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Pirate Radar posted:So with that scam people must be handing them 500s and 1000s often enough for it to be worth their while. I can't imagine them making it work fast-changing people out of B20 bills unless they have it down to an absolute assembly line. even if you take 1000 baht from a person.. that's ~$28 (atm)... how do you play this game to sustain yourself? are they tricking that many people a night? anyways, i'm leaving thailand in a day or two. someone let me know if its sustainable such that one can stay here indefinitely? asking for a friend.
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Jan 30, 2024 01:53
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Could be a currency switch scam, where they helpfully change your baht into another, similar-looking currency? I know there is/was a scam like this in Prague, where people would offer money changing on the street at a better rate than offices or ATMs. But instead of giving you Czech crowns, they’d give you expired Belarusian rubles, which are visually similar (assuming you don’t notice the Cyrillic) and literally worthless. edit; from a quick google it seems like Cambodian riel notes kinda look like baht without checking closely, but are worth gently caress-all (and obviously, entirely worthless in Thailand).
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Jan 30, 2024 03:23
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According to this they just straight grab your money. https://aseannow.com/topic/944341-so-how-was-this-attempted-scam-supposed-to-end/ According to this they seem to be targeting Asian tourists. Specifically Taiwanese? Which makes me even more mad. https://www.reddit.com/r/ThailandTourism/comments/13t2aqs/show_me_your_money_scam/ The two that tried were by themselves. No kids. Again I think I’m just use to being aware not to show other people my money. But I guess they take advantage of people who are too trusting.
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Jan 30, 2024 04:23
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Strong Sauce posted:even if you take 1000 baht from a person.. that's ~$28 (atm)... how do you play this game to sustain yourself? are they tricking that many people a night? 1000 BHT? you would only need to do that once or twice a day and you will earning more than a lot in Thailand. "Dec 9, 2023The labour ministry approved new rates for the daily minimum wage nationwide, ranging from 328 to 370 baht, "
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Jan 30, 2024 09:22
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Saw a gas station hiring for 358 baht a day
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Jan 30, 2024 10:08
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Strong Sauce posted:anyways, i'm leaving thailand in a day or two. someone let me know if its sustainable such that one can stay here indefinitely? asking for a friend. Depends on what you do to earn money. You can slum around as a language school teacher for a couple of years before it starts to get harder to get a visa if you're not qualified. If you're a qualified teacher, staying here is real simple though. If you're a digital nomad, you can either do the visa run thing or spring for the Elite Visa to stay long term.
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Jan 30, 2024 14:21
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Electric Wrigglies posted:1000 BHT? you would only need to do that once or twice a day and you will earning more than a lot in Thailand. "Dec 9, 2023The labour ministry approved new rates for the daily minimum wage nationwide, ranging from 328 to 370 baht, " there definitely seems like a two worlds kinda situation in thailand and since both worlds are somewhat cheap for me to be in it's kinda hard to see it if you don't think about it too much. eating at the malls to me seems pretty cheap but i'm guessing you have to earn a decent amount to go and sit down at those restaurants. otherwise its basically a lot of foreigners i had a lot of incidents where it felt like people were trying to take advantage of me, the foreigner, but also the amount they were trying to "rip" me off for was pretty unsubstantial to me. besides the scamming incident above, one time i went back to my hotel with one of my friends and we took a taxi, it was maybe a 5-10 minute cab ride. obviously the taxi didn't meter and at the end he asked for 200 baht which was incredibly expensive for the ride. so what do you do.. yell at them over ~$6? i just paid and got out. Atlas Hugged posted:Depends on what you do to earn money. You can slum around as a language school teacher for a couple of years before it starts to get harder to get a visa if you're not qualified. If you're a qualified teacher, staying here is real simple though. i have been thinking about this, but basically money wise i don't think there's any job that can come close to replacing the salary i earn in the states. i guess that wouldn't be a big issue since the COL is so much cheaper but yeah lots of other things like my extended family I'd have to consider. ----- a lot to think about now that i'm back in the states.
