kosh

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

Good advice for tourist type folks who are staying in hotels in tourist areas....

But be aware, some U.S. banks (I can't speak to the European ones) have begun charging "counter withdrawal" fees to their card holders, when you try to withdraw funds using your bank card at some other bank. Those include Chase (3% or $5, whichever is greater) and Wells Fargo (a fixed $3 charge) Banks.

For european bank the situation is not very clear.

Use of a debt card in a POS in Euro is free, but nobody knows what will happen outside eurozone.

I hope it will work or it will be 5E for every ATM transaction, in SAmui i will only use an ATM with an open bank in the back.....

All banks are different and have their own charges.My post referred to using the Nationwide Debit Card(Visa) UK issued which charges 0.84%(Passed on by Visa).The 0.84% is taken out of the exchange rate by Visa/Nationwide.My reason for asking for a cash advance at the window with my passport used as proof of who i am was to avoid the 150 Baht Thai ATM fee.I checked on my online banking a few days later and their were no 'counter withdrawal' fees.

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

Good advice for tourist type folks who are staying in hotels in tourist areas....

But be aware, some U.S. banks (I can't speak to the European ones) have begun charging "counter withdrawal" fees to their card holders, when you try to withdraw funds using your bank card at some other bank. Those include Chase (3% or $5, whichever is greater) and Wells Fargo (a fixed $3 charge) Banks.

For european bank the situation is not very clear.

Use of a debt card in a POS in Euro is free, but nobody knows what will happen outside eurozone.

I hope it will work or it will be 5E for every ATM transaction, in SAmui i will only use an ATM with an open bank in the back.....

"""""Ie I wouldn't pay the same amount for a Ferrari as I would for a Toyota"""""

I think , you wouldnt get a ferrari for the same amount as for a Toyota....?

Of course, on Samui road Toyota are much more reliable than Ferrari cars....

Ho about a small Suzuky, 3 month price. I haven't found a Suzuky dealer for used car on the web....

I recently purhased a plot in Samui at 40% lower than when it was 1st advertised 3 years ago and a friend bought a 2 bed house earlier this year at almost 50% less than it was advertised last year. Both were through an agent.

I assume you and your friend have a Thailand passport.

Or I would never use the term "buy" if the things bought is not 100% legally mine forever........you could say long term rent of a plot or house.....

Hi, those who are interested please note Berjaya Air of Malaysia

introduces flights twice a week from Samui to Kuala Lumpur!

From Koh Samui (USM) To Kuala Lumpur (SZB)

From Kuala Lumpur (SZB) To Koh Samui (USM)

Price (ราคาตั๋ว)

From Koh Samui (USM) To Kuala Lumpur (SZB-Subang)

Adult (ผู้ใหญ่) USD 100 USD 15 USD 1.25

What is the point of another flight from a carrier owned by Malaysia Airline and to Subang??????

Firefly was not enough?

Gee, Samui continue to have very bad connection exiting Thailand. For everything always an expensive trip di BKK....

why is it tho, that if you want to party the night away in lamai, you have to wait till 3am onwards for the club/s to fill??? in chaweng you can party from 11.30pm and not have to sit around in dead beer bars wiating till 3am for abit of atmosphere!

When I first visited Thailand there was an evening/night clock: at 12.00 MIDNIGHT sharp ALL bars, clubs and other venture closed. ALL of them, including in Pattaya, Pat Pong/BKK, Phuket etc.

I have to say that the boozing started earlier, around 5.00/6.00PM but it's strange to notice that even in those days there were 24 hours in a day

Well, probably midnight is a bit early but closing empty bar at 3am does not make any sense at all.

And in the morning in low season (now 10 months a year...) is difficult to find an open bar at 11 am for breakfast.

I like Lamai but it is not getting better, apart Tesco.....

The time zone used in Thailand also is not helping, down at 6 am is useless, better move one hour later like Malesia, so un hour more sun in the evening...

It's sold as "fractional ownership".

You pay your 11.8 million and then you must come and help to clear the land.

Hurry up, It is going to be finished in Dec 2009.

Why clear the land? The forest will be back soon and we all lovers of Samui will thanxs the crisis for the help saving the island from concrete.

... especially if you want to return something... which I tried to do today, with 2 extra gbs of Ram that my Mac would not take (I had hoped to go from 1.5 to 4, but my Imac won't take four gbs, so now have 2 at least & Snow Leopard installed) ....

Memory upgrade on notebook are usually done in the shop, to avoid compatibility returns....

And i'd never understood USA policy of free goods return for no reason, it means somebody will have to buy used stuff and pay more the new one....same problem for repair, swap or wait......

yes more expensive, houses beer food every thing, but then again every thing has to come over by ferry and Samui people are the most greedy i have ever met. recession no customer put price up make more money.

Let see how many "family store" will close after Tesco is in Lamai....

who's the desingner of the signs and the roundabout with the deer's

Nice design, but I see only dolphins and a monkey.....

In EU i think 5 (five) aspirin will cost 5euro....so.....

That sounds excessive:

It costs 10 euros — about $15 — for a package of 50 aspirins at the local drugstore in Bonn, Germany!

-- Where Aspirins Cost $15, NYT

Now you know how to pack for that trip home....

Germany very cheap......

In Italy farmacy still have a monopoly....

I remember the 5 apririn becouse at the time they were the brand new cardio type......

And anyway i never bought non prescription drugs in my country, cost in US is so low, last week Wallgreens was selling aspirin and ibuprofen at 1$ per bottle....

But Samui seems not cheap, i saw basic pain killers sold one by one instead of 100x bottle......

