dddave

Lonestar's ribs are surprisingly good, usually very tender and not too fatty. There are weekly rib specials on Friday and Sunday...at least there were last time I was there a month ago. As I remember a 1/2 rack special, served with a choice of two sides from a pretty good list, a small piece of corn on the cob and a pot of very decent BBQ sauce was B299. I believe a full rack was B499 or thereabouts.

Location; Soi Lenkee, left side coming from Soi Buakhow.

An additional bonus are the classic '70's Westerns usually playing on the flatscreen TV...: "McCabe & Mrs Miller, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, "Fistfull of Dollars", ect...the perfect accompaniment to a plate of ribs.

Thanks to all who posted. I had to cancel as it became apparent that getting back before Monday would be a big problem as everything is solidly booked.

Several years ago when there was a huge maga-arena event in Bangkok..I forget which band, the police busted several Vietnamese pickpocketing gangs working the show.

Stories at the time stated Viet gangs were noted for their skill and that they traveled all around Asia to big events and festivals....any place there would be a well heeled crowd. They would do there work and be gone that night. In this case, the police had been tipped off and were following them.

I was pickpocketed at Chatuchak 10 years ago. Really dumb on my part: withdrew B10,000 from an ATM in Chatuchak in plain sight of a thousand people and then put my wallet in a lower pocket of my cargo shorts. I didn't even know it was gone until I went to pay for a purchase. When I reported it at the security office, I was number 5 for that day and number 6 walked in before I finished. The Tourist Police officer on duty told me that Chatuchak was #1, Hualumphung Railway Station #2 and Mor Chit bus station #3 for pickpocketing.

To Jaybirtd .

What is wrong with your phone ? I have a 1320 .....no problems yet but I'm sure that once it goes wrong will have to move to Android phone since microsoft don't seem to care much whether they sell phones or not.

Case cracked slightly by the USB port. Now it has 'ghost fingers' that are touching the buttons for 'back' or 'search'. Which is very irritating as it results in the phone constantly hitting back or search while i'm using it... then getting confused. Turning off/on the screen resets it for a few seconds but it happens again. I try bending/pushing the edges to try and make the problem go away and sometimes buy 30 minutes or so like that, but would like a better problem.

I'm thinking of buying a replacement case on aliexpress and fixing it myself, but would rather have a 'pro' do it

If the parts are reasonably priced, why not give fixing it yourself a try?

Have you looked at this?

I doubt that there will be much change since Lazada markets themselves as a retailer, whereas AliExpress, positions themselves as a wholesaler, who allow their members to deal directly with the public

That's interesting. I was under the impression that AliBaba was the wholesale portal and that AliExpress was basically retail, though there were wholesale options.

I need to go there on short notice. What are my options from Bangkok? I know there is a van from Victory Monument but I hate vans and would like to avoid if I can. Does the train go into the city? Is there an 2nd class with ac? Does it depart from Hualumphung or another location? Anybody know the schedule?

Do buses go from Ekkamai or Mor Chit or (please no) the Southern Bus Terminal?

Walked past there yesterday (April 13) and The Victoria is closed down as is the former New Wave/Thai Visa bar. They have for rent signs but I suspect very short term as everything looks like it might come down soon. The alleyway from 7 to 5 is now sealed at the Soi 5 end and the adjacent Amari Hotel is starting a major construction project where their Beergarden was alongside the hotel. It looks like it will be incorporating a part of that end of the alley. The kabab vendor who has been there for years is gone.

For more than 10 years, I've been hearing the omnipresent malcontents complain about the S-7 Beergarden and how it has gone down hill and how great it was before and blah-blah.

Soon it will be history and without doubt, all the same perpetual moaners will be crying about how wonderful it was and all the good times they had there....count on it.

