dddave

If you are in Bangkok and don't mind a bit of exploring, there is a sort of secret Japanese Scotch bar off Suk. Soi 33. It is on one of the right hand sub-sois; either the 1st or 2nd as I remember and is unmarked but you can ask around. It is a gem of a place inside, a very classic whisky bar, expensive but with imaginative complementary little snacks served between rounds.

They may or may not let you in; dress well.

If you do appreciate fine Japanese scotches...this place is heaven and well worth the effort.

Thanks Ddave. I might use a Japanese proxy. Do you know if they would sell by the bottle? Rare as hens teeth these days and I love just having a bottle at home.

OB

I was a guest there more than five years ago. It was a very good night but recollections beyond that are a bit foggy. As it is a bar, I doubt they sell bottles for off-premises consumption. They had an amazing selection of vintage and rare Scotches, wouldn't be a bad place to be a regular...if you have deep pockets.

There is a real estate listing for sale: "Hole in One Bar & Restaurant", mentions 14 rooms Pattaya 3rd Rd.

A month or so back in the Home Country usually alleviates the condition for a while but it tends to be chronic.

http://tezza-thailandbeachesandislands.blogspot.com/

Been recommended on this forum too many times to count. Absolutely the most authoritative and unbiased Thailand beach and island resource.

Odd issue with my GF's tablet running Android 4.4. When she opens the picture gallery, the thumbnails on grid view are vibrating for some reason and I cant find a way to stop it. Not a big deal but it's annoying and must be draining the battery.

Anybody encounter this before? Fixes??

If you are in Bangkok and don't mind a bit of exploring, there is a sort of secret Japanese Scotch bar off Suk. Soi 33. It is on one of the right hand sub-sois; either the 1st or 2nd as I remember and is unmarked but you can ask around. It is a gem of a place inside, a very classic whisky bar, expensive but with imaginative complementary little snacks served between rounds.

They may or may not let you in; dress well.

If you do appreciate fine Japanese scotches...this place is heaven and well worth the effort.

Be sure to carefully read the first paragraph of this article on cleaning computer screens:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/240921/how_to_clean_your_laptop_or_lcd_monitor.html

Best is to try private sale though you will hear from many scammers on Craigslist. Most shops in MBK. the largest phone marketplace will only want to pay 1/3rd of value. You'd be lucky to get B3000 from them. Phones get old fast these days.

You might have more luck trying neighborhood phone shops. A friend was selling a Samsung tablet she had won as a prize and didn't want. She went to a neighborhood phone shop and got a very good price...about 2/3 retail. In this case, it was unused and in perfect condition with all packaging but it still might be worth wandering around a bit. It will help if you have the original box and packing materials.

Why not try the free classifieds on ThaiVisa?

When shopping in small mom & pop hardware stores where conveying what you want can be difficult, I just put a picture of what I want on my phone and show them...easy.

Is it actually permitted to mention or recommend other forums on TV? I think if I do; ( there are a few smaller good ones), the hammer will come down.

Klong Toei market is huge and intimidating. If you don't mind going 4 stops on the BTS, Phra Khanong has a very good wet market, not as large as Klong Toei but with a very good selection of fruits and vegetables, herbs, fresh fish and meats, all for prices much lower than supermarkets. Goods are well displayed and the area is kept clean. not bad at all to walk around. Open daily from before dawn to evening.

You don't need to speak Thai...just point to what you want and they will show price on a calculator display.

Directions: BTS to Phra Khanong station. Take Exit #3 to street, walk in the direction of traffic 300 m. to the intersection with Sukhumvit 71. Continue across "71" and keep walking about 150 meters more until you see ZENITH Condominium on your left. There is a 7-11 on the ground floor. Turn left just past it into the market. Many good fruit sellers right there. For vegetables, walk straight and take first right...lined with vegetable sellers. When you get to the end turn left, then left again and come back up...again, many vegetable, fish and meat vendors. At the top turn left and you will be back at Sukhumvit.

From Sukhumvit Asok area, you can also take the #38, #48, #2, #511 buses straight up Sukhumvit and get off at the bus stop right in front of the Zenith condo. Bus stop for return is on opposite side of footbridge.

Just be sure any Sony Z-5 localized for Thailand covers whatever the bandwidth is you'll need in Canada. With 4G, it's getting complicated.

Sorry, no idea if or where they are being sold in Thailand.

The Chinese phones such as One Plus, Xiaomi, Lenovo, ect are good but they lack the polish of the high end Samsungs, LG's and especially Apple.

I've owned several Lenovo's and a few others and while they generally do the job, there seems a constant presence of little problems, especially with underlying Chinese apps that seem to appear out of nowhere and defy attempts to get rid of them. Poorly translated messages and warnings leave the user scratching their heads wondering what they mean and finding the source of unwanted notifications can be a challenge. Lenovo's seem to get a lot of unwanted apps constantly trying to install themselves.

It really can take a while to figure one of these phones out...if ever.

Often too, specs aren't what they say, especially regarding battery power and camera resolution. GPS in many MediaTec processors is very poor although it has recently improved according to press reports. I have also had dual SIM and WiFi problems with Lenovo's.

