womble

Bangkok is not expensive, certain goods and services are, but it all depends where you come from originally, as that is where your comparisons are made. Also many of us do not use $ as a comparison as that is not our currency, feel sorry for those that it is though.

I come from London and to me pretty much everything is cheap, real cheap. Except imported goods.

I live in Samui, but I think 70-100k for an apartment in a central area such as Sukhumvit is cheap, real cheap. Try get something like that in central London you'll be looking a long time.

Seafood meal at Somboon seafood is a bargain.... http://www.somboonseafood.com/index_en.html (just seen something really funny, go to their website and click on reccommended, then scroll down and read the reviews, some are bad reviews- LMAO)

Compare that to seafood in Hong Kong, London etc.

Education - 15,000USD is a bargain for private school, UK would be 12,000 pounds + for private schooling (a decent one anyway).

You can live cheap in Bangkok, but there is so much more to spend your $ on.

Hospitals, I have been very impressed with Bumrungrad, I had two operations there and thought the care was first class, certainly better than NHS back home, and considerably cheaper than private in UK, + nice bonus of pretty nurses that are actually friendly and not some scowling old Irish hag.

I think the only area of real estate that still has some real interest is commercial, ie. resort on beach or ringroad parcels suitable for large scale service sector projects (big C, Mackro etc.).

These type of investors are in it for the long run and not speculators, they know Thailand/samui has strong fundamentals, and with long leases or property obtained freehold, they are no doubt still making sound investments.

I personally believe the residential market is over supplied, and many prospected clients will be scared of for quite a long time.

The commercial sector is being driven by domestic demand mostly, but also large corps that have BOT backing.

Different kettle of fish to the usual samui developer/speculator that are half the reason for the bubble that looms (although with a bit of luck the election will bring about another boom, although on a smaller scale.)

I'm not in the business but sold a piece of land I own recently. I think generally things are going very slowly and won't pick up until after the election.

I think real estate agents and developers often try to paint a rosy picture for obvious reasons.

We are about to find out that the UK legal system is as ineffective against Thaksin as Thailand's.

English never miss a chance to lecture Thais on democracy and this and that - let's see if they can also walk the walk. So far their reaction is no different from Thailand's just before Thaksin's first elections.

In both cases there was an upcoming leader/saviour with a murky past and looming court cases that could really complicate legal matters. In Thailand population at large trusted that Thaksin would bring good fortunes and prove that his intentions are genuine, opposing voices were dismissed as a nuisance. English are just the same - they are walking into the same trap retracing exactly the same steps.

I hope Thaksin speeds things up this a little - fast forward to the end, we've seen this show already, it's boring.

If it's so boring why does this thread have 35 pages?

in Jan gulf and andaman same same..........

Dry, Cool, usually sunny.

It's the best month to visit anywhere in Thailand.

hi , does any one have any info on some popular hedge funds operating in asia , has any one used this investment instruments , if so , what are the returns on these asian hedge funds compared to the ones in western markets ,

any info would be highly appreciated ,

If you have to answer such questions I suggest perhaps Hedge Funds are not for you.

Hi Womble,

Can you give any tips on catching Dodtooth tuna? Reliable info has it that there is a school of 30-40 of these beasts hanging around a pinnacle near Koh tao. Here is a photo of one of them. http://www.taatohdivers.com/images/r_pics/DogToothTuna.jpg

We tried there a few days ago and apart from a huge rainbow runner, of which we only caught the head after the sharks had done their bit, and a marlin which ran around a mooring line, nothing. We were trying with live plaa thu with metal leader. Lots of websites show pics of them caught in the dark.

Jigging works well, and livebait should work too, try using a bigger livebait, maybe a rainbow runner. Usually for jigging you want a bit of depth for daytime, maybe 30m+. When you jig make sure you do it fast, the faster you jig the more you catch.

A deadly method for dogtooths is night jigging. You need some powerful lights under the boat, this will bring in the dogtooths, jig under the lights, try all depths, i've had them follow and take right near the surface before. A good method is dropping it too the bottom, then pointing the tip of the rod at the jig and winding as fast as possible till it's at the top, then let it back down fast, and make sure you feel the line as they often take on the drop.

I've never heard of a dogtooth caught around this area, small ones in phuket, but never any this side. I guess all the reefs are fished out, they are the first thing to dissapear from the reefs unfortunatley.

