her to but i just want to show her something different.

Few notes on HK- October is peak time for trade fairs, you will have more trouble getting an ok hotel and prices are inflated. HK is also one of the most expensive places in the world.

For example it's rated as acceptable for a western account for you to automatically claim £200 (10,000 baht) per day per person for petty expenses.

Not sure why the negative attitude for Malaysia. It most certainly isn't a muslim dominated country- it's a totally mixed country. Not once did I have any issue in the couple of months I travelled there. I am taking my thai GF to KL in October and am sure she'll love it.

Thanks for the heads up. Booking.com still shows a lot of available hotels though. Right now a 4 to 5 star hotel costs around 14K THB for 3 nights. I guess that's a normal price? The harbour grand hong kong 5 star hotel now offers a promotion for 14k THB.

What about the food, drinks, nightlife and sightseeing in HK? Is it expensive or like any other big European city?

@ DDDdave, How much did you pay for that BKK post deal? I might grab a copy today and check for some deals.

Singapore is definately on my to-visit list but not with my tgf. I'm a bit scared she will be denied entrance after reading some bad stories.

IMHO, Hong Kong is tops. Fantastic place to visit. Singapore is good for shopping, but too sterile and too expensive. She would probably like it as it is very modern, but HK is a really beautiful place. Macau can be done via a day trip, Stanley Market is a fun day trip, Victoria Peak is great, and just walking around HK is a blast.

My wife has been to Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, etc. Like said above, most are same same...except Singapore and HK. She loves Singapore, but only for shopping. For being a tourist and seeing sights, HK is tops for her. She felt the people in Malaysia were no fun...

She also loved Bali and can't wait to go back. Very romantic and truly a tropical paradise...if you avoid Kuta!

You will have a blast as you will get to enjoy her excitement. Have a great time wherever you go!

I think my gf will like HK because it's modern. When we watch a movie she's always talking about the surroundings, she loves to see a "modern" country.

About the people in malaysia i've experienced that as well, very unfriendly so i'm probably not taking my gf there.

I am planning to bring my TGF to Singapore for a few days, then hop on the Star Cruise Singapore to Phuket (about 4 days trip) then back to Bangkok. The cruise offers plenty - stops in KL for shopping - good bargains, plenty of food. I think a lot of Thais would love a luxury cruise

How much does such a cruise cost? I've never done a cruise before, sounds interesting.

The OP doesnt like Countries with a majority Muslim population which Malaysia and Indonesia clearly has.

Especially as its the month long Muslim Ramadam observance now you shouldnt even consider Malaysia, as the Mullahs and Religious nuts will be skullking around trying to spoil your fun given a wisker of a chance...mai sanook!

I am positive other posters could eloborate on thier Malaysian Ramadan experiences?

Yeah that's exactly what i'm afraid of, religious nuts telling me what i can or can't do. I respect their rules, but if i don't like it i just don't visit their country. I've been to Malaysia, UAE, Oman and Egypt. The people are so unfriendly especially in the gulf region, it's just not my thing.

Although i've heard the people in Indonesia (Bali) are friendly.

Budget 100k for the week ? She is onto a winner - especially if you can/choose to maintain that level of expenditure.

It also depends where your Thai girlfriend is from. If she i shiso Chinese then you are pitching about right.

If she is from a working background then you can have a perfectly good time on less than half that amount.

I would add to the Bali recommendations and I would also consider Langkawi.

Holiday are very personal things and recommendations are difficult without knowing the people or their backgrounds. The above places are a safe bet though and no difficulty in Thais entering.

She's from isan, working class girl. She's very very excited about our trip haha.

I'm 26 and she's 29. We like to do sightseeing and go out party some nights.

Personally i prefer to go to a nice tropical beach resort or something because i need some days away from hectic Bangkok, but i'm doing this trip for her. Maybe we can mix it up, few days HK and a few days at a nice beach resort if the budget allows it. Too bad she has negative thoughts about Laos, vietnam etc.

I'm planning to take her on more trips, next trip is to go skiing around November/December in Switzerland or Canada if she's allowed to enter.

I'm planning to take my gf on holiday with me in the first week of October. She has never been out of Thailand so it's a new experience for her.

Can anyone recommend me a nice place to go to with a thai girl? I've heard some horror stories here on TV about thai girls being denied entrance to certain countries, even when they have pre-obtained a valid visa for entry so i'd like to check with you guys. For me any country in Asia will do except if it takes longer than 4 hours to reach it and if the majority of the population is muslim (personal choice, i just don't like it).

What about Hong Kong? Is it worth a visit? The budget for a 6 days trip is 100k THB.

Wow.... this is the third day i'm using tamiflu and i'm feeling really bad, the side effects i'm getting from tamiflu are worse than the ones i got from H1N1! I was feeling fine the first day i was taking tamiflu, the second day i started to sweat extensively and up until now it feels i'm on fire although i don't have a fever. Last night i had to change clothes and the bedsheet two times because it was drenched by sweat. This morning i woke up with naussea and had to puke a few times. Since a few hours my hands and arms are starting to feel numb, my mind is restless and i'm very dizzy. I have two days left of tamiflu but i'm going to stop using that poison right now.

I went to visit the general practicioner in bumrungrad after three days of having a fever. When visiting i was feeling quite better already, i didn't really visit to get some medications, just to get a checkup and to be sure it was H1N1.

On the first day i had a mild fever, it felt like i catched a cold. On the second day my fever was 38.1 and i felt really bad. On the third day my fever dropped to 37.2 and i was feeling better, my body was getting rid of the virus by itself. I told the doctor i had influenza many times before and never used medication to cure it except some paracetamol. Also because my fever was dropping already i didn't see the point of taking medication. She told me if i didn't take tamiflu i might get complications because H1N1 is not like seasonal flue.

I took her advice so she prescribed tamiflu and a lot of other unnecessary medication (Levopront syrup, clarinase, pareacetamol and 2 other medications which i told her to remove as i found it unnecesarry).

I just did some googling and it looks like it was completely unnecesarry to prescribe tamiflu. Also because i was at the end of the third day of having fever tamiflu would not be as effective. Tamiflu needs to be prescribed within 48 hours afer the first flue symptoms. I' amsl oshocked about the amount of people who got serious side effects from tamiflu, it's massive.

I was always angry at my general practicioner in Holland when he didn't prescribe me any medication but now i understand why! Don't use any if it's not necesarry! What's up with Thai doctors and their urge for overprescribing drugs??

Thanks Sheryl, i'll just drag her ass to burmungrad for a checkup then.

I got diagnosed with H1N1 a few days ago in bumrungrad and the doctor prescribed some tamiflu and other medication to counter any discomfort. I'm feeling almost 100% but now i have probably infected my girlfriend because she has developed a minor fever today. She doesn't want to go to bumrungrad for a checkup because she thinks it's not worth the 4500 THB..... and better go to the pharmacy to get some tamiflu ourselves. Can tamiflu be bought without prescription? And how do i know if it's the real deal? Can anyone recommend me a good pharmacy in sukhumvit that only sells original tamiflu?