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You always get a better exchanging rate for Traveller Checks. That is true.
But in Germany for excample you have to pay charges, if you order Traveller Checks from your Bank. And this charges are higher than the difference between the money you get for changing cash and Traveller Checks. Nevertheless the safety aspect is worth considering to take Traveller Checks with you.
Enjoy
Lemon Tree
[QUOTE=DG69]Were yesterday night at Walking Street, saw alot of people thought the most bars were closed. Nevertheless some were still open, one had even music and alcohol (New Star Agogo) do not know, why this little gogo bar had this special right to sell alcohol and play music.
Others, like Beavers and Air Port were open but no loud music.
Today it will be similar as it seems.[/QUOTE]So depressing to log on this morning after a quiet night in Pattaya to read a whole load of reports on 'my favourite ATM'. :-) Perhaps there's nothing else to discuss?
I have a motorbike so cruised around the town in the late afternoon and evening, and most of the beer bar complexes were dark, with the majority of bars closed, but a few open. Walking street was less crowded than previously, but a lot more freelancers in evidence, including some very good lookers. I was very tempted by one as I watched her negotiate with a string of Middle Eastern gentlemen, who all wandered off muttering 'very expensive', as she mouthed insults at them behind their back. I suspect not expensive. However I had made other arrangements and as I wandered back to my bike saw that New Star was open, and doing good business. Shame that AngelWitch was closed as I may not get another chance to visit this trip.
I picked up my lady from a bar between Soi 7 and Soi 8, and she was a dazzling delight
[QUOTE=Sterile]Hi All
Been Reading the forum but so much information ! I will be in Pattaya in about 2 weeks from now, havent booked a hotel yet. Can anyone recommend a decent hotel for around 2000-2500 THB a night, that is close to the action?
Should I reserve something online with a hotel directly or use one of the many sites Ive found such as [url]www.hotelthailand.com?[/url]
My main problem is not knowing which hotels are near the nightlife as I dont wanna end up stuck a 20 minute walk away !
Cheers[/QUOTE]I'm a newbie, so here's my 6 suggestions as a n00b...
1) RTFF ... a lot, study it, take notes, search is your friend, show results as "reports" not "threads". It's a lot of information but that's why people are reporting their experiences.
2) Stay where you want, don't walk, take the truck or whatever for 10 THB.
3) Check out [url=http://www.pattayabarguide.com/]this map (not to scale)[/url] and [url=http://www.pattayaphotoguide.com/?SC2RUC8skccA]this map[/url]
4) See hotels in the Pattaya Hotels thread that Jay Hodge just suggested and read real monger reviews, and for reviews on amenities etc see hotels/reviews at [url=http://www.agoda.com/asia/thailand.html]agoda.com[/url] and [url=http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g293915-Thailand-Vacations.html]tripadvisor.com[/url], but book hotels wherever you want or feel comfortable.
5) Look the address up in Google Maps, compare to #3 maps. Tip - In Google Maps you can save it under "My Maps" to edit and look at later. This helped me figure out where the hell things are when I compare it to #3 in this list. I made marks for places I might stay or go. Works great for me.
6) Please post your experiences in this thread. And post about your hotel experiences here.
[url]http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/showthread.php?t=1875[/url]
[QUOTE=Cunning Stunt]It might be worth taking Travelers Checks rather than cash. Apart from the safety aspect, in case of loss or theft, you seem to get a better exchange rate. This is, of course, offset by the TC and bank commission/stamp fee. After a couple of bad experiences, I have learned my lesson not to rely too heavily on the plastic.[/QUOTE]Would like to comment here. Have traveled extensively in Europe, Central America and Asia and with possible exception of Cambodia, my Chase visa card produces cash at ATM s quickly and efficiently. Have use Travelers check in the past and have found that too many places are suspicious of them. Sometimes you have to go through quite an experience getting money in a bank and hotels frequently charge a tidy fee for using same. Only use ATM cards. One of the best Atm machines in Pattaya is in front of Flipper Lodge on Soi 8. There are many atm machines in Philippines, Nepal, Thailand and Malaysia. Do not bother with the hassle of Travelers checks.
Arkyboy
[QUOTE=The Scout]I'm a newbie, so here's my 6 suggestions as a n00b...
1) RTFF ... a lot, study it, take notes, search is your friend, show results as "reports" not "threads". It's a lot of information but that's why people are reporting their experiences.
2) Stay where you want, don't walk, take the truck or whatever for 10 THB.
3) Check out [url=http://www.pattayabarguide.com/]this map (not to scale)[/url] and [url=http://www.pattayaphotoguide.com/?SC2RUC8skccA]this map[/url]
4) See hotels in the Pattaya Hotels thread that Jay Hodge just suggested and read real monger reviews, and for reviews on amenities etc see hotels/reviews at [url=http://www.agoda.com/asia/thailand.html]agoda.com[/url] and [url=http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g293915-Thailand-Vacations.html]tripadvisor.com[/url], but book hotels wherever you want or feel comfortable.