I have loads of jigging gear (3 set ups) and also 2 x hydroglow lights + a shed load of jigs and all other terminal tackle needed. How far is the seamount from Tao, how long would it take to get there?

I might be up for a trip if I have time.

has anyone tried saltwater fly fishing on Samui??

I often fish small soft plastic lures around samui on a light leader of around 6lb. Rocky areas are best, but one area I have found that may have potential is in Bang Rak. During low tide you can see a sand flat that becomes exposed, it is surrounded by rock. Fishing over the rocks with just under waist depth produced around 10 small grouper, when I say small I mean small, too small to eat.

You could eigher use the same type of soft plastic lure on a fly rod or try a pattern similar to a grub soft platic lure with a long tail.

No, even if they do arrive, the time to study it is insufficient.

From BBC website:-

A leading human rights group has written to the Premier League to challenge Thaksin Shinawatra's right to own Manchester City.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims Thaksin is "a human rights abuser of the worst kind" and should not have passed the league's 'fit and proper person' test.

Thaksin, the Thai prime minister from 2001 to 2006, denies the allegations.

Regards

Link :- Fit & Proper

This is becoming big news back home.

I think this is gonna snowball.

right thats it ,a cheap condo for me it is!

at 8.75% for USD, + exchange rate i'd hardly call it cheap!

eh?

Positive and stable GDP growth over the next 5 years, stable currency, low inflation, low interest rates.

Ah well, if you're going to quote selectively, then so will I:

public opposition to the military's hold on power is growing, and this could provoke the military into taking repressive action and prolonging its hold on power.

if there are signs of slippage in the military's schedule for returning power to democratically elected politicians, relations with the US, the EU and Australia could turn frosty.

this concept centres on moderate consumption, sustainable investment and the bolstering of the economy's resilience to external shocks, it remains unclear how it will be implemented. Moreover, there is no certainty that the next government will continue with this policy approach.

the bank's recent efforts to reduce upward pressure on the baht by imposing draconian capital controls have damaged its reputation.

The current account will move into deficit in 2008, and will remain in negative territory for the remainder of the forecast period.

The strength of the baht vis-a-vis the US dollar will also hamper export-competitiveness.

I guess it all depends if you're a "glass half empty" vs. "glass half full" person.

nice!

As I read it that article is actually mostly negative.

I consider it Road Tax. Just pay, smile and enjoy.

Surely you're joking, I don't mind paying when I do something wrong, but dangerous games by greedy cops who are too lazy to get bribes by stopping those who commit offenses is unacceptable.

The standard of driving is so poor it wouldn't be too difficult to catch people who are actually breaking road rules rather than put in danger those that are following them.

No wonder people hate the BIB here.

The tsunami warning system is just another fiasco.

False alarms and shoddy maintenence practices will ensure the system will not be effective when the next tsunami hits.

Unlikley any system put in now or in the next ten years will still be effective when the next tsunami hits Thailand, particulary when it's quite likely that it won't happen for 1000's of years.

The first part of Blackbeard is being shown this Monday night at 10pm Thai time.

In the past week I have made the mistake of honking and then looking at two male thai drivers that were about to hit me. Then they kept <deleted> with me and wanted me to pull over. Even though they were in the wrong in the first place they do not want it pointed out, I guess they have lost face or some sh t like that.

It is very hard for me but for mine and my girlfriends safety I am only going to honk if in immediate danger and then not look at them. Thai men will not accept responsibility in this culture. No one takes responsibility in this culture because no one points out when something is wrong. Just "yes..yes" so then nothing ever gets fixed or done right because nothing is ever wrong!

Paul, you notice when they do a mistake whilst driving, they never make eye contact.

Spot on!

I hate the taxi, songteaw and mini buses. They are a rip off, the yellow taxis are definatley the worst offender though.

One major problem is there are too many of them. Just look at chaweng high street, 50% of the cars are taxi's or songteaw, constantly beeping horns, stopping in the middle of the road, not pulling over.

If there were less yellow cabs and the all used the meter, they would make better $ and the roads would be less congested especially in chaweng where less songtaews where they ply most of their trade

Good place too stay is The BJ Hotel,nice and clean,and only 450 baht a night.Big car park,and near too river for the old seafood resturants etc.

Fone number is 077-217411

Hope this helps

What does BJ stand for I wonder .....

