General Reports

[PublicInterest]

Hi gang,

As far as I can tell, Thailand only allows bringing in 30 days worth of prescription medication (in my case, I'm talking about diabetes & heart medicine).

I was hoping to take advantage of the fact that they're handing out 45-day visas now (and this trip I'the part of a longer tour through Asia, so I'm planning on having 60-90 day supply).

I've been doing some research on the subject and I've written to the Embassy asking for guidance, but considering the average age of a lot of travelers to Thailand, I figured that my situation cannot be that unique and was hoping that others would share their experiences with this issue.

I plan on speaking to my doctor next week about providing me a letter that summarizes my ailments and medication list. Any other steps that you all recommend?

Thanks and best regards.

[Houston Player]

The issue of Bolt vs Grab is that Bolt rides can take much longer to arrive and be less reliable to actually show up. You'll get canceled on a Bolt a lot or it will take 20 minutes to arrive, but it will often be half or 2/3's the price of a Grab. Grab is much faster and more reliable, you pay for the premium of reliability and time. In BKK a meter taxi going locally will be roughly the same price as a Bolt, assuming a taxi will take you on a meter.

Bolt you also can pay cash or card, Grab is credit card, although I don't really care either way, but some people may.

This information is valid for Bangkok but totally inaccurate for Pattaya. Since this is a general Thailand thread I think it's important to point out the difference. Bolt is much better and cheaper in Pattaya than Grab but as you stated Grab is much better in Bangkok than Bolt because of the reasons you stated.

[GrapeMan]

The issue of Bolt vs Grab is that Bolt rides can take much longer to arrive and be less reliable to actually show up. You'll get canceled on a Bolt a lot or it will take 20 minutes to arrive, but it will often be half or 2/3's the price of a Grab. Grab is much faster and more reliable, you pay for the premium of reliability and time. In BKK a meter taxi going locally will be roughly the same price as a Bolt, assuming a taxi will take you on a meter.

Bolt you also can pay cash or card, Grab is credit card, although I don't really care either way, but some people may.

[Explorer8939]

Have you linked a credit card with Grab pay? I have noticed that a friend of mine has difficulty hailing Grab's whilst I can get one within a miniute even when standing right next to him. The only difference is that I've been able to link a credit card and he hasn't.

A lot of the times, drivers don't keep enough cash / change on them, so they might have the option to filter out rides paying in cash.

They can all accept payment with a QR code, if your banking app supports payment via QR code.

[KyCuriosity]

There is already a high level of thought gone in to this judging from the above. If you google how to fake / spoof your GPS location you will find various apps that can help trick your phone. I have used some to change my location when using skout / Tinder. I'd do some research download one or two and try a few dummy runs before you leave home. When abroad I'd leave my 'Normal' phone in the safe in the hotel with spoof GPS and buy a cheap burner and sim for all local comms.

Also don't forget to use android / google settings to turn off location access for absolutely everything (or completely) except the apps you choose.

I did download an app literally called "Fake GPS". It was the most popular in the app store with highest ratings. I have been playing around with it. I set it to Pattaya and I searched near by me. It showed me all the people using telegram in pattaya close to my pin drop. It's an easy app to use, but not sure if it's good for snapchat or other apps yet.

Thanks for reaffirming the GPS thing for me. Fairly easy to use so far.

[Banana Boi]

Only cash for me with Grab in Thailand. Bolt too. I figured this was a Thai thing since Thailand is really still a cash society once you leave the shopping malls.

[TheNileRiva]

Pattaya.

Grab. I gave up using Grab after the first few days. Not once was a normal Grab Car even cheaper than a Luxury Bolt vehicle. If I am doing something wrong with Grab let me know.

Have you linked a credit card with Grab pay? I have noticed that a friend of mine has difficulty hailing Grab's whilst I can get one within a miniute even when standing right next to him. The only difference is that I've been able to link a credit card and he hasn't.

A lot of the times, drivers don't keep enough cash / change on them, so they might have the option to filter out rides paying in cash.

[Banana Boi]

Bangkok also has MuvMi but I gave up trying pretty quickly when I couldn't figure out how to get from one zone to another. It may work for a short ride from Cowboy to NEP though assuming they are in the same MuvMi zone.

[CaliGuy33]

Pattaya.

Bolt. This has been my main source of transportation since I have arrived to Thailand. A short ride from say LK Metro to Kinnaree will run 50-60 baht. A longer run from Terminal 21 to Jomtien will cost 80-100 baht, depending on the negligible price surge. Average wait time is around 1-6 minutes. Add a few minutes to your wait time from what you see in the Bolt app. Lots of drivers haven't seemed to figure out what the blue location dot on their map means. If you hire a cheaper male driver almost always expect a call from a male driver who does not speak English trying to get you to walk somewhere so he doesn't have to drive as far to get to you. That is one of the reasons I usually always try getting the more expensive lady drivers. If nothing else they speak English. Do expect the lady drivers to have much smaller cars though so don't request one if you have luggage. Men usually drive Hilux and Fortuner so just request Economy and not Comfort or Luxury and you will likely get to sit in a truck. If your luck is bad you will get a normal taxi with a low class taxi driver! Comfort and Luxury are around double the price. Bolt is the way to go in Pattaya especially if you don't want to arrive at a club sticky and sweaty.

Grab. I gave up using Grab after the first few days. Not once was a normal Grab Car even cheaper than a Luxury Bolt vehicle. If I am doing something wrong with Grab let me know...

Bolt is awesome, especially in Pattaya, so convenient with rides always available on a dime.

Baht bus is of course the best value and fun as well.

[ThaiGoodTimes]

Pattaya.

