billp

True, but the MFA instructs its consular representatives in the regulations. Do you know of a website for Immigration?

IATA data base.

https://www.delta.com/planning_reservations/plan_flight/international_travel_information/visa_passport_information/index.jsp

Ministry of Foreign Affairs has nothing to do with entry into Thailand. That is an Immigration function.

Yes, yes, of course I know all that old stuff. But what I'm asking is if there's been a recent change. The discussion started when a British check-in agent posted that she had NOT been briefed to check for proof of onward travel, only for 6 months passport validity. So she cast doubt on the need for the dreaded proof of onward travel. I wanted to post a quote from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regulation about proof of onward travel and IT WAS NO LONGER THERE. In a cursory check of embassy websites, it (mostly) had also disappeared.

So my question to you: does anyone know about a stealth change to the regulations that they just didn't bother telling anyone? What does the Thai version say?

(And Lopburi, what's the source of your quote?)

As a result of a discussion on another forum, I've discovered that the requirement for proof of onward air travel for visa exemptions no longer appears on the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, nor on the internet pages of various embassies. The requirement for adequate funds is still there, but the onward travel part has disappeared. I'm sure it was still there last time I looked. It's still in the downloadable document provided by the Thai Consulate in Hull, England, though. Is it possible the MFA has made a change to their policy without telling anybody???

If so, this would be very good news for many foreigh tourists who'd like to use Bangkok as a hub for several months of travel in the region. They had to get a 60-day Tourist Visa even though they never planned to stay longer than the 30 days in Thailand, because some air carriers were denying boarding to anyone who didn't have either proof of onward travel or a visa.

Could someone who reads Thai have a look at the original Thai regulations and see if this requiement is still there?

The Airport Link is currently being extended to Don Mueang. So transportation between the two airports will be quite easy in the future. It would make sense to make DMK into the domestic and low cost terminal.

I've never seen such pathetic nonsense in my life. The writer has no clue what he's talking about.

Of course the "Airport Link" connects downtown with the airport. It terminates in the new station on Level M at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Connecting BKK and DMK was never intended.

No one is paying "full fare" right now. The Airport Express non-stop service to Makkasan costs 100 baht and the City Line commuter service to Phay Thai, stopping at every station, costs 15 baht. These are introductory prices.

There is a ramp between the Airport Link Station and the BTS station at Phaya Thai. A walkway from Makkasan City Air Terminal to Petchaburi MRT station is in the works.

Most traffic on the line will be commuters from Bangkok's eastern suburbs. The train line will improve the lives of millions of people.

The traffic situation at Makkasan is a problem that can be resolved. The baggage system will be in operation in a few months.

Personally, as I shuttle between Bangkok and Berlin, I'm disgusted at the piles of cigarette butts and other crap everywhere in Berlin, on the street, at bus stops, just everywhere. In comparison, Bangkok, a relatively much poorer city, is sparkling clean. No heaps of cigarette butts lying around, very little graffiti, no junk on the sidewalk because someone's too lazy to take it to the dump. You notice it in particular in Bangkok's central business district. The skywalks and BTS stations are pristine. Of course everyone - Thai and farang - knows if you get caught dropping something on the skywalk floor they're going to nail you. But not only that, I think the Thais have pride in their environment, in their city. I'm reminded of the time I bought a little bottle of fresh orange juice from a vendor on Sukhumvit and attempted to dispose of the bottle by laying it against the fence between Soi 10 and Chuwit Garden. I thought it would be a place where the garbage collection would be sure to pick it up. The ladies in the massage shop across the road saw me and made me put it in their garbage bin.

I'm glad to hear that the BMA guys are on the job and I rejoice in every 2000 baht fine handed out to ignorant foreign yobs who drop cigarette butts in the street. And I don't care if the BMA guys pocket the fine.

Take a ride on the Airport Link!

By the way, there's some incorrect information posted above. The ramp between the City Line station at Phaya Thai and the BTS station is now clearly under construction. I don't think there's any problem about having it finished by August. Then you'll be able to walk right into the concourse of the City Line from the Skytrain turnstyle level.

