[Living in Chanthaburi. Would you recommend it?]

Thanks gomangosteen for this. I do not realy use border runs as stay on yearly extensions, but its still amazing like many Thais even do not know the geography of their own province. Because when I have moved to Chanthaburi 2 years ago from Trat province and asked what Cambodian border is closest and best to go from Chan city they told me Poipet or Hat Lek :-) It is my own ignorance I did not check myself. However Hat Lek could be connected with few days spent on quiet coast of Trat province which offers few nice hidden places ;-) So I did not mind. ;-)

[Living in Chanthaburi. Would you recommend it?]

Just forgot to mention about the border run. There are two options. Either Hat Lek or Poipet. I personaly prefer Hat Lek because it is not too busy.

[Living in Chanthaburi. Would you recommend it?]

I live in Chanthaburi and I love it. Very few white foreigners here and no massive tourists. There is just few expats here plus there is quite large community of foreigners from Africa who are involved in gems business. The city is not too big and not too small. Just an ideal size. It has everything what you need for comfortable life. People here are very friendly, nice, helpfull and not cheating foreigners like in other Thai cities with big expat communities. It is nice original Thai city with cheap prices and not spoiled by foreigners which is I think the biggest advantage of living here. Not too many people can speak english, so it pushes you to speak Thai, which makes the life much easier and more fun as a result. There are good pubs, restaurants, 2 multiplex cinemas, shopping malls, many nice coffee shops with reasonable prices, hospitals, schools, lot of students keeping the place vibrating, mototaxis, pick up taxis, several nice and cheap hotels, swimming pools, gyms, or anything you would think you need as foreigner. Koh Chang just 70 kms, Koh Samet 80 kms far and few beaches just within about 20 kms distance. Bangkok is 250 kms, Pattaya 170 kms. Chanthaburi is big for bicycle and many Thais here are active regular bikers, with bicycle clubs, which is unusual for Thailand. I am renting the house very near city center for 6.000 THB. Water is very cheap here. The only negative I can see is that it is not so easy to find a place for rent because there is higher demand then available offers, so it takes time to find something acceptable for foreigner's standard. I deffinitely recommend Chanthaburi as one of the ideal places to live in Thailand. However everybody is different, so I would recommend to come for visit for a few days first to get the feeling.

[Oil down $60 / Gas down 60 satang - what do you make of it?]

I am a bit surprised of this post. Because I am deffinitely enjoying a big reduction of gas prices in Thailand. Just about 3 months ago I was paying about 43 THB/L for Gasohol 95. And now I get the same under 35 THB, which means during just last 3 months the Gasohol 95 went down by more then 8 THB/L, which is for me quite big reduction. And it seems that gas still continues to go down. Moreover about 1 year ago I remember paying up to arround 48 THB/L and that is massive decrease. So I realy do not understand where the OP got his 60 satang reduction if in reality it is far much more.

[180 Baht Charges for ATM.]

as i don't drink yes i have added something relevant,if you are whinging about paying the 150-180 baht charges then the other option is to open a thai bank account.It is quite easy to do or maybe opening a thai bank account is beneath your level jiu-jitsu

I do not think this is again solution for all. Because of all different banks all over the world, different package deals etc. To wire 25.000 THB from my European account to my Thai Bank Account would be arround 800 THB. So its better, faster and cheaper to get it from ATM for 150/180 THB. Wire transfers in my case are worth it for realy higher amounts, when you would need to make a multiple withdrawals and it would become expensive. And I always get a better exchange rate on ATM withdrawal then wire transfer, because we do not have EUR, so I have to buy EUR or USD, then send it over here and it get changed to THB again. But some guys get transfers free, some get them even more expensive. And to open the bank account in Thai bank is not that simple anyway. It depends where you live in Thailand. Its different in Bangkok, its different in tourist areas with many foreigners, and its different in rural areas where you barely see a foreigner. The each branch have different procedure and different document requests and you never know untill you try to open a bank account. In some banks and branches you are fine just with a passport and address confirmation from your landlord, somewhere you must have a Thai driving licence and somewhere you must even hold a work permit. Etc. etc. Regarding Thailand it is so impossible to create some general rules or manuals which would be valid for all places and people, that it is realy loosing the time and energy. I would say all guys must try it themself what works the best for them. That would be the only rule. They might loose some small money on the beggining for testing it, but then they will know what is the best option. This is the only way in Thailand with nearly everything. What is valid here for me, is probably not valid for my friend from different country who lives just the next door. Thanks.

