redpill17

On 9/8/2020 at 10:52 AM, Pilotman said:

I consider myself a 'citizen of the world', although UK born and raised, I have spent little time there and now have no interest in the Country, or its people, bar my kids and extended family.  However, I of course need the UK passport for purely practical reasons. It would be nice to hold a passport that is not affiliated to any particular country.  Maybe a UN Passport, that gives certain rights and privileges of travel,  but that doesn't align you automatically with a particular country or nationality.  As the UK Embassy is a joke and totally useless, so I would not miss their not being available me. I would sign up for that

OP, it's not possible to get UN laissez-passer, unless you work for a certain international organization. There's no universally recognized "world passport", so the only option to accomplish your goal is to become stateless. I'm not sure if UK allows to renounce your only citizenship, but if you do, you can get a 1954 Convention travel document, which can be used for visa applications. Of course, being stateless, you can forget about visa-exemption entry to most countries ???? 

More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travel_document

If you just want a nice trinket: https://worldservice.org/docpass.html

A common scam is to resell this World Passport for hundreds of dollars, claiming it gives you certain rights, but it's not true - acceptance is on case-by-case basis, and it's not recognized by the UN.

4 hours ago, upena said:

If I don't need a mask when eating or drinking, why do I need one at all?

Face mask alternative:

19 hours ago, khunPer said:

Thanks.

Yes, Lomprayah has, according to their own website and a previous post, been operated their former catamaran routes by speedboats during the whole lockdown period.

Oh, I see. Strange, I was only able to find Raja tickets until recently.

19 hours ago, khunPer said:

I've been told that the Lomprayah company had let go of a huge number of employees, about 100 I was told. The catamaran ferries that use to dock by Maenam pier has long been gone. A few times a small ferry, probably one of the first, have been docking by the pier.

Yes, it seems there are only speedboats now from Mae Nam pier (20 min to Phangan, then goes to Tao). At least Seatran still has a comfortable ride from Bangrak (30 min to Phangan).

Also, there are regular Lomprayah speedboats from Mae Nam to Koh Phangan (and then to Koh Tao) again.

5 minutes ago, mrfill said:

Small USD bills are probably not legal tender in Cambodia, but are accepted widely. They can, apparently, be exchanged for other currencies quite freely.

Yes, but exchange rate for them in Thailand is a robbery ????

Are they still a legal tender though? I was keeping these bills specifically to use in Cambodia.

25 minutes ago, Bigz said:

No they don't violate anything. Grab and foodpanda takes around 20-30%. (One is 20 the other 30)

You're right about the first thing, at least for Foodpanda:

"We encourage restaurants to use the same prices for delivery as they do for their dine-in menu, although there may be exceptions."

Couldn't find this for Grab.

Regarding percentage, as of now Foodpanda is charging 32% and Grab takes 30%.

I like Foodpanda more, because they communicate with the restaurant. With GrabFood, you have to wait till the driver arrives to the restaurant to place order, and drivers often cancel themselves, wasting my time.

Also, GrabFood often lacks pictures and English translation. It's usable in Bangkok, but everywhere else is a joke.

On 8/24/2020 at 9:11 AM, Fairynuff said:

I never really thought about food delivery until yesterday when I wanted some Indian food. So I looked at Grab Food. I already know the menu from this restaurant and realised quickly that the Grab menu was about 30% higher. The difference in price amounted to 180 baht plus 30 baht delivery. So instead I used Grab Express, same result but menu price and 65 baht delivery.

I wrongly assumed that Grab Food was just about delivery, but with a 25-30% surcharge it’s a different ball game.

Normally, I see 5-10 baht difference per item on GrabFood and Foodpanda. If the restaurant is surcharging 30%, then they're violating terms of service.

btw, I'm curious - did you have to call the restaurant beforehand and order over the phone, so they deliver via GrabExpress? I always see coupons for this service, but never use it.

You don't need a special PromptPay card to use it, you just scan QR code with your banking app or transfer by phone number. It's easier to use for small businesses, since there are no fees and it works with their personal account. Credit card processing is a completely different story. If a street vendor has a bank account, then they can accept PromptPay.

Just checked tickets for Seatran's Bangrak—Koh Phangan route and it's now available!

2 minutes ago, FlyingThai said:

FYI in case it helps, I recently approached a big hotel in BKK where I usually stay if they can provide me with a copy of the TM.30 for purposes of Immigration (affixing the Thailand Elite Visa into my passport).

 

As per hotel management they can provide this a few hours after check-in.

I got mine from a hostel ???? It takes only a minute, since they do TM30 online. But I'm curious to know if someone successfully did 90-day report with hotel address. Hopefully, travel bubble will be implemented by the end of 2020, so I won't have to bother with that.

58 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

However, you can also do the TM30 notification on her behalf, or as tenant of the place you are residing.  If you need information on how to do that, just PM me.

Can you do it without power of attorney signed by landlord/landlady?

1 hour ago, KimSamui said:

So the 11k I spent on return tickets was imaginary? Or that it's not expensive? Especially with the current prices on offer currently all over Thailand for flights and accommodation. Plenty of excuses Mate and no actual experience.

I'm not making excuses, I only speak from personal experience. Also, you didn't specify when was your trip. I've just bought a return ticket in the opposite direction a few days ago for 2500 baht, but they have this price for various routes. Flightradar says it's A319.

