Monday, 16 December 2013
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
MY DILEMMA A NEARLY FULL PASSPORT.
A NEARLY FULL BRITISH PASSPORT.....CAN I STILL TRAVEL WITH ONLY TWO CLEAR PAGES ?
A Full Passport is not an uncommon problem in Asia and SE Asia you have to have a full page paper Visa and yeah they sure do mount up quickly and the humble, no pathetic 42 Pages issued by the British Passport Authorities is nigh on useless, my passport has only lasted me 4 Years and it's already Full. So no pages can be added the only option is to apply for a new passport. I really do think we could do a better job, particularly in these times of trying to promote a greener way of living. not very green just print out yet another passport. I guess you could argue that with E Visas it will reduce the number of pages used, OK good point, but E visas are usually only available for Tourist Visas, so I guess if you live here you'll still be faced with the same problem. So by a full passport I mean all of the available pages are used, no spare pages, particularly annoying when you have several part pages with date stamps on them, why don.t The Border Police do a better job of using a full page, I guess the answer is simple it's not their problem. when all of your pages are used and there are no more spaces left, that is NO FULL PAGES LEFT THAT CAN BE USED FOR VISAS you only have one option and that is to renew your passport.
So Take that point, But, I still have Two Full Pages Left in My British Passport and I have Seven Year left before it Expires. So can I Push My Luck and Use these pages or are there any rules saying I must have X number of clear pages? Honestly at This Point In Time i Really Don't Know , and This is My Aim Here to establish What can I do, and I will go and DO It to see for my self well exactly what can you do, what is needed, what are the rules, is it all simple and clear?
Communication if the main concern, Trying to get a collect accurate information is really difficult.
This is my Dilemma. I have my British Passport and It's Valid Until 2020 (7 Years left ). But I've been living in Thailand for several Years and I'm married and My Wife is Thai as is our Son, I don't work in Thailand so I have a O Visa and I renew it every 90 Days and this is not uncommon and this is where your passport gets full really quickly. So I accept my position.
What is stupid, is that a US Passport ( for example) has more than Double the pages of a UK Passport and they can get extra pages for free, come on Mr. Britain Pull your Finger Out.
OK so right now my passport has two free pages and two partly used pages, OK so for Laos I will need a full page for my Visa, and then I'll need One Full Page for my Thai Non O Visa, in theory I 'll have enough pages for Entry and Exit date stamps and all is OK and the Passport will be full and I've used my full allocation of my miserly 40 Pages. However, I'm trying to ascertain whether I'll be able to actually be able to get into Laos and then Into Thailand with no Spare Pages. This seems a simple problem, but one that is causing a lot of confusion. Does Loas require a specific number of FREE CLEAR FULL PAGES TO ENTER THE COUNTRY AND EQUALLY WHAT ABOUT THAILAND FOR MY RETURN.
I do appreciate Forums on websites, but I don't like to use them as you do get too much conflicting advise and sometimes some really bad advise and illegal advise too. So They are great to get a feel but don't rely on them as gospel.
So here I'm trying to get advise from the horses mouth as it were. This is proving to be the sticking point. Thailand Immigration has several phone help lines and has a building that is solely dedicated for people using The Immigration Services in Bangkok, (Foreigners who have a huge mix of languages and at a guess the majority can only speak a little bit of Thai). However, their Help Line seems to be Staffed by Staff with extremely limited English and can only offer limited advise, so it's a great idea but very poorly executed. This was at least my experience I did try several times on different Days and reached the same conclusion.
That was 50 % off the problem the Thai side reviewed.
Now Let's see what Laos has to offer. I live fairly close to The Laos Embassy, I went and explained my Dilemma, I spoke to a really helpful member of staff, who explained regarding issuing me a Laos Visa in Bangkok will be no problem. She did point out a huge potential problem and that is so unpredictable , my free page, nice and clear and 100% essential for my return Thai Visa My O Visa, is open to be stamped by an Immigration Officer on either side of The Border Thai Or Laos and therefore making my situation impossible and an limbo and having to stay in Laos to apply for my new British Passport for 4 Weeks. Do I take the chance and use up my pages or do I try a safer alternative.
My ongoing dilemma, the following day I decided to take trip to Thai Immigration Office in Their extremely Impressive Government Building Situated in Chaing Wattanna Road, Laksi, it's along trip, It'll cost you 100 or 200 Baht in a Taxi depending on where you live and how bad the traffic is. I decided to chance my luck and try to find the Free Express Bus, it actually worked out really we'll, take the 166 bus, it is signed in English Free Express Bus, and it takes the Toll Road at the moment it.s a really old open window style bus no AC, but it is FREE !, and it is very, very quick, GOOD NEWS! So I got to Immigration easy enough, I made my way to Immigration and was greeted by two very pleasant University Students working on secondment to Immigration, it was their job to speak English and communicate, while Two Immigration Officers took the back seat, and offered advice and forms to the students to hand out. Same old problem, when a lot of Thai people speak English, they only hear one word and it sticks to their brain and they cling to that word like a drowning sailor to a life ring. I explained my problem and the word she heard and stuck to was extension and that was it, no matter what I said or how I explained my situation the word was now firmly embedded,"oh you need extension take form and fill out please",she smiled ," but I don't have the necessary Finances for an extension", I said, she smiled. OH!, she did try really hard but it was like walking in concrete each step getting harder and harder. I decided to smile and say Thank You, and I.ll go and catch the bus back, that was a short wait and hey presto back home in Bangkok.
I decided to pay the friendly British Embassy a visit,honestly if you visit and see them face to face they are very helpful, I've used their service on several occasions and they are very helpful, friendly and Polite, staffed by Thai people who can speak perfectly good English, see they do exist!
Although the British Embassy can not give advise on Thai Visas, I wanted to check if they foresaw any potential problems,I'm sorry we can not comment but she did suggest I read the small print in my Passport, good idea I got some clues from that.You Need To Renew your passport when there are no more free Full Pages available for Visas. OK I have my Two Pages will that be Good Enough!
OK, now decision time.
I decided to just go ahead and do it, and travel to Laos and get my new Thai Visa, then my passport is Fullish and I can then renew my passport without anything running out of date and having to pay an over stay of 500 Baht a Day.
I took a Trip To The Laos Embassy In Bangkok and saw the same Lady and she processed my Visa
application in less than One Hour, Part One completed, Now Only One Spare Full Clear Page Left in my passport.
Now for my trip to Laos, I'll take an Overnight Bus from Bangkok To Nong Khia and then the Border Crossing into Loas.
So how am I going to make sure I keep my page clear ? How will I do it, well first of all, no iffy practises or dodgy stuff.
The Biggest Potential Problem is a Border Police Person Stamping my free page with a Leaving stamp for
Thailand or an arrival stamp for Laos, so a bit of cunning and placing a piece of paper over my spare page, well fixed in position with paper clips, and a guiding hand towards my page that already has a stamp on it,
I 'll watch them like a hawk. If all goes to plan I should have a free clear page for the Thai Consulate in Vientiane, Laos, and plenty of room for departure and arrival stamps, sorted. But, will my plan fall at the first hurdle...let's see!
Well I got to the Thai Border at Nong Khai feeling a little bit apprehensive, but I reckoned I had covered any eventualities and pushed on, big smiles from the Thai immigration Police so stamp in place and not on my free page, mission one accomplished.
