58 minutes ago, eddysmit said:

True, and as you say not only the younger ones,it appears to be that watching where you are going comes second to the Phone for many.

Yes even the RTP. Saw a motorcycle RTP on Sukhumvit Soi 4 this morning with his face into his phone, looking up occasionally as he progressed down the Soi. I would have loved to have had a picture of that. It should be easy enough to get one the way things are going out there.

Swerved to avoid a soi dog and lost control, of course.

Wow! The month of March just whizzed by or did I sleep through it?

22 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

You have possibly stumbled upon a clue there. The language they would probably use is English. It's the most common 'link' language used in that region.

 

But whatever, as many of us know, when a Thai lady gets narked, she often reverts to her native Thai, which could explain the bemused look on the Arab's face.

Thanks. First got "narked" then got "nuked". Almost as exciting as getting "naked" and then getting... oh, what would be the most apt n-word for it (ending in "ed")?  Oh, I just remembered - "nailed", of course.

Would it be confusing to say she got "nailed" instead of getting "nailed"?

The AQI in Bangkok has been pretty good until today (http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/bangkok/chulalongkorn-hospital/)

4 minutes ago, Borzandy said:

Muslim don't like happy ending.

The "happy ending" for me in this case was that the vase didn't appear to be broken in the melee.

18 hours ago, DipStick said:

Not that I condone violence but the report very clearly states the guy was attacked first by the girl who "kicks out then hits him with a water bottle"

Yeah, OP should be titled:

Video shows Thai massage girl attacking Middle Eastern man

I can't help but wonder what language they were conversing in. I can't get my mind around a Thai massage gal learning Arabic, but nothing is impossible.

Maybe he made a "Cheap Al Charley" offer for her services that she considered it a really serious insult? Maybe she was simply illustrating her GFE skills (Girl Friend Experience) skills. Or maybe she needs some customer relations training.

I think I saw him at the U-Haul truck rental yard the other day.

Someone needs to create a "LostFaceBook" app for the Asian market (and elsewhere)!

Or maybe the internet should lose FaceBook and the Z-man forever...

“The lavish consumption also generates large quantities of food wastes. Statistics show that 449 million tonnes of food were wasted in Asia alone last year, and this food waste could feed millions of people who do not have enough food.”

I'd bet there are very few starving rats in Asia.

18 minutes ago, TonyClifton said:

What do you ride?  Buffalo?

Of course, Buffalos like you, since they evicted all the elephants from central Bangkok years ago, what choice is there? 

33 minutes ago, TonyClifton said:

I was only speaking to scumbag taxi drivers which might be 70 percent of them.  There are some decent taxi drivers.  Unfortunately you have to deal with scumbags before you find a decent one who will provide the service they are licensed to provide.

 

You seem to lump most Thais into the scumbag category.  If I took you at your word, I might never leave the condo.

Jeesh! I did not intend to "lump most Thais" into any kind of category. I was simply relating an exceptional incident as accurately as possible that occurred around 4 AM on Sukhumvit Road. Who do you suppose is out on Sukhumvit at 4 AM? In those days there were very few RTP, I can tell you that.

It has not been my experience, living 10 years in Bangkok and riding taxis a fair number of times (in the past), that anywhere near 70% of them are "scumbags" as you put it. Things may have gotten worse w/r the taxi situation, though.

However, I'm now in a desirable logistical situation where I can almost totally avoid all forms of motorized taxies, as a matter of policy and I can guarantee you I'm not losing any sleep over it. 

23 minutes ago, TonyClifton said:

If I hadn't been paying attention, I might have thought you were describing the conditions in Caracas Venezuela, not Bangkok.

Sukhumvit Road, near Soi 19 right by the Westin Hotel around 4 AM. Got a nasty bruise on might right side from a kick from one of the "innocent" bystanders. Things can very quickly go south in Bangkok - probably any place any time.

Can't speak to Venezuela except I don't see myself visiting there any time soon. I'm not even real crazy about hanging around Sukhumvit Road at any time either. That night outside the Westin could have been a lot worse for me.

38 minutes ago, TonyClifton said:

Well, at least you have not entered the realm of the dreaded Thai apologist.  Why do we have to walk on rice paper for these criminals?  If enough foreigners were educated as to the scams used by these fine examples of Thai Society, it would be far less prevalent.  

 

Take a picture of their license.  If you are scared, then get a snap of their license plate.  

 

I am not here to be fleeced by toothless criminals.

Why? Practicality Yeah, not apologizing but am prepared to run, not walk - rice paper or not. I don't see it as my responsibility to even attempt to enforce Thai laws in any way.

I tried photographing a cabbie's ID exactly once when I wanted to go to Din Daeng and he wanted a flat fee, but I muffed it and knocked the ID placard off it's dashboard mount. The cabbie got out pointing his finger at me and demanding 500 baht compensation for damage to be paid immediately.