[180 Baht Charges for ATM.]

An evergreen topic

Bangkok Bank: 150 Baht, see here:

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BANGKOKBANK/WEBSERVICES/HELPCENTER/Pages/FeeTable.aspx

Cash withdrawal using an electronic card issued by a foreign bank or non-bank card issuer in Thailand and not an ATM Pool member

• Cash withdrawal using an electronic card issued by a foreign bank

  (Transaction fee will be waived for ATM withdrawals using AMEX cards and cards within the MEPS/ATM Pool network.)

150Bt per transaction

Krungsri 150 for Visa, 180 for MC:

http://www.krungsri.com/en/banking-rates05.aspx?flag=0

http://www.krungsri.com/inc/download.aspx?file=../download/Interest_792advance_notification_atm13.pdf

Bank of Ayudhya Public Company Limited changes the fee for cash advance

transactions at Krungsri ATMs for MasterCard credit cards issued outside of Thailand,

the Bank would collect fees at Baht 180 per transaction and Visa credit cards issued

outside of Thailand at Baht 150 per transaction.

Not in the mood to search all banks.

AEON 150 from own experience.

Dear KhunBENQ,

it is nice to have these price lists and say its evergreen topic. But how would you explain the fact that I am charged 150 THB on all of my VISA cards and 180 THB on all of my MasterCards by any of Thai banks. It does not matter if I go to ATM of Bangkok Bank, or Krungthai Bank, or Kasikorn, TMB, Krungsri Bank, City Bank, just any Thai bank ATM I go, I am charged 180 THB for MC and 150 THB on Visa. Then your pricelists above are absolutely useless, because it does not apply for all foreign cards and the rule is somehow a bit of mistery then. Why pricelist of Bangkok Bank says any foreign ATM card is 150 THB and I am charged this only for VISA but for MC 180 THB? The only ATM which charge me 150 THB for both types of cards is AEON. Also the limits are somehow a kind of mistery. While on some cards Bangkok Bank gives me 25.000 THB on the other cards not, in KTB on some cards gives me 20.000 THB but on some only 10.000 THB no matter how high limit per withdrawal I have on the card and be sure it is far more then that. I think there is probably simply no real rule and every foreign bank and every foreign card has it different. And people must check for them self first what ATM is the best deal. Because nobody was able to explain the rules. There are no strict rules applicable for all cards. This is what I think.

[180 Baht Charges for ATM.]

It is not new at all. It changed back in the beggining of 2013. And I guess the rule is VISA 150 THB and MasterCard 180 THB at any Thai bank's ATM. On top of that your issuing bank can charge you even additional fee. It depends on the bank. I am using here cards of two different banks in europe and one is charging just this Thai fee and the other one is adding additional approx. 1%. The only exception is the AEON is cheaper but it used to be free.

[How much does it cost to build a website ?]

can do it for you for 15,000 Baht and it will be already prepared code for e-commerce which can be added anytime you want. If you will decide to start e-commerce then basic setup and necessary functions will be another about 8,000 - 10,000 baht. Then you can manage the site yourself very easily and add or edit pages or products according to your needs. Site will be SEO optimized and the code used is guaranteed to be loved by search engines. Re hosting we can use some of well known US companies which are about 100 - 150 USD per year. But first I would analyze where your traffic will be generated from. If for example you expect traffic only from UK then it will be the best to put hosting into UK server etc. I would deffinitely not use any of cheap "make yourself" company solutions because these are usualy very limited and not well optimised for search engines.

[PDRC core leader Sonthiyarn arrested in Bangkok]

Police are really making inroads now arn't they, much to the disgust of the PDRC fan base

They just picking them up when they stray from the flock!!! Best tactic and it has avoided clashing by going in with a hit team.

This is who they'll get them all. and they'll all be much more wary now

Be interesting to see if the Courts just let them go, as you do for insurection, trhying to overthrow democracy and blocking streets in a Capital City.

Good they whisked him out the capital as well. The mob won't be marching around there in a red shirt area. Not now they down to their last 100 or 200!!

