keestha

This will be a good test of what happens at the end of a 30 year lease. I would guess that this must have been one of the earliest 30 year leases on Phuket Island. Must admit I am suprised that Club Med did not buy the land in a Thai Company front. Must have been the best deal they could get on 'public land'.

If a wealthy and connected company like Club Med cannot get a 30 year renewal then the best of luck to anyone holding a 30 year lease with +30 +30 renewals.

I always told people not to trust +30 renewal clauses. A binding renewal clause would be illegal since it would be the same as a 60 years lease, and a lease can legally only be max 30 years. The Thai text in the lease will run like if the owner and the tenant agree.

Trink?

Back in the early nineties when I lived in Bangkok and spent the weekends in Hua Hin, I always enjoyed reading his column in the train on Saturday. Later gradually it became less and less interesting, him plugging the same places too often, and too much Burma Shave. Always wondered if announcements like "Ross and Terry of the Butterfly and Whistle Bar are throwing a free roast on Saturday 18 on the occasion of Terry's birthday" attracted many freeloaders.

He definitely enriched Expat's English with expressions like "Oh well", "Nuff said" and "I don't give a hood".

After having contributed to the newspaper for such a long time, he wasn't given the chance to say a proper goodbye, without any announcement all of a sudden the column just disappeared.

Koreans drink more than combined russians brits and americans? That's late aprill's fool joke

Yes hard to believe. Can anybody who knows that country well confirm they are such hard drinkers? If it would be true, it shouldn't be so difficult for North Korea to overrun them, presuming they don't drink that much.

If you have a little bit extra time to spare, there is a very good tyre shop in Khokkloy, a few km past the bridge in Phangnga province. They are very clearly visible on the left hand side just before the crossing with traffic light where you go straight on towards Khao Lak/Takua Pa or turn right towards Phangnga Town/Krabi.

I was pleasantly surprised when though I didn't inquire about special deals, they right away offered me second hand tyres that looked brand new, possibly taken off a car that was wrecked in an accident which didn't affect the tyres. Ended up spending less than half of what I had reckoned I would spend.

I am running a small resort in a rural area, and in my case, cats always came by themselves, applying for a job! But no pedigree cats of course.

There is a plants, pets&vets subforum in here, you might have better chances at useful replies there.

Watched about half of the videos yesterday. They would have been more interesting if the person doing the talking would have slowly spoken simplified English. At a taxi rank in Paris they would also have understood just a fraction of what he said.

Usually I have an older lady who takes me back and forth for 600....She said she was unable to get me from the airport but didn't give a reason. I have a strong belief that she was well aware of what was going on and would not be welcome there. I was really tired after working for 4 days straight in Singapore and lost my mind. I probably just signed my own death warrant for posting this stuff.

Maybe had something to with the fact it was Songkran yesterday.

Also holiday prices in the taxis yesterday. Taxis raise their prices just like they do at Christmas and New Year in the West. Three times is a bit excessive though.

Correct. Because of special occasions like for instance Songkran, not only taxi prices but also for example ferry prices can go up.

RIP. In rural areas in Thailand, drowning is the number one cause of death for very young children.

Would he be sued for filing a fake crime report , which usually is a punishable offence? And would he be presented with a bill for wasting police time? Or would it be dismissed with a mai pen rai ?

Driving a pickup, hm. So most likely he is an expat. Some of these expats really give the Thai wife a hard time. A forum for Thai ladies with a farang partner would bring up some interesting stories.

Hated that road when I used it fairly frequently because Phangnga bound traffic from the airport was still directed there. The road has many curves and is far too narrow, and very little traffic which might be one of the reasons he was driving too fast. This road should be closed off for cars. RIP to the guy.

Often I have wondered how it would be if Songkran would be celebrated massively in the middle of the summer in big cities in Europe, UK, North America and Australia. Innocent fun?

So to use this crossing you must have obtained a Myanmar visa prior to using it.

