Mailing a Package and Buying a SIM Card in Thailand

There are posts elsewhere on this blog about difficulties we've had mailing packages and buying SIM cards. This post is about our attempts to do both things in Thailand.

Let me tell you first about buying SIM cards. We had 5 free SIM cards in our hands within minutes of disembarking the plane in Bangkok. When I later inserted the SIM card into our phone it worked and even had a few calls of credit on it. That part was super easy.

For those occasions when the Internet at our lodging has failed us I have a mobile hotspot. I haven't always obtained SIM card for the mobile hotspot and some times we have been left without Internet access. In Thailand I plugged in one of our free SIM cards and it was recognized by my mobile hotspot but it didn't connect with the cellular data network. Before going to the mall to get data activated on the SIM I looked on the Internet and found the data plan that looked best for me. When we got to the mall I walked right to the store and within 5 minutes I was able to get the data plan activated on the SIM and all without passports, without photos, without proof of residence. I didn't even have to provide my name. Wish it had been like that everywhere we have been and I hope it is like that everywhere else that we go.

As for mailing a package in Thailand, we gathered all of the things (mostly clothes) and headed to the post office. The post office was on two floors and the driver told us we needed to go up to the 2nd floor. We got our number and waited in line for our turn. At the counter we were told that we needed to go down to the 1st floor to get packaging. My first thought was, "Oh no, this is going to be a repeat of mailing a package in Italy." When we went downstairs there was a place that completely took care of packaging our things and just for a dollar or two. When we took our package back upstairs there were two or three postal workers and at least one other customer helping us communicate and get that packaged mailed home.

Both activities were so easy in Thailand compared to other places we have been. I'm sure there is more to like about Thailand but these two experiences are reason enough for me to start liking Thailand very much.