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Feb 1, 2024 09:01
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Strong Sauce posted:
I am in two minds on when a local tries to scam me for an amount I can absolutely live without, on one hand, like you say it is $6 or $20 and who cares but at the same time, normalizing that foreigners are a soft touch for an easy payout attracts predatory and sometimes organized behavior that takes a lot of effort to undo once it is entrenched as acceptable by locals (good example is the "tie a string around your wrist in Paris, et al and demand payment after" it is not much money but it is not fun to deal with (especailly when they get violent because the foreigner didn't want to be "reasonable soft touch willing to drop $ on all who ask multiple times a day") and is not helping France/Thailand/Cote D'Ivoire become a better place to not push back on it. On the dropping your salary to live in SE Asia, it is attractive but many a person has become a "Lost In Asia (LIA)" person that enjoys the low cost of living, etc but if your own career is not developing there, you run the real risk that as their GDP per capita improves, your own standard of living will become more precarious and you will not be set up or can afford retirement. Thailand about five years ago went on a big cleanout of the elderly LIA crowd that were causing problems like constantly begging off tourists etc. E) on the how much better life is when you remove the normalized predatory behavior, Uber may not have friends in the anti-work crowd, taxi-unions/mafias or those who hate techbros but taxis around the world now are by far and away, hands down, no doubt a far more reliable, safe and reasonable experience post uber than they were before. in 2009, I had a mate pay something like 200k Indian Rupee to get from the airport to the hotel we were at via taxi and complain that India is expensive when we had paid less than a 100 rupee for the same trip earlier that day. A couple of friends and I got driven around Aukland on our way to the cricket and when we arrived, the Kiwi host (who had taken a different taxi but knew the way so arrived ~40 minutes before us even though we left first) got stuck into our driver so much that he halved the bill that was on the taxi meter. Now not only is the fare generally reasonable, it seems the drivers are way less predatory and aggressive about the fare, chasing you as a customer, etc. Electric Wrigglies fucked around with this message at 09:46 on Feb 1, 2024 |
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Feb 1, 2024 09:27
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There are a lot of variables to consider but in the immediate future I have a ton of savings where money wouldn't be that big of an issue. But I don't know if I want to find a job where I wouldn't even be making 1/4 of my salary unless it was really flexible. I see all these digital nomads on youtube and a lot of their income seems to be kinda shady. Like they do "digital marketing" or the like but uhh they all seem to just be selling courses or access, or just doing video sponsorships. So I'm not sure if there are that many opportunities to really do that kind of stuff. edit: just saw your extra edit.. yeah grab/bolt has definitely reduced the amount of scammy scams from taxis and other transportation so i'm glad those exist. i didn't take any motobike or taxi (other than the mentioned one) during my whole trip. i'm a bit stubborn sometimes in that i'd rather walk the 20 minutes to some place rather than having to deal with a motobike that i know is trying to rip me off. Strong Sauce fucked around with this message at 10:19 on Feb 1, 2024 |
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Feb 1, 2024 10:15
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Strong Sauce posted:i sometimes forget how little some people get by with in bangkok. i saw a video the other day where a girl working as a barista in bangkok was struggling to eat even at the stalls because of the inflated price of the stalls in bangkok vs the ones in her hometown. I saw that video too, and that girl wasn't skipping meals because plate of chicken costs 50 baht in Bangkok vs 25 in Isaan. She was skipping meals so she would have enough money to pay back the mums bike loan (3000/month), plus sending her an additional 2-3000 cash every month. If she didn't have to give her mum 6000 baht every month, she could afford plenty of mookatas with her friends. Strong Sauce posted:anyways, i'm leaving thailand in a day or two. someone let me know if its sustainable such that one can stay here indefinitely? asking for a friend. Bestoption would be either to get a remote job in the US/Europe or get some clients from there and run a small service business while living in Thailand. the heat goes wrong fucked around with this message at 12:19 on Feb 1, 2024 |
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Feb 1, 2024 12:16
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"Australian" "Freelance" "DJ"
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Feb 1, 2024 12:26
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the heat goes wrong posted:I saw that video too, and that girl wasn't skipping meals because plate of chicken costs 50 baht in Bangkok vs 25 in Isaan. If there is one thing that is a bit frustrating to me in SE Asia is the common (not universal of course) expectation of parents to live off their kids when they can. I worked with a Filipina Planner that her parents quit working the moment she got her Planning job even though they were early 40's and still had other kids in school. She was sending the majority of her salary to them every month and they had retired because they had "made it" in SE Asian terms (kid got a good job so no need to work).
