bigdod

It's a sad day when a monk who has taken all sorts of vows can't accept generous gifts from devotees who are assured of a better life in the hereafter.

What a load of nonsense, he is abusing his position, his religion and his " followers. " How naive can you be ?

Do you think it's even remotely possible that there was a hint of sarcasm in the tone of NKK's post...?

Id like to know what the TV members think a taxi driver should earn in Phuket, just for a laugh

Fifteen to twenty thousand baht per month after all expenses.

so all up 40-50k, not too shabby. Your a generous man

30 k a month expenses?

For what?

Lao Kao...??

I dont see any tourists complaining about the prices of taxis and tuk tuks, just the honda dream pensioner gang

I am a critic of the Tuk Tuk/taxi mafia and I drive a car. Why this need to insult the TV membership ?

Maybe he thinks it will make all the Thais like him?

“We do not have the money to make our cars meet the qualifications necessary to be legally registered as taxis. Our cars are too old and we cannot afford to sell them and take on new loans to buy new cars,” Mr Anan said.

“Also, we must have first-class insurance for our cars to be registered as taxis… We simply cannot afford it,” he added.

If you drive a wreck and can't afford insurance why should you be allowed to operate? What part of the rules don't you understand?

And so these guys will be able to afford a 1.5 million baht taxi if they work hard on the rice paddies for a year? Or maybe massaging farangs? Or driving baht busses, do tell me how the poorest people of Phuket can afford a 1.5 million baht Toyota Camry?

And why would they need a B1.5m Camry? There are other suitable (new) vehicles available for much less than that. Also, as I read in the press every week, there's a labour shortage out there. If they cant taxi, go out and get a real job, although it may mean a little graft in the interim, but who knows.... save up the required, purchase decent vehicle + insurance etc then back to ripping people off legally....

"Reading through this thread it's like listening to some old ladies nattering over the fence about what's wrong with everyone else in the neighborhood in order to make their pathetic lives seem somehow superior."

A stupid remark, vide supra, by someone who is too idle. The question is reasonable. It's a cultural phenomenon I've witnessed on several continents. There was no suggestion of cultural superiority in the question. Those who answered answered with affection. There was no snickering at Thais in the question or in the answers. The real problem lies within the person quoted.

+1

Xxxx me... I guess I shouldn't be surprised as pretty much every religion's been at it since the dawn of time, so why should these be any different...especially here..

Yep, well done guys. Personally, I've always been able to handle my drink, but for some reason, that seems to have changed recently, so I'm thinking its either time to have a break from it or if that doesn't work, knock it on the head all together..which is why this post grabbed my attention.

I don't think you have to be an alcoholic to give up drink. If you feel it is getting in the way that's a good reason to knock it on the head.

Comgratulations with seven years of sobriety. Thats just fantastic. Hope it lasts....

It will last, thanks.

yep....getting in the way is probably one way to put it....

hahaha yeh, this post strikes a chord The usual directions I get are " No ploblem - only stlaight, turn lef" hahaha

I reckon they're genetically $hit at directions coz they've only been born with tunnel vision which tails off after 10' or so.... My inlaws are absolutely astonished that I can drive all over Thailand and find my way to where I'm going and back again and I'm not even Thai...!!!

I bought myself a GPS a while back, and its brilliant. I can even punch in shop names for instance and it'll take me right to the door.

aint got no gps and travel drive anywhere without troubles , only look the map for final directions , some time i even look at my compas in the car for rough directions never failed to find my destination

yep, I hear ya. Its not rocket science. I suppose the GPS is a luxury item really - it is however REALLY handy...

hahaha yeh, this post strikes a chord The usual directions I get are " No ploblem - only stlaight, turn lef" hahaha

I reckon they're genetically $hit at directions coz they've only been born with tunnel vision which tails off after 10' or so.... My inlaws are absolutely astonished that I can drive all over Thailand and find my way to where I'm going and back again and I'm not even Thai...!!!

