jagfx

Actually in Ho Chi Minh City for the last few days for the first time. Pretty impressed to tell you the truth. Did a tour of the War Remnants Museum today. It was an eye opener to say the least. There is a lot of history there but there is also a lot of propaganda also. Now whether you agree with the US and its allies getting involved in Vietnam is neither here nor there, but one thing that did disturb me and the wife today was the story on Agent Orange and other chemicals of the same type. In hindsight though, the US probably thought that all they were doing is killing crops etc and had no idea on the affect on both the civilian population or the their own troops. Doesn't matter which way you look at it, war is hell. We should avoid it at all costs. The Vietnamese are pretty forgiving and it is now 40 years since reunification, so most don't remember the war. At the end of the day, I still feel sorry for those US Marines wondering if they were going to be rescued or not as most of them were probably not there by choice. War sucks - period. Heading back to Thailand in a few days but have enjoyed my time in Saigon...

For any train travel enquiries, a pretty good place to start is the website http://www.seat61.com/ Great resource....

Only been in Hua Hin for a couple of months now and today was probably our first decent storm since arriving. There has been rain a couple of times, but nothing major, and the power has gone out each time. And today was no different. Power out for about an hour. No big deal though. Even in today's storm there were fences blown over and street signs gone missing in our area. It wasn't that big of a storm by comparison to ones I have been through in Qld & the NT in Australia. The infrastructure here is woeful and there is zero planning when it comes to potential wild weather forecasts. We all knew that this storm was coming but then they are surprised by the damage it causes. I can't work it out, but it doesn't really affect me anyway...

goreme,

I always walk on the beach barefoot, as does my wife who has feet a tad more sensitive than mine. There is the odd bit of rubbish around just like any beach, but not that bad at all. They are nothing like the standard of Gold Coast beaches (Aus) though, but they are much better than Bali's beaches and other highly populated Asian beaches I have visited. As for jellyfish, in the nearly three months we've been here, we have seen a few washed up but they are far and few between. They are huge also, so you can't miss them. This may change at different times of the year though. Cheers.

As a regular walker up and down Hua Hin beaches both sides of Monkey Mountain, I can assure the OP that there is very little horse poo along either of the beaches. The riders are generally pretty good and pick up most of it. I sometimes see them with a plastic bag of horse poo hanging off their stirrups until they can dispose of it. Certainly not beaches full of horse poo. Probably more issues with beach dog poo than anything else. HH beaches are actually pretty clean compared to Bali beaches etc...

Hey xtcm8, when I read out your post to my wife, she asked if I wrote it as they are our circumstances exactly. When we first arrived here in early Feb there were Scandies everywhere. They seemed to have gone home now and it is mainly Russians and Germans down our way at Takiab (other side of Monkey Mountain). We normally head into town on the weekends to watch either rugby code, normally at El Murphys. Here we've met a few Aussies, Kiwis, Brits etc but the majority are just passing through.

I think because HH is not that well known to Aussies back home, hence not many find their way here. Go to Phuket or Pattaya, then that is a whole different story. I guess also, a lot depends on your age, lifestyle etc as to whether you would be in a position to meet other Aussies. I'm sure there are a few around. Just got to find them. Cheers.

Hey Tapster, great post to start this thread. The wife and I have only been here for just over two months and I do get concerned for her sanity at times. It is is pretty easy for me as I am disciplined most of the time and I am the one working off the computer to produce an income. I have structured my weekdays into as much of a routine as possible without being boring or restrictive. I have a few things I do every morning just to get me going and this will include some sort of exercise, whether that be gym, walking or swimming. I do try to stay off the grog during the week with the occasional cold beer on a hot day, and probably binge a bit too much on weekends. I've even tried to reduce the beer by switching to Tequila and soda as I am a Paleo boy at heart. I am hoping the wife also gets into a better routine and enjoy life a little more here but it can take time in new place with few English speaking females around her age. I'm sure she will be right eventually though.

There has been some good advice already here with regards to exercise and staying hydrated (a must in this climate), or even getting a hobby, or meeting like minded people. It is not easy getting out of holiday mode as you stated, but you do have to watch after your health and your wallet. Sounds like you are a smart guy and I'm sure you'll work something out. I love the photo....cheers

A lot must have changed at the Brisbane Consulate since late January 2015 when my wife and I obtained out double entry tourist visas. At that time, I actually rang them prior to attending with our paperwork asking if an onward ticket was required. They stated it was not. Went early the next day and picked up the passports a few hours later. All good. Gee Thais know how to move the goal posts at the drop of a hat. Unbelievable how each Thai Consulate from different parts of the world interpret their own country's guidelines.....

As another thread that was linked to this regarding over the counter withdrawal using overseas credit/debit cards was closed due to nastiness, I thought I'd update my experience today.

Went into Bangkok Bank Hua Hin branch adjacent to Market Village with my passport and both my Australian Westpac Visa credit card and my Australian Westpac Mastercard debit card. Also had my passport. Basically I wanted to withdraw 20,000 baht out and then pay 9,000 of that directly in my future landlord's Bangkok Bank bank account. This was my first time doing this, so I was just testing the waters. The girl behind the desk saw my credit card first up and went for that, where I then showed her my debit card and asked her if I could use that card instead. No worries, she took it, put it through her machine and I put my PIN in. All good, where she then confirmed the account number I was depositing into, and made me sign a couple of forms and also a copy of my passport. Left and returned with the outstanding 11,000 baht cash. I then enquired what the max limit was to withdraw like this and she said it was what ever I had available in my account. In and out of the bank in less than 10 mins. Very helpful and polite all round.

