SamKong

Just use rubbing alcohol. I used vodka once but it didn't work very well and ended up wasting too much Stoli. 

Not new to Ubon but could certainly use some advice on a few things. Haven't been back in two years and have a couple of buddies coming up. Would like to show them a good time.

Songkran Fun 
What's the main drag for Songkran fun in the back of a truck? Are there still spots where you can purchase water/ice along routes in DT Ubon? Or was this stopped last year due to water restrictions? Any predictions/rumors on this year's planned restrictions on 'celebrations'?
 

Is there a good area in and around the Suwan Wararom area for a Songkran walk-about? Will be staying just south of there. 

 

Eating
A Thai friend recommended Feeling and Chom Jan? Anyone been to either place? 

Can anyone recommend local spots that are genuinely good? Long-term legends with cobwebs and bad lighting would be better than flash-in-the-pan up starts with over-priced fusion dishes.

As for Western food, well aware of Peppers; had really good Mexican at Outside Inn last night; plan to hit up Spago. Anything with good pub grub, a few beers and banter with the Ubon guava community? Cannot handle the curmudgeon crowd though. 

 

Nightlife

Heard Coffeehol is closed now. Loved that place. Anything similar open now?

Is 14 Cafe still okay for a few beers and snacks, early evening?

What's the scene at Ubar like now?

Is Ricco Caf any good?

Any Thai bands coming to town between the 12th and 14th? 
 

Any recommendation of a foreigner-friendly after-hours place would be good. Don't need western music or anything catering to tourists--just don't want to have the plaeng chii-wit music stop when we walk in. 



 

hmm ok and you mean what??

Waste of a thread, i agree what does the OP mean, is it the sign thats tickling his funny bone,is there something we are missing, lock me in a darkened room with a stick of rhubarb and a canary with turrets, what next a picture of a drain cover

what a crap reply. clearly the OP is taking the piss.

why would anyone tell a government official to keep the change or hand over a tip?

i worked in the service industry for more than a decade before coming to thailand. i'm a huge tipper but only when it's appropriate.

don't tip governemenal officials unless they're actually skirting normal proceedure for you. don't even tip the folks at starbucks and subway. their service isn't the kind of service that should be tipped. it's just a scheme to allow the owners to pay employees less money.

tipping governmental officials...ridiculous.

^ muchas grassy ass.

And the ED visa does not allow you to apply for a work permit!

is this still true?

I've not regulary tuned into a radio station since moving to Thailand ten years ago but 89.5 has got my attention for both good and bad reasons.

The afternoon DJs are the station's bread and butter IMHO. I think the early afternoons are with a gent called Steve, while the late afternoons are hosted by Phuket's on-again-off-again, Jason Wilder. Both seem at ease on the mic and are refreshinly free from stumbling over their words--something many other Phuket-based DJs seem to have issues with. I can see how Jason's zany antics might put a few listeners off, but he's got character and seems born for the radio. Like him or not, the man's got talent. Steve's style is different, more relaxed and would probably be a fantastic morning show guy.

The weekend shows with the two dudes (Baba Fats and someone else) are where I think the station falters a bit. They try way too hard to be amusing and fail miserably. Also, the new bits where the newspaper's editors in the studio are now blatant promos for the paper. I liked it better when Jason was simply bantering on about the news rather than listening to the ediitor's bang on about how great the paper is. Last week, one editor suggested that there's so much content, he likens it to a magazine that can be read throughout the week. Gimme a break. Most folks could read it cover to back cover in 30 mins tops.

Is anyone else tuning in on their radio or internet? What do you think? Yey or ney?

unless something changes at the gazette, something along the lines of new ownership, the paper and its other media avenues will die a slow death. i didn't like the phuket news when it first came out, but it's proved itself to be a better alternative for some time now. it still has a lot of room for improvement though. i hope the phuket news has seen where resting on one's laurels has gotten the gazette's owner.

i wonder how many parents here understand what it means to truly meet regulations regarding international education.

i wish i could enjoy the low levels of accountability the gazette's webmaster sits upon.

just one more reason to sit in awe of the paper's owner. how on earth did he ever build a successful business???

