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Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Pretty late notice b/c I forgot SA had a travel forum.

Flying into Bangkok on the 28th and leaving the 4th. I booked a room at a place called President Solitaire.

First off I have an unlocked iPhone so I would like to get a prepaid with a couple of minutes. Where is the closest place to buy a card once I get out of the airport?

Whats a good place to go to visit outside of Bangkok for a day trip. My friend who I'm meeting up in Bangkok told me for day trips I could goto Pattaya or Hua Hin. But I've read in guides that there's not much in Hua Hin besides shopping.

Also since I'm Asian, how easy will it be for me to sneak into the Thai line for the museums/wats? I read that they post the sign in Thai so if I walk up to pay if I hand them the Thai ticket price will they just let me through? Any penalty for getting caught going through the Thai line? Seems dumb that they are charging foreigners so much more to visit these places.

Edit: Forgot to ask if any goons wanted to meet up for 2nd or 3rd day (so prob in March)? I want to go to places where there are girls but I don't really want to go to places where its bargirls/prostitutes.

Strong Sauce fucked around with this message at 09:25 on Feb 25, 2010

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Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Ringo R posted:

Learning the numbers is probably most important because if you stand there looking like a retard when they tell you how much the entrance fee is, you're busted :) They usually write the fees in Thai too (thinking that it'll prevent foreigners from complaining about double pricing) so learning to read numbers would help a bit too. Only the most popular temples in Bangkok has entrance fees for foreigners though, Thais get in for free. All other temples are free for everybody in my experience. Dressing as a Thai probably helps a bit too. Wear long pants and a shirt, don't wear a singlet and shorts. Useful phrases:

Staff: You buy ticket now you fake bad man
You: Pom pben khon thai = I'm Thai and you're obviously blind

Staff: Gee khon? = How many persons?
You: Khon dee-ow = One person (also means "alone")

I think a penalty for getting caught is highly unlikely. Just play a dumb tourist: I no sa-peak Engrish, solly!

Hrm.. yeah seems like numbers will be my downfall. Do the free ones (for Thais) just let you pass through?

Also are there any fees I have to pay when I land at the airport? Or do I pretty much just have to get past customs?

Strong Sauce fucked around with this message at 20:20 on Feb 25, 2010

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Sheep-Goats posted:

stuff
Thanks for that, unfort my flight lands at 1AM. I'm planning on staying until morning though.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Sheep-Goats posted:

Nationalism and jigonism are related, certainly, but they're not the same thing. Jigonism is much more extreme and pig-headed -- I'm thinking of the attitude that some Chinese people exhibit about being from that finest race of Han Chinese, or that stink about Japanese people excluding foreigners from their public baths and/or not renting to them without a Japanese intermediary, etc. I don't mind if someone wants to be nationalistic, what I mind is when they let their sentiments interfere with or spoil the lives of the non-nationals in their country. That almost never happens in Thailand (unless you're from a neighboring country I suppose, but that's a little bit different given regional history).

As far as countries in Asia that aren't nationalistic as gently caress.... Uh.... Maybe some parts of Indonesia? Maybe? Can I sneak New Guinea in there?

Ehh that seems more like inherent racism, not jingoism. I don't think many Asian countries could be considered jingoistic.

I forgot to post about my trip to Bangkok. It was fun but it was too hot. I thought I was smart after the first day when I realized everyone was doing stuff in the shade but that didn't help me on day 2.

I looked sort of Thai but still people tried to scam me near the Grand Palace (holding a guidebook gives this away). The first guy who tried to scam me was well dressed and told me that the palace had already closed. Then he drew two "free locations" on my map and told me to go there to see stuff. I wasn't going to go to those places but thanked him anyways. As I was walking away sad that I couldn't see the Grand Palace I realized that the guy was a scammer. The only reason I believed him was because he said the Palace had just closed (instead of being closed for the entire day) and since it was late in the afternoon I believed him. Then I realized that the sign he pointed to with the times of the temple had a piece of paper over it with the time (not sure why I didn't realize this right away).

