dundas

I've only flown on the A340-600 once, it was comfortable, although not as comfortable as the A340-500 series Thai used on non-stops between LAX and BKK: 36" seat pitch in economy, and 42" in premium economy. Not only spacious, but quiet, too, unlike many 777s, which can be incredibly noisy.

I sell on Etsy and have had reasonable luck up until now with Thailand Post. We use Express Messenger Service (typically 6-8 days), or as per the previous poster, small packet service (about 16-18 days). We favour the small packet choice - slower (although not always) but much cheaper.

A lot of people will baulk when they find a large shipping charge added on at checkout - and based on a $20 product, the extra would be a large % of the purchase price. Better that they know the total price (free shipping!) before they get to the checkout, in my opinion.

Having said that, EMS is so expensive that we can't include it in a "free shipping" price - so we've been trying to use the small packet service wherever possible.

There can be delays - which I think happen in US customs - that's my best guess based on what I can see when I track. There certainly are problems with the tracking system, but in my experience the Thai side is more reliable than the US. There can be a kind of limbo when the parcel arrives in US customs - it just seems to disappear, and only appears again when USPS get their hands on it. (Again, that's my best guess - don't know if it's true or not).

Our biggest problem has been USPS drivers having a bad day/feeling lazy in major urban areas where parking/access to buildings might be an issue. On two occasions, the intended recipient was at home (correct address) and still the driver did not deliver the parcel. In each case the driver marked the parcel "undeliverable at this address" and sent it back to us. In each case we shipped again and in each case the parcel was delivered successfully. Because we ship from Thailand we can only complain through the originating post office (Thailand Post in our case). I have never tried to follow up via Thailand Post, and if I did I doubt it would get results. So from what I can see there's very little consequence for USPS drivers in just returning international parcels they don't feel like delivering using the excuse of "undeliverable at this address." Makes the work day that much easier, but is also an ongoing risk to our relationship with our customers (not to mention the feedback we receive on Etsy).

For payment, we only use Paypal and so far have not been scammed. We sell hand made goods and as far as I can tell our (Etsy) clients tend to be honest people, fewer scammers than on another platform I could mention (but won't).

If you're going to sell on your own website you might want to consider how you're going to drive the traffic to your site.

Depending on how big your operation is going to be, you might also consider tax/employment (of Thai staff)/visa/work permit (for yourself) implications. Sorry I'm not an expert on these issues.

Disrespect the Saudis? Think about what moslems say when they pray and you'll get an inkling of how much they respect non-moslems - five times a day they thank Allah they're not Christians or Jews ...

I don't normally clear customs in BKK until I reach Chiang Mai - it's normally an easy transfer. On the return flight, the transfer is still fairly straightforward, but the departures level in BKK can be boring and the prices are steep.

I tend to avoid taxis in BKK, not because of scams (always had the meter), but because some taxi drivers drive a little too fast for my liking, especially when I find that my safety belt has been rendered unserviceable. The train is OK, though, and not priced at a premium, as some airports' train services are (I'm thinking of you, Sydney and Brisbane). In any event taxis are not the airport's problem.

Sure, there are better airports in the region (SIN, HK, ICN) but if I compare Swampi to LAX, or my home base of Melbourne (don't get me started), I'd take Swampi any day.

Re the burning off season, if you currently enjoy robust health - great, but even so you might find February - April a testing time. I've never suffered respiratory problems, but once was enough for me.

If you are an asthma sufferer or have any kind of respiratory problems, I suggest you stay away until the the beginning of the wet season.

I personally think the monthly room rental deals offered by some hotels are great value. It doesn't finish with the room rent: you might have to pay extra for utilities, but you'll still save a lot, and because it's only for a month at a time, you'll still have some flexibility about your next move. I take the point of another poster, though - check out the wifi before you sign up and move in.

I've had the same problem in OS X. None of the existing anti-virus and adware removal tools worked. I finally found SelfControl, free software designed to help Facebook addicts stop their addictions for periods up to 24 hours. It's necessary to add all the URLs you're being switched to and then they're blocked - well, I can't stop the popups, but now they have no content.

I have just returned to Australia on a Melbourne-CNX-Sydney fare which cost me all of $A854 on TG. For that, I got all the normal full service airline perks, including an aisle seat in an exit row on both long haul flights. Personally, I thought it great value, far better than Air AsiaX or Jetstar. It was a promotional fare that Thai don't seem to be offering at the moment and I'm not surprised - the 747 into Sydney was just about full.

I hope you manage to keep your carry-on to 7kg on Jetstar, otherwise you won't be happy paying for checked baggage.

Carry on baggage on Jetstar is limited to 10kg.

