kropotkin

In november last year, (as reported in TV), Thailand and Cambodia were supposed to sign an agreement to abolish visas for their nationals.

Was this agreement signed?

Any recent information?

Please only serious messages?

How about:

Please only serious posts?

It is done in ChiangMai but very expensive as the magic is strong (25kbht)

But the downside is

Every Thai person who sees this particular tattoo (sak yan) done will think she is a prostitute (or pop star or movie star).

Che, i wish i could be as subtle as you.

When i bought a golden wedding ring and necklace for my wife, she choose white gold.

I pointed out to her, that people will think it is silver.

She said: i don't care, i like the colour.

(unfortunately for me , the jewellers shop did not sell imitation jewells....)

So you downgraded yourself to your gf's level..... How about upgrading her?

Religion is bad enough, but blatant superstition?

And please, do not confuse buddhism with animism.

But of course, there are about 60 million thais doing that.....

So you downgraded yourself to your gf's level..... How about upgrading her?

Religion is bad enough, but blatant superstition?

We all are in Thailand because it is cheap.

Few exeptions.

Farang culture asumes the people we deal with are fare and honest - we would not cheat foreigners, just because they are foreigners that do not know the score.

Few exeptions.

19th century vs 21st century.

Whose Farang culture assumes that? Mine doesn't. You obviously grew up in a better town than me!

Across the board, I believe Thai people are more honest, decent, family oriented people than the average English person.

You people who think you know Thai people because you've been on holiday to Patong for a couple of months, and read a few stories about JJ the jet ski thug, crack me up.

How many Thai people do you know personally 'Kropotkin'? How many times a day do you interact with normal every day Thais?

The bloke was a fool, not to ask the price before the job was done, simple as that.

I see your point, but you are talking to the wrong person.

We live in Chanthaburi, no farangs around.

I interact exclusively with thai - mostly pleasant people.

But i hate having to ask prices first.

Forget to ask, and you pay more.

Even my thai wife gets overcharged when she forgets to ask the price first.

Because she is married to a farang.

She gets more upset about being overcharged then me.

I strongly resent that you call someone a FOOL for not asking the price first.

Asking the price first is - in my culture - an expression of distrust, and is considered rude.

At least when everyday, small purchases are concerned.

And i am not talking about sexpat areas - i have never been there, and i couldn't care less if foreigners get overcharged there.

I went to Subic Bay with a local driver, looking for a resort to stay but left the same day back to Manila, far most depressing beaches and resorts ever seen Really disgusting there, no sand beaches but brown gravel. Terribly overpriced bamboo huts (starting 1.600p per night) too crappy and filthy I won't allow my dog stay in it.

ordid you mean bimbo huts?

go to askmen.com and search for 'dangerous airlines'.

Guess who is the second worse intercontinental airline?

Just goes to show that all these magazine articles are not worth the paper they are printed on / the electrons are wasted.......

ok with checking it is CHINA and the point is?

Personally at the moment I think the worst is Qantas most dangerous on recent form.

askmen.com

Their top 10 is in reverse order.

Number one - worst - is Garuda (of course).

Number 2 is Thai.

That is in their top ten of dangerous airlines ----- 555----- but thai scores well for business class comfort......

And my point was: all these rankings mean zero - nada - nothing - ingenthing - nichts.

It's not about low/high season or the competition. The amount of seats offered is the same in both direction.

It's about price elasticity of demand.

Large amount of people traveling from UK to Thailand are tourists, and most of tourists are not so picky about their destination. If airline would raise prices to Thailand by £150, many tourists would choose alternative destinations (other SEA countries, India, middle east, Caribbean, South America, Florida, Africa, there are plenty of places to choose from) and planes to Bangkok would be partially empty.

Now, who buys Thailand-UK tickets? The list is something like:

1. Business travelers and Thais going to study abroad

2. UK expats wanting to visit their home

3. Rich Thais going for a holiday to England

What happens when airlines charges £150 extra for Thailand-UK flights? Mostly nothing, those in first two categories must travel anyway, so they will pay the extra price. And the amount is insignificant for third category, one day in London would cost much more for them.

Now that is an answer that a retired economics professor can live with.

