JamesC

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions!

James

Hi

I'd like to spend a month in Bangkok. I wonder if any of you have a recommendation for a homely sort of guest house that will give a good rate for a month's stay (I'm thinking around 8000 Baht)? Or is it easier to rent a flat for such a short time - i.e. are there agents that deal with very short term rentals? Sorry, I'm fairly clueless about this - so any pointers are much appreciated.

Thanks!

James

I opted for the G780 (which has a 1600x900 screen) and looks a lot better now it has Windows on it rather than one of those rather unimpressive jpegs showing the specifications.

I did see a new sony S15 with a gorgeous 1900x1080 screen, though the other specs weren't so good.

Glad that's sorted!

Thanks for your replies.

#Digital Banana: that's a nice idea to get one shipped, but might not be practical for me at the moment, moving around.

#Monty & JakeBKK. Looking at the Dell Malaysia website, the only 17 inch laptops seem to be the expensive alienware. I'll have to check out the Air Asia though!

#JimShortz: good point on the internals! Good to hear that the Lenovo's been good for you. The 17inch seems to get good reviews.

#sumrit: I haven't seen any 17inch Samsungs in BKK, though. Which is a shame, because I like their low reflection screens.

#monty: I'll take another look at the Sony

cheers!

How about this ?

From

http://www.invadeit....on-dos-p008850/

Ive used this company several times and very happy

Thanks for the suggestion. The price has been reduced as the similar looking G780 is newly available with a better processor. The Lenovo seems to be one of the only choices really, but I don't like the design much!

Why not get a standard laptop/netbook much cheaper and then buy a large screen. I have a netbook as a pc replacement connected to a 23 inch monitor. get the best of both worlds.

the cost difference between a 14" and 17" isn't that much. in fact, the smaller LCD notebooks of similar specs are often more expensive than the larger (14"vs17"), but still this is a great suggestion if you've got the dough.

Thanks for the good idea - but I'll be travelling around with it, so it's not really practicable to carry a separate screen.

Hi

I'd like to get a large screen laptop as a desktop replacement, however looking around pantip plaza and the IT Mall at Phra Ram 9, there don't seem to be many around. For instance, I'd quite like to look at the Dell Inspiron 17R, but it doesn't look like Dell 17 inch laptops are available in Thailand. Similarly for Samsung. There is the Lenovo G780, but not much else under 50,000 B.

I wonder if anyone has any suggestions?

As I will be going to Malaysia in a week or so, is that generally regarded as better or cheaper place to shop?

Thanks for any advice.

James

Great Answers. Thanks!

Hi

Do any of you have any tips on how to store books in a non air-conditioned room, so as to minimize deterioration due to humidity? I'm thinking of a monk in a forest monastery.

Thanks for any suggestions!

James

Bangkok Self Storage has backpacker storage which costs 100 baht per bag per week. So, depending on how much you're storing it could cost as little as 400 baht for a month. And they're very secure, clean and professional. I've personally used them and recommend them. 2000 baht ($66) doesn't sound like a lot for short-term storage if you've got the whole contents of an apartment in there, but each to his own!

. . .

Business must be good for Bangkok Self Storage. I went by there today to look at their storage space and inquire about their storage rates.

The smallest rooom they had (1.5 by 1.5 meters) was 3950 per month.

A slightly larger room, (3 by 2 meters) is 4950 per month.

They told me it is climate controlled, thought that does not mean air con in the storage area, as it was quite warm inside. They do offer 24 hour access, and good security, but I thought much too expensive.

I'll be looking for a cheap room in Phrakanong for 2000 baht monthly or less.

These prices are pretty silly. You can rent a 20m2 room for 2-5k baht/month.

And we all now know some such rooms can be explosive...

Aoneinn in Soi Kasem San 1, opposite the MBK Centre, has lockers for hire. Quite convenient if you stay in that area.

Open a Hifx account in the (UK company signup online, account formation instant)

Bring your debit card with you

Open a Bank account in Thailand (any bank) and ask for their SWIFT number

You can then transfer money through HIFx from your UK bank to your Thai bank using the internet ...... 3-5 days for SWIFT.

The advantage is there are NO SWIFT fees to pay using HiFx (usually 30UKP) and you can transfer small amounts.

The exchange rate is fixed at the time of purchase and there are no fees (apart from the exchange rate)

I have found no cheaper way to transfer money.

There is no problem getting a Thai bank account using a tourist Visa and UK passport, but every bank is different, you may have to ask in two or three banks to open an account. Use your hoter/gueasthouse address, but don't give them the name or say it is a hotel, just the street address. Please note ........ banks with the same name but different branches are also different.

