henrik2000
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Everything posted by henrik2000
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Hi all, thanks for more advice. Now I actually ordered an ultrasonic dog repeller for around 450 THB, so it's not one of the cheaper things for 150 or 200. I even got a "flashlight holder" which should fix the dog repeller to the bicycle's handlebar. I hope in a few days I can report whether it's any good or not. I don't want to fumble with a stick while cycling. Also splashing the beasts with something from bottle (acid?) might be too challenging for me and I might kill myself along the way.
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Thanks. But have you actually tried the ultrasound? (As mentioned, I certainly don't want to create another audible racket, besides the barking, that will unnerve people even more.)
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Hello, cycling the countryside, dogs bite me and tear stuff off my rack (no joke). Plus their mean barking and bullying demeanor unnerves me. Did you try ultrasonic "dog dazers" or "dog repellents"? They are on Lazada/Shopee from 160 THB, but I happily pay 300+ for a solid efficient model. Ideally I could fix it to the handlebar and charge by USB. Any specific model you recommend/discourage? I understand these ultrasonic devices almost can't be heard by humans. That's what I like. I do NOT need a "dog horn" that feels noisy for dogs and humans alike. Any real-life experience would be great. Thanks!
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Hi all, thanks for input and for recommending payment via app store. One reason i had been wary of the app - it might be spying and blasting notifications (aware they can be turned off). Whatever, you convinced me to use the app (at least for payment anyway).
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ThaiFriendly.com has a paid Premium tier. In the past, you could pay by credit card directly on the website, but that no longer works. Now they say you should pay either with Bitcoin or via the mobile app. On their website (https://www.thaifriendly.com/upgrade.php) they write: "We no longer accept credit cards directly on the website - please download our app to pay with your card. Payments in app upgrade your profile on desktop too." I want to upgrade to Premium for 3 months only — just pay once and cancel immediately afterward. I actually don’t want to use the ThaiFriendly app at all. I also don’t have Bitcoin. Until now, I’ve always used ThaiFriendly in the browser, even on my phone. Is it concerning that payment now has to be done through the app? (I’m on Android.) Does the TF app have a bad reputation? Can I delete the ThaiFriendly app right after paying for the 3-month upgrade and canceling immediately? After that, I’d like to continue using ThaiFriendly only in the browser, both on PC and on my phone. I could handle the immediate cancellation while I still have the app installed. I’ve heard the argument that paying via the app + app store is actually safer than paying directly on the TF website, and that subscription cancellation in the app store is straightforward. I don’t need a general assessment of ThaiFriendly.com, Thailand, Thai people, the TF app features and actual usefulness, or apps in general. Thanks for any well-informed advice!
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Sorry, do you know if western credit cards, Google Pay or PayPal in the phone can be used to pay AIS online to get new credit on the phone?
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TopGun and MSBkk - thanks for excellent suggestions! I will certainly follow them to get online quick for a start.
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Thanks Superal. All evidence shows it's more difficult than that for a tourist who wants to pay at market stalls, not just 7-11.
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Hello, question: I am in Europe now, going back to Thailand on Nov 19. From my last trip, I already have an active prepaid AIS SIM card with 400 THB credit on it, but no valid data package. (Last time in TH, I paid money to keep the SIM card active for 1 year.) How to get a new 3 months data package for my prepaid Thai SIM card at BKK airport smoothly? 10 Mbit speed are enough. I prefer to get 3 months validity immediately. Can you recommend a procedure and a package? Last time I TH, before flying back to the west, I paid money to AIS to keep the SIM card active for 1 year. Also i have the AIS app on the phone. I did not register on the AIS website. On the SIM card there is still 400 THB credit for talk time, but there is no data package any more. I need a data package to use internet in the phone. On the phone, I have Google Pay, 2 western credit cards and PayPal. If I buy a package now in Europe already, I guess it will be valid immediately, which would be useless. To buy a package *smooth + quickly* after arrival at Suvarnabhumi airport and after inserting the AIS SIM card, I see these options: Better? At BKK airport, use airport wifi, open my AIS app and search for a data package. I hope to pay with Google Pay, western credit card or PayPal – possible? My existing credit on the SIM card is 400 THB, which I need for talk time. At BKK airport, go to an AIS stall and buy a data package right at the airport. But I know my car will be waiting already to go on a long road trip. Also I have extra sports luggage (bulky/must be watched). Also sometimes there are queues at the phone shops at the airport. Also sometimes these airport stalls are not well informed. And maybe I can get the data package while I am still in Europe? I do have the AIS app in my phone, but currently I use the phone with a European SIM card. But I guess it makes no sense to buy in Europe, as the validity begins immedeately after activation. Sorry, I am inexperienced. To get a data package that costs more than my existing 400 THB credit, is it a 2-step-process like 1. top up credit 2. select data package? Or do I buy the data package in one swoop, even if the existing credit of 400 THB is not enough? I do NOT need superfast internet. 10 MBit would be enough. (Last time i had 6 Mbit, it was ok for me over 2 months, no problem. I am happy to save money.) Data volume should be unlimited, which is normally the case. Importantly, I'd prefer a data package valid for 3 months! If possible, I don't want to buy a new data package every month. So how to get a 3 months data package smoothly for my prepaid Thai SIM card? Thanks for your real-life-experiences!
