Services & cash

Cash

You can find plenty of places to top up your cash.

There are travel cheque & currency exchange offices in Khao Lak and Bang Niang

If you need a bank, there is a choice of several in Khao Lak and Bang Niang - and there are ATMs in both Bang Niang and Khao Lak. If your card does not work in one, move on to the next - there are variations which mean cards do not work in every ATM. If you have a lesser known brand, it might be worth taking a 'big name' card (eg Visa) as a back-up.

Visa debit cards can make the currency exchanges at wholesale money market rates and this can be an advantage. It is worth checking with your bank about how the exchange rate is made, whether there is a commission charged for the transaction and whether it has an adequate cover for anyone needing to replace a card while away. Shop around for one that does not charge commission and does not skim off your money in the exchange rate.

Medical

Ambulance: phone 1669 (landlines and Thai mobiles)

Doctors: You can find doctors and even specialists in Khao Lak and Bang Niang. Their standard of English is good.

There are excellent hospitals in Phuket and emergency facilities at Takuapa, about 30km north of Khao Lak and Bang Niang.

Dentists: Skilled dentists are available in Khao Lak and they are accustomed to dealing with foreign patients. You will find their English is good. Many more available in Phuket.

Opticians: This is a big industry in Khao Lak and Bang Niang, with many ultra-modern opticians. Prices are good, compared with most visitor home countries, and the service reflects the competitive nature of business.

Veterinary practices are available in Khao Lak and Bang Niang. Are you bringing your parrot this time?

Post

This is a little trickier than in many places. If you have stamped cards or letters, there is a post box outside Nang Thong supermarket in Khao Lak or possibly your hotel will take them from you.

However, for anything more complicated (eg, getting a letter weighed and buying the stamp for overseas), you need to go to the main post office - which is in Lam Kaen, a few kilometres south of Khao Lak.

You can get a songthaew or bus; if you ride or drive, look out for the first dual carriageway and turn left into the post office car park just before a mobile phone mast.

If you want to do something else while in the area, go a few hundred metres further south and turn right to the pier (coffee and snacks at the Navy Wives Club ... it's OK, you don't have to sign up or get married to use the restaurant or souvenir shop); or stop on the way back at any of the beaches or the Lamru national park.

Police

Khao Lak and Bang Niang are quiet, safe areas - and the police make sure they stay that way. If you need help, they have a van parked opposite the Nang Thong supermarket, Khao Lak, in the season; otherwise you can find them near the Lamru national park or in their trucks around the area. English can be a problem when the van is not there and you may have to go to Takuapa. Both Bang Niang and Khao Lak are friendly areas where local people will always be ready to help you.

Phones

Home country mobiles can be more than a little expensive when you bounce the signal round the world - think in advance about your needs.

If you can get your mobile unlocked, buy a Thai sim from the 7/Eleven and top up with air time. Cheap and useful. If phoning abroad, use 009 before your country number ... it works out very cheaply.

Even cheaper is to bring a Skype phone with your laptop. Or, failing that, many internet shops offer a phone link.

Computer repairs

There are a number of computer shops where you can buy items and call in for help and repairs. The people working in them can usually speak enough English to undersand the problems but you need to be sure you are getting over what you want. The nearest is on the main road north of Bang Niang and the biggest locally is further on, almost to Takuapa, again on the left - GreenIT (www.greenit4u.com). Local expats use either or both, depending on need and preference. There are other computer shops in Phuket.