hermespan

I have lived and worked as well as holidayed and sojourned (long stay holidaying) in all Southeast Asian countries except Brunei. Plus I have travelled extensively in India and somewhat in China.

I am inviting opinions based on experience as to relative costs of renting apartments or hotel rooms in order to see where are the best deals. This can be expressed in two related but separate measurements: best *value* and cheapest. Why? I am looking for somewhere cheap to hole up for three months. Here I am choosing value over price.

I suggest that this poll consider only capital cities in order to compare apples with apples. I use SEA in the broadest sense - to me this includes tropical regions of China (Xishuangbanna) and perhaps some would to include South Asia and Himalayas as well. I am considering travellers' circuit more than climate and culture.

My ballpark estimates (feel free to disagree if you know better)

From best value to poorest...

Great value

01. Thailand

02. Malaysia

03. Laos

Good value

04. Cambodia

05. China

Medium value

06. Philippines

07. Taiwan

08. Brunei

Poor value

09. Myanmar

10. Hong Kong

If South Asia is included...

01. Thailand

02. Malaysia

03. Laos

04. Cambodia

05. Sri Lanka

06. China

07. Philippines

08. Brunei

09. Myanmar

10. India

11. Bangladesh

12. Pakistan

13. Nepal

India one would think would be cheap, but in my experience major metropolises such as Mumbai and Kolkata are very poor value for hotels rental accommodation (and I expect that renting an apartment is a hassle) But far upcountry, last time I travelled, in mid-1990s it was great value. I have not included East Timor because I am ignorant of realities there.

After updating to ios8 all my notes have disappeared. Curiously, all my photos are still here as well as all my contacts. I am sure there are solutions, but I switched to Apple in 1993 to make my life simpler not more complicated. $1000 phone is costly for all its headaches.

MJCM wrote: "If it keeps asking to sign into iCloud, just check under Settings - iCloud if you have enabled something, even Find my iPhone depends on this."

Then there is another nail in the coffin of Apple and perhaps 'smart' phones (for big corporations and Big Brother).

I did not request all these services to be 'integrated' I wish to use 'fond my iphone' or ither location services such as Google Maps ad INDEPENDENT services from icloud.

If Apple continues down this road I will boycott it.

duplicate post above. Do not see a button to delete post.

Nullx8 wrote "but this may put a big rock on the usage experience. and will cause us to read another moaming post like this about how bad things are now without clouds."

I Doubt it. It won't even be very inconvenient. I never use it and compared to Dropbox it is not practical. There are more private cloud alternatives to both. But you are correct, privacy advocates recommend NOT using cloud services. My lawyer says they are foolish.

Apple is pushy. My iphone keeps telling me to sign into icloud. Excuse me, *I* will decide if I want to use icloud. I used it in the past. I am going to disassociate mysrlf from Apple step by step, including cancelling my paid subscription to icloud. Why? Unscceptable privacy policies.

And pushy.

Now, how to get rid of this persistent notification. I will use Apple services on my terms, not theirs.

Apple is pushy. My iphone keeps telling me to sign into icloud. Excuse me, *I* will decide if I want to use icloud. I used it in the past. I am going to disassociate mysrlf from Apple step by step, including cancelling my paid subscription to icloud. Why? Unscceptable privacy policies.

And pushy.

Now, how to get rid of this persistent notification. I will use Apple services on my terms, not theirs.

To be precise when I try to send email from my mail account I get the message...

"Cannot send email. The username or password for 'icloud' is incorrect'.

True, when I installed ios update it asked me to do something about iCloud but I skipped it figuring I would do it later. I mean what has cyber storage of stuff got to do with using email? Why should I follow the rules on integrated everything just because I am using an Apple product?

I am ready to throw my iphone in the Mekong if I can't easily figure out how to be anonymous on my iphone without jumping through hoops.

I just updated the OS and it's turned into a can of worms....

Firstky my password doesn't work, so I have to reset that. Then I figure, 'Why should the corporation that sold me a physical device have any knowledge of my real name or primary residence? If I buy a toaster it doesn't track me!

