billp

I may be mistaken, but since Thai owns Nok Air they may interline your luggage for you. That would remove a big headache. If so, you might end up with three hours or so to spare. One thing you could do in that case is grab a cab to the Future Park in Rangsit, which is a huge mall only about 10 or 15 minutes from Don Muang airport. Great people watching, lots of cafés and restaurants and interesting stores. Also air conditioned.

In my experience, cellphones sold in Thailand are ALL unlocked. In any case the phones I've personally bought at MBK (including my new sweet little Samsung ) have all been unlocked.

Optician: Siam Opitical 535 Sukhumvit. It's about 10 min. walk from your hotel just beyond Asoke BTS station in the direction of Phrom Pong. Just across the big, dangerous intersection beside Thai Overlander Travel. Family enterprise, very competent, very good service. In my opinion, a cut above the chain stores in the malls. I've used them for years and I've been satisfied every time.

Well, it's great that you speak Thai. I'd still get the instructions in writing, though.

As I told you on the other forum where you posted this question, I wouldn't count on them even understanding that you want the bag picked up by someone other than the person who left it. Or the person who takes it might understand and agree, but the completely different person giving it out might not grasp the concept or be willing to risk his or her job giving it to a different person. Try to get a Thai person to put it in writing and have the written instructions attached to the chit that goes with the bag.

Alternately, you could e-mail Bangkok Self Storage and ask them if they'll agree to do this. They're cheaper than the airport anyway. The airport charges 100 baht per bag per day. BSS charges 100 baht per bag per WEEK.

#2, That's exactly the point. These were people who were in the "queue."

The "official" rate according to the card hanging in the taxis, is 1500 baht. But it's negotiable.

I just saw this on another forum:

This April, my wife arrived in BKK from SGN. She went to the taxi stand downstairs and received her chit, loaded the baggage, and drove off. She noted the meter was not on, pointed this out to the driver who told her to read the receipt. It said 400 baht flat fee. She paid the tolls and paid 400 baht to the Holiday Inn, Silom.

How often is it happening to people who post here? Do they just try to pull this on people who look like obvious newbies?

If it happens to you, insist on the meter, and threaten to call the tourist police. If you have a mobile/cell, the number is 1155.

Be aware that a taxi ride on the meter from the airport to just about anywhere in central Bangkok should be under 350 baht including tolls and airport surcharge, NOT 400-450 baht PLUS tolls.

Re # 8 Suvarnabhumi, meant to write SUVARNABHUMI, not Sukhumvit

If you're in the taxi que, they will turn on the meter regardless.

Not necessarily true. There've been a lot of reports lately of people getting forced into a flat rate of 400 or 450 baht by the taxi dispatcher at Sukhumvit. Insist on the meter and threaten to call the Tourist Police if this happens to you. (1155 on your mobile/cell phone).

MBK 3rd floor, there's a garment district with numbered rows and aisles back of the large area dedicated to T-shirts and tourist nicknacks. One of the shops has supposed North Face, Columbia and other branded winter gear, which is very good quality. They say it's "made in Thailand for export." Very reasonable prices and I can vouch for the fact that the North Face jacket I bought there has gotten me nicely through my 2 AM bike ride home from work in the depths of a northern European winter.

Stay overnight at the Sananwan Palace, inexpensive but very nice guest house 20 min. from the airport. You can arrange to be picked up by them at the airport. Have a swim in the morning, have them get you a taxi, and you'll be in Pattaya well before noon. Or you can just taxi back to the airport bus terminal and pick up a bus there. The advantage of staying near the airport is that you're already on the right side of Bangkok to get to Pattaya, so you don't have to cross half the city again.

You CAN make your MacBook region free. Here's how.

I've just been looking at this place online: http://www.bangkokselfstorage.com/

I've used it. They're very professional, friendly and secure. But I don't know how it would work with something you're going to keep picking up and giving back. I imagine every time you bring it back to lock it up again, you're going to be having to pay another 100 baht - plus a taxi to get there and back.

OP, why don't you just buy a Kensington lock for your laptop, secure it to some immovable (or hard to move) object in the room, and a padlock for the outside door. I'm sure you'll be safe. I travel all over Thailand with expensive gear - not just a laptop - and sometimes stay in cheap accommodation and I've never had any problem. I just do what I can to make sure my stuff is secure. It's one of the risks of travelling with equipment that it might get stolen. I try not to be paranoid about it. One important thing is to have a backup of your most important data on a USB flash drive, a CD or DVD, or on a server. If your equipment DOES get stolen, it would be MUCH worse if your work is also gone.

I understand, although personally I'd probably be too lazy to take a bus after a long flight.

The 500-series buses are comfortable, air-conditioned and reasonably fast. If there's no transfer necessary (like in this case he's going to the end of the bus line) there's no problem about luggage. And they cost 35 baht, rather than - in this case - probably 400 baht including tolls and airport surcharge. If you're travelling on a shoestring, that's significant. You can get quite a nice room in a guest house around KSR for less than 400 baht. Also in another forum (what I assume is) this poster mentioned he didn't like all the scams attached to the taxis. With the buses, you pay your fare, period. No hassling about the meter, flat rates, whether to take the tollway etc.

As I told you on the other forum, it runs 24 hours and will be operating at peak frequency when you reach the airport bus terminal around 6AM.

Don't RENT a cell phone in Thailand; BUY one cheap and get a prepaid SIM card for under 200 baht (last one I got was only 99 baht with 50 baht credit on it). If your home cell phone is on the GSM system and it's a tri- or quadband, get it un-SIM-locked and bring it along (or get it unlocked in Thailand for a small fee). The place to get set up is NOT the airport, but the MBK shopping mall 4th floor, where there's a warren of competing phone shops. You can get a brand new garden variety Nokia - no camera, MP3 player etc, just a phone - for about 1600 baht. Or a used phone for under 1000 baht. Calls back home are as little as 5 baht a minute when you use 008 or 009 as you international access code instead of 001 or "+". When you leave Thailand, sell your phone back to the phone shop, or keep it for your next trip to a GSM country.

Most Left Luggage places (train stations, airport, bus stations) won't accept - or take responsibility for - laptop computers.

You could just take the taxi to Southern Bus Terminal - cost about 400 baht, then the bus to K'buri. That wouldn't be much schlepping. (Make sure the taxi driver uses the meter - don't accept a flat rate.)

If you decide to go taxi all the way, the 1200 baht is only an "official" posted price. The driver will probably ask for more. You can likely negotiate for less eg 900.

Rooms all have their own toilet/shower room.

For that price, you'd be much better off in the Ruamchitt Plaza. Clean rooms (although a bit worn), very nice pool on the roof, 1000 Baht and directly on Sukhumvit between Nana and Asoke BTS stations.

I recommend the Sananwan Palace, about 20 min. from the airport. It's clean, friendly and inexpensive. Read more about it, and other possibilities, on this thread.

Try Julie Taxi.

Soi 24 is well known as the heart of the Japanese expat community. More here.