dddave

Seems to be a number of "girl on girl" attacks caught on video this past week. Along with this one was the one of the girl being beaten by other girls next to a van and also the one where some guys gf hired a gang to beat up a girl at a karaoke bar who had sat with her bf.

I would be really suspicious. The only ones I've ever seen retail has been at TukCom in Pattaya and were a total fraud.

Lazada has gotten really big now with hundreds of associated vendors and probably can not keep up with the quick buck artists. AliExpress is known for the huge number of ads for fraudulent goods and they now own Lazada.

Hello, I had a thread about 1.5 years ago where I am trying to convert some old small VCR tapes to some kind of digital or something that I could store on a hard drive...My son who is visiting just brought me the tapes but he forgot to bring the tape adapter...These are small VCR tapes that went into a VCR camera...You then would take the small tapes out of the camera and drop it into this adapter to make the tapes the standard VCR size and would play on any VCR, but he forgot to bring the adapter...I don't know if anyone would have any suggestions or know of any Pattaya shop that might do this and have that adapter also...Thanks for any help...

That adapter is probably something you'll have to search out on E-Bay, being very careful to get the correct one. It will help to remember the brand of the video camera/camcorder used as there were a number of proprietary formats in use and different tape styles like VHS-C, Micro-VHS, ect.

"CYPHR", "SIGNAL" "GLYPH" and "WICKR" are four of many Android/IOS apps that advertise themselves as encrypted and super secure. Wickr has a feature that automatically deletes messages after a set time. Whether these and others are any more secure than WhatsAp, Line, ect is arguable but the fact they have a lot fewer users certainly makes them a less attractive target for hackers. Like most messaging apps, both ends of the conversation must have the app downloaded.

I ate in Carl's Jr once. Was like eating hot oily mud.

If I want western food, I go to Chequers in soi 4. Great quality and value.

Personally I prefer Jools.

Cant stand the up themselves farang clientele of Chequers.

Not talking about the blow ins and tourists who know no better.

Jools used to be notable for huge portions of decent food at reasonable prices. Is this still true? It's been a while since I last went there.

The upstairs dining room was always a peaceful and relaxing place to enjoy a meal. The downstairs bar area seemed populated by a closed group that did not make intruders feel welcome.

I especially remember the huge bar chair, throne to the equally huge onetime owner.

I assume they are still banned from Europe and North America. How they have been allowed to continue flying is a mystery. Well TIT I suppose.

Are you thinking of "Phuket Airlines" (or maybe Airways) which started flying to Europe in the mid "00's" then got banned from EU airports after two of their planes were not allowed to take off from one of them because of maintenance issues. There was a big issue at the time because the Thai government had to send a couple of planes to pick-up stranded Thai passengers and bring them home.

I've written about this before but I had a very close call in 2002. A China Airways 747-200 I had flown TPE-HKG a few days earlier disintegrated at 20,000 feet 20 minutes after take-off from TPE. I turned out the plane had tail-scraped 15 years earlier and had been patched improperly but even worse, the repair was not entered into the maintenance log, thus never inspected. That is what let go 4 cycles after my flight.

It was later revealed that this aircraft along with one other 747-200, though still being operated by China Airways had already been sold. To who? Orient Thai. The Thai aviation authorities refused to certify the remaining 747-200 as it's maintenance logs were suspect and it sat unused, like a big white cow on the tarmac at Don Muang for many years.

Does anyone really believe that, slapping one of hundreds of taxi gangsters on the wrist every six months, has any kind of deterrent effect? Or are the authorities just trying to be seen doing something every once in a while, without really rocking the boat?

I've used taxis from Suvarnabhumi Airport at least monthly for the last four years and have had very few instances of being overcharged or of drivers refusing to use the meter. I have had more difficulty with taxis out of Don Muang Airport for some reason.

There are over 100,000 licensed taxi drivers in Bangkok. In any population group of that size, there will be bad apples, whether it is taxi drivers, school teachers or whatever. I've found most of the drivers to be decent people just trying to make a living in a very unpleasant job.

