BWPattaya

No - Smile/The Co-Op bank will of course arrange to send the money over via a third party broker. A very paper driven process initiated by phone and the Co-ops own documentation. These guys were the worst I have ever encountered on exchange rates (which is the principle component of the charges levied), that I have ever seen. They will refuse point blank to carry out a simple sterling SWIFT transfer to your Thai bank which will change GBP to THB for you - There is no margin in such a transfer.

True, cheques will not be around for much longer for day to day use - but in the international arena they still hold weight.

I am coming to the conclusion that this is a good way forward and indeed willingly put myself in the firing line if I am wrong – I learn by my mistakes, but IMO I have seen no counter argument so far.

I simply telephone the coop at the overseas department. I pay 18 pounds to transfer whatever amount I choose, the do it on the computer whilst I am talking to them, it arrives 13 hours later. Transfer is in Sterling, converted into Baht by Kasikorn and get the same, or slightly higher, rate as shown on their exchange boards. When I log in to the Kasikorn website it automatically shows the exchange rate I get. I set that up in personal settings.

I have found that this system has worked perfectly well for over 8 years.

Someone earlier wrote about sending a letter to his UK bank to initiate a transfer. The problems with that are that you have no idea if the letter has arrived, if the transfer has been processed or not, and if your money hasn't arrived in two weeks you have to send another letter which means further delay, and if your letters overlap you might get two lots of cash sent over - with the possibilty that you have gone overdrawns as well. My mate has to write to the NatWest to get money over and he has had many problems with it.

Sheets, towels, linen etc are so cheap I would never consider using used. You don't know what they have been treated like, nor how clean they are. Once you buy them you can take with you to your next place if you move rooms.

Forget the idea of a retirement visa, you clearly do not fit the requirement.

8pm they still do <deleted>?

Obviously you have a problem. Get into the spirit.

You have obviously never had a bucket of ice cold water thrown in your face when riding a motorbike. Extremely dangerous.

Nor have you had a camera of mobile phone ruined because some idiot didn't respect you saying that you didn't want a drenching.

...

Exactly. And sadly it seems to be the dumb*ss falangs that are the worst offenders.

And I'm NOT dumb enough to be riding a motor bike during songkran. And I put all valuables in water tight poaches. So lighten up or maybe you need to go holiday somewhere else this time of year.

That is exactly what most sensible people do, if they can afford it. The ones who can't just stay at home. Not everyone here is on holiday.

8pm they still do <deleted>?

Obviously you have a problem. Get into the spirit.

You have obviously never had a bucket of ice cold water thrown in your face when riding a motorbike. Extremely dangerous.

Nor have you had a camera of mobile phone ruined because some idiot didn't respect you saying that you didn't want a drenching.

At least the Thais tend to acknowledge people who don't want soaking. They will just dab water, in the traditional way, on the face. The falangs "playing" Songkran are the worst. How would they like getting soaked on their way to work.

Some friends of mine came down for the week from Udon Thani because their little girl wanted to see Songkran in Pattaya. On the first night, before it should have started, she was so terrified that they went home next morning.

If I want to get into the spirit, I buy a bottle of Jack Daniels. Then do what other sensible expats do, stay at home.

why ride a motorbike?

It may have escaped your notice but 95% of Thais ride motorbikes. If someone wants to ride a bike that is for them to choose, not for you to dictate what others can do.

Letter from bank. Ask for it (some give it immediately, some make you collect next day) and don't withdraw any cash between asking for the letter and receiving it.

8pm they still do <deleted>?

Obviously you have a problem. Get into the spirit.

You have obviously never had a bucket of ice cold water thrown in your face when riding a motorbike. Extremely dangerous.

Nor have you had a camera of mobile phone ruined because some idiot didn't respect you saying that you didn't want a drenching.

At least the Thais tend to acknowledge people who don't want soaking. They will just dab water, in the traditional way, on the face. The falangs "playing" Songkran are the worst. How would they like getting soaked on their way to work.

Some friends of mine came down for the week from Udon Thani because their little girl wanted to see Songkran in Pattaya. On the first night, before it should have started, she was so terrified that they went home next morning.