Though not an Apple fan, I can understand why people pay big bucks for I-phones. They are seamless, slick and do what you want done with little fuss and bother. Take one out of the box and in five minutes you know almost everything you need to know to make use of it.

Though Samsung's share the Android complexity of the Chinese phones, they too are slick, very appealing devices. Their displays are the best around and performance is always near the top. A friend has the new Note-5 and it is truly a beautiful piece of hardware and I fully understand those who can afford it, buying it.

The new Xiaomi's, One Plus's, Jiayu's ect. may come close in certain areas and hit the high Antutu benchmark scores but none that I have yet seen has the full package like the Samsung Note-5 or Galaxy S6.

All that said; I will happily spend $200 for a phone that does what I need with maybe a few hiccups rather than $600++ for transitory perfection.

Earlier this year I asked for advice on this forum about the which internet music service to choose. RDIO was the most recommended and once I learned how to use it and understood it's process, I really liked it.

Now, according to this article:http://www.theverge.com/2015/11/17/9750890/rdio-shutdown-pandora I will have to find a new one. Too bad.

I imagine the next few years will see a lot of once high flying apps in crowded categories sort down and disappear. Turning users into revenue sources is a tough challenge and there are too many apps that do the same thing. Anybody remember "MY SPACE"??

Just like the Philippines, many Thai bus stations are infested with touts who will try to sell you overpriced tickets on substandard buses. They have too many various stories and spiels to list; just ALWAYS buy from a ticket window.

If you GOOGLE "Bangkok-Chang Mai buses" and read a bit, you will get a pretty good idea of what is available.

Souvenir stalls along Beach and 2nd Rd. have them as well as auto accessory shops.

Never get into a Bangkok Taxi and ask "How much to XXXX?'...the quote will invariable be in the drivers favor. The only exception to this is when going a very long distance...like from Bangkok to Pattaya. This does not apply to non-metered public conveyances such as Tuk-Tuks and moto taxis. With those, determine the price beforehand.

I have a Thai female friend who lived in the US for 25 years and recently returned to Thailand. Her Thai frequently gets discombobulated and she gets funny looks and sometimes rude remarks. She finds the hardest part is not thinking like a Thai in casual conversation...not knowing the common vernacular and idioms and mannerisms.

She also gets frustrated by the constant awareness of social standing in how Thais address one another and how unbelievably snobby, dismissive and rude Thais can be to whoever they consider to be an inferior. She said she hates having to be constantly on her guard not to address colleagues at her workplace too informally as they easily get their noses out of joint.

Four or five years ago the Bangkok Post profiled the founder of Oishi. He started with a single noodle cart in Yarowat. I believe the original founder of what became Red Bull also came from humble origins in Thailand.

Many of Bangkok's most successful restaurants began as small pushcarts or stalls. The very large and famous "Op Aroi" seafood restaurant in Town in Town started as a street stall 20 years ago. I'm sure the family that operates it has become very wealthy.

You could also have inadvertently been subscribed to some pay services like "Calling Melody" or other such garbage. Have AIS check for any unwanted services.

Don't automatically assume that AIS Customer Service will blow you off. I've found them to be very helpful almost any time I have had an issue.

Several years ago, a friend riding a canal boat got splashed in the face with canal water. Within days, he developed a severe eye infection that took six months to resolve and ultimately cost him more than half his vision in one eye.

Very scary.

A paramount issue not mentioned in the OP is the sprawl of squatter communities along the canal banks. Household sewage from these communities drains directly into the canal. Most of these communities are more than a century old and politically very difficult to regulate or eliminate and trying to relocate the residents would be a nightmare.

It can be done. Over the last ten years, the SRT was able to clear many of the squatter communities that lined the railroad tracks leading out of the city and relocate the residents but it cost them a bundle.

Two years?? I doubt it.

A number of years ago, a British friend and I tried selling locally (Pattaya) made overcoats in the UK via E-bay. What we eventually discovered was there is extensive cross-ownership of most Pattaya tailor shops; different members of large, extended Indian families. One tailor shop will use any number of wholesale suppliers to make whatever you order depending on what you order. Quality from a single shop can vary widely depending on who actually does the work and the material they have on hand often does not exactly match the material you viewed in the shop. One time we ordered 40 overcoats, same material and style in a variety of sizes. What we got was all over the place...different materials, cut, wide variations within sizes, ect. It was a mess and not long after, we got out of the business.

Most of the workers/sales people you will see are usually Bangladeshi, not Indians. They work much cheaper.

As a general rule, established shops in upmarket hotels are more likely to provide better quality garments but don't expect bargain prices.

Chlorpheniramine

My local pharmacy sells this under the brand "CET-TEC"

​Indeed; does cause drowsiness.

For electrolytes, Oreda is one brand of many sold by pharmacy's and 7-11's. Most of the energy drinks in the beverage case will also do.

One easy and natural source: coconut water from green coconuts sold on the street everywhere in Thailand.

There is a small, duty free shop area at baggage claim; mostly ciggies, booze and perfume.

I really doubt this.

I take taxis from Swampy all the time.

No driver has ever tried to molest me.