rene123

LMAO & most of you say you live in Thailand.

Whinging gits if nowt else.

Facts are facts, doesn't make anyone a whinger for stating them. Does make you a bit of a non-contributor though.

I agree with the OP that there is a problem but when he talks about vans I think he is making it up. It is speed not sleep that kills when accidents happen in a van in my experience.

It's more likely passing on blind corners and weaving in and out of traffic that causes vans to have an excessive number of accidents. However, people keep forgetting tha there are far more vans and busses in Thailand than there are in places like North America and Europe. It only stands to reason that increased numbers of busses and vans would relate to increased numbers of accidents in those vehicles. I hate the vans with a passion because I see far more of them driving recklessly than any other type of vehicle. On EVERY long distance trip I've taken in Thailand I've been forced off the road by a van passing on a blind corner. I only survive because I expect it to happen and I'm always ready for it.

bit sick really......no actually it is discusting..!

imagine having fireworks etc for Gallipoli or......bad enough that some countries dignitaries went to the Jap emperor's funeral.

Still I guess in a few years there will be party celebrating the Tsunami.....

Forgive and forget??...naaa sorry....

http://www.roy-mark.com/bridge.htm

You could say the same thing for all the war memorials throughout the USA. Gettysburg war memorial is a stark reminder of when people fought over keeping slavery.

Is it the place that used to be called the "Smile Bar"?

From what I've been told, yes, that is the spot. I rode past it the other night coming back from Doi Sutthep. It's near the north east corner of the moat and on the outside road.

I guess I'm pretty boring. I just used my real name with some numbers behind it. I don't see much sense in hiding who I am.

Another 400 km on the speedo from Nakhon Sawan to Kanchanaburi and I still didn't see too much sillyness on the highway. The only accident was right here in Kanchanaburi when someone rear ended another vehicle in the city. But, no problems for this gal. I am always constantly aware of what is going around me.

Thanks for the topic. That explains why Kanchanaburi is so busy right now. I just decided to ride down and see the city again and had to hunt for a place to stay. I'll try to take it in. I always did enjoy when my father blew things up.

I guess I'm just a dumb broad then. I rented a Honda CBR 250 and just took a road trip down from Chiang Mai to Nakhon Sawan. It was a great ride today, but my butt is sore. I can't say I saw anything unusual in the way of traffic. The highway is pretty good and mostly 4 lanes all the way. The big, slow trucks stayed to the left, the motorscooters stayed right along the edge of the road, while all the pickups and private cars went blasting down the passing lane. I passed all the trucks and busses, and the cars and pickups passed me. Nobody did anything foolish and it all seemed normal on a busy highway. Maybe tommorrow will bring something different. I was able to ride along between 90 and 115 km/hr and didn't feel the need to go faster. I gassed up about every 90 km just to give my butt a rest.

I'm sure glad I brought as many clothes as I did from Canada. I'm tallish and busty so I don't fit the petite sizes. There are many good seamstresses though and alterations are inexpensive.

I don't know why everyone is so hard on Pattaya. It has a lot to offer in the way of shopping and nightlife. The rougher bits are mostly contained in a couple of small areas that are easy to avoid. I'm a Canadian female and had no problem getting around on a rented scooter while I was there. You just have to learn to go with the flow. Yes, the beaches right in front of the sprawled city are rather dirty, but you don't HAVE to swim. You can take a short ferry ride to Koh Larn island for that. Or, you can easily ride a half hour south to Sattahip and find that lovely beach near the military base. It's like you just landed in Tahiti. Because Pattaya was over built, there are good deals in accommodation if you don't mind walking a bit and don't have to be right on the beach.

I also agree with Rayong, even though it starts to get a bit far away if you want to travel to Bangkok. There are many almost deserted beaches near Rayong, but just not right in the city.

I'm currently in Chiang Mai because i love the mountains, but still want the advantages of living in a city. I can always plan a week or so at any one of Thailand's beach areas.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You've done more good in a short time than many others have done in their entire life. And, I AM being serious.

signed with deep gratitude.