Carry on baggage on Jetstar used to be limited to 10 kg. All new bookings are now limited to 7 kg. And every time I've flown Jetstar, they've weighted my carry on. They're hungry for extras.

I've seen quite a few people hobbling around RAM hospital in Chiang Mai to know that (a) motorcycle accidents happen, a lot, and (, some of those people will be paying quite hefty hospital bills.

So, I suggest you check your insurance policy, especially what it says about your licence, if you're going to be covered at all. My current policy requires me to have my home country licence + a (genuine, not fake) international drier's licence. Also I'm not allowed to ride a bike over 250cc, which I think is ridiculous, but them's the rules of my insurer. Presumably I'm not insured if I instead have a Thai licence.

I like the idea of travelling the backroads, not the main highways.

Google is your friend, if not always a reliable one. Heaps of airlines accept Paypal, but maybe not ones leaving BKK for Cambodia.

https://sites.google.com/site/btravelsavvy/travel-companies-which-accept-paypal

I think you're better off doing as another poster suggests, and transferring the money to a bank account. The rate isn't that bad ...

I don't know the situation of the OP, but something to watch out for - sometimes I've had insurance in Thailand which has required me to have an Australian motorcycle licence; they won't pay up if I have an accident in Thailand riding a motorcycle, regardless of whether or not I have a Thai licence.

I've been dragged into several Thai restaurants in Australia by friends - "dragged" in there because to my taste these places over salt the food, rather than over sweeten it, which is what many other posters here are describing.

No Thai food I've eaten in Oz matches the taste of some of the cheaper food I've eaten here - I tend to order chicken and seafood rather than beef or pork, though. And after living here on and off for five years, eating for the most part at cheap-medium restaurants rather than roadside stalls, I haven't suffered any more incidence of food poisoning than I would have back home, so whatever the appearance, I don't buy the argument that eating here is inherently unsafe. It can happen anywhere, including five star establishments.

I have also used Air Asia, but from CNX to MEL, and even though everything went well, I don't think I'll be flying them again on that route. My flight from CNX left an hour late, and I only had a 90 minute transfer time in KUL to begin with. I made it, but ...

The new low cost terminal is much better than the old one, that is true, but it is also huge. Air Asia being a low-cost carrier, there was of course no-one from the airline to help late arrivals for the Melbourne flight make their connection. The Melbourne passengers found themselves running through a vast and badly signposted terminal at a time close to midnight, when most of the staff seemed to be on their way home.

I went looking for help at the Air Asia transfer desk, and witnessed another passenger from my incoming flight who had missed his connection. He was getting nowhere with the Air Asia staff, and it occurred to me that even though I (like him, presumably) had a so-called fly-through fare, if you miss the connection you're on your own until Air Asia finds you a seat on another flight. You could be up for 24 hours or more accommodation or meals expenses, depending on how busy they are.

Last trip back here was on Thai. They might have their failings, but at least I wasn't worrying about the connection in BKK, which as it turned out, was seamless. Not only that, but the full-service fare they sold me cost a couple of hundred dollars less than the Air Asia ask for the same itinerary (that's before add-ons, such as meals, a seat with legroom, and baggage). On check-in they even gave me a decent seat with leg-room with no request for extra $$$. I'm also allowed to change my times, subject to availability and $A50. I prefer it when I know the rules, which is what airlines fall back 99% of the time, and I'm not at the mercy of the mood of the airline staff member I'm speaking to.

As for Jetstar, I'm not sure I want to fly on their 787s where the seats are squeezed way tighter than Boeing ever intended. Their A330s were OK, but the attitude varies between fantastic, and drop dead.

I appreciate Air Asia on shorter flights within an hour or so of Chiang Mai, and as other posters have mentioned, if you buy your tickets way in advance, and don't mess with the bookings, they're fine. But I've stopped using them when there's a connecting flight involved.

I wanted to try this and found a lady who just specializes in prostate massage, in a place off Thepprasit Road.

She told me it was 1200 baht for about 25 minutes, and I was crazy enough to say yes, and give her the money.

She sent me into a backroom from her shop and I was made to lie down face down with my bottom sticking up, resting on a hump, my legs dangling to the floor.

She put on rubber gloves and put a lot of KY up my bottom, massaging it round in small circles for ages. I found it all very uncomfortable.

After about 10 minutes, she took out her finger and asked me if I had any sexual problems. I said that I did not and could shoot a good load.

So she lubed me again and massage me, warning me it would make me explode !!

After another 5 minutes, she removed her finger and asked me to sit up. I did not get any feeling of an erection and certainly no orgasm. She told me to come back again in 2-3 days as she wanted to see my sperm !

Altogether about 20-25 minutes, no nice experience, no erection and no good orgasm. I have not been back !!

