gazmat

1 hour ago, millwall_fan said:

How can readers 'judge for themselves when the magazine is unavailable?

 

Prawit is technically correct in that the junta didn't actually ban this edition of Time, but the distributors Asia Books and Kikonuya were simply too scared to import it.

The reason they are scared is down to one particular sentence in the article "Thailand’s Leader Promised to Restore Democracy. Instead He's Tightening His Grip".  A sentence that doesn't refer to Prayuth...

We've just finished a lengthy renovation of a condo in Bangkok. One of the parts of the condo we didn't replace was the marble floor. The floor is lovely but very tired looking - dirty grout, missing grout, a few scratches, cracks and chips etc.

We contacted a company called Abacco who weren't interested - as the floor is only about 80sqm. They referred us to another company.

They came round and cleaned and recrystallised the floor. The job looks terrible as they had no hand tools to get to edges and corners and their polisher couldn't remove the worn floor surface - only make it shiny with a load of swirl marks

Does anybody know of anyone in Bangkok who can properly renovate a marble floor - grind 3 or 4 mm of the surface, including edges and corners, repair the grout and cracks etc and then polish it up.

Thanks for the information. I visited the expo but had to give up half way round due to a misbehaving 4 year old! Will check Aluzat out.

Does anybody know of a decent aluminium window installation firm in Bangkok?

I'm currently renovating a 13th floor condo and need 3 or 4 large sliding windows and one large sliding balcony door replaced.

The expensive companies are reluctant to install in a condo or for such a small job. As the windows have to be silver aluminium, clear glass and match the existing design it is probably overkill anyway.

We had a trial window installed by a local guy (Sathu Pradit) but the window is very basic - little to no air or sound insulation and lots of bits screwed and sealed together to make the profile shapes.

Are there any 'middle market' window firms who can install decent quality windows that aren't held together with tons of sealant and offer some reasonable air and sound insulation?

Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Sorry, posted nonsense by mistake.

Family, food, Buddha, King, 'sanuk', booze, music, lakorn, football, money, status. In that order, I reckon.

Phang Nga Bay

The Grand Palace / Wat Phra Kaew

Khao Yai National Park

Are the first three that spring to mind.

The Thais I know who live on low salaries are supported with accommodation, food and emergency (and even entertainment) costs by a network of friends and family, to one degree or another. I don't see how a lone white man could live here on sub 10k a month, however well they speak Thai or understand the culture.

I've not got any bald spots but there's an inverted v-shape on my crown which is really thin.

I guess a transplant would work as there's plenty round the back but it just seems way too horrible. The thought of a robot harvesting my follicles is like some kind of sci-fi nightmare. Finasteride is also a no no as the, admittedly small, chance of irreversible impotence is a risk I won't take.

So I've gone down the gym, full-beard and suntan route which seems to work a treat. I guess if you met a buxom woman with Angelina Jolie lips, you might not be too hung up on her hairstyle.

Or maybe I just look like an orange Grizzly Adams with inflated pecs and Prince Williams hair.

Maybe I need to find a beekeeper and some cows. Not easy in Bangkok.

As long as the production values, writing and acting quality are up to scratch, why not? Thai equivalents of the many landmark historical dramas the UK have produced over the decades would be a feast for the eyes.

Somehow, I doubt it though!

What would be good would be a Thai equivalent of David Attenbrough and the BBC Natural History unit bringing the magnificent biodiversity of the Kingdom on to the screens of the Thai people before it is forever lost to concrete cathedrals to consumerism or corrupt capitalism.

Why not "Time Team" with Tony Robinson's Thai brother. They could excavate the original Thermae Bar, or Clinton Plaza, or Washington Square would be perfect

A Thai Tony Robinson would be quite a thing.

Which leads me to wonder what a Thai 'Blackadder' might be like...

As long as the production values, writing and acting quality are up to scratch, why not? Thai equivalents of the many landmark historical dramas the UK have produced over the decades would be a feast for the eyes.

Somehow, I doubt it though!

What would be good would be a Thai equivalent of David Attenbrough and the BBC Natural History unit bringing the magnificent biodiversity of the Kingdom on to the screens of the Thai people before it is forever lost to concrete cathedrals to consumerism or corrupt capitalism.

From what I can gather in Bangkok, most people think they are getting somewhere if they can pull in 30k per month.

My wife reckons sub 10k for unskilled workers, 15-30k for graduates in junior roles, 40-60k for corporate middle-management. After that it seems salaries can rise quite considerably. She knows quite a few Thai people, many educated in Thailand, earning 200k to 1m a month working in senior roles in Thai companies.

I guess successful entrepreneurs and those at the coal face of corruption can earn shocking amounts. I've been told by a guy who owns a few nightclubs, bars, restaurants and hotels in the nice parts of Bangkok that his group pays 5m a month to the police and he reckons most of that goes directly to a couple of 'big guys'. There are hundreds of similar establishments in those areas. Makes you think...

As a straight guy, I'd like to see global rights of marriage and sexual freedom for all. Plus a repealing of all laws prohibiting 'the promotion of homosexuality' or whatever governments choose to call it.

The world wouldn't be as good without gay people and their culture. Everybody should be allowed to plough their own furrow and celebrate it however they see fit providing there is no violence, intimidation or coercion.

I've always found the dodgy stalls on the main Sukhumvit Road a bit off-putting and annoying during daylight hours. I'd love to see the main road cleaned up and moved 'upmarket' in the daytime with clear pavements, cafes, restaurants, 'posh' pubs and bars, hotels, shops and a few garden spaces.

The side sois should be left alone as they have their own character and you don't have to walk down them if you don't like the look of them.

After dark, the stall-holders should be allowed to do their thing within reason (no dildos, porn or weapons on display) and provide a decent space for pedestrians. After 11pm, let the street bars open as usual.

Shut the permanent bars at 2am and let the clubs, street bars and camper vans open until 5am.

Oh yes, and install plenty of litter bins, stop all taxis or tuk tuks parking up and get mopeds off the pavements.

You may say I'm a dreamer...

There's a post above where the Brit gent mentions that he has moved with his family back to Thailand and now lives where there are many British neighbours. No comment.

That was me. As we have many Thai family members and friends living close to us, we were happy to find we also had plenty of British families in the neighbourhood. Primarily so our son gets to experience both cultures week in week out.

I do my visa extensions at Pathumthani immigration but live in Bangkok most of the time. Does anybody know if I can do 90 day reports at Suksawat? Thanks.

I'm up for this. Sounds like a great idea. Good luck with the venture.

Every hole's a goal, mate. Quit fretting and go knock the front out of him.

The reprehensible and ridiculous disparaging of an entire nation, its culture and its people - as is often seen on here - has a multitude of causes. Fear of the new, different or unknown. Lack of self-esteem, adventurousness or curiosity. The inability to adapt, assimilate or empathise. Stupidity, ignorance or just mindless trolling.

There are many things wrong with this country but it's nowhere near as bad as some on here would make it out to be.

The London Pie on Naradhiwas 24 / Sathu Pradit 19 serves fantastic breakfasts for 150-200 baht. Top quality sausages, bacon, black pudding, home-baked bread and as much Yorkshire tea as you can drink. It's a bugger to find though.