KelCastro

BTW, do you bring your personal helmet when you rent a scooter from them ?

And what are the common scams practised by bike loan shops ?

They have for you to use--but if you prefer your own, bring it.

Scams -- they ask for a copy of your passport & security deposit. Make sure you get it in writing. All of it.

Also, if you can (to be extra safe), take some quick photos of the bike before you leave with it. Just in case you go to a bad shop, you'll have "proof" of the condition when you got it. Also, if anything does happen to the bike while you have it, take it to the repair shop yourself. The repairs are usually inexpensive (especially compared to what the rental shop will charge you).

Not sure if you're looking for a house or an apartment, but either way, I'd recommend you spend time here looking without your agent. Agents certainly direct you a particular way & lack showing you all available options.

Anyways, to answer you're particular answer, it really depends on your experience driving a motorbike. If you live in BKK & don't drive a bike there--don't drive a bike here. Foreigners (and thais) get into a lot of accidents here, mostly due to inexperience (and thinking their invisible). If you are experienced, then you should be okay, but only if you honestly take precautions and know to drive safe without your ego getting to you.

Don't use taxis here as they're ridiculously expensive. If you're going from point A to point B, and don't feel comfortable driving a bike--I'd recommend a baht bus (most of them will all go off their course to make more money with you) or a motorcy taxi.

If you decide to rent a bike or a car, you'd be able to drive around yourself and inquire about place as most of them advertise outside the building and the rental price will be cheaper than going through an agent.

Good luck.

I'm planning a trip for 4 adults (2 couples) to Vietnam on a "budget". We're originally planning to go to Ho Chi Minh and doing the main attractions: War Remnants Museum, the Tunnels & Palace. We're not interested in seeing temples which I know there are a lot of. Don't plan on flying/taking train to Hanoi per expense & time constrains. We're going for about 8/9 days.

Specific Questions:

What other attractions are there in Ho Chi Minh/vicinity?

How is the Vung Tau Beach (looked into the ferry there)?

Are there any other beaches relatively close by?

Any overall suggestions for a good trip filled with "activities" (we don't want to just sit around, unless it's at the beach).

Thanks a lot.

We normally go to Bangkok International Hospital for doctor's appointments. Does anyone know of a foreigner health insurance for this hospital chain? If so, do you know the price & what the qualifications are?

Thanks

Food Courts at any Tesco or Big C for meal under 50 baht & AC. There's a lot more places for 50 but not with AC. Are you refined to an area?

I am not a fan of Indian food but my friends recommend Indian by Nature. Many positive reviews on Trip Advisor too.

Where is this located?

Without a tracking number you are pretty much SOL. You might want to go back to the original Post office where you sent them from and ask to speak with the Manager.

I emailed the central post office. Hopefully they'll have some instructions. If not, I'll have to go back to BKK and do just that.

This sucks!

I sent 2 boxes from BKK to myself in Pattaya (we were traveling and couldn't take all the luggage). They were sent many weeks ago, and they haven't arrived to my apartment. The apartment manager says no boxes came and there's no slips laying around.

The information for "sender" and "receiver" was the same--my information in Pattaya. I even put our phone number on the boxes.

I made the mistake of losing the receipt so I have no tracking number. I've been to the post office in South Pattaya and North Pattaya, and they both said they don't have it.

Has anyone had this experience or have any advice on what I should do next?

No, the boxes weren't registered either. ( I know--I've learned my lesson).

Thanks for any help!

I'm drawing a complete blank of where the Modernform is......

Here's my experience with chairs which may or may not be useful to you or others. I've had 3 desk chairs here in Thailand. The first a local brand for a few thousand Baht which felt good at the store but after a few weeks gave me a really bad back ache.

I then replaced it with a Korean chair purchased from Modernform, very comfortable and fully adjustable, however it started breaking and falling apart after about 2 years. I had it fixed with original parts from the manufacturer and it's still being used now by my wife, getting to about 5-6 years without issues.

While the Korean chair was being fixed I got a Herman Miller Aeron, definitely pricey but excellent ergonomics. This chair too started showing it's age after about 3 years with some parts failing, but.. it comes with 12 years full service warranty on every single part. I had very good experience having it fixed, they come to your home for free and quite promptly.

So in my opinion it all depends on how much time you spend in your chair (I spend a ton of time sitting) and whether your back is "picky" or not.

Thanks for that advice. We'll def. keep it in mind when we get our chairs.

Does anyone know the best place to get office/desk chairs? We've been to Index and they were a bit pricey. We've also checked out the random furniture stands along the roads but as soon as we walk in, the prices seem to quadruple. Does any where is the best place to get a regular desk chair (good material, lean and rollers).

