Tofer

Thanks for all your advice and recommendations. I finally plumped for Surfshark, as it had your good reviews and an incredible offer for black Friday, 26 months at 1.69stg/m plus a further offer on sign up of 12 additional months at 1.72stg/m. I've now got a subscription of 38 months for 65stg, and I got 25stg refund from my cancelled 6 months remaining on my old OpenVPN account. It was extremely easy to sign up, download install and set up, and I've viewed BBC news live the last 2 days with a good fast connection.

Is it not possible to simply use a US correspondence address and not tell them you're overseas? My UK First Direct Bank (HSBC) have no problem with that arrangement, and also have my Thai phone number registered.

I don't know about US accounts, but I never had a problem with my UK bank when I was using OpenVPN, but they are well aware I reside overseas, and maintain my UK account through a UK correspondence address.

If they're all as devious as the presenter / expert portray, then why would anyone trust ANY VPN provider.

Sounds like the best option, and they've got a fairly good black Friday offer on at the moment.

Just discovered that Surfshark is a subsidiary of Nord Security.

Thanks, would you consider Nord and Surf Shark as real VPNs? Sorry for the inane questions, but I find the new technology / systems mind boggling.... ???? I understand, more or less, what they are intended for and do, but when it comes to checking them out it leaves me cold...

Perhaps the cheap option is not then worth bothering with?

Thanks, I discovered that yesterday. They have a decent offer though of a 5-year subscription for $99.99

Thanks, sounds like it's certainly worth a try.

Thanks for the advice. It would be for watching UK TV on a tablet / laptop, predominantly BBC iplayer and ITV player Not interested in watching anything on a tiny phone screen.

That is the reason. I want to watch BBC world news from the UK.

Does anybody use Surf Shark VPN, and is it good service and value? Alternatively, would you recommend another one.

I also sent a PCX 150 via the Thai post from Koh Lanta Island to Lop Buri for around 3,000 baht, in August 2022. It was carefully packed and protected in our local post office, was loaded into a post office van, then delivered to the doorstep of the recipient by the same van. I was assured it would not be transferred onto any other mode of transport, a great, cheap service.

As an update to my earlier question, I can now confirm the availability of the rail cargo option for moving a motorcycle around the country. I eventually completed my 7 week and almost 7,000kms ride around the country and, as I thought, did not wish to repeat the journey South to Krabi from Bangkok, since there's only one rural route aside from the highway, which wasn't that appealing in the first instance. I booked myself into a 2nd class sleeper berth, and my Forza 350 bike into the cargo compartment on the same train from Bangkok to Surat Thani, for a total bargain cost of approximately 1,900 baht. The procedure was all well explained by the helpful staff in Bangkok station cargo booking office. I was required to present the bike no later than 1 hour before departure time, and 3 staff, who loaded and secured it in the baggage compartment, were quite happy with a 150-baht tip between them. The top box had to be removed and, I presume, panier boxes would meet the same requirement. On arrival at Surat Thani, the bike was being offloaded as I walked down the platform, I climbed on and rode out of the station. No dramas, no damage, I would certainly recommend this option for anyone moving their bike around the country. I did discover, in Pratchuap Kiri Khan, that bikes in excess of 150cc need to be loaded at the main stations where the train originates, presumably because the intermediate stations are not staffed to handle large / heavy cargo. What surprised me was the number of bikes being loaded, yet they didn't have a jack up platform to save them the stress of manhandling the heavy bikes from the platform into and out of the train. Obviously not heard of health and safety in Thailand.