Kaoboi Bebobp

15 minutes ago, Si Thea01 said:

 

 

Khob Khun krup.  Proves my point about people learning a little about Thailand.  Even if he was a little lazy, it stood out a mile what he was saying.  Mi wan thi di. 

There's nothing sure about the translation of KKK. I didn't get it until someone said it means: Cop Khun Krap.  See, this is how I learned the English transliteration. Thailand has no official transliteration of its language. Anyway, to carry on with the topic.

Others above have said this and I agree. In Thai-Thai service situations, the customer grabs and runs without a single polite salutation. There may be Thai words I don't understand that imply respect, but by and large, I hear politeness more from farangs than from Thais. My last (and final) GF often measured her acquaintances/friends/soup customers by how they spoke and their manner towards her and others. So lack of politeness does not go unnoticed.

I'm a smoker but never do so on a baht bus. Most Thai people, especially women, do not like to inhale someone's cigarette smoke. Can't blame them and smokers should never inflict it on non-smokers, especially on public transit or in stores and eating places. 

I"m sure you realize now but you need another certificate of residence for the motorbike sale.

Good luck with the return to the homeland.

Don't think there's a shortage of beef. I had a very tasty beef skewer at W District here in Bangkok 3 nights ago on Friday night and very nice roast beef at a bar in Phra Khanong district last night. One can only conclude Carl's totally screwed up. I've heard US friends compliment this US chain but the Thai outlets must really be bad. 

On 8/28/2016 at 2:22 PM, RickG16 said:

 

Cool.. how long was the delivery time, and do they send by courier?

Each item in the Lazada catalogue shows how long it takes to deliver. Think it was DHL. The phones arrived in 2-3 days and you can follow the order route in your account. 

Duplicate.

I've used Lazada for at least 2 phone purchases. Worked perfectly. 

10 hours ago, Colabamumbai said:

They do not seem to put one dollar into Siem Reap, the footpaths along the river are a deathtrap. They could spruce the place up, considering the number of tourists that visit.

There are too many restaurants, hotels, massages, most of the restaurants sit empty through the day.  I like to watch new businesses open and bet on how long they will last. I've just spent two months there.

SR definitely comes up short considering the take from the temples. The riverside walkway could be a singular attraction, but you are right, it's a deathtrap. It's also frequently blocked by parked tuktuks and local employees' cars. Add to that list the dodgy electrical supply, which should be an extreme embarrassment to authorities. Power outages are very common, sometimes lasting for days. Then there's poor flood control and filthy streets dotted with garbage piles left from the nightly "pickup."  

Considering how many multi-multi-millionaires there are in Cambodia and the hundreds of millions pouring in from generous foreign governments, Siem Reap should be a flower of Southeast Asia. But it's far, far, far from it.

11 hours ago, digibum said:

 

I'm American and gotta say, ewwwwww, on that one :-)  

 

My wife loves Coors though.  It's the only beer she'll drink.  

 

Our mass market beers are pretty horrible.  I can't think of a single one that is on par with what you can get in Canada or Europe.  But our microbrews are often better than anything you can get in Canada or Europe.  

I was with you all the way till you said American microbrews are better than those in Canada. This is a thing with Americans. Such as "nothing could be better than something made in the US."  Not true.  Overall, micro-brews in both countries are a wonderful gift. In fact, a friend of mine from Colorado runs one of the best and most successful micro-brewing companies in the States. Outstanding beer. The products from both countries are high quality, varied and serve all tastes. Just be thankful we don't live in a Coors world.  

I found the article tasteless with all the (irrelevant) war references and silly graphic, the sort of thing that might be turned in by a second-year journalism student with an inability to judge balance. Heavy war references far outweighed statistical backup ("thousands" LOL) and authoritative evidence (some frail quote from another media rep LOL).  This could have been written from an internet cafe in Prague.

I'm with others who say you should have checked the individual furniture items before signing up. Usually you can spot cheap furniture from the advertising photos alone about 90% of the time. When you did the room check, quality levels should have been immediately obvious.

Now after six months of usage, I don't think you have much hope. Wait out the lease to recover your deposit and move. Or, as someone else suggested, scram (and lose your deposit, if it's not too big).

Is it possible to get a 1-year business extension if you're on a tourist visa on arrival with no documents, just pay the money like Cambodia? Or is it a more involved process?

No, not possible unless you find a job or a fixer that usually costs around 600usd for the year. New Government now and they are starting to clamp down. All documents need to be intact.

Now he has to leave the country for a month?

I was told that if you're 65 or over you can get the extra 60 days for free but then have to leave for 1 month. If you just pay all the time and don't get the 60 free days then you don't have to leave.

No, he doesn't have to leave the country for a month. You can do back to back tourist visas indefinitely if you aren't working or run a business. I stayed in Laos for around 5 years but my business became too established and visible so they gave me a fine and told me to go get a visa. The fine was a whopping 500,000 Kip. They just needed a little money for a wedding it was all friendly and understood.

Not sure what the deal was there with the 30 and 60 day extension but if you enter Laos on a 30 day visa and leave every month there is no period of time you must leave the country.

Impossible to get a business visa without documents of who you work for or with. You can not just buy one like in Cambodia.

Sorry for the multiple posts but there was too many quoted texts and it was easier to answer the three posts separately.

