ELLHNAS

The Postmaster just told me that, according to the new regulations received today, if you are a "known person" at the post office you can still ship parcels to the USA. You will need to affix a commercial invoice to the exterior of the package and provide telephone numbers for the shipper and recipient.

He also said he has had a bunch of parcels returned in the last couple days and had to issue refunds to the shippers. He wasn't happy at all. This may well happen to those of you that were allowed to ship today.

Thanks for the info. The most frustrating thing besides the restriction itself is that many employees in the post offices are ill informed and give conflicting information. I got my wife to call several post offices including the number of the central post office service 1545 and they all seem to give different answers

Your postmaster seems to be more knowledgeable. Did he tell you when that newest regulation will be lifted?Also does the regulation apply to the same previous 32 (?) countries as before? I am assuming that shipping to Canada/Australia/Europe is normal (?)

I tried posting something today, and was told the ban was now in place again. This time, mail to the USA will be banned for 2 months?

This was also my experience this morning. I tried 2 different post offices, the first one refused and the second one accepted but probably because the second post office was not updated yet as this regulation took effect this morning I believe. Quite frustrating all this

Also as the previous poster said it seems to be in place for a much longer time than the previous one. I was told till February 8 or something like that. At this point I am seriously considering to open a business account with the Thai post office as I heard that in this case it is still possible to mail parcels over 453gr. Does anyone know more about this and what are the requirements to open a business account? Any help very welcome

Update , and looking for any suggestions (constructive ones) Wed the 24th we were told we could not send airmail over 453 grams to the US, but SAL was fine. Friday we were told we could not send SAL either. Nothing but surface (read 3 months) and to expect our previously sent SAL's to be returned from Bangkok. Does anyone have a solution outside of paying 4x the price with FEDEX or UPS?

maybe one solution is to wait till the 8th of December when supposedly this regulation will be lifted...this is the date I saw on the official paper and confirmed by the employee although no one knows for sure

anyone has any updates on the 8th of December situation?

Geia soy Kosta,

I am from Greece but live permanently in Thailand for the last 7 years. My residence is in BKK but will be in Khon Kaen area for a few days next week to escape the madness of Songkran in the capital. If you are interested to meet please send me a pm. We could possibly chat on the phone first.

Ta leme

I need the help of the experts. I am on the final stages of buying the Toyota Vigo and I am trying to gather all the facts.

There are two models I am looking at...both 4-door and 2WD manual:

1) 3.0E Prerunner D4D for 749000B

2) 2.5G D4D for 679000

The options in those two cars are pretty similar (ABS, leather seats etc). The main differences as far as I understand are that the Prerunner is higher (has the body of a 4WD) and has more power (3.0). I have a hard time making a choice. Do I really need the extra power? Besides, I believe that a 3.0 engine will be more hungry for fuel and will cost me more money in the long run. I realize that the high chassis of the Prerunner is also an attraction and offers a nice view. Is it not however more dangerous when steering in sharp turns? In other words I would think that a lower car will "stick" better on the road. Is the extra clearance really worth it?

Also many people in the past have advised that it is imperative to ask the dealer to provide underseal which is the black paint job under the car. When I inquired Toyota about this, they said that it is not necessary and that the car has already protection (not the black paint though). They also said that if I really want the underseal, they would do it but they will refuse to take any responsibility if there is a problem in the future. I thought that this was strange. Does this make any sense or they just don't want to do the job?

Please guys help me I have limited knowledge about cars. Thank you.

so how much is the imported stuff like president?

Price of milk has gone up worldwide over the past 12-18 months...and all diary products made from milk have therefore increased. And that Allowie stuff I wouldn't even call it butter...worst tasting stuff I have ever tasted. Orchid much better and also Thai and about the same price.

As fas as inflation, a raise from 47B to 75B is way over 5.4%.

As butter is mainly a western product I post my question here.

I just came back from a 7/11 (Bangkok area) and was shocked at the price increase of the normal butter (Thai brand). I remember not so long ago I used to buy this butter something between 40-45B (I don't remember the exact price). I am talking about the normal salted butter made in Thailand (227 grams), brand Allowrie, inside the yellowish box. Well today the same thing costed me 75B

That's an increase almost 100% and now this butter costs almost the same as the imported butter (President, Anchor etc).

At the beginning I thought the cashier made a mistake but then I checked with the price label and it read 75B. Going back home, I thought that maybe this specific 7/11 got the price wrong and I went back to a different 7/11 to check. No difference, 75B. Has anybody else experienced the same thing or is it me who has got something wrong?

Suggest you travel by bus first from Bangkok to Siem Rep, then continue by bus or change to a boat down south to Phnom Penh and from there either by bus straight to HCMC.

Or, depending on your schedule continue by boat down Mekong to Chau Doc in Vietnam. Then take a bus from there to HCMC. Either way is good, but can recommend boat trip, especially from PP to Chau Doc, great experience!

Stay overnight at Victoria Hotel in Chau Doc, nice place to relax and unwind.

Cheers!

Thanks for the very informative post. The boat trip sounds great. I am trying to find more info on the internet and it seems that there could be another way through Laos as well. Getting from BKK to Vientiane is pretty starightforward through Nong Khai but I was wondering if there is any bus from Vientiane to Hanoi?

Hello,

I am trying to find the best way to travel to Hanoi or Ho Chi Mihn from Bangkok. I do not want to fly. I would rather travel through Cambodia.by bus or other way of transport. I tried looking at the map and I am not sure whether it is better to go through Siem Reap or Pnom Penh or another way that I am not aware of. My plan is to travel to Cambodia, stay overnight and then continue with my trip to Vietnam. Any tips are very welcome.

Thank you.

As I am Greek I can attest that the best feta in Bangkok is in my opinion the Kolios brand available in most Villa Market outlets. The price is a bit steep but the taste is descent.

Hello,

I am planning to visit this island during Xmas time and it seems it is best to book in advance. There are a few resorts I am looking at (Captain Cook Resort, The Beach Natural Resort, Koh Kood Resort and Spa) but I dont really like to book from the phone/internet if I dont have any info about the quality of the resort.

So, if anyone has any advice/recommendation/info that you could share with me I would really appreciate it.

Thank you in advance for your help.