Further update regarding bank account. I have had an account with Bangkok bank for 3 years no problem....until 3 days ago. Logged in for online banking only to see account suspended...phone number and name don't match. Go into the bank to sort out, and to make it worse I couldn't find my bank book. I needed a receipt from the phone company to prove name and number belong to me and bank book...got neither !!

Anyway, bank staff very helpful and cooperative...cost 100 baht and we will make up new bank book...whilst we do that, go to AIS shop and change phone number in my name and get receipt. Did that , went back to the bank, signed a rain forest load of paper and job was done. ..and new bank book. Told it would be 7 days before reinstated....pleaded I need sooner because of bills to be paid, and 5 hours later back online. Brilliant service and relatively straightforward. Just saying....

Just managed to get 2 eSIMs online through the dtac website. You have to have an ID, a photo of either a passport or Thai ID. The first attempt with a Thai ID and Thai passport photo worked. The second attempt failed for the second eSIM. Kept getting the error, ‘Your photo did not meet the criteria for identity verification under the NBTC’s regulations.’ Though all photos were the same in .jpg format. I tried my Australian passport and photo and that failed too. Then I tried my wife’s Australian passport and passport photo, and it was a success. On payment, it came up with a payment error. However, it succeeded and they sent me the PDF with a QR code. You have to use ddmmyyyy as the password to open the PDF.

Is the last step of the e-visa application really holding my passport and stare into a camera? feels wrong haha