pyros

Well , i tell you a true story . I just came back from Thailand and a long time friend ( only from holiday , different country then mine ) got married to a girl from Isaan . ( dont't tell where the friend is from , neither where the marriage took place , because i do not want anyone reading this can figure out all the details ) . In any case , the marriage was fine , however i had my doubts in the first place , a: about her and b: the sinsod paid was very high according her age and background . Since the marriage took a few hours and i speak enough Thai to understand big parts of what they are speaking , i like to stroll around and near the Thais . I spoke to her sister , and it appears to be that the girls Thai husband walked into the party , claiming in english that he was the cousin .... yeah right . So , i know who is the Thai husband off her and he was allways near the "just married"couple a few feet behind . Off course , he doesn't know anything , he speaks 5 words off Thai and i wouldn't tell him . Better friend then me told him before that it wasn't a very good idea . In any case , i wonder how long it will take before they get a divorce ??? Probably , until his money run's out or she has made enough money on her own outside the country and she want's to go back but without him . Hey ... it was very obvious , knowing a few words of Thai and listening to her speach in Thai . The words that she loves him never came out , only that he took very good care of her .

I mean , how many people get married to a Thai girl , from a different world , without speaking full Thai at all and without the will to understand how their culture is . How can you ever want this to be true ??? My opinion , 99% of all farang /Thai marriages who end up in a divorce are the fault of the farang . Probably , 80% or so of Thai farang marriages are like that .

This sounds nice to me . Everything back to where it was in 2005 ... I don't think it will happen ever again but maybe a bit of the charm can come back. Since i'm not there right now i cannot judge but i'm always going in february , june/july and octobre/november (which basically are all low season ) , as as far i have seen it it has gone down a little bit but not huge . In fact , it is still a lot higher then in 2004 pre tsunami . The prices are now at Phuket level and this makes compatition more difficult . Also , not to forget , it isn't hard to go to Cambodia and Vietnam which are now at a level of Thailand 10 years back or something . And prices up there , well , you can figure it out for yourself . Thry to remember why Thailand became a holiday estination and you will see that many of those thing are gone and are around now in Cambodia and Vietnam . Building a Mediteranian coastline maybe serves a lot of costumers at the same time but does not have any charm or grace or level of relaxation . Too much commerce will ruin business .... small scale and big scale .

BTW i agree also on the comments of other posts here , every year same same , low season ..les costumers and they think the world is over and done while in fact it is the same like every year .

Well another 3 weeks for me and i will figure it out myself , can't wait.....

The Dutch guy is wrong . I'm from Belgium , which is as you know , very close to Holland . We in Belgium do got a lot of dikes also for protection agains floods . They still occur but a lot less often !!! This is a very important statement which i will explain . In Belgium or Holland we have rain ... yes sometimes a lot ... ( very very dry this year ) but this is happening in long periods of time . I mean it starts to rain , sometimes hard ... then less then harder ....etc etc etc ... for long periods of time . Most of the flash floods in Thailand happen due to very very very strong rainfall in short time . There is no way any dikesystem can prevent that ( within reasonable costs , same in Holland/Belgium where they also have flood area's ). To much water in to less time brings on flash floods , in Thailand and in Holland also . It aren't the rivers which give the floods in many cases or the sea neither ( in Holland/ Belgium it is ) , it just does not have enough time to get to the river . BTW i don't call wet feet a flash flood ....

Hi ,

I'm going to Thailand in 2 weeks and i will be visiting Pattaya for sure . Since i'm looking for a real Omega watch and i don't really want to go to Bkk unless needed ( i know there are a few real shops there ) , i am looking for an adress of a real Omega dealer in the Pattaya area . I'm pretty sure there must be 1 but i don't really know where ... Does somebody here knows one ??? I'not interested in fakes or replica's , allthough some are nice and i have a few at home but i want the real stuff . thx for any help ...

We seam to agree all on this ... copying isn't good but in some cases it should be allowed . I'd like to add , if they copy it , for their people , because otherwise it would be impossible to buy it , the government together with the original company need to control the complete process . That is , the making and distribution , in which they can see that the product goes to the right people ...