And replying to Ricardo: it was a froggy airline, not Air France, name escapes me.

Our next door (500m) neighbours have 2 rottweilers.

We can not walk along the road.

Everybody (thai) complains about them,but nobody does anything.

Bloody animals - i mean the neighbours.

Must be very big if they block the whole road! Or you mean you don't walk down the road because they are Rottweilers?

555

1. yes they ARE very big, possibly a crosssing with a buffalo.

2. it is only a dirt road, as we live in a rambutan garden......

3. our dogs agree with me, so it is not a farang thing.

Our next door (500m) neighbours have 2 rottweilers.

We can not walk along the road.

Everybody (thai) complains about them,but nobody does anything.

Bloody animals - i mean the neighbours.

Sorry for asking a different but related question:

What does my thai wife need to do to get an international drivers licence - for europe or NZ?

Thanks for any information.

My opinion: The western world has more or less a free market system for "international" goods and services, with competition and well informed consumers.

Thailand has a monopoly /oligopoly type of capitalism, and uninformed consumers.

That is why it is more expensive to buy the same "international" service / goods in thailand.

While for domestic services, thailand is cheap - because of a free market for those.

It's not just Thailand, you find the same thing in other markets.

I am all ears, please elaborate.

Being greedy is not a cultural thing.

It is a psychotic infliction.

So i hope.

We all are in Thailand because it is cheap.

Few exeptions.

Farang culture asumes the people we deal with are fare and honest - we would not cheat foreigners, just because they are foreigners that do not know the score.

Few exeptions.

19th century vs 21st century.

The long and short of it:

The U.K. is a well-known air travel hub and it has an active discount airfare market. The discounters pre-purchase tickets (seat space) from the major airlines at a discount and then sell them to their customers at prices slightly below the regular airline fares. The discounters assume the risk of selling their tickets...the airlines get the money in advance (which is why they can offer a block of seats to discounters at a bargain price)...and the discounters make a profit on the tickets they eventually sell.

It's just Economics 101.

Why doesn't it work that way in Thailand also? Now that's another (long) story.

In my back packing days (OK, that was when animals could still talk) the same was true for BKK.

The BKK - Aussie - New Caledonia - AKL - RAR - LAX ticket was a clasic in those days.

All of them have a degree in philosophy.

So much is obvious.

But are they aware of the fact that in Thailand they need a work permit to discuss Hegel or Wittgenstein with their customers?

(Same as the TV-ad ladies "who know what you want".)

They charge more, because they can, supply & demand drives down prices out of London, been that way for decades. Good news if you're UK-based & bad once you move to live here.

I recently managed to book BKK-LHR-BKK on Egyptair, for under B26,000 going in mid-June & returning late-July, but that was for two specific dates via their web-site & has anyway now gone-up to B27.5k. Aeroflot as-usual seem fairly cheap, too.

When a "Ricardo" comments on supply and demand, i can not help but smile.....

You have a famous ancestor.....

Sorry for the inside joke of an ex economics proffessor.

My gf is a Filipina and she's a treasure... :-)

So is mine

I believe you both......

My thai wife is a pearl too.

Pattaya & Pubic Bay however........

(where foreign scum meets local scum)

go to askmen.com and search for 'dangerous airlines'.

Guess who is the second worse intercontinental airline?

Just goes to show that all these magazine articles are not worth the paper they are printed on / the electrons are wasted.......

Having a house (bungalow) built right now.

12m X 4 m - so very small, but with fully equipped bathroom and european kitchen, and tiles.

And "unlimited" garden...(rambutan orchard with wild orchids, and some other trees) - no need to spend too much time inside the house.

About 350.000 baht plus 50.000 for water (from well) and electricity connection.

I will report more later.

Also known as Pubic Bay.

My opinion: The western world has more or less a free market system for "international" goods and services, with competition and well informed consumers.

Thailand has a monopoly /oligopoly type of capitalism, and uninformed consumers.

That is why it is more expensive to buy the same "international" service / goods in thailand.

While for domestic services, thailand is cheap - because of a free market for those.

Demand. June is low season in Thailand and high season in UK.

euhhh - therefore it should be the other way around ?