Now for the Laos side, we crossed the friendship bridge and headed towards the Laos side of the crossing, got off the bus, got an entry form and then bought
Now for the Thai Consulate in Vientiane where I'll apply for my Non Immigration Visa, all the paper work completed, photocopies in order and photos in place. It's an early morning start planning to get there for 8.30ish, a good walk on a beautiful sunny, but not too hot, morning. I saw a fairly large queue but I was number 85, so not too bad. After a long wait that did seem longer than normal, it was my turn, always smile at the Immigration Officer I think they have a hard job and must get really fed up with the same old problems of people with missing forms etc., so me I gave a big friendly smile, after thumbing through the pages for a long time, he said "Original," "No, only photocopy, that is what I have done for a long time now",... "No Original", oh No will I be scuppered by an unforeseen curved ball! "You need original next time new rule", thank goodness, wow that scared me! So I payed my money and returned the next day to pick up my passport, a quick check,always check your visa type and date even your name is spelt correctly. Yes, all done..Well Nearly, one final Border crossing checking out of Laos and across into Thailand.
I got the International Bus and headed towards the bridge, got my super quick pass card, which was free this time, and got my exit stamp all smiles again, final check by two police and Oh, Oh No I don't believe it, they keep going over my passport backwards and forwards checking all the pages, "everything OK?" I enquired, we have a problem with your arrival date sir!" Problem .The Police on my entry forgot to give me an exit date and they were stumped, What shall we do? Let me through, Please I thought, one Police Lady was really grumpy and the other one was all smiles and she declared "No problem, not correct but not your fault,bye bye", YES! Was this an Omen for what may happen on the Thai Side.Oh No !
We crossed the bridge and I filled in My Arrival Form and made my way to the Queue which was big, but was moving OK, I have a theory about a friendly Policeman and a really Grumpy One, so I put it to the test, I got the friendly one, big smile from me," Ah O Visa," it was the friendly one, he chatted and asked about my family and stamped away and soon all finished done MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
So the answer to the question can it be done, YES.
Does Laos need free pages for you to enter, seemingly not.
Does Thailand require free pages for you to enter, seemingly not.
BUT....like many things there are some many variables and just because it worked for me doesn't mean it'll work for you or anyone else, Embassies,Consulates, Immigration Officers all seem to play a major part, I think I covered the options of a misplaced stamp well, but you never know, will I do it again, well it'll be a few years so things will change so who knows. I am applying for my New British Passport so I'll let you know how that goes and how easy it is or not!
Please Remember I am Talking about what Happened to me and My O Visa. The Rules and Regulations differ from Visa to Visa, from Country to Country and from Embassy to Embassy even down to Individuals and how they may perceive you or even just down to Human nature!
Good Luck, I hope you found this helpful. Thanks for your Time.
A Full Passport is not an uncommon problem in Asia and SE Asia you have to have a full page paper Visa and yeah they sure do mount up quickly and the humble, no pathetic 42 Pages issued by the British Passport Authorities is nigh on useless, my passport has only lasted me 4 Years and it's already Full. So no pages can be added the only option is to apply for a new passport. I really do think we could do a better job, particularly in these times of trying to promote a greener way of living. not very green just print out yet another passport. I guess you could argue that with E Visas it will reduce the number of pages used, OK good point, but E visas are usually only available for Tourist Visas, so I guess if you live here you'll still be faced with the same problem. So by a full passport I mean all of the available pages are used, no spare pages, particularly annoying when you have several part pages with date stamps on them, why don.t The Border Police do a better job of using a full page, I guess the answer is simple it's not their problem. when all of your pages are used and there are no more spaces left, that is NO FULL PAGES LEFT THAT CAN BE USED FOR VISAS you only have one option and that is to renew your passport.
So Take that point, But, I still have Two Full Pages Left in My British Passport and I have Seven Year left before it Expires. So can I Push My Luck and Use these pages or are there any rules saying I must have X number of clear pages? Honestly at This Point In Time i Really Don't Know , and This is My Aim Here to establish What can I do, and I will go and DO It to see for my self well exactly what can you do, what is needed, what are the rules, is it all simple and clear?
Communication if the main concern, Trying to get a collect accurate information is really difficult.
This is my Dilemma. I have my British Passport and It's Valid Until 2020 (7 Years left ). But I've been living in Thailand for several Years and I'm married and My Wife is Thai as is our Son, I don't work in Thailand so I have a O Visa and I renew it every 90 Days and this is not uncommon and this is where your passport gets full really quickly. So I accept my position.
What is stupid, is that a US Passport ( for example) has more than Double the pages of a UK Passport and they can get extra pages for free, come on Mr. Britain Pull your Finger Out.
OK so right now my passport has two free pages and two partly used pages, OK so for Laos I will need a full page for my Visa, and then I'll need One Full Page for my Thai Non O Visa, in theory I 'll have enough pages for Entry and Exit date stamps and all is OK and the Passport will be full and I've used my full allocation of my miserly 40 Pages. However, I'm trying to ascertain whether I'll be able to actually be able to get into Laos and then Into Thailand with no Spare Pages. This seems a simple problem, but one that is causing a lot of confusion. Does Loas require a specific number of FREE CLEAR FULL PAGES TO ENTER THE COUNTRY AND EQUALLY WHAT ABOUT THAILAND FOR MY RETURN.
I do appreciate Forums on websites, but I don't like to use them as you do get too much conflicting advise and sometimes some really bad advise and illegal advise too. So They are great to get a feel but don't rely on them as gospel.
So here I'm trying to get advise from the horses mouth as it were. This is proving to be the sticking point. Thailand Immigration has several phone help lines and has a building that is solely dedicated for people using The Immigration Services in Bangkok, (Foreigners who have a huge mix of languages and at a guess the majority can only speak a little bit of Thai). However, their Help Line seems to be Staffed by Staff with extremely limited English and can only offer limited advise, so it's a great idea but very poorly executed. This was at least my experience I did try several times on different Days and reached the same conclusion.
That was 50 % off the problem the Thai side reviewed.
 |
| THE LAOS EMBASSY, BANGKOK. |
My ongoing dilemma, the following day I decided to take trip to Thai Immigration Office in Their extremely Impressive Government Building Situated in Chaing Wattanna Road, Laksi, it's along trip, It'll cost you 100 or 200 Baht in a Taxi depending on where you live and how bad the traffic is. I decided to chance my luck and try to find the Free Express Bus, it actually worked out really we'll, take the 166 bus, it is signed in English Free Express Bus, and it takes the Toll Road at the moment it.s a really old open window style bus no AC, but it is FREE !, and it is very, very quick, GOOD NEWS! So I got to Immigration easy enough, I made my way to Immigration and was greeted by two very pleasant University Students working on secondment to Immigration, it was their job to speak English and communicate, while Two Immigration Officers took the back seat, and offered advice and forms to the students to hand out. Same old problem, when a lot of Thai people speak English, they only hear one word and it sticks to their brain and they cling to that word like a drowning sailor to a life ring. I explained my problem and the word she heard and stuck to was extension and that was it, no matter what I said or how I explained my situation the word was now firmly embedded,"oh you need extension take form and fill out please",she smiled ," but I don't have the necessary Finances for an extension", I said, she smiled. OH!, she did try really hard but it was like walking in concrete each step getting harder and harder. I decided to smile and say Thank You, and I.ll go and catch the bus back, that was a short wait and hey presto back home in Bangkok.
I decided to pay the friendly British Embassy a visit,honestly if you visit and see them face to face they are very helpful, I've used their service on several occasions and they are very helpful, friendly and Polite, staffed by Thai people who can speak perfectly good English, see they do exist!
