WaatWang

Thank you both for taking the time to reply! 

Kind regards,

Waat Wang 

Hello,

I have missed having a fish tank, so I recently decided to buy one.  When I was in the states, I could buy filtered water to set up the tank, but I don't know if that is available here.  Those of you who have freshwater tanks, what brand of water did you use to start?  I looked through some of the forums and read that several people were just using tap water.  I am in the Pattaya area and l think the water is somehow treated, so I'm not sure if it would be suitable for fish!  Looking forward to your recommendations.

Thank you,

WaatWang 

Hello PInkPanther,

Congrats on your new fur baby! I have had dogs my entire life and also ran a rescue when I was in the US. Seems you have lots of advice already, but I just wanted to add one important bit: please have proper expectations about potty training.

Puppies have very small bladders, and a good way to estimate how often they'll need to toilet is by their age - one hour per month. So if your new little one is three months old, her little bladder will need to be emptied every three hours. Most people don't realize this and get very frustrated when a puppy has an accident overnight or just a couple hours after they did their business outside. So please remember that it is just not physically possible for her to hold it longer than this.

From the day you get her home, show her where you want her to toilet and bring her there every three hours, especially after meals, heavy play sessions, and when she first wakes up from naps. As others have mentioned, praise - praise - praise when she pees or poos in that spot. If she has a poo accident in the house, take the poo outside and put it in that spot so she will smell where it supposed to go. Leave at least one poo there for her to smell and remember where her potty is.

If you can't take turns getting up with your wife or other family members to take her out overnight, don't be upset to find several accidents in the morning. The first few months of doing this are very tiresome, but believe me, she will understand where she's expected to go. All your hard work will pay off, and she won't have accidents in the house when she is older. By the time she's six to eight months old, she will be able to hold her urine six to eight hours overnight, and everything will be easy peasy from that point on.

Good luck (and don't forget to post some pictures when she comes home - who doesn't love puppy pictures?! )!

Kind regards,
WaatWang

However, for the last three+ years, I've been using the method Ray described every month. I go in the bank, swipe the debit card, they take a copy of my passport which I then sign, and they hand over the money with a smile. The exchange rates have been good. My home bank charges me USD $0.95 for a non-network ATM transaction fee, plus 1% of the total amount I withdrew (maybe Ray's is free for his home bank, but this is the fee I incur with my particular credit union).

What you're describing is what's generally known here as a "counter withdrawal" and yes, it can work with foreign VISA or MC logo debit cards just as you've described it.

There's no 150/180 baht Thai bank fee for doing counter withdrawals, but you typically do have to carry along your passport for the transaction.

And, one problem with them has been, not all Thai banks or branches are accommodating to do them. There have been members here who have reported being told by Thai bank staff to instead go out and use the bank's ATMs.

Also, more and more U.S. banks are adding counter withdrawal fees of their own, because U.S. customers in the U.S. have taken to doing them also,as a way to avoid the U.S. ATM fees that most banks charge customers who want to use some other bank company's card.

So, I guess I should ask, what Thai bank have you have a good reception from for doing counter withdrawals?

I typically use SCB or krungsri. I have an account at SCB, so I prefer to do the withdrawl there and then deposit into the SCB account so I'm not carrying around so much cash. But often the lines at SCB are very long, and krungsri is faster.

I used to use Bangkok Bank when I first moved here, then as you mentioned they changed policy and would only do transactions with cards that had the smart chip. But I have also used KBank recently without any issues. I have not tried any of the other banks. For the record, I have done about 95% of these transactions in Pattaya, but the other 5% were up in the boonies of Issan. At these particular banks I've had no problems (knock on wood - may it continue!!).

Once again I do not buy goods with an ATM card I use my bank Debit card (which like a credit card can be used with a PIN at an ATM) I can use my Debit card exactly the same as my Credit Card for buying goods with my signature and 99% of the time I do not need to enter a PIN (sometimes it asks for a PIN but just tell them to wait 30 seconds and it goes through fine). Everything I am telling you is 100% true and I do it this way all of the time. DO not confuse a simple ATM card with a Debit card. Most ATM cards these days, unless you bank is living in the past, even Thai ones like Be First are both Debit cards and ATM cards and I can use my BeFirst Bangkok Bank Thai card for buying goods without a PIN too provided there is money in my account (rarely here) or else it will be rejected at the shop checkout.

Alright, so to resume, you have a debit card does not require a PIN, just signature, to make purchases in a foreign country. And, when inside a foreign bank (or something that is like a bank), can be used to extract cash from your account, again without a PIN.

All that given, would anyone call this "secure" ?

Note, while it's possible to make PINless purchases nowadays, that is called proximity technology, but requires your card to come with an RFID chip, and it works only in selected Point of Sales.

