google and getting around

[paborn]

I've been trying to post an image of a map I got from google as ann illustration but I simply don't know how. The issue is this, I'm making an appeal for understanding about people asking questions. You may jump to a conclusion and assume that a poster is "lazy", "ignorant", not even willing to google , etc. I've read all this comments - from I hasten to add - people with vast knowledge who could simply answer. I have never been to Tukcom and , although I want to visit the massage places that, reportedly, are near it ; finding them, is very hard.
I just googled Tukcom again, the maps I get some it, but show only the names of some roads - even second road is not labled, much is in Thai, etc. Boyztown is certaily not, So i hope I pick the right unlabled soi to get to the unlabled road to walk over. I pray each night for taxis to appear in Pattaya.

If anyone has some massage shop recommendations and can give instructions or a website I would appreciate it - but, the main reason for this post is a cry for unity and understanding. When you live part of the year, or all year in a place it is all too easy to assume that the rest of us are either lazy or inept. I assure you I spend hours looking before asking. Fact is googling " route from Ambience to gay massage shop near tukcom is a good deal harder then many think. You do it because you look at these unlabled sois and KNOW what they are
Have a heart guys

[paborn]

I want to add something I just found. When using google maps, the plain maps and the satellite maps have different labels. In the case above the map view had little information, the satelite gave - not all - but, more names and even locatesd boyzboyzboyz. So, just check both it's helping me.

[Nirish guy]

?? Without meaning to cheeky ...... why not just type in “Tuk Com”to goggle maps and then literally follow the map as it walks you there “live” ? Very easy to do and once you’ve the journey loaded up you don’t need phone signal etc as your phones GPS will handle that for you from there.

You know, follow the blue dot thing as you move it moves and you can see on its map when to turn etc.

I use that almost permanently when in a new place and it gets me to where I need to be 99% of the time perfectly well.

I think google maps must be one of the best inventions in the last 20 years and I’d be lost without it these days if having to start trying to reading maps again etc, plus it’s also great for finding venues just from their names etc. Give it a go maybe.

[paborn]

?? Without meaning to cheeky ...... why not just type in “Tuk Com”to goggle maps and then literally follow the map as it walks you there “live” ? Very easy to do and once you’ve the journey loaded up you don’t need phone signal etc as your phones GPS will handle that for you from there.

You know, follow the blue dot thing as you move it moves and you can see on its map when to turn etc.

I use that almost permanently when in a new place and it gets me to where I need to be 99% of the time perfectly well.

I think google maps must be one of the best inventions in the last 20 years and I’d be lost without it these days if having to start trying to reading maps again etc, plus it’s also great for finding venues just from their names etc. Give it a go maybe.

That sounds like a good idea. But, I'm exploring better phone plans many American plans are in the dark ages. Roaming charges are huge so I turn off celluar data when traveling outside the US - this - I believe eliminates this GPS process. I use only the wifi at the hotel. When I say the celluar roaming charges are they can be huge, thousands if you have notifications turned on for apps you use at home. If there is a way out of this I would love to know - I see that your saying you can load it and the GPS takers over -- without data roaming????

[paborn]

That sounds like a good idea. But, I'm exploring better phone plans many American plans are in the dark ages. Roaming charges are huge so I turn off celluar data when traveling outside the US - this - I believe eliminates this GPS process. I use only the wifi at the hotel. When I say the celluar roaming charges are they can be huge, thousands if you have notifications turned on for apps you use at home. If there is a way out of this I would love to know - I see that your saying you can load it and the GPS takers over -- without data roaming????

I just google this and I'm reading how to use it with my iphone - thank you so much. You know this does support my general point - it's hard to google something you know nothing about. But in the case of maps, I suspect this will be a huge difference. !!!

[goji]

1 The obvious thing to do is to buy a Thai SIM card, with data & pop it into your phone. Tape your home SIM to something safe, so you do not lose it. As I suspect you're not an IT expert, go to one of the True shops & get them to sort everything out for you.

2 OR: Switch data off when overseas. Examine the maps of the areas you want to visit whilst on wifi. Then they will be saved into the phone's cache, so you can view the maps when out and about without using any data.

[Nirish guy]

I believe that your GPS shpuld still work perfectly well even with your cellular data switched off and at no further cost to you as I too have made that mistake before and ended up with some ridiculous bills at the end of a holiday.

