henrik2000

I had said that above, but the real name is actually "Ban Morlam". It used to be behind Rompho Market in Jomtien, roughly next to "S Club Pattaya" which is on G Maps, but "Ban Morlam" is not. But it was there on the ground in 2016.

Thanks, that's a great hint! It's not the one i was after initially, but i will certainly visit the place soon and hadn't been aware of it at all.

5 years ago there was a Thai live music pub at the very northern end of Pattaya Walking Street. Location back then: Coming from Beach Road, you enter Walking Street, and the Thai live music pub was almost immediately to your right (the side closer to the water). It used to be on Google Maps, and now it's not. The location would have been about where Google Maps now shows The Old Weed Man (no affiliation) (Old Weed Man on Google Maps, to show the circa location of that music pub). That Thai live music pub could have been overlooked, because it had a long dark entryway. It played mostly luukthung/morlam and wasn't what you expect on Walking Street. Do you know if that pub Is still there Moved Vanished completely? -- Otherwise, Thai live music (luukthung/morlam, pleua chiwit) seems to be increasingly thin on the ground in Patts? Jomtien used to have "Baan Isaan", but seems to have disappeared from Google Maps too. Kum Pun (soi 2) closed years ago. There was also "Chem Isaan", quite open-air with rattled bamboo furniture, and quite lame, somewhere "inland" maybe north of 2nd road. The discoes have some live music, but not my style. I am not looking for western rock-oldie-covers. (I know all the Tawan Daengs etc. in Bkk, Isaan etc.) For any suggestions for Thai live music in Patts, I hear you. Thanks!

Thanks, great hint.

Thanks, good idea. Anyway i'd prefer a therapist who has previous experience.

Well anybody then would say "Sure khaa", wouldn't they? Even if unexperienced. (If I don't smell too terrible.) Anyway thanks for the map!

So, nobody knows a thing?

Hello, do you know of a massage place in Jomtien (preferred), Pattaya or Bangkok where the therapist walks on your back (thighs, bum, shoulders)? This may be one individual therapist's special skill regularly done by all therapists in one establishment, with high handrails installed I believe this is more usual in Vietnam, but I won't be there. But if you happen to know other places in Thailand or Laos, I'd be interested too. Also in how you felt afterwards. Thanks! PS Another thing i like is a heated dry towel over my eyes when lying on my back. It seems rare in Thailand.

Thanks Encid, i had tried these vendors before. As mentioned above, I think they are ok when you don't have much music already and any music is wanted. In my experience, they - tell wrong information to make a sale - don't know anything about the CDs Anyway it's important that they have a marker pen to write artitsts' names in English onto the CD covers, which usually only show Thai script, at least for luukthung.

Hi all, thanks for recommending GT Rider and links. Indeed i just ordered their "Golden Triangle" map (described here). But for my travel planning that map is even too detailed and maybe too motorcycle-specific (for hi-res details i can also zoom into Open Street Maps (or into Google Maps, if i need a McDonalds)). Anyway it's good that they look closely at road conditions - in the PH there were smooth roads on GPS that weren't passable at all irl. As for GT Rider being too detailed: it seems GT rider have no map that includes Nan and Phrae. They only cover the exciting motorbiking destinations further north, that is "Golden Triangle", and then some places further west, near Chiang Mai. Of course as a motorcyclist or maybe any motorist out for that area, you're lucky to get such a detailed map, but still i'd like Nan and Phrae and maybe Phitsanoluk covered together with Phayao and the northernmost border areas. Anyway good hint, and the GT Rider map for "Golden Triangle" is on its way to me.

