Albacore

Addressing the crowd of mostly men from the back of a pick-up truck outside the consulate in Bangkok's business district, one organiser asked in Thai: "What will we do with the Jewish, Christians and Americans if we see them?". He was met with cries of "Kill them!"

I'm not a Jew or Christian, but I am an American. I'm sure glad nobody killed me over an idiotic video when I walked by earlier today.

The guy on the end looks pretty serious about it.

Another "white lie." Her (or her brother's) government policies are what caused Thai rice to be non-competitive, thus letting India take the lead.

"India has always had a price advantage over Thailand, which sells at a premium in the world market. Last year, the export price of Thai rice ranged between $525 and $575 per tonne. But this year, the price swelled to $660 tonne on the back of the Thai government's high support price to farmers. The government paid farmers 15,000 baht a tonne for 100% white paddy and 20,000 baht for fragrant paddy to fulfill its election promise. This raised the export price of Thai rice, making it non-competitive in global markets. India recently raised its export quota of non-basmati rice from 2 million tonne to 4 million tonne to boost exports further.

"Rice-importing countries got a good alternative in India to expensive Thai varieties. While Indian rice costs $500-$530 per tonne, Thai rice costs $660 per tonne. This has led a surge in demand from countries like Indonesia and other African countries," said Om Prakash Arora, president Punjab-Haryana Rice Broker Association."

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-02-21/news/31083018_1_export-price-rice-exports-thai-rice

Dr. Dimwit apparently in control of Public Health sounds more like a Mom telling his children not to play in floodwaters and especially stop drinking alcohol when close to it. What would be a more intelligent response to prevent drownings would be maybe to institute some sort of swimming class to teach especially the young people how to swim since 95% of the population cannot swim a stroke but are sure capable of spraying water and playing in it during Song Kran.

I was just going to write about this exact thing! Many Thais I know wouldn't be able to keep their heads above water sober. Encouraging the population to learn how to swim is very reasonable and would prevent a great deal of deaths; during floods, beach trips, or any other time there are bodies of water around. Sadly, I wouldn't expect many parents, who often neglect to provide their children with motorcycle helmets or the most basic safety essentials, to care enough to enroll their children in swimming lessons.

while we're at it, might as well include some penalty for the disgusting habit of cab drivers opening the driver side door to spit on the road at traffic lights or when stationary... winder what makes them want to spit so much....hmm...

What about when they stop to take a piss at the side of the road, while you sit in the cab. It has happened to me.

I've definitely noticed that the perimeters of Bangkok's parks double as urinals for cab drivers.

while we're at it, might as well include some penalty for the disgusting habit of cab drivers opening the driver side door to spit on the road at traffic lights or when stationary... winder what makes them want to spit so much....hmm...

We have a driver at our temple in Lopburi, been our driver for approx. 5 years, he has got to constantly open the window and spit. In a 30 min drive, he will roll down his window and spit at least 10 times. It's disgusting.

Don't use him

Dont use HIM?

STop Taking TAXI'S Take a bus and save the energy, turn off the air conditioner and take a cold shower, Justice will be served when We SAVE THE POWER!

Oh, so this must be your reasoning for heaping me into the rest of Bangkok's "selfish and overconsuming society." Give me a break! I'm as much for saving the environment as any person could reasonably be, and I do sit on a bus or commuter van for an average of about three hours a day. If it wasn't for the dangerous traffic and pollution, I'd ride my bicycle despite the heat and humidity! I never use AC when I'm alone (girlfriend can't live without it but gives me a sore throat), and take "cold" showers anyway because the water here is warm without any heating. To judge me or anyone else based entirely upon knowing that we've taken a few taxis in the last month is absolutely preposterous.

Travelers from most developed countries and the Middle East (Israel being the exception) should get a 90 day stamp upon arrival in Malaysia. No need to apply for a visa in advance as your entry stamp will give you plenty of time.

Has anyone else noticed a change since this regulation started being enforced?

I must say that I never expected this penalty to make any differences. However, every cab I've taken since the onset of this rule has not only used the meter without protest, but taken me directly to my destination without any hassle. I believe I've taken at least five since this regulation came into effect, and each time I was ready with my pen and paper to jot down the plate numbers of those who choose to refuse me or overcharge me. Perhaps I've just been lucky, but considering I've hired all these taxi meters around the same area where I've had the most problems, sometimes being refused by 10 or more drivers, I've been pleasantly surprised at the noticeable change. Hopefully this trend won't fade in the near future.

You,

The Taxi Drivers

and the rest of Bangkoks Selfish Overconsuming society need to give yourself a big kiss on the mirror for all the great things you do for Thailand and the fresh clean air we all don't have enough of to breathe......

Huh?

I fail to see how my post, which honestly illustrates my positive personal experience, warrants such a comment.

Thailand has the potential to be as well off as Singapore or Hong Kong if they can jsut get their Mafias/Police under control.

