letsryan

Times are getting hard for US citizens getting the $$$ transferred across from the states....

Amen. As a writer struggling to make it at all, I can tell you that receiving less and less for the little work I get is making things that much tougher... time to find some Thai outlets!

I believe it's easier to put us signs around the airport BEFORE it opens, so you can concentrate on real "teething" problems. Also you might want to finish construction before you let people in. Also you might want to test all computer systems before you open the airport.

Ok, they did that, and they knew that their computers cosistently fail - both luggage and boarding systems, and they had to operate them manually. Why weren't they given time to solve the problems? Do they really have time now?

They could have anticipated arrival hall problems, and they could have thought about taxi pickup earlier. They didn't have time for trivialities like that. In fact they didn't even know that taxis would be a problem until a week before the D-day, no one had time to think about that.

Do you really think that solving all these problems is easier with 80,000 passengers using the airport daily? They should have minimised the number of problems they have to deal with after the opening.

I think they knew there would be problems, and perhaps slightly more if they opened a little early... but the tradeoff is they got to work out the kinks before high season. Good move, if you ask me, even if there still is a little construction getting done. Better to have these problems with 80,000 passengers instead of 200,000...

And by the way, the family of four with lost luggage - REALLY bad strawman, if that's your goal then no airline nor airport has EVER gotten past its teething problems, as there are probably minimum a hundred cases like that a day at any major international airport. Are you saying that a 2% lost luggage rate is simply unacceptable? Anything above 0% is going to be a big problem for someone... hence any lost luggage equals big problem? I suppose you could argue that... but you certainly can't pick on Thailand if you plan to rail at windmills in such a manner.

i always travel light with just walk just a walk on bag and a ruck sack so i can walk straight out had to wait over a hr once never again.

they told me your walk on bag has to 7kg or under.

So too did I... but forget not, there're new rules now. My last trip had three stops over 7 planes, and with the new rules, if you don't check your baggage you would have to buy new shampoo, soap, deodorant, etc. at EVERY stop. Let's hear it for the new useless liquid/gel rules. Ah well, as long as I'm packing a duffel I can take my swiss army knife again.

By the way, I was at the new airport last week and it's quite attractive if you like the steel and glass look (I do), a bit too much concrete I thought but lots of artwork on the walls to cover that up, very spiffy looking.

The arrivals gate, though, was horrendous. Small and narrow, confusion about which exit a plane would be using (meaning anyone who wanted to meet someone had 5 exits to monitor, and no good way to get through them), and this small little yellow-stripe lane through the touts that ends in just a mass of people, impossible to get through... it took me maybe 15 minutes getting through customs, maybe 15 getting my bag from the belt, and 30 getting through the mass of humanity in the small packed arrivals lounge. Something has to be done about that, and you can't blame the touts - they should've been expected, and a lot of them were waiting for specific people, running around between 5 exits searching for them.

That's a tragedy. Condolences to the familes of these people.

It's no joke when the red flags are posted and swimming is restricted. At Mai Khao I ignored these warnings and got swept out in a rip current. eventually I was able to make it back in but barely. It is hard to resist when you see those beautiful waves and the water is warm, but be careful. If you are caught in a rip current, go with it and dont swim against it. Try to float and conserve energy and most of all try not to panic. I know it is easily said, but it could save your life.

There actually is a much safer way to deal with rip currents. Very few are more than, at most, a couple hundred meters across. So the best thing to do is swim sideways, out of the current. I've saved myself very long journeys this way - usually, you're out in no more than a minute of swimming, and not that far from shore (especially if you notice quickly and swim parallel to the beach in the direction you just came from). Times may vary - I'm a pretty good swimmer - but this is the training lifeguards get, in the states anyway, so put it to good use. Letting the current carry you is better than fighting it, but not a very good way to save yourself - who knows how far you'll go, or how far you can swim.