Thanks for the info, sarashbloke.

 Many thanks Eff1n2ret and Spacemand for the useful info.

James

 If you don't have a low fee credit card or debit card (like Nationwide), and therefore have to pay 5% every time you use an ATM, is opening a Thai bank account basically the cheapest way of getting money from a UK account? I'm just wondering if I should maybe buy a pile of traveller's cheques before I leave. Thanks.

I was rather dismayed to find that the price of 25 Lipton tea bags seems to have jumped from about 59 baht to about 68 baht in Tesco and 711. With the 30% devaluation of the pound, this is a pretty hefty price to pay for a daily necessity. No doubt there is a good reason for the jump (more profits?)! Anyway, Tops have started doing a very nice English breakfast tea for around 89 baht for 50 teabags, so I recommend that for poor Brits. Any other tea suggestions welcome!

I browsed it in a bookshop, bought it and found it excellent and authentic. If I had gone on the blurb or the biography of the man I probably wouldn't have, being more used to the Pali canon. But it turned out to be one of the best books I've read.

From The Times

November 15, 2008

Gordon Brown risks run on the pound, says George Osborne

The British Chambers of Commerce also sounds a warning over the threat to the pound today. In its latest economic forecast, the BCC says that were markets to come to see likely sharp rises in public borrowing as reckless the pound "may plummet to dangerous new lows".

the full article is here

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/poli...icle5158548.ece

I'm fairly sure I don't want to read this. Let's talk about the weather...

Any shopping mall will have it over priced for sure. Why not get fake? There are cracks and patches to fix up those little buggy problems.

I've not seen it in any shopping mall. The genuine software I have seen seems limited to a few dozen titles. I like the software so I'd like to buy a genuine version.

Hiya

I'm looking to buy an original copy of microsoft encarta - any ideas where?

Thanks

James

"32 page passport = Bt. 8,330.00

48 page passport = Bt. 10,080.00

Child's passport = Bt. 5,320.00"

and

"We do not add or insert additional pages into a passport that is full. If your passport is full, you will need to apply for a replacement."

Wish I'd bought that 48 page last time, given the f***ing ridiculous prices.

Thanks for your reply Buzby. Cheers!

James

Hiya

Are there any cheap accomodation options on the beach near Pranburi - 500B or less? (I guess there aren't from the last post on this subject ). So, are there any cheaper beaches between Hua Hin and PKK?

Many Thanks

James

The good news is that Body Shop in Siam Central have some more tubes (perhaps only 5!?) and so my experiments with soap, shampoo and coconut oil can be deferred.

Good luck to anyone trying to find a safety razor!

Blades, of course, are no problem - Gillette sells them!!

lol taxexile.

Thanks for your replies and suggestions, everyone!  The idea of soap plus shampoo is a new one to me - I'll give it a try!

I've got nothing against other people using Gillette, whether they want to have a quick shave or do the full works. My problem is that I can't find shaving creme, and this does not seem unrelated to the fact that Gilette aren't selling shaving creme in Thailand.

Well done to Gillette for inventing the safety razor!  I'm sure if there was money in it, they could do a good advert on how a single blade safety razor used with a brush and creme gives the closest, most precise, and satisfying shave!  

And then we'd all want one, especially if you get to look like the guy in the ad...

Alas, Body Shop in Central has also sold out! I think they must be having supply problems.

Thanks for the hint, Cuban. I might try the coconut oil.

It truly is sad to see how foam and gel and gillette have taken over every outlet in Thailand. It's worse than coca cola in the drinks market - there, at least there's Pepsi for competition - though they produce the same sort of stuff. And then most people think that's all there is. That shaving could be satisfying, a pleasure, a meditation, even an art...

I might see if I can find a creamy soap for use with the brush, until the body shop restocks... what do you think?

Thanks for your replies.

JSixPack - I haven't checked the Body Shop at Central, but other places seem to have sold out of the tubes or stopped stocking them. Good idea about buying a tub and transferring - I still have my empty tube.  Maybe I'll check out C&E if desperate.  Of course, I use a brush - I guess they're going out of fashion - or perhaps the fashion is being dictated by Gillette, who make more money with their foam and gel and mach 3s... 

Padthaiguy...if only it was that easy...

Phillippe, the supermarkets I've tried, such as Tesco Lotus and Tops, and also a few small pharmacies, don't seem to stock shaving cream, as opposed to foam or gel.  I used to see shaving oil in some branches of boots, but even that seems to have stopped.