I happened to be looking at the Bangkok Airways Web site and noticed this:

Oct. 5, 6 and 7 flights from Bangkok to Samui are basically all open.

The same dates from Samui to Bangkok are all full.

If I didn't know better, I'd think that people know something that I don't. Is there some Nostradamus thing going on? Are we going to sink into the Gulf of Thailand?

Here is Oct. 6:

Doc3.pdf

I think the Samui- Bkk flights are actually reduced for low season & they use the "full" in lieu of cancelled.They also block all . so you go & book there & pay for full fare , the only one they can get you

Ageed, i booked mid november and i'd never had to wait 3 hours in bangkok......

very few flight, in december every hour one flight, no waiting, good service....

but anyway apart me nobody would come to a rainy island in november... just becouse the international flight are cheap....

My bill from Samui's largest hospital for 50 x 40mg tablets Lasix and 50 x 60 mg Aspirin, total Baht 1260

My bill from Muangthong Thani Pharmacy, Bangkok for the same as above, Baht 350.

Drugs prices are different on every market due to regulations and coverage from government programs....

I have still unopened a bottle of 500x325mg aspirin from Wallgreens San Francisco, 3,99USD plus tax.

In EU i think 5 (five) aspirin will cost 5euro....so.....

But in EU we pay less expensive stuff.....

In Asia the cost is secondary to the original packing, I leave to the chinese aspirin made in china....

Suggestion to Thai immigration: LOWER the age requirement for the retirement extensions. Then any of the back to backers who have the moolah can put an end to all this foolishness.

Oh That would be fantastic!! Doubt it will ever happen though

Nice but call it with another name....

Retirement age in EU is around 65..

The best cheapest place for food (in my opinion) in Lamai is a place called "In-chai" - It's next to Buddy across the road from No-Name / Tapee Bungalows.

The food is outstanding! and cheap! Very nice people as well. I'm sure Bridge will be on this thread in a minute. I heard he's their best customer!...

Matt.

With most dishes between 40-50THB, run by a super nice family, always fresh, it is pretty hard to beat.

For those that know Island Books, it is just near the entrance right on the ring road.

Singha bottle included?

Just make sure you use someone reliable, apparently nailing roof supports holding 200 kg per sq metre doesn't work in my case.

The builders must be used to asbestos tiles, very light

I must say this is the first case i know where normal roof tiles can kill before asbetos ones......

As for the USD...I am interested to see if 76 holds. If not it could be a fast drop to 72 no?

Which would put the EUR back up to 1.55-60 and the THB to 30.

What amaze me is the thai baht going up even against the dollar.

If the BOT is buying dollars to get that stupid results they have choosen to ruin the country....

If it is by market demand ok, thailand is a small country.....

Sounds like you are more interested in indoor activities, OP. November is when the flooding happens. The amount of rainfall at times can be awesome. But the bargirls are drip dry back in your room

According to locals, Lamai never floods and when i go to a bar I usually ask for a cappuccino before realizing it is full of girls too joung not even able to make one

enjoy SAMUI during november......

http://www.weather.go.th/en/province_stat....ionNumber=48550

i hope you own a boat for use these time....

(better stay away from SAMUI in november)

Chayaphum

Very old numbers, and december can be worse, like last one.....

Well i hope to find a bar for breakfast, december flights are expensive so this year i'll arrive early in november.

At least it rains like in europe but with 20 degree more

BTW how was the summer season, forum very quiet....

Apply for a 1 year non-o, based on visiting friends instead.

1 year but border run every 90 days?

hello guys.

here I go.

During the year 2009 I've been in thai on various tourist visas (from malaysia and laos ambassys).

Now I'm back in italy (for 3 weeks) but i have a flight back to thailand scheduled for september the 26th.

Is there somebody on thaivisa (italian or not) who can tell me if I can have a 3 months

(2+1) visa at thai consulate of Milan or, since i did stay many months on a tourist visa in thailand

this year, they could decide to not give me a visa?

I'm a bit worried.

Thanks in advance

IKO

No problem.

2 photos, ticket a/r and 10 minutes.

...UE stands for United Emirates...

I thought it was United Arab Emirates or UAE for short. When I read UE I figured it was used as the Italian or French abbreviation for the European Union, but it is really not clear what that poster meant.

Well, in italian language the EU is the UE....

Talk about getting off track from the topic. I think it is safe to say most people reading this thread are waiting to hear from someone who has actually been to Laos etc in the last couple of days, and if they have been knocked back for a TV.

So far all we have is 20 odd pages of pretty much useless <deleted>... Western human rights, kids copying drawings back in kindergarden, early retirements, first time TV's... DOES ANYONE HAVE SOMETHING USEFUL TO ADD..???? The suspense is killing me...

From Samui forum:

Am just in Penang at the moment to get Non B Visa (successful), however friends who are here alongside many others are being rejected tourist visas. 7 in the hotel i am staying in yesterday- today not know how many- other hotels,agencies again numbers are not know. Reason being they are told that no longer can you have a 30 day extension from Thailand. This has only been implied i was told during the last 2 months.

This information is only what i have been told by the hotel and by people that have been rejected- i am sure others who have returned from Penang recently can update/advise others.

Extension for your Tourist Visa isn't an issue at all

That's because we have to pay 1900 Baht for extensions. How much are the disputed Visas themselves now? Oh yeah, free!

So tomorrow I can go to a Thai embassy in UE and ask for a free 3 entry turist Visa? i'll believe it when i see the stamp

I'm sure they will give free maybe only a standard Visa, one entry......