General Reports

[QUOTE=HorseTrader;3085025]I must correct myself. There is a ferry between Hua Hin and Koh Samui.[/QUOTE]This is good to know.

[QUOTE=TheCane;3084993]What's wrong with Phuket? I liked it as a middle ground between Bangkok (big and dirty) and Pattaya (ground zero).[/QUOTE]I'll be going to Phuket first to scuba dive on my next trip so I'll have 1-2 nights there. I heard Patong is rather pricey for girls and there are no onsite rooms to play which I prefer rather than bringing them to my hotel. I might check out massage nuru shops in old town Phuket for actual sessions instead but do a walk through of Patong just to take in the scene.

Anyone used the new E-gates at arrival at BKK that started last week? Are there any glitches or is it running smoothly? Have the queues in the main hall reduced as a result?

[QUOTE=LondonBird;3085309]Anyone used the new E-gates at arrival at BKK that started last week? Are there any glitches or is it running smoothly? Have the queues in the main hall reduced as a result?[/QUOTE]I've been in and out of BKK three times in the past week. It's never been quicker in my experience.

To all [B]International Tricks[/B] visiting Thailand that think inflation does not exist here.

The Cmdr went to the grocery store he normally shops in and found that the price of 10 eggs that he usually buys has gone up 4.65%.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;3086818]It just hit The Cmdr. The Cmdr went to breakfast at The Cmdr's favorite restaurant to eat breakfast. Found out prices up across the board 8%. That is why CPI numbers produced by governments is pure [B]male bovine excrement[/B]. CPI measurements are completely unrelated to the real costs of good at the producer and consumer levels.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;3087410]To all [B]International Tricks[/B] visiting Thailand that think inflation does not exist here.

The Cmdr went to the grocery store he normally shops in and found that the price of 10 eggs that he usually buys has gone up 4.65%.[/QUOTE]Don't let the 15 cents destroy your budget LOL.

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[QUOTE=Nyezhov;3087475]Don't let the 15 cents destroy your budget LOL.[/QUOTE]It should be noted that the currency of Thailand is the Baht. Those who have actually visited Thailand know this. I have never used dollars or cents since I first stepped off the plane as was called a [I]visitor[/I] by a certain member.

At the current exchange rate 0.15 USD = 5.04 THB.

[U]Jomtien[/U]

All massage shops on Jomtien Road raised prices by 16.67% for a one hour oil massage on the same day along Jomtien Beach Road.

[B]Thailand's Queen Suthida flies Saab Gripen solo with just 4 weeks training[/B]

[QUOTE]For 41 minutes, Thailands Queen Suthida was alone in the cockpit of a supersonic fighter jet. Waiting for her on the ground was her husband, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who had watched her take off and would soon welcome her back with a bouquet of flowers and a gold-embroidered aviation insignia.[/QUOTE][URL]https://aerospaceglobalnews.com/news/queen-suthida-thailand-gripen-fighter-jet-solo-flight/[/URL]

That's what I'm talking about. All hail the Queen!

Mixue and Auntie Anne's are two places where prices have not changed the entire time I have been posted up here in Pattaya. There are many locations all over Pattaya. But my favorite location is in Central Mall. Neither location serve what I would consider [I]health foods[/I]. But [B]The Cmdr[/B] still enjoys their offerings.

[QUOTE=HSendatsu;3080422]Just saw that in the quoted comment there must be a typo. Otherwise you could just buy all the gold you can and immediately sell it turning a profit (100 baht per purchase).[/QUOTE]Incorrect. You must not have ever been to Thailand before. I have attached a photo to help you learn. Buy is top number. That is what the [U]Gold Shop[/U] will buy your gold for. Sell Bottom number. That is what the [U]Gold Shop[/U] will sell gold for.

Someone was asking last week if the e-gates at the airport were speeding the immigration process coming in or not.

While I got in quickly last week unfortunately my experience with the new e-gates was not great at all, clearly they are still have teething issues.

As any regular visitor knows the passport control queues can be long and a nightmare even at so called off peak times but since September citizens of 33 different countries who have 1) visited Thailand before 2) has a e-passport and 3) completed the TDAC online are supposed to be able to breeze through passport control using the e-gates.

Problem number one is not even the e-gates themselves but it's the clear lack of training of the staff themselves.

When you arrive at the famous bottom of the 'hill' up to the passport control booths there is no signage for the e-gates.

I knew in advance that they are located on the right hand side at the top of the hill, so I tried to enter the right hand channel lane to go up towards them. But a loud Thai immigration female officer was just shouting at everyone 'Thai passports only, foreigners over there' pushing everyone into the other queues.

So halfway up the hill when you get into the roped off snaking queue you suddenly realize they are being taking away from the e-gates and over to the manned booths only.

Next problem is you cannot get back down the hill because of the crowds nor can you get into the lines for the e-gates because the area is roped off.

After a while quite a few people realizing we had been given bum information at the bottom by the immigration staff took evasive action and jumped the rope barrier when the Immigration police looked the other way.

Now in the e-gate area, it was clear there is general bad communications about the whole process from staff as the area was almost completely empty.

Over half the e-gates had no queues at all, there was actually more people in the "customer service" queue who were experiencing problems with their e-gate!

Problem three was with the e-gate itself: So I went up to the gate, the first one I just keep getting a "scanning passport" message on the screen. So I tried a different gate and then it said 'arrivals card not submitted' which was not true. Sure, I had a copy of it with me.

So a grumpy immigration officer came over (with shit English) asked me the basic questions, I showed him my Digital arrival card receipt and everything. But he just said, 'not eligible' and tried to push me back down the hill.

Luckily another officer (female and friendly) observed this and asked me if I was ok. I explained it, she asked the questions, looked at my arrival card and then brought me to another e-gate to try again but still would not work. So, She then brought me to the top of a queue at an actual manned booth.

So in the end I had to go through a manned booth and I got a physical stamp. But the process was all still extremely quick (maybe 10-15 minutes max) as I didn't queue in the standard line.

To maybe explain best how quick e-gates will be, even with all the trouble as explained above, I went through, then went to the toilet, then went and exchanged some currency and then walked all the way down to the last baggage carousel and still had to wait a further 10 minutes for the first bags off the flight to arrive on the carousel.

My advice, if you are visa free and meet all the criteria to be allowed use the e-gates, stand your ground with the Immigration Police and do not let them make you join the standard long queues for the booths.

[QUOTE=PgReal;3089327]While I got in quickly last week unfortunately my experience with the new e-gates was not great at all, clearly they are still have teething issues. . . My advice, if you are visa free and meet all the criteria to be allowed use the e-gates, stand your ground with the Immigration Police and do not let them make you join the standard long queues for the booths.[/QUOTE]Many thanks to Khun Real for his helpful and informative report.

It's too bad the staff seem determined to force travelers to wait in long lines for manual screening. A cynic might suspect they know the e-gates threaten to break, or at least damage, their iron rice bowls.

[QUOTE=PgReal;3089327]Someone was asking last week if the e-gates at the airport were speeding the immigration process coming in or not.

While I got in quickly last week unfortunately my experience with the new e-gates was not great at all, clearly they are still have teething issues..[/QUOTE]If you want to see a royal cluster fuck go in and out of Frankfurt. Two weeks ago, 4 hours to get to passport control.