Rene Despartie

. How do you fly from Pattaya to BKK. Ultralight?

Some of us are just angels and we fly ourselves.

I've taken many busses in Thailand and the driver was always awake. But maybe I've just been lucky. I don't trust mini-vans, though, and I hate them on the highway when I'm riding my scooter. They act like I should always get out of the way even if there is no place for me to go.

I don't know. I'm supposedly in it right now, but I'm having the time of my life.

Is crossing the floor permitted ? that'll stir things up.

Its positively encouraged! Keep on voting folks!

Paracetamol anyone?

I thought you could only vote once?

With the Holidays upon us I would like to share a personal experience with my friends about drinking and driving.

As you may know some of us have been known to have brushes with the authorities from time to time on the way home after a "social session" out with friends. Well two days ago I was out for an evening with friends and had several cocktails followed by some rather nice red wine. Feeling jolly I still had the sense to know that I may be slightly over the limit. That's when I did something that I've never done before - I took a cab home.

Sure enough on the way home there was a police road block but since it was a cab they waved it past. I arrived home safely without incident. This was a real surprise as I had never driven a cab before, I don't know where I got it and now that it's in my garage I don't know what to do with it.

Thanks for my morning laugh.

This has been a good topic, even with the insults, in that it is a reminder of what MIGHT happen on any given night if we drink and drive... even if it is just a little bit. There is always the chance of police extortion when traveling in Thailand. It is better not to let your guard down and be extra careful in what you do.

As an added bit of advice about snakes. Be VERY cautious around any that have triangle shaped heads. Cobras and kraits have smooth heads that flow into their body. The cobras only flare their necks when alarmed. There are many harmless water snakes of various species in Thailand.

From the markings on its head it might be a young Keelback. I doubt if it is venomous, but you can never tell unless you really know your snakes. The problem with baby venomous snakes is when they bite they inject all their venom. Mature snakes have the ability to moderate the amount of venom they inject.

Despite the police attempt at bribery, the OP got off relatively light. In Canada, 4 beers in 4 hours would definitely be over the limit and the original bribery attempt of $1600 would be closer to the truth. And, you would have a record and probably a suspension of your license, and an increase in your insurance rates.

So that's what a Zoomer X is. Spotted 1 in Nimman, thought it was a custom of some sort. Neat looking little thing.

I can't see the bike for the girls.

If anybody would know it is the experts at the Pantip Plaza. The place is alive with computer stuff.

You know it's winter when the Thais come to pick up their big blankets that they've left at the local laundry shop for the past 7 months. They never store them at home.

It looks like a harmless Golden tree snake. Vipers have triangle shaped heads. Golden tree snakes are relatively common to Thailand and they really are great climbers. When I was in Thailand in 1998 I had one climb up to our third story room and come in the open sliding door. The other girls freaked out and I just ushered it back out of our room. I also had one resting on my bicycle one day. They are very long and slender.

Judging by the number of British Commonwealth guys here who speak, or at least write, poor English, I think it's a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

I heard from a fairly reliable source that the Burmese rum is as good as it gets and it's very cheap. I might try it out the next time I'm up there. I don't drink much myself, but I have friends who like a snort once in a while and it would be nice to offer them something. Apparently the British taught the Burmese how to make rum a long time ago and they didn't forget.

Thailand is one big rubbish dump , rubbish everywhere , if as thai sees someone dumping rubbish then they think its ok , and soon it has piled up ..disgusting habit

As I first mentioned, it is NOT all of Thailand. If you travel into the Mae Ngao River valley south of Mae Sariang, and look in the villages of that beautiful area then you will hardly find any plastic trash. I'm not a religious person, but maybe the Christian missionaries passed on a few good beliefs.

That is precisely why I've decided to spent at least 5 months each "winter" in Thailand. I'll get the best of both worlds. Now you are just going to have to put up with me.