If I want to get into the spirit, I buy a bottle of Jack Daniels. Then do what other sensible expats do, stay at home.

If you are doing it from from an account you hold with a UK bank, you could do an electronic transfer, you might get a better rate and I suspect it would be cheaper.

Just a thought.

Thanks for that - This is the problem - in the UK you do not seem able to do this. I understand that you can now fill in a SWIFT form online with Nationwide but although I have an account this would (for me) involve a UK to UK bank transfer then fill in the online form for Nationwide to send the funds to my Thia account. I can't seem to just set up a money transfer or a bill payment to a foreign bank it is prohibited.

However you would think these guys could provide a user interface that fitted in with these concepts and deal with the crap behind the scenes. For a pure sterling transfer I can see the rate my Thai Bank will give me. The only additional information I need to know would be the charge applied by the UK bank for the end to end transfer.

I don't understand. Are you saying that your UK bank won't send money over here? What bank are you with? I use the Cooperative Bank. When I want some money I just call them up, ask them to transfer money to my Thai bank account. I usually phone in the evening (Thai time) and it arrives next morning around 9am (Thai time).

As for using a UK cheque, well seems a good idea to use them and get rid of them as the banks are going to discontinue them. I am told that you can't use a cheque in some UK supermarkets now.

I have seen, on many occasions, secondhand items at almost the same price as new. Just not worth buying secondhand.

I have two drills, one is 32 year old, one is 30 year old. Brought them both from the UK, much better than buying here.

Be aware that the big public bus that goes to Pattaya from the airport (and the transport hub) DOES NOT go into the bus station on Pattaya Nua (North). It goes to a station at Jomtien. So, if you want Pattaya, you need to be ready to get off when it stops on Sukhumvit Highway at Pattaya Nua, Klang (central) or Tai (South). The ticket girl usually calls out the names of the stops. They will wait whilst you get your bags from underneath.

I don't know wihch bus you caught but every time I have got the Pattaya bus it has gone nto North Pattaya bus station.

At the airport go downstairs to the lower level, exit door number 7 or 8. The bus leaves from there. Desk for ticket is just inside.

Be careful when you go outside, the bus on the left also goes to Pattaya but is the one that goes elsewhere, the one on the right goes to the bus station.

Puncture repair aerosols are available. They inject a rubber type solution then inflate the tyre. As soon as you have done it drive away to spread the solution evenly. Not too fast though. If it is a tyre with a tube keep your fingers crossed. Tubes usually have too much damage. Works better on tubeless tyres.

A very old fashioned emergency repair is packing the tyre with grass. Long time since I tried that. It will get you going though.

If you are using XP just click

Start

search

for files and folders

pictures music or video

pictures and photos

Don't write anything in the file name box, just click search. It will find every relevant file on your computer.

If you can remember when the pictures were put on your computer you can use advacned search and enter relevant dates, if you're not sure ignore advanced search.

When I opened my Kasikorn account before I lived here it was really easy and straightforward. Setting up internet banking was also easy and Kasikorn have some nice security features when doing online transfers/payments.

A couple of years ago I sold a house. The buyers had the money in SCB, Siam Commercial Bank. We went to their branch and the staff were concerned that I would be carrying quite a bit of cash to my Kasikorn Bank. Their solution was to open an account for me. I explained that I neither had my passport with me, nor a letter from immigration showing my address. So, they copied my Thai driving licence and gave me an account instantly.

I have been very happy with Kasikorn and the service. I am equally satisfied with SCB. Both knock spots off UK banks.

Hope that helps.

Leave it alone. It has done so little mileage that one has to wonder why. If the mileage is genuine there may be issues with corrosion. If it has been clocked because it has high mileage, leave it alone.

How much is a new one? 35,000 Bt for a 3 year old bike seems high.

People are preoccupied with the conflict between reds and yellows. There are so many threads relating to that same topic that everything else gets stuffed on a back burner.There are other things I could say but not allowed to.

Such as??????

BANGKOK (AFP) -- "People started running and screaming. We were being shot at," says 19-year-old Briton Sarah Colvin, one of the many foreign tourists caught up in the political violence sweeping Bangkok.