I bought myself a GPS a while back, and its brilliant. I can even punch in shop names for instance and it'll take me right to the door.

Your own 5 year old is much more important to you than your wife's uncle's daughter.

You defended your family and your wife should be rightfully proud you did.

You could be correct, but its a big if, and i sense from the OP's comment [ my wife although she feels we/she have lost face in some way] that it's not in some way, sounds like a big way.

That type of behaviour is simply disgusting & unforgivable, and I would have a good chat with the wife, if she feels a loss of face in the ever so slightest.

Your wife should be backing you & the kids 110%, loss of face should not even be murmured here.

This whole "face" thing boils my pi$$... I tend to agree with Straight8 here - I'd say you need to be explaining to your ol' lady that they were causing YOU to lose face by belittling your family and that comment to your daughter, which is the type of comment that could damage her emotionally - was the last straw. For you to consider yourself a man, you had to react. She then needs to be letting her family know that it cuts both ways and she has your 6. For me, I'd have said something long before now, but thats just the way I am.. but either way, you did the right thing sticking up for your kid. If they cant get over that, f*** them.

I'm pretty lucky in that her immediate family stick up for me 100% (although in 5yrs have NEVER asked me for one penny) but the extended family are not so enamoured with me coz they're not on my hand-out list. She just tells anyone with any shitty comments to come with her and tell me to my face, which they never do, coz they all know what they'll get. I could care less if any of them ever came round my place again...

Well done mate - just you stick by your guns.

Yep, well done guys. Personally, I've always been able to handle my drink, but for some reason, that seems to have changed recently, so I'm thinking its either time to have a break from it or if that doesn't work, knock it on the head all together..which is why this post grabbed my attention.

Yep...I'll stick with my 850Bt 'thicko phone' thank you very much - it all sounds like too much hassle to me hahahaha....

I Love Chiang Mai but it is going down hill so fast

where is it safe now not in the city I will keep to my area of Hang Dong

unfortunately,most of the country is from north to south is going the same way,, a big payer that has to do with this is drugs.20 years of yabba,now the very expensive meth (ya ice) the users are more desperate for money,and the stupid crimes commit to get it,Then you have got the cuckoo,s who have lost their minds all together.its only getting worse,from small Isaan villages to the big cities and Islands

True, and just as unfortunate is that all these guys are seeing in the press is how previous perps are doing this kind of thing and getting away with it - there's just no apparent deterrent. The big pity is that it's very likely to take an atrocity along the lines of Columbine in US or Dunblane in Scotland to force them to do anything about it - and obviously just as likely to be under duress from other countries...

A lot of Canadians have been shot up north over the past few years.

A rather disturbing number of persons "not of Thai nationality" been shot all over the Kigdom the past few years...

There is no 'Japanese restricted version' of the Z1000- it's not even offered on the Kawasaki Japan website (meaning if you want one in Japan you have to buy an 'export version' and pay additional taxes).

The Z1000 and ZX-14R sold through Kawasaki Thailand are both full-power.

My guess is the original old post he quoted that said a "importer" brought in the unrestricted bike was talking about a

ZX10R 1000 not a Z1000

Yeah, could be...I'm not very "up to the minute" with all the latest motorcycling news, hence me asking about restrictions rather than accepting it as gospel...

I'm slow and steady here... on the corners. But love to open it up on the straights.

Go for the Avons then mate....

i would like to know if its restricted ? If yes can it be opened up....

I saw the Z1000 advertised on facebook recently by one of the bike importers and they were asking 690,000 but they said it was the USA unrestricted version and not the restricted Japanese version that Kawasaki sell here. Not sure it's worth another 100k!

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect App

Any info on what the restriction is and if it can be by-passed..??

The Thai models are unrestricted.

Cheers...

I've been looking at Triumph Speed Triple & Suzuki's B-King, but they're prohibitively expensive, so considering one of these instead... I'm not sold on the colour schemes though...

i would like to know if its restricted ? If yes can it be opened up....

