steve654

Very sound advice craigt, thanks very much! Ok, will carry it around and show it only when absolutely necessary, otherwise I will use my copies. Thanks for letting me know about copying the visa stamp page as well as I would have never thought of that.

I've known motorbike-rental-agencies want to hold the original passport, for extra security.

Hotels/guesthouses were always happy with a copy IME.

I've heard that often, but I would walk away from any agency wanting to hold my passport.

If a photo works, then my scanned one should be fine then I guess. Thanks for replying

If I scan my main Passport page in B&W and print it out, is that good enough to carry around, give to hotels and car rental agencies to look at or would I need something better whilst on holiday here?

Thanks, good to know

I want to surprise my Daughter in Law and build her a computer, but instead of carrying the whole computer, I just want to

pack in my luggage the motherboard, cpu and memory and build the rest in Thailand when I am there. Is there

custom duties on these parts when I bring them in as a gift? I will be staying in Thailand for about a month and was

wondering if they charge duties on these parts?

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Thanks Lone Ranger! Very interested to check out Takiab Beach next month. Do you know of any decent website showing real rental prices for villas and condos there?

I would agrre with PBONLINE's comments. Arrive here 1st & check in to one of the many hotels/guesthouses around Takiab.

Anantisila is 4 star but 1 of the best hotels in Thailand ..great to dine there or just use their facilities ,private sun longers,pool restaurant/bar etc 500bt all in of which the food baically covers that twww.anantisilaresort.com ..cheaper 3 star hotel also on Takiab beach is blue sky hotel but check if renovation of lifts & construction of beach restaurant completed .Thera are many new condo blocks just built all along that area as soon as you turn off left at the bypass going south ...as suggested rent a motor bike & explore ..it's fun too...but if you have the money always travel in a car as much safer.Papa Joh's has the best European foods with steak to die for [i know his supplier & his 2 chefs he pays double the rate so in turn they have been there many years & are excellent chefs. Also right on the beach is a superb thai seafood open air restaurant where literally Thais come from BKK to dine on the beach..50m from Anantisila set back going south ..just marble tables ...but same day seafood cooked to perfection & amazing value ..a must. I know once you spend just 1 afternoon/evening on Takiab beach underneath the holy mountain you will never want to leave....

Thanks for the info I did check Anantisila but their cheapest room is 3,870 baht a night on certain days. About 3,000 baht a night too much for us lol. For some reason, I just don't want to pay 5-star western prices for a hotel in Thailand. It would also offend my in laws who only make about 5,000 baht/month working really hard to make a living and they will accompany us there. It defeats the purpose for us even traveling there, but I will look around that area as it looks just beautiful.

Thanks Lone Ranger! Very interested to check out Takiab Beach next month. Do you know of any decent website showing real rental prices for villas and condos there?

Interesting thread My Thai Wife and I are deciding between Rayong and Hua Hin/Cha-am area as well. We kind of like sleepy ghost town type areas

so maybe Rayong beach areas would be something nice, but you just never know until you step foot in place to see how it really feels.

Lasted seven years, came back last fall.

Cost of living is cheaper here, better quality of life, and:

People smile without hoping for anything other than a smile back;

Haven't heard a single dog bark in three months, let alone been attacked by a pack of them;

No burning of plastic;

No loud music, caterwauling as the moon sets, or unbridled exhaust;

Haven't seen one person pick their nose. Nope, not even the person preparing my food ...

Were there good things about my time in Thailand? Sure, but no where near enough to consider living there any longer, let alone dying there.

My wife is joining me in April. We have a bucket list in the first month that includes:

The Grand Canyon- camping and rafting;

Las Vegas- attending a Cirque de Sol show, and, in the casinos, losing money;

Driving north from San Diego through Malibu, sailing to and about Catalina, then taking Hwy 1 up the coast into Washington State and eventually Victoria, B.C. We'll stop at wineries and cheese farms along the way, detouring for camping in Sequoia National Park, and Redwood National Forest. Then Yosemite and back over to the coast ….