Although the British Embassy can not give advise on Thai Visas, I wanted to check if they foresaw any potential problems,I'm sorry we can not comment but she did suggest I read the small print in my Passport, good idea I got some clues from that.You Need To Renew your passport when there are no more free Full Pages available for Visas. OK I have my Two Pages will that be Good Enough!
OK, now decision time.
I decided to just go ahead and do it, and travel to Laos and get my new Thai Visa, then my passport is Fullish and I can then renew my passport without anything running out of date and having to pay an over stay of 500 Baht a Day.
I took a Trip To The Laos Embassy In Bangkok and saw the same Lady and she processed my Visa
Now for my trip to Laos, I'll take an Overnight Bus from Bangkok To Nong Khia and then the Border Crossing into Loas.
So how am I going to make sure I keep my page clear ? How will I do it, well first of all, no iffy practises or dodgy stuff.
The Biggest Potential Problem is a Border Police Person Stamping my free page with a Leaving stamp for
 |
| THAI BORDER CROSSING FRIENDSHIP BRIDGE. |
I 'll watch them like a hawk. If all goes to plan I should have a free clear page for the Thai Consulate in Vientiane, Laos, and plenty of room for departure and arrival stamps, sorted. But, will my plan fall at the first hurdle...let's see!
Now for the Laos side, we crossed the friendship bridge and headed towards the Laos side of the crossing, got off the bus, got an entry form and then bought
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| THE FRIENDSHIP BRIDGE, LAOS BORDER CROSSING. |
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| THE THAI CONSULATE IN VIENTIANE, LAOS. |
I got the International Bus and headed towards the bridge, got my super quick pass card, which was free this time, and got my exit stamp all smiles again, final check by two police and Oh, Oh No I don't believe it, they keep going over my passport backwards and forwards checking all the pages, "everything OK?" I enquired, we have a problem with your arrival date sir!" Problem .The Police on my entry forgot to give me an exit date and they were stumped, What shall we do? Let me through, Please I thought, one Police Lady was really grumpy and the other one was all smiles and she declared "No problem, not correct but not your fault,bye bye", YES! Was this an Omen for what may happen on the Thai Side.Oh No !
We crossed the bridge and I filled in My Arrival Form and made my way to the Queue which was big, but was moving OK, I have a theory about a friendly Policeman and a really Grumpy One, so I put it to the test, I got the friendly one, big smile from me," Ah O Visa," it was the friendly one, he chatted and asked about my family and stamped away and soon all finished done MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
So the answer to the question can it be done, YES.
Does Laos need free pages for you to enter, seemingly not.
Does Thailand require free pages for you to enter, seemingly not.
BUT....like many things there are some many variables and just because it worked for me doesn't mean it'll work for you or anyone else, Embassies,Consulates, Immigration Officers all seem to play a major part, I think I covered the options of a misplaced stamp well, but you never know, will I do it again, well it'll be a few years so things will change so who knows. I am applying for my New British Passport so I'll let you know how that goes and how easy it is or not!
Please Remember I am Talking about what Happened to me and My O Visa. The Rules and Regulations differ from Visa to Visa, from Country to Country and from Embassy to Embassy even down to Individuals and how they may perceive you or even just down to Human nature!
Good Luck, I hope you found this helpful. Thanks for your Time.
Monday, 30 September 2013
Sunday, 15 September 2013
BANGKOK, THAILAND, INTERESTING AND FUN PLACES TO VISIT WITHIN THE CITY.
INTERESTING PLACES TO VISIT IN BANGKOK. PART 1.
Bangkok is an amazing City to live in, I've lived here for a long time now and I still Discover new and exciting places all the time, many are only a stone throw away from Major shopping Malls or Tourist Destinations.
Here I want you to come on a journey with me and Explore and Discover what makes Bangkok such an exciting City to live in, and and also to explore as a traveller. Some places will be on Tourist Guide Books and Maps, but many WILL NOT and we,ll always try to find something a little bit different or give you a little bit more.
one such example is Jim Thompson's House.
OH! I might hear you say, this is on so many guide books. Well Yes it is....BUT !...AND THERE'S ALWAYS A BUT !!!
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| JIM THOMPSON HOUSE IS A BIT OF AN OASIS ! |
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| THAI BEAUTY , SILK AND FEMALE COMBINED ! |
OK, First of all the basics, Jim Thompson was an American, who, like me, fell in Love with Thailand and it's people, we have to go back in time a wee bit to the end of the second world war. He basically settled here and built a business here , a silk business and this is his house.
I strongly recommend this place and I also suggest you pay 100 Baht for a guided tour of the house, it lasts about 35 minutes and is fairly informative and interesting, telling the story or Mr. Jim and what happened top Mr. Jim. a bit of a mystery!!!! I don't want to spoil anything, so go along and discover more!
The main reason I would suggest this trip besides the House and it's story; is the area. It's in the Heart of all the Shopping Malls and chaos that is Down Town Bangkok, but here you'll find peace and tranquillity and a nice bit or greenery in the midst of concrete and steel, a real Oasis,
There is a restaurant selling good quality food, a little bit pricey but worth it to have a rest in the surroundings, there is also a shop where you can buy a souvenir or two, mainly silk, but the quality is excellent, again a bit pricey !
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| THE VILLAGE IS JUST ACROSS THE CANAL . |
After the Tour and when you've looked around the shop or had a snack, take a step back and now let's do the lok8rboutique thing and we'll have a little explore.(I will be writing a more comprehensive blog about this soon). EXPLORE AND DISCOVER WITH LOK8RBOUTIQUE.COM
Come out of J.T. House Museum and turn left walk a few meters towards a wall, yes sounds odd, and behind the wall you'll discover the canal or as they call it in Thai. Again turn left and follow the footpath until you come to a footbridge, cross over the canal and again turn left following the footpath, you should be walking away from J.T. House. You'll see a couple of signs with silk or silk weaving or the old Jim Thompson on them, go and follow them and you.ll discover a couple of really old families producing silk, it really is top quality and you should find some good bargains too ! It is down a very narrow alley way it may look a bit intimidating but it's fine and the people you meet there are really friendly and very hospitable.
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| EXPLORE AND DISCOVER THE AMAZING MUSLIM VILLAGE PRODUCING TOP QUALITY SILK. |
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| LOOK OUT FOR THE SIGNS. |
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| THE NARROW WALKWAY WHERE YOU'LL FIND SILK WEAVING. |
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| A SILK WEAVER PRACTISING HIS AGE OLD ART. |
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| IT'S LIKE STEPPING BACK IN TIME |
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| HAND MADE AFFORDABLE QUALITY HANDICRAFTS PRODUCED IN THE HEART OF BANGKOK. |
REAL ECO TOURISM AT IT'S BEST....SIMPLE YET REAL, SOMETHING YOU CAN DO TO BE AN ECO TOURIST / TRAVELLER DIRECT IN THE MIDDLE OF BANGKOK.
I HOPE YOU DO THIS TRIP
PLEASE FOLLOW LOK8RBOUTIQUE.COM
FOR MORE COOL TRAVEL TIPS AND INFO. THAT IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT AFFORDABLE QUALITY FRIENDLY LOCAL INDY BIZ IN LAOS AND THAILAND.
I HOPE YOU DO THIS TRIP
PLEASE FOLLOW LOK8RBOUTIQUE.COM
FOR MORE COOL TRAVEL TIPS AND INFO. THAT IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT AFFORDABLE QUALITY FRIENDLY LOCAL INDY BIZ IN LAOS AND THAILAND.
