Gumballl

When I was at bowling alley within The Mall in Korat this past January, I was not permitted to order a beer (nor any other alcoholic beverage) until after 5pm. I was sort of surprised at this, but fortunately for me, since it was about 4:45pm, I did not have to wait long to satisfy my quench for a cold drink.

Yesiam - You are entitiled to your opinion.... fortunately, you are in the minority when it comes to "hating" the US. Sure, many people do not agree with the US policies... heck, sometimes I don't... but these people do not set out to kill Americans! You need to understand that most Americans only want peace, a non-confrontational life, and they want to better their lives not only for themselves, but also for their children. As I understand, most Muslims want the same, as do Christians, Buddhists, Atheists, etc.

You do not seem to share any of these positive values, much less care about anything other than destruction! You have so much hate, that I think that even Allah will cast you out from heaven, rob you of your virgins, and leave you destitute. Do us a favor, and crash your cropduster into the nearest tree. Allah will be "nearby" scratching his head, wondering about your stupidity.

Anyhow, back to golfing.... where is the list of guidelines/rules of golfing etiquette??

P.S. My apologies to all for steering the OP's "golf etiquette" complaint off topic. I get a little rattled when I read someone's post, and it collectively bashes a group of people... no matter who they are. Most people the world-over all pretty much want the same... to have a good life... to be free... and perhaps to enjoy a round of golf, and that all important 19th hole.

You know what, I do not play golf myself, but as I age, perhaps I may take up the sport.... err, game.

As for the OP, I wish you would outline what are the elements that make up the "etiquette" that you so much desire, so that us non-golfers, or trolls if you wish, could understand what you are driving (no pun intended) at. As a reminder, it is always better to be part of the solution to a problem, and not just bitch about the problem.

As for Yesiam, I agree with you... Glassdude007 is a "racist"... but sh*t golly, you fit into the same category as well! Irrespectful of where on Earth you hail from, you are definetely not God's gift to the World with the attitude you have towards Americans. Please stick to cleaning toilet bowls, and leave the forum discussions to the big boys who have more constructive things to share.

P.S. Yesiam... I am an American, and yes, I would love to k*ck your gluteus maximus. That's what Americans do best! We find injustice, and deal a blow to it.

I second johnnyk's recommendation. I did this last July. As soon as the train departed the station, I got up and headed for the galley. Asked for a bottle of Sang Som and some cokes, and struck up friendly conversations with the other passengers. Food is so-so, but edible. After getting mildy drunk, headed back to my bunk, and enjoyed the rest of the journey with my eyes closed. Great trip!

P.S. I can't recall why, but I was told prior to booking passage, that 2nd class is better than 1st. Not only is it less expensive, but there was another reason... and I can't put my finger on it right now... maybe something to do with access to the galley?. Anyhow, I have zero complaints with travelling 2nd-class. I would recommend it to anyone travelling to Nong Khai.

Another thing.... How many people live in Thailand?? If there were say, 40 million people, at 300 baht each, that an astounding amount of money to be collected (via taxes). That's 12,000,000,000 baht.

The new troops being reassigned to S. Thailand must have deep pockets.

I don't know what others think, but the 300 baht/person doesn't seem realistic.

Let's see... 12,000 soldiers at 12,000,000,000 baht cost. That is 1 million baht per soldier. Assuming these soldiers will remain getting the same pay they are already drawing from their "comfy" bases throughout Thailand, what is the purpose of the additional monies?

According to the evening news tonight, every man, woman, and child in Thailand will pay 300 baht worth of taxes to finance the additional 12,000 soldiers being sent to the Deep South. These 12,000 are being added to the 25,000 soldiers ALREADY there bringing the force total to an astounding 37,000 troops....or... one soldier for every 120 citizens living there.

Despite all this Army presence and despite martial law, there were three bombs exploded today just hours before PM Thaksin's arrival in the area. Additionally, death threats have been issued against him. His travel schedule is being kept a close secret and his entourage of security is the biggest it's ever been.

In a related development, the American state department issued a report saying that JI (the Islamic extremist group and Al Qedah-linked organization) has been supporting these Southern rebels financially. Thaksin's on-camera response to this was to say that the reports are based on "fanciful imagination". 

There are also reports that some of the tsunami cash donations have found their way into the pockets of the Southern rebels.

But hey, no need to worry about any of this, right?

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I don't expect the Thai gov't will go door-to-door asking for 300 baht. This is merely a way to quantify what it is costing the gov't, and ultimately the taxpayers.

As for the US State Department statement, are you sure this applies to the Southern Thailand, or to the Southern Philippines? If it was the latter, I would tend to believe the statement without a doubt. The JI have strong influence there, and JI has been linked to Al-Qaeda.

Erm.. I think they meant the 2+2=4 thing as an analagy not a thought pr ocess. That would become a litle rigid if you had 3 and 6 things to add together

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I understand what the 2+2=4 was intended to imply, but I thought I would add my little educational sarcasm into the pot with the statements I wrote.