Hello, do you recommend a *regional* paper map especially for Northern Thailand? For motoring and bicycling I would like to have a good paper map of Northern Thailand (North Isaan can be there too). Of course on the ground I will also use GPS, Google Maps, Open Street Maps etc. on the phone. But for planning + overview I like a paper map that I can fold out. I am mainly interested in the Eastern part of Northern Thailand, i.e. Nan, Phayao, Phrae to the Lao border. So far I don't plan to pass Chiang Rai town, Chiang Mai, Pai… (been there). Even if you think "no need paper map for what" - I want it, even if not fully uptodate. So far in the west I see only all-Thailand maps with scales like 1:1.200.000 (World Mapping Project) or 1:900.000 (Freytag). Some of these maps may be blown up from 1:1.500.000 or even 1:2.000.000. Things are very very small in these scales. Is there any regional map you recommend? I remember 15 years ago I had regional road maps, but they were bad (like a spaghetti bowl) and smaller places were noted in Thai script only) (which I cannot read). So I DON'T need a spiral-bound page-by-page road-atlas (for that I use GPS). But I need a large fold-out map with everything immediately in view. Or is there nothing you can think of? If you CAN recommend such a map, where would I get it best? - In the west? - In Bangkok or Pattaya? - in Nan? Before arriving in Nan town (first destination up north) I will be for a few days in Bangkok and Jomtien. Thanks for all ideas! PS. Aware that with my destinations I could/should post straight to the Chiang Rai forum, but regarding maps I thought I get more feedback in the much more busy Chiang Mai forum, and the maps would be the same. But I won't be in Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai to buy a map there.

Marcus, thanks for a lot of good advice!

Opensignal may have a larger data base (or not). As far as i can see, they don't show coverage maps on their website, only (perhaps) in their app. Anyway the website has lots of rankings for mobile providers' competition in TH, with a bit of regional differentiation: https://www.opensignal.com/reports/2022/05/thailand/mobile-network-experience

Thanks for that. It inspired me to check nperf website (below) for the north AND the north of north-east TH that claims to display mobile coverage (don't know if legit). Below is mobile coverage per provider and a comparison. Source Nperf: https://www.nperf.com/en/map/TH/-/1885.dtac/signal/?ll=17.465952690145564&lg=99.77783203125&zoom=7

Thanks, i will ASK staff to give me 3 months right away.

Thanks Khun B. To all, would you say AIS is just as easily as DTAC usable FOR A NEWBIE who cant read Thai? Years ago i had troubles getting my way around possibilites with AIS, while i found DTAC comfortable. Does everything go as expected with AIS?

Take a test picture in good daylight with the sun rather from behind (not glaring into the lens) steadying the phone by squeezing it against a lamp post, onto a wall etc. If that pic comes out blurred, something may be broken. Otherwise, as has been suggested, reset the camera settings.

Woodworker, thanks.

Hello, what is the best PRE-PAID SIM card for tourists for North-EAST Thailand? (I mean Nan, Phayao, Phrae, Uttaradit; not Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai; not Isarn.) I need the SIM card 59-89 days (aware of visa requirements). I will be 2 weeks in Bkk and Jomtien, then 4-8 weeks in Nan etc. I need mainly some domestic calls and lots of mobile data. NOT many international calls, no gaming, no streaming, no outrageous downloads. Expect to have wifi in accommodations. In remote areas, I might feed internet from phone to laptop for internet searches if no wifi is available. I'd love easy top-ups without scratch-cards or typing endless numbers into the message app (maybe at 7-11 just telling them my phone number). I'd also love easy operation, esp easy checking on remaining credit and easy voice mails with rational English menu. I'd appreciate logging into Wifi hotspots they might offer. On previous trips to Thailand I often had DTAC. I thought it was easier to handle for foreigners (more service messages in English, and more more easy to understand, etc.) than AIS. Anything other than DTAC would scare me, but I'll listen to your reasoning. (Also in Bangladesh DTAC was a very good option.) I will get the Thai SIM card in the arrival hall of Suvarnabhumi airport, if not totally overcrowded, otherwise in a phone company's brand store in Pattaya. Or would you recommend another place to buy the the SIM card? I will ask staff to change all my phone settings as required, and will get a lot of credit ("top-up"). If there is any useful way to purchase it already from the west, you could tell me. I guess that after 29 days I need to buy some more credit ("top-up") to keep the SIM card active. I don't need the cheapest, but also not the superfastest. Mainly it should be very reliable and smooth. I might return as a tourist to TH 1 year later, but who knows. I won't pay to keep the SIM card active for a year. If you are an expat in Thailand and have a POST-PAID SIM card (monthly billing), it might get a better signal than a PRE-PAID SIM card from the very same company. At least that's what Thai people told me. And sometimes Thai people (with POST-PAID) had a signal somewhere where I had not (with a PRE-PAID SIM card from the same company). Thanks for your advice!