Monday, 9 September 2013
Discovering Quality in Laos & Thailand.
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| Affodable-Quality Friendly Local Indy-Biz. |
EXPLORE AND DISCOVER AFFORDABLE QUALITY FRIENDLY LOCAL INDY BIZ IN LAOS AND THAILAND.
WITH LOK8RBOUTIQUE
.
Wow! This a difficult one, so how do you discover quality in Laos and Thailand?
It has taken me 5 years of hard work so far! Thailand is really well known for copy this and copy that. However, there are so many talented people producing original, quality items, but like many things they don't get the headlines.Laos on the other hand, is up and coming, and people really don't know what's available in Laos.
WE ARE DITCHING THE MALLS AND THE 5 STAR HOTELS AND THE UP MARKET RESTAURANTS!
WE ARE GOING LOCAL!
EXPLORING AND DISCOVERING AFFORDABLE QUALITY FRIENDLY LOCAL INDY-BIZ.
WE ARE WALKIN' AND TALKIN' TO LOCAL INDY BIZ AND LOCAL FOLK TO DISCOVER WHERE THEY ARE GOING AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING!
Become a lok8rboutique buddy, help us to grow and spread the message. Also we have
TRAVEL, LIVE , ON-BIZ IN LAOS AND THAILAND.
LOOKING FOR AFFORDABLE QUALITY LOCAL INDY-BIZ.
WE'RE GOING TO BE EXPLORING AND DISCOVERING IN LAOS AND THAILAND.
WHATEVER YOUR AGE OR WHEREVER YOU'RE FROM, FAMILY, ECO-TRAVELER, OR MOTORCYCLIST, WE WANT TO HELP YOU DISCOVER THE AMAZING PEOPLE WE KNOW!
So if you're planning a visit, a business trip or you live to Laos or Thailand and you're in search of quality that is affordable then check us out! Affordable-Quality Friendly Local Indy-Biz.
www.lok8rboutique.com, is coming to you bringing you great Shopping, Food and Drink, Accommodation, Sport and Leisure, Transportation, Health and Spa, Artist and Designer and Services. Discover even more on YOU TUBE!, TWITTER!! FACEBOOK!, and more besides.Just look out for lok8rboutique, we are trying our best to bring you some great Travel Tips and Information.
So no matter what you're looking for will be able to find it, and if you can't contact us and we will do our best to find it for you.
With lok8rboutique Quality does not mean Expensive! Affordable Quality is what we are about.
We need your help and input too.We have a " You Recommend" page and we would love you to share your experiences with us, if you have found a cool hotel, an amazing restaurant or even a great car hire company, let us know and we can go and check them out. We want to build a community of like minded traveller's , business people and people who are now living in Laos and Thailand.
.
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| Local Handicrafts and Art |
It has taken me 5 years of hard work so far! Thailand is really well known for copy this and copy that. However, there are so many talented people producing original, quality items, but like many things they don't get the headlines.Laos on the other hand, is up and coming, and people really don't know what's available in Laos.
Very often quality is there, but it's only available at a really inflated price, far, far too expensive for Locals and really not affordable for many Traveller's and Tourist's.
we at lok8rboutique have been Exploring and Discovering Laos and Thailand in an effort to find Affordable Quality and bring it to everybody. We are trying to use a variety of Media to draw peoples attention to Affordable Quality in Laos and Thailand, but, not only that we have also been concentrating on Local Business and Friendly Local Business too.
So what we are doing is developing a really comprehensive and cool web site that is dedicated to Exploring Discovering and promoting top quality people and products in Laos and Thailand. We are updating and growing, we're making it personal, we meet and greet everyone on our web site and we ensure that their services are real and original and that it's a quality business ran by friendly quality people. Simple, yet very time consuming .
So what we are doing is developing a really comprehensive and cool web site that is dedicated to Exploring Discovering and promoting top quality people and products in Laos and Thailand. We are updating and growing, we're making it personal, we meet and greet everyone on our web site and we ensure that their services are real and original and that it's a quality business ran by friendly quality people. Simple, yet very time consuming .
We have been Exploring and Discovering Affordable Quality Friendly Local Indy Biz in Laos and Thailand, bringing you hidden Gems just off the Beaten Track, often getting some amazing assistance off Local Folk, other times just walking and trekking back streets and discovering some amazing places and meeting fantastic people from all walks of life.
We use the term ECO Traveller, OR Eco Tourism, for us ECO is really simple it's all about using LOCAL and when we're in a Foreign Country we are often really cautious, too cautious about using Local Businesses, or even eating local food. Having lived in Thailand for about 7 Years I see many Traveller's and even Ex-Pat's who are afraid or using Local Businesses and Local Products and Local Food, so that's were we come in, we are trying to make it easier to find Local and Experience Local and find and experience Friendly Local Independent Business in Laos and Thailand.
When Traveller's use Local Independent Business we are trying to ensure that Local People will Directly Benefit from you using their services and this in turn will encourage more Local Indy-Biz and ensure Quality too. We are also wanting Indy-Biz to be sustainable and last and not disappear.
We use the term ECO Traveller, OR Eco Tourism, for us ECO is really simple it's all about using LOCAL and when we're in a Foreign Country we are often really cautious, too cautious about using Local Businesses, or even eating local food. Having lived in Thailand for about 7 Years I see many Traveller's and even Ex-Pat's who are afraid or using Local Businesses and Local Products and Local Food, so that's were we come in, we are trying to make it easier to find Local and Experience Local and find and experience Friendly Local Independent Business in Laos and Thailand.
When Traveller's use Local Independent Business we are trying to ensure that Local People will Directly Benefit from you using their services and this in turn will encourage more Local Indy-Biz and ensure Quality too. We are also wanting Indy-Biz to be sustainable and last and not disappear.
WE ARE DITCHING THE MALLS AND THE 5 STAR HOTELS AND THE UP MARKET RESTAURANTS!
WE ARE GOING LOCAL!
EXPLORING AND DISCOVERING AFFORDABLE QUALITY FRIENDLY LOCAL INDY-BIZ.
WE ARE WALKIN' AND TALKIN' TO LOCAL INDY BIZ AND LOCAL FOLK TO DISCOVER WHERE THEY ARE GOING AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING!
Become a lok8rboutique buddy, help us to grow and spread the message. Also we have
TRAVEL, LIVE , ON-BIZ IN LAOS AND THAILAND.
LOOKING FOR AFFORDABLE QUALITY LOCAL INDY-BIZ.
WE'RE GOING TO BE EXPLORING AND DISCOVERING IN LAOS AND THAILAND.
WHATEVER YOUR AGE OR WHEREVER YOU'RE FROM, FAMILY, ECO-TRAVELER, OR MOTORCYCLIST, WE WANT TO HELP YOU DISCOVER THE AMAZING PEOPLE WE KNOW!
So if you're planning a visit, a business trip or you live to Laos or Thailand and you're in search of quality that is affordable then check us out! Affordable-Quality Friendly Local Indy-Biz.
www.lok8rboutique.com, is coming to you bringing you great Shopping, Food and Drink, Accommodation, Sport and Leisure, Transportation, Health and Spa, Artist and Designer and Services. Discover even more on YOU TUBE!, TWITTER!! FACEBOOK!, and more besides.Just look out for lok8rboutique, we are trying our best to bring you some great Travel Tips and Information.
So no matter what you're looking for will be able to find it, and if you can't contact us and we will do our best to find it for you.
With lok8rboutique Quality does not mean Expensive! Affordable Quality is what we are about.