So I go and change my name to Mr. Magoo. Won't allow me to change residential address or country though. I made the mistake after purchasing my phone for cash to try out itunes match which required a credit card (even if paying with gift card, even after canceling that garbage subscription). So now I have my personal information following me like crap on my shoes. IT'S NONE OF APPLE'S CONCERN what my name is, where I live, what websites I visit or the colour of my hair. I am pissed off! I bought a tool like a hammer not expecting spyware.

I try to send an email with my Apple email. Won't let me because my original name doesn't match their records. Just trying to send an email not marry the CEO's daughter. Apple's privacy policies seem to get worse over time, not better.

What alternative to Apple has a policy of true privacy?

Rating free tea in Bangkok Airways lounge (non-premium)

I brought my own mug. I should have brought my own tea. Usually I do but I jettisoned some stuff to travel super-light.

Aroma: 1/5 nothing

Taste: 1.5/5 almost nothing

Temperature: 5/5 perfect for 'normal' Canadian tea

Strength: 1/5 Very weak

At leadt in the air decent (?) tea is served by this 'boutique' airline.

No more travelling without at least a couple of teabags.

My SCB MC debit card has my name printed on it. Nobody at the bank said anything to me about having to set anything special up. Again, what I find strange is the ignorance of bank emoyees as to rhe rules. So, no doubt I will be doubly ignorant. How Canadian banks help is by printing brochures in Punjabi, Vietnamese etc so that their foreign itigin customers can make sense of the system.

So, now I have contradictory information: I. *can* use my Thai bank Mastercard or Visa debit cards , and I can't. Which is it? Obviously, it will not be universally accepted. And maybe if I set it ip correctly. How about being accepted to buy Bangkok Airways tickets. That airline (which seems. 'on the ball') said they don't.

Just go to one of their branches in Shopping Malls they are usually open till late.

Next step. First step is to sign the mystery form in Thai, which because I refused to sign they said at HQ it would tie me to their office eternally, that if I didn't sign the form with no translation I could not do much at other branches.

So, I can only assume from your expressed indignation about the FORM being printed ONLY in Thai, that in YOUR Country, similar FORMS at Banks are printed in not only, your NATIVE language but also in THAI, CHINESE, VIETNAMESE....need I continue?

I never cease to be amazed at the audacity of some FOREIGNERS who come here and make absurd demands.

Many years ago at the Amari Blvd., Hotel in BKK, I held the door to an Elevator open for an older couple. They thanked me and when I replied that they were welcome, the woman told me "how nice it is to meet someone in Thailand who speaks English." I then pointed out to her that in her country, THAIS might have great difficulty in finding ANYONE who speaks Thai.The poor old dear looked astounded, I then held the door open for her to vacate the elevator on the ground floor....neither she nor her husband had the courtesy to offer any thanks.

Point taken. Regarding foreign languages- actually yes, bank forms in Canada are available translated into Persian, Chinese, Korean etc. The banks want the new immigrant customers. In fact (this kind of pisses me off) immigrants are given no credit check credit cards and all kinds of perks that people born in Canada don't get.

Part of the problem is language (I'll be diplomatic here and say 'I don't speak Thai'). This is not a problem in Cambodia, and obviously not in Singapore and only marginally in Hong Kong. But it's more than a communication problem. It's a banking employees problem. I am not joking when I tell you I ask a precise banking question at my Thai bank and I get the answer 'I don't know' but unlike in Cambodia, it's not followed by 'so let me find out'. Instead I get a smile and a giggle. Thirdly, I get plain WRONG information from staff both on telephone and in person. For example, I enquired which Thai airlines my debit card would work with. I was told at Bangkok Bank BKK Air tickets could be purchased with my BKK Bank MC debit card (likewise SCB said only Nok Air and Air Asia). Then today I am told at my branch, in no uncertain terms, that only if I had a BKK Bank *credit card* would it work.

"But you could try"

I looked at him as if to say 'Are you retarded?'

And more to the point, why is the Thai banking system so vague and confused compared to banking leaders like Singapore and Cambodia? I use my Singapore DBS DEBIT card for everything from groceries to airfares. I use my Hang Seng (Hong Kong) and CIBC (Canada) DEBIT cards likewise and not just in their respective countries.

Just for entertainment and warning purposes, which countries in the region are worse - Laos, Burma, Vietnam?