Thanks in advance!

Can you verify if it is showing on TV? If so, what channel?

Someone tells me Its on True or CTH but I cant find much in their guides, True has unspecified boxing #25 sunday 8am on channel 106 but it might be re-runs.

If someone on the forum knows for sure please post, cheers.

It is on True HD and True Sport 7 I believe.

As for it being on CTH.....thanks for the laugh.

Why does that make you laugh? All high profile boxing matches are shown on Thai Channel 7 or Astro Sports on Sophon Cable and I see CTH has Thai Channel 7, plus many more sports channels in their channel lineup, so there's a very good chance it will be showing,...,, I'll bet on Thai Channel 7.

The commentary will be in Thai, and sometimes you lose the first 10 seconds or so of some rounds to commercials, but it's better than nothing and it's free. You can enjoy the fight more without hearing all the biased bullshit from commentators anyway. You can make your own mind up as to who you think is in the lead as the fight progresses.

Hi. My partner and I are looking to move to CM soon but we're really worried about the wifi connection. We work online and need solid connection 24/7. We need to be able to make solid phone/ video calls and not worry about dropped connections. Fast connection is a must.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Still having trouble here....

Any advice people? I've tried calling and emailing realtors online but no response (from most).

Thinking about going around on a motocy and looking but it just seems like a lot of land to cover.....

Ended up taking a taxi.... Thanks anyways! Has anyone found this info out for next time?

Does anyone know what time the first bus leaves from the Suvarnabhumi Airport to Pattaya?

Hi all,

Can anyone suggest a method or company to find a rental home in Chiang Mai? Not certain on the vicinity we want... Just want to see our options.

We're looking for a 2/3 bedroom at a good price. Preferably in motorcy distance to the city.

Thanks in advance.

Toasted Tuna and Cheese sandwiches from the 7/11.

Foreigners eat this food too????

Go to Tripadvisor, at the City field type Hanoi, select Things to Do, and Restaurants, and you'll get more suggestions than you can fit in a 3-day 2-nights trip. I've been to Hanoi 8 times, and enjoyed it every time. Stay at the Old Quarters, and explore the city by foot. The food is amazing. Quan An Ngon is the place to go for street food in a safe environment. Halong Bay is a must.

Thank you. We'll certainly check out Old Quarters. What's the environment like? Comparable to any area in Thailand? From your experience was it best to make tour plans in advance of upon arrival?

Go to Halong Bay.

Do you have any recommendations for a good company to plan with? I see many companies online, not sure who’s “best”, especially for the price.....

Wife and I and son went to Hanoi a few years back for a week and really enjoyed it. As others mentioned a 2 or 3 day trip to Halong Bay is worth the time. We spent two nights on the boat, food was great and plentiful and they offered things like kayaking, swimming. I don't remember who we booked the tour with but when you get to Hanoi you wont have any problem finding a tour company to book a tour. It seems to be luck of the draw when you book the cheaper prices although that's what we did and our trip was excellent. Another possibility would be a few days treking in Sapa, an area similar to what's on offer in Chiang Mai. A visit to the water puppet show in Hanoi is also interesting. We dont usually book day tours but since we had never been to Hanoi we did a day tour and recommend doing it. For a great buffet try Brothers Restaruant for lunch. Also you might want to go to lonelyplanet.com, click on Thron Tree and go to the Vietnam thread for lots of Vietnam travel related info.

Thanks so much for the info. We're looking to buy tickets now to Hanoi. Can't decide between a 4 or 5 day trip. Certainly looking to go to Halong Bay and do some historic touring...

1500 baht is okay for a baht bus taxi if he drives you inside and look at the attractions and back to Pattaya again so less than 10US$ a head if 6 persons going.

The Zoo is huge so walking around is not a good idea but they have open buses for tourists.

Don't go in the weekends, we did that last time, overcrowded with Thais coming in their own cars, so one big traffic jam.

A very nice Zoo especially for the kids as they can feed many of the animals and it's located in a very nice area.

300 baht entry fee for tourists, 100 bath for expats with Thai driver licence and 60 bath for Thais ( if memory served me right).

Do you recommend asking any specific area of baht bus drivers?

Cafe des Amis.

Where’s this??

so what amount did you give them in the end?

We gave 200 to one guy, and 50 to the little kid. The other man didn’t take the “tip”, but we know him through the building so maybe it was more awkward for him? Don’t know...

They probably don't make large coin.If your doing ok financially open your wallet up A little.If your finances are tight then ya can't do to much.

My sentiments exactly.

Depends how much they "charge" you for the job itself - have they given you a price yet?

We shouldn't be charged anything as its through the complex...so although its free, we're compelled to tip something.