fire and ice

So there are lots of armed people lurking about ready for a gunfight...interesting and worrying.

If one is thinking of opening a bar in Pattaya may I suggest an authentic Saloon with swinging doors, Saloon girls in costume with an old guy playing the piano in the corner, it would make a mint.

And to be truly authentic only serve shots of guplin' whiskey!

It seems that "fire and ice" has either never been to America or knows nothing about good cheese.

Spent about a year of my life (added up) in the USA and been to 26 states. Lots of things to love about the USA, but your cheese sucks. Your bread does too - its like tissue paper. The only decent bread I could find was at Subway.

I've lived here 2.5 years and never had a taxi driver refuse to switch the meter on. In fact I never even have to ask. The secret is to flag down taxis and not get in one that is just waiting outside a hotel or tourist attraction.

Speaking Thai usually helps too.

HaHa ...my wife is Thai and she is pretty good with the language. Sorry pal ... speaking Thai does not make a difference.

I beg to differ IMHO it differs a lot. It does not mean you wont get bad taxis just less.

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Try getting a taxi from say KSR, the airport, or from next to a major tourist attraction and speak English to them. They will often assume you are a tourist who does not know meters have to be on etc. But if you speak Thai they won' t bother wasting time trying to fool you as they assume you are not a tourist and therefore know the rules on switching the meter on.

I've lived here 2.5 years and never had a taxi driver refuse to switch the meter on. In fact I never even have to ask. The secret is to flag down taxis and not get in one that is just waiting outside a hotel or tourist attraction.

Speaking Thai usually helps too.

With the Garbage they sell, I can't believe people actually buy it let alone need a store close to them. Progress.......

That "garbage" is much better than any of the "crap" available in Thailand already, except certain imported goods at eg CDC, at horrendous prices. Their furniture is thought-through and flexible. I recently refurnished my living room, two bedrooms, a home office, and a storage/washing room with IKEA. Im very happy with the result.

You wont be happy in 2 - 4 years from now once it all falls apart, and I have bought (never again) lousy badly thought out furniture from them like a galss coffee tabel resting on 2 L things. It tipped over the scond anyone put any weight on one end. I now have a solid wood table you coudl jump up and down on. Also any surface parelel to the floor should never be glass as its a major cleanign heacahe. My rule for Ikea is to nver buy anything with wood or galss in it & you will be okay, I got a good double loft bed from them once and a nice towel+bathmat. Chiese made furnitre is vastly superiro quality by comparison and Chiness is considered cheap - Ikea is ultra cheap. Ask any carpenter/cabinetmaker what they think of ikea.

Just introduce a vehicle testing scheme, as in the UK, you have to have your car/motorbike tested annually (after the first 3 years have expired)

the criteria includes all mechanical & safety aspects of the car including electrics etc.. but most important is the exhaust test, if that falls below regulation figures you will not pass & get a certificate.. if you do not have the certificate to prove it is roadworthy it becomes illegal to be on the road, also you cannot tax or insure your car either as this certificate must be shown at the time of purchasing these documents.

You do not see mobile smoke machines on our roads anymore.

Having said that I'm convinced a lot of the air particles are from concrete buildings starting to erode, where I live there is about an inch of dust on everything especially at the sides of all roads, it's just swept into a heap by the side of the road each day by the road sweepers just to be dispersed again by the wind & passing traffic, everything is covered by dust so respiratory problems have always been high on the Thai illness

ratings.

Never begin a sentence using the word "Just" in the context of anything concerning Thailand. The word "just" implies some kind of ease or simplicity, which is quite laughable.

It's kinda overkill - you can't drink inside vehicles anymore, anyway.

Even as a passenger?

Sounds like the 2 kitchen suppliers you have merely want you to buy a counter-top that they supply (ie: one that's crap). BTW Quartz Reconstituted stone (brand examples: Caesarstone, Messastone etc) can be just as good if not better than granite & a lot cheaper. It also doesn't need sealant. I went with a Chinese no name black galaxy colour in my A$30,000 (Sydney) Kitchen & its fantastic - 100% happy with the decision.

Another thing is that you have to drain the air-conditioning system as if it contains any CFCs your whole car will have to be re-expoerted at your own cost. They will not refill it or empty it there. A very heavy fine also applies.