It appears to me that you've somehow managed to overlook a few other issues that have kept Thailand from launching itself to the same level of prosperity.

Judging by the other responses, perhaps September is just my lucky month. However, the fact that every time I've tried to get a taxi over the last three weeks, the first cab displaying the ว่าง "waang" sign has stopped, used meter, and taken me to my destination. No scenic routes, no hassles. Each of these instances was close to Sukumvit Soi 11 or outside Siam Paragon.

The next time I decide to take a taxi, I'll shoot on down the BTS a station further and take the MBK challenge and report back.

In English we use tones the way that Thai uses particles to convey aspects of meaning.

This is something I've not yet been able to do. Although I hear จริงเหรอ all the time, I've never felt comfortable saying it myself. I studied at a language school, and haven't really broken out of my comfort zone based in proper Central Thai structures. My speech can sometimes take the form of drawn out, elaborate addresses of "writing language"; and I'm often informed that I could have said the same thing with some much shorter slang phrase.

You're probably hearing จริงเหรอ, transliterated to "jing lor" or "jing lcc", and "Really?" would be an appropriate translation. I don't know geographic origins, but I hear it every single day in Bangkok from Thais of all walks of life.

If you're serious about spending a week in the jungles of Thailand, then you really need to realize that tigers are the least of your worries. I'd highly recommend that you refrain from putting yourself in this position unless you have a local guide and the proper equipment! Let this photo of my foot, taken after a 20 minute jungle trek on a relatively well-beaten path in a popular Thai national park, be a warning to you! I was indeed wearing sturdy shoes, and was with locals who I falsely assumed would be aware of such things since they'd been there a few times before (turns out they just drive around on the roads and get out at the super touristy points to take photos!) If you're not completely prepared, you'll be slowly eaten alive by leeches, mosquitos, ants and centipedes.

Upon my numerous inquiries as to why my girlfriend and her friends have chosen to speak in such a manner as to omit or change certain consonants, the answers have always been the same; "it's easier" or "we hate ror rua!"

This happened to many languages before.

If the Lord would show thee but this one thing, -- that to use "thee" and "thou" to a particular person is proper language, and Scripture language; and that to say "you," is improper, and arose from pride, and nourisheth pride, and so is of the world, and not of the Father; and thou should bow thy spirit to him in this one thing, thou little thinkest what a work it would make within thee, and how strongly the spirit of darkness would fight against thy subjection thereto.

-- Isaac Penington, 1670.

Thank you for posting this interesting quote, which is undoubtably the speculations of a Quaker convert. However, wasn't the original "Scripture language" Koine Greek, which was considered by many to be the vernacular of peasants and thus improper?

In addition to often replacing ร with ล, I've noticed that Thais will also omit the ล or ร sounds altogether at times. I've been confounded by relatively simple speech on a number of occasions when this has occurred. My girlfriend and her friends will often omit these consonants all together in the pronunciation of ใคร and ใกล้, and I always have to think an extra moment. I always use ร when it's present in a word (except for the times it's part of a silent exception), and have been questioned by Thais about why I always bother to use it. I do so because it's proper (I also choose to speak English in a way that's as proper and easy to understand as possible). My spoken Thai also tends to come out in the form of long and elaborate addresses, which is the result of me falling back upon useful phrases and structures that I've memorized. Upon my numerous inquiries as to why my girlfriend and her friends have chosen to speak in such a manner as to omit or change certain consonants, the answers have always been the same; "it's easier" or "we hate ror rua!" My girlfriend and her friends are all well educated, and most are young doctors, dentists, programmers, and researchers pursuing post-graduate degrees. Most are originally from Isaan, but others grew up in Bangkok or southern provinces. I think that Thai can be a very beautiful language, especially when spoken by women. However, my girlfriend and her peers prefer to speak it in a manner which is as simplified as possible, and, at least in my opinion, as grating and unattractive as possible. From what I've observed, if this manner of speech reflects upon social status, then it's perhaps because poor and uneducated people think it makes them sound sophisticated.

Thank you very much for your response. I wish you the best of luck in finding decent employment outside Bangkok; a city I'm not particularly fond of in the least either.

I moved to Thailand 5 years ago. I was not much older than you when I moved to here. I have a degree and it is possible for me to find work in BKK. I worked in BKK for a while and got a good income. I didn't like the life in a big city so I stopped working there. With this decision my chances to have a rich/comfortable life went away.

Without a degree your chances of finding any legal job (with work permit) here are very low, unless you want to become a low paid English teacher (and get a TEFL certificate). If you live outside of Bangkok your chances of finding a job are very low, even if you've a degree.

Most foreigners that live here have savings, secretly help their wife in her business, get income from investment, or do some illegal work. The group of well paid expats is rather small (and almost all of them have a degree and management experience).

Your chances of ever getting Thai nationality are extremely low (because it will be very hard for you to get a well paying job and everything is about money/taxes here).