"Unless tea is made by infusion in properly boiled water "

Mr tea expert should know green tea is not infused in boiling water.

living in thailand one learns to not expect much from employees, or (some)expats.

You are quite right. The dark teas we are used to in England which come from India etc need to be made with boiling water to get the true flavour but green teas are a different animal. I work with laos and Chinese folk and tea here is made with hot water, not boiling. Very nice but you often have to strain it with your teeth when drinking.

Thank you sincerely for this educational fact. I truly wasn't aware of this.

Why? Do banks in tge Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam do thus? Naybe they do!

Just go to one of their branches in Shopping Malls they are usually open till late.

Next step. First step is to sign the mystery form in Thai, which because I refused to sign they said at HQ it would tie me to their office eternally, that if I didn't sign the form with no translation I could not do much at other branches.

Impressed by an independent Apple store in Thailand

According to salesman James at is

Store in United Building on Silom, I have been making three mistakes with my iphone5...

1. The cable (micro-USB -> USB) that came with my cheapo powerbank is NOT for attaching to the iphone . It is for *charging the powerbank, by connecting to wall or computer.

2. Cable to use is my standard Apple one (lightening to USB), direct between iphone and powerbank

3. That $55 plus taxes doodad for transferring photos only works for ipad. Not only does it not work to transfer power, it won't even work to transfer photos from camera to any iphone. The Canadian salesman was *wrong*!

Reminds me why I bank in Singapore, Hong Kong and Cambodia.

Bangkok Bank closes at 3:30 on a normal weekday. What is this, 1972? It boggles the mind.

I have given up on getting good green tea at Coffee shops in Thailand. I carry around my own tea bags. Order the Dilmah Jasmine green tea bags, or the Bigelow greet tea. It is decent. About And I walk into a coffee shop with my tea bags, and packets of honey or agave nectar, and order a hot water, and a dessert. Free tea! The joke is on them!

Or, you can order high quality green tea directly from China. About 900-1800 baht per kilo for a very high end tea like Bin Luo Cho, or Jasmine King Pearl tea. A kilo goes a very long way. The Chinese really know good quality green tea. I have been ordering from China for years. No restriction whatsoever with Thai customs. No duty. No issues. You can also order tea bags, and make your own tea bags. Many ways to fight the lack of good tea here. But, fight we must! The battle begins. It is a worthy conflict. LOL.

Good idea. I have done this in the past and offered both in 7-11s and coffee shops to pay for water, but they always give it to me for free. Rather enbarrassing and I don't want or expect charity. Order dessert - good idea. Tgat way I can in good conscience drink on premises instead of depart travel mug in hand.

I am near Yaworat now. Any tea supply shops you recommend?

There appears to be no Hang Seng or DBS fully finctioning bank in Bangkok (with ATM)

DBS does have on in Taipei. That reduced my costs withdrawing money.

Moving from the practical to the political - is it true that the establishment families of Thailand don't want competition from foreign banks unless they get a cut? Can anyone recommend a good book on the realities and history of banking in Thailand? I am curious why one American (?) bank - CITIbank has a presence here but Bank of America left. I suspect they are not businesses tied with any nation (i.e. 'American' bank is a fiction just as much as to call 'Barclay's' a 'British' bank is fiction). And also monetary policy of Thailand and answers to questions such as 'Does the Thai Miltary actually control TMB?' (not saying thus is good ir bad, but I want to learn the unvarnished truth about economics and finance from various perspectives - anarchist, libertaruan, conservative and Marxist. Both Thai and foreign writers. I was shocked to learn that the Bank of Canada does not lend the money to the government of Canada but that instead it comes from private bank (RBC). So national debt is due to paying interest. Not saying I totally understand what is going on with Central banks, IMF etc but my sense is tgat something stinks and the tax paying working man is paying the bill.

"Unless tea is made by infusion in properly boiled water "

Mr tea expert should know green tea is not infused in boiling water.

living in thailand one learns to not expect much from employees, or (some)expats.

How difficult can it be to pull out a teabag or bulk tea, add boiled water and serve?

