Thailand forum

hello can only help you with question one as i am in the process of pre-trip planning.

the best option is the wizard clear advantage mastercard absolutly no fees what so ever, you just load up your own funds on the card and use it like a debit card at atms. There have been some issues with people overdrawing in their billing cycle and having their card locked.

the second best option is NABs Gold Visa Debit it has a $10 monthly account fee and no more fees therafter. the $10 fee is waived if you deposit $5000 in per month (been told that you can just pop $5000 in the account and pull it out a few days later and the fee will be waived)

hope this is helpful, also sorry if there is any erros in the info, as it is from research and not from first hand experience.

1. After a certain amount of time it makes sense to get a Thai bank account, pay a one-time wire fee to bring a chunk of funds in and then pay zero transaction fees if you use your bank's ATMs (20 baht if another Thai bank). However foreigners can't always walk in and get a bank account. You must be on a visa of some kind first (tourist visa good enough) but they may want more, like a residency certificate (500b at Immigration), and it helps to walk into the branch initially with a local somebody they "know". It may also vary from branch to branch even with the same bank.

2. Assuming your going to misplace/lose your license is the wrong attitude. Don't store it under the bike seat. Keep it on you as you would banking cards, passport, etc. Consider getting a Thai drivers license which isn't all that hard as long as your Aussie one is current. Quick medical ceritficate from the local quack, residency certificate as above in #1, and a quick & easy 3-part practical test (you try until you pass). Issued same day with your photo, gets you local price at national parks and a tad more respect at checkpoints. Can show off for mates back home.

3. Have insurance on the bike, use a chain lock anywhere dodgy, and never leave your wallet/ipod under the seat.

4. Now you're getting silly

5. Motorbike rental can indeed be dodgy, in terms of insurance coverage, theft, alleged damage, etc. and if you give them your passport as security they can hold you for ransome. I know it's a pain but read the fine print (in English) about your liability, note (photograph even) any existing damage, and as above chain lock the bike whenever you leave it for more than a few minutes. Ultimately it can come down to the renter and their level of honesty/fairness, but you have to judge for yourself which is an advantage of sticking in one place and getting to know the locals. Buying your own bike is a worthwhile consideration and fairly easy process.

6-7. I dunno

8. Yeah you can draw income from overseas. How do you think most of us survive?

9. Dunno but probably yes

10. I have yet to see a breathaliser test in Thailand and checkpoints are mostly just for helmets/license/ID card. Yes loads of people drive drunk and cops only might stop people if they're blatantly stumbling all over the road. The very same cops can go off duty for happy hour (6pm-3am) then drive home drunk & helmetless. TIT. Nice that you are concerned, but the best you can do is preserve your own self - drive sober and defensively, wear helmet, take it easy, always give way to idiots, etc. Note the presence of chalk outlines at intersections each morning-after. Once you've seen a few dead guys with their brains falling out it's hard to forget.

Hey guys - had intermittent wi-fi access over the past couple of days, hence the slow response. Anyhow...

Thanks for the info.

That piece of $h1t bike I rented got a flat last night when I was several kilo's away from home. A masseuse rented me her bike with a bit of haggling for 100 so I wouldn't ruin my night, but today I had to have it carted to a repair shop for a tyre replacement at a whopping 250. 10 bucks Aussie is nothing to complain about after the speedy service I received, but it's a lotta moula for Thailand and suddenly the bargain 900 baht a week bike has an extra 350 worth of expenses on it. Would it be worth mentioning to the guy I rented it from (also an Aussie) or should I just let it slide and hope he doesn't pull anything shifty like holding my passport for ransom as mentioned above?

Captain Bob - I don't see how assuming the license will get lost or stolen is the wrong attitude. To me it makes perfect sense to be prepared for the worst case scenario. Knowledge is power and all that. The consensus seems to be that I'm best off not keeping valuables in the bike itself, but surely they're safer there than sitting in a bag on the beach with no one watching while I splash about in the surf?

Also Bob, re the bank account setup - have you any idea what the fee/% is on those large wire transfers?

@Neosho - re 5. motorbike contract airtightednes. You say I'm a farang, nuff said. I need more - are you saying that because I'm a farang, I can get away with more or that I'm completely at the mercy of the renter?

RE 1. Bank Fees - I can stomach the 150 baht fee for withdrawing, but after making a visa withdrawal from K-Bank, my record showed I ended up paying about 25au or 700 baht worth in fees, which seems like a helluva ripoff. Travelex cards and the like claim to have "low fees" but they really screw you on the exchange rate; ie The au $ is worth 28 and you're lucky to get 25 with Travelex - that might as well be a fee as far as I'm concerned. It's just not an overt one.

Glad my gas won't evaporate. Silly question sure, but if I don't ask I won't know, and there's a lot of silly stuff going on here that defies explanation, so what's one more thing?

1. I bank with Kasikorn and I didn't need a working permit to start the account, but I think you do now. Bangkok Bank does have a bank account designed for tourists -- see their website for details. It does involve quite a bit of paperwork I believe.

2. It can be done online (at least for NSW) - you'll need a relo in Oz to post it up. More info here.

3. Never had a bike stolen, though some lowlife stole my bicycle in Phnom Penh!

4. Ha haaaaaa

5. Don't prang it - much easier that way My understanding is the "insurance" docs tend not to be worth much in the event of a bike write-off. But that is all second hand.

6. There are a few apps with maps for Bangkok, but don't know about nationwide - would be a very fat download. You basically want something using OSM maps as you can't pack Google maps into an app. OSM doesn't have as good a coverage, but they're not toooo bad.

7. No idea

8. In theory no,, but in practise I wouldn't lose sleep over it - especially if none of the money was being paid into Thailand.

9. I never saw them - I stock up in Oz -- but then I only ever had asthma probs in Sydney!

10. Neber seen a breathyler

9.

Hey Somtam

I found asthma meds are available here off prescription for prices comparable to those you pay for the same meds on the PBS in Australia.

At a pharmacy next to Jung Ceylon in Patong:

Ventolin: 250 thb ($9au approx/vs $9 on Aus PBS)*
Seretide: 1150 thb ($41au approx/vs $33 on Aus PBS)*

*Based on exch rate of 28thb to the aus.

Knowing this gives me a lot of relief, since it's a hassles to have things posted over, even if you were able to have someone else fill the prescription for you. I bought a bulk load of the above before coming here, which put a big dint in my savings, and the stuff is annoying to have to cart around with you everywhere when you could just buy it as needed.

Hope some other poor asthmahound finds this info and saves themselves the trouble.

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