kosh

So yes, while I expect and hope to stay here for a long time, given the broad environment here, I prefer to keep most of my eggs back in my former home.

That's for sure, Euro is at 1.50 dollars......

And i got a free dual entry Visa that will cover ATM fees for moe than six month...

But the original use of ATM was to avoid going around with too much cash to reduce risk, now only big withdraw and a big safety box...

I bought a new laptop for 30k here is samui, and couldn't believe it when it turned out it didn't have a real copy, for that kinda $ you expect it to come with the original!

Every major brand (HP, Acer, Asus) has a contract with MS and it has to put a oem copy of windows on every notebook, disk and manuals are extra, usually there is a hidden partition for a recovery.

Only white box no name can sell a notebook without windows, but i will not buy it. The primary brands are crappy enough.....

For 30k in Italy you could buy 2 asus netbook or one with big screen....and we have 20% VAT, Thailand seems not good for computers....

Microsoft and the manufacturers would be breaking EU and Thai laws under the scheme you suggest. I am correct in thinking that ALL means 100% and not just part of the product range.

The laws are in place for consumers how already own or wish to use a different operating system. Please check before engaging the keyboard.

In Italy every retail notebook has the oem sticker on the bottom and i have to pay for Windows even if i have another license.

To stay on EU rule there is a procedure for sending back the OS but i think nobody got at the final stage alive....

On the other end how Tesco can send back at home a person with a notebook without an OS? To use it as a mirror counting on the shitty mirror TFT everybody use on them????

Be aware its 13 hrs in v small seats

If delayed note trains end around 0030 but there are coaches to golders green Victoria and Liverpool street all night

Just take an aspirin and a sleeping pill....

Arrival time is a no way for flight connection, and a night in London for waiting for a RyanAir flight cancel any advantage of AA, air berlin in low season is cheap and much much better....

Oooh, for me, HomePro is like going to the big city

Speaking of fever i was expecting the body count of Samui for Swine Flu

Here in Italy we are in full panic mode, nothing on the isalnds?

I bought a new laptop for 30k here is samui, and couldn't believe it when it turned out it didn't have a real copy, for that kinda $ you expect it to come with the original!

Every major brand (HP, Acer, Asus) has a contract with MS and it has to put a oem copy of windows on every notebook, disk and manuals are extra, usually there is a hidden partition for a recovery.

Only white box no name can sell a notebook without windows, but i will not buy it. The primary brands are crappy enough.....

For 30k in Italy you could buy 2 asus netbook or one with big screen....and we have 20% VAT, Thailand seems not good for computers....

According to Windguru the rain has came, all week long....

Its no big deal. Now have a decent excuse for a day or two in Amsterdam bedore flying to BKK.

I guess the worst hit will be direct flights with BA, EVA and Thai.

Never had to wait more than 2 hours for a connection in the nice Amsterdam airport.

Also best price on EU on electronics....

I had absolutely no way of explaining to anyone that I support her. I think the way of explaining under Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs Visa regulations is referred to as 'marriage'.

You just don't seem to understand. Marriage is irrelevant as far as tourist visas go. As I said ealier, there is no way to petition to anyone in the Vientiane Consulate.

The point I was making is that they are clamping down on SE Asians applying for tourist visas because they consider them as a high risk for working illegally.

There is no way to prove to anyone that you will not or don't need to work, or any way to prove that the chances of you working are small. The decision is based purely on nationality and your visa history.

Have you tryed going on the embassy in her native country?

Every time I go to the thai embassy in my country they always ask : What visa do you like?

Microsoft police raided internet points and restaurant in KPG in the last few days, making difficult for the tourist to find and internet shop open. Fine for an illegal OS is 60.000 baht...

Just a question: Why this happens in the very same days of the world's launch of the new OS Windows 7?

Microsoft police? Only in Thailand..

Italy has more Windows fake than Thailand but fortunately all new pc have an original OEM copy...

No insurance over 6 month, technically after 6 month you are resident in another country

I've checked BUpa and the non resident plan for 6 month costs for 50year around 20.000b, max coverage only 1mil b,aht not cheap.

You should try Thai Visa Insurance - their Broker got me a BUPA 6 month travel plan for 6,000 Baht and that was 2m Baht coverage

Your plan is for travel outside Thailand for no more than 60 days each trip.

Anyone know of a better solution than Bupa Sunshine Plan?

You should have a great holiday but just make sure to wear your bullet proof vest and that your medical insurance is up to date .

I think you mixed up Carabbean and Samui, here a t-shirt is ok, nobody is going around with machine gun like on Dominican republic....

Providing you have an actual Visa you will be OK

If you do not the airline may not let you on the flight.

But to get a turist visa you must give a copy of a round trip ticket to the embassy, in italy at least....

On VOA the airline will never take you.....

I asked if any flight out of Thailand would be enough and the answer was yes, so next time i'll wait for the international return and buy a cheap airasia out of thailand.

A joke actually.

Didn't know that comedy was forbidden. Sorry.

-quote

English is not everyone's native language. So in my book taking advantage of this is sarcasm & not comedy.

I guess the vast majority of people on this forum do not use english as prime language so any jokes should used with translation....

or better avoided.......

Regarding thai words personally i'd like them translated, so i can increase my thai vocabulary practically at zero level....

Use the walking street at the airport as a model for Chaweng Beach Road, with access for deliveries at certain times of the day (early morning would be best).