Democracy? What a bloody joke man! You certainly have no clue what democracy is. You should make yourself a favour and make some research first. Then make conclusions what is democracy.

[Thai talk: An idiot's guide to this Sunday's election]

I can not believe how many idiot foreigners are living in Thailand and put here so many idiotic comments. None of you have clue of what is democracy. Especialy those who says "Suthep nobody wants you here". BTW it is not your country and no matter what, you have no right to express who Thai people want or do not want. It is so obvious what Thai people want and numbers of people in the streets are selfexplanatory. I would like to see what would you do, if you would have such fraudulent government in your country. Oh I forgot, you have one and that is why you emigrated to Thailand...... Big respect for brave Thai people, as most of Europeans and Americans has no balls to do the same with their own corrupt governments!!!

Welcome and thank you for your first post. Before you post your second try thinking a little more or you will end up posting another one which is as ridiculous as the "Suthep nobody wants you here" post which you were right to criticise. Some Thais post on here so Thailand is their country but you need to remember that this is a forum which means it's a place to post views and comments. You should also remember this isn't Thailand but the World Wide Web on the internet. Not everyone is even in Thailand. I am now but sometimes I'm not.

After complaining about our views and comments you then decide to tell us why we came to Thailand which you can't possibly know. In my case and I expect many others you are completely wrong. No government is perfect but I can tell you that most Thai politicians and the PM in the last government in particular wouldn't stand a chance of getting into parliament let alone staying in it.

One last thing. Before you criticise non Thais and westerners in particular take some time to consider what life would be like in Thailand without all that the outside world has given it. For many reasons you wouldn't be posting on here for a start.

Sorry to be so blunt but there are as you say a lot of idiots on here and they don't need any help.

No problem... normaly I do not comment any posts, and just read them, but this time I did so because I have enough of those people who are calling others idiots without real reason and have full mouth of democracy and constitution while do not know what democracy is. Most of people in this forum say about current political situation that what is happening now in Thailand is undemocratic and against constitution. But all of them forgot that protests, demonstrations, free speech and civil disobedience are basic principles of democracy. If we look to european democracies such as France, Italy etc. the people always go to the streets and protest if they are not happy with something what government does. Because they do not have any other possibility. Now Thais do the same and its been called undemocratic and protesters are called with bad names. But why nobody call current government also undemocratic if they are cheating in parliament to pass selfish laws and disrespecting the decision of Constitutional Court? It is very undemocratic. I am not on side of anybody, neither Suthep nor current government, because I am foreigner and I feel that it is not my business even if I live here. I simply do not have the right to vote here. But there are several actions of government so badly obvious that I understand that people are not happy and they want change. And with their highly respected HM King by majority of Thais, they have very unique chance to realy change something. It is so easy to win another elections for Pheu Thai Party, because of the fact that Isan with the biggest population of Thailand, with poor and uneducated majority of people will easily vote for them. Just because Thaksin and Yinglack paid them 50% more for their rice then the market price. This unfair policy itself is free ticket to win elections. And in the meantime the ministers and PM are getting richer and richer having Lamborgini and Mercedeses parked in their garages at home, while majority of Thais are living in poverty. And I think if there will be only another elections it will continue again and again.

One very interesting thing. There are similar protests running in Ukraine recently, and USA and other EU governments are supporting the protests which are even violent. But exactly same protests in Thailand are being critisized by US and EU and Westerners as undemocratic. Why? Is it because the current government is working for Wallstreet against Thai citizens? And this in Ukraine is not?

[Thai talk: An idiot's guide to this Sunday's election]

Happy hour started early today!

dam_n all those bars with wifi!

Sorry man but I do not drink alkohol and last time I was in bar would be more then 5 years ago...

[Thai talk: An idiot's guide to this Sunday's election]

I can not believe how many idiot foreigners are living in Thailand and put here so many idiotic comments. None of you have clue of what is democracy. Especialy those who says "Suthep nobody wants you here". BTW it is not your country and no matter what, you have no right to express who Thai people want or do not want. It is so obvious what Thai people want and numbers of people in the streets are selfexplanatory. I would like to see what would you do, if you would have such fraudulent government in your country. Oh I forgot, you have one and that is why you emigrated to Thailand...... Big respect for brave Thai people, as most of Europeans and Americans has no balls to do the same with their own corrupt governments!!!