If you are not a parent with kids at Darasamuth or have personal inside knowledge of Darasamuth - please go somewhere else or start your own thread....

I ask again.....

How is the EP program at Darasamuth vs. Kajonkiet ? K3-P6..... Don't really like the location of the new Kajonkiet. Comments please !

i know western teachers from both schools. i know students and parents at both schools. i also know a bit about their respective costs.

based upon what i've been hearing over the past five years or so, i would choose darasamuth in a heartbeat.

and don't forget that konjonkiet is in the middle of expansion plans. i DON'T know anything about this, but my assumptions lead me to conclude the school will be funneling more money into these projects than they'll be using to improve the quality of students' education.

I'd like to hire a Thai assistant to do English-language data entry on a part-time basis. Nothing too complex but the position does require basic language skills--particularly reading skills.

On average, what's the hourly rate for someone like this in Bangkok and/or Phuket? What if I was willing to spend a bit more for reliability?

suggesting one replace BK with pan-fried and/or McDonalds...not relevant.

BK's burgers are grilled.

i'll eat there once a month. more than that and both the wallet and the heart write me a letter of complaint.

just tried to visit the site and still got the message dated 10 april.

anyone else getting this, or is it a cookie thing?

P Pizza House is named after the owner's son. Doubt young Pee got a job at his age.

Both husband and wife are some of the nicest people I've met in Thailand. Real salt of the earth types.

Without phuketwan, you would know nothing going on if you relied on the gazette and news.

i suppose if one took the wan's information as accurate, this might be true. i've been privy to direct information on 2 or 3 stories the wan messed up pretty poorly. haste is not the mark of a good newsman. nor is poor grammar. nor is selling out to advertisers. so, i return to my original point: phuket's news sources are pants! the whole lot.

^ will respectfully disagree with you about the wan being the best of the worst. call me old fashioned, but i'll take accuracy over hype any day...

writting

whoops. looks like i'm qualified for any of these outlets' editorial staff!

can't tell which is worse:

a. the fact the gazette can't get its own homepage up and running a week after a hack attack (who is their webmaster of disaster?)

b. the number of grammatical errors in last week's issue of the phuket news (honestly, it was rather comical)

c. the manner in which phuket wan's editor insists on writting--in both his articles and his comments (forget thin skin, his is transparent)

ain't phuket's news sources grand???

it's getting fairly ridiculous now. one week on, yet no site online.

pretty mickey mouse by anyone's calculation, is it not?

Can foreigners refuse to turn over passports? I've heard that the police only have the right to demand the passport if charged with violent or "major" drug-related crimes. Is this true? What constitutes a "major" drug crime?

i've started parking in the home works parking lot and walking over the pedestrian bridge. everytime i enter central's parking garage, i begin to fear i'll never get out.

^ if you're so interested, have read about what i've said about the gazette in the past. agenda? i think not.

of course the first issue's going to be good, the second fairly good and the third good as well. after that, it'll be time to really see what the publication has to offer.

and if five baht's really worth a mention...well...that indeed is too bad for you. i lose more than that to the sofa every week.

my comments remain general as to get more specific would go against forum rules.

if someone wishes to take a stranger's opinion (mine) as fact of actual wrong-doing, they're not very bright. still, i'm privy so certain information and will not support phuket's newest news outlet.

__________________________

"Alan's site is good for entertainment if for no other reason."

What year did you graduate from Rupert Murdoch's School of Journalism?

After the way the owners of Phuket News treated two of their now-fired editors, I won't be giving them a single baht.

“Every single baht will be returned to society,” chief Kanok assured.

Khun Kanok, do you know what 'transparency' means? In this case, 'transparency' means that outsiders can validate your claims. Since Thais themselves hold such a low opinion of bureaucratic corruption, you might do yourself a favor to prove where the money's going.

I know that if I had access to millions of baht and I didn't have to prove where it went, I'd be tempted to pinch a bit off the top.