Barawan Jaranatup you dirty old man

LMAO

only very few leuk krung can make it to TV, only the ones with talent compare with the number of leuk krung in thailand...

Rubbish, seems to me most people on TV in Thailand are there for looks not talent.

driving down tomorrow from Pattaya and need to find a hotel in Surat Thani as we will not be there early enough to catch the ferry - any recommondations? thanks

100 islands hotel. it is the nuts. it is cheap and is also a spa resort only up 2 800 or min 600 per night.it is right oposite tescos. on the main raod.

best hotel in surat. if it was the same prices there as in same and aame hotel it would be the best on the island but that hotel on samui price would rise into the sky.

also if u can get a taxi driver to locate the seatran office in surat. then you can book your ticket in the citry. then crues into donsak. if u have time on your ticket can stockm up at the big C on the orner cheaper stuff there than tescos.

the sea tran office is. .... if you are coming past tescos youget right down the road about 4 kms. you have the bigs C on your left . you do a left and the seatran office is on the left hand side about 1 km down.

if you are coming from donsak to surrathani then you go past big C whih should be onyour left and carry on going straight.

better if yu book the night before. alternativly if you have a thai. or the lady at reception can do it is ring sea tran then book over the phone then pay thpugh bank of ayudya 077 25 11 50

Thats the place I meant, next to Hoy Yai seafood restaurant, sign is in Thai though for the restaurant. Stay there and eat there, defo the best hotel in Surrat, all the other hotels are typical provincial town hotels, 100 islands is a bit more of a boutique style place, and great value.

own thread as the Phangan recommendations will get hidden amongst all of the samui ones...

Perhaps a seperate thread for Phangan and Tao together.

Not sure if it's in the samui thread, but Dr Frogs is pretty good, great view accross the bay, nicer view than the cliff and I thought better food too. Also a decent bar for a few drinks after the meal.

Defo worth a visit.

Nearly always Thai on Thai when it comes to late night drunken shootings, guns + booze = bad combo. Crossfire is a problem though sometimes.

But I think......

No need to change your habits, unless ofcourse you hire a car instead of a bike as if anything is more likely to save your life in samui as that.

From what I have seen the complex is still very much under construction, unless they have other areas outside of the main campus. The area that is being developed now could not hold any classes at this time, it'll be a good few months away I think.

i've no idea if the product is good or shoddy , to me its just another condo on just another golf course , they are springing up like mushrooms all over the place these days.

i doubt if joe cole or david beckham or her out of east enders or big brother will ever set foot in these purchases , their agents and their friends and their families will probably be giving them an occasional airing.

but the using of a name like joe cole by the marketing manager to talk up the product surely signifies some desperation , joe cole ? joe shmole.......... even in the deepest canyons of a marketing managers brain there must lurk one or two functioning brain cells that realise that these days , cashed up premiership footballers represent some of the most superficial and tasteless beings on the planet , why would anyone want to associate their product with one ? let alone credit them with bringing kudos to a whole town.

i think jo swain has gone troppo , she needs to get out of the sun.

Agreed, us that live here or anyone that has done some investigation would see straight through this, but...............

there are many that do not carry out due dilligence and a name like that could be enough to get pen to paper for them,

particulary from the asian market, I reckon it's good marketing, desperate for sure, but good none the less.

If you look at the marketing angles now compared to this time last year, they are greatly diminished, and this has without doubt had

IMPACT

Desperate times call for desperate (and expensive) measures.

Jo Swain, Lersuang Group’s sales & marketing manager, says Cole’s recognition of Hua Hin as a holiday destination will benefit the town as a whole: “The football star’s draw to Hua Hin Country Club and ownership of a holiday Penthouse apartment at the development in the area signifies Hua Hin’s evolvement to become a lifestyle destination has been a successful one.”

Jo Swain is a lady I believe, just doing her job, should she as a marketer be keeping it quiet that the mega-famous are purchasing their properties.

Besides its supply and demand so quotes like "overdeveloped market" and "overpriced" don't really mean anything, he paid that price - they sold at that price, thats what its worth!

marketing is what you do when your product is no good.

No.......

Marketing is what you do to any product to give an edge over your competitors.

It certainly doesn't only take place when the product is shoddy. (which is what you are implying tax)

Quite possibly the developement itself is sound......

The actual local investment market however......................

Well........

we all have our own theories on that.