So no "fixer" you could pay who could make up some fake documents? Sure some expats wouldn't mind spending a few hundred $ to live in Laos if it meant avoiding visa extensions every month.

Would definitely like to know about this. For comparison in Vietnam, a "fixer special" or backdoor 1-year business visa is running $550US to $650 US, according to reports on VN expat pages.

Your post describes my impressions of Vietnam very well. You are right about the maturity level of Vietnamese, though I find the guys more mature than the girls. In Thailand I find this to be true as well, though in general Thais are much more immature than their Vietnamese counterparts - a group of girls standing together are not going to have anything more interesting to talk to you about than the size of your nose. That's how shallow some Thais can be - and yes, I am completely fluent in Thai so am not lost for words when communicating with the locals. In Vietnam, interesting conversations abound - about business, politics even (all in English, since my Vietnamese is almost zilch). Not laughing at someone's physical features even if the Thais usually remark: "oh, I wish I could have some of your nose".

Right on. Several friends who have visited many times and lived in VN, like myself, have said the same thing. There's a maturity level that Thais can only dream about. The Thais I'm talking about work in shops and malls and for foreigner owned firms, although the latter are more capable -- not by much. An American friend who is advanced in Thai fluency (he teaches university courses in Thai) has remarked that it might not be worth learning Thai because then you will know the "filthy" truth. Anyway, you immediately sense the difference with Viets. Now, if only long-term visas (6-month and up) were not so difficult and, of necessity, obtainable only via the backdoor and at an exorbitant price.

I've been a Bangkok part-timer for a few years. I have both the MRT and BTS (Rabbit) top-up passes. They're 150 baht, or were when I bought several years ago. Lineups are a thing of the past for a pass holder. I recharge when I'm at a less busy station.

Tip: If you're 60 years and up, MRT discounts your fares 50%. The BTS restricts the Elder card to Thai citizens.

I am cautiously optimistic about the move to the Admiral's Pub. I believe Chris Catto-Smith plans to bring some Checkin decor to the new location. Plus, there's nothing like a basement bar to give it that dive feel.

There's consistent evidence of tightening of immigration law enforcement for the last few years.

I would only rent accommodations by legit hoteliers who do all the proper reporting. I stay at the same hotel in Bangkok 4-5 days every month and always give them my driver's ID. Well, that won't do now. Two weeks ago they told me they need to copy my passport and departure card from now on, a police order.

For a change of pace, I was very satisfied with Dr Jessada at Pattaya International Hospital on soi 4, just west off Second Rd. I had many dealings with him for a serious issue. No surgery though, just multiple tests, all results accurate and recommendations clearly presented.

The girls had their IDs right at hand. How could they have known to bring their IDs at that very moment? LOL. Isn't every authority in Thailand in on the joke? Yet they still go ahead with this embarrassing charade. Then again, a moment's thought for the embarrassingly disguised BS -- law enforcement, courts, financial industry, politics -- that goes on in the West. Anyway, all will be back to normal soon at Central Massage.

Add: 775,000 views and 6,300 shares of the video. A record day for Khaosod, I should think. Well done everyone.

What a pleasure it is to read the Good Things thread again and this subforum after 2.5 to 3 years since my last visit. Still many of the same posters. It makes me think Chiang Rai truly is a magical place.

Long ago I promised myself I had to visit. Well, a certain medical challenge required my attendance from early 2014 and to remain in Pattaya for another 2+ years. But everything's great now and I'm feeling the need to move on.

Tonight I needed to read something positive as the Pattaya subforum is anything but. I also just decided I cannot live in Bangkok again, because I simply cannot afford the outrageous prices for everything and absurd rents for shoeboxes. And this place popped into my head.

Thanks for still being here and knowing everyone loves their lives in the north. Let's see what the next month or two brings.

We have touched base a few times over the years so it is great to hear from you and I hope life is good. You will either like it up here or you won’t but no way to know without giving it a try.

It's great to see you are still enjoying the northern life, as I discovered in some other threads I read tonight. I do remember all the lovely photos over the years, too. You are right, one must try it out to see if a move to Chiang Rai will be a good fit. But I have to get in a first visit. LOL

Can you book a seat for this bus in advance?

(will have a similar trip in July)

Nope. You won't need to. They sked buses based on moment to moment demand. Sometimes they leave every 10 minutes. Now, later in the day they are less frequent and in the evening less so again. Mornings and and early afternoons are busiest.

I would be at the bus station for 0800. Buses leave every 10-20 minutes. The fare is 108 baht per person.

So say you have to wait till 0840 for departure. This means you will approach Udom Suk BTS station at 1025 -- about 1 hour, 45 mins after departure from Pattaya. This gives you an hour to get to the hotel and drop off the bags and hit the street again by 1130. I always like to have loads of relaxation time before having to be somewhere in BKK. As others pointed out, you cannot have any baggage below if you exit the bus at a BTS station.

My advice is based on 150-200 roundtrips in the last 5 years, this year doing 3-4 roundtrips a month.

Meter taxis are a rare sight on Nern Pub Wan. Have a feeling GrabTaxi might be your best bet. But you will pay BIG.

Esso on Sukumvit close to Pattaya Tai is HERE. Could it be this shop between Esso and Pattaya Tai?

Esso on Sukumvit close to Banglamung is HERE.

One more Esso on Nernplabwan HERE.

FYI There is no Esso on Nern Pub Wan as it's an old Google photo. It is now a green PT station.