We need your help and input too.We have a " You Recommend" page and we would love you to share your experiences with us, if you have found a cool hotel, an amazing restaurant or even a great car hire company, let us know and we can go and check them out. We want to build a community of like minded traveller's , business people and people who are now living in Laos and Thailand.
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Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Three Great Apartments for Rent in Bangkok
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| All Offer Affordable-Quality |
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| All Offer Style |
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| All Offer Comfort |
CONDOTELS A COOL MIXTURE OF HOTEL SERVICE AND FACILITIES AND FLEXIBILITY.
THREE GREAT APARTMENTS TO RENT IN N BANGKOK. SHORT STAY OR LONGER.
WITH LOK8RBOUTIQUE LIVIN'.
Trying to find a great apartment to rent in Bangkok is never easy! Usually it involves a lot of exploring, walking, and if you're really lucky you may find one that's OK , but, not really what you're looking for. I've lived here for about Six years and I have moved around Bangkok every few months, so I think I 'm getting to know this place fairly well know, I've also spent a good portion of the last five years building my business in Bangkok and Thailand and Laos, exploring and discovering cool Thai Independent Businesses and I think we're starting to make a pretty good portfolio!
I've spent about three years living around Ratchada Road, it's a fantastic area to live, it's got some great facilities, shopping Malls are plentiful, as are markets and supermarkets. Transport is really good too, MRT is really easy way to travel quickly into the city centre for work or entertainment, not that you need to travel for entertainment there are some great cinemas and entertainment complexes and The Thai Cultural Centre is only a short walk. So really Ratchada has a great deal to offer, but, what about Apartments and Hotels?
I've think life should be easy and not full of long boring lists and in Thailand three seems to be a lucky number, so there we go
THREE AFFORDABLE QUALITY BOUTIQUE STYLE APARTMENT/HOTELS....ON RATCAHADA SOI 3.
This is a really popular location, but it's not a tourist trap, you'll sample the real Bangkok you'll also meet and see Thai people living their normal lives...join in and eat with them and sample some great Soi food (street food) and really inexpensive but great quality cafes and restaurants!
COST: YOU ARE SURE TO BE OFFERED AFFORDABLE-QUALITY...MID-RANGE!
Here we will promise that you will not be disappointed. We try to bracket our lok8rboutique buddies into brackets or groups that offer Affordable Quality, here We will bracket the Three Apartment Hotels into our MID RANGE ...grouping, OK in Baht that will be 1,000 Baht to 1,500 Baht per night, for longer stays you will will get much bigger discounts, perhaps 9,000 Baht a month to !5,000 a Month depending on room size, facilities and length of stay. Let us know your budget if you want our assistance, or just give them a call.
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| Stylish and Affordable. |
This is a really cool boutique Apartment/ Hotel.they offer affordable-Quality accommodation that's clean, modern and has some great facilities and it's location is great too!
B.B. Garden Resort is only a few months old and has been designed using top quality products and the rooms are well planned and spacious, particularly the one bedroom room is well furnished and will make your stay very comfy indeed. If you're looking for a smaller room the studio room is great too, it has enough space to live comfortably, the furnishing and fittings are really are of a high quality...a pleasure to use (I'm actually living here!).The big bonus for me is living in a really quiet place with great facilities,
Internet connection, a lovely swimming pool, and a fantastic gym, all included in the monthly rental.You'll certainly experience Affordable-Quality here and as an inclusive price makes it very appealing . No add ons here! Their location is great easy to find and not too far...15-20 minutes stroll or a quick 15 baht moto-cy taxi from MRT Pram 9 station.
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| Brand New Stylish and Cozy. |
This is a brand new boutique style Apartment/Hotel, which has just opened, its facilities and the quality of the finish are amazing, top quality products have been used ,and the build and finish of the construction is to a very high standard. The rooms are exceptionally well furnished and have some very nice touches provided by the owners. There are several different styles of rooms and they are all spacious and have a nice fresh open clean feel to them. The balconies have been designed in a unique way and it will add another room to your apartment, a bit like an a enclosed garden, fantastic! Prices vary for short stays or longer monthly periods, but you will certainly get Affordable-Quality.Their location is great just off Ratchada Soi 3, it's about a 15-20 minute stroll from MRT Param 9 Station, or a quick 15 baht moto-cy taxi. A recent addition is the FREE TUK- TUK service offered by Grand Prapa place.Situated at the end of a very quiet Soi it's peaceful, but only a short walk to shops and cafes and restaurants.
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A Great Location. |
SITARA PLACE.
Sitara Place is a very well designed hotel, perfect for short or long term stays, I know several people who have been staying here for several years now! Sitara's rooms are very well designed, spacious and very, very clean. There are several different styles of room available offering well planned comfortable facilities,with great high speed Internet connection. Sitara has an unusual courtyard design with the rooms being located in a square, it works really well. They also have a small Gym and a laundry, there's ample covered parking too. depending on your room and length of stay the prices offer some great Affordable-Quality. Sitara offers a free TUK-TUK Service to MRT Param 9, that's really handy, Sitara has a great location at the end of a very quiet Soi just off Ratchada soi 3. !5 min. walk from MRT Param 9. Only a short walk to local cafes and shops.
Each one of these Boutique Apartment Hotels offer you some thing a little bit different and it's the age old story of what is cool for one is not so cool for another!
Personal Taste is everything, take a look on our website at www.lok8rboutique.com and check out all the contact details, we will be including reviews and comprehensive photos for all Companies that join lok8rboutique, THE HOME OF AFFORDABLE QUALITY LOCAL INDY BIZ.
ARE YOU PRESSED FOR TIME!...HERE IN THAILAND........OR.....LAOS.
MAYBE YOU ARE ABROAD PLANNING A VISIT OR A HOLIDAY OR A BUSINESS TRIP.
If you have NO TIME... WE CAN HELP! We are offering you some easy solutions to your problems!
DIY: A simple solution if you're looking ,but are short of time,take a look at www. lok8rboutique.com .
We have a growing list of Affordable-Quality Boutique Style Apartments and Hotels. Take a look and you'll find some great places ranging from a short stay to stay a month or even living long term in Thailand or Laos.
A Helping Hand. We will assist you to find what you're looking for! Let us know your requirements and we will use our portfolio and contacts to find the solutions. We will give you a portfolio of Apartments discussing Location, Style, Facilities, Services and Terms.
Now you can make an informed decision on what is best for you! There is a cost on this service! but in true lok8rboutique style it's Affordable-Quality...surprising Value!.
Bespoke . We will do everything for you! Let us know your requirements and we will do the rest ... through our portfolio and contacts we find the solutions! We will provide you with a portfolio of suitable apartments and we will then meet with you to discuss the choices and then we will arrange meetings on your behalf and we will accompany you and assist you to ensure everything runs smoothly! There is a cost but in true lok8rboutique style we will offer you a great Affordable-Quality Service! Quality, Style Service and Affordability!
Take a look and you'll hopefully find what you're looking for! Happy Apartment Hunting! Happy Condotel
Happy Boutique Hotels! What ever you're looking for we can find it!! ( I Hope!!!!}.
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| Style & Comfort |
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| BB Garden Resort |
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| with Great Facilities. |
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| Great Location and Service. |
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| Sitara Place, Comfort Stylish and Cleanliness. |
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| Grand Prapa Place, Style and Comfort. |
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| Grand Prapa Place , Newly Opened Affordable-Quality. |
Friday, 8 March 2013
CAUTION! PLEASE DO NOT USE VANS (MINI BUSES) IN THAIALND.