Taxi and Mini Buses only have access when picking up or dropping off. No taxis parked all the way along all day and constantly beeping at everyone (even me when i have just got off my bike !!!), this should then increase trade for all the bars, restaurants and shops that are based there.

Provide somewhere for people to park either their cars or bikes both day and night time.

It's a start and can be replicated in Lamai etc.

The idea is good but using the airport street as a model is a bit crazy. I've never saw an airport on a tropical place make people do check in in one place, next go out under the sun for a long walking street with again security and the entrance to the real terminal.

The designer were obviously from a mental hospital.

But for lamai and Chaweng beach street closing at evening make sense, just let bike and taxi only in defined parking spot.

Surf,

Apparently SCB differentiates between "cash advances" with a credit card and POS cash withdrawal with a debit card. The former is where they charge the usurious DCC rate. The latter, they don't -- possibly because at least one of the majors (Visa or MC) has said "no DCC" allowed with their debit card.

See HERE for same discussion on another thread.

This is very good news, my european bank said it cannot control what will happen with an ATM card outside an ATM transaction .

And i will NEVER get cash from an ATM without an open BIG bank behind the machine......

So a trip at my preferred bank, SCB will next month solve the mistery....

A second airport...

With 2 runaways long enough for an A380 of course.

Schedule will be one monthly trip, only peak season

meter taxi, law and order, proper zoning, 1000 baht air fare, a good start

No taxi, max speed 50 km/h, air fare minimum 5000b, no new building for 10 years, bar lower sound after midnight......

That is the normal policy at many consulates. 3 months for single and 6 months for 2 or more.

Yes, but in the home country of the person asking the visa.

I really do not understand why a consulate in Laos can legally give me a turist visa, i have italian passport....

In Laos they should give other visa and tourist visa for Lao citizen only.

The visa situation in Thailand is a total mess........

Europe Asistance in Italy costs around 250E for max 3 month trip.

No insurance over 6 month, technically after 6 month you are resident in another country

I've checked BUpa and the non resident plan for 6 month costs for 50year around 20.000b, max coverage only 1mil b,aht not cheap.

You should try Thai Visa Insurance - their Broker got me a BUPA 6 month travel plan for 6,000 Baht and that was 2m Baht coverage

I did, Thaivisa give me the standard Bupa Sunshine plan at 20.000. I will not travel outside thailand, so i need coverage only in the country.

For traveling around Europe Assistance is still better even if outside Belgium they cost 5 times more...strange contry Belgium..

I think we can clear up this topic by agreeing that Lamai is very quiet because it's low season, and it will stay this way until December 20th. No suprises, as it's the same every year. No one coming here on holiday should expect anything except perhaps some heavy bouts of rain over the next few weeks. The only suprise would be if somewhere on the island was actually busy at this time of year.

The real question is how quiet Lamai will be after 10 jan...

Oil is going up, all airline are technically broken, in europe every day a factory close down....

Judging by the number of forum posts per day Samui must be really dead.

Still waiting for a shower? Windguru says tomorrow you can have it outside ...

I checked with my italian bank and for then no POS transaction is allowed outside Euro zone.

So they think it will be treated the same as cash advance with Visa/MC card....

Next month i'll try

That's a crazy policy imo and yet another indication of how the banks around the world try and rip off their customers.If you are getting cash over the counter with a Debit Card(which you have sufficient funds in) i.e. your money why the hel_l should your issuing bank treat it the same as a cash advance using a Visa/MCard cash advance?..They're just blatantly ripping off the customer with interest and fees for using your own money not theirs.

My bank has simply no idea how a POS transaction outside euro could work.

For them probably it will be an ATM job even if done by a person.

If the system cannot handle the transaction it will default to mastercard....

I have to test it, nobody was thinking about using a person to do a machine work

(machine are cheap, people not....thailand is a bit crazy......)

If you have a card with Bangkok Bank and take your money from an ATM from another bank in Thailand, you will be charged 20bt. Not if you use BB's ATM.

And what is the point?

Nearly every bank on the planet will do the same......in Italy is 2E even on the same city.

Well, we comin to Samui and today i found out there are huge problems with outcomin traffic on whole Samui, so while incomin traffic do well over 2mb/s outcmoin traffic doin only 0.2 mb/s on the very same intenet plan, this is very very awful, im using remote administrator and have only 0.2 of outcomin traffic is not acceptable. Is there any places, areas on Samui which covered by some wifi/adsl pproviders and have good, solid connection?

Thank u

The most popular wifi provider have 512/128k, but even in Europe standard 4mbit adsl is usually 256k upload.......

The worst in Thailand is the latency to europe....

Absolutely,

Not Scandinavian, Belgian contract, they must be active in other European countries?

see http://www.europ-assistance.be/F/produit/prestige for details, in French though

and for the 180 days coverage it's possible to extend beyond 180 days by paying a certain premium, but travelling to Belgium every 5 months suits me well, regardless cost:

To the OP:

I don't think Thai insurance will be cheaper, depending your age and coverage premium will be from 20K baht upwards.

I know an older guy, +65 years old who pays in excess of 60K Baht and you can't subscribe when +60

Also don't think any Thai company will cover for 1.250.000 euro medical costs (+60 million Thai Baht)

Europe Asistance in Italy costs around 250E for max 3 month trip.

No insurance over 6 month, technically after 6 month you are resident in another country

I've checked BUpa and the non resident plan for 6 month costs for 50year around 20.000b, max coverage only 1mil b,aht not cheap.