2006 Bangkok Reports

[QUOTE=nite_runner]Fellow Mongers -

I will be headed to BK in late Aug and would like to find a massage chickie for incall that offers benefits.. I am looking for a above average massage and at least the option of some type of action, if I want it... Can anyone recommend a contact that they have used previously?

n_r[/QUOTE]I tried Sabai Sabai at Tel.0-2651-0188 when I was staying at Livingstone's on soi 33. About 15 mins later a cute little girl shows up and got to work. It cost me 1,000 baht for a 2hr Oil Massage w/HR. Gave her a nice tip b/c that was the best I felt in about 10 years. I called her back a 2nd time a couple days later. I would have called her more had I the time, but what can you do. I'm not sure if Kip (I think that's how you spell her name) does more than a HR, but you never know.

My buddy called Sabai Sabai late one night (BTW they are open 24hrs) and was able to have short time for 1,500 or 2,000 baht tip. I can't remember.

Hope that helps!

Pitts

In October I will be attending a conference at Assumption University, a few miles east of Suv. Airport. How is the action over there? Are the college girls intersted in earning some spending money? Any advice about that part of town would be helpful. I am interested in doing some mongering. Should I stay by the University or stay near Nana and treak to the college when I need to get to the conference?

Any help will be appreciated.

I will be at a conference at Assumption University a few miles east of Suv. airport and am interested in mongering. Do you think the college girls will be intersted in making some extra cash? Are there any mongering opportunities around the university or should I get a hotel over by Nana Plaza and make the trip to the conference as required.

It's my first trip to LOS. Thanks for any advice.

[QUOTE=Francesco24]Hello,

I'll leave for Bangkok within a week. Can't wait XD.

I have a question. Where should I change my Euros to Baths? To find the best rates I have to look for a bank?

Can anybody suggest a place with good rates near Nana Hotel?

Thanks a lot.[/QUOTE]Vasu on gthe corner of Sukh and Soi 7/1 is one of the places with better rates. But count your cash that you bring in fornt of them when handing it in. If you want to change larger abounts, go to superrich.
(Do a forum search on that to find the namecard).

[QUOTE=Tiger 888]Vasu on gthe corner of Sukh and Soi 7/1 is one of the places with better rates. But count your cash that you bring in fornt of them when handing it in. If you want to change larger abounts, go to superrich.
(Do a forum search on that to find the namecard).[/QUOTE]

On my last visit about a month ago, I had checked the exchange rates on the internet. Most had the rate pegged at around 30 baht to the dollar. When I arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the first exchange rate booth I came across, before heading to the immigration line had the rate at around 34 baht to the dollar.

I don't recall seeing any rates better around town. I generally don't change much money at the airport, but at the exchange rates they were offering, I thought it was very fair. With the new airport, I expected the worst.

AT2

[QUOTE=Pittsdaulga]I tried Sabai Sabai at Tel.0-2651-0188 when I was staying at Livingstone's on soi 33. About 15 mins later a cute little girl shows up and got to work. It cost me 1,000 baht for a 2hr Oil Massage w/HR. Gave her a nice tip b/c that was the best I felt in about 10 years. I called her back a 2nd time a couple days later. I would have called her more had I the time, but what can you do. I'm not sure if Kip (I think that's how you spell her name) does more than a HR, but you never know.

My buddy called Sabai Sabai late one night (BTW they are open 24hrs) and was able to have short time for 1,500 or 2,000 baht tip. I can't remember.

Hope that helps!

Pitts[/QUOTE]

I have had very good success with Sabai Sabai. Probably better than an escort service in value, when you use the take out rates and the tip to the girl. Of course, they don't have any stunners, but I have had several cuties that combined a great massage with extra's. Some HJ finishes and some FS.

The 24/7 aspect of Sabai Sabai, makes them a great choice. Most of the girls will quote you 1,000 for HJ and 1,500/2,000 for FS. You can get most of them down to a more reasonable 500 for HJ and 1,000 for FS. Of course, alot depends on the girl and of course your negotiating skills.

They are right across the Ambassador Hotel on Soi 11, so if your hotel is in the Nana area, so in or out, they are a solid option. Don't expect FS on premises, though.

AT2

The airport exchange rates are typically about 0.4 to 0.5 baht per dollar less than the best you can get at banks in town.


[QUOTE=AsiaTraveler2]On my last visit about a month ago, I had checked the exchange rates on the internet. Most had the rate pegged at around 30 baht to the dollar. When I arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the first exchange rate booth I came across, before heading to the immigration line had the rate at around 34 baht to the dollar.