I saw the Z1000 advertised on facebook recently by one of the bike importers and they were asking 690,000 but they said it was the USA unrestricted version and not the restricted Japanese version that Kawasaki sell here. Not sure it's worth another 100k!

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect App

Any info on what the restriction is and if it can be by-passed..??

The biggest problem if you put a narrower section tyre on your rim is that the mean profile of the tyre flattens out, which is OK in a straight line, but gives you less rubber on the road the further you lean over - not such a good idea really. As for the question of Avon's - whack a set on and give them a try. There's really no difference between any of the tyre manufacturers these days - its all down to personal choice...if it feels right for you, thats the tyre you want. And for sure harder compound tyres will take a bit longer to come up to operating temp in the wet, but as with all of the manufacturers, Avon also offer many different construction/compound alternatives, just pick the one that suits the way you ride, but in all fairness, unless you're a hard/fast rider, you'll be pushed to see much difference between any of them on the road here.

And when they finish with that lot. how's about taking on the sugar trucks..??

I would like to say something to the TV community. I often write nasty and sarcastic replies to

those who spend the day throwing Thailand under the bus. I have taken a moment to ask myself why.

It is not because I think all Thias can walk on water, or it is a country of pure perfection. It is because I have self respect, and am an adult who made a decision to leave my native land to find a better and more happy life here. I could have gone anywhere,or stayed home. I chose Thailand, it did not choose me.

When a person spends their energy saying. “I hate it here, this sucks and I do not like the people” to me…they are saying “I am a helpless unhappy child not capable of making decisions that best serve my own self interest. I am a fool who chooses to remain in a situation I do not enjoy, and my only form of resolving this problem is to bitch and moan about it.”

That is the root of my sarcasm. It is like saying, “I could have married a beautiful woman, but elected to marry a fat cow who smells like dirty socks…oh boo hoo, poor me!”

That is why I keep posting variations of the American saying, “If you do not like what you are doing, do something else.” That is what we tell employees who whine about their job all day. You came to me and asked for a job, and got it. This is how we run our company, if it does not suit you, no blood, no foul…just pack up your stuff, and move on.

Same in this case.

Honestly, if you can do better than Thailand, why do you waste your precious and few days here? Really, grow a pair, pack your bag, and move to a better place. It is just that simple. The constant “my homeland is sooooo much better” rants make no sense! If that is true, it should be easy to return. You speak the language, do not need endless Visa hassles, relate to the population,

and were weaned on that type of food…etc.

Have some self respect and stop advertising the fact you made a mistake, are not happy, and for some odd reason, are helpless to fix it.

Thailand is not perfect, and I certainly am very far from perfect too, but I CHOOSE to live here, and make the best of it. I have learned much from the Thai about working hard, respecting others and generally sucking it up and moving forward, regardless of the obstacles (Look at the photos of the flood, do you see how they simply grasped the reality of the situation, and did the best they could

in a tough time?)

I do apologize for being something of a Dick at times, and I suppose it is not my business, but this is a public forum, read by people around the world, and to an outsider reading these posts, Thailand must seem like a pretty awful place. If it is so awful, why is it a major tourist destination, and why do so many foreigners make such efforts to live and remain here?

Simple. Thailand is a good place to live, with wonderful hard working people who do not let life get

them down. They are, in fact, a lot more resilient and optimistic than we Westerners are.

If you choose to make poor life decisions, live in places with a population you dislike…etc…why do you lose face by advertising the fact that you are like a child and cannot resolve this problem?

Well done mate...good for you. I only hope that you never experience anything to open your eyes.

I'd perhaps suggest that many of those who post in this way, have had these self same experiences at some point in their past and now know a little better...??