I did have a conversation with someone a couple years ago who booked a Wotif mystery room and ended up in one of those snazzy serviced apartment hotels around Soi Langsuan. So I guess it's the luck of the draw. Still, I think you're better off paying more and taking advantage of "4 for 5" specials or free upgrades. Example: a couple weeks ago I stayed at the VIE hotel in a deluxe suite with free wifi and breakfast buffet for the (discounted) price of a deluxe room, booked direct from the Accor website. Normally they charge 350 a day for the wifi (the b***rds).

LOL exactly the same thing happened to me. I ended up in Admiral Suites in a supposedly deluxe room that smelled like sewage. I checked out early and ate the loss. I would have been better off paying more for a someplace where I knew what I was getting into.

Sananwan Palace: http://bangpli.com/sananwan.htm very nice and friendly guesthouse about 20 min by taxi from the terminal, with pool, A/C room for 600 Baht, in the very interesting old village of Bangphli. Many people return again and again and the feedback is excellent. The hotel will do an airport pickup for 500 baht. Taxi costs about 120 baht.

Miracle Hometel: http://www.miracle-hometel-suvarnabhumi.com/ 7km from the airport, about 15 minutes. Currently offering a special: deluxe room with free round trip airport transfer, full American breakfast, a pass to use the Louis Tavern Business Class Silver lounge at the airport, compllimentary in-room minibar, for 2900 baht. This hotel has all the amenities: internet access, pool, spa, 2 restaurants etc.

Great Residence Hotel http://www.greatresidencehotel.com/index.html is close to the airport overpass. They're asking 900-1300 baht including breakfast for an A/C room. They've just opened a pool and they're offering flexible rates for day-rooms and free transfer from the airport.

<<Democracy isn't about trying to violently overthrow an elected government.>>

The current government was never elected. It came to power after an elected government was deposed in what amounted to a judicial coup, buying the support of rival party members in a massive show of corruption.

The Democratic Party has been resoundingly defeated every time it has ever stood for election. Abhisit may look pretty, may be a smart western-oriented fellow - and maybe even his heart is in the right place - but those pulling his strings are not and have never been any friends of democracy.

The UDD is asking for an illegitimate government which has never held a popular mandate to be dissolved and elections to be held. How democratic is that?

It's simply immaterial how much you pay for a taxi in London or Ireland or New York or somewhere, where labour, fuel and maintenance costs are MUCH higher. I want to pay the going rate for a taxi in BANGKOK and not a satang more. So I think a 70 or 80 baht extra charge is a huge ripoff and I wouldn't stand for it. Variable traffic conditions (unless it's a real traffic jam in which you don't move forward) would hardly make even a 10-20 baht difference in a run to the airport. I did have one rigged meter a few months ago. On a trip that should have cost no more than 220-230 baht, the meter was up over 300 when I arrived. (So the cost would have been over 350 not even counting tolls.) The driver had covered up the meter during the trip. I told him it was too much and gave him only 300 (ie no surcharge). He just pocketed the money and drove off.

Canola was derived from rapeseed in the 1970s in Canada (through selective breeding not genetic engineering) as an edible oil with a lower level of erucic acid, and without the distinctive flavour and greenish colour of rapeseed. The name "canola" comes from "Canadian oil, low acid" to distinuish it from rapeseed and without the negative connotations of the word "rape." It has since become one of North Americas biggest cash crops. Those vast fields of beautiful yellow flowers in Canada, The States, and increasingly in Europe, are canola. The oil is known for its low saturated fat content, high amount of monounsaturated fats, and beneficial amount of omega 3 and is widely considered to be among the most "heart healthy" oils available.

There are some particularly witless urban legends concerning canola which are spread by the ignorant, the gullible and the easily-deceived in email hoaxes.

I was in their office one day and a guy had traveled to Chiang Mai and Laos for 6 weeks, came back and they hit him for 642 baht, just for one duffle bag. That's not exactly 'dirt cheap.'

Sounds pretty cheap to me in comparison with Left Luggage at the airport which would have charged 4200 baht for 6 weeks storage of one case. And I don't think it's unprofessional to have a fixed price and stick to it. I can't comment on the extra charges for oversized objects, but the amounts mentioned seem reasonable to me. Maybe they are negotiable. Did you ask?

Get any SIM card, but use 008 or 009 as your international access code (instead of "+" or 001) for a rate of 7 baht a minute. So dial 008 (or 009) + 47 + [number].