I insisted on having the Tourist Police assist me in resolving the issue when the local Tuk-Tuk enforcer and several Thai men surrounded me. The enforcer got me in a headlock and took me down to the sidewalk. I pretended to be unconscious. The Thai woman I was with paid the cabbie the 500 baht and everybody very soon left the scene not wanting to be responsible for an injured farang. Incidentally, one or two Thai men who were not even directly involved kicked me while I was down and pretending to be out. These people can get vicious (especially when they "gang up"), and can really "F*** You" up!

I'd be careful if I were you with your attitude. Just one of these "toothless criminals" (as you described them) could take you out - permanently. The best advice is to avoid confrontations at any cost. To do otherwise, especially with a cabbie, has been known to result in death.

I would rather confront a cobra than a taxi driver in such a situation. Best to quietly cut your losses, but you should at least get the cabbie to agree to a metered ride before getting into the taxi and quietly exit the taxi if they renege after rolling. Histrionics and insults have resulted in passenger fatalities.

On 3/1/2018 at 3:01 PM, srchino said:

Most family tourism is much more annoying to me than what comes along with the sex tourism, and I don’t partake in either; people pushing kids in strollers that are perfectly old enough to walk or small enough to carry in very crowded areas, screaming kids in hotels, families leaving tables in restaurants filthy like pigs, etc etc.

 

Ban family tourism, there are places for that sort of ilk, like Disneyland. I like Thailand how it traditionally has been - a place for adults to enjoy a variety of pleasures, whether that’s serene relaxation and clean massage or something of the more stimulating variety where there’s a mutually consensual exchange of money for service one cannot usually find in their home country.

 

Yes, and what do you tell the Thai parents what to do with their kids? Leave them at home? They can be just as noisy and often more undisciplined an obnoxious than the tourists' kids.

Anyway, you're not the only one calling for "Peace and Order" in Thailand, are you?

7 hours ago, Andaman Al said:

Oh for God's sake take a chill pill before you keel over and have a heart attack. It was just another set of words for MAGA. Try going back to bed and getting out on the opposite side to the one you did this morning.  

 

Please do not read the thread where people have put different words in for NRA or I fear you will end up in hospital and being american will try and sue TV for the medical bills.

Why are you so concerned about my health? Can't you address the ideas that were represented by what I posted?

If you're not a US citizen (you don't seem to be based on this post) why are you posting nonsense about firearm ownership in America?

On 2/26/2018 at 6:41 PM, Andaman Al said:

And you can imagine the next mass shooting once teachers are armed............."11 children shot dead by gunman and a further 4 killed including a policeman by young kindergarten teacher trying to shoot the gunman." Yup that'll work then. Then the NRA will scream "more training"......training to such a level of expertise that teachers would get paid much more if they just joined the military or police instead of being teachers (most teachers hate guns and war...that's one of the reasons they became teachers), so why not just skip all the crap and only allow schools to be situated on military bases only.  The world USA has gone totally mad. MAGA  Make America Gunless Asap.

"MAGA Make America Gunless Asap."

You're delusional if you think American will ever be "Gunless". At a minimum, the people in power and the military will not cede their guns.

The people may be stupid enough to do so, then what? "Do they all live happily ever after"? If you believe that they will, then you know noting about human nature and history and you certainly don't live in Chicago, USA.

"The House voted in December to bolster the national background check system after the Air Force failed to provide records that could have flagged a former service member who killed 26 people at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, in November."

Great! And what is to be done about the Parkland Sheriff's Office and the FBI that knew  that this troubled young man had the real potential to do what he did. And how do we legislate against a Sheriff's deputy that cowers outside the school while the shooter is massacring students?

I say if you want to protect valuables, either material or living, armed deterrence seems to be the rule in the real world. The schools have to become part of the real world rather than fantasyland (as uncomfortable as this concept seems to be for so many).

As one who believes gas and diesel internal combustion engine  use should be limited to only inter-city transport vehicles, I would say such a ban would be a step in the right direction. Comes from my having to breathe (routinely through a filter) highly-polluted Bangkok air. http://aqicn.org/city/bangkok/

9 minutes ago, mok199 said:

the Rich and the Shamless....pathetic!!

Freudian Slip?

At 14,000 road kills per year it's not a wildlife sanctuary. It's a wildlife kill zone.

When will they begin reading and performing Shakespeare?

Not defending the vehicle operator, but she was definitely OTT and she should pay for the damage. Not enough tow truck services in Thailand. These would get this "park anywhere" mentality corrected. She should have been able to "dial-a-tow" and gotten it towed as supported by law. Any entrepreneurs out there?