55Jay

Well, for any farang purist on an iPad with high speed internet bemoaning the loss of Thailand's virginity to the encroachment of the white man, behold! 

There are still some near and far places you can live "free" in a loin cloth, eat bugs and rub sticks together with the natives to make the fire god.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncontacted_peoples

22 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

such as the tiny puppies being born amid the squalor

Continued manifestation of the problem, and total lack of responsibility by a government busy raking in fees and taxes for "other" things. 

Thailand is a virtual trash pile with sewage and chemical laden waters, patrolled by packs of mangy, disease ridden dogs.  Certainly not as bad as some other garden spots on the planet, but it definitely makes the list.

When I am seeking information about airline points and miles, I review this site:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles-points-1/

Maybe German language version also good for you.

https://www.vielfliegertreff.de/forum.php

2 minutes ago, car720 said:

Totally agree except I would have said that it all started in the 70's when GI Joe went home and told all his mates.  

Other than that period of time, overall, I think Muricans aren't here in great numbers. 

Western Europeans, NZ and OZ seem to dominate.  Mate of mine in the early 2000s was banging on about Thailand.  I had been here several times for short visits 80s and 90s, but it wasn't a place I ever thought I would want to live.  Ironically, he lives in Texas and I'm the one who wound up here.   

NEW OR USED: 

My used/new consideration involved a general malaise about preventative and corrective maintenance habits and lacking consumer protections.  That said, you "can" pick up a solid used car here, just be very meticulous.... as you would be with any big ticket purchase.    The thing that pushed me to buy new was our area had a major flood +/-2 years before we arrived and I didn't want to take any chance.

1.  Distance driving.  If it makes a difference to you, diesel fuel less expensive here than gasoline. 

2. ---

3.  Re: Insurance, yes you need to buy and seems the usual custom, and in our case, is full insurance is included or "negotiated in" when you buy new here.    Just to give you a general idea, our 2013  3.0L engine 7 Seat Fortuner was 23,500 Baht to renew full insurance after the first year.  We haven't had accident or claim, price goes down every year.  Last year 15,xxx. Baht.  This year I think wife said it will be 13,xxx.

4. Thai Driving License.  Review topic pinned to this sub-forum to get a general idea about it first, then ask specific questions and get more updated information for where you will be living. https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/920562-thai-drivers-license-checklist/

5: Brand reliability.   Mine field question. LOL.  But, I go along with Toyota as a long-standing "reliable brand".   That said, I've only had Toyotas here, and before Thailand, a Toyota Landcruiser, so I'm probably biased. 

2 hours ago, jenny2017 said:

Thanks a lot. It's a joke when you're used to such a card and what to do with it. I'll use mine as long as possible. And then change the bank. 

 

  What could be the reason that they stopped issuing Visa? 

A quote from a post by @Pib in another thread

Quote

Bangkok Bank branches are indeed pushing the TPN (Thai Payment Network)-UnionPay co-branded card since Bangkok Bank owns 50% of TPN and UnionPay owns the other 50%.    The more people and merchants Bangkok Bank can get on the TPN-UnionPay logo card the more profit they make....and less need to split the profit with Visa.

FWIW, same with US banks, some more than others.  Very annoying.

15 hours ago, webfact said:

He is taking advantage of his status as government head and he is seeking a popularity boost at a time when members of established parties remain gagged by the junta ban on political activity.

Says it all really. ///

12 minutes ago, fakename said:

Do they have the nationalites mixed up, seems like the guy in blue is blacker than the African! 

Very possible the guy holding up his shirts is.....an African mate of his.  All very clear if you watch the video.

6 hours ago, farcanell said:

Duh... uranium is radioactive and is a naturally occurring substance.... by your logic, there should be no need to give a damn about nuclear weoponry 

So are bananas.  Uranium is weakly radioactive, I think the particles are dangerous if ingested/inhaled. 

Jumping from that all the way to nuclear weapons.....

7 hours ago, eliotness said:

Looks as If Trump is putting the brakes on the climate change gravy train !

His age   number of shots.   Moo Baan Phase  Time

   42                      02                           1                       6

Good luck everyone! 

41 minutes ago, moana said:

I never said it depended on the Thai bank. Not sure what you are responding to. I simply thought that the counter withdrawal method was worth mentioning, since issuers often set a higher limit on that method than ATM withdrawals.

He may have been ref'ing my comment that policy could be different at the receiving end.  I included that only because of the note on that Visa snipped page I included earlier:  "Some merchants or networks may have limits lower than these".

I don't have any examples or anecdotal evidence for that though.