Anyways that whole situation kind of irked me since he nearly caused me to miss seeing the Grand Palace because of his stupid scam and the fact that there was a cop pulling out of the side entrance and didn't spot him (obviously bribed or didn't care).

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





ReindeerF posted:

Well yeah, being that Jean Claude Van Damme is the King of Belgium you would expect more rear end kicking.

The Royal Palace is ceremonial. No one lives there so far as I know. The King spent most of his time in Hua Hin at a summer palace (constructed by Rama VI or Rama VII, I think - one of the more recent kings). More recently he lives at Siriraj Hospital. In the sense you guys are talking about it's sort of like Buckingham Palace. It's right in the middle of a massive city, it's surrounded by locals and tourists coming and going constantly and there's a lot of chaos. No one scams you inside the Palace walls, but outside is another story.

I am pretty sure the entrance fee for foreigners to get into the Golden Palace is the scam :colbert:

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Broohaha posted:

I'm buying a RT ticket to BKK tomorrow and will be in Thailand from 5/1 through 6/1.

Four quick questions:

1. I have a Verizon phone. Don't plan on using my phone that much but who knows. Better to just incur roaming charges once in a while or is there a way to get a cheap SIM card when I'm on the ground?

2. I will likely arrive at BKK close to midnight. Should I book a hotel room in advance or will I be able to find one if I just get a ride to the city center/backpacker area?

3. Should I take a big wad of cash with me and exchange it in country or can I somehow get local currency while I'm there? (I bank with Bank of America.)

4. Do I need to buy a US-to-Thai plug/socket adapter (thinking about taking my laptop with me) or does Thailand have similar sockets? Or is it easy to get one when there?

1. Buy a sim over there, also make sure your phone is unlocked. I don't think Verizon sells phones unlocked so you'll have to find a way to unlock them.
2. Book hotel room beforehand. If you're staying at a nicer place, take a taxi to your hotel and ask the hotel to hold your luggage and go out and hang out until your check in time. This saves you money from having to buy an extra day because you flew in at 12/1AM.
3. Unless you are planning to do something extravagant you only need about $400-$500. If you're worried about your money, buy a ziplock/plastic bag, put your money in it and buy one of those pouches that you can hang off your neck and place underneath your shirt. (the bag is to protect your money from your sweat).

Edit: Just realized you're staying a month. $500 was more than enough for me for a week so I guess account accordingly.
4. Yes. Thailand uses a Type-K plug. This is compatible with the two prong Europlugs that you can get in Europe. I already had a europlug with me and just used that. Your hotel may have converters.

Strong Sauce fucked around with this message at 05:49 on Apr 27, 2010

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Hi thread, I will be in Thailand/Cambodia between Dec 3/Dec 20. I eventually plan on crossing the border via Poipet

My plan is to stay a night in Poipet and play some cards before leaving the following afternoon for Siam Reap. But I've read people get scammed a lot in Poipet or that the cops shake down the taxis for money. Should I just skip the stay in Poipet altogether? Seems like regardless if you're just passing through or not people will try to scam you. Maybe its better to fly direct to Siam Reap or take the Thailand Government Bus? (I will probably be in Pattaya before I leave for Cambodia).

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





ok thanks yeah i think i will just go to siam reap/phnom penh. looks like there is poker in phnom penh so probably safer.

any suggestion about which city to go first if i end up flying? i'm flying out of phnom penh but if there's a reason to go to PP first then siam reap i will do that.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Siem Reap: I'm planning on staying here for 2 days... I'm assuming an entire day for the temples is sufficient?