Absolutely no way I would consider wasting another precious day of life in LOS.

You obviously have the money where you could live anywhere. You're right Thailand may not be the place for you. For people like mean on limited means I don't have that much choice, I would far rather be poor in a nice warm climate amongst friendly people who are genuine, than back in a cold climate, where I seldom see a smile. Come to think of it, even if I had all the money in the world I'd still live here, but maybe I'd take the trip you are planning, or take a summer trip to Europe or Japan, or Alaska or Iceland, two places I'd always wanted to visit. However I would always come home. Yes Thailand is my home now, and if all goes well I will die here.

I've only been to Thailand once, but I really enjoyed my time there. People were warm and friendly wherever I went.

OP, why don't you simply book travel insurance from an insurance company in your country?

I have year round travel insurance from Europ Assistance covering medical expenses up to 1.25 million Euro for trip lasting max 180 days at a yearly cost of 215 euro, covering for my family. Look around, you should find similar insurance.

Because none of them are trustworthy.

Wrong attitude. Simple fact is that if travel insurance companies didn't pay out where they were obliged to pay out then there would be far more horror stories doing the rounds and governments in travellers home countries would be taking action. But its not a case of trusting them, its a case of making sure you're covered. Certainly motor bike accidents are an area where the hospitals are wary, they know from experience that the small print in the policies can often mean the person will not be covered. Could be down to a clause requiring crash helmets, motor bikes over a certain cc or not holding a licence to ride that category of motor bike. Read the small print. If you have a license make sure you have a copy that can be emailed to the claims company.

In the UK at any rate I have never seen a policy that didn't take over and guarantee the hospital fees directly for any in-patient treatment if the claim is valid and you haven't fallen foul of the exception clauses.

I've had the pleasure only three times in my life to deal with claims for family members and all three times were very disappointing. Was just reading some of the exclusions from recommended insurances here and they do have some beauties, such as one is not covered for food poisoning, bacterial infection, having an accident if a carrier had an unlicensed driver....the list goes on and on, so yes reading the fine print is important.

You mentioned in the "UK" and I am assuming insurance companies there are much more noble than their counterparts here in Canada.

I didn't pay anywhere near that amount. But that was 5 years ago. I negotiated a discount and it included zero excess insurance. It was a vios. I think it was around 600B/day...or something like that.

The owner was great to work with, even switching out the car after a few weeks with a better one. Came to my apartment to do so. And sent a young lad out to the boonies when I locked the keys in the trunk...with the doors locked also.

Best to shop around. Not easy to do if you are not here though.

Thanks. At least I know how it works now. When we get there we will know what to say and what to look for which is always good.

I had a look at your link and they post 1,100 bath a day for 100km. Is that normal for car rentals?

The 500B I paid was for unlimited mileage and included the zero-excess insurance I mentioned (which accounted for nearly half of the total cost). That was for a Jazz and a Vios.

Small rental agencies in Pattaya are very poor value to my eyes, especially when you take account of the potentially very large bill you may get if you have some minor damage. The company mentioned in that link has an 8,000B excess, and excess of 25,000B or more is not unheard of.

Thanks for the clarification KittenKong, that really helps me

I've used these guys before and they were OK with good rates.

http://www.pattayacar.rentals/

Thailand is no longer a budget destination, IMHO. Might be best to move this over to the Pattaya forum for more help. Let me know if you want to do that.

Best of luck!

Thanks for the link, will keep them on my list as well! Yes, many have told me it's not cheap like it used to be, so it will be interesting when we arrive. I think my Wife will be the most stunned as she keeps telling about prices that I feel are not reality anymore as she thinks ten years in the past.

No that's fine, don't need to move the Pattaya Forum as both your two replies and maybe a few more that come along will be fine for me. I don't want to be too fussy about it.

I had a look at your link and they post 1,100 bath a day for 100km. Is that normal for car rentals?

I only rented a couple of times prior to buying a vehicle, but I got good rates from Hertz. Daily rental plus zero-excess insurance (which no small rental company offers, as far as I know) was just under 500B, with the insurance accounting for about 200B of that.