If green tea is not made with very hot water I am indeed ignorant of this fact. My Canadian mother taught me three things about tea: 1) water must be rolling boil, NOT 'sort of kind of' for best flavour; 2) teapot should be heated up first by adding boiling water and rinsing before tea made; 3) tea should steep (sit) for just the right amount of time - too little and it will not be flavourful. too long and it will be too strong.

No doubt there are different procedures for different kinds of tea and tisanes, and customs vary in differeng nations and cultures.

Perhaps my complaint is like a Thai walking into a low grade cafe in a small town in the Ozarks run by elementary school children and expecting cuisine he had at Maxines in Paris.

Never the less, my opinion stands - I was disappointed at the 'green tea' in one Phitsanulok coffee kiosk in a not so sophisticated shopping mall. And I prefer making tea the way it has been made for hundreds of years.

The only innovation I like is, if you must use a tea bag, use those plastic clever-shaped bags instead of paper. Why the use of cappucino machines to make tea? Seems snobby, overkill and unneccessary.

Context: I use DBS (Singapore, in SGD), CIBC (Canada, in CAD), Hang Seng (Hong Kong, in HKD). I want to get at a small amount of cash (hundreds not thousands of dollars) within 3 days. After three says I will be in Phnom Penh.

I expect to pay for access but wish to reduce costs. Every time I take money multiple fees and percentages reduce what I have.

I have heard that if one us willing to wait, costs can be reduced - e.g. instead of using any old ATM, use specific affiliate bank ATMs. Instead of using ATMs at all, go *into* the bank and use debit card for cash. Clearly, carrying actual banknotes withdrawn in person at bank of origin, and exchanging at private money changers in Singapore or Cambodia is the best value, but that is not always practical - for example, now I am broke in *Bangkok*, with an empty BKK Bank and an empty SCB bank account. I want to top up both for making online Thai purchases (e.g. BKK Air ticket) and have some 'mad money' (petty cash).

I am not going to get into my opinion of the disadvantageous FXS rates, the ethics of this and that charge, what I think of the non-open Thai banking system or the role of private Central banks in money supply and subsequent national debt interest in all nations except Cuba, North Korea and Iran. No, this is a practical business question!

In my circumstances how to keep more of my money in my pocket rather than the banks?

Does any psychiatry practice in Thailand or region use this as a diagnostic tool? Amen Clinic recognizes SPECT scans done within very specific parameters and particular machines. Perhaps a Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean or Indian clinic is using this as a medical tourism drawing card.

The concept, if controversial, is appealing - LOOK at brain activity instead of guessing based on symptom clusters. This way therapy and pharmaceuticals etc can be targeted better.

Why didn't you try it in the shop before buying it?

The problem with those external power packs is that most of them are cheaply made in China, and don't provide a very clean or stable output..There's a reason that Apple chargers are so expensive, if you've ever opened one up and looked inside you'll see that the electronics in there is of very high quality and ensure a perfect supply to the phone. I'd never trust an external power pack unless it was one that was recommended by Apple or sold on their website.

Anyway, can you not take it back with the receipt if there is too much power? or just use it with another device?

You are corre t - I should have tested it furst. I wish I could return it. Funny, I told her it was for iphone. Perhaps she dudn't really know if it was comoatible, or xare, or be paid enough to bother. Yes, it was clearly a cheapo from China, a rung lower in quality than Yoobao even. Bought at a small kiosk upcountry. Now in Bangkok.

Did I just waste 760 baht? Fed up with my phone the battery of which lasts half a day if I am lucky (I has gone dead so many times) I picked up an off brand external battery pack of 5600 whatever. Fits neatly into my fannypack. The Yoobaos etc of higher capacity were a bit bulky.

Anyway, I hooked it up with my over- priced (compared to equivalent for my Samsung tablet) doodad that converts lightening connector (male) to USB (female) - it's actually designed for cameras, but certainly Apple can't expect me to buy attachments for every conceivable purpose.. er, would they?)

Anyway, instead of reviving my iphone I got the message along the lines of 'too much power'.

What?

I purchased an iphone5 in Vancouver. Also Apple Care + (extended warranty). As I recall they told me that the terms of that warranty will be honoured at any official Apple store (e.g. Hongcouver, Hong Kong etc). But I have not tested this.