I'm meeting friends there in Thailand but staying by myself so to me paying $150+/night for a hotel seems crazy. I might spend 1/2 days in a super nice hotel but otherwise I've found pretty decent places for well under that price (they seem to be near the rail lines)

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





i'm in bangkok. bring your real passport to buy a sim card. do not be me and bring a photo copy and then have to contemplate going back to my hotel or not.

edit: if you're going to exchange money at a superrich, the one at terminal 21 had huge lines saturday and sunday.

Strong Sauce fucked around with this message at 03:59 on Dec 5, 2022

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





I’m not a weed guy really but it seems like the amount of places selling it is really excessive. Like every corner has a place. More so I’m pattaya than in Bangkok or Chiang Mai from what I’ve seen.

As for masks. I was only wearing them indoors or in crowded areas but got lazy and got a Covid scare out of it. Back to wearing masks again. Truthfully though it can be uncomfortable I’m the heat.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Oh this just popped up

https://twitter.com/khaosodenglish/status/1602163431985278977?s=21&t=Oz-M8ZQ95HJmmucNYgleOA

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





FizFashizzle posted:

How many days would you guys suggest for siem reap/Angkor wat?

I was thinking get in, rest, spend two days on the temple complex, get out the fourth day.

Is that pushing it? Is it worth an extra day?



I am about to leave Cambodia (in Singapore Airport now) and was in Siem Reap for 3 days/nights, although unexpectedly.

Flew in in the afternoon, rested and went out to Pub Street.
Next Day did Floating Village: Warning, this costs an additional $30+. I was fine with it but maybe not for you.
I was suppose to do the Angkor Wat sunrise the day after because I thought I would be flying out early the next day but I looked and my flight to Phnom Penh was at 7PM at night so I talked to my driver to switch the Sunrise to the following day. So on my 2nd day he took me all the way up to Banteay Srei, Butterfly Reserve and some temples east of Angkor Wat like Pre Rup.
That night I went to sleep early to get up for the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Earlier you go the better position in front of the reflecting pool you get. Beware, people still do not understand how a flash works. After sunrise, we temp left Angkor Wat, went to Bayon Temple and there is a sort of walkway that leads you from the north of that temple that goes to Baphoun, Terrace of the Elephants, and Terrace Of The Leper King (Preah Ponlea Sdach Komlong). First two take a while, last two are relatively quick. We also drove through the Gates surrounding Bayon Temple then went to Ta Keo, and Ta Prohm Temple (this one is unique since trees have grown inside it and has wrapped/destroyed parts of the temple). Finally we looped back to Angkor Wat before my driver took me to the airport.

So anyways, if you read all that, my answer to you is I think 2 full days is quite enough. Unless you're super into temples. I thought I was but by the last day a lot of the temples just blur together. I think they're amazing, but you're also dealing with the heat which does beat down on you. If you read back some pages people were saying there's so many temples you could do it for a long number of days. They're right, but also I'm not sure how valuable doing all that is IMO. Again I loved my 3 days there, but I personally don't think you need anymore than 2 full days to get an understanding of Siem Reap temples.

My recommendation for you:
Angkor Wat, the whole Angkor Thom complex (basically what I did on the 3rd day), you definitely want to check out Ta Prohm Temple and Bayon Temple. Ta Prohm Temple for the trees overrunning the place, Bayon Temple... because of the bas reliefs. I also saw Neak Poun and Preah Khan Temple as well. So basically tell your driver/guide you want to do this area for 2 full days and they should know what to do to get the most out of it for you.

But yeah 2 full days gets you a good sense of the temples 3+ days is like the extended edition.

Banteay Srei was really cool but its far away so you'll see less if you go there.

