siam2007

4 hours ago, transam said:

Are not some on your list a bit small for a taxi....?

I would buy a car that from factory can use the cheapest fuel.

I have been on several very small GRAB cars at several locations in TH. sometimes the driver will call or sms you before and ask how many PAX. Easy to avoid airport trips as a driver, as they can see where the destination is or where someone wants to be picked up. Would be even more easy if GRAB had an option to add the number of PAX looking for a ride each time when ordering

3 hours ago, kenk24 said:

It is a daily parade and you probably don't ever have to wait more than 10 minutes... 

seems you don't know the difference between MINUTES and SECONDS  ?

16 hours ago, Jingthing said:

No doubt. I wouldn't recommend myself as a bus driver either. But he took the job and he has the public under his care and he clearly doesn't care.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

as a long-time member, you should be aware by now that a "sense of responsibility" is unheard of in the kingdom

17 hours ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

ONCE i aggreed to the operation, they did all kinds of exams on me, even HIV test, which i did not mind cause i am in good health. but one thing they never asked is my passport. believe it or not, but that's how it went - they never asked and never saw my passport. had they asked for it, i would show it. but they did not ask for my passport.

 

and than, i did saw a photo copy of my front passport page in my file, in the doctor hands.

 

now why would i lie about it? is it funny? is it exotic?

no, just interesting case that shows how our privacy is not protected.

I once (around 2014 or so) registered at Bangkok Christian Hospital and indeed I only had to fill a form and not provide any ID. Had I paid cash and not by card, I could have told them my name is Thaksin Shinawatra or similar.

I would not be surprised if Thai hospitals are connected to government agencies for security reasons. For example in case of an accident or emergency a victim (unconscious) may not have an ID with him/her but a mobile phone. Or if someone cannot / does not want to pay the the medical bills. The hospital staff could then check the number of the phone and identify him/her. Certainly a reason for concern in regards of privacy, but this is Thailand, after all.

Indonesian GO-JEK has announced recently that they plan to extend operations to many other countries in SEA which would be great. GO-JEK works just as good as Grab in Indo, so chances are it will do so in other countries too. Only competition can break the Mafia structures to which GRAB belongs too, at least in tourist towns

I wonder if they will be the same rip-off transport Mafia as GRAB in Pattaya has become since UBER stopped operating.

The already higher fares (usually 30-40% more expensive than UBER here) fares went up another 40-50% recently.

Trips that had cost me 100 Baht on Uber and 140 on Grab still in March are now 220-240 - we are talking about a 3 KM ride !

It seems like GRAB is not actually GRAB anymore nowadays. If you open the app, the fare will provided not by GRAB, but specifically  " GRAB (Chonburi) ".

I would not be surprised if they have kinda "franchised" their Chonburi/Pattaya operations to the old Taxi Mafia.

The fares are now almost the same as the un-metered yellow-blue Cabs. In many cases I know end up again on a motocy Taxi, driven in madman-style by a Yabaa-infested rude individual. I had hoped those times would never come back.

I WANT MY UBER BACK  :-/

Also have a look at the WIKO brand which gets more and more popular here in Thailand are the leading low//midrange brand in many countries in Western Europe. It is a French company. 6-7000 Baht get you an absolute top-model.

Check what's available on lazada.

In PTY the Numchai IT chain has them, for example at their huge Sukhumvit store

On 3/4/2015 at 8:06 AM, mgbcnx said:

"...guy named Jukkrit Ampai, at Easycom, located in Computer City Bldg"

Jukkrit is a gem! He replaced the hard drive and the keyboard on my old HP for under US$100, guaranteeing the hard drive for a year and the keyboard for six months. That laptop has worked like a charm ever since. Jukkrit did much the same for old computers belonging to three friends of mine, all of whom remain completely satisfied with his work. Quiet, unassuming, and utterly competent, this young man is a most reliable resource. I recommend him with confidence and without reservation...

is that guy still in business and at the same location?

so where in BKK or PTY would one drop good used clothes to donate to the right institutions / NGOs in order to avoid giving them to commercial dealers ?