I think life is good here and I am happy here, but I can tell you: if you're still young, without degree, live will be a struggle here. I honestly can say that for me and my family it's also struggle, but we can survive and I am happy here.

Taking into account your experience, I think you should look for online IT work.

Out of my own curiosity, what is your degree in and how did you go about finding work in Bangkok? I'm personally acquainted with two young foreigners who are making decent lives for themselves in Thailand. However, I believe what was essential to their success was the connections that they or their families had. One guy runs his own small language school and makes 1,000-2,000 baht per hour teaching English to Thai lawyers and businessmen on the side. He's fluent in Thai, and had spent a lot of his early childhood in Thailand while his mother worked with the UN. The other gentleman I'm referring to is not yet 30, but is making a considerable sum working in agriculture exports. He moved to Thailand, where he studied and graduated from college and became fluent in Thai. However, it still took him almost two years to find any sort of employment, and his eventual success was due to the good graces of family friends. He's now making a good salary by Western standards, and is proof that it can be done, it just takes a lot of hard work and, most importantly, knowing the right people and being in the right place at the right time!

I went to Sri Lanka maybe two weeks after they started making visitors pay the online fee. When I arrived at the airport (actually not in Colombo), I noticed a lot of people hadn't paid online, and were redirected to a counter to pay and get a receipt to present to immigration. I had a very nice trip in Sri Lanka, and I hope you have some time to visit the beautiful cities in the mountains or on the Southern coast.

The biggest asset is not your "skills" - everyone especially the college grads think they are wiser than everyone else - it is your contacts. This applies not just to Thailand but every country. For example, my experience is that in the 7 jobs I've held across 3 different continents - (including 3 different employers in Thailand) - 5 of these were because I knew someone that the employer also knew.

Employers want someone they can trust. References especially personal are held in much higher esteem than some inexperienced outsider from a big shot university.

This couldn't be more true, be you need to be sure that your contacts are people you can trust as well. When I first came to Thailand, I wanted to make it on my own. However, there were also two family "friends" who had more or less bragged about how they could get me a position just about anywhere in the world. I thought this a good fall back, for unless you're truly genius, or at least superbly industrious and innovative, having the right contacts is always the number one advantage for finding employment. Unfortunately, when it came time for me to call upon those who'd before been so confident in their abilities to assist me, all their words and promises turned out to be unfounded. One gentleman tried, who'd made a considerable fortune in Hong Kong many years before, put forth a little effort to introduce me to a man he used to work with who's currently the director of a logistics and relocations company in Thailand. I made three attempts to meet with this gentleman, called a few times, and wrote an e-mail. I was never allowed to meet with him, nor were my phone calls or e-mails returned. I reported my experience to the man who referred me and had before acted so confident in his ability to assist me, but he too failed to return my e-mails or phone calls.

The point of this story is this: Be confident that your contacts will actually follow through with what they say they're capable of doing, or are themselves in a direct position to assist you. Many people love to brag about who they know and how much influence they have, but in the end can't follow through.

I flashed my Ozzie license down stairs, went up stairs, looked at some colour lights and called out each one....including some purple ones not even there, got a photo, got the card, paid the money and was down stairs again all in 20 minutes.

Now, wat this test yo talkin' bout boy???

This summary is very close to my experience. Waited 5 minutes, showed me California driver's license, went upstairs and watched a man point to different colors and said the names in Thai, paid a little money, and then was on my way. I was stopped by the police as I left, flashed my new shiny license, and waved on.

It is pla sawai, the striped catfish. Although similar to the Giant Mekong, I believe the colors and body proportions at that size are pretty characteristic of pla sawai.

Riccardo, I too have a degree in agriculture, in international agribusiness management. I enthusiastically did all my projects on aquaculture, the world shrimp economy, the economics of the frozen seafood export business, etc. I moved to Thailand soon after graduating in order to try to find work in aquaculture, seafood exports, or a related field. Needless to say, I was naive and overconfident about finding work. Hundreds of resumes and countless office visits and phone calls later, I'm still very much unemployed. I've learned to speak, read, and write the Thai language, but that honestly hasn't made a bit of difference in my job hunt. Unless you have the right connections, or transfer to Thailand with a foreign agriculture company, trying to find work in this field is extremely tough. Out of the hundreds of resumes I've sent out, I don't think I've had about 10 replies. Half of those were confused Thais who didn't read the English correctly, and then tried to save face by pretending to be interested. The other half were employers who pretended to be interested, then gave me the fantastic opportunity of working for them for free, and offered to maybe hire me sometime in the future when they could afford it. Unless you're a native English speaker with light skin and interested in teaching long hours for a meager salary, Thailand is not an easy place for young foreigners to find work! I'm stubborn enough to keep fighting, but I should have done a lot more research before packing my things and heading across the Pacific to find employment.