Edit: Oh yeah one of the factors in switching the Sunrise Day was because of the World Cup Finals. Doubt I could have watched it and rested 2.5 hours to get up at 430am

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Strong Sauce posted:

Hi thread, I will be in Thailand/Cambodia between Dec 3/Dec 20. I eventually plan on crossing the border via Poipet

My plan is to stay a night in Poipet and play some cards before leaving the following afternoon for Siam Reap. But I've read people get scammed a lot in Poipet or that the cops shake down the taxis for money. Should I just skip the stay in Poipet altogether? Seems like regardless if you're just passing through or not people will try to scam you. Maybe its better to fly direct to Siam Reap or take the Thailand Government Bus? (I will probably be in Pattaya before I leave for Cambodia).

So I guess this is a reason why you shouldn't go to places that are a bit seedy
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/eight-bodies-found-ruins-cambodia-casino-fire-2022-12-30/

quote:

POIPET, Cambodia, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Cambodian rescue teams recovered several bodies on Friday from the charred rooms of a casino-hotel where a fire killed at least 27 people a day earlier, with more than 20 people still missing.

About 400 employees and patrons were in the Grand Diamond City casino and hotel in Poipet, a town on the Thai border, when the fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday, leaving the building gutted by the afternoon.

quote:

Chanathip Khokmanee, a provincial official in Sa Kaeo on the Thai side of the border said hospitals there had treated at least 112 people with injuries like burns, broken bones and respiratory problems.
Not a knock on any people or the town specifically but it seems like they didn't have enough tech to fight fires in high rise buildings and fire trucks had to be sent from other areas to fight the fire. Very sad outcome


-----

Also I caught Covid while over either in Cambodia or my last day in Bangkok. Please consider wearing masks despite the fact that most people in Cambodia (other than service workers) are not.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





webmeister posted:

Yeah I saw the fire on the news the other day, really sad stuff. Were you in Poipet at the time?

no i've been back to the states for a bit.

i realized after posting that i'm probably out of my depth to make any assumptions about the city or the government and it is a pretty big tragedy so i apologize if anyone feels like i was being insensitive.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





They're planning on building a high speed rail from Bangkok to Chiang Mai but the shortest distance is basically to run roughshod over a bunch of national parks so don't hold your breath on that one.. it won't be within a couple years.

Like Pirate Radar said there is a train. If you go from Pak Chong to Ayutthaya it is like a 2-3 hour train ride, then from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai is nearly 12 hours.

NE line is Pak Chong to Ayutthaya, N line is Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai
https://www.thairailways.com/time-table.intro.php

There are also buses but it's also like a 8-9 hour journey. Didn't bother looking too much into that.

Basically the quickest way is to fly. Drive back to Bangkok (2.5 hours) and fly out of Don Mueang Airport (1.5 hours?).


----
Also I want to note, Google does not have the entirety of the country's transportation mapped out. Even the local buses in Bangkok are not completely accurate. I took a local bus from Nana to Chinatown and the stop they listed when I got on was accurate. However on my way back every single 40 NGV went past my stop that Google assured me was a stop for that bus. Bangkok's Bus site with maps uses Yandex and isn't really accurate with GPS spotting. I ended up just walking to MRT Hua Lamphong which took 15 minutes of walking in the heat.

Apple Maps isn't any better either. Grab uses them for their Ridesharing and there were times I had to just select a store near my destination to be dropped off at.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





whether or not you like vietnam, telling another person who is stressed out about getting his visa to "[not] go to vietnam" is not helpful at all. you're just kinda being a dick at that point.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





I don't live in Thailand so this is only my personal experience, but I had to fly out of BKK to take the hour flight into Chiang Mai in the early afternoon. Took a taxi from Nana station. I gave myself decent amount of time I felt for what Google says was about a 35-70 minute drive.. I almost missed my flight.

Additionally, I did take BTS/MRT MoChit stop to Don Mueang Airport to fly out to Cambodia and that was pretty pleasant. the rail station you get off at to go to the airport is pretty big though but I felt less stressed about that flight.

Basically like any other city with lots of traffic. Allot yourself some time to get to the airport.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Has anyone used Wise to take money out from Thai ATMs? I am going back in January and would like to set that up beforehand.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





the heat goes wrong posted:

Works fine everywhere, for paying and ATM withdrawals. Just note that all Thai ATMs have a 220 baht fee for cash withdrawals when using a foreign bank card.