If this would be the case, the numerous visa runners using this crossing would need to acquire a Myanmar visa first. Even if they don't really set foot in Myanmar, they do officially enter the country. And for a long time it has been possible to enter Myanmar through this crossing without visa, spending a few hours or even a night or two in Kawthaung (without guide) , and go back to Thailand using the same crossing. Has this changed/will this change?

Will probably also try to stay dry. What bothers me a bit sometimes, is that when I am out buying supplies, Thai people see that I am in the working and not in the celebrating mode, and thus don't target me, but I still have to duck water thrown at me by tourists.

So where is this new checkpoint and how does it differ from the existng 'sit-in-a-small-wooden-boat-whilst-crossing-the-choppy-sea-between-Ranong-and-Kawthaung' checkpoint that has been used for yonks between Ranong and Kawthaung?

Perhaps they are going to build a new friendship bridge???

I would also like some clarification. As Simon states, Ranong - Kawthaung has been an official crossing point for a long time, used for visa runs, and it also being possible to stay in Myanmar for a few days. Where exactly is this new checkpoint?

Often tourists have complained to me about high beer prices in Patong. I never quite understand, when I occasionally go there myself, I always find the prices are normal, like usually 70 - 80 at the most 90 Baht for a Leo beer. But then, I only go there in the low season, and do my drinking in open air beer bars, never in discotheques or a gogo's.

"open air beer bars" - is that a new term for the steps outside a 7/11?

I mean all bars that don't require you to go through a door first! Exceptions besides, they are really not expensive, even in Patong. Right, even lower cost options are the sitting area in front of the mom and pop store, and sure, the pavement in front of the 7/11. No matter how hi-so or low-so you are, there is always the right place to go.

Does anybody have information about the Phuket gibbon rehabilitation center, where gibbons living in captivity are supposed to be rehabilitated so they can live as wild animals in the natural habitat? It is close to Bang Pae waterfall in the northern part of the island.

Is it worth going to, and do they charge an admission price?

Often tourists have complained to me about high beer prices in Patong. I never quite understand, when I occasionally go there myself, I always find the prices are normal, like usually 70 - 80 at the most 90 Baht for a Leo beer. But then, I only go there in the low season, and do my drinking in open air beer bars, never in discotheques or a gogo's.

Have to think about an incident which happened a long time ago. At Hualamphong, I purchased a train ticket to Don Meuang, which in those days still was the international airport. Walking away from the counter, I discovered there had been some kind of a misunderstanding, I had two tickets to the airport in my hand. Didn't want to and had no time to stand in line again for a refund, but don't like throwing something away which can be used. So I asked a backpack carrying solo Farang: "Are you going to the airport?" He replied:"Yes". Me again: (extending my hand with the surplus ticket in it) "Do you want a free ticket to the airport? The train is leaving at 16.15 from platform 9" . In his turn, he blurted out (raising his voice) "This is not right". So I shrugged my shoulders, turned around and walked off towards platform 9, feeling his eyes pricking into my back.

Geez, he might have thought that accepting my free offer would have led to him serving a lengthy term in a Thai prison.

Just an anecdote. The girl the OP is writing about, was probably right to cut off contact with those people. You just never know.

When people talk negatively about Pattaya, I always point out to them that for dining out it might be the best place in the world. Where else are so many restaurants of all different kinds concentrated in such a small area? You want to eat Norwegian or Argentinian or Mongolian, it's all there, and sometimes very good value. Unfair to judge the city only on the merits of its overabundance of nightlife.

Online ads in the Phuket gazette are usually free.

Nice video. Timeless somehow, if they would have told me it was made 30 years ago, I would have believed it. Unlikely you'll find a similar atmosphere in Phuket. As far as the Andaman coast is concerned you'd be more likely to come across it in Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta or Railay East.

Labor department divers will carry out under water checks to verify if these foreign instructors are instructing indeed or illegally acting as tour guides.

My experiences with Muang Thai Insurance are excellent.