LOK8RBOUTIQUE HELPING TO PROMOTE A SAFER
JOURNEY FOR ALL!
CAUTION !
PLEASE DO NOT USE VANS IN THAILAND (MINI BUSES).
AFTER LIVING IN THAILAND FOR ABOUT 6 YEARS AND NEVER USING THESE VEHICLES, I FEEL IT'S TIME TO START A CAMPAIGN TO IMPROVE SAFETY IN VANS. BUT, ALSO CAMPAIGN FOR IMPROVED DRIVING SKILLS AND SAFETY AWARENESS IN THAI DRIVERS, THE GOVERNMENT SEEM INCAPABLE OF RECOGNISING THE PROBLEM!
THE LATEST NEWS SATURDAY 2nd MARCH ,
VAN CRASH AND 7 PEOPLE ARE DEAD!
AGAIN!
STOP THIS SLAUGHTER !
I spent many years working in road safety and teaching driving skills in the UK and when I first came to Thailand I was bemused by the apparent 100% change in the mind set as soon as a Thai person gets behind the wheel of any vehicle! Gone are the Buddhist principles in come the strange Thai desire to be first regardless of consequence!Thai Drivers have little or no regard for other road users and it seems to be linked to a higher society status, for example if you walk ( a pedestrian) you are the lowest of the low, so you better be prepared to get out of the way of any oncoming vehicle two, three or four wheeled or more!
OK, now I'm a cyclist, same beware get out of my way!...then chaos follows as Thai drivers recklessly weave their way through junctions, around roads, in and out of lanes, up and down roads, happy to be driving on the wrong side of the road on main roads, highways, small back streets and all shapes and sizes of junctions and intersections!
It is total ANARCHY!!!!!
Now add to this recipe a tin box full of gas and with no easy way IN or OUT! and NO ESCAPE EXIT!
Now add in a driver who may have had very little or no sleep and maybe high on drugs and or booze!
Sounds crazy!
Sounds like a Hollywood horror or disaster movie!
NO IT'S REAL!!!!
IT'S VAN MAN THAILAND!
IT'S A VERY COMMON MODE OF TRANSPORT IN THAILAND!.
PLEASE COME AND JOIN ME IN THIS CAMPAIGN TO BOYCOTT THESE DEATH TRAPS!
It really is difficult to generalise and say ALL Vans are Bad, It's also wrong to say ALL DRIVERS are BAD! It's also WRONG to Say ALL VEHICLES CONVERTED TO RUN ON GAS ARE REALLY DANGEROUS!
THE DRIVER HAS TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE for his or her actions !
There are some great companies out there RUNNING VERY SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE VAN SERVICES that are very safe and have top class vehicles and good drivers!
THE VANS TO AVOID ...
SEEM TO BE THE LONG DISTANCE COMMUTER STYLE VAN WHERE YOU ARE CRAMMED IN LIKE SARDINES.
THESE VANS MAY APPEAR TO BE IN GOOD CONDITION, SO IT'S REALLY HARD TO JUDGE!
A SIMPLE RULE!....BUYER BEWARE!
CHECK THE CONDITION OF THE VAN, GENERAL, LOOK AT THE TIRES, CHECK OUT THE SEATING AND TRY TO TALK TO THE DRIVER, IF IT LOOKS IFFY DO NOT USE...WALK AWAY AND LIVE ANOTHER DAY!
WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?
BUS OR VAN, for me and in my experience I would opt for THE BUS, BUSES can be iffy too!, I am only thinking SIZE and escape routes AND SOMETIMES STRICTER RULES REGARDING DRIVERS...
IT'S A REAL DILEMMA!
VANS LOOSE OUT EVERY TIME FOR THE REASONS I HAVE MENTIONED,
CRAMPED SEATING, NO ESCAPE ROUTE, NO EMERGENCY EXIT, THE GAS IS LOCATED DIRECTLY BEHIND YOU AND MAY NOT HAVE BEEN INSTALLED CORRECTLY OR BY USING SUBSTANDARD FITTINGS AND PRODUCTS.
THE DRIVER...CAN YOU TRUST HIM, HAS HE HAD ANY TRAINING, CHECKS, TESTS. WHEN DID HE SLEEP LAST AND FOR HOW LONG,IT'S SO HARD TO ANSWER....BUT WOULD YOU TRUST HIM WITH THE LIFE OF YOUR LOVED ONES!!!!
I DON'T WANT TO PUT YOU OFF TRAVELLING IN THAILAND, THAILAND IS MY HOME AND I LOVE THAI PEOPLE AND THAILAND, I HAVE LIVED HERE FOR MANY YEARS AND I WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE HERE!
BUT, I WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE, TAKE A LOOK AT THE PROS AND CONS. AND HAVE A THINK CHECK IT OUT BEFORE YOU B GET ON THE VAN, IT'S TOO LATE THEN!
IN THE END IT'S YOUR CHOICE, BUT JOIN US AND MAYBE JUST MAYBE WE CAN DO SOME GOOD.
IT'S MY INTENTION TO COMPILE A LIST OF QUALITY VAN COMPANIES AND LETS SEE IF WE CAN GET ALL SIDES TO JOIN TOGETHER , THAI AND FOREIGNER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
HOWEVER, PLEASE DO NOT FORGET!....THAILAND IS A WONDERFUL PLACE...
.WITH WONDERFUL PEOPLE.
MANY HAVE TO USE THESE VANS DAILY... AS THEY DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE!
THE VANS ARE USED AS COMMUTER VEHICLES BY MANY MANY PEOPLE!
I want you to support us by numbers please click like an subscribe to our YOU TUBE site we are making a video to support this campaign as soon as possible!
LOK8RBOUTIQUE....we love to support and promote quality in Thailand, but this is having an effect on us all, we can not sit by and put my Thai Friends , My Thai wife, My Son and all of our amazing Travelling friends put themselves in unnecessary danger anymore..STOP THIS POINTLESS SLAUGHTER OF MANY MANY HUMAN BEINGS......WOMAN,MEN, CHILDREN.
I will be doing something on Twitter and Face book ASAP!!!!!!!
THIS WILL ONLY WORK IF WE DO SOMETHING!!
I AM NOT JUST TALKING TO FOREIGNERS.......COME ON MY THAI FRIENDS
DO SOMETHING NOW!!
LETS GET THE NUMBERS UP I WILL DO MY PART , NOW DO YOURS...PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!
COME AND SUPPORT US ON OUR BLOG SITE!
COME AND SUPPORT US ON TWITTER!
COME AND SUPPORT US ON YOU TUBE!
COME AND SUPPORT US ON FACE BOOK!
COME AND SUPPORT US ON GOOLGE+ !
LETS GET THE NUMBERS MOVING ..
CLICK LIKE! CLICK SUBSCRIBE! CLICK FOLLOW!
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
WHERE TO BUY A TUK TUK IN THAILAND.
WHERE TO BUY A TUK TUK AND OTHER
GREAT 3 WHEELERS IN THAILAND
LOK8RBOUTIQUE IS LOOKING TO BUY,
OUR CHOICES!.
I must admit to having a real soft spot for this most iconic of Thailand Vehicles, the Tuk Tuk is a real favourite with my family, my son Jimmy who is only 2 years old , is delighted every time he sees a Tuk Tuk, shouting TUK TUK very loudly and gettin' very excited, it does bring some strange looks from his fellow Thai folk!
OK , now why are we looking at 3 wheelers!