Those rates were advertised in the national newspapers but were for telephone bookings only. Walk-in and online prices were much higher. So I just went into the local Hertz office and got them to book for me over the phone for immediate pick-up. They were a little surprised but they did it with good grace.

Other brand names were also doing similar prices for phone bookings, and advertising them the same way.

I think that zero-excess insurance is vital here, as it takes all the potential hassle out of renting and driving. You dont even need to check the state of the paintwork etc. when you collect or return your vehicle.

I never knew they could do that over the phone with cheaper rates, that's very good to know thanks!

Would you mind translating "zero-excess insurance" to Thai for me so my Wife will understand as she will do the booking?

If I tell her zero excess in english, I don't think she will know what I mean.

Can anyone recommend a few car rental places in or around Pattaya with fair rates and no scams? The few I have seem from the major rental companies are seriously expensive. I thought Thailand was supposed to be a budget destination

OP, why don't you simply book travel insurance from an insurance company in your country?

I have year round travel insurance from Europ Assistance covering medical expenses up to 1.25 million Euro for trip lasting max 180 days at a yearly cost of 215 euro, covering for my family. Look around, you should find similar insurance.

Because none of them are trustworthy.

I used to buy travel medical insurance. I don't primarily because there were NONE that I could find that actually up front or that was accepted by the hospital as coverage. Every one I found and I bought three different ones, all were only reimbursable, i.e. you send them the bills after you pay the hospital, and the hospital would not take any payment from them. So, I just go and if I have a problem realize I will have to pay the hospital, and later file for payment reimbursement to my USA medical plan (blue cross blue shield).

Does anybody know of travel insurance that is actually accepted by some or all Thailand major hospitals so that I wouldn't have to pay the hospital before I leave?

I've always wondered about that! Last week on tv here in canada, we saw a report about a women who got into an accident with her moped and a truck. She was beat up bad, bones sticking out of her body, blood everywhere, and her friend eventually found her in a hospital in Phuket. They just left her six hours in a room with no medical treatment, no pain killers, basically left her there to die and she would have died if here friend did not find her, call her parents and arrange for funds for the operation. I forgot the whole details, but she did have insurance, but from what I remember, it did not matter as she would have to send them the bills for reimbursment. I remember they charged $60,000 USD for the operation. Kind of spooked us as anyone can be unlucky and get involved in an accident, but to just leave her there to die with no attention is downright scary. That is why I was hoping there is some reputable insurance company in Thailand that can assist in case of an emergency to fund treatment at least until the person is conscious. Anyone know of any decent insurance company like that?

Any thoughts for Canadians? My old Doctor told me she never saw any insurance company here pay any bill that was over $3,000. That is why

I was looking for something valid in Thailand that hospitals will accept in case of an emergency.

http://www.tourismthailand.org/ThailandTravelShield/

Thanks very much I mistakenly posted this in the general forum and someone replied and said this insurance was canceled, so glad it is still around.

Since Thailand is under military rule, do I have to purchase emergency medical insurance from the Thai government? If so, can anyone help me with a link. If not, which insurance company will be reliable to use as we are travelling soon and want to make sure we are covered for any emergency aid if needed.

The scheme you are referring to has been cancelled.

Yermanee

Well, that is confusing.

Thanks for the info everyone, they will sincerely appreciate it

I was reading that since Thailand is under Military Rule, we would need (or it would at least be a good idea) to purchase emergency medical insurance from the Thai government. We are from Canada, and will be traveling soon and would like to know if we can purchase this online?

I thought awhile back I saw it advertised by the Thai Tourism Authority but now that I am looking for it I can't find the link.

What has being not so well off an issue in getting a mortgage?

The main issue would be biting off more than one can chew.

By not well off, I mean that they work when they can get it and income is not always available every month, but they

have saved still, have money for a down payment and can ride out the times they don't have work and still pay

their monthly mortgage bill. What I'm concerned about is if any bank, even the ones listed here will give them a loan

based on sporadic work?