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Well, i have to. I'm resigned to. PromptPay on markets etc. WOULD be nice i know very well, but it seems out of reach for a simple tourist. (I don't need it for 7-11.) Thanks all for more input!
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Going back soon, i want to ask you what is new since January 2025 in Jomtien (preferred) Pattaya, Na Jomtien, Sattahip, Bang Saré I believe to know most stuff within my interests that's been there BEFORE January 2025. Interested in New Places for: FOOD: good casual dining Thai, Viet, South Indian, Italian, good pizza, Middle-East, street food LIVE MUSIC: Thai-oriented live music (luuk thung, morlam, Carabao-style songs for life, jazz, blues - not rock, not beer bar bands, not disco (I do know the old Thai music haunts Khon La Fun, Sin Lapin Isaan; I still miss ZAC and Kum Punn) (I speak enough Thai to get along) CAFÉ: interesting atmospheric coffee shops, esp with good pastries (not crazy sweet) OUTDOOR: shops, individual activities, not tours, not maritime REMARKABLE otherwise and new Not Looking for: fine dining, show-offy, western fast food, standard western like steak burger red light venues crowded, over-run Thanks for your insights!
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Hi all. Thanks for discussing in detail including screenshots! Sorry, but i lost track - now as a tourist without Thai bank account, could i use the TrueMoney app for payment at small market stalls (not just 7-11 and other biggies)? Of course i could just try it without too much risk i guess. Still there might be a risk of going down a tech rabbit hole, trying and trying stuff endlessly that seems to be promised but isn't actually available. I'd like to avoid that. Thanks. After some research, i won't try it.
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Gaccha and scuba, thanks for input!
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Hello, I would like to have PromptPay/"Pay by scan" in the phone, if easy and serious. I will be touristing in small town Thailand (not Bangkok, Phuket etc.) for 3 months. I will have a Thai SIM card. But I do not have a Thai bank account, I do not have crypto, and I do not have a registered Thai home or longstay permit – I'm a tourist. I don't want to get a Thai bank account. (I KNOW SOME PEOPLE DON'T NEED/LIKE PromptPay/"Pay by scan", yet I would like it; I also have cash and credit card.) In the last years, it had been difficult or impossible to get usable PromptPay as a tourist without a Thai bank account. I researched some ways how a tourist could use PromptPay/"Pay by scan". PromptPay Merchant Accounts vs PromptPay Personal Accounts: Notably, on the vendors' side there seem to be PromptPay Merchant accounts – only used by 7-11, Lotus and other chain-stores - not interesting for me PromptPay Personal accounts – used by all the market stalls, taxi drivers etc – and that's where I want to pay upcountry. But I hear that some small PromptPay-shops won't accept PromptPay-payments from tourists because the tourists' PromptPay only works with "Merchant accounts", i.e. with big chain stores. I wanted to ask your experiences on the ground with the 3 following prepaid services (no bank-account needed), and maybe other serious, well-established services (not weird ones), if you know them. Here are my vague assumptions (not fact-checked on the ground): 1) TAGTHAi Easy Pay App with KASIKORNBANK, Kbank – best solution? REQUIRES: TagThai App; Pay&Tour Prepaid Card from Kasikorn Bank TOP-UP: any Kasikorn Bank, any Kasikorn Foreign Exchange booth – can that be true? User reports say that most Kasikorn Banks won't top it up. In November 2024, Kasikorn Staff at Suvarnabhumi Airport successfully talked me out of applying with so many words because it would be too complicated (even for a 1-time deposit of say 8000 THB, and in Nov 2024 they said, I could ONLY top-up my credit there at BKK airport and nowhere else in the Kingdom) PERSONAL ACCOUNTS: Some say TagThai App/Kasikorn only works with vendors having a "Merchant account" (i.e. 7-11, Lotus; see above), but not with vendors using a "Personal account" (i.e. market stalls, taxi drivers; but I would like to pay mostly market stalls and such) 2) TrueMoney Wallet: BAD: usable only with 7-11, Lotus's; NOT usable with small market vendors (because it's only for Merchant QR Code, not Personal QR Codes; thus it wouldn't be interesting for me) GOOD: register just with passport and Thai mobile number; top-up in 7-11 and other TrueMoney partners (where to register?) 3) DeepPocket App (Lotus, Bangkok Bank) Run by T2P Company Limited, supervised by Bank of Thailand (BoT). Claims to allow PromptPay use all over Thailand. BAD: bad user reports. Tourist fee 399 THB/30 days (no fee for longstaying expats) GOOD: supposedly accepts Merchant QR Codes (in big stores) and Personal QR Codes (market stalls). Top-up at Lotus's, Big C. (Topping up at Bangkok Bank more complicated/expensive.) - Those are my vague research results – not verified! What are your real experiences? Thanks!
