Phuket Thailand

a&p · #1 22-02-2006, 10:46

I wasn't sure whether to post this in the newbie or expats area. I am moving to Thailand, which I suppose will make me an expat, however I have never posted before, so I decided I'd better post as a newbie. I have been following the forums for a few weeks now, absorbing much needed information, and figured I might as well jump in. My boyfriend and I are coming to Thailand on March 14. We'll be in Bangkok for 4 days before heading to Phuket for some diving, then back up to Chiang Mai to work at the Elephant Nature park for a week. After that, we plan to travel around a bit and decide where we would like to settle. We are pretty sure we'd like to settle on the Andaman coast side for the diving. My boyfriend is a dive instructor and of course, would like to work where the diving is best. Many people have advised that Koh Lanta would be a great place to live and work because it's very quiet and laid back, in-expensive, and working conditions are good. My only concern there is that we would like to spend time in temples and furthering our buddhist practice with monks and/or buddhist teachers, and I'm told that Koh Lanta's vast majority is Muslim instead of Buddhist. Could anyone offer advice on these matters? Also, what do you guys do for long distance calling from Thailand? (I would be calling the U.S.) I am researching the vonage system, but what are my other options? And finally, what operation would you recomend for a dive trip for a couple of days to the Similans? Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer and for all the great info you provide for us newbies all the time. I look forward to meeting you once we arrive.

steve@thaib · #2 22-02-2006, 15:22

Welcome to the board. I can't help you wth your questions but I'm sure there are plenty here who can.

The Real Sledge · #3 22-02-2006, 16:24

For long distance is it very cheap just to use your mobile phone.

Once you get a thia sim card all you need to do to get cheap calls is precede your number with 009. I call the UK everyday which is 00944 followed by the number and it works out at about 7baht/min.

The normal system is to call 001 before the number. It is supposed to be a better line but I can't tell the difference apart from the price.

So to call the US just use 0091 and then area code and number.

Hope this helps.

steve@thaib · #4 22-02-2006, 16:35

Just looking through my book collection and thought I would reccommend one for you. Lonely Planet have a Thailand's Islands and Beaches book that answers a lot of your questions, good contact info etc, might be worth a look.

Mustang · #5 22-02-2006, 22:30

Welcome to the board.For dive companies I have used both Scubacat for training and See Bees for a liveaboard.Both have excellant reputations on Phuket.See Bees is a little more upscale but Scubacat has a boat that stays in the Similans,using a smaller boat to taxi people back and forth several times a week so your length of stay can be flexible.
Many good dive companies on Phuket offering liveaboards,depending on your budget,but these are a good starting point to get a feel for prices and services.Good luck!

a&p · #6 26-02-2006, 00:39

Thanks guys! Will definately look into See Bees for a liveaboard. I also heard that South Siam Divers and Andaman Dancer II are good. Have any of you had any experience with these? I actually do have both the Lonely Planet Diving and Snorkeling Thailand and the Lonely Planet Thailand's Islands and Beaches. Both are extremely informative and helpful, however for me, nothing beats talking to someone about their personal experiences. I thought of another question. When living in Thailand, what has been your experience sending and receiving mail? We lived in Roatan last year, and if by some miracle we ever did happen to receive a piece of mail, it might arrive 6 weeks to 3 months later. Same went for us sending it out. Also, can one receive items ordered from the internet, from say... Amazon.com for example? Thanks again guys. You're the best.

andy50 · #7 26-02-2006, 02:37

are you familiar with the law regarding working in los--? you probably are, but if you need any advice there are plenty of expats here to give you advice --cheers

shark1963 · #8 26-02-2006, 08:55

Welcome on board.The mobile phone seems to be really cheap. My TGF just uses her mobile phone to call me too. The other way of communicating is reaaly to use the internet like yahoo voice call. You can make an account on it, so you can use it worlwide.
So if you make the account in the US you just pay the rate for the internet and the cheap rate for US to US call. Dont know the rates.

ElectrO · #9 26-02-2006, 12:24

Mail can go astray..... You need to register AT a post office, and then you will guaranteed to get your mail. (well as guaranteed as it can be). Anyone who lives away from a major town will tell you mail is few and far betwee. I now use a work address which is 100m from the post office in Phuket, so mail always gets there. But if I want mail to my house.... well this (like you said) turns up extremely late. or never at all.

Also if you are going to live somewhere that doesn't have a home phone, then the chances are you wont get a home phone. These are also few and far between. In rawaii they are issued an extra 300 phones for this year, and they have gone already....

E