Bolt. This has been my main source of transportation since I have arrived to Thailand. A short ride from say LK Metro to Kinnaree will run 50-60 baht. A longer run from Terminal 21 to Jomtien will cost 80-100 baht, depending on the negligible price surge. Average wait time is around 1-6 minutes. Add a few minutes to your wait time from what you see in the Bolt app. Lots of drivers haven't seemed to figure out what the blue location dot on their map means. If you hire a cheaper male driver almost always expect a call from a male driver who does not speak English trying to get you to walk somewhere so he doesn't have to drive as far to get to you. That is one of the reasons I usually always try getting the more expensive lady drivers. If nothing else they speak English. Do expect the lady drivers to have much smaller cars though so don't request one if you have luggage. Men usually drive Hilux and Fortuner so just request Economy and not Comfort or Luxury and you will likely get to sit in a truck. If your luck is bad you will get a normal taxi with a low class taxi driver! Comfort and Luxury are around double the price. Bolt is the way to go in Pattaya especially if you don't want to arrive at a club sticky and sweaty.

Grab. I gave up using Grab after the first few days. Not once was a normal Grab Car even cheaper than a Luxury Bolt vehicle. If I am doing something wrong with Grab let me know..

InDriver app is the best to use in Phuket.

It also says InDriver is available in Pattaya and Bangkok.

But I've never tried it there.

[Banana Boi]

Pattaya.

Bolt. This has been my main source of transportation since I have arrived to Thailand. A short ride from say LK Metro to Kinnaree will run 50-60 baht. A longer run from Terminal 21 to Jomtien will cost 80-100 baht, depending on the negligible price surge. Average wait time is around 1-6 minutes. Add a few minutes to your wait time from what you see in the Bolt app. Lots of drivers haven't seemed to figure out what the blue location dot on their map means. If you hire a cheaper male driver almost always expect a call from a male driver who does not speak English trying to get you to walk somewhere so he doesn't have to drive as far to get to you. That is one of the reasons I usually always try getting the more expensive lady drivers. If nothing else they speak English. Do expect the lady drivers to have much smaller cars though so don't request one if you have luggage. Men usually drive Hilux and Fortuner so just request Economy and not Comfort or Luxury and you will likely get to sit in a truck. If your luck is bad you will get a normal taxi with a low class taxi driver! Comfort and Luxury are around double the price. Bolt is the way to go in Pattaya especially if you don't want to arrive at a club sticky and sweaty.

Grab. I gave up using Grab after the first few days. Not once was a normal Grab Car even cheaper than a Luxury Bolt vehicle. If I am doing something wrong with Grab let me know.

Regular taxi. So happy I didn't have to deal with these idiots this trip.

Baht bus. Took a handful of times usually along Soi Buakhao heading to Walking Street or Central. The majority of men do not wear masks and yes there are a ton of people coughing these days in Pattaya, including myself. Most women continue wearing masks. Still great value at only 10 baht but there are places like Kinnaree or some of the outer G clubs where it makes no sense to take a baht bus over a Bolt these days.

Bangkok. Only spent 5 days here over the past 4+ weeks so my experience is limited.

Bolt. Either there is extremely high demand or very few Bolt drivers in the BKK Sukhumvit area. Wait time is usually 10 minutes to infinity. Prices the same as Pattaya. In order to take Bolt I always paid double for the Luxury or Comfort vehicles rather than wait.

Grab. See Pattaya above. Limited availability like Bolt too.

Regular taxis. Tried 3 times when we couldn't find a Bolt. Not once would a taxi turn on their meter. Wasn't there a recent law saying drivers would be penalized harshly for not using meters?

BTS / MRT. This really is the way to get around BKK. Most things are within walking distance or a short Bolt ride from BTS.

Tuk tuk. Since I had a visitor with me in BKK she wanted to use a tuk tuk. For fun I would let her try negotiating a price. She was always quoted 200 baht no matter how short the travel distance was. I would grab her and start walking away. Then I would hear the driver yelling 150. As we kept walking we heard a 100. Normally I would still negotiate more but she wanted to shoot YouTube videos of her riding in a tuk tuk we agreed to 100. Apologies for overpaying guys.

All in all Bolt is a Godsend. Finally Thailand has a very cheap means of comfortable transportation like Grab in other SEA countries.

Hope that is helpful for those coming to Thailand over the next couple of months.

[XXL]

Full lunar eclipse in Thailand.

[Issaquah]

Interested in your approach. I am going for a REAL CONFERENCE in March 2023 at BKK. I want to use my I phone 13 for reaching out to escorts / freelancers and sideline girls. I am there for 5 days. Do I need a another phone for 5 days OR can I put a second SIM in I-Phone 13?. Thanks.

Your iPhone 13 has one eSIM and one slot for a Physical SIM. If your current line isn't on your eSIM have it switched by your provider before you go then once you arrive in Thailand you can buy a local SIM for the physical slot and have both lines active at once, switching out the physical SIM when in different countries, etc.

[Mogwai]

Interested in your approach. I am going for a REAL CONFERENCE in March 2023 at BKK. I want to use my I phone 13 for reaching out to escorts / freelancers and sideline girls. I am there for 5 days. Do I need a another phone for 5 days OR can I put a second SIM in I-Phone 13?. Thanks.

I always use a second local SIM when I'm in Thailand. No problem at all. I have an Android phone, but I don't think that makes any difference.

[AggieDad1]

Never used Thai Friendly but I know others on here have. A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in a bar in Hua Hin and was talking to a lady who uses Thai Friendly. It was hilarious as she showed me on her phone some of the profiles guys put up, and then told stories of some of the losers she has had dealings with. She is not a freelancer but is looking for a sugar daddy.