I get some dropped calls on AIS in my home area of Phra Khanong but I have found AIS to be generally better than True. When True rolled out 4G, I tried a TRUE 4G account on my business phone, kept AIS on my personal phone. There were timeswhen the True 4G was lightning fast but more often than not, I would find it actually on 3G, and not even "H". I honestly believe the True network is over sold and does not have the output they advertise.

AIS's 3 G was nearly as good as True's and higher speeds available more consistently at more locations. Once AIS rolled out 4G several months ago, they were the clear leader. I ditched the 2nd phone and relagated the True SIM to slot "2", calls and SMS only.

For me, AIS did almost everything better.

There have been many threads on this forum over the past few years regarding the virtues and frustrations of ordering goods online from both Lazada and AliExpress-AliBaba. According to a news item yesterday, AliBaba is acquiring Lazada SA, the parent of Lazada, Thailand and Lazada, Philippines. I hope they continue to operate as stand alone outlets, just to maintain some variety and options.

Apparently, AliBaba is now bigger than Amazon...until now the world's largest retailer.

One wonders what will happen a few years down the road when China controls nearly 100% of electronics manufacturing and distribution. Some interesting implications to consider.

The passport requirement for international parcels went into effect after the Erewhan attack.

I wonder just what ship the OP thinks would make the journey from Thailand to England with his parcel in two weeks?

I don't know if this is still true but 3 years ago when I did the free tour, I had to push a bit for it. They kind of played dumb at the tour desk and kept pushing the paid, escorted tour. As I remember, I had to go to the Airport info desk and get some kind of voucher, then the tour people said: "Ahh...OK".

Badoo really pushes to monetize your account, restricting your ability to reply to "Likes" unless you sign-up for enhanced services. I also strongly suspect they have dummy posters. Anyone I know, including myself got hit with a bunch of similar "Likes" as soon as they signed-up...always someone unusually cute who only replied in vague generalities. They're just trying to set the hook. Badoo is owned by some very mysterious Russian who has a very shaky past record.

Date in Asia has a HUGE number of women in all age ranges but Filipinas predominate and they will send you many, many "Likes". They will almost all also require tuition help in short order. Beware the truly skilled denizens who, rather than asking, maneuver you into offering. Don't think you could never fall for that....they are VERY good at what they do.

I did one several years ago. At that time, you went with the paid tour group and were dropped off in the city center...you could pick where you wanted to be dropped off as long as it was on the tour route. They then arrange a time to pick you up that allowed enough time to check in to your departing flight. I don't mind finding my own way around and I had a very enjoyable 5 hours or so in Seoul.

If the tour schedule does not fit yours, the train line that goes into the city has a station accessed through arrivals...couldn't be more convenient. There is also a bus terminal in the parking garage. On another trip, I used a city bus from the airport into Seoul and it was well marked and easy to use.

I'm from the USA and Immigration required no visa and I was simply stamped through.

Inchon Airport is one of my favorites. Comfortable lounge sofas, free showers and a small museum as well as inexpensive snack bars on the mezzanine level. The live dance and traditional music shows at the handcraft shops are not to be missed. It's one of the few airports I frequent wherein a 3 hour layover is too short.

AN American friend just went through the ordeal of trying to open an Thai account so he can begin accumulating funds for a retirement visa when he turns 50 next year. He stays in Thailand on tourist visas but works only out of the country.

Long story short, he went to literally dozens of branches of every major bank and was consistently turned down until one day a lady at Bank of Ayudaya (sp?) just said "Yes" and opened a passbook account with debit card...I think he paid a B300 fee but that may not be accurate.

Moral of the story is "NO" until somebody says "Yes". Just a question of perseverance and luck but it can be done.

I figure it costs on average about B100/day to air condition my 60 s/m studio using an 18,000 Samsung inverter unit. There is one lengthwise, south facing wall that can get warm to the touch. Some months are 200-300 over B3000, some 200-300 less. I run it about 16 to 20 hours most days.

Seems to me a reasonable price to pay for the comfort it provides.