"It shook us up a lot. We needed valium to sleep," she says, surveying the aftermath of Saturday's bloody battles just by Khaosan Road, Bangkok's iconic backpacker strip. "A lot of people we've spoken to are getting out of here."

You needed Valium (Diazepam) to sleep? Where did you get that then? It is illegal for pharmacies to sell it. What on earth were you doing in Bangkok when so many countries are advising against travel to Red areas?

"There were bullets coming all over us. Bombs as well, petrol bombs within about 10 feet of us," said factory worker Tony Doohan from Ireland, standing by debris and pools of blood covered with Thai flags and red roses.

Bullets all around? Bombs? Petrol bombs less than 10 feet away? You must have kissed the blarney stone with your luck.

43 countries issuing travel warnings and tourists still go to Bangkok? Some people think they are invincible. "It won't happen to me!" then are surprised when they get caught up in the troubles (there's an Irish term for yer man with the petrol bombs.)

Seriously though, (as if the above isn't serious enough!) it is a shame it has come to this, Thai fighting Thai solely to help a criminal who cares nothing for them, just wants to grab power and more money.

The real TEMPORARY solution is for Abhisit to resign. I know it might not help long term, but he is the epicenter of violence now. We need to stop the blood flow now, we need to do something practical.

Abhisit, you must resign.

Giving in to blackmail, extortion, threats and demands never works. It only encourages the criminals to push for more, and increase the level of the threats they will utter, to get what they want.

I think Abhisit has played this very well, he has given the red shirts enough rope to hang themselves. They have shown themselves to be no more than thugs, paid to support a criminal who is on the run. Their leader has blood on his hands from deaths in the war against drugs, the Tak Bai massacre etc. What does he want? Why destroy Thailand? For greed? For power?

The sooner he is gone for good the better. Thailand can get on with the process of healing the rifts created by this megalomaniac.

Toys R Us

I went in once to buy a present for a neighbour's child. Took one look at the prices and left. Cheaper to buy next time I go to England and carry it back.

Is your Nokia a Tri-band one. The US uses a different band to Thailand. Dual band phones work in many countries but the US is the odd one out.

What model have you got? Do you have the instruction manual? If you do then it should say if it is tri-band and will work in the US. If it doesn't look it up on Nokia's website.

Foodland now carries Snapple Lemonade.

Thanks for that bit of information. Real lemonade is far superior to 7-Up which is way too sweet. Sometimes a nice cold shandy would go down well in the afternoon.

If you are going to spend 30 - 40 K on a bike, get a NEW one... My girlfriends bike was only 32 for a new Honda.

That was my first thought too! If you are willing to spend 40,000 Bt then you would be better off with a new one. No damage and a full warranty.

Are you using Firefox? If so, there are a lot of add-ons available which let you download all kind of stuff, including videos from youtube.

Take a look at here or here

Real Player also lets you download from You Tube.

Using Firefox? Download the Ant video downloader add-on.

You have been a member of this forum for nearly 4 years, have made over 700 posts, and yet you are gullible enough to work for someone illegally, without a written contract?

What did you expect the police to do? You were lucky not to be reported to the relevant authority. Perhaps the red shirts were keeping the police busy so they didn't bother with you.

So, just walk away from this, count your blessings that you haven't got a bigger problem........

First: buy a calculator!

What would such a business cost to set up? Factory, proper equipment (I don't just mean the items for making cheese, I mean the food grade tables, refrigerators, etc.) food production licences from the FDA, work permit, how many Thai staff could you manage with as a minimum (got to meet work permit requirements).

Now, add the costs of raw materials, distribution and delivery costs, advertising. What type of clients are you looking for? Basically it will be the foreign population. Thais are like the Chinese when it comes to cheese. They eat some very smelly food but they won't touch the secretions of an animal that has been allowed to ferment, i.e. cheese.

Having written all of that, I love all types of cheese but rarely buy it myself, just too exopensive for what it is. That is another problem for you. To make it a viable business proposition you will have to charge more than people will pay.

Good luck.