craigt3365

Could be in the Thai news. Not all news items make it to the English media sites. I'll try to do some research on this....

We just got back from Chantaburi, specifically Chao Lao Beach. Lots of proper bike paths on the side of all the major roads there. Looked great!

Pattaya is known for having frequent water shortages. Many hotels would hire private companies to fill their water tanks when the public water supply was insufficient.

One day while riding a motorbike around local backcountry, I observed a well marked water supply tank truck drop it's intake hose into a scummy little pond and fill up.

Never trusted Pattaya hotel tap water again, even for tooth brushing.

there are other similar reports....you aren't the only one who saw that

We've got a nasty looking pond right behind our village. In the dry season, water trucks rumble up and down that soi filling up for deliveries around here. Many, many every day. It's definitely not "clean" water. I'd never drink it.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Soaring-pollution-pushes-up-sales-of-air-purifiers/articleshow/46160600.cms

For example, Bangalore's air on any given day is as toxic as the smoke from six cigarettes a day while inhaling Delhi air is equivalent to puffing 20 in a day, according to a study by the United Nations Environment Program.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/china/AJ201302030021

BEIJING--Spending a day here when smog blankets the city and the air pollution is severe is equivalent to smoking 21 cigarettes, or about a pack a day, according to a survey by a company related to the environmental industry.

IMHO, advanced planning is a must. Nothing like visiting a place only to find out an incredible festival event takes place just before you arrived and you missed it! Or, there was a great place to check out and you didn't know about it. Guide books are just that. Guides. Not bibles. But, they are great for getting an overview of things to do/see and for places to eat/sleep. Again, just a guide as many restaurants/hotels are not listed in these books.

If you've got a lot of time, the just winging it is great. You've got time to hang out for a day or two if transport options are booked. But, if you've got limited time, and there are places you'd really want to see, then I'd book ahead. I'd also book ahead if there is a hotel you really want to use.

We just got back from Chao Lao beach here in Thailand. We figured it was mid-week, so easy to just cruise around and find a room. Wrong. It's summer vacation and the places were absolutely packed. We needed 3 rooms, so that was limiting also. And of course the pics on the internet don't always match reality. We eventually found a brand new resort, but could only get 3 nights as they were booked later in the week. Even then, we had to change rooms after our first night. And driving around from resort to resort for a few hours got really boring.

From what I read, accommodations in Myanmar are a bit tight. Booking ahead might not be a bad idea.

When you're done, come back here and let us know how it went!!! Have fun!!

It's not just the forests. I drive from Pattaya to Bangkok on a regular basis. I've seen burns completely blanket the highway with visibility reduced to less than 100M. Right near the airport. Coming home at night you can see the fires on both sides of the road all the way to Pattaya.

Near where I live, they just burn empty lots to clear them out. Happens all the time here. Unfortunately.

Let's move this over to the bike forum and see if some over there can help out. Best of luck!

Topic Moved.

I used Agoda a lot in the beginning until I realized it was a big scam operation , especially when it comes to prices in SE Asia. You will always see , special promotion 50% off and when you contact the hotel you realize that the "sale" is not real , its in fact often a bit higher at Agoda than what the hotel offer. Only the big , more expensive hotel chains you might get a better deal through Agoda but they are overpriced anyway.

So the first thing you should do is to call the hotel directly and ask them if they have any promotion.

I found it to be quite the other way around. I used agoda to book a Bangkok hotel (not a big chain hotel) for 3 nights, and afterwards wanted to extent for 2 more nights in the same hotel. When I asked the desk, they smiled and apologized that they were unable to give me the agoda room rate. I paid 1620 THB with agoda, and they asked for 2420 THB when directly booking !

As some poster here mentioned, this is not always the case, but generally speaking I do not agree with your "scam operation" remark. I use agoda and booking very often and I am very satisfied with both. Also, the booking company's give you a better description of available hotel facilities. The highlight is reading the good and the bad reviews so I always know beforehand what to expect. Hotel's own websites in most cases do not publish customers reviews

I've had the same happen to me several times. What the front desk does is to have you use their public computer to make a new reservation with Agoda to get the lower fare, and then print it out to hand back to them for the checkin. To be honest, I was a bit blown away that I couldn't get a lower fare as I was already staying at the hotel, standing right there in front of the reservation desk, and just wanted to extend my stay by 2 days.

I've even had a large chain tell me their online site was cheaper and had me use their public computer to make the reservation online. Which was sitting right on the reservation desk's counter! LOL

For those who'd like to find out how this all turned out, please refer to this thread. Best of luck to the family.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/808876-yais-final-farewell/

I can't get a YouTube video to play properly. Seem to have a lot of drops today also. Yet, my speed test says 95 MBPS. LOL

These speed tests are worthless.