Here's a joke that a friend just sent me. Maybe this is the type of "logic" being taught at some schools in Thailand:

A teacher asked her class, "What do you want out of life?"

A little girl in the back row raised her hand and said,

"All I want out of life is four little animals".

The teacher asked, "Really and what four little animals would

that be sugar?" The little girl said, "A mink on my back, a jaguar in the

garage, a tiger in the bed and a jackass to pay for all of it."The teacher fainted.

Wow, I can't believe I just read this entire thread... where is the logic in that! I have been to Thailand many times (over 10 times over 8 years). I used to be married to an educated Thai woman. She never had a problem using the if-then-else form of logic. In fact, sometimes when we would argue, her logic would prevail.

I suspect that no matter where you travel in the world, you are going to find persons that are devoid of logic. This can probably be attributed to lack of experience, or the uncomfortableness of making an independent decision, or sheer stupidity. I have met folks from the US, UK, OZ, NZ, EU, and yes, even in Thailand, that fit somewhere in these categories. But I do not let it bring me down, nor do I equate the entire society as being such. In fact, I cherish the notion that there are, and always will be people that will live their lives out as drones, and not independent thinkers. Not everybody can be an "alpha" citizen. (read Brave New World if you haven't already).

As for the humble posters that insist 2+2=4, isn't this something that you were taught (to memorize) in school? How is this different from any other educational system? Most educational systems in the world are founded on the principles of memorizing facts, historical events, etc.

As for me, from my education background, I have learned that one should be careful to use numbers unless they are preceeded or followed by a unit of measurement. For instance, 2 meters + 2 meters does indeed equal 4 meters. But 2 apples + 2 oranges does NOT equal 4 apples, much less 4 oranges. Hence, 2+2 does not always have to equal 4. How's that for logic? Heck, I bet a Thai person could tell you that!

Reverti -

I forgot to mention something important concerning your entry visas. It is true that each entry-visa is valid for 60 days, and can be extended for 30 more days; however, should you leave Thailand anytime before the expiration of your entry visa, then you are essentially tossing it out. When you re-enter Thailand, you commence using the next entry-visa.

If this explanation is not clear, then picture the following scenario:

1. You enter Thailand... you start using entry-visa #1

2. One week later, you leave Thailand.

3. Same day, you re-enter Thailand... at this point, you start using entry-visa #2.

Under the scenario above, instead of having a max stay of 180 days, you would only be able to stay in the Thailand for 97 days ==> 1week + 60days + 30days (if extending entry-visa #2).

If you are planning many entries/exits, due to your travels in SEA, consider applying for more entry visas.

Am I being dense?  Do I just need to put 2 in the number of entries requested on the form?  If I do this, will this actually allow me to stay 60 days per entry or 60 days total?

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Reverti -

If you plan to enter thailand 2 times, then yes, enter a 2 in the box. This will cost you 2 x $25, or $50 when you apply for the multiple-entry visa.

You will be permitted to stay for 60 days per entry... and if you so wish, you may extend each entry by up to 30 days for a fee of 1900 baht (goto a thai immigration office, in thailand, to extend a visa).

Therefore, if so inclined, you can essentially stay in the LOS for 180 days. But remember... when your entry visa expires (60-day, or 90-day mark if you've had it extended), you must exit the country. Upon re-entering, you will begin utilizing your second 60-day entry visa.

I went thru this experience earlier this year. I exited the kingdom by going to Vientianne (Laos).

Good luck with your travels.

Below is the first paragraph from the original post:

"Head of Pattaya’s immigration bureau, police colonel Ittipol Ittisarnronnachai, has announced that the foreign holders of some long visas will no longer have to provide mountains of paperwork every year."

The last two words of the statement give me the impression that those with a one-year visa will still have to make their border runs (for a visa renewal), on a yearly basis. I think that what the immigration bureau was implying was that under the new program, those individuals who have shown their worthiness for at least 3 (consecutive) years, will be able to continue applying for the one-year visas, but without having to provide gobs of evidence that they normally would have to. This evidence includes such things as marriage cert, business certs, bank docs, money, etc.

Does this make sense? Anyhow, my 2 satang's worth of my Thainglish interpretation skills.

Dancali -

Transmitting data via a wi-fi can be intercepted, but you need to ask yourself what is the probability.

When a wi-fi system is secured (and there are various means of doing this), data that is sent and received is encrypted, usually using a 128-bit key. Generally, however, public wi-fi hotspots will not secure their networks because it would be too mind boggling for the average joe (or jane) to key in a 128-bit key (in hexadecimal values) before using the network.

If you are still bent on securing your email, there are applications out there that you can use to encrypt your email before it is sent over the network, using similar technology as the encryption method previously discussed. Naturally though, the recipient of your email would have to be able to decrypt your email. Personally I do not use this stuff, but if you do a search for PGP software, you might find something you can use.