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Feb 1, 2024 13:30
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One common pitfall for expats is school fees if you plan on having kids. A decent international school can run you 500,000 baht per year.
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Feb 1, 2024 16:00
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a decent school would pay for your kids tuition, as is a common perk at the upscale international schools edit: thought this was the k-12 thread
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Feb 1, 2024 21:27
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There are in fact international schools that will give you a discount if you let them use your (white) kid in marketing materials. One school told a guy I know that his half-Thai son could get a similar deal, but for less of a percentage of the tuition, and he'd have to dye the kids hair a lighter shade.
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Feb 2, 2024 01:52
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the heat goes wrong posted:I saw that video too, and that girl wasn't skipping meals because plate of chicken costs 50 baht in Bangkok vs 25 in Isaan. Atlas Hugged posted:There are in fact international schools that will give you a discount if you let them use your (white) kid in marketing materials. One school told a guy I know that his half-Thai son could get a similar deal, but for less of a percentage of the tuition, and he'd have to dye the kids hair a lighter shade. jesus. kind of related... feel like china's influence in thailand is growing pretty rapidly. last year (dec 2022) when i went, before china allowed travel, there wasn't much chinese influence. but now that travel is relaxed and the influx of chinese (and their yuan) has flown in i definitely see a lot more catering to them. almost more so than westerners. the only thing really keeping china from the "top spot" is that most thais speak english as their second language and the only way for most chinese to communicate to thais is by using english. so kinda hard to "soft power" influence a country where your own people have to speak english and all that... still it's interesting to hear a chinese and thai person communicating using their broken english. there was a case though where i was at a laundry place trying to communicate when i needed them done.. the girl at the front went to the back and brought out another lady because she spoke some chinese. lucky for me that she did since it saved me 50 baht or so. i do recall hearing that japanese people use to be catered to because a lot of auto manufacturers had factories in thailand. i definitely saw lots of japanese but it felt like less influence than the chinese. also when thai people ask me where i'm from, and I say "america" (because no one knows what, "the states" is) they get a confused look and say, "oh but you look chinese/singaporean" i'm not sure how to address this because i'm pretty sure they are asking what country did i come from.. but they seem to be asking my ethnicity instead? maybe they think america is jus all white/black people?
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Feb 2, 2024 05:22
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There's definitely a segment of the population who think America is just white people and maybe some Black people too. I had a student this week say to me that she was so confused as a little girl when her cousin went to study in America and when she came back she still looked Asian because her little kid brain just assumed moving to America would make you white. We actually had a goon who used to manage a factory here that made parts for a Japanese motorcycle company. He had some insight into the Japanese "scene" so to speak and a lot of it is now hidden in private clubs that only Japanese people have access to.
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Feb 2, 2024 05:33
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Hey hey. I'm going to Malaysia (Kota Kinabalu, from Canada) for a few weeks with my partner in March/April. It's the first time I've been traveling since like, 2016, and I've never been to Malaysia before - is there anything especial I should know or prepare for? Specifically I was wondering... - What's the best way to find hotels? Is there an app everyone uses? I'm hoping to wander around and switch hotels pretty regularly on short notice, rather than stay in one place the whole time. - How should I expect to... pay for stuff, mostly? Should I just bring an interac debit card and take out batches of cash from ATMs, or is the standard something else?
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Feb 4, 2024 21:24
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My advice is not Malaysia specific. ATMs have transaction limits and fees for usage. While the fees aren't generally much in the grand scheme (most charge a flat rate), if you're making a bunch of ATM trips throughout your stay it would add up. When I travel I usually take the local currency or USD as well as a credit card.
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Feb 5, 2024 23:17
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Is it illegal to play poker in Thailand? What about social games without money involved? Also, I'm finally going to head out tomorrow. Is it better to withdraw money now and exchange money at a currency exchange shop or withdraw from an ATM there?