I wonder if it will be the same rip-off operation it has become in Pattaya since Uber vanished, now charging three times the rates that are being charged in CM for example.

I was quoted 240 THB for a less than 3 KM ride few days ago, the same ride was 120 Baht (before the ubiquitous Promo discount) with Uber 2 months ago.

And in CM it would have cost me no more than 80 Baht with the local Grab there

Actually I think 8 am is pretty safe. Good idea to buy the ticket a day before and get your re-entry permit already.

I usually assign a lot of time to be on the same side, but the Bus should arrive at Swampy at 9.45 am which leaves you a lot of time to check in and even endure a traffic jam. If my itinerary was like this, I would have chosen the 8am Bus

23 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Did they steal the shirt off his back as well? German money safe jewellery gone oh no.  

I am sure the Thai press, not known for respecting people's privacy, asked him if they are allowed to take his picture half-naked

I have never been cheated or shortchanged when changing money. Why? Because I only use the reputable money changers there. Bali has some sort of "Superrich" too. I always use one of their two main offices, the one at Jl. Kuta Raya.  http://www.centralkutabali.com/

Their spread is extremely favourable, even for Thai Baht. I suggest you just withdraw some cash from an ATM at the airport (and NO 220-Baht Thai-style extra charge rip-off !!!), buy a snack or two and a drink at different places so you have some small bills to pay taxi or similar, and then later after you have made yourself familiar with the place, you go to a reputable money changer. If you fly ex-Swampy: The two Superrich companies at the Air-rail-link level always have Rupiah at hand, less options at DMK though, as far as I know.

Taxi from Ngurah Rai Airport is indeed a rip-off if you use the official counters and there is little chance to escape if you are not familiar with the conditions. Difficult for a first-timer. I always walk out of the airport via the parking exit (where the payment booths are located, and then hail down a leaving BLUEBIRD Taxi that is not allowed to pick up PAX from inside the airport, once it has paid the parking fee and has left the airport compound.

Also, there is a tiny PEDESTRIAN exit, basically just a (legal and official) hole in the fence, used almost exclusively by airport workers or local travelers in the know. I could give further details if someone is really interested to know. From there, you can reach hotels in Tuban or South Kuta in 7-8 minutes on FOOT. I did that two years ago from my hotel in Jl. Kartika and asked myself why I hadn't done this in all those earlier years.

Unlike Phuketrichard (who I believe is actually a seasoned traveler) says, a regular METERED BLUEBIRD CAB should not be more than 40K from any point in Kuta, unless you are stuck in a traffic jam.

GRAB is most useful as is GO-JEK, a reliable homegrown Indonesian app (both offer very cheap Motorcycle taxi rides too). If using regular cabs, ONLY use the GENUINE BLUEBIRD TAXIS. They can only be identified by their large sticker on the front screen , saying "BLUEBIRD GROUP". At least ten copycat companies trying to mislead PAX by using almost identical cabs in colour and with front screen stickers like "BLUE TAXI GROUP".

If you do not use a genuine Bluebird, you will INVARIABLY be scammed. They scam rate is not 60, 80, or 94% percent, it is 100%. In the past five years or so, I have never heard a single story, where one of those cabs did use the Meter.

That is why they hate GRAB and Bluebird and even burn Bluebird cabs or assault Grab drivers.

Yes Ubud is crowded too nowadays, and that crowd is almost 100% mainland Chinese. But even in Ubud it is easy to avoid the masses by just walking a few streets down away from the main strip and you will be able to inhale the original Ubud spirit.

Just go there with a positive attitude and when approached, smile and say "no thanks", or, even better "tidak mau, terima kasih" ("I don't want, thank you" in local Bahasa Indonesia).