Concerning your question:

This may be a dumb question, but can whoever has set up the wireless hotspot get any access to the data you are transmitting through their setup?

Yes, someone could intercept your data. This data is worthless to the "someone" if the data is encrypted... unless the someone has access to a supercomputer and gobs of time on their hands (for instance the NSA) to devote trying to reconstruct your transmitted data into something intelligible.

Note that in most financial websites, the login page generally transmits the data you enter encrypted. But, and this is a big but... if you have spy-ware on your system, someone could be snooping the actual keys that you strike on your keyboard. Hence the earlier recommendation to get a spy-ware eliminator.

Anyhow, I'm tapped out of info. If you've got the time, there are many sites on the web concerning the use of spy-ware software, PGP, and encryption.

Have fun!

Dancali

Yes, you should be "careful", but not paranoid. It is possible for someone to gain access to your system, especially if you are running windoze. If you have Win XP, you should consider enabling your firewall (via the Control Panel).

Any computer system can be compromised, not just windoze. That is why it is best to send/receive encrypted data.

The main thing to worry about, on an unsecured network, it to make sure that 1) you have a firewall enabled, and 2) that you are not "sharing" any important folders or resources on your PC.

I trust the Mac OS X and any Linux version over windoze any day of the week for aspects concerning security, but if you must run windoze (and I personally do), button up your system so that nobody can get access to it. Then surf the web like you normally would.

Additional stuff you can do to protect your PC... subscribe to a company that provides anti-virus software (eg Norton), and install software that removes SpyWare (eg SpyBot).

Finally, some folks believe that it is better to use Mozilla than IE. Based on all of the problem reports issued by Microsoft concerning its IE browser, I am not at all surprised to hear this.

Hope this tidbit of info helps allay your fears of surfing the web.

P.S. If you know of someone, or an establishment, that has an insecure network, think twice before informing them of this oversight. Sometimes I can get access to neighbours hi-speed internet, when I am away from home... and it's free! Now why would I complain to that!

Daveh -

I have never had any problems with BofA. In fact, I enjoy using their bank and their online service. I have been a customer of theirs for 14 years (7 years as a NationsBank customer, 7 after the "merger").

As a possible solution to the ATM fees, I think I will contact them to inquire if they will raise my ATM withdrawal limit to $1000/day (or about 40,000 Baht); currently it is at $500. I don't imagine ever having a need to withdraw such a large amount, but you never know.

Anyhow, for a $1000 withdrawal from a foreign-bank's ATM, that will cost me $5. This fee will amount to 0.5% of the withdrawal amount.

On another topic, why do you need to file the I-134? There is no indication on the I-129F (fiance visa application form) that you need this. If you do need to prove income, just get an official letter from your company (with letterhead, etc) showing your current annual income, or your previous year's income tax returns.

Good luck with the visa, and with your hunt for a decent bank in CA. Stay clear of UBoC.

Well, found out this evening, that it is my bank that is charging me the fees. Below is their explanation for the charges I was assessed...

Our records indicate the $1.50 charge is a non-Bank of America ATM fee.

We assess this fee each time you use an ATM machine not affiliated with

Bank of America and the transaction is denied. Please note that you may

also incur a fee by the owner of the ATM, which is typically included in

the amount of the withdrawal.

Beginning Nov. 19, the International ATM fee will be raised to $5. It

will be charged to customer's accounts when they make a withdrawal,

transfer or balance inquiry at a non-Bank of America ATM or non-Global

ATM Alliance bank located in a foreign country. Customers received a

message in their Sept. statements explaining the new rates and an insert

highlighting the Global ATM Alliance.

While traveling outside the United States, you can avoid the access fee

by using an ATM at the following banks in these locations:

- Barclays - United Kingdom

- Deutsche Bank - Germany

- Scotiabank - Canada

- BNP Paribas - France

- Westpac - Australia and New Zealand

- Santander Serfin - Mexico.

If we may be of further assistance, please contact us again by e-mail.

Thank you for choosing Bank of America.

Sincerely,

Schrelle Thomas

Bank of America

Anyhow, prior to Nov 19, the fee was $1.50 for a successful transaction. The new fee is a 233% increase!

No... just the residual amount left in the account. I posted a query with my bank... hopefully I will hear from them tomorrow. But I do know one thing... when I examine my banking activity online, I do see two separate charges... one for the $5.00, the other for $1.50.

In the US, banks like to charge non-customers a service charge (usually ranging from about $1.50 to $2.00) for usage of an ATM.

I have noticed recently in Thailand, that I am now being assessed a $5.00 charge by the Thai banks, and on top of that, my bank is assessing me an additional $1.50 charge... that's $6.50 for one transaction, no matter how small!

Has anyone else had this experience? I currently bank with Bank of America (BofA), and this past September, when I was in BKK, I did not have the $5.00 fee assessed. Now I am.

I agree that banks should have the right to charge non-customers a service fee, but at $5.00 a pop, I think that is kinda steep.