Depending on the type , you should have 1 for 3000 Bht if you go for 1 month .That price is most common for long time rentals ...

There is no difficulty at all making the beverage like coca cola or pepsi or any other brand . The thing is that if you use the same formula , i will still taste different because you do not know or cannot use the same manufacturing data. To this you also have to add that if you use the same mix , u are more then probably breaking the law ( patent ) and where is the value of this product ( i mean , people like the original and the brandname , sothey use that ) .

With drugs there is another thing . It is much harder to make , but the formula itself is allways known. There are allways several ways to make a kind of chemical , one more productive then the other but still ... The profit is there , and nobody cares about what brand they are getting if the product is the same .

Now there is allways a thing to remember , the company making the product in the 1st place , did all the research and did the NDA which is very expensive . The copier doesn't have to do that so their costs are a lot lower .

So for me the copying of medicines is not fantastic ( a very big downturn in the long run ) but is also very acceptable in some cases ... like this .

Yes , what about non-cig or alcohol items . Example, i have for my going to thailand 9 cellphones ( GSM) with me for repair . I guess it is impossible to say that they are mine and i'm bringin them inside the country so it could cause a problem or not ???? Also , how about taking sigaettes out Thailand ??? I think this is never a problem , it is only the going in which is , or am i wrong .

I doubt you would have a problem with bringing "broken" mobile phones into Thailand, although you may have to prove that they are indeed 'not working' which may result in you being delayed at the airport for some time.

Ok , thx for the reply . No worries then because obviously i can prove they do not work . Well , it is actually 10 mobiles now , 7 brokedown for repair , and 3 ( including mine ) working which i plan to sell and have 1 new model in place . I hink it shouldn't be a problem but you'll never know . I never been searched in Thailand costums before , not even looked at so i didn't worry at all but with reading this amount off fines ... wow that is a lot and it would ruin my holiday . i don't carry more then 1 pack of sig's withme , and that is 20 sigarettes , not the box with 200 . Nor do i carry any amount of alcohol .So the only problem can be the cellphones ., not really worried anymore but still ....

Yes , what about non-cig or alcohol items . Example, i have for my going to thailand 9 cellphones ( GSM) with me for repair . I guess it is impossible to say that they are mine and i'm bringin them inside the country so it could cause a problem or not ???? Also , how about taking sigaettes out Thailand ??? I think this is never a problem , it is only the going in which is , or am i wrong .

What are the things i see here ???? Everybody was familiar with the old rules , they were confusing and difficult sometimes but somebody knew how they worked . Now they are new so everybody has to figure them out . ...probably going to take a while , but then it is business as usual again , like somebody said here before . However i see big , very big problems for Thai economy in the near future . The housing market will have a serious rumble . You can say , it is only a small part and you are true but these are up market values as farangs do not buy ( build ) small wooden houses . Tourist industry is in the rough water allready and this will not make it better . I mean , Malaysia sure wants a piece of the big pie in this industry , samelike many other countries in this region ( Vietnam , Cambodia ..... ) and they will certainly attrct more pople if Thailand stays in the news like it is now . It doesn't really matter for the 2 week holidaymaker but for somebody who wants something in the future , they are going to look at the other countries around . According to investment bankers and money traders , TBH is seriously overvalued and with all this going on we can see a big crash coming... look at the signs ....

THX for the replies .

I know that overstaying is not good . It is however indeed 31 days , leaving on the 31st day . I'll be arriving on the 21st october and leaving on 20th november . I just take the gamble and go to immigration once i'm inside thailand , let's say after 2 or 3 weeks holiday . Probably they fine me for 500 bath , not really a problem i guess . Even the lady from the embassy said to me that she did not really know what the best thing is for me .... so i go with the flow .... no problem i hope ... i'm a relaxed person and if you just go to them in a humble way they probably be very willing to help you .... together with the 500 bath ...

I think I saw it posted at the (old) airport that a one-day overstay is not charged. It is still noted as an overstay, but not charged.