Thanks:) ! What is hillside 4, can you provide more info please?

hillside 4 is a large condiminum in huay kaew rd buy the big central shopping complex and many big hotels and resturants its manily private owned and you rent off owner though some estate agents do advertise one is www.chiangmairealty.com tele no 096311114

Hillside 4 also has a very nice gym. I do recommend Adam at Chiang Mai Realty though, he'll work with you to get you what you need. I found my place through him, near CMU, pool and modest gym, clean air and good view of Doi Suthep. You should definitely get a guest house for the first week or so, though, so you can look around and see not only what the rooms are like, but the areas they're in.

I suggest making reservations in advance with Julie's Guest House - very clean, central, and cheap. Book in advance though - you're coming high season, and it's a popular spot.

You will want a bike - they can be rented for 2-3K a month. Alternatively, you can buy a used one for 10-15K and sell it when you leave, more hassle but works out cheaper.

I live near CMU, and the service has been pretty crap pretty much since I signed up (in April). My speed is always low (it just tested at 54), the connection is usually down at least once a day (for a varied amount of time), and when it's down they tell you there's nothing they can do since their server's down.

Of course, the speed is understandable (assuming I understood the salesladies correctly). Unlike the developed world, we don't have a single-user dedicated line - they split one ADSL line between 20, 10, 5, or 2 users, depending how much you pay. I currently have a 512 split 10 ways - I'm switching to 1024 split 20, since much of my surfing is done at home (where I work) while others are at jobs or classes. Hopefully as of next month I'll have a better connection, because this is pretty ridiculous.

I agree with a number of previous posters - Step 0 buy a Mac.

Beyond that, some of these things, there's absolutely nothing you can do. Attachments are kinda old school - any self-respecting virus doesn't need you to run a program, just view an email. Or if you're using Microsoft products, simply viewing a photo on a webpage can unlock a worm. You can get all the virus protection software you want, but by definition it's always a step behind, as it can't protect against worms or viruses that don't yet exist. Windows is an awful program security-wise, and Internet Explorer ain't too hot either. The only real protection is to get rid of them.

Re: the Mac doesn't have viruses because of it's small market share, there's a small element of truth to that. No platform is completely immune. However, the Mac/Linux/Unix ones have MUCH better architecture and thus to create a usable virus requires a lot more work. Sure, someone could - but given the difficulties and time it would take - and the fact that Macs have antivirus software that updates just as fast as Windows ones do - it just isn't worth it.

Macs are going to be much safer for a long, long time (computer-wise). At least the next four or five generations, and probably longer than that.

Hey all, I didn't wind up running into any Thai Visa folk, but had a lovely evening just the same. Hope to see you about sometime (sorry Chanchao, didn't see your locale until this evening) and at the latest, the piss-up in March.

-r

Ah wait, I think I do know the place - slightly east of the south part of the night bazaar, buncha restaurants and shops with a few girlie bars around the corner near the moat... well, regardless, I'll just get a tuk-tuk and be guaranteed the right locale. Probably leave in just a few moments and get some dinner, then see what the area has to offer. Off I go.

When I left Japan, I got a 90 day tourist visa. It was a little bit of a headache, because I had a one-way ticket, and I'm a freelance writer (meaning I had no employer to vouch for me or my income). However, even with all that I was able to get the tourist visa by showing print-outs of emails with fees and work shown.

If you go to a visa lawyer here in Thailand, they can set you up with a 1 year multiple entry B non-immigrant visa - provided you are headed to North America (you can't get this deal in Asia or Oceania, for whatever reason). The overall cost is around $200 US, and you still have to leave every 90 days, but it's one visa for a year, which is mighty comfortable (especially for someone who wants to, say, do a 40 day meditation retreat).

I'm using an agent myself, and yes, in all but very unusual circumstances they're getting paid by the owner, not the renter (of course, I'm looking at 6-12 month leases, so for 3 they might charge you).

Also, I've found that the agents do seem to know more than you can find out on your own - at least if you're new and thai-illiterate (like me). What's more, every time I've checked the prices have either been identical or lower with the agent. Not big differences, but still, if you can't speak Thai and you're just getting to know the area, I think the agent is probably worth it - if only as a guide, translator, and most especially someone to help you get set up with ADSL, UTV, all that stuff. As a greenie, that was worth it for me.