Incidentally, have you ever checked out the definition of trolling...? http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=trolling

Clearly, you have missed the point, or my writing skills are not sufficient to make this idea understandable The thesis here is, if you are not happy in your situation, change it, and if it means in this scenario, leave Thailand ..so be it. If I were to experience something that changed my opinion, and made me unhappy to live here, i would not bitch about it, I would leave. It is a big world, filled with excellent choices. By the way, this posting has received about a dozen "Likes" in a very short period of time.

So, Yes, I know what trolling is, and the question is, which of us is employing the tactic? You could have just read this and went on your merry way, but did not. Your point is???

My point was exactly as it's written mate - you're quite obviously living the dream and I hope you continue to do so, however; at the same time, it may be worth keeping in mind that not everyone is as lucky as you are to have gotten it right first time, and as such,may have a gripe or two about their plight and have every right to air this on open forum - isn't this what it's all supposed to be about...sharing views and experiences for the benefit of the many..?? I agree that if anyone's situation was unbearable, the only thing to do is to take remedial action, however; there are degrees of disdain - the situation may be enough to pi$$ them off, but not so much as to make them leave - after all, its a nice place, wouldn't you agree? That's why we're overwhelmed by the influx of tourists.

I would like to say something to the TV community. I often write nasty and sarcastic replies to

those who spend the day throwing Thailand under the bus. I have taken a moment to ask myself why.

It is not because I think all Thias can walk on water, or it is a country of pure perfection. It is because I have self respect, and am an adult who made a decision to leave my native land to find a better and more happy life here. I could have gone anywhere,or stayed home. I chose Thailand, it did not choose me.

When a person spends their energy saying. “I hate it here, this sucks and I do not like the people” to me…they are saying “I am a helpless unhappy child not capable of making decisions that best serve my own self interest. I am a fool who chooses to remain in a situation I do not enjoy, and my only form of resolving this problem is to bitch and moan about it.”

That is the root of my sarcasm. It is like saying, “I could have married a beautiful woman, but elected to marry a fat cow who smells like dirty socks…oh boo hoo, poor me!”

That is why I keep posting variations of the American saying, “If you do not like what you are doing, do something else.” That is what we tell employees who whine about their job all day. You came to me and asked for a job, and got it. This is how we run our company, if it does not suit you, no blood, no foul…just pack up your stuff, and move on.

Same in this case.

Honestly, if you can do better than Thailand, why do you waste your precious and few days here? Really, grow a pair, pack your bag, and move to a better place. It is just that simple. The constant “my homeland is sooooo much better” rants make no sense! If that is true, it should be easy to return. You speak the language, do not need endless Visa hassles, relate to the population,

and were weaned on that type of food…etc.

Have some self respect and stop advertising the fact you made a mistake, are not happy, and for some odd reason, are helpless to fix it.

Thailand is not perfect, and I certainly am very far from perfect too, but I CHOOSE to live here, and make the best of it. I have learned much from the Thai about working hard, respecting others and generally sucking it up and moving forward, regardless of the obstacles (Look at the photos of the flood, do you see how they simply grasped the reality of the situation, and did the best they could

in a tough time?)

I do apologize for being something of a Dick at times, and I suppose it is not my business, but this is a public forum, read by people around the world, and to an outsider reading these posts, Thailand must seem like a pretty awful place. If it is so awful, why is it a major tourist destination, and why do so many foreigners make such efforts to live and remain here?

Simple. Thailand is a good place to live, with wonderful hard working people who do not let life get

them down. They are, in fact, a lot more resilient and optimistic than we Westerners are.

If you choose to make poor life decisions, live in places with a population you dislike…etc…why do you lose face by advertising the fact that you are like a child and cannot resolve this problem?

Well done mate...good for you. I only hope that you never experience anything to open your eyes.

I'd perhaps suggest that many of those who post in this way, have had these self same experiences at some point in their past and now know a little better...??

Incidentally, have you ever checked out the definition of trolling...? http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=trolling

uh-huh...I'd be interested in this too.