Money, Prescription Glasses, etc.
 

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to handle money in Thailand (leaving Sat. 12/23). I've been squirreling away cash for the trip and don't want to deposit it into my bank account. If I get traveler's checks, does anyone know the typical exchange fees? My credit cards charge 3% and my bank charges $5.00 per ATM withdrawal and 1%. I'm thinking that I may be best charging hotels etc. then using any unused traveller's checks to pay the bill. I have a duplicate ATM card per forum advice. It's a Visa as well so am nervous about using it with general public as someone could access my funds.

Also, want to get some prescription sunglasses made right when we arrive in Bangkok--will be there for 4 days. Any suggestions for where to get them made?

Lastly, my 19 yr. old daughter is a vegetarian. Does anyone know how we communicate that when ordering food?

I'm sooo excited to be going to Thailand for the first time!!
Debra

My preference is to use cash when traveling. If you bring $100 bills with you (new ones are best) then you get the same rate as travelers checks without any fees, so it's the best deal. You just need to be careful with cash so you don't show a lot of it at one time. I usually keep my traveling money in at least two different places.

There are plenty of places all around Bangkok where you can get glasses made. The latest advice from others on this forum points to the Siam Paragon shopping center as the best place for foreigners. However, Thais aren't too sophisticated about glasses. I can't remember seeing sunglasses on offer in any shop (but I haven't been looking). It seems like you can't even get bi-focals.

Just about any restaurant can make vegetarian dishes, although they often won't be on the menu. The simplest Thai expression for "I'm a vegetarian" is "kin jay". The more formal way to ask for a dish prepared as a veggie one is to say "mungsawat".

The drawback is that most Thais will interpret vegetarian requests from a Chinese perspective, which means that in addition to leaving out the meat, they also won't put anything from the onion or garlic family into the dish, which can make it rather dull.

Tamarind Cafe on Sukhumvit Soi 20 gets rave reviews for its veg. food that they promise whill convert carnivores.

Thank you Michael for answering all of my questions. I appreciate the help and can't wait to get there!

Michael, I'm not sure what you mean about Thais not being sophisticated about glasses. Where we shopped (at Siam Paragon) there were lovely high-end frames, very sophisticated styles. There were both European designers and Asian designers represented. They had very nice, high-end sunglasses and it took about 4 days to get the prescription lenses back (Hoya lenses). Cheryl also purchased regular glasses with progressive lenses with the newer, wider viewing area (also Hoya lenses). Those took longer to make. Deb, there have been a number of recent posts about buying glasses in Bangkok. Do a search here.

Everyone has their favorite way to deal with foreign currency. If you are comfofrtable carrying cash, it is easy to exchange US$100 bills as Michael says. I haven't used travelers checks in at least a decade, but some people swear by them (Guenmai, for instance). Many exchange windows indicate a slightly higher exchenage rate for US$100 travelers checks than for US $100 bills, but after you figure in the service charge for the travelers checks, the exchange rate is about the same. Be careful using travelers checks at hotels... they typically give you a poor exchange rate. Cash your traverels checks (or $100 bills) elsewhere and use the cash to pay your hotel.

I think if you try the various food courts and buffets (Paragon basement level and the Food Loft 7th floor at Central Chitlom department store just to name a couple of the best ones IMO) you can eat eat eat and select all kinds of veggie dishes. Eating from menu selections in the nicer restaurants will be a little bit more challenging. But I guarantee, you won't go hungry in BKK.
Carol

By un-sophisticated, I didn't mean designs, I meant technology. Like I said, I have not seen prescription sunglasses on offer, or bifocals. I've met a lot of Thais, including a couple of co-workers, who have two pairs of glasses and are constantly switching back and forth. I've asked them why they don't just get bi-focals, and they say you can't get them here (although it would be the Thai mentality to say that rather than admit they've never heard of them.)

Well, Michael, you can tell your co-workers that both bifocals and progressive lenses are available as well as prescription sunglasses. I wonder if they just don't know the word "bifocal"? There are both Thai-made lenses as well as the high-end Hoya lenses available.

debvan50 I sure don't like to haul around large sums of money....at home or elsewhere. We have found a bank that reimburses all ATM charges and a Visa Card that charges no fee for use abroad. The bank is Mechanics Bank, in Roseville,California. Not sure where else they are. The Visa, which I just ordered for our upcoming trip, is Capitol One. You can search them and see what you come up with. We used the ATM on our last trip, in Croatia, Budapest, etc. and all fees were, indeed, reimbursed. Hoping the Visa is as true to advertising. I think I read about it in Frommer's.

Bifocal takes about 4 days to make and prescription sunglasses in any colour or shade takes only a couple of days the most in Thailand.

There is a chain of 5 or so stores called Charion (or close to that). I bought $700-$1100 glasses for 25% USD cost. I had Verilux transition made on one pair in 4 days. The others I took home and paid 4 or 5 times more in NJ.