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Thanks, those links look good!
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Hi all, thanks for those details about Decathlon - it seems those articles online at Decathlon are all flat like a bed, none offers an upright back rest - but that would be important for me. Well, one could just try and hope they have something anyway or go to another place.
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When you mentioned Decathlon, i thought, yes, i should look there - certainly good selection and price. But online at least, Decathlon Pattaya only have 17 different chairs like you mention - but not one full recliner/lounger/sunbed, as far as i can see after some rummaging. I even had the AI search Decathlon for me, reporting back that Decathlon in Europe would sell recliners, but Decathlon in Thailand maybe not. Anyway, as mentioned here, there are other shops to try.
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Hi all, thanks for some good ideas! ((I will strictly lounge upcountry, far from any bankable beach or tourist strip.))
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Rather agree with you - from 200 per hour to 900 per hour it was never really special - but could be nice enough though. The 900 per hour place gave me a cold with its aircon. I also had masseuses blabbering all over (at least when you're open for initial chat, and how can you not be). At one place the masseuse was exchanged while i lay on my tummy - i noticed the new one only 15 minutes later after her taking over. More than once masseuses phoned with 1 hand and massaged me with the other hand; one time i heard a masseuse speak into the phone in Thai, "sorry, can't massage you at 4.30, still got to work on this farang here". Also they shout over to their colleagues in other booths or even in the reception area. Still, a Thai massage in my corner of the west costs 500% more than in Thailand; i never tried if it's actually that much better.
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Hi, where could i buy 1 semi-decent sunbed / deckchair in Jomtien (preferred) or Pattaya? What's the cost? Please see my preferred type below. I could order from Lazada or Shopee as well, but I prefer to see and touch the actual thing in the shop first. Notes: Sunbed is for 2 months of touring Thailand in dry season with rental car. I stay at small lodges with terrace/garden, but rarely with comfy garden furniture. Sunbed will mostly be used after dark, not in day heat. I NEED: backrest almost upright, "breathing" mesh fabric (see pics below; not solid cotton or so), easy to fold, easy to carry NO NEED: covering cushions (headrest welcome), arm rest, shading "roof", hi-end, luxury, extra wide/high, high price After 2 months, it will be given/thrown away. Thanks for your suggestions! (Link to sunbed roughly as wanted (mesh, foldable, rather upright backrest) on Amazon: https://a.co/d/idEDZz3)
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Hi all, thanks for your advice!
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Hi, planning 3 months of touring Thailand (change of place about every 7 days) with an EU-passport. Planned procedure: Arrival at Bkk airport without visa, get a visa excemption for 60 days extend for 30 days at upcountry immigration for 1900 THB Doable? (90-days tourist visa (O-A?) not wanted. No need to discuss.) My small problems: 1) first accommodation is private, not a hotel booking 2) I have no onward ticket 1) First Hotel Booking My first stay in-country is a private place - so no official booking -, the second stay is arranged by Line messenger with small lodge. After that many hotels etc via Booking.com etc. Is this sequence ok: book a bogus hotel (for how many days?) fill out TDAC 3 days prior to arrival cancel hotel booking 2 days prior to arrival Question: Will the immigration officer at Bkk airport not notice that my hotel booking is no longer active? I will enter Thailand in the morning (if no terrible delays). If I find a hotel booking with same-day cancellation till 18.oo pm, I could cancel after Bkk airport immigration. 2) Onward Ticket I will book my actual outbound flight only shortly before leaving Thailand. So I do need a bogus outbound ticket, that I can use for TDAC, inbound airline-check-in, Bkk immigration? I understand that often neither inbound airline-check-in nor immigration at Bkk airport check the outbound ticket. But I guess I need the outbound ticket for TDAC (digital arrival card). And I enjoy being on the super-safe side. Should I book the bogus outbound flight for about the 50th day of my stay (while planning to get extension to stay a total of 90 days)? For the outbound ticket, I will not use special services like onwardticket.com. Instead I want to buy a real cheap ticket like Bkk-PNH w/ Air Asia. Those are 1000 THB or so (if no luggage, no legs) and not refundable. Or do you recommend a *refundable* outbound ticket that doesn't cost 8000+ THB? I could cancel it after entering Thailand and get money back. Where to look? 3) When to Fill-Out TDAC There are confusing infos about when to fill out TDAC: No less than 4 days before arrival? No more than 3 days before arrival? Thanks for all your experiences!
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Lazy Day Trips out of Uttaradit town and out of Ban Hat Ngio, Uttaradit Province, in December 2023. Pics looked crisp before upload.
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Correct. Not a deadly one.
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Lazy bicycle day trips out of Ta Phan Hin, Phichit Province, in December 2023. Pics looked crisp before upload.