Maybe try a quick two minute walk around the block just to ease your mind as you should be able to either see data used or reset your data measure to zero and see from there then.

[paborn]

Just a follow up. I watched some you tube videos to make sure I understood how to do this and it works perfectly in my area. I then tried to download a map of pattaya and it came back with this area not avaialbe due to contractual limitations, language support , etc I don't know if this is an American data issue or not. I tried London, Vienna, Mexico city - no problem .But, nothing in Thailand. I have to look into this. Are you using a Thai sim card perhaps??? Just guessing I'm somewhat technically illiterate

[Nirish guy]

Paborn not sure if you’re addressing that to me or not but if so I’ve used both options in the past and both the Thai sim and UK sim both worked the same.
I believe even a US Sim should be able to give you a full google maps map ok without restriction as basic dally you’re either connected to the internet or your not.

[paborn]

Paborn not sure if you’re addressing that to me or not but if so I’ve used both options in the past and both the Thai sim and UK sim both worked the same.
I believe even a US Sim should be able to give you a full google maps map ok without restriction as basic dally you’re either connected to the internet or your not.
I will explore this - but on the verizon sim card I'm using Thailand is grayed out with a note that this region is not available. I wonder if other US users would please chime in if they have any practical knowledge of this. Thanks

[cdnmatt]

If you have an iPhone, try the app called Blind Square. It will even talk to you while it tells you where to go, and when to make a turn, etc. :)

[Moses]

Just buy SIM for tourists and you will eliminate all problems

[francois]

delete

[Nirish guy]

Alas a local Sim doesn’t always fix ALL of your problems as for work and family reasons etc some people do need to retain their home phone link with people able to call them when needed etc.

Unfortunately I think they’re a thing of the past now as of maybe two or three years ago just as governments wanted to keep a better track of Sims out there or maybe it was the phone firms wanting to take in some extra money, not sure which, but you used to be able to buy a dual SIM card which allowed you to keep your home country Sim and purchase a new local sim and run them both at the same time in your phone, with you simply switching between the two at the click of a button or logging m in and out of each as you required.

I had one for a while in Thailand and also used it here in the UK too to allow me to in effect have both a work and private phone account - basically was like having two separate phone on the go at the same time. So ask around and see can you get your hands on one of those still THAT I think would be your ideal answer perhaps.

[Brad the Impala]

Alas a local Sim doesn’t always fix ALL of your problems as for work and family reasons etc some people do need to retain their home phone link with people able to call them when needed etc.



You can just leave a voice message on your original phone giving the number of your new Thai Sim, so that people who need to call you know to use that number.

[Nirish guy]

He he yes you could, but that for me would have had the downside of course of letting people know where you are,

Many a time I nipped away for either long weekends or a quick 8 week trip to Thailand lol and was able to almost pretend I was either at my desk or driving up the M1 to a meeting when I was perhaps more likely on my way to Jomtien. I could either accept calls and take them as normal or just decline then and call them back later “when I was out of my meeting” - and all from my “uk” number - that wee trick proved very handy sometimes at various times when dealing with my UK bank when trying to assuring them that yes of COURSE I was 100% focused and working hard to clear all their mortgages, all whilst actually sitting at some bar in Sunee perhaps :-)

Alas as that dual sim availability died out I just found it easier to change away from a small N.Irish bank to a more international one and now I ( and they) could care less where I am these days thankfully.

[bkkguy]

Dual SIM slot phones are probably more readily available in Asia (inc Thailand) than in the USA but probably the easiest solution is keep your current phone as is and just pick a cheap low-end smartphone in Thailand for a few thousand Baht and a local SIM for a few hundred Baht

bkkguy

[dinagam]

And it's always a good idea to have a spare phone.

[Nirish guy]

So, while we’re at the good collective good advice I might as well add if having a spare phone tucked away ( as I usually do when travelling) then be sure to have your daily use phone backed up ( and set to auto back up thereafter to a “cloud” service if possible, then if you DO lose your phone you simply turn on your replacement phone, install the last saved back up file from your old phone and you’re good to go again (almost) as if you hadn’t lost your phone in the first place.

I realise for the less technically minded people this may sound a little daunting but it’s hinestky quite simple to do and if you can’t manage it maybe get a younger friend to help with that as i know after losing my own phone in Bali that to loose ALL contacts, emails, flight confirmation number log ins not to mention all your Grindr app messages etc ( god forbid) can be a REAL problem when away and all of that can be avoided with a second phone and a simple backed up cloud file to hand.

