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koolbreez
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OK, you got your passport. Now you can book your plane, as most require a passport number for international travel.
For money, the best deal after you get here is to use $500 american express travels checks, if your bank sells them to you for free. There is a fee on each check of bt30+bt3 stamp fee when you cash them in here, so you want to change the largest denomination checks you can get, and that is the $500 size (if your bank sells them to you without an extra charge, most banks do. If you change 5 $100 size checks you get charged 5x the fees.
The other thing to use is your ATM card. The only fee is the bt150, and maybe a.50 cent charge by your bank, but it is the exact moment exchange rate, and yes money changers change the rate constantly, it is a floating currency. There is a difference between the rate for cash, and for TCs, and it is not always the best for TCs but most of the time it is, so also bring $100 US bills with you, then you have everything covered in case something happens.
You want to plan on NOT using your credit card unless you absolutely have too. There are many many CC rip offs, and the exchange rate + the usually 3% fee makes them the worst exchange rate of all the money forms you have a choice of using.
I personally had my CC scammed by a legitimate gold shop in China Town on my second visit here. It only cost me the first $50 by my credit card company, but there were $6000 in charges made on it by the time I returned. They used their copy to sell my numbers to a Singapore ring. I have traded lots of gold over the years.
$500 size TCs are much much cheaper than using a CC, and cheaper than ATM fees of bt150 ($5US). They are what you want to plan on using as your main money if you can get them with no extra fee from your bank. The next is cash, but you know the risks with cash.
A very good hotel to use for your first time here is the Manhattan Hotel on Sukhumvit soi 15. (Sukhumvit soi SIP HAA to a taxi driver, or anyone else gets you there, or you just hand them the hotel's card) It is bt1500 a night, or less, booked as a double, and includes a good breakfast buffet. All the rooms have been remodeled in the last few years so it is no longer run down, and all the construction next to it is done so it is quiet.
It is also girl friendly if you book a double (if you don't book a double then you get charged bt300 if you bring a girl back). It has plenty of hot water, an in-room safe large enough for a laptop, good honest maid service that will change your towels, and shower caps more than once a day if you are nice to them, a funky pool area, a very good tour agency inside the lobby, foot massage shop right next door, daily newspaper in English, AND it is half way between NANA Plaza, and Soi Cowboy, right in the middle of everything, with the BTS/MRT just 3 blocks away in either direction.
It is a great hotel for your first visit, as it is also easy to show a taxi drivers where it is. It is about 50 yards back off the main Sukhumvit, with a 24 hour minimart between it, and the street for whatever as you're returning.
Others will recommend different hotels, but most will be hard to find, or out of the way for what you want to do. This is right in the middle of it all, and nice with a good breakfast buffet included (eggs cooked to order type of buffet). I put my brother-in-law up there last March, so this is recent info.
February is right at the end of the high season so prices will be on the higher end of all the scales. The flooding has cut down on the number of tourists quite a bit right now at the start of the high season, but in February it will be a different story with numbers returning to normal for that time of year.
There is shooting ranges in quite a few places, with all types of weapons, but the prices are high at about 4x the normal cost of bullets by the box, with a minimum. Plan on spending in the $70US+ range at the least.
If you want to go into Cambodia you can shoot a waterbuffalo with a.50 caliber machine gun at $15.00US a bullet, with a minimum of $1500US....lolol, not in Thailand though, at least not with a.50 caliber. The price of waterbuffalos has dropped since most use hand tractors now.
Transportation in getting around is very easy, you won't have any problems, and it is cheap. You can use a taxi to go anywhere you want in the city for under $4 including the tip.
If your airplane gets here, and you get out of customs, and immigration before 10:30pm, you can get to any hotel in the lower Sukhumvit area (if you have only one bigger suitcase) for bt70 by using the BTS city line from the airport, and it is real easy to do. You change to the Sukhmvit line at the next to the last stop, and get off in 4, or 5 stops at either the NANA, or Asoke stations. It is very easy to do, but if you get in at the more normal after midnight times, use the taxi outside on level #1. The attendant will ask your hotel, and give the location written to the driver, and they do use the meter so you won't get ripped off with a larger charge. You pay the 2 tolls, and the bt50 extra for the airport tax so don't be surprised. At the first toll hand the driver a bt100 note, and he will hand the change back to you.
Again on money. At the airport when you get there, and after you leave the immigration area to the left you will find the closest ATM machines, draw out bt15000 (That is usually your banks max individual daily withdrawal amount), then go to the nearest money exchange counter/booth you see right next to them, and change one of the bt1000 notes into smaller bills, then head for the taxi stand, or the BTS on the very bottom floor.
When you get to your hotel, and are checking in they will want your passport to make a copy (it's the law), ask them to make you an extra copy. This copy is what you will carry with you everywhere for your ID, you do not carry your passport with you except to change travelers checks, you keep it locked up in the safe all the time. You only carry, and use the copy for ID, I've even been able to exchange travelers checks with a copy of my passport. You do not want to loose your passport, it cost too much to get, and it costs too much to replace. Any dance club like Q-bar that requires ID to get in will accept the copy.