Be certain you are calculating your days correctly, too. Your arrival date is day #1, even if you arrive at 2230h (1130pm).

So i won't be in any trouble then and just go like this . Actually my first day of arrival is at around 7am and i'm leaving the country on day 31 at .... 2:30 AM .... maybe with the new airport being open they open the check-in earlier as they did before so i can get through costums before midnight ... . Otherwise , like it has always been for me it is at 00:30 or 1:00 am before i get to the costum area ... so i won't get trouble .... thx ...

I contacted the Thai ebassy here and they also said to me that they do not know what is the best option for me but there won't be any trouble ... she thought . So i just take the guess and go the airport early hoping to get through before midnight .... thx ...

Hi , i always go to thailand for 1 month . So far it allways went right with gettin out of the country on the last day with a visa on arrival . Now for next time i shall be having 1 day overstay for a voa . Normally i should apply for a 2 month tourist visa but that is more paperwork and costs a lot more then a voa with 1 day overstay ( 500 bath ) . I do not want trouble and my ticket is booked and payed , so they cn be very sure i'm out of the country 1 day too late. Is that a problem or can i just go with voa. and then go to immigration office together with the ticket and pay the fine ???? PS : i'm from Belgium so the VOA rules still apply ... i think ...

Not allowed to possess to much Viagra....

So, why is it still not an offense to sell copy-viagra around Nana and BKK, like it is candy?

Bcause you read it wrong ...

It is illegal as he is not Thai to sell these pills , if you are Thai , no problem ...

I think this wouldn't do any good to tourism , or do i see it wrong ??? I'm guessing but if they are not carefull now and sort this very very quickly Thai economy could end up in a big mess . This together with stricter visa laws , and tightening the foreing companies with houses .... well i see a recipy for disaster coming ....

Definitely not just a gay thing. I've had some stubborn throat issues and gone the antibiotic route with limited success. I started rinsing and gargling with Listerine after brushing my teeth and knock wood the problem seems to have subsided. Not sure if it's gone completely, but I feel better than before for sure.

Listerine isn't enough for me , but it will surely help . I think in Thailand the thing i use is P79 or something like that . I use Listerine every day but it is not enough on some occasions .

Don't know about Thai banks but a lot of banks do it without a problem . Yes , sure off-shore banks do it , but many others do also . First you go to the site and you ask for the subscription and info sheets. They send it to you , you fill all the paperwork and normally they ask for 2 copies of your ID card or pasport ... depending on location etc ... Then you get confirmation and a code . After a couple of days you get another letter with more codes to get inside and do all the things ... ready ...

Throat infection . Gay related... nope but what the hel_l , if you think so ...

I had many throat infections in the past . I mean , some off them were really bad .Many antibiotics and they do not really help . Theni found a cure , without doctorsvisit or heavy medicines or something and even save for children etcetc .... Thrust me ... it will work , and it is everywhere available . Ok : here it is ... Gargle with a mouth desifecting substance and i don't mean mouthwater but a real desinfectent . Look on the package and it must have chlorhexidine 1% inside . Do not swallow it , just it your throat starts hurting , even very bad ( i mean , 1st time i tried it it was this or going antibiotic again because my throat was white and i started to have fever ... so very bad ) gargle it 1 or 2 times a day , When it is not hurting do not use it because your teeth and tongue discolour after long time using it . It is available in every pharmacy , in Thailand but as well in Europe and evrywhere else without prescription . It is available under different names , so only look at the ingredient ... chlorhexidine 1% ... do it and never use antibiotic again for thoat infections ( before 2 or 3 times a year ... last 3 years ... 0 ... none at all ... ) .

Well , everybody knows this . That is why people start a company in the 1st place ( why else would you start 1 ???? , if you can everything in your own name ) . I'm not in development and i don't want to be in development business . I just want to have some kind of business ( like a farm or a shop or something like that ) and a nice house . The profile is always low , i don't have 100 millions to spend and never will have that and a possible income will never be millions of THB . So , i state my question again . Could this new regulation be a problem ???