5) Look the address up in Google Maps, compare to #3 maps. Tip - In Google Maps you can save it under "My Maps" to edit and look at later. This helped me figure out where the hell things are when I compare it to #3 in this list. I made marks for places I might stay or go. Works great for me.
6) Please post your experiences in this thread. And post about your hotel experiences here.
[url]http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/showthread.php?t=1875[/url][/QUOTE]Flipper Lodge on Soi 8 is hard to beat IMHO. 1200 baht buys an attractive room right in the center of the action on sois 7 and 8. The Sailor Bar right across the street has great breakfasts in their restaurant. You could do all of your partying right on those two sois with some real gems to be found.
Arkyboy
[QUOTE=The Scout]ATM - If you want the best rates you should consider getting a Capital One Direct Banking account with their ATM card. It's accepted at any ATM that has the "Plus" logo which so far has been ones that accept international MC/Visa cards for me in Japan. Also any money sitting in there gains interest.
0% currency exchange fee. 0 ATM fee. And the exchange rate is competitive.
[url]http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange[/url]
Another bank of mine charges whatever the ATM machine fee is + 2% of my total withdrawal (1% from the bank, 1% from Master Card).
The bars being closed is lame. So I decided to look into holidays. Looks like the next holidays are August 12, October 23, and then in December
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Thailand[/url][/QUOTE]
Thats a good idea mate but I'm not an American or in America so not an option. I will probably just bring my visa card plus plenty of Thai Baht plus some of my own currency to change if needs be. Im only gonna be there for 10 days or so.
Thx again to everyone for their advice it is much appreciated and have taken all comments / tips on board.
[QUOTE=Arkyboy]Would like to comment here. Have traveled extensively in Europe, Central America and Asia and with possible exception of Cambodia, my Chase visa card produces cash at ATM s quickly and efficiently. Have use Travelers check in the past and have found that too many places are suspicious of them. Sometimes you have to go through quite an experience getting money in a bank and hotels frequently charge a tidy fee for using same. Only use ATM cards. One of the best Atm machines in Pattaya is in front of Flipper Lodge on Soi 8. There are many atm machines in Philippines, Nepal, Thailand and Malaysia. Do not bother with the hassle of Travelers checks.
Arkyboy[/QUOTE]
That is ok if your bank does not charge a fee...and the dispensing bank does not charge one either.
However, you can get hit for 3 percent plus 3 percent plus 2 percent exchange spread easily enough on every transaction if your bank does not waive fees. (eg many ATMs in Pat charge 150B per transaction which is 3 percent of 5000). Travellers cheque might only be 1 percent commission plus 2 percent exchange spread.
Lesson = take a range of cash, card and TCheques and change where the rates are best.
[QUOTE=Rubberyman]That is ok if your bank does not charge a fee...and the dispensing bank does not charge one either.
However, you can get hit for 3 percent plus 3 percent plus 2 percent exchange spread easily enough on every transaction if your bank does not waive fees. (eg many ATMs in Pat charge 150B per transaction which is 3 percent of 5000). Travellers cheque might only be 1 percent commission plus 2 percent exchange spread.
Lesson = take a range of cash, card and TCheques and change where the rates are best.[/QUOTE]Many places also charge a fee to cash t checks,in addition to giving you a bad rate of exchange. ATMs always give you the highest exchange rate,according to bankers I have spoken with here.
Never liked carrying cash or travellers cheques.... Not that great in terms of changing and getting converted money. So use a debit card. Those that winge about the percentages charged - look on it as a side effect of mongering in a foreign country. deduct the charges made for the travellers cheques and you soon see that its maybe a little more expensive but its also so much easier and less easy to scam or lose than a bundle of cash or some travellers cheques.
I have found that using my debit card for my money market account for my brokerage account is the cheapest. You get the best exchange rate and they do not charge me anything. Only charge is at the ATM machine. Found with my debit card not only were they hitting me up for a foreign transaction fee but then charged me $5.00 for every transaction. It was working out to be $10.83 for every 10,000B plus the ATM fee. I also opened up an account in Thailand at one of the larger banks. Now I just transfere the amount I think I will spend for my trip via a SWIFT transfere to my Thai bank. You can check on line with them once you opened with internet access to your account. Saves carrying a lot of cash that for some reason they might find a blemish or minor tear and they do not accept.
[QUOTE=Hornyscot]Never liked carrying cash or travellers cheques. Not that great in terms of changing and getting converted money. So use a debit card. Those that winge about the percentages charged. Look on it as a side effect of mongering in a foreign country. Deduct the charges made for the travellers cheques and you soon see that its maybe a little more expensive but its also so much easier and less easy to scam or lose than a bundle of cash or some travellers cheques.[/QUOTE]The main point of using TCs and cash as well as cards is security in case something happens to your card or cards. As the saying goes, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Or another saying, Shit happens.