I will not digress on the supposed difference between debit and ATM cards, anyone one can read wikipedia on the matter. Perhaps is an UK only thing, for sure it does not exists into any other country. Proof, can anyone here walk to buy goods with a non-credit card, no PIN, and see if the transaction completes.

One word of warning be VERY careful of using your card PIN (credit or debit card) when buying goods as this is a well known scam along with cloning your card. If they insist on a PIN I will only use it if it is with a bank counter transaction or with a very reliable company when I have not taken my eyes off of my card. 99% of the time I do not have to use my PIN I assure you but good valid ID (Thai driving license or passport) is needed always at the bank counter for drawing cash (maybe PIN too sometimes) on either my credit card or debit card as they are both treated the same and subject to the normal card authorisation as all such transactions are same as shop checkout machines.

Event better, now according to you, "they" the scammers, are store owners with access to a bank retail network, but their actual business is to clone cards using legitimate Point of Sales machines. Again, proof ?

And finally, that inside the bank counter a PIN is required "maybe sometime" to withdraw? Nice to have certainities when it comes to banking and money!

I maybe wrong, but in my opinion is that a loophole exists, to allows one to get money from his foreign account at no cost, is nil.

Paz,

I don't know what home country you do your home banking in, but just want to chime in to back up Ray, who just seems like he's just trying to help out other users.

I am from the US and my money gets direct deposited to a credit union in the US. I have a debit card for that account - it has the Visa logo on it, but it's not a credit card, just a debit card. It does not have a smart chip in it, it just has my name printed on it. There is a pin associated with the account, and when I make a transaction, I can choose to *either* use the pin OR sign for the purchase. Either way, the money is directly debited from my checking account.

Unfortunately, my credit union has a block on it for Thai ATMs, so I can't put this card in any ATM in Thailand and withdraw money using my pin. However, for the last three+ years, I've been using the method Ray described every month. I go in the bank, swipe the debit card, they take a copy of my passport which I then sign, and they hand over the money with a smile. The exchange rates have been good. My home bank charges me USD $0.95 for a non-network ATM transaction fee, plus 1% of the total amount I withdrew (maybe Ray's is free for his home bank, but this is the fee I incur with my particular credit union). If I use this same card at a point-of-sale - like in Tesco or Big C, for example - it's done the same way: they swipe the card and I sign just like I would for a credit card purchase. When I purchase items in store like this, my credit union does *not* charge me the ATM transaction fee, so these types of debit transactions are free. If you require proof further than this, I'm afraid you'll have to meet me at the store and watch me buy something.

Kind regards,

WaatWang

Eye-ron Shep: Iron Chef

Very impressed - they are getting the word out over a month in advance, and posting a well-organized, useful website for more info - imagine that! Looks like a great event - I look forward to checking it out!

Here are a few from our road trip to Nong Khai last year. Road trips are never boring in Thailand - you just never know what you might see!

Hello,

You can try Border Jack Dog Resort and see when their classes are held. They are out near Lake Mabrachan.

http://www.bjdogresort.com/dogtraining.php

Good luck with your new pup!

I am sorry for your loss. I had to have one of my pets creamated after moving here. Muange Ake Vet did it for us. They are open 24-hours and located on Sukhumvit, just near the Tesco Lotus / Outlet Mall. (If you are looking at Tesco from Sukhumvit, it would be just down to the left past the gas station). They charged a fee based on weight, but nowhere near the price I had paid for private pet cremation in the US.

<3

Thank you very much for your reply! OK I'll have to find a map of the BTS and compare to this place I have to get to. Probably a taxi is easiest - I imagine traffic is not *too* bad at 8 AM on a Saturday...

Hello,

I'm not sure if this is the best place for this question, but here goes. I need to get to the vicinity of Lumpini Park very early on Saturday morning. Is there an easy way for me to get there via public transport from Pattaya? I do not drive in Thailand, and I have never taken the BTS. If anyone can offer any advice, I'd sure appreciate it!!

Kind regards,

WaatWang

they have 'pombem' pronouncing any words starting with an "S' followed by a consonant

satop

sanake

sanack, etc.

on another note, the word VIRUS; it sounded like 'by-laws' to me.

Its not a problem, it is how the Thai rules define the saying of these words.

If they are learning English and want to be understood, it *is* a problem.

When I am learning Thai, I don't make excuses about English-speaking rules as they are applied to speaking Thai (i before e except after c...). I try to learn how to pronounce Thai words as closely to the way a Thai speaker would pronounce them. So IMHO - Thai people learning to speak English should do the same.

Like Adryan, I was also stumped when my husband wanted to buy a new flash drive. He got very frustrated with me because I didn't understand!

We are also still working on Ford, Chevrolet, and refrigerator.