I don't recall seeing any rates better around town. I generally don't change much money at the airport, but at the exchange rates they were offering, I thought it was very fair. With the new airport, I expected the worst.

AT2[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=AsiaTraveler2]On my last visit about a month ago, I had checked the exchange rates on the internet. Most had the rate pegged at around 30 baht to the dollar. When I arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the first exchange rate booth I came across, before heading to the immigration line had the rate at around 34 baht to the dollar.

I don't recall seeing any rates better around town. I generally don't change much money at the airport, but at the exchange rates they were offering, I thought it was very fair. With the new airport, I expected the worst.

AT2[/QUOTE]Maybe you werre lucky. I have never seen good exchange rates at an airport (One exception may be Manila). I can just tell you that both the places I mentioned have very good rates. You can see that when looking at the spreads. Vasu normally has a spread of 10-15 Satang on the US Dollar, Superrich sometimes as low as 3-7 Satang, but that is not always worth the longer way. (For those who would want to ask, the spread is the difference between buying and selling at the same time). Superrich is the place where many of Bangkok's money changers change their daily turnover. I was referred to the place by a supplier.

[QUOTE=AsiaTraveler2]On my last visit about a month ago, I had checked the exchange rates on the internet. Most had the rate pegged at around 30 baht to the dollar. When I arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the first exchange rate booth I came across, before heading to the immigration line had the rate at around 34 baht to the dollar.

I don't recall seeing any rates better around town. I generally don't change much money at the airport, but at the exchange rates they were offering, I thought it was very fair. With the new airport, I expected the worst.

AT2[/QUOTE]That's because those internet exchange rates were trying to rip you off. The dollar/baht ratio never went as low as 30 in the last 5 years.

The Bangkok Bank web site has a foreign exchange rate page

[url]http://www.bangkokbank.com/Bangkok+Bank/Personal+Banking/Foreign+Exchange/FX+Rates/default.htm[/url]

That will show you the daily rates at which major currencies are being exchanged. I find it to be very accurate, within 1%, of what you'll actually find on the streets and via the ATM.

[QUOTE=Arris Sung]That's because those internet exchange rates were trying to rip you off. The dollar/baht ratio never went as low as 30 in the last 5 years.[/QUOTE]

Huge presumption there. That the websites were trying to rip him off, I mean. First, you don't know what kind of websites he was checking. If you go check some of the bigger exchange rate reporting websites like xe.com or oanda.com, you'll see that sometimes their rates are off from what's available on the street that day in that country. It may be that they're getting the rates from some international market (like in New York or London, etc.) and not from the countries themselves.

I dont' know anyone who goes to Xe.com or Oanda.com to change money, so not sure how they'd be ripping anyone off by reporting higher exchange rates. It's possible he did see some local website, like a hotel or travel agency or something, and if they reported 30 when it was really 34, ok, then that would seem to be an attempt at a ripoff. But AT2 doesn't really give enough clues to come to that conclusion.

Just looked at Oanda.com right now:
1 US Dollar = 30.29937 Thai Baht

Your Bangkok Bank site lists the current rate somewhere around 33.something today (slightly higher or lower depending on which category-- buy, sell, $50-100 bills, etc.). But we can see it's 33 and not 30. And if you go to Oanda.com, then you WILL see the baht at 30 to the dollar. Right now.

Currently there are 2 fx markets for THB. Onshore and Offshore. This came about a few months ago when the military govt instituted regulations to stop Bahy appreciating (which it failed at doing).

The offshore THB is trading below 30 these days. This is NOT the rate you will get if you are in Thailand. That rate will be around 33.5.

You ask why would anyone exchnage at 30? Its institutional investors who want to buy Thai assets but not be subject to the 30% 1 yr witholding by the Thai govt.

[QUOTE=Tiger 888]Maybe you were lucky. I have never seen good exchange rates at an airport (One exception may be Manila). I can just tell you that both the places I mentioned have very good rates. [/QUOTE]

I don't think it had anything to do with luck. Exchange rates suck at airports in developed countries, but there are several exceptions in 3rd world countries. You brought up a perfect example in Manila.

[QUOTE=Member #2041]The airport exchange rates are typically about 0.4 to 0.5 baht per dollar less than the best you can get at banks in town.[/QUOTE]

That's the common perception and may be what holds true over the long haul, but I did not see a spread of more than 0.2 from what I saw at the airport for the 10 days I was there. Very surprising, since someone's gotta pay for that new airport! LOL!