Curious to the opinion of others. If I'm going out and know I will return in under 2 hours, I usually leave my AC on, 27 degrees, low fan. I figure the cost of re-cooling the room would equal or surpass the cost of leaving it on.

Agree or disagree?

Sorry dddave but this just isn't true. Their is no problem renewing your policy after 70. I will be 72 in July and I just got my renewal notice a few days ago. I didn't like the rate increase. Check a thread I started a few days ago for other details, BUPA $$

I did not say "could not renew existing policies", I said persons over 70 have "difficulty" renewing. Huge increases in annual premiums to maintain a policy seems to me to represent a significant difficulty for anybody living on a fixed income.

The Songkran scene in Phra Khanong is much quieter than other parts of the city. It's mostly confined to the street corners of residential sois with few water laden pick-up's prowling around. Enclosing phones, wallets and especially your passport in Zip-lock bags is a good precaution. There is a small Max Value grocery store down the block on the left as you face your hotel where you can buy the zip bags as well as snacks and groceries.

As you have not moved here yet, you should also be considering what kind of environment you will be living in here before making decisions on your audio set-up. Many condos are built with scant attention to sound transmittal. unit to unit. Poured concrete ceilings & floors can carry sounds like a drum head...especially heavy base notes. Houses in a majority of housing estates are also usually crowded together with thin, un-insulated walls. Playing music a levels you are accustomed to in your current listening environment may not be possible here in Thailand without the risk of problems with neighbors.

Certainly, a proper sound room could probably be set up, though at possibly considerable expense but if that were the case, you would want to have the option of tailoring the equipment to the room; far simpler, I would think, than tailoring the room to existing equipment.

I use mine for International purchases with no problems. I have even used it in ATMs in foreign countries. Did you get a card with a chip or without? I'm pretty sure the ones with a chip cannot be used internationally.

The chips work in all modern atms that are equipped to handle them, I had never a problem in eastern Europe or Hong Kong etc

3rd world places like Cambodia or small towns in Indonesia will be a bit more hit and miss as upgrading the atm maybe a few more years there....

Third world place such as the USA as well. US banks have been very slow to adopt debit card chip technology. Before BkB replaced my previous card with a chip card last year, I was always able to withdraw from major bank ATM in the US. When I tried last week at several major bank ATM's in Boston, it was denied every time.

For online purchases using the BkB debit card, I use a Thai based PayPal account and tie the card to that. No need to fund the Paypal account in advance, it debits the account directly at the time of purchase.

Most of us enjoy a lot of the banter which occurs on here

But Posts and responses like these make TV extra worthwhile

I've often wondered what it costs to use fans......we have them running throughout the day....aircon costs would be a bonus too, if anyone knows.....we seldom use them......my electric bill is 4,700 baht a month as it is

Thanks to everyone who contributed ??

mine is thb 800 and i thought i was paying too much.

great post and great replies, thb 7 a 24 hour day for a massive comfort is really good value.

Have you ever been in rooms so hot that the fans blow hot air and make things worse? That starts happening in the 30's (°C) and particularly with high humidity.

I can't see the point in suffering. Even heavy air con use will only cost a couple of thousand baht extra per month. It's worth it to enjoy a nice cool environment... just cool enough not to sweat with help from well positioned fans. I run mine at 26 - 27°C or 25°C when exercising. I didn't come here to suffer.

When I had my new Samsung converter AC installed last year, both the salesman and installer stressed not setting the thermostat for over 25 degrees. "Over 25 degrees not good for unit" both repeated several times but lacked the language skills to explain why. I wondered if it had to do with reduced capability to deal with high humidity but was never able to find a reliable explanation. Has anybody else been told this? I normally set mine at 26 degrees and move the air with fans. It puts out a lot of water, easily a full standard bucket over 12 hours so de-humidification does not seem an issue.

I live in Phra Khanong. Your best option is a taxi. No need to take expressway at noon, Rama-9 does fine, fare somewhere around B250. He can also charge B50 airport fee.