Well, My Business lok8rboutique is set to grow this year and part of our marketing is to be more visible to Tourists, Travellers and people Living here and also those on Business in Thailand and Laos, and we promote Local Indy Biz and Affordable Quality...get where I'm coming from ..so the Iconic TUK TUK , loved by many foreigners is a great choice, but what other options are available, and where can I get i one from????
So I started to do a little bit of research and I've come up with several options and I hope you'll enjoy our selection , It would be good to b get some feed back to before we make our final choice.
So come with us on our 3 wheeled journey and see what choice we make and in a later edition we will go the factory and choice our Machine and show you around and you can follow our 3 wheel plans from start to finish!!!
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| TUK TUKS ARE POPULAR WITH MANY HOTELS. |
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| TUK TUKS CARRY PEOPLE AND CARGO. |
The Company we have chosen is.....
They actually have a great selection of TUK TUK's not just the Taxi, but several modifications, they provide a long or short wheel base, so they offer a comprehensive range of TUK TUk's.
We at lok8rboutique are looking to make a bit of impact and be noticed so we would opt for a longer wheelbase and not the traditional Taxi style, so we would choose a Van Style as we don't want or need to carry passengers! I love this as you will stand out a b nd willl certainly be noticed especially with a cool paint job!
Next.....OK this is not A TUK TUK as we KNOW IT!
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| THE SKY LAB VERY POULAR IN N.E. THAILAND & LAOS. |
The answer...It Is A SKYLAB! Many people even Thai don't know this, but yes that's the name, The Builders of this super cool machine helped me with a little bit of History, apparently it goes back to the 1970's when the first started developing and building this machine it coincided with the launch of the US SPACE LAB, a vehicle for the future and the name stuck!
I really do love this I really think it would offer a somewhat quirky twist on the traditional TUK TUK, particularly in Bangkok where we will be based for now.Again we would go r for a van style, the company offer several great options and their choice of colour and artwork is fantastic.
I know what is happening here...spoilt for choice!!
Last, but no way least, here again a twist on the 3 wheel theme now!
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| THAT'S ME TRYIN' OUT A CLASSIC & SIDECAR. |
This will fill our g criteria of being a Head Tuner and being Noticed and being Classic and Thai, It will certainly make Thai folk turn their heads too!
To sum up I love all three and if I could afford it I would buy one of each, but right now, I can't and I don't have the space yet, but this is a solution that I am seriously considering. But we only need one to start with!I hope you enjoyed this and please tell us what would you choose! I promise i will consider all comments.
All of these companies are really friendly and very helpful.
If you are considering buying a TUK TUK or a 3 Wheeler and you need any help please contact us and if we can be of any assistance to you we will gladly help...
If you're interested in buying one of these Iconic Vehicles get in touch with me and I'll give you all the contact details.
We will let you know of our choice soon and will be doing follow blogs and a video very soon!
Contact details.
LOK8RBOUTIQUE...website....................www.lok8rboutique.com
email......................lok8rboutique@gmail.com
phone..................+66 (0) 84 316 4368. ( Kenny)
Saturday, 2 February 2013
TAXIS IN BANGKOK THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY.
GETTING AROUND THE CITY BY TAXI, TUK TUK AND MOTOR CYCLE TAXI.
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY!
Bangkok has been my home for more than Six Years now! time really does move quickly, unlike the traffic in Bangkok!
Generally speaking I don't really have any problems using public transport and when I use any of the above mentioned, honestly I hardly ever have any problems, I am not Thai! I'm English. I really do believe I'm Lucky because I live with my family, my wife who is Thai and my son who is 2, in a REAL THAI AREA, Not a Touristy Area and that seems to be the key to the problem that a lot of tourists have when using taxis , Tuk Tuks and Motor Cycle Taxis, they are in Touristy areas or at a major Transport Hub.
So do I sit back and think I'm OK not my problem, I'm OK, well honestly NO!
I've decided to Become a Guinea Pig and act as a Tourist (I can do that!!) and see what B.S. we are fed , what rip-off's we get and are Thai folk suffering the same or similar problems, I'll chat with them too.
So we can then work out where the bad and the ugly are ( rip-off , over charging and scams). Then I'll give you the real true price from the Good Guys and some great tips on how to avoid the overcharging and rip offs!MY FIRST EXPERIENCE.
HUA LAMHONG TRAIN STATION TAXI RANK
I travel from Hua Lamphong to Pinklao on a regular basis,so it's a journey I know well, it's not too far and as long as the traffic isn't too bad in China Town it can be a fairly short trip!
So off I go walking towards the Taxi Rank, a very friendly Thai Guy walks towards me smiling and asking "where you go?" I reply "PinkLao"., "400 Baht" that was his first price,...."NO",...."250 Baht"... Oh that's good he's offering me a discount, THIS WHAT YOU MAY THINK! THAT'S A GOOD PRICE, NO IT ISN'T , THE MAIN PROBLEM IS THAT IN BANGKOK ALL TAXI DRIVERS ARE SUPPOSED TO USE THEIR TAXI METER AND NOT TO OFFER YOU A PRICE!!!!!STRAIGHT AWAY YOU SHOULD REALIZE THAT THIS GUY IS BAD -UGLY DO NOT USE THESE TAXIS...WALK AWAY DO NOT BARTER WITH ATAXI DRIVER IN BANGKOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
.."NO", Then he was quickly joined by a Tuk Tuk Driver and a Moto Cy Taxi Rider, "250 very cheap"......"I take you quick quick" I still refused and I decided just to wait for the next Taxi to arrive and to my surprise these 3 guys told the Taxi driver who had just dropped off a fare to go and leave. So I lent in the Taxi and the Taxi driver asked where do you want to go "PinkLao" Taxi driver nodded I jumped in and off we went!
This whole experience really annoyed me, and made me realize that at Main Transport Hubs and.Main Touristy Areas this is a real common place occurence.
My Business is all about promoting Quality in Thailand and this is Disgusting that this may be a Tourists first impression of Thailand or Bangkok You know Bangkok is a really great City to live in and life is very enjoyable here!.
So I'm more determined to try to create a price guide now and really promote awareness!
My actual trip with The Good Guy, was fine, just like normal! A fairly quick, simple trip with no scams and no rip offs. Most Thai Taxi Drivers are OK they drive a bit crazy, but not too bad, they're just trying to make ends meet!
MY ORIGINAL QUOTE FROM MR. BAD-UGLY TAXI DRIVER WAS 400 BAHT !
The Final cost from HUA LAMPHONG TO PINKLAO.........81 BAHT
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A SAVING OF 319 BAHT ON THE ORIGINAL TAXI QUOTE.............RIP OFF!!!!!
HUA LAMPHONG BAD BOY TAXI DRIVERS.......
TAXI-TIP
THE TAXIS THAT ARE WAITING AND HANGING AROUND WITH THEIR TAXI PARKED ARE USUALLY THE BAD-UGLY GUYS AVOID THEM ...DO NOT USE THEM!
A TAXI DRIVER IN BANGKOK WHO OFFERS YOU A PRICE IS BAD-UGLY GUY DO NOT USE !
EASY SOLUTION IS TO MOVE TO THE NEXT TAXI, OR WAIT FOR A TAXI WHO HAS JUST DROPPED A FARE OFF!
OR
JUST WALK AWAY GO, GO A FEW METRES AWAY AND YOU SHOULD FIND A
GOOD-GUY USING HIS TAXI METER.