All that said, what about that new place, Viang Bua (sp)? That sounds perfect for you - it's overpriced, sure, but on an expense account who cares. They've got cleaning, wireless internet, places that can get pretty big if you like, everything brand new... worth a thought. I think it's in the city, but not a busy area, so it might be just right for you. Their website is www.viangbua.com or something along those lines - google apartments in Chiang Mai and it'll come up towards the top.

Well, back online (I'm still guest housing it).

Sounds like not a lot of enthusiasm for the initial piss-up - I don't know Loi Kroh yet, but I'll check it out tonight and look for you, Chanchao. I shouldn't be too hard to spot - I'll be the Buddha belly with a freshly shaved head laughing at something and entertaining the locals by poorly repeating their Thai and vainly attempting to figure out what it means.

For those who wanted to know something about me - I'm a 27 year old freelance writer, come to live in Chiang Mai for, well, I don't know how long, but at least a year. Coming from Japan, where I lived 5. Originally from America, but worry not, I hate our government more than you do.

Didn't mean to ruffle the old fogey feathers - for the record, even though this is Thailand, when I said fun I didn't mean bar girls, I meant laughs - and while I certainly don't expect to just jump in, I figured no harm in meeting a number of good folk all at once early on. And figgered the fogeys would weed themselves out anyway.

So tonight, hope to see ya Chanchao, and the rest of ya I'll probably see at one of the scheduled piss-ups.

Hello Forum one and all. I'm a new arrival, fresh off the boat, and while reading up about everything on the forum is nice, nothing beats a bit of face time.

So... who'd like to get together Friday night? I'll even buy the first round so you have to at least act amiable when I ask whether a new or used bike is the way to go. But don't worry. I see this primarily as a social thing, and a way to meet people (and who knows, maybe you all don't know some of your fellow posters).

Now, I don't know the area well, so I'm up for suggestions. It'll depend how many of you are up for this relaxed evening of idyllic splendor, of course, but a place both lively and quiet enough for conversation is what I'd hope for - maybe like the U.N. Irish Pub, but I'm betting there's better options out there (and do they even serve food? We should get food too.)

Right, hopefully see you soon.

Hey all. I'm a newbie and although I've checked the forum, if I missed a post that addresses this issue I apologize.

Anyway, I'm moving from Japan to Thailand, but I have no official visa. I plan to get a tourist visa upon entrance - I'm American.

A number of travel agents here in Japan are saying that I won't be allowed in Thailand on a one-way ticket - if I don't have a ticket out of the country, they won't let me in. This seems pretty excessive to me - how many people come in to Thailand by plane but plan to leave another way?

Can anyone tell me if this is true? If I come in on a one-way will I be refused entrance? Is it possible to buy some other ticket - say, a bus to Laos or something - and get that in hand and show that? Is it even possible to get such a ticket printed out when I'm so far away?

Thanks for any help you can give or experiences you can share.

Hey there, I'm another expat likely moving to the area in February, but a couple weeks before you guys, so I'd be happy to share my immediate experiences and impressions of the rooms available right then (and we will basically have to wait until at least March for the long-term stuff, sometimes a better rate and much much better selection).

Yeah, I was thinking of throwing an in-the-know get-together, closer to the date just posting something like "Want free drinks? Show up at (I'll pick a spot with more research). Newbie wants to meet the community and'll be buying a number of rounds. Might have some newbie questions - if you won't be annoyed at the occasional "How hard is the motorcycle driving test anyway? Can you really get it on a non-immigrant visa?" type of inquiries in a relaxed social setting, stop on by."

After the fact, I'll let you know how it goes, or if you guys are arriving in time you can join in (always helps to share the costs - judging by what I've spent in ChiangMai before I figure I can pay for a bunch of people with about the same amount of money a night out costs in Japan, but could always get burned...)