I suggest she leave herself a bit of extra time at Survanabhumi and go to the AIS kiosk at the arrivals level before departing. They will enable roaming in Japan as well as explain some roaming packages that might save her some money if she does plan to call home regularly. They can also show her how to cut data roaming. She can also contact AIS by phone dialing 1175.

Sometimes turning data roaming off in the phone settings is not enough. The AIS code to turn data roaming off is *129*1# There is about a 10 minute wait for a confirmation message. To turn back on: *129*2#

Sometimes, large roaming bills can be a result of incoming calls and texts from friends and businesses not aware the person is in another country. I deal with that when I am on an extended trip by removing my normal SIM altogether and using another SIM with a number known only to family and those whose calls I want to receive.

No matter how carefully you pack things, TSA will likely inspect your checked bags and they pay little heed to repacking carefully when they're done. I recently packed a laptop into a checked bag, very carefully packed in bubble wrap and foam-core. When I opened the bag on arrival, the bubble wrap had been only half applied and foam core missing. Result: hairline cracks in the display.

Thank you, TSA.

Concur with "Old Quarter" accommodations, "Water Puppet" show and especially "Ha Long Bay" I did the one day Hanoi-Ha Long-Hanoi tour but it was to much bus traveling for one day and took away from the experience. Some people I've talked to loved the overnight boat experience there and some hated it...very much depends on the tour operator so do some research before going.

I really liked "The Paramount Hotel", in a small alley off a small alley..very quiet with a very helpful staff, breakfast served daily. Check both Agoda.com & Booking.com for rates. Nicely furnished rooms with comfortable beds and very high standards of cleanliness. If you do chose to stay there, make sure you have their phone number handy for your driver to call. They will send a person out to wait for you. They will arrange airport pick-up for a few dollars more than the normal taxi fare...about $20.

Great city to just walk around..every corner seems to have something interesting going on. Crossing streets is an adventure with motorbikes swarming everywhere.

In the aftermath of the Erewhan blast, Thai law enforcement realized they needed to be able to identify where foreigners of various nationalities were clustered in metropolitan areas. Several local Bangkok police commanders lost their jobs because they had not enforced reporting in their districts and suddenly, landlords everywhere were scrambling to comply. I'd lived in my building for 12+ years and was asked for the first time for my details and a current passport/visa copy. Seems to be relaxing now.

Often, dripping water from the unit is a result of a blocked drain line. Sometimes insects can go in during periods when your AC is inactive, algae clusters can also form or sometimes it's just a kink in the line. If you can, trace the drain lines route and see if a fair stream of water is coming out. For Thailand, a cup full in 30 to 45 minutes is normal. If a lot less then that is a sign of blockage and it is backing up into the unit. Usually a pretty easy job to detach the drain line and blow it out with compressed air or water from a hose.

Dear God

Please send Thailand new busses. They are all broken and both the government and private sectors seemingly do not care they are dangerous, slow and polluting.

PS please send a lightning bolt to strike the yard where all the BKK red busses are parked at night.

Thank you

Those Red Buses may be old and clunky but they provide an affordable way to get almost anywhere in Bangkok for the tens of thousands of low income Bangkok residents who need daily transportation.

Maybe they don't meet your lofty western standards for comfort and amenities but they get the job done, day in and day out.

Replacing them all with brand new buses will require significant fare hikes which many of the red bus users can not afford.

I think, considering the mammoth size of it's service area and the huge traffic problems it has to deal with that the BMTA does a very good job of providing different levels of service very effectively. If I want an air conditioned bus, there is usually one available for where I want to go with reasonable frequency.

There are turf sellers at the Chatuchak market, Wednesday & Thursday plant and shrub sales day.

If your motives are indeed altruistic, then consider that used clothing "by the bale" caused the total destruction of the garment industry's in Kenya, Tanzania and several other African countries resulting in tens of thousands of lost jobs.

dddave, search for Asian Koel on youtube, might be the bird you're looking for. You can hear them everywhere. Black but easy to recognise (If you're lucky to see them) by their red eyes. Not sure about the "Haunting" call, but give it a try

Thank you. I did as you suggested and actually, the Asian Koel is a bird I do hear every day in Bangkok...unceasingly from 6am to 8am daily in a tree outside my balcony.