Thanks Chalawaan, good advice!

Hello, for my upcoming Thai vacation which bottles should I get for the accommodation (not in the bar). Could you recommend local Thai dark rum (not white rum) – relatively not sweet, but with character and flavours local Thai whiskey – not smokey, not firy, rather smooth but with character and flavours shops to get them: first choice Jomtien, 2nd Pattaya, 3rd Bkk Sukhumvit/Asok or even online from within TH (aware Google Maps points out liquor stores)? 0,7 liters of rum/whiskey are enough, and I will consume the drinks inside Thailand, no plan to bring out. 1000 THB are ok for a good local 0,7l bottle. I want to sip those drinks pure, slowly, at room temperature without ice, not in mixed drinks About rums: Again, not a "sweet cloud", some internat. rums i like include Copalli Barrel Rested, HSE Black Sheriff Rhum Vieux Agricole, Dictador 20 anos Solera Colombian ????, Don Pancho Origines Reserva 8 years, Havana Club Anejo 7 years. The famous Brugal is way too sweet for me, also some other Havana Clubs. Some Thai rums I saw online: Phraya Deep Matured Gold Rum – "the rum smells like Coconut, Vanilla and Woody, and on the palate there is Caramel, Vanilla and Fruity"; 7-12 yo – bad reviews here – here good Forbes.com review Phraya Elements Rum – (Malays. shop site) Sangsom Special Rum – from rice? "not recomm. to drink pure" Mekhong – "with traces of rice" Cane Island Thailand 5 years (from Pathum Thani province) (in web shop) About whiskey: not smokey, not firey, rather smooth but with character and flavours. Could pay THB 1000 for a good local bottle. Some internat. whiskeys i enjoy in the west include Auchentoshan 12yo, Kilkerran Glengyle 12yo, Highland Park 12yo. Not looking for Jack Daniels, Johnny Walker etc. Your recommendations for liquors + sources? Thanks! PS. If you happened to know that a certain Thai shop stocks one of the internat. brands mentioned above, it'd be nice to know also. If there is a chance to taste the Thai liquors in stores or bars or to buy tiny tasting bottles, that'd be interesting as well.

Hello, soon on my Thai vacation I would like to buy a lot of music ???????? by Thai artists. What I finally need are MP3 music files locally stored in my personal laptop, hopefully with 196+ kBit. The laptop will be with me in Thailand (incl. ext. hard disk, Cloud storage and ext. DVD player). I was last in Thailand late 2015 (when "Labanoon" and "Sai Vassi Baw Tim Kann" were smash hits; YouTube at your own risk, toramaan maak-maak). I bought lots of "pleng Thai" (Thai music). Of my preferred recording artists, I'd like to get the albums from 2016 till today. I'm interested in general Thai artists like Carabao, Thongchai, Tai Orathai and many others, but also some morlam singers in Isaan-Lao language like Jintara or Siriporn. I can write them all into a list (in Roman script). Very best solution: Download and save legal MP3 in high quality straight onto my laptop hard-disk (not streaming) Second best solution: Buy safe MP3 CDs Third best solution: buy original Audio-CDs from online stores in Thailand (I'd convert them into MP3s in Thailand, then give away the discs) Not desired: buy original Audio-CDs in brick+mortar stores (see below) Only emergency: download torrents (don't know the offerings, quality, availability) NOT wanted: Spotify etc., Youtube audio downloads Buying original CDs in store or online: I already bought many original CDs in Thai stores. There are severe disadvantages: In some place I was systematically lied at, when the CD covers contained Thai script only. I do speak a bit of Thai ("ao CD pleng Thai khrap!"), but can't read. Anyway the shop won't store all I need. And you still have to manually convert the original Audio CDs into MP3, which is a drag and requires an external DVD drive. So best solution: Buy legal MP3s by download to my laptop hard disk (not streaming). Second best solution: Buy CDs online, preferrably full of MP3s, not Audio-CD-format. Practicalities: Is there a website that would deliver Thai music files or Thai audio CDs to me in the west? I can't read Thai though. I will be in Thailand soon for several weeks on end and will spend 5-7 consecutive days in various locations, including far from the tourist track where Thais are very supportive (and happy about interest in their culture and might help with ordering). I know the postal addresses of my pre-booked places, but still haven't made a personal connection. I will have an international visa card from the west (that requires 3DS security on the store-end) and a Thai SIM card, but not a Thai-specific visa card. So, how to best get Thai music MP3s for my hard-disk? Thanks ????????!