If you don't believe me, you can check bangkokair.com website yourself. There's a banner for We Travel Together program you need to click to see special prices. Thai people can get a rebate on hotels, but 2500b ticket promo is available for all passengers, as confirmed by Bangkok Air support.

I agree Samui is not a paradise, and Bangkok Airways is normally overpriced. Frankly, if I just wanted a beach vacation, I'd rather go to Hua Hin or Dolphin Bay. But people make assumptions about Koh Samui, which leave me confused. I live here and I can say it's not overpriced or deserted if you stay away from typical tourist scams. No hard feelings Mate, just wanted to clarify.

23 hours ago, KimSamui said:

Suvarnabhumi Airport only ONE, of THREE Multilevel carparks open, The Carpark is Totally Full

First, that's Bangkok problem not related to Samui.

23 hours ago, KimSamui said:

The Bangkok Airways flight 11K return two people.

Round-trip is 2500b per person on promo now. And it's A319, not ATR72.

23 hours ago, KimSamui said:

Only a few Flights each day, All Full.

I see at least 6 flights per day.

23 hours ago, KimSamui said:

Cheap seats on the ATR72 for thrill seekers.

Is it really that bad? I flew turboprop with Nok Air, it was very comfortable.

23 hours ago, KimSamui said:

Generally this must be hindering the arrival of Domestic Tourists and limiting any sort of revival.

I'm sure airlines are making losses right now. There's simply not enough domestic tourists to make hourly flights sustainable.

What I don't understand is why Bangkok Air still hasn't re-launched at least one flight to Chiang Mai.

23 hours ago, KimSamui said:

The Ring Road is Torn up around the Island with Drains being installed at what seems crawling pace.

Yes, roadworks are slow, but now it's the perfect time for maintenance if you ask me. Wouldn't want to do it in the tourist season.

23 hours ago, KimSamui said:

Sadly Chaweng is barely suitable for Tourists anymore, Lamai is nice and has a strong local population and some businesses open make it pleasant despite many business closed.

Why? Still plenty of businesses open in Chaweng just outside from Beach Road.

23 hours ago, KimSamui said:

In short it's a pricy trip, and you get what you get:(

2500 baht round-trip and many hotels on sale, I don't see how is that pricy.

Ask your local Revenue office for requirements. I got a Tax ID with bank statement and some copies in Chiang Mai while on tourist visa.

Some EU banks do work with foreigners, usually those with foreign capital. Or you can get a N26 card before you leave - they never asked me for proof of residence. Or TransferWise card - only had to verify my residence once before they could send it.

29 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

International flights scheduled from BBK today (18 July 2020) between 18:00 and midnight (I have removed cancelled flights):-

 

19:25	19:25	Doha (DOH)	Qatar Airways QR 835 Codeshare: IB 7933 / S7 4732	On-Time
20:40	20:40	Muscat (MCT)	Oman Air WY 816	On-Time
21:45	21:45	Tokyo (HND)	ANA NH 850 Codeshare: AC 6272 / ET 1403 / TG 6107	On-Time
21
23:00	23:00	Frankfurt (FRA)	Lufthansa LH 773	On-Time
23:30	23:30	Dubai (DXB)	Emirates EK 373	On-Time
23:30	23:30	Seoul (ICN)	Korean Air KE 652 Codeshare: DL 7854	On-Time
23:35	23:35	Manila (MNL)	Philippine Airlines PR 733	On-Time
23:50	23:50	Tokyo (NRT)	Thai Airways International TG 642	On-Time
23:50	23:50	Amsterdam (AMS)	KLM KL 876 Codeshare: AF 8273 / QF 4231	On-Tim

Yeah, except none of these countries allow foreigners at the moment.

Is there really a need for special "digital nomad visa"? Just let self-employed foreigners to register a company and apply for business visa/WP.

I use TrueMoney and LINE Pay. The first one lets you pay by card without top-up.

For some reason, eService website stopped working for me, but maybe they fixed it by now.

I understand Direct Debit is only available if you've opened your bank account as work permit holder. Otherwise, there's no way to pay from banking app except via PEA eService, as far as I know. Or it's possible to use DD on any long-term visa?

I haven't tried PEA app, can I still use it if the bill is not in my name? Also, is it available in English?

46 minutes ago, Deli said:

Bangrak is pretty ugly, though

Bophut beach nearby has some nice views. It's very small though ???? 

On 6/13/2020 at 4:18 PM, sanuk711 said:

I got 2 cards from BKK Bank......... you open another account especially for the card which gets topped up from your original account end of the month. So if you go to the limit, you have to wait till then. I just have 100K limit. They TXT every time you use it (You don't answer) I found one of the cards very useful it has the Air Asia --link to them so every time you spend you get points or freebies ---I can put my luggage under for free, get coffee / red seats all free, first on plane..etc..etc

Did they ask for work permit to open AirAsia card?

1 hour ago, samsensam said:

 

...and who goes on holiday without the funds to support themselves?

Backpackers do.

"Nattawut revealed that she was a backpacker who was heading to Bangkok and then Surat Thani when she got stranded in the airport."

4 hours ago, Tchooptip said:

I still saw a lot of tourists in Samui I mean at Makro and Tesco Lotus Too I wonder what will happen to those people?

They'll move to a condo or Airbnb.