The call I was seeking is much lower and softer. I did a bit more Googling and do believe it was a Morning Dove.

I did Emirates BKK-BOS return last month. 380 outbound BKK to Dubai, near full as they usually are on that route.. I had made sure to book one of the upper deck economy seats, much roomier and quieter. Short layover, about 2:15, then a 777-300ER DXB-BOS, had a few vacant seats, . As flights to the US go, especially to the east coast, this was by far one of the best in terms of speed and convenience as my family lives in Boston. Logan immigration was a bit slow, but then again, it always is for me as I fly as a courier and always have commercial merchandise to clear.

Service on the flights was pretty good as was the food, considering it is coach class. Always better when the flight is not full. Emirates seems to get a lot more families thus many crying babies. I always try to get seats in the rear. Though the ride is rougher there and more engine noise as well, I don't mind it. Much more chance of a vacant seat and they tend not to put babies in back.

The return was pretty good as well. BOS-DXB 2/3 full, once again, a 777-300ER. Short layover in DXB, less than 2 hours. I was actually worried because we pushed out 30 minutes late in BOS but we made it up and made the BKK connection easily, same terminal. BTW, be aware that in BOS, though you arrive at Terminal E, Emirates departs from Terminal C.

I'll gladly fly that route anytime. Qatar is scheduled to start flying out of BOS with connections to BKK through Doha sometime late this year. There should be some pretty good introductory deals around and Emirates will probably have to match them.

Georgeous bird.

Sorry to divert a bit but the subject of birds reminded me of a question I've long wanted to ask. When I lived in Isarn, I often used to hear a call with a haunting quality, like a bass flute, kind of long, usually in the mornings. I assumed Morning Dove but I never saw one. Any learned opinions?

I've never heard it in Bangkok.

You might try compression stockings to alleviate the problem but I suggest you find a Doctor willing to delve deeper into the cause. Edema is not a trivial condition.

The HCMC Thai consulate can also be somewhat difficult. They are known for demanding to see your outbound tickets from Vietnam.

f you choose to get your re-entry permit at an airport, you can save some time at Chaeng Wattana. Good luck!

As I mentioned in my earlier post, things went slowly renewing my retirement extension so I was unable to do my Multi entry Re-Entry permit same day. I was resigned to returning to CW when a friend mentioned that multiple entry Re-Entry Permits were available at the airport. I had thought only single re-entry's were available there.

I just waited for my next flight out and did it at Suvarnabhumi. Took about 15 minutes all in whereas at CW, it would always take more than an hour, sometimes two.

I was at Suvarnabhumi Airport last week and inquired at the new Exit Permit office on the departure level behind row F, next to the Customs Office. Both Thai officers on duty stated that the office would be open 24 hours/7days a week.

Remember to bring a photo.

I have never heard of an exit permit office. There is a re-entry permit office.

From the post that I posted a link to earlier "The office does indeed close between midnight and 5am, a fact which the officer made a point of telling me (presumably just to spread the word, since it wasn't relevant to me)".

This was stated yesterday morning.

Sorry, I did use the wrong title for the office but I did go into it and specifically ask "Do you close at midnight?" and was told by both agents that starting the next day, they would be open 24 hours, every day. This was on April 19th.

For the last five years, I have always arrived just before the lunch re-opening at 1pm. I always have my forms and copies in hand and until this year, was always finished with the retirement extension renewal by 2;30. This year, (March) for some reason things went exceptionally slowly and I did not finish the extension until 4pm. I noticed that the Information Desk that gives queue numbers had closed at 3:30.

Normally, once you have been given a queue number and your papers are in order, they will finish your application before the close of business. I have noticed that things start moving along VERY rapidly after 3:30pm

I was at Suvarnabhumi Airport last week and inquired at the new Exit Permit office on the departure level behind row F, next to the Customs Office. Both Thai officers on duty stated that the office would be open 24 hours/7days a week.

Remember to bring a photo.

For mountains and scenery, the Northeast corner, Chang Rai, Loei, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai.

If you want beaches and coastline, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Pranburi, Chumphon