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Feb 6, 2024 10:25
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The law is vague enough but playing poker live can get you prosecuted and put in jail.quote:One of the many countries that does not recognize poker as a sport is Thailand. Although there are no specific local laws that prohibit the playing of poker, gambling is illegal as is having more than 120 cards – as per the Playing Card Act passed in 1943. So while not specifically illegal, there are enough restrictions to make playing poker online or live, illegal. And in almost all cases where people are caught playing poker, especially offline poker, people are prosecuted. Even with all of these restrictions, there are still some underground (illegal) poker rooms in Thailand, but the cost of being found in one can be a fine or even one year in jail. It is because of these penalties that most poker players in Thailand play online poker instead of offline poker. At least for USD the rates at the currency exchange were way better than taking it out of an ATM. As long as you used crisp $100 bills. If you do take from an ATM make sure you refuse conversion, "NO TO CONVERSION" otherwise you'll get an even worse rate. Minimum though you have to pay an extra 100 baht for ATM withdrawal. If we're talking Bangkok: Again I would recommend exchanging bills at currency exchanges. It does take up time, especially in Bangkok because the Superrich's are so popular there. If you are at BTS Asok which usually has a long line at the Super Rich, walk down to the Metro Mall in the Sukhumvit MRT where there's a less used Super Rich there. The "True Rate" of USD->Baht varied between 35.48 to 35.7 when I was there. Anything within 20-25 bips of the exchange rate you see on Google is a good rate. Here is the one in Sukhumvit MRT on 1/29. If you look at Google it says the going rate was 35.63  I heard the smaller exchanges on Soi Arab offer very competitive rates but I've never been so unless you're near there it's probably not worth the extra 10-20 baht
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Feb 6, 2024 10:47
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Vayra posted:Hey hey. I'm going to Malaysia (Kota Kinabalu, from Canada) for a few weeks with my partner in March/April. It's the first time I've been traveling since like, 2016, and I've never been to Malaysia before - is there anything especial I should know or prepare for? Specifically I was wondering... One thing you should know is that Malaysia is divided into two peninsula that is separated by the south China sea. So kota kinabalu is in sabah, and it's neighbouring sarawak. Those two states are commonly known as "east Malaysia". "peninsula Malaysia" is the one where Kuala Lumpur and penang are at (south of Thailand and north of Singapore). Since you are going for a few weeks, you can consider dedicating one week or so to east Malaysia and another to peninsula by flight. Sabah and sarawak are more jungle - outdoors - ocean trip based so if that's your thing you can definitely have a good time there. Sabah has mount kinabalu, which is the highest peak in Malaysia, but if you want to climb it it is a 2d1n trip and you have to book in advance with limited space. Rent a car and drive around the two states and do some island hopping if you prefer a chiller trip. If you go to the peninsula Kuala Lumpur is the main city, ipoh and penang city are 3 to 5 hours drive away to the north and malacca is 2 hours drive to the south. They are the main "interesting cities / towns" where you get to absorb the culture and eat some great food. In general Malaysian cuisine has a huge variety and be prepared to eat a lot. - What's the best way to find hotels? Is there an app everyone uses? I'm hoping to wander around and switch hotels pretty regularly on short notice, rather than stay in one place the whole time. Klook, booking.Com, agoda are pretty safe bets. TripAdvisor is rubbish in Malaysia so don't rely on them or even their recommendations. If you use air Asia they also do hotel and flight packages which may be useful for you. - How should I expect to... pay for stuff, mostly? Should I just bring an interac debit card and take out batches of cash from ATMs, or is the standard something else? Get a wise card and you are golden, but have some cash available. Cash is still used everywhere, visa and mastercard are also good in retail places but not so much for street food which requires cash payment. You can get the Grab app which is the SEA uber but with wechat superapp functions, so it has an e wallet which you can link your card to. This would also allow you to use the qr code to pay for stuff. There are money changers in all the bigger malls so you don't have to worry about not having enough cash
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Feb 6, 2024 11:10
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I'm just kind of going  since weed is "legal", but e-cigs and even having a deck of a certain size of cards are illegal. I mean, weed should be legal regardless, but it kind of blows my mind given my Amerocentric and even Sinocentric standards.