My Transferwise card is debit with Visa and works fine everywhere. So I guess it depends on a card. But when travelling, you should have two different bank cards with you anyway, one Visa and the other Mastercard.

QR is accepted absolutely everywhere, even more than cash.

hrm.. so is there a point in using a wise card for trips vs if you're staying abroad? are the fees that much less on the american side of things? meaning is wise cheaper than say, a chase or BoA debit card?

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





My friend is having his bachelor party in Bangkok... I am looking for suggestions on things to do in Bangkok that doesn't involve anything seedy/shady. I can think of doing race karts, maybe a gun range, a place to drive exotic cars? a bar crawl? Any suggestions on specific places if you've gone to them would be cool. Probably going to go watch a Muay Thai fight too assuming there are events in January (can't see 2 months ahead on the rajadamnern website)

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Yeah I am looking for "Bachelor Party" ideas not things for me to do by myself. Sorry if that was vague. We probably will do some touristy stuff but that's not exactly unknown or hidden, you know?

The Karaoke place seems to be a chain and the one in Thong Lor has gotten kinda bad reviews. Did you go to that one or the one in Phrom Phong?

The suit thing.. I may be adding Vietnam to my trip after the Bachelor Party so I may go to Vietnam since its cheaper there I believe. Anyone have recommendations for suit makers in Bangkok? I saw some along Sukhumvit road last time I was there but it looked more like a scam than a legit place.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Looking like I'm going to Bangkok/Vietnam. I have never been to Vietnam. Everyone online recommends 3 days in both cities with maybe 1 additional day in Hanoi if you want to do Ha Long Bay.. I'll probably have to do 2.5 2.5+1. Does that sound fine for each city? (2-3 days)

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Someone tell me if the hype for Raan Jay Fai is real. I heard the wait dies after lunch? I don't care when I eat it.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Okay so I guess I'm not going to it, lol.

Soei is this restaurant? http://www.soeirestaurant.com/

Anything you'd recommend? Also does it take big groups (I would say 8-9 max, but could just be 4 or so people) or is the area too small?

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





why would you ever get a hostel?

i personally won't use airbnb ever again due to the extremely poor experience i had, both at the airbnb and dealing with airbnb itself to resolve the issue. it ruined my last night in taiwan. and from what i've heard/seen, there's not much cost savings to an airbnb over a hotel due to all the cleaning fees. maybe it's different abroad.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





My post about my bad airbnb experience is probably somewhere on these forums. I'll post it if anyone cares, but I can never summarize it very succinctly.

But it took me over two weeks to get my money back from Airbnb despite me providing picture proof of the issues I had with it. Host wasn't in the country, with no management locally. They ignored me once they realized my issue was bigger than them saying polite things and it ruined my last night in Taiwan all over maybe $40 savings over a standard hotel. Not only that, my review was removed from their listing and they still had a 5 star rating a year or two later.

Yes if you're staying somewhere for an entire month the likelihood they can do this is pretty slim. Hell even a short stay is unlikely to be bad generally. But when it happens to you you will regret going with Airbnb to save a fraction of the cost vs the rest of your trip. I'm flying from the States so maybe to me that's more important than someone who's just flying in from China. So I guess do it if it won't bother you if it ends up going bad. Airbnb will not side with you though, you don't make them any money.

The scams most people talk about isn't the pricing, the scams are you showing up and the place doesn't exist. All these little scams run on Airbnb can easily be quashed by them. But that'll cost them money both in developing it and all the fees they get from people scamming their customers.


C-Euro posted:

Taking a detour from my Thailand visit to hang out in Siem Reap and I didn't realize a fair number of places here will just accept US dollars. I would have brought some cash with me from home had I known!

