How much is an unlocked iphone in bkk? Should I get one in the states before I go over there? How do you pay for 3G internet? Call the ISP up to sign up or is it just over the air on the phone?

What's the best aircard service in BKK? ToT, True?...others?

I am UK citizen, suppose i stay in thai for a few months, do i go for the 'long-term visa' or 'tourist visa'?

are the professional VISA services that charge like £50-100 to do it for you a waste of money?

also about renting a scooter or a car in phuket:
is a scooter really that dangerous? if i never ride a motorized bike at home should i avoid renting one? (used one in bali before and concluded it was actually pretty gambly there)

what about renting cars? expense make it a beat? insurance bs etc?

Tourist visa all the way up to 90 days. If you are willing to do a border run then 180 days.

Visa services are crap for you. If you plan ahead you can handle them (esp for tourist visa) just fine on your own

its a little dangerous but you will prob have to gamble unless your staying in patong beach and dont need to get anywhere

from UK you can get a triple entry tourist visa which is good up to 9 months or a non-immigrant visa which is good for 15 months.

with tourist visa you get 60 days when you enter and you can extend that for another 30 days inside thailand so 90 days before you have to leave thailand per each entry

non-immigrant visa gives straight up 90 days when you enter but can't be extended. you can enter unlimited times though while the visa is valid (1 year) and get 90 days each time. if you enter 1 day before it expires you still get 90 days stay hence making it "15 month visa"

the non-immigrant visa you can only get from hull. tourist visas should be available at all embassies/consulates

having a bike in phuket is kind of must. i hadn't driven a motorbike at home like you haven't. takes a bit time to get used to but after that you will love it. you can control some of the dangerousness with your own driving style

i paid 26k baht for 16GB iphone (3GS) 2 months ago

most services are prepaid. dunno how widespread 3G is in bkk yet though. I think the easiest way to sign up is to go to a mall and to one of the service provider's shops

Speaking of iphones, I unlocked mine yesterday, then installed the 1 2 call sim card, but I get 0 bars anywhere in patong and everytime I try to call to activate it says network not found/etc, anyone had a similar problem?

Actually nvm I just got it to work, think I had unlocked it incorrectly.

does anyone know a motorbike driving school in chiang mai? if not there, where could i find one?

Buy your Iphone before you come here.. 1/2 price of ones I've seen..a used 2G 1st gen 12500 Baht @Big C in Phuket Town, (as opposed to $200 on craiglist) Not sure price in BKK? I'd buy a few of them..cheapest place for Iphones in world is US.

What's this about exactly? I thought up until 12:00 was good to apply? Do they frown on late applications or something?

Really?
Not so difficult. It's like a bicycle with a 'power button', a blinker button, and a headlight. There is not much too it.

Or can ride on a few moto-taxis and watch them? or meet a girl and she might be obliged to drive you around..

As for schools..

Im looking to set up a house in pucket. Kata Karon area probably. Getting there tomorrow night. PM me if you're interested or if you just want to meet up.

Is there a regular football game in Pucket? Im interested as long as you guys don't care too much about an uncoordinated American sucking at football joining you. Played football for the first time in 12 years last night and it was lots of fun.

Sent a PM to Margin of Error about getting a house.

Lessu could you send me any places you and Da grunt find that you don't want?

they might stop processing applications after a certain random amount.

you'd better go there around 8am to queue so you are not risking not getting in that day

i hope he was talking about the "school" to get thai driver's license

Do you use sim cards in your iphone? Do you sign up for a monthly service or just buy the sim card at a 7-11 and pop it in and you get voice and internet?

I just unlocked my iphone this morning, went to 7-11 and bought a sim card + minutes and it worked, super easy.

how long is good amount of time for 1st time visitor?

what are a couple recommended other countries to see if going there? china? japan?

assume other countries = mostly sightseeing, thailand = mostly non-sightseeing things

yes I use 1-2-call sim card. unlimited internet use costs 999 baht a month. I bought my card from 7-11 long time ago and after I bought my iphone 2 months ago i just went to AIS shop and asked them to add the internet package. it's all prepaid so you have to have credit in your phone for the next month's payment before the current expires


i'd say 1 month. I've only really seen a bit of cambodia and can't really recommend it. I can recommend kuala lumpur airport's mcdonalds though. I eat there every 3 months and it's always good

ya just meet up with some of the CM guys, get drunk, and ride around on the back of their bikes. You'll realize then its pretty simple. just watch out for one of them sneaking off to grind karaoke by himself.

there is sightseeing/tourist stuff in Thailand that I thought was pretty cool, like a couple days worth of stuff in bkk, CM, and phuket each. Besides you can always do tourist type stuff during the day and still party @ night

thing is ive never driven anything motorized before (ive tried somo moto but its years ago and didnt get very far), and i need a license for my health insurance to cover all those accidents im gonna have. ill just keep looking, there must be some way.

I actually teach 1 year motorbike course in CM student visa available

its not just how to drive, i need the license.

fail