That sounds absurd! As if not having the CFCs dealt with properly in Australia is better for the Earth than sending it back o/s where it will (likely) eventually get released into the atmosphere. It makes no difference where in the world CFCs are released!!!

transam, no its wrong to say forget the thai connection, thai woman are very different to western woman . also, why do many people argue ? ok my wife has a bad temper, i have a bad temper but to be very honest it is nothing like hers. i drink and go out at weekends, i do not go with other woman, my wifes english is very very bad , this alone causes many arguments. generally she is allways moody and has a built up anger within her, something is making her angry i do not know what . i have asked her to see doctor in past who gave her anti depressants but she only stays on them a week then stops taking them. it could run in her family as her sister is one of the most volatile people i have ever in my life come across ( a very brutal, cruel woman ) i once saw her sister smash her 7 year old daughter across the face with her hand and broke that childs nose , i will never forget that. when i look at her sister i see a bit of my wife in her . my wife has never slapped our daughter but she has cursed at her and raised her vioce an awfull lot, this also causes problems between us.

my wife is about to get her permanent resident visa and she also has money in a thai bank ( joint foreign investment fund ) in both our names, i am starting to get paranoid and think that now she knows she has everything she can drop me because ive done everything for her now ? paranoid maybe ? i just dont know.

wish there were more thai woman to ask for advice .

Antidepressants? That's nuts! A person can't be depressed AND get angry. Depression is caused by holding anger in (ie: never getting angry). If she lets it out then its a positive sign she is NOT depressed and should not be on antidepressants. By the sounds of it she is within a "normally neurotic" percentage of the population and most likely not extremely anxious either (extreme anxiety is the opposite of depression). She probably doesn't need any medication but therapy. I imagine there is a fat chance of that happening though.

If she is building up energy then it has to come out somehow (to keep holding on to this energy is highly self destructive - far worse that what you witness at present). Her angry releases are a "necessary evil" short of proper somatic psychotherapy. You may want to toy with the idea of something other than you 'triggering" her anger/energy release thereby helping her to release her pent up energy such that it is not at your expense. Subtlety working on finding another outlet for her will help.

Of course her pent up energy does not have to come out as anger - if there's any chance you can get her to engage in some other physical activity it will help.

I hope for your sake the build up of energy is not sexual meaning that you dont satisfy her & thereby its hard to release it. Women lose sexual attraction for men that pander ot them and men that dont take charge etc. If you are always being sorry and trying to change because she asks you to then this could be happening.... If she says something like "dont you dare" then come back at her with "I double dare" & do "it" more-so - women respect that, the wont respect you if you back down.

A bit of a tall order considering the entire USA can't make decent (regular everyday) cheese! I mean its some orange plastic substance.

As a side issue its very difficult to even buy butter in the USA, let alone decent cheese for a simple sandwich. (50% fat butter, unsalted butter, I cannot believe its not butter, but NOT FRIGGING ACTUAL BUTTER!!).

If Canada makes decent cheese then its not widely for sale in the USA.

Actually the above is from my experience a long time ago when I spent 4 months travelling all over the USA back in 1995....hopefully things have changed but I suspect the cheese is still some plastic substance that is not even the correct colour....

Of the 50 best a number are made in the USA. Read it and weep. http://www.thefiftyb.../best_cheese/1/

I stand by my post: (1) the 50 best website cited is clearly an American website and written by Americans who are largely naive about the rest of the planet. (2) I was referring to everyday cheeses that most people buy (& say) nibble on or put on a sandwich, not top shelf cheeses you have to search for.

Does Thailand Have The Ability To Make Good Cheese?

A bit of a tall order considering the entire USA can't make decent (regular everyday) cheese! I mean its some orange plastic substance.

As a side issue its very difficult to even buy butter in the USA, let alone decent cheese for a simple sandwich. (50% fat butter, unsalted butter, I cannot believe its not butter, but NOT FRIGGING ACTUAL BUTTER!!).

If Canada makes decent cheese then its not widely for sale in the USA.

Actually the above is from my experience a long time ago when I spent 4 months travelling all over the USA back in 1995....hopefully things have changed but I suspect the cheese is still some plastic substance that is not even the correct colour....

Calling a fuel surcharge "tax" is outright dishonest - its not a tax as it goes 100% to the airline not any Government. However is it par for the course for most FF programs to charge you the tax+fuel surcharge for rewards bookings, Although some airlines fuel surcharges are insulting to the intelligence, whereas others are zero or close to it.