I don't know where you guys get this stuff:

Lamasil directly kills fungus, as does the shoe spray. Canesten cream only stops it reproducing, and takes ages to work.

The active ingredient in Canasten is clotrimazole. Here's how it works according to netdoctor.co.uk:

Clotrimazole kills fungi and yeasts by interfering with their cell membranes. It works by stopping the fungi from producing a substance called ergosterol, which is an essential component of fungal cell membranes. The disruption in production of ergosterol causes holes to appear in the fungal cell membrane.

The cell membranes of fungi are vital for their survival. They keep unwanted substances from entering the cells and stop the contents of the cells from leaking out. As clotrimazole causes holes to appear in the cell membranes, essential constituents of the fungal cells can leak out. This kills the fungi and treats the infection.

The active ingredient in Lamisil is terbinafine. Here's how IT works from the same source:

Terbinafine kills fungi and yeasts by interfering with their cell membranes. It works by stopping fungi from producing a substance called ergosterol, which is an essential component of fungal cell membranes. The disruption in production of ergosterol disrupts the cell membrane and causes holes to appear.

The cell membranes of fungi are vital for their survival. They keep unwanted substances from entering the cells and stop the contents of the cells from leaking out. As terbinafine causes holes to appear in the cell membranes, essential constituents of the fungal cells can leak out. This kills the fungi and hence clears up the infection.

Sounds like both are essentially the same to me. Certainly it's NOT true that one "kills the fungus" and the other "only stops it from reproducing."

The thing is he's not a "crochety old fart" or a nasty old man or anything. He's just a very sick person. He honestly doesn't remember things, relationships or conversations and place them in context. The things he says or does are not meant with malice and they shouldn't be taken seriously by those around him. Just try to think "it's the disease talking, not him." As this goes on, the world will become very random and arbitrary for him and he may react with anger, even physical violence. Each stage will be temporary. At the end he probably won't talk any more at all, and his body may "forget" how to perform functions like digesting food, and he'll look like a concentration camp survivor. My wife has been acting for years as legal guardian of an old friend with Alzheimer. He just died recently at age 92 and that's how it went.

In Germany and neighbouring countries, mixed and nud_e is the default setting for all stand-alone saunas, sauna gardens, and even saunas in fitness centres, public pools and hotels. Some saunas have "ladies only" or (less common) "men only" periods, but mixed is the usual. So I know where the OP is coming from.

However you will not find anything remotely similar in Thailand. Mixed nudity in a non-sexual setting is just completely foreign to the culture. What European-style saunas there are, are segregated and people keep their bathing suits on.

Traditional Thai herbal saunas are worth a try though, even though you do them wrapped in a sarong.

I usually say "chob aharn phet" and get the full octane. But then I avoid obvious tourist traps like Cabbages & Condoms and its ilk. It's not just the amount of chile. I find the tourist rip-off places dumb down the the food in general: not enough kaffir lime, lemon grass, garlic etc in dishes that should be full-flavoured.

#8 Shhhhh! Keep it quiet about Koh Jum.

I'd prefer to stand.

There's a video shop specializing in classic and arthouse movies in Fortune Town, third floor at the end of the row just before the atrium, left hand side as you're walking toward the atrium. They have dozens of classic movies and many obscure European films.

Topical cortisone creams are not going to damage your health unless you use them in a very concentrated form for a long time. But, as posted above, they don't help a fungal infection and probably even make it worse. Zinc oxide soothes some skin maladies but it has no proven antifungal or antiviral effect. Antibacterial and antibiotic remedies have no effect on a fungus and may even exacerbate it. The way your underwear has been washed is also probably not a big factor.

What the OP describes is most probably a fungal infection which recurs in the tropical climate The best thing would be to go see a doctor, who will probably prescribe stronger or more-targetted antifungal drugs than you can buy over the counter and tell you to keep the area clean and dry. If you still want to try to self-medicate, then stick to antifungal creams like the canesten mentioned above or any product containing Clotrimazol. These have to be used for a week or two after the infection seems to have improved. They come in various sprays and powders. But the best thing is to see a doctor.

I'm sure the OP is aware of the horrendous results of failed surgery. If you've ever even considered having it done, the pictures on this page will scare you away for sure.