[DrewSpz]

Mine works just fine in thailand. I’m using T Mobile. Unlimited data. By slowed to 2g speed when in Thailand. Still not bad

[goji]

My Thai SIM card goes in my smart phone and my home SIM card has often been installed in a small light Nokia phone, just in case anyone needs to contact me.

However, since most of the people who would contact me in an emergency have Skype, What's App, We Chat & e-mail, there is no longer any real need to put my home SIM in a second phone. Also no risk of incoming calls when I'm enjoying the nightlife.

[arsenal]

Wechat is an absolutely fabulous app. Incredibly user friendly but capable of messaging, picture sending, location sending, video calls and voice calls. One week after you start using it you'll be asking people for their Wechat address rather than their phone number and be irritated if they don't have one.

If the bars started using it as a marketing tool it could give them a whole new lease of life. The possibilities are endless.

[colmx]

Isn't WeChat simply a Chinese knock off of WhasApp or Line?
Both are surely more popular amongst Thai boys than WeChat... with the advantage that most people in farangland also have WhatsApp

[christianpfc]

For such IT related questions as the OP, it's best to ask friends. Thus, the matter of question is at hand (i.e. your friend can operate your phone or your computer) and it's much faster. I have a few friends who are less experienced in software and mobile phones than I am, and I can often solve their problems in minutes. Probably faster than the OP typed his post, and without all the off-topic responses!

(Of course this doesn't work if you have no friends, or don't want them to know where and how you spend your holiday.)

Googlemaps is a boon! In Thailand, they have street view, so you can virtually walk from Ambience hotel to Tuk-Com and around Tuk-com where you will see the massage shops.

To use googe maps offline, either move around in that area while you have data access, so the map is in the cache, or use offline maps (not available for some countries or areas). AFAIK, street view, satellite view, and navigation are not available in offline maps.


I pray each night for taxis to appear in Pattaya.
There are taxis in Pattaya, they just don't use the meter. But elsewhere (Chiang Mai), people reported Uber works fine. Anyway, without a specific location (name or better address in Thai), taxi won't help you.

[cdnmatt]

What the fuck is WeChat?

Really? I already have WhatsApp, Skype, Line, Facebook, LinkedIn phone, e-mail, and others. If I wasn't blind, I would also have Grindr, Hornet, Jack'd, and amore probably.

Is it just me, or am I the only one who thinks we're going a little overkill on all this shit?

[Blacktouch]

You can't beat WhatsApp

[cdnmatt]

Agreed, WhatsApp kicks ass, especially if you're blind. It's pretty much the only messaging app I can actually use, and is what Leo and myself use to communicate mainly.

I can tell Siri things like, "send WhatsApp message to Leo hey honey, good morning, are you ok?", and it works fine. Can't do that with Skype, Line, or other apps. From my testing, only WhatsApp works.

[goji]

Isn't WeChat simply a Chinese knock off of WhasApp or Line?

I have Line for talking to people in Thailand & Japan.
We Chat for Chinese friends.
What's App for "Westerners"
Then Skype manages a mix of people, including cheap overseas calls.

As long as the phone has the storage space, I can use all of them. For functionality, WeChat compares very favourably.

[arsenal]

You can also send money with Wechat (to another addressee) and it takes all of 2 seconds and costs nothing.

[Moses]

WeChat is marvelous: it is universal application "for everything": texting, voice call, videocalls, it is wallet, social network, bloging platform, money transaction btw individuals and for shopping... cons: Chinese govt censorship - you cannot send some messages with censored words and themes, URLs to forbidden sites.

[goji]

You can also send money with Wechat (to another addressee) and it takes all of 2 seconds and costs nothing.

Thanks. It's good to know that.
Presumably there would be a spread on any foreign currency transaction ? I did have a look on their website & they were not at all transparent about this. Seems they use bank rates, so there is some sort of spread.

Maybe also caps on moving money out of China, although not one that will affect me just now.

[arsenal]

Goji. Yes, I think they do use bank rates because being a Chinese app, any sort of financial schannigans are likely to lead to a shed load of trouble from Beijing.

Back to the maps. One can send a pin (location) to oneself, say at your hotel. Then wherever you are in the city you can open the pin and see which way to go.