bender92

Has this not happened before with North Korea. I seem to remember Bill Clinton being involved

Clinton went because it involved two lady reporters. He hoped to get lucky.

Last year it was Korean guides, this year Chinese. Any bets as to which nationality will be next?

Didn't they just do the Russians?

I suspect that most, if not all of the Thai tourist guides can't speak fluent or maybe any Chinese. How can they possibly be of any use to Chinese tourists that can't understand them?

True, Thais need to learn a 2nd language if they want to work with a specific group of people and not just sit back and complain.

It seems that many beach vendors can speak some Mandarin and Korean. They should be tour guides.

Thanks for the True Value suggestion, however I'm a bit cheap and find 900 Baht a bit expensive for something I will need probably only once and will give me blisters right away as well.

So any suggestions to something more reasonable in price are still welcome.

Nobody wants to rent out one ?

One time? Hire a Thai gardener.

^{"the country’s social fabric"}

^{What's that then?}

^{Prostitution?}

^{Fake goods?}

^{Dodgy police?}

^{Tourist scams?}

^{Bribery of officials to allow massive overbuilding at tourist locations?}

^{Deforrestation?}

^{Destruction of national parks?}

^{Culling protected species for money?}

^{Dangerous roads?}

^Drugs?

Jet Skis

"A source at the channel said the job of finding the picture had been outsourced to another company"

Ever heard of Goggle ??

And ofcourse it was someone elses fault! Probably a foreign owned company!

What's Goggle?

Oh ,goody ,more room to park motorcycles and double park coaches.

The new lane will be for tourist buses, so tourists don't have to cross the road.

Let's see, 100 protesters, millions of tourists. Who will win? The mafia of course!

To be fair, the situation IS unique. After all, how many of us not living in the South are actually affected by the insurgency there? The closest we get to it is reading it in the news. No crazy Muslim separatist has tried killing us in Bangkok yet.

Well, they did remove a lot of the trash cans around Bangkok and in malls.

Should get the Americsns up in arms

I'm American and I like it. What do you weigh?

Will passengers be made to pay for scratches to the Jet-ski boat?

This is good. It's never a good idea to have one ethnic group take over another country. Before the Russians, we had a mix from all over the world. It's getting like Little Russia here in Pattaya too. I want Thailand to remain Thai.

Its up to the Thai's, if security guards in shopping places don't tell them, or anyone in authority on the streets, they will continue to do it as they don't know better, most of them being first time travelers

I just have a little smile when i see it in shops, even saw a guy in Friendship supermarket recently, nobody said anything to him

I usually say "Hey Putin", and tug on my shirt and laugh. They look bewildered. Today in Big C again.

I had the same problem and I noticed that about half the people needed to get another copy done once they reached the desk. The ladies at the copy places know what to copy, just tell them what you are applying for.

Making "a stand" about something, especially something as inconsequential as pricing, is never a good idea in Thailand, especially if you're drunk. I would say you were lucky and hopefully you know better now.

Funny enough I don't regret it, but it won't happen again.

I already said I was lucky, so don't need you to say it again.

You were really lucky.

All business is not done in cash here. Only the crooked business.

I bought my car via a bank transfer. I pay my rent via a bank transfer. I pay my utility bills via bank transfers and it was buying a property here it would be with a cashier's cheque made out to the vendor and crossed a/c payee. And if I couldn't do that then I wouldn't do it at all.

A cashier cheques here are not the same as in other countries !

I just tell you what is going on !

I also think it is total crazy, but even some of the real big companies do it that way !

Maybe a lot of it is tax fraud, but for sure most is because people don´t trust each other.

Most car companies does not accept cashier cheques, i seen that, i tried that, but i took the car salesman to the bank and gave him the money there, then i not have to go anywhere with them 5555 !

I call bullsh!t KBAA. I just bought a new car and was TOLD to get a bank check payable to them.

Just curious how so many ThaiVisa members know so much about how everyday business is done by Thais. Most members have limited experience, usually consisting of 7-11, paying rent on their room, beer bars and Tesco Lotus. If you don't have facts then don't present it as fact. Just because you say it or think it, doesn't make it true.

I tried to give a bar girl a check once....

I talk to many Thai women who moved from Isaan to Phuket to get the meager jobs doing massage and prostitution on the side (sorry, it's not such a hidden fact). They spend 14 hours going on a bus to Bangkok and then onward to their villages in Isaan. They can't get jobs they say back in their part of the country, so they must resort to leaving children and family behind and selling themselves for such low wages. This is one disenfranchised group in Thailand that should at least be addressed and helped, and by providing high speed rail to these areas so these people can begin and attempt to get out of the poverty and prostitution and exploitation, at least the Populist-leaning PM can begin to change the lifestyle of the impoverished in these exploited parts of the Thai population.

Add short time rooms on the new trains, 2 problems solved at once!

Maybe they can convert the busses into hot dog stands, or is there a hot dog mafia in Phuket?

If not, there soon would be!

For me, the only thing surprising about this is that it got as far as it did. I would've guessed that the tuk-tuk/taxi guys would have crushed it long before this point.

No, because someone made a lot of money selling the buses to the city. We know and they know, the bus service will not happen.

Men who patronize prostitutes are supporting a system of abuse of trafficked women and children. Think about it.

Miss Pirich?

Pro-nounced....per-rick

That orange and white one looks rather modernesque.....presume the orange end is the handle.

The handle is white, the small prong is for anal, the big prong is for vagina.

So it took the Chinese for action to be taken. THAT is worth noting.

No action was, nor will be , taken.

Thai's, Chinese Thai's, and Chinese, all superstitious and believe it is okay to kill indiscriminately whether rhino, tiger or elephant for their beliefs. Make the law severe enough to stop the poachers or it will simply continue. We all know about the 'education' aspect, but that won't happen. Ignorance is bliss.

I agree the poachers should be punished, but in cases like this and the protected wood and drug shipments, it is the little guy who gets caught and the real bosses never get named.

Here is the lunch menu for each day.

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2012/03/02/7-days-7-themes-lunch-at-edge-restaurant-hilton-pattaya-2/