Firstly, the position sounds terrible - it wouldn't be in any way a turn on for me, anyway. A different position might help. Plus you may need to have the person stimulate your ahm ... loaded gun, too, as well as the prostate, stimulate the whole system, not just a part of it. Or buy one of the toys suggested elsewhere in this thread, and self-stimulate. You'll save a lot of money and should definitely get a result!

IF the product is hand-made, try Etsy.

I think Thailand is getting bad press at the moment. The well publicised recent RTP murder investigation hasn't helped, and whatever we think of martial law, it's not a good look internationally.

It you really want to get an idea of how well the tourism industry is doing, just look at the unsold inventory on airline seats. A recent TV thread had high season fares from NYC at bargain prices, and I was able to get a very cheap fare on Thai Airways for travel from Australia to Thailand next month, and there was heaps of seat availability when I booked. It's may not be just border runner numbers that are down.

I got Melbourne - CNX - SYD for $A854 departing mid November, with a stopover allowed in BKK. This was on Thai, through their website. I accessed this fare under "special offers." Just going throughout the Thai Airways home page engine would have got the "normal" fare which is about $300 more, for the same (W) fare bucket. Seat availability seemed good on any flight combination, too.

I also checked the price I paid against Air Aisa, who had a basic (no bags, no food, random seat) fare for $200 more than what I paid, and who don't offer the same assurance with transfers in their KL hub - arrive there on a late inbound flight and see how they treat you when you miss your supposed "fly-through" connection!

I agree with everyone - make the trip.

My Thai students advised me many years ago to visit Chiang Mai because "it's a lovely little place in the hills" ... and when I eventually got here in 2009 the plane was a 747, which told me that maybe CM was now a little bigger than it was all those years ago. I've seen photos of "peak hour" in CM in the 70s, and the road was choked with ... bicycles. Wind the clock on 30 years, and the road was full of motorcycles. Now, it's full of new cars. Ricefields all around CM are being bulldozed for some fairly ghastly housing estates, even as I'm writing these lines. The ever increasing built environment means it's not that cool (temperature wise) a place as it once was. Get here before it becomes unbearable, is my advice.

Somewhere earlier in this thread you asked about swimming pools; the 700 years stadium is out of town but I sometimes enjoy having the whole 50 metre Olympic pool to myself - or, as is more often the case, just sharing with a few others.

The place has a membership deal where you pay B500 for a year, and get in each time for B30. That's half the normal admission, one dollar. There's a basic gym, too, but that is a dollar extra (for members, as I recall).

Other random thoughts:

When you come here, if you want to stay in the one place for a while, you'll find some hotels rent rooms by the month - there's one near where I live, walking distance to the main Chiang Mai University campus, which will rent a clean comfortable air-con room for around $200 for the month, plus utilities (electricity, wifi). By the day, but including utilities, about $20. So renting by the month can make sense.

One thing I would suggest if you're up to it - get yourself a motorcycle licence, if you don't already have one. Even if you don't want to ride a bike, you should at least get an international driver's licence so that you can drive around and be covered by your insurance. Car rental places will often rent you a car (or a motorcycle) but will only worry about the formalities (motorcycle licence/international driving licence) after the accident. Oh, and people drive on the wrong side of the road here, so - like when I drive when I'm in the US - that might take some getting used to.

If you fly directly into CM (possible on Cathay Paciific/Dragonair through Hong Kong/Korean Air through Seoul), arriving here is much better than in Bangkok. Immigration processing time is lightning fast, it's friendly (customs have always waved me through) and you're out in the terminal before you know it.

On my first visit here I go to know the locals by doing a basic Thai massage course (kinda fun), and then by spending a week in a Tao-ist resort outside CM, which was an interesting experience, and much more Thai than it sounds. You don't have to do sightseeing to learn something about aspects of Thai life. Actually, to learn about aspects of Thai life, you only have to ride a motorcycle for more than a minute on any public road, really, but that's a whole other story.

Having said all that ... I agree with everyone, make the trip ...

Well, there is such a thing as genital massage (Karsai Nei Tsang genital detox therapy), which if done properly is truly an amazing experience, although one without sex, and, from memory, no prostrate work. Primarily it's about unclogging energy pathways in the genitals area, and it requires a high level of trust between both the practitioner, and the person being massaged. I remember quite clearly this grandmotherly Thai woman sit between my legs (I was flat on my back), holding my balls and explaining how I could self massage this part of my anatomy to avoid future blockages. All in the interest of my future health. I wasn't expecting anything sexual in this place but still, it was a bit surreal.

I recommend this kind of massage highly (try Tao Garden in Chiang Mai, if you're interested), but please understand in its pure form it's part of the art of higher communication, it's not at all about sex.