I'll be in the middle of it again this year. Only one day, finish before dark, and it's great fun as it will be with a large group of friends at a condo right in the middle of everything.

The days leading up to it are easy here in NaJomtien. You'd hardly even know it's Songkran.

Great answers! But I think you'll do better with this over in the bike forum. So, let's move the topic over there.

Good luck!

Topic Moved

I think I'd avoid Transaero:

http://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?id=1120920

I've flown CS before and it was OK. Not great, not terrible.

Welshboy: where do you live? As has been pointed out above, it will make a huge difference. Water quality here is not on par with what you are probably use to back in the west. Where I live, it's not unusual for the water to flow brown with lots of sand coming out. We have a whole house water filter for this. Even then, I won't drink it. I see locals changing their vehicle's oil in the reservoirs when they are low. And of course it's got lots of cows roaming around also.

In Bangkok the water comes from the Chao Phraya. Not the best of rivers. It'd be rare to get immediately sick from drinking the water, but I sure wouldn't give it to a young one. The long term effects could be serious. Bottled water also comes from this source and not all chemicals can be removed.

It is actually against the law to drive in the fast lane unless passing. As mentioned above, easy money for the police.

Really? Is that a law for all Thailand roads?

This has come up in the past and that was the general opinion of many here. Interpreting Thai laws is not easy as a lot gets lost in the translation. Plus, they are written to be vague so the cop on the scene can interpret them as they seem fit. Which leaves it open to demands for tea money.

I've been stopped a few times for this on the way up to Khon Kaen. Luckily, granny was in the car one time and gave the cop an ear full. We got off with only 20B. LOL

The vet clinic just before Tesco Lotus (and the gas station) on Suk before Thepprasit as you are headed North, has a pool that's used for rehab purposes. I've been there several times and we are very happy with the vets and the service. Not cheap, but very good.

I think it's Eastern Pet, or something like that. Very professional outfit.

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11) You will not post slurs, degrading or overly negative comments directed towards Thailand, specific locations, Thai institutions such as the judicial or law enforcement system, Thai culture, Thai people or any other group on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

Front end ATM charges, such as the 160 baht that Thai banks stick you with, are not reimbursed by banks since the bank collects the charge as part of the transaction.

Several banks reimburse these back to you at the end of the month. But yes, you pay for it initially. And they limit this to a few transactions each month. Schwab and USAA are two who do this.

Well the ATM get you 2 ways. Firstly they add around 5 bucks fee. This is global now. Then they offer to convert the transaction into your local currency. If you pull 300 dollars, they will possibly make an extra $30 out of you doing this. 10% roughly. This compares to my home bank who charge an exchange rate load of 2% plus £1.

You can choose. Unless your home bank charge some absolutely horrific exchange rate fees, then it's usually cheaper to get your cash withdrawal billed as in the local currency. But find out what they bill you. Your bank statement is not clear enough.

Not all banks charge ATM fees. I've got cards with 2 that don't. Even if the local bank does charge for use of the ATM, these banks eat those fees. And not all banks do the currency conversion. Unfortunately, these items change constantly. It is confusing. One card I have has NO foreign currency fees, another has 1%. So if I take out $1,000, it costs me $10. For me, it's peace of mine in not having to worry about dodgy money changers. But I only use that one if necessary. The Schwab card is fantastic.

http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/avoid-paying-bank-fees-traveling/

Secondly, if you are a US resident, the best bank to use is Charles Schwab. Why? Charles Schwab has no fees and reimburses all your ATM fees at the end of each month. You will need to open a high yield checking account in order to qualify, but there is no minimum deposit required and no monthly service fee. Their ATM card can be used in any bank machine around the world, and you’ll never pay a fee. This is my primary bank card. Since getting it, I’ve avoided all ATM fees. It’s saved me hundreds per year.

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/card-fees

When I read the news here about bus crashes, they are almost always overnight buses. I would never take one here. Worst case, take a day time bus and spend the night before getting on the ferry.

Poor Sucker's option is pretty good. The best, of course, is flying there directly. But it's also quite expensive. And I believe they have flights out of Utapao also???

Part B does not cover meds. You need a part D and can't sign up for that right away. His meds when in the hospital may be covered but any RX will be out of pocket.

Ah...got it now:

http://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/part-b/what-medicare-part-b-covers.html

I cancelled because my mother is 90 and will never be able to go back to the US. She's covered here via her military insurance, but my mistake was thinking part B was only for US residents. My BIG mistake.