I think anything below $5 bill they convert to Riels at 4000:1. When I went last year it was like 4100ish. That's how they kinda "get" you in the conversions. So if my change was $41, I'd get 2 $20 and $1 in Riels (~4000)

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





I LIKE COOKIE posted:

In 2016 I had an apartment in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam.

I miss Vietnam. 😭

Need some food recommendations there!

Also yeah food in Asia is so cheap you probably never need to use a kitchen even if you had one

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





yeah i gotta file for that visa soon

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Vietnam's Visa Page is offline. Wonderful.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Uh so the Vietnamese E-Visa filing website has been down for the past 3 days... I'm leaving for Thailand in about a week+ and then Vietnam a week+2 days or so after that. I guess I still have some time but I'd rather lock down my plans sooner than later.

Assuming I cannot get an E-Visa. What is the legality of me flying into Tan Son Nhat International Airport to fly out? If I don't leave the airport do I still need a visa? I'd try to rebook my flight but I've had bad experiences with EVA.

FWIW this is the page I'm looking at, the first link does not work for me: https://uploads.mwp.mprod.getusinfo.com/uploads/sites/124/2022/07/E-Visa-Application-Steps.pdf

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Fitzy Fitz posted:

The website is up. Maybe you were looking at a third-party site?

https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/trang-chu-ttdt

the problem ended up being it won't load on chrome. works fine on phone and in Edge.. weird.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Does anyone know if I'm suppose to pay the EVisa for Vietnam after they approve or if I have to pay as part of the submission? I submitted but not sure if I needed to pay somehow.

Edit: Update, apparently they send you an email later.

Strong Sauce fucked around with this message at 01:03 on Jan 16, 2024

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Everybody’s vaping here in Pattaya. Saw them in Bangkok as well

Also I had to scrap my Vietnam plans because my visa got an initially rejection of “full name” not matching (I’m assuming my passport) obviously I know my full name but a thing their website doesn’t let you do is put a dash in the given name. Anyways it got held so long in queue I decided not to risk it (I have check in and don’t know if their immigration is before or after luggage) and rebooked my flights and what little plans I had and of course right after I rebook my flights they approved it. Anyways spending extra days literally doing nothing but relaxing so I guess not the worst thing.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





I don’t know what the exact scam is but I’ve had two people come up to me at night the past two days asking where I’m from or how to get to some place and then they try to steer conversation to money. They specifically ask a question like how many euro in a baht or what does Thai baht look like?

That last question immediately put me on alert because how would you not know what it looks like. I’m in pattaya right now and it would be incredibly hard to get here without knowing what some local currency looked like. Anyway I pointed him to a currency exchange near us and while he wasn’t necessarily rude his demeanor kinda changed. His question was how to get to walking street and I told him he had to go across the Soi to get on the baht bus he basically did the opposite.

My guess is is you show them some money and they either refuse to give it back or they sleight of hand a counterfeit and give that to you. It’s probably not physical since there are probably better targets than me. But Can’t really find anything about it online either.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





Yeah I found some posts online where some guy was scammed and they took his money while constantly saying to him, "don't worry the money is there" I really wish they'd crack down on these kinda scams.

The last guy asked me while I was waiting for the bathroom at a mcdonalds. He was doing his spiel when the guy inside was done so I kinda just went, "okay bye" and pointed to the bathroom. He also asked me some weird question about Euros when I already said I was from America.

Also one of the biggest issues I have with the Baht is the 1K, 500, 100 bills are too similar in color. The 1K is brownish, 500 purplish and 100 is reddish but if you're in a dark area like a bar its kinda hard to see immediately.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





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.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





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.

Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





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, "
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.

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.

If you're a digital nomad, you can either do the visa run thing or spring for the Elite Visa to stay long term.

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.


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a lot to think about now that i'm back in the states.

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Strong Sauce
Jul 2, 2003

You know I am not really your father.





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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