There is actually a good reason why fuel surcharges came into effect (relate dot the IATA pricing and how prices are set in advance etc and then cant be changed till next year etc) but there was only even an excuse to impose it the first year fuel skyrocketed and then not after this. Then they didn't impost a "fuel discount/rebate" once it got cheap again. Having said this, there shoudl not any ANY fuel surcharges anywhere as fuel has risen LESS than inflation over the past 20-35 years so its BULL%^$T when airlines claim fuel costs are rising too fast so therefore they have to impose a fuel surcharge.

You have paid the requested rate for the job why should a tip be expected. Certainly not at the 50% and 100% rates being suggested here.

Unforunately the lady that does the work doesn't set the price.In fact she has to give the biggest part of the payment to the owner of the massage.

So yes, she deserves a tip since otherwise she will not make the 300 Baht minimum salary a day.

They get half not a wage.

Yes... if you are happy

No... if you are not happy

Those girls working in massage shops don't really get a huge % of those 100 Baht... and given the fact that they might only have few customers a day (specially in low season), the really can use (or need if they have kids to care after) tips from their customers.

I normally give 50 / hour as tip, 100 / hour if she does a great job (no... great job does NOT mean what you just thought....)

Edit: Uups... happy also does not mean what some are just thinking

They get half - its the same for massage work pretty much the globe over and also yoga instructors too. I friend of mine is a masseuse and has done it for donkeys years in several places in Thailand (Mostly Bangkok and Pattaya) and also in Korea too and she says its always half which confirmed what many others have told me over the years.

I also know its the same here in Australia also. Although a tip in unheard of in Australia, if you do give one in Thailand the tip goes 100% to the person who served you.

Although a legit massage shoudl not be confused with prostitution, AFAIK most brothels in Australia also pay 50% to the lady.

Shocking - 500m before the driver stopped. Then he ran away. What type of people do these bus companies employ

FYI: Usually they run away to avoid getting the living sh&% beaten out of them at the scene. Unlikely they expect NOT to be be identified and later found. Rather they want to avoid revenge in the heat of the moment.

Having said this, there are no doubt plenty of times when drivers who cause an accident really are trying to simply run away to avoid any responsibility at all as opposed to merely avoiding the immediate reprisals

How is this 'Protected Species' protected? Is possession legal? If not, it seems that confiscation of the animal would end this practice rather quickly.

They confiscate them all the time and then sell them back to the same people - that's how the corruption works on this one.

For those that are not aware: apparently the problem is that they drug these "chinee" (slow lorises) to make them placid enough for tourists. The drugging of them is of course not in the animal's best interests - not sure if they are protected or not but its definitely animal cruelty! I cant image they are "slow" enough when not drugged.

You are also assuming there will still be compulsory military service by the time he is old enough.

What is Sydney doing in there? Most things are vastly overpriced in Australia, especially international brands.

The only time I went in there was in about 2002 - back then it wasn't even in a fit state for the rats to call it a nice home. I cant imagine what its like now (after 10 more years of use). Please torch the place ASAP !!

She will be on a tourist visa of course, so when that runs out, does that mean the kid can stay here and she goes back or the oppisite?

Even if she has a 6month visa and you get the legals done to have the child stay in Australia, you'd be crazy to separate a baby that young from their mother for any length of time!!

Also how long before the baby is due will she fly? Generally speaking she cant fly after she is 6-7 months pregnant. And then how long is the visa for once she arrives?

Based on what you typed your idea sounds nuts. Just have the baby born in Thailand.

Any Thai who wants to nip about Bangkok and get through traffic just uses a motorbike. Why would more than a handful choose to use a bicycle instead?

Asia's Archaic Sex Work Laws

Written by Richard S. Ehrlich

In Asia they do more harm than good, the UN says

Incredible they single out Asia here! What about the USA?

They have the most archaic prostitution laws of almost anywhere! You'd have to got to the Islamic world to beat theirs and even many of those countries dont compare.

These laws ONLY exist because people want to force their religious views upon others.

Very well put, except this bit:

The paradox is glaringly clear: Thailand has managed to survive despite its intractable political problems. The people have somehow muddled through despite the rotten system.

Actually they are where they are because of problems highlighted here. Thailand would be (and could be) in a much better position if it were managed properly (as opposed to it going down the drain).

100% of everything except rent/mortgage and cellphone minutes

There is not an item cheaper than comparable quality in canada.

Taxis must be cheap in Canada then.