A TAXI DRIVER CAN REFUSE TO TAKE YOU TO ANY DESTINATION, IT'S VERY COMMON AND HAPPENS ALL THE TIME TO THAI AND FOREIGNER, IT'S NORMAL TO BE REFUSED,
USUALLY A SHAKE OF THE HEAD OR A HAND GESTURE.
wwTAXI DRIVERS SHOULD DISPLAY A RED SIGN IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT SIDE ( AS YOU LOOK AT IT) OF THE WINDSCREEN WHEN THEY ARE FREE TO PICK UP A FARE!
TAXI DRIVERS SHOULD BE REGISTERED AND SHOULD HAVE A TAXI BADGE SHOWING HIS DETAILS DISPLAYED INSIDE HIS TAXI.
BANGKOK HAS THOUSANDS OF TAXIS , SO IF ONE REFUSES OR IS GIVING YOU A PRICE, IT'S OK THERE WILL BE ANOTHER ONE ALONG VERY SOON!
TAXIS ARE VERY CHEAP IN BANGKOK AND FOR THE MAJORITY OF SHORT TRIPS IT SHOULD NOT COST TOO MUCH, TYPICALLY I PAY 50 TO 100 BAHT FOR MOST OF MY CITY CENTER TRIPS! THE TAXI METER STARTS OFF AT 39 BAHT, THIS IS YOUR MINIMUM FARE.
BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU EXIT A TAXI, LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER, MAKE SURE THE TAXI HAS STOPPED AND WATCH OUT FOR MOTOR CYCLES COMING UP ON THE INSIDE.
I HOPE YOU FIND THIS USEFUL IT'S ONLY A GUIDE AND IS IN NO WAY A GUARANTEE OF GOOD DRIVING STANDARDS , THAT IS A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME!
GOOD LUCK AND HAVE A GREAT TRIP!
www.lok8rboutique.com
Discovering
Affordable-Quality Local Indy-Biz
Laos and Thailand.
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A TAXI RANK AT MO CHIT BUS STATION, GOOD-GUYSCOME AND JOIN US , SHARE YOUR DISCOVERIES! |
Friday, 1 February 2013
THAILAND TO LAOS BORDER CROSSING AT THE FRIENDSHIP BRIDGE
THAILAND TO LAOS CROSSING THE BORDER AT THE FRIENDSHIP BRIDGE.
GETTING A VISA ON ARRIVAL,
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| THAI BORDER |
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| A SHORT WAIT TO PASS THROUGH PASSPORT CONTROL. |
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| THE BUS ACROSS THE BRIDGE TO LAOS |
AND ONWARDS TO VIENTIANE..
It's always a struggle and often very stressful crossing Borders anywhere in the World, but even more so after a very long bus or train trip, and add to that it's early morning, around 6am. Can be a real headache! So, I decided to try to reduce all the hassle and stress and make things a little bit easier.
I've been travelling to Laos from Thailand for more than 6 Years now and things are evolving , changes are frequent, I will do my best to update you as often as I can.
Your basic choice of getting from Bangkok to Laos is , Bus, Train or Plane.Your Budget and Time will play the major part in what you choose.
Here we'll look at Buses and the crossing at The Friendship Bridge, You can cross here when you travel by train to Nong Khai, it's simple enough just catch a Tuk Tuk to the friendship Bridge.
Usually I travel by overnight Bus from Bangkok to Nong Khai I prefer to get the Direct or International Bus to Vientiane, Laos, YOU WIIL NEED A VISA FOR LAOS IF YOU WANT TO DO THIS!
This trip I didn't have a Visa for Laos,so I had to Cross The Friendship Bridge And Get a Visa at the Border or Get a Visa on Arrival!
Actually this is a really easy solution it's not difficult, the only downside is it can be very time consuming and if it's early in the morning you may waste a lot of time!So you arrive at The Friendship Bridge from Nong Khai, I caught a Tuk Tuk around 60 Baht, and on The Thai Side everything is laid out and is simple to find.
FACILITIES ON THE THAI SIDE.
TOILETS. The Toilets are really esay to find just before the main Passport Inspection crossing point on the left side, they are clean and really OK to use! There is a small Fee about 3 to 5 Baht.ATM's. There are several ATM's on the left handside as you enter the main area, close to the toilets.
PHOTO's. When you apply for your Laos Visa you will need a Passport size Photo, if you don't have one get one here it's not too expensive.About 90 Baht for 6. TIP always check your photos and have a stash of 5 or 6 you'll never run out then, Passport photos in Bangkok are cheap!!!( 12 about 100 Baht).Now you'll need to go through Immigration Passport Control and show your Departure Card, make sure you complete the details!
Once you're through, Buy a 20 Baht Bus ticket to cross the bridge, this little bus will take you across the Bridge and over to the Laos Side.
WELCOME TO LAOS!
Now you can apply for your Visa on Arrival.
The Visa Application is really Easy, The Application Form is Available from the windows infront of you as you enter The Laos Border Point.Window 1 and 2. Ask for your Visa Application and Arrival Card.
Sit down and relax, There are plenty of Seats, Complete All The Paper Work and Include your Photo and fee,the fee can be paid in USDollars or Thai Baht.Usually it's 1500 Baht.Hand everything over and you'll need to go to Window 3 to collect your Passport and Visa and if you are owed any change you'll get it when you collect your passport at Window 3. A Big Plus you;ll get your entry Stamp at the same time as your Visa, so there's no need to queue at the entry gate, you can walk straight through, you may need to pay a small overtime fee, it depends on when you arrive itjs only a few Baht!LAOS BORDER FACILITIES.
CURRENCY EXCHANGE.
Next to Visa Application Window.
ATM'S.
There are several to choose from within metres of
the application area.TOILETS.
Not the best I've ever seen so give it a misss!
TRAVELLING TO VIENTIANE..
TAXI OR VAN. These are OK and you will need your bartering skills, they will start at 400 Baht and then it will drop to 200 Baht or maybe 150 Baht ( per person) is better, it depends on how many you share with and your destination..You may get a nice Van or an old beat up car, usually with A.C.
SONG TAUW/ TUK TUK. These are usually waiting as you leave the Border Crossing, they can be Hot and Dusty, but a lot cheaper than the Van Option, 60 to 100 Baht.(BARTER).
BUS TO VIENTIANE. This Service has been recently updated and improved. The Buses are modern, clean, have A.C. and are very reliable. They are also really cheap about 25 Baht! They will drop you at The International Bus Station which is only a short walk into The City Centre and Hotels and Restaurants. The Buses run from The border and you will find the Bus Stop on The Right hand Side of The Road as you exit the Border Crossing, not Far just past the Song Tauws.
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| TRANSPORT OPTIONS TO VIENTIANE. |
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| CHEAP AND COMFY LOCAL BUS, THE GREEEN ONE! |
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| A COOL, CLEAN AND COMFY TRIP TO VIENTIANE. |
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| THE INTERNATIONAL BUS STATION, VIENTIANE. |
NOW YOU HAVE ARRIVED IN VIENTIANE HAVE A GREAT TRIP AND PLEASE COME AND VISIT US AGAIN, WE ARE CONSTANTLY UPDATING OUR BLOGS AND WE ARE MAKING LOTS OF VIDEOS FOR YOU TUBE, CHECK US OUT!
www.lok8rboutique.com
WE ARE GROWING AND HELPING YOU TO DISCOVER
AFFORDABLE QUALITY LOCAL INDY BIZ IN LAOS AND THAILAND.
BOUTIQUE HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, CAFES, SHOPPING, HANDICRAFTS, SPORT, LEISURE, MASSAGE, SPA AND SO MUCH MORE.
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