Counter w/d is great, I did that for about 2 years at my Bangkok Bank branch after the ATM fees kicked in at AEON ATMs.  Then I got lazy and started doing a single ACH transfer each month, Schwab to BB via New York.  Too easy. 

17 minutes ago, mogandave said:

I’ve only used it 10-15 times in a few different countries, and I always seem to get within a half percent of the XE rate.

I’ve only used it once in Thailand, that was right after I got it.

I do the same thing, look at XE rate as a ballpark, and Visa will be a little less than that.

Visa rate today:

1 Thai Baht = 0.031315 USD.

XE at the moment:

1 THB = 0.0313924 USD. 

My credit card is Mastercard logo though, they have their own calculator site.   I get 1.5% back on purchases and figure it just degrades that a bit.  I don't sweat it anymore, and just get on with life. 

7 minutes ago, mogandave said:

Visa, Plus, Interlink & Star

As long as you don't choose the DCC option, if offered, then you'll get the Visa rate. 

Here's the Visa site if you want to check it out.

https://usa.visa.com/support/consumer/travel-support/exchange-rate-calculator.html/

20 minutes ago, moana said:

That's the ATM withdrawal limit. The limit is normally much higher for counter withdrawals with full identification (some are limited only to the funds in your account). I've withdrawn around 100K in one go in the past, no issues. 

 

May want to keep the receipt if you plan to send the funds out of Thailand in the future.

May vary from bank to bank as well as the bank on the receiving end. 

T&Cs for my Schwab Bank checking account using the Visa logo debit card is $1,000 a day for either ATM, cash back or over the counter withdrawal.  Can apply for a higher limit though.  

7 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

Cirrus seems to be widely accepted.

Does the village have an ATM?

Was referencing his comment about credit card use. 

I did live outside a metro area for 4 years and was cash 'n' carry.  Live closer in to the city now, use the credit card more often; but still, the suburb where I live and spend most of my time is cash, small businesses, market, etc. 

When we go to the US, have to flip the brain switch and use the card for nearly everything there.  It's great, and the cash back racks up nicely.

1 hour ago, mogandave said:

I don’t have Schwab, but the downside to my Fidelity card is that while it does refund ATM fees, and the exchange rate is good, it is picky about where it wants to work.

Not sure what rate they use, but I usually check the rate on XE, and it is spot on.

I use almost no cash in Thailand. I think the best value is to use a good no fees credit card for most everything.

What logo does the Fidelity card carry?  Visa or Mastercard? Edit: Ref Pib's post above ^.

Agreed on credit card use + one with a decent rewards scheme.  Great in a metro area where cards are widely accepted, not so good out in the village. 

Bangkok isn't a beach resort. It's a major metro capital city. 

But there's not a whole lot a farang snow bird can do about the body's normal reaction to a major change in climate. 

3 hours ago, Get Real said:

It has to to with that that webpage or pages is located abroad, and that it probably has both Thai and international visitors.

So, you react on that they look at the content? You do know that police must check things and know what they are confiscating, right? In normal, not disgracing, words it´s called standard police work.

Is international sex and cyber crime enforcement really in the Thai Tourist Police's charter and mission statement? 

I haven't really been following this but the Major General IQ seems to have been tapped for some kind of TDY assignment ~ PM's big crime push?  If that's the case, then no, your assertion that this kind of work is "normal" for the tourist police, falls apart.

Don't cry too much about Thai Bashing in this case.  It's the Thais who've given him his alternate name, and the Thai media is running with it, intended to take the piss out of him, and the underlying political show being put on.   Aside from that, this and the other bust I saw, dodgy farangs, visas/work permits, was good work IMO.  Could use more of that on a consistent basis, not this "crack down" krap.

Last, this wannabe cop has GOT to chap the ass of the regular RTP for hogging the limelight.  He doesn't even know he's supposed to POINT AT STUFF in the 'bust' photos.  What a Newb!

Not a Mod, obviously, but FYI, I just noticed TVF User "Carlos David" viewing the page with me right now.  Joined 8 hours after this article was posted, so maybe legit family member?  Thought it worthwhile to mention, discretion with comments, etc. 

Isn't this in the regular RTP/CID's swim lane?   

What's the Deputy Commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau, a Major General, doing running around Issan busting Thai pedo webmasters?   Why isn't he in an HQ somewhere shuffling papers and "managing" the Thai Tourist Police Bureau?  

They seem to be very engrossed with whatever's on that computer monitor.

Excellent work here on both sides of the table.  President Trump should take this opportunity to not seek adulation or boast into a microphone.  You don't need to.  This kind of thing sells itself.   Actions and results speak louder than loud words.  And please, no throngs of people chanting USA, USA, USA like after UBL was taken down. 

Well done to Secretary Pompeo and all those involved.