This should be enough for you to come up with more relevant questions now....lolol.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 12:46 pm on Dec. 19, 2011
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koolbreez
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Oh, I forgot to mention. Although a top of the line smart phone for $300+ would be nice, you don't rally need it. You can pick up a new Nokia smart phone, with a long battery life for $70 or less, then a DTAC (Happy) sim card for bt49. Top up cards are from bt50-bt300, you do not need to spend $30US in top ups. for two weeks you'll be lucky if you use bt300 worth at bt5 a text message. I have both a True, and a Dtac sim card, and True sends me 3-5 spam messages a day with the first one at 9am every single day. With Dtac I get maybe one a week. Just something to think about, and depending on where you will be staying, I can give you directions that will be the closest to you to get a hpone if you want one. It is nice to text to stay in touch with people here.
All the other stuff is nice, but as it looks the only time you will use a phone is while you are in Thailand, and not at home.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 1:08 pm on Dec. 19, 2011
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DaffyDuck
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If you call TRUE customer service (1175) and request to have your marketing preferences turn off advertisements, you will receive no spam. I have had a TRUE card for 2 years now, and have not received a single spam message, ever.
The $30 top-up recommendation was to include an internet / 3G plan, which on a smartPhone would be a necessity. Read the reasons I gave for the smartPhone - otherwise, for just a phone any cheap Nokia will do.
I feel ML will be better served by a smartPhone and numerous apps, to assist him in communicating with his Thai hosts. He's deaf, remember?
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 1:50 am on Dec. 20, 2011
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koolbreez
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Thanks, never knew about that. It's not listed on the website....lolol.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 4:25 am on Dec. 20, 2011
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DrLove
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I don't think they want anybody to know. But, yes, any of three providers offers a possibility to stop spam in your inbox.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 8:59 am on Dec. 20, 2011
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DaffyDuck
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For what it's worth, AIS is the provider that makes it the hardest to stop their SPAM. It took continuous, repeat and diligent efforts with AIS customer service to make the spam stop.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 2:29 pm on Dec. 20, 2011
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massageslave
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Massage Slave was having a bad couple of days, and trouble finding an acceptable flight. Finally gave up and took the plunge on a somewhat awkward arrangement.
American Airline to Tokyo at a really bad time, from New York.
Thai Airline from Tokyo to Bangkok (good connection wait time, but arrival time is 2200, which is like a total waste of a day.
21 days later, Thai Airline to Tokyo, PERFECT departure time.
14 hour connection wait in Tokyo... Not good, but MIGHT be able to turn that into an interesting visit of Japan? who knows...
American airline back to New York, good arrival time for getting back to Washington D.C., which is where I live.
The whole thing is really aggravating because I had a better setup with Emirate airline that fell through because of my credit card blocking the charge (see previous posting), and this above trip is actually nearly 150 dollars more. But, f*** it, I will still get to Bangkok, right?
Lots of response with the idea of the phone thing, but the problem is that they don't appear to be cheap. Please keep in mind (or, learn for the first time here) that I personally don't use a phone in any shape or form... Voice, text, video, etc. Basically have no one to talk to anyway (I did mention 11 years without sex, right? There's a REASON for that)... So, I was shocked when everyone is talking about phones that cost a lot of money, etc. Basically, at this time, I am going to probably not get a phone at all, sorry. They DO have paper pads at the hotels, right?
Speaking of hotel, I got in touch with saucytim as I said, and he recommended Darjelling Boutique. Looks fine, but I am not sure I want to stay there all 21 days. In a message to me, someone else recommended the Manhatten Hotel Bangkok (which looks good, but a little expensive). Any other suggestions?
Well, the plane ticket is finally taken care of, and perhaps that will lower my nerves over the trip over all. Thanks to everyone for the constant encouragement.
40 days until start of trip, 41.9 days until arrival in Bangkok for first ever LOS trip. 42.5 days until lose virginity for second time?
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:47 pm on Dec. 21, 2011
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Quim
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MS, I recommend that you book a hotel in BKK for the first view days, at most a week, and then leave the rest open. It is easy to book hotels over the internet when you are there. And when you are there, you can always go by and check out the hotel in person, should you care.
This also leaves open the possibility of going down to Pattaya for a few days, something I highly recommend. I personally can't go to LOS without having both PTY and BKK. They are like two different mistresses. One is trashy and unpredictable, and often a wild ride, the other is complex and sexy and usually all GFE.
As for phones, don't worry about it too much. I never had a phone the first few years I went to LOS, and it was fine. You will have enough to think about as it is. And more than enough fun either way.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 9:03 pm on Dec. 21, 2011
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massageslave
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Thanks Quim, I appreciate the recommendation to relax about the dang phone. I will now do so. heck, if NECESSARY, I can always get online at a internet cafe place and ask for you guys to help if I change my mind about it while at Bangkok. 8^)
JUST a few minutes ago finished up ordering three nights at Darjelling, thru Tim's website. I agree about checking the places out in person, and also I have been flipping in my decision about Pattaya, so not reserving all 21 days would allow me a chance to get to Pattaya if I so choose. I am sure from previous interaction with him, that saucytim will be helpful even then.
By the way, which one (Bangkok or Pattaya) is the GFE? Grin. That's what I would like.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:20 pm on Dec. 21, 2011
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