[QUOTE=Arris Sung]That's because those internet exchange rates were trying to rip you off. The dollar/baht ratio never went as low as 30 in the last 5 years.

The Bangkok Bank web site has a foreign exchange rate page

[url]http://www.bangkokbank.com/Bangkok+Bank/Personal+Banking/Foreign+Exchange/FX+Rates/default.htm[/url]

That will show you the daily rates at which major currencies are being exchanged. I find it to be very accurate, within 1%, of what you'll actually find on the streets and via the ATM.[/QUOTE]

Arris, No. They were not trying to rip me off. Websites like Xe.com have nothing to gain from a bad rate. They do, in fact, point out that the rates published are the international rates and that local rates may vary. It's common to see places like the PI and Thailand to have more favorable exchange rates than is published on sites like Xe.com. While places like Japan, would have local exchange rates very close to the published rates.

I did say, I thought the rates were fair. I do account for the difference in the international rates and thought that the airport rate on that day was fair. Even if the banks were offering a .4 or .5 rate difference, that amounts to a grand total of US$15 on a $1,000. I didn't see that kind of spread, so I figure I lost about $7 and saved some time. I hit the road running.

The current exchange rate on the website you posted was around 33.8 baht to the dollar. That's what I got at the airport. I'm not suggesting that the airport is a great rate. I'm just saying it's not bad at all, at least right now, and if you get anything close to 34 baht to the dollar, I think you did just fine.

[QUOTE=Wendella]Huge presumption there. That the websites were trying to rip him off, I mean. First, you don't know what kind of websites he was checking. If you go check some of the bigger exchange rate reporting websites like xe.com or oanda.com, you'll see that sometimes their rates are off from what's available on the street that day in that country. It may be that they're getting the rates from some international market (like in New York or London, etc.) and not from the countries themselves.

I dont' know anyone who goes to Xe.com or Oanda.com to change money, so not sure how they'd be ripping anyone off by reporting higher exchange rates. It's possible he did see some local website, like a hotel or travel agency or something, and if they reported 30 when it was really 34, ok, then that would seem to be an attempt at a ripoff. But AT2 doesn't really give enough clues to come to that conclusion.

Just looked at Oanda.com right now:
1 US Dollar = 30.29937 Thai Baht

Your Bangkok Bank site lists the current rate somewhere around 33.something today (slightly higher or lower depending on which category-- buy, sell, $50-100 bills, etc.). But we can see it's 33 and not 30. And if you go to Oanda.com, then you WILL see the baht at 30 to the dollar. Right now.[/QUOTE]

Wendella,

Yes, Yes, Yes. You got it right. Legit websites with international rates and not local rates. Right again .. I did not include enough detail to jump to any conclusions. It was just a post to draw feedback and reaction. Food for thought.

If you are a newbie or if your time is important, just know what the rate should be and keep in mind, how little .5 exchange rate points is on $1,000 to $2,000, and make an educated decision. Time vs. Money, with time = pussy in this case. In places like Thailand and the PI, I don't think exchange rates are such a big deal, since there are many places to change money and the rate differentials are very small.

Just one man's opinion.

Peace,
AT2

Where can one find the youngest (but legal) girls in BKK? I am not referring, in any way, shape, or manner, to any illegal activities. Is there a bar or bars or a service, that specialize in 18-20 year old girls?

[QUOTE=Hk Dog]Currently there are 2 fx markets for THB. Onshore and Offshore. This came about a few months ago when the military govt instituted regulations to stop Bahy appreciating (which it failed at doing).

The offshore THB is trading below 30 these days. This is NOT the rate you will get if you are in Thailand. That rate will be around 33.5.

You ask why would anyone exchnage at 30? Its institutional investors who want to buy Thai assets but not be subject to the 30% 1 yr witholding by the Thai govt.[/QUOTE]
This offshore rate thing is strange. I managed to change my Thai Baht at HSBC in Hong Kong into USD at the offshore rate, but they refuse to accept cash into the account for the time being.

I assumed the interest was in actual exchange rate for cash - not some monetary metric.

Of course sites like xe.com is wrong. Back when the dollar was strong, they quoted exchange rates above what you could actually get via ATM's or exchanges. Now that the dollar is weaker, they under-estimate the exchange rate.

That's why travelers shouldn't use sites like XE.com - it's not useful for their purposes.