4hrs later I check my Westpac online accounts and I can confirm the cash was taken from savings account that is linked to the debit card and showed up as 'Debit Card Auth' for about AU$802.16. Not sure of the exact exchange rate at the time as I always just work on 25 baht = AU$1. But it was a painless process and works out well for me considering I'm having a little difficulty in opening a Thai bank account due to the recent rule changes where they have tightened it up somewhat. Cheers.

Love the bum gun since we moved to Thailand. The wife hasn't embraced it yet though. I use to work at Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast in Oz, and there a lot of houses were owned by Japanese and they would all have the million $ toilets fitted with the flash inbuilt bum guns. I could never figure it out but now I realize what they were. I also worked in an offshore detention centre in PNG, and a few of the boys use to take the 2 litre water containers to the toilet with them. Now I know what that is all about. There is a such a diverse cultural difference, even going for number twos. I'm all over this bum gun thing now and when I eventually move back to Oz, it will be the first thing installed...

bangarang,

Fiverr can be a bit of hit and miss, just like elance and odesk etc. I have found some good contractors on all of them, but there are some cowboys amongst them. The review system makes it a little easier as you can't believe everything they tell you about their skills. Have saved plenty of dollars using these services for small jobs that were completed to my satisfaction. Everyone to their own I guess. Cheers.

Noi657, I agree with what others have said with regards to .com being the daddy of website extensions. But having said that, it also can depend on who your target audience are so a .com may not necessarily be the best option for you. For example if I was targeting Australians only to sell a large physical product that required delivery locally (or even a local service), then it would be in my best interest to go with a .com.au as that is what Aussies are comfortable with. Or in the UK, you may go with .co.uk If this is not your thing, then .net or .org maybe the way to go.

These days websites are quite easy to build, and very cheap. I am a big fan of Wordpress and if I have any difficulty in figuring something out, I just go to a site like Fiverr.com and pay someone a few $ to work it out for me. Plenty of options out there. Good luck with it all.

Being an Aussie, I used OptionsXpress based in the US, but now they have an Australian office where all my enquiries are handled. I'm sure you could deposit/withdraw from an Aussie bank account whilst living in Thailand. It is all done online anyway. Not sure what their policy is with regards to a Thai bank, but I'm sure their customer service people could help you out. I've always been happy with their service and platform. Cheers.

Actually got my double entry tourist visa today in Brisbane, Australia. Attended the Thai Consulate at about 9.40am with the form filled out, 2x photos and a print out of our itinerary with one way tickets only. Asked a couple of basic questions, paid our fees and out of there 10 mins later. Advised to come back after 1pm same day to collect. Attended at about 1.15pm and out of there at 1.20pm with visa approved and in passport. Painless to say the least and very helpful staff. Nil mention of onward travel or financials. Cheers.

Thanks for the replies. I'll check them out. Looking forward to just getting over there and really having a good look around, both HH and other parts of he country. Cheers.

The OP's original post had me a little concerned as the wife and I are heading to HH in early Feb to begin our long term travel throughout SE Asia. Looking to use Thailand as a base and take it from there. I qualify as a Retiree there, so that was one of the main reasons. We picked HH as our first port of call based on some research and recommendations from friends. We have previously holidayed in BKK and Phuket only. It was refreshing to then read the replies to the OP's post from people that have actually lived there longer term, giving their perspective of the place. Sounds like just what we are after.

But I do have one question with regards to HH. As an Expat, which part of town would you suggest we look for longer term rentals. We both like the beach but don't have to be right on it. We don't particularly want to live right in town but would like a fairly simple commute of no more than 10-15 mins. Any suggestions would be appreciated. The plan is to just book in a hotel for a week or so on arrival then explore and ask around, getting a feel for the place. Obviously any suggestions here would at least point us in the right direction. Thanks for the assist in advance.

Karma, I say. Being an ex copper from the Gold Coast in the 90's, glad to see the back of this bloke. I'm sure the Thai Police will sort him out when the opportunity presents itself, but please don't send him back this way....

Might want to consider AirBnB for alternate accommodation. House sitting is another option but may be a bit late to get one by then. All depends on your budget etc. Enjoy your trip.

One of the most comprehensive websites for train travel just about anywhere in the world is seat61.com

Good write up on the Bangkok to Singapore trip.

Great post Steve. Thanks for the info. Looks spectacular at night. Heard quite a few stories about the mad rush of tourists to see the sunrise & sunset there. These other people gave similar tips to you, basically do the opposite to everyone else for a much better experience. Cheers.

Some excellent points there OPG. Yes you can control a MT4 account a lot tighter to prevent blow outs or even unauthorised withdrawals. I would even go one step further and invest in some good trade copier software. This can be useful if one person is responsible for the trade settings, for both the actual trading and the money management side of things like close all trades when equity hits a certain level (profit or loss) etc. You can be very creative and set it all up where it does offer you some protection and a safety net. You can also use it to make the money trail very difficult to track if you were so inclined. Not something I would recommend though as always best to be aboveboard just in case a Tax office does come looking for you.

For those that have some negativity about successful forex trading, then I would suggest you check out the two part series that concluded on BBC Two (UK) last night. You can still watch them through their online site or I think they are on YouTube. Episode one was on YouTube anyway. Granted, there are thousands of failing traders out there, but I can assure you there are plenty of successful ones also. Cheers.