Hello LemonCake,

I would highly recommend Siam Country Pet Hospital on Siam Country Club Road. Heading from Sukhumvit, it's very easy to find on the left side of the road, just past the mosque.

After using a couple different vets since I moved here, I have found the vets there to provide the best care for my babies. They take the time to listen, interact with the pets, and are thoughtful about the course of care required. Costs are very reasonable and they speak excellent English.

Website in English and Thai: http://www.siamcountrypet.com

(in case TV kills my link, that's www (dot) siamcountrypet (dot) com)

Phone: 038.413.689

They also do grooming and boarding, but I have never personally used their cat grooming services!

Good luck - 11 pets! - bless you for taking care of all those critters.

Kind regards,

WaatWang

Just a tad too early for Songkran or they might have gotten away with it.

But it's a good thing there weren't any small children on the pier with them - they would have easily been washed away!!

OK, one of these is for my hubby and one is for me, but I'll let you wonder which is for whom.

Has anyone seen in or around Pattaya:

1 - a shop that sells (or rents) comic books? Can be in Thai or English language.

2- a shop that does piercings on cartilage? (If you can recommend from personal experience, all the better!)

TV users have always come through for me before - here's hoping the trend continues!

Many thanks,

WaatWang

Hi Krusty,

How is he with other dogs around the same size?

Kind regards,

WaatWang

Thank you both for your help - and just in the nick of time! I am heading out to find Pooh now.

Kind regards,

WaatWang

Hello,

Just this morning I found out that I need to go to a party tonight, and the birthday girl loves Winnie the Pooh. Does anyone know where to buy Disney merchandise in Pattaya? Seems I remember seeing a Disney store, but maybe I'm thinking of the Warner Bros store in the outlet. If you have any good leads for me, I'd sure appreciate it!

Kind regards,

WaatWang

I would not find it difficult to believe that many expats wish there was no Songkran, so I would not consider the OP to be disingenuous. People may wish (secretly or not-so-secretly) that there was no Songkran if they had their dithers, but they would definitely be wrong to think that will change anything! I'd imagine such a person may not fully embrace Thai culture, and are among those that leave the country every year to avoid Songkran entirely. Since it's not a celebration they grew up with, I imagine they simply hate that their day-to-day life in paradise is disrupted by the many inconveniences that Songkran presents.

I personally LOVE Songkran and voted for a 7-day celebration. Glad you took part and had fun, Rintein - Happy New Year to you and the wife!

Hello Phuturatica,

Yes, you can add me to the list of happy relationships. Have been with my hubby now for 2.5 years. Married unofficially (village ceremony) 2 ys ago, and officially (registration & wedding) 1 year ago. Just as happy now as when we first met, when we were introduced by a mutual (Thai) friend. I like to say living with him is as easy as breathing, our personalities just mesh together perfectly. Last year, he initiated an interest in moving to the US, so we've now officially applied for his visa and are waiting for approval. Hopefully he will like it as much as he thinks he will. He promises to shovel snow (because I hate it!) so I'm planning to milk that for all it's worth!

Best of luck to you,

WaatWang

@jjjthai - I had the same issue as you. I tried to use OB for a long time because I don't like generating extra waste, but I could never get them to stay in right and they were incredibly uncomfortable! Plus the obvious problem of them being very messy without an applicator. Definitely not something I want to deal with - especially in Thailand where there may or may not be soap available in the bathroom - don't get me started!

I am really surprised that there are no other kinds of tampons for sale in BKK. Here in Pattaya there are several places I can buy Playtex brand tampons (both regular and super). One of the places is Central in the grocery section - might want to give them a try as I believe there are several in BKK - ? Good luck...

Thank you Lucky and Marstons!

Have to check out homes on Soi SCC then...how far up do the baht buses go? As far as the Lake or to around what Soi, do you happen to know?

I am not familiar with Pong, but there was one home in Nongprue that I saw. I'll put that one on the short list to check out!

Many thanks,

WaatWang

Hello,

We have unexpectedly found ourselves in need of a new home with little notice. I started looking online and it seems like the greatest value (and multitude!) of homes are in the Khao Tao Lo / Khao Noi area. Unfortunately, we don't have a car, and I can't drive a motorbike to save my life. Could anyone tell me if either of these streets are regular routes for sorng thaews (aka baht buses - B10 / fare)? Otherwise, I think I'll have a hard time maintaining my social life.

Any experience using these on the dark side? If they even exist, how often do they run? (Like maybe similar to S. Pattaya Rd between 2nd Rd & Sukhumvit, where there are a few and they start one place & wait for them to fill up then run up & back - ?) Have you found service is unavailable at certain times of the day, or on certain days of the week?

Many thanks in advance for your replies!

Kind regards,

WaatWang