Feel free to ask, if you need more information, same if you want hotel recommendations. Just tell me your budget and what you are after. I can say a word or two about at least 300 accommodations  and have inspected at least 100 of them myself.

Ah and NO, Bali is NOT dangerous at all. Just apply your common sense, same as you would at Thai tourist destinations.

And as mentioned before, do NOT forget to try the lovely JUS ALPUKAT, see my attached pic

On 5/5/2018 at 6:25 PM, cyberfarang said:

Actually, the way events have unfolded for Mark Zuckerberg recently, it would not surprise me if facebook does get shutdown, or at least toned down and severely limited as what seems to have happened with Craigslist.

 

I sincerely hope it does

I second that

On 5/5/2018 at 7:58 PM, BEVUP said:

Be prepared to be Haggled to death & they may even keep chasing you

This statement shows you stayed at the WRONG places.

I have been to Bali at least 15 times, including longer 60-days stays, and have never been "chased"

I just read a report on the website of a daily newspaper that cannot be mentioned on this Forum that a new inter-provincial Bus connection has been established from and to U-Tapao, for example from Trat and Chanthaburi as well as from/to Chonburi (with stops at PTY and SriRacha).

The schedule and the name of the company have not been mentioned though. Anybody knows more about this?

just out of interest, how one has to understand weather apps telling us the temperature is 36, but "real feel" is 44 (OOOOPPSS) as it happened in BKK in late April? What does determine the "real feel" ?

25 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Well I think the law has forced Craigslist to throw the baby out with the bathwater. For example, now you can't even post a request for tennis partner.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

If logic applies in US law, Facebook must be shut down now too

On 5/2/2018 at 8:39 AM, KittenKong said:

The "random" Holiday Inn here also has a fairly new wing. And other better hotels are available nearby that are all in more convenient locations than the Intercon. But the Intercon is fine if you dont care about the transport issues (though apparently you do).

If you said precisely which brands you can use your points with you might get a better recommendation. I think I've been to all the decent ones here.

If the OP wants to party, the HI is certainly the better option locationwise, he could even walk to Soi 6 if that is where he wants his parties to happen. No doubt the I-CON is nicer, but locationwise not recommended for someone coming to this "beautiful family destination" to party. And I seriously doubt (and know ppl who stayed at HI in PTY and learned it the hard way) the any IHG property can be considered guest-friendly.

If guest friendliness is essential to the OP, he should choose a Thai-owned chain and spend his precious IHG points at an other place (BKK maybe?)

19 hours ago, whatsupdoc said:

Exchanging THB gives terrible rates in Indonesia. Better to change to USD or Euro first or get the IDR in Thailand (at specialized money changers like Super Rich).

 

The Superrich rates regarding IDR are not great too, the spread is almost same as when exchanging Baht in Bali at REPUTABLE changers - this is Bali's version of SUPERRICH. Trusted company, best to use their main branch or the large one at Jl. Kuta Raya

http://www.centralkutabali.com/

On 5/1/2018 at 10:48 AM, scorecard said:

 

 

Flea pit... some truth in that and Aussies a big contributor to building that situation...  

 

Girls, well one part of the Bali tourist industry is a role reversal; Japanese female teens and older woman and females from many countries going to Bali for the surfie gigolo boys. Takes all kinds in every country. 

 

And many other flea pits: Pattaya, Phuket and more countries, foreign visitors big contributors to building the flea pit scenario.

 

Yes there are other areas of Indonesia which are worth visiting, Borobudur, Surabaya (but beware of crazy drivers) and lots more ...

 

 

If you had said Bandung or Semarang, I would have agreed.

But Surabaya ? LOL...... competing with Medan on the "Indonesia's most ugly and boring City" crown

From my understanding, the Buses are still impounded, and the company that bought them and cheated the state out of Tax money is in the process of suing authorities (don't ask me about the logic of this)

I would only dare to when the flight is before 12 noon.

The later in the day, the more likely are delays when flying budget carriers.

Even though DMK itself has a pretty good on-time rating