You can also take the Airport Rail Link which has been running fine lately. Go 4 stops to Rhamkhamheng station. After exiting the fare gates do not go downstairs to the street. Walk to the left side and down to the overhead walkway that crosses Rhamkhamheng to the NasaVegas Hotel. Cabs are easily flagged down where you get off the escalator. That is the direction you will need to go. When your taxi turns onto Sukhumvit from Sukhumvit 71, it will need to pass the hotel on the right side and go almost to Ekkamai to make a U-turn to get on the correct side. If you only have a light bag or backpack, you can alight at the BTS stop and cross using the station but it is 50 steps up and 50 back down.

Taking the ARL/Taxi will only save you about B150...not really worth it if you have bags. Taxi all the way better by far.

I tried some clothing exporting to England 10 years ago. A friend had a daughter already in the clothing business and she really liked some items we sent her.

It is really difficult for a number of reasons but three of the biggest are getting a repeat supply of a particular item or style, getting the material you are paying for like 100% cotton (big joke) and getting consistent European sizes.

For the most part, less expensive clothing manufactured here is done on a lot by lot basis. A small factory will get a good price on a run of a particular material and make several lots of a particular design. When the material is gone, the design is done. If your export customers want more, you are stuck trying to source the material which very well might not exist any more and even if you find some, shops will charge you twice as much as you originally paid to replicate the pattern. There is simply no consistency of supply.

Sizes are a huge pain in the posterior. Shops unfailingly cut small and often mix parts. In one shipment of 300 dresses, we had to discard 40% as unsalable.

Material? Unless you have a portable testing lab, you will never be sure you are getting the material you were promised. We could never be sure our content labels were accurate which made it impossible to sell to larger retailers.

Unfortunately, India has a very high rate of hospital acquired infections according to an article in India Medical Times. A bit of Googling confirms this.

With an elective surgery such as knee replacement, hospital acquired infections are a big risk factor and a hospitals infection rate should factor into a prospective patients decision.

As far as surgery goes I have experience replacing a torn ACL and a partially torn PCL in my right knee.

I've had my surgery done back in the states by the Dr. of the New York Giants.

I have been in contact with Dr. Ongart Preuttiphat - a close friend of mine who has just completed his training in America and is now one of the top orthopedic surgeons in Thailand.

It's not cheap at a private hospital, but if you have the right insurance good for you, but for those who need any surgeries in Thailand having the right insurance is very important.

Hope all goes well!

Cheers!

Hardly a need for insurance if you jet off for two hours to a place that is medical tourists number 1 India. Not in the market (yet) for TKR ,swimming was my bag when young,but had op there on knee /leg some 5 years ago when quoted in Thailand at $20000 ,had it done and dusted for $700

Heres one ad ,probably cheaper hospitals doing them,one doing them for £800 but you have to choose and buy the knee joint separately

"The cost of Single Knee Replacement in India 6500 USD in a Single Deluxe Room at GNH Hospitals, Gurgaon, India using FDA approved Zimmer / Stryker Implants

The Cost of Bilateral (Both) Knee Replacement in India is 10000 USD in a Single Deluxe Room at GNH Hospital, Gurgaon, India using FDA approved Zimmer / Stryker Implants"

Imagine that was a pretty bad frickin' way to die, as your gang buddies watch, unwilling to take you to a hospital to save their own skins.

It was probably pretty quick actually. Probably at least an ounce of dope in each condom. More likely a sudden powerful seizure quickly leading to unconsciousness.

There is a MacIntosh outlet in Siam Paragon, B&O and Marantz as well, all close to the Bently/Lamborgini display. No accident there.

There have been previous topics in this forum pointing out reputable and skilled repair shops so they do exist. I seem to recall one being mentioned that was on a side soi close to Fortune Tower...anybody?

Speaking of Fortune Tower....there is at least one shop there selling used hi-end audio gear.