Recently in the States, I spoke to my cousin who is a top executive for Bank of America Headquarters in North Carolina. Regarding Traveler Checks the reason why they are being less attractive when you travel and institutions are being more vary of them is that they are being copied! With High Tech ability these days they are getting better and better counterfeited. So Banks are getting burned, they are in the process of trying to creat a full-proof Traveler Check to make it harder. Remember the Cashier or Money order now you take one to the bank.. there is a waiting period for them to clear and even if you get your money right there.. you must have enough money in your accounts to before they cash it for you.
Regarding ATM, cards or Debit.... if it hasn't happen already they are going to limit you to how much a ATM, is going to dispense to a Foreign ATM, credit card or Debit card like 10,000 Baht. Why, The Thai banks want you to come back again and again so they can charge you the 150 baht again. So if you got to use one make sure you take out the Max Whe!ther it is 500 baht or 10,000 baht it's 150 baht each time.
Regarding rates from ATM, before this the Thai Banks starting charging the 150 baht. For Example, like the Bank of Ayuthya ( yellow machine ) they were giving a good rate, if the exchange rate was 34.00 take were giving a rate like .50 or 33.50 from the ATM. now the rate is much lower. If the rate is 34.00 they will dispense something like 32.60 and when you continue you get a addition charge of 150 baht on top of that... They have changed their marketing to sock it to us and many don't even know it. Even in the U.S. if you use another Institutions ATM card, it use to range around 1.50 USD, when I was home some were charging 3.00 USD, like the fucking banks that got bailed out! How else are they going to pay the government back.
For those that live here, right now, wiring money when the rate is high to a local Thai bank is the answer. For a Tourist, maybe a combination of ATM, cash and T.T.
LBM
[QUOTE=LittleBigMan]
For those that live here, right now, wiring money when the rate is high to a local Thai bank is the answer. For a Tourist, maybe a combination of ATM, cash and T.T.
LBM[/QUOTE]
Thanks LBM for your valuable input on the matter.
Now... can we please get back to focusing on the reason why we need all these ATMs, and not the ATMs themselves? It's been 3 days of ATM talk, kinda depressing.
Do any field reporters out there want to kindly share with us what is the situation in Pattaya. Buddha Holiday is over? Situation back to normal? Green season alive and kicking?
So, back to basic.
Yesterday was full of special situations and surprises.
Number one: When I went out of my Hotel (Baywalk Residence) and walked along the small lane called Pattaya City Walk towards 2nd road, I was stopped by some military police men. I asked why, they didn't tell me, but made sure that I can't pass.
So, I went to Royal Garden Plaza and went through and reached 2nd road. But, there were no traffic. So, I couldn't enter a baht bus. Obviously the police or military had also blocked the traffic on second road. Later I found out that one princess has visited the Joe Louis puppet theater and restaurant at Pattaya City Walk. Amazing because this puppet theather is open since weeks. At least since I am in Pattaya which was 16th of June.
The Princess has her house at the hill between Pattaya and Jomtien. Maybe another reason why the Beach Road shall be cleaned by street walker.
Number two surprise: Last November I had sometimes a freelancer from Spice Club in Bangkok for a ST. This freelancer Joy is her name, was amazing hot. I could her do anally, she had a very sexy butt and a quite fair skin and untypical for Thai girls european face features. She had a normal office job and went only to Spice Club to enhance her income.
Yesterday, I saw her again. I was sitting in Club Blu in Soi Bua Kaow. Suddenly Joy stand beside me. I was very surprised, she took a bit weight but still very hot. I thought she worked in Club Blu, but she told me she is here with her Boyfriend (Sponsor) from Hawaii. The Boyfriend was sitting on the bar, he is from Japanese origin. Well, we spoke a while and I asked her when I can met her. She told in 3 days she will be available.
But, than she told she need to go to toilet, which is in 2nd floor in Club Blu. So, I told Ok I will come with you. She first don't want, but the imagination to have sex on the toilet made her horny. So, she wents up, I followed soon and in the second floor was beside the lady toilett a one room toilet which could be locked. It was one of the most exciting quickies I had. Downstairs were her Sponsor and I did her on the toillet.
Number three was not as good surprise like number two. When I came out of Insomnia about 4 or 5 o'clock (don't remember) I saw a big crowd of people on the street. Thought most likely another guy who makes a show for tourists. But, it was something different. The security guys from Insomnia (unsympathic guys, whose usually stand on the dancefloor and limit the rare space in Insomnia even more) beated the living shit out of a blond young farang guy.
The motorbike taxi driver join the unequal fight on side of the Insomnia Security guys. Well, I don't know what the guy did to get beaten in that way. But, I don't blame the Thais too much, since I guess there is alot anger on there site, since they have to serve all the foreigner whose come to Thailand to shag their women. If you imagine that, than you can understand why they act like that.
The blond guy were rescued, not by the police whose usually stroll along the walking street and stand just a few meter away. No, the guy were rescued by some bargirls and some bodybuilder farangs.
So, always something new and unexpected in Pattaya.
Use a bank like E*trade, as I do. They charge .0.84% and reimburse all ATM charges. They have! Unless it is abused. They say 6 transactions a month limit. That is listed on there web page.
Also,
UOB bank and Goverment Savings bank are said to have no 150 baht charge!
Hope this helps!