Hello, I will be based in Nan, N-Thailand (because I want to). There are the car-renters Hertz and Avis, plus several local car-renters. For car-rental world-wide, I have my preferred European agencies (with best prices and very transparent insurances in my native language, good experiences so far); but they don't offer cars from those companies in Nan (while they do offer other upcountry smalltown). So where should I book or rent: online straight with Hertz or Avis? online with some agency like rentalcars.com? You recommend a another/better online agency? go to small local renters and shop around? What I want: I need good worry-free insurance. I'd love reliable assistance in case of puncture etc. I want a small car like Toyota Yaris or even smaller. No off-roading at all. 3 – 6 weeks. A deductible is ok if it brings down the daily price. Hertz in Nan offer a small car i'd like, and not only a uselessly big ship. Avis says, "sold out". Herz also offers one-way rentals without mark-up – good. They say I could/should buy additional insurance locally. What does that mean? Or would you recommend using a small local renter? (Link to Google Map Search for Nan car-renters) I had local renters already a few times in Nakhon Si Th. and Chiang Mai. Good experience, but I was a more worriless guy back then. I speak basic Thai, but I couldn't say "loose rear mirror" or "broken indicator front left" in Thai. Renting from small local car-renter - pros In my experience, return day is very flexible; return about anytime and pay the exact days of actual use (I dislike the totally unflexible timing with the big companies) Can take a look at the car, maybe get "insider information" about vehicle, perhaps arrange extras etc. Renting from small local car-renter - cons Don't understand all insurance and procedures Not sure about quick emergency assistance on a remote mountain road Maybe I have not enough Thai language (it's ok for small talk and tourist things) Not sure if cars are availaible when I arrive 4 days before car needed; not totally sure if car will be kept for me as promised Some seem to operate through Facebook only, which I loathe So what do you think? Thanks!

Hi all, thanks for all suggestions! Now i did some price comparisons on Google Flights and Skyscanner for 1 specific day. Invariably, Air Asia is cheapest - Vietjet, Skoot and Nok always more expensive (at least when looking at those comparison sites). Surprised that Chiang Mai and Hat Yai have no cheap hops across the borders. The cheapest thing seemed to be Bkk - Phnom Penh with Air Asia for 30 Euro (about 1100 THB, not yet tried to actually book). If interested, here's my research priced in Euro (1:36): Flights acc. to Google Flights: Phuket – KUL Air Asia 39 Euro Phuket – Sing Air Asia 33 (54 on Skyscanner) Hat Yai – south (nothing cheap) Chiang Mai (nothing cheap) Bkk – Sing Air Asia 44 Bkk – HKG Air Asia 80 Bkk – PNH Air Asia 30 (32 on Skyscanner) Bkk – HCMC Air Asia 39 Bkk – Vientiane Air Asia 41 Well i'm a pauper.

Hello, How can I find the cheapest one-way ticket out of Thailand for January 2023? Are there certain routes, dates, weekdays, keywords or airlines to search for? Any other tricks? (Will make sure to book without any luggage.) Backgrounds: I'm having trouble finding the cheapest outbound one-way flight. Air Asia's site partly doesn't even react to my queries. Are there other cheapo companies than Air Asia (only aware of Nok)? To apply online at the Thai embassy for a 60-days-tourist-visa, I need to upload an exit flight ticket (i already have a one-way inbound ticket). So I want to buy online the cheapest outbound ticket available and will not use it, because my real exit ticket I will only buy later within Thailand. Note: I do not want to buy any "fake", "tricky" exit ticket (no "borrowed" outbound tickets for 12 Euro or somesuch). Thanks for all useful tips!