Now , what exactly does this all mean . I mean , i started a company about 5 months ago , since i want to do something . The something can be various , from shop to farm , together with housing . Last time i was in Thailand i bought a motorbike , company name , because i wanted to see if this was trouble or not ( could have it in own name as you all know ) . Could future plans fall apart or not ( with starting something together with housing , if that was investigated ... well the Thai shareholders off course didn't put any money inside ) . I got time , and i'm not in a rush to do something but if there is some opportunity coming along ... well i would take it , but this could be trouble right ?????

more people, more shady characters and more ripping off , happens everywhere where a lot of tourists are .. not good but that's the way it is .

Sigh...that's not the way it is. This had nothing to do with "shady characters" or ripping anyone off and it had nothing to do with tourists.

The victim, who I will call X, owned five bars and was involved in "black trade" such a drugs and other, unspecified activities. He thought he was pretty big stuff on Lamai and made no bones about letting anyone who was interested know about it. He was not mafia, but was a "wanna be."

One of the boys he had employed got into a knife fight with another youth and later, when the police and the family of the injured boy came, X basically told them to "###### off" as it was nothing and he was a big swinging dick.

The family was upset and some members/friends paid X a visit whereby X again asserted his perceived power, to which the family/friends said, "You are not even from around here."

A week or so later X got a reminder who really rules the roost on home turf in the form of a bullet.

The bar where the shooting occured is empty as the landlord, seeing as dead men don't pay bills, told everyone to scram.

By the way, Pyros, there are a lot of tourists at Yellowstone National Park or the Eiffel Tower, for example, and there are none of your "shady characters and more ripping off." That sort of comment is even extreme for drunken bar talk. Engage the brain before the mouth (or stroking the keyboard).

Well , you can tell me a 1000times that i amwrong but just go ask police or whoever you want . Where are the most places where pickpockets and theft taking place .... yes , on places where a lot of people are together , prefer tourist areas . Where are prices always over the top ???? Yes , tourist places . I don't know about US but in Europe it is true and in Thailand it is true and i guess it is everywhere around the world the same thing . The more tourists , the more shady characters are around . I do not know if this incident has anything to do with that , i don't know .

more people, more shady characters and more ripping off , happens everywhere where a lot of tourists are .. not good but that's the way it is .

Much better deals are available in Phuket:

scooter rental; 125 baht a day.

Beaches are much nicer.

Accommodations more reasonable.

Restaurant staff aren't usually stoned out of their minds like some places in Samui!

Samui you feel really trapped.

Phuket offers a myriad of very good options.

You'd have to pay me to live in Samui.

cut your crap, do you even know what island means? I spent total 120 days in phuket altogather before coming to samui for 20 days for first time only. I swear my god i have met several people who lived in phuket, then moved to samui never wanted to go back, but never met anyone who lived in samui ealier then move to phuket

If you are talking about patong, kamala, kata, ...and surronding, then samui has much better scenery (going north from Phuket to surin, phangna, rannog...where majority thai muslim live has better scenery than samui, but no farang live in those area).

Samui is lot cheaper, you can get nam-som, nam-manoo drink in reagge, green mango for 50 bhat no tourist place can be this cheap, phuket they will screw you nam-som for $120

Shhhtttt ... i'd tried to tell him that allready ... but yes Phuket is much better and cheaper ...yes go to Phuket ... so i can still have my 3 months a year without tooo many tourists around . Maybe not everyone agrees , especially if you have a business but i like it

Rat Bar, one Thai man dead, one bargirl injured, "mafia"-related.

That's what I am getting.

rat bar? iirc that's a pretty quiet bar down by outback? random.

They are everywhere in town , a few in the beginning just past the Laguna Resort , opposite Thai House and a littlebit further , just past Weekender Travel Agency . After that you have a few at the end of town near the corner leading up to the main road again . Don't go there unless you want trouble or something to get into trouble .

Rat Bar .... yep , doesn't really matter if it is 1/2/3/4 ... all just as secure and peacefull .