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Feb 6, 2024 11:50
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Teriyaki Koinku posted:I'm just kind of going Not as illegal as having some not anything other than very positive thinking out loud comments about the King!
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Feb 6, 2024 13:39
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You'll be blown away to find out that porn and prostitution are also illegal.
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Feb 6, 2024 15:30
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Now that I have a motorbike, how can I check online to see what's happening on the island of Koh Lanta and where? E: separate question: Is there a relatively cheap and easy way to access vaporizers in Thailand? I've been ripping bongs and smoking joints, and the latter are especially causing me to go into coughing fits which are rather unpleasant. I need to find ways to decrease my coughing but don't want to break the bank as a tourist. Teriyaki Koinku fucked around with this message at 04:04 on Feb 16, 2024 |
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Feb 13, 2024 12:00
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Does anyone know what detergent they use at all the laundromats? Its been like two weeks and they still have that scented smell.
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Feb 17, 2024 01:59
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It's really distinct, isn't it?
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Feb 17, 2024 02:01
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The ironing being that when we visit the States, my wife loses her mind over how amazing the detergent in America smells. She always asks my mom what she uses, but to my mom it's just plain old detergent and she doesn't have any clue what smell my wife is referring to. Yes that pun was intentional.
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Feb 17, 2024 02:24
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The Saddest Rhino posted:[advice]
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Feb 18, 2024 06:37
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My wife and I will be in Bangkok for a couple of days soon. We've both been a couple of times before so will just do some highlights we've particularly enjoyed in the past, like go to the Muay Thai at Rajadamnern. Golden Bay Leaf would have been on the to do list (loved it when I went 10 years ago on this thread's recommendation) but as the chef sadly passed away are there any other hidden gems food-wise people can recommend?
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Mar 4, 2024 15:56
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Soei. Don't know how hidden it is at this point but it's as good as advertised. Solos Coffee. Is likely still very unknown among westerners.
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Mar 4, 2024 16:03
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The Aguamoose posted:My wife and I will be in Bangkok for a couple of days soon. We've both been a couple of times before so will just do some highlights we've particularly enjoyed in the past, like go to the Muay Thai at Rajadamnern. Golden Bay Leaf would have been on the to do list (loved it when I went 10 years ago on this thread's recommendation) but as the chef sadly passed away are there any other hidden gems food-wise people can recommend? Sadly, I haven't found anything quite like what Golden Bay Leaf was, though there are other restaurants we've found that are pretty good. I just don't live downtown anymore, so a lot of it is out of the way if you're focused on central Bangkok or the BTS. However, if you find yourself out by Ikea/Mega let me know because there is a fantastic Thai restaurant out there we have affectionately named "the Swamp" because of the, uh, swamp it is built on top of.
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Mar 5, 2024 01:50
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I really enjoyed Maze.
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Mar 5, 2024 02:17
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Don't know if its a "Hidden Gem" but I really enjoyed, Oranuch Thai Dining. It's about 2-3 blocks north of Asok/Sukhumvit/Terminal 21. The food and ambience/decor was great. Also I thought that the owner knew someone in our party but turns out she was just being nice (we were a large party though). http://www.oranuchbangkok.com/
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Mar 5, 2024 02:26
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This whole thread is, well definitely a trip https://twitter.com/sighyam/status/1765002618773164043?t=lLukKrYusXnG5mGB3FDo_Q&s=19
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Mar 5, 2024 17:22
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What is the war about? Which country is a better place for LBGT people to live? Or is it just who can laugh at the US harder?
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Mar 5, 2024 17:27
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        There's a bunch of videos but you can read for context.
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Mar 5, 2024 18:13
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One of the folks' complaints is that the police did not adequately protect Thai katoey (not all of them are trans, but many are. Thai distinction between gayness and tranness is ... different) in that area. I have a feeling that what happened in Phuket compounded the sentiment a bit.
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Mar 5, 2024 18:46
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what happened in phuket?
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Mar 5, 2024 19:22
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