A year or so ago, I had a very different Karsai Nei Tsang massage. a long way from the original source, where towards the end of the massage, the practitioner asked, "Want me to help you cum?" snapping on a latex glove as he did so, and oiling up another part of my anatomy. I was a bit surprised, I'd been to see this guy a few times, and it had always been non-sexual. The hand and finger job that followed was a bit mechanical but ... it was also one of the most intense sexual experiences of my life.

Don't knock it until you try it, I say.

I have used Macs since the early days of Mac Pluses, and IICX machines. Basically I prefer the operation of the hardware (trackpads etc) to most of the windows machines I've used

One glitch that emerged in the last year or so, supposedly as part of a software upgrade: I have two gmail accounts, one personal, and one I use for business. AppleMail insists on only sending email from the business account, no matter what account I think I have selected when I send the email. You cannot imagine how confusing this is to people receiving the email. It's also a known fault but maybe because it's only affecting gmail accounts, Apple don't seem to care. I'm thinking of taking my machine back and getting a refund, on the basis that the product isn't fit for purpose.

Tried a massage parlour once, but the massage boy was straight as quite a few are in Chiang Mai, and was so relieved when I just stayed with the massage. I got a huge and very loving hug when I gave him the normal tip at the end of it all but I don't think the hug was likely to be a prelude to a future relationship.

I've even had the massage guys at the temple massage trying to give me a go.

You must be one ugly dude!

I'm not ugly but thanks for giving me the opportunity to clarify what I wanted to say: this was a straight guy desperate to keep his Speedos on as long as he could, and whose body language at the outset conveyed a heap of conflict about his job in a gay massage place. Money speaks loudly in this country, but so did his feelings about what he was doing.

Maybe we can get back on topic now?

I agree with the comments above - don't buy Baht in Australia, if you do, you'll get ripped off. ANZ at Melbourne Airport give a terrible rate and add $8 (last time I glanced at them) for the pleasure of talking with them. It's very easy to change $A in Thailand and even the airport rate will be heaps better than any rate you'll get from a bank in Australia.

I normally bring some cash for short tips, but I also bring a Citibank card which I use at ATMs. Citibank don't charge fees on this card, and - unlike the big 4 Aussie banks - don't mark up the Visa exchange rate, so it's OK. I still have to pay the Thai bank's B150 charge, but I like the security of knowing that if something happens to my cash, I have this backup. And the B150 fee is relatively minor on a larger (say B20,000) withdrawal. By the way, I never accept the Thai ATM offer of charging my account in $A rather than Baht, because (with this particular card) I know Citibank will give me a better exchange rate than the Thai bank.

A way of reducing the costs of changing cash is to use the right credit card for purchases, and thus minimise the need for cash.

Both the Citibank card and the GE 28 degrees card offer good exchange rates for purchases, so I use these for hotels etc. I avoid using most of the credit cards issued by the major Aussie banks, which in the past have charged me large fees for international transactions (Commonwealth Bank I'm talking to you).

As for other methods, travellers' cheques used to be a great option, but they're becoming difficult to buy in Australia, and more expensive to exchange in Thailand, so are now sadly just about consigned to history.

I'm with the person who mentioned the 7 day JR Rail Pass - around $300 per person. This allows you to do your own tour, rather than relying on tour buses and guides, not that there's anything wrong with that, but travel by train is super-fast, easy, and comfortable and if you use a rail pass, can be fantastic value. If you want to stay longer, you can combine the JR pass with other, cheaper and more local, rail passes, not all of which need to be purchased outside Japan, and which are also good value. Google "JP rail" for a site run by an individual who gives some terrific information and advice on how to use rail passes to get most bang for your buck. He also has some sample itineraries. I would spend time in Tokyo (just travelling around the city on the Yamanote line can be an education), Kyoto, and after that it depends on your interests. If you buy a JR Pass, just make sure you use it, so that you can obtain the maximum value from it.

I normally stay in hotels close to major rail stations - the areas nearby are normally safe, and there are some terrific business hotels that offer reasonable rates. I would budget about $60 per person per day for accommodation and about $40 for food and drinks, although it's easier to spend much more than that. If it were me, I would probably stay in one or two centrally located hotels, and use the rail pass to make day trips to other places. For instance, there's a terrific business hotel above Shin-Osaka station -and just three or four minutes after leaving your hotel room, you can be on a bullet train - just fifteen minutes to Kyoto, a coupe of hours to Tokyo, and you can make numerous other day trips.

Long distance buses are definitely much cheaper than point to point tickets on the shinkansen (bullet train), but they area also slower, and offer much less room. Nagoya to Kyoto by bullet train is a matter of minutes, or quite a few hours by bus. But if you do the numbers, you might find they also offer good value.

Whatever you decide, have fun!

Well, if you have sex with a condom after an oil massage, I don't know how well you would be protected in actual fact.