keestha

I have just got off the phone with people involved with their distressed nationals at a major embassy in Bangkok.

They have confirmed to me that the purchase of illicit Thai visas is common in Pattaya, Samui and Phuket. In their opinion the majority of people buying fake Thai visas, in Thailand, knowing enter into this arrangement and are aware it is illegal to do so. I number of people each year do get caught!

Badbanker,

Are we talking about illegal visa extensions, or about illegal new visas plus exit/entry stamps? Is it usually forged visas/stamps, or genuine but illicitly obtained visas/stamps?

Am I correct in thinking these people would usually get caught when trying to exit the country?

The OP has lost credibility because of refraining to supply additional information,but the thread remains interesting and could be useful as a warning against trying to fix things in a non legal way.

Reckon the type of place where you get charged 200 Baht for a small local beer, wouldn't be an open air beer bar, more likely the type of place where you have to walk through a door first, very well possible with touts standing in front of it. Not the type of place an expat/regular visitor would tend to go to.

There are rip off places in any touristy city, I had an unpleasant experience in Athens once. As a local/regular visitor you would never make the mistake of going into any such place, but as a first time visitor you just don't know.

On second thoughts, I remember it is/was called "Südostasienzeitung".

By the way I also saw farang magazines degenerate into just marketing tools for project developers, writing lyrically about their villas, condominiums and so on.

Publications like this come and go, local ones and (semi)national ones. Wondering if Pattaya based, German language "die Zeitung" still exists?

Sure it depends on which Katsikorn branch office you are dealing with. Once trying to send money abroad, the problems at my small upcountry branch office were unsurmountable, so I drove down to the local main branch office in Phuket, where the whole thing went through in 15 minutes.

I appreciate very much Rick is going through great lengths to make his business a success! All too often, I saw farang bar/guesthouse owners just sitting there, boozing a lot in their own bar and not taking any initiatives.

I also hope his sponsorship here will pay off. Only this morning something finally clicked inside my thick head, it got through to me that I sometimes have backpackers in my place in Khao Lak who want to head down to Phuket, and who ask me about places to stay. If they seem to fit the profile (think I got the drift now), I'll try to send them Rick's way.

One thing you could do immediately would be to install solar water heaters. I built my first one in 1979 for $75. Never paid for hot water again. So so simple.

Hi Bunta,

What did your self built water heater look like? I might be interested in copying your design.

Or are there any ready made solar water heaters for sale in Phuket? I have a fairly large flat roof, which could be an ideal place for installing one.

Now that we're talking about alternative energy sources....would love to hear from readers who use solar power to bring the electricity bill down. During the high tourist season the electricity bill for my resort is almost 9000 Baht per month. Would it be a good investment to go solar, considering the initial investment, and maintainance costs, and at the other hand the impact it would have on my electricity bill?

Am I correct in thinking solar would be a more realistic option than wind? Apart from costs/technical aspects I don't think the OrBorTor (local government) would be OK with people putting up wind generators in their backyard.

hey guys im just naming random thai islands ive heard of i have no idea, i know there are tons of islands surrounding phuket ive seen videos on youtube and shit

What you have seen on youtube was probably Phangnga Bay, close to Phuket, there are tons of islands there. Any travel agency in Phuket can book you on a daytour going there. Watch out for signs saying "James Bond Island".

In 2000, I purchased weight loss pills for my girlfriend at the time at the (prefer not to disclose the name)hospital in Bangkok. The pills instantly made her very tense and prone to violent outbursts, and she didn't lose much weight.

These substances should be very strictly controlled.

I started this post because there was not a lot of interesting topics on the forum and

needed stirring up a bit so i wrote my opening post to do so

It certainly did stir things up, especially when i mentioned people working illegally

in Thailand, some one especially fell for it hook, line and sinker

What is the difference between trolling and kicking in a post with the sole purpose of stirring things up?

Must admit though the place has been boring lately, controversial opening posts give raise to the most interesting discussions.

No. Burmavisa.com in 2030. Take a look at the map (Mergui archipel), they could have 20 Phukets.

Absolutely. Every cloud has a silver lining, and about the only good thing about an oppressive junta and a somewhat 'closed' society, is that these islands rermain untouched.

It'll be a very sad day for the world if world tourism ever touches this place.

Get your drift, but I'm sure people living there, no doubt in primitive circumstances, will have a different opinion.

Probably because my number is in a few business directories, sometimes I get calls that deliver a taped message in Thai, no doubt trying to sell me something. Never took the trouble to listen to find out what they are selling. Occasionally it also happens I pick up the phone and get a taped message requesting me to hold the line and wait, are they really expecting people will do so?

What ever happened to "Phuket?" It's changed dramatically, and not for the better.

I think that is for a similar thread to be started up in 2021. Probably on a new website called Vietnam Visa.

No. Burmavisa.com in 2030. Take a look at the map (Mergui archipel), they could have 20 Phukets.

Living in an area with lots of greenery around, wildlife getting into the house varies from season to season and from year to year. The OP should be glad it is just frogs, and not the small centipedes that have a painfull bite. Cicadas can be a problem, and so can be the big brown beatles flying around aimlessly, making spectacular loops, and colliding with whatever is in the way, your face for instance. On the bright side, they cannot get up anymore after having crash landed on their back, which frequently happens. Worse are the very small black beatles that give off an evil smell when touched, they tend to land in your food when you are eating, definitely not making the spaghetti more palatable. This time of the year, there are often the very small flies called malaeng wee in Thai, they don't bite but keep hovering around very close to your face, occasionally getting into your nostrils.

Lampi waterfall, close to the road to Khao Lak/Takua Pa, coming from Phuket turn right a few KM past Thai Meuang.

Hey, what about those motor powered thingos.. Prop on the back etc. The cruse alone Ao Chalong.. shallow water area alot. Too much noise . I would if my hi powered slig shot will get'em?

We had a few of those in Khao Lak today. I enjoyed watching it from the roof, but it wouldn't be good if this thing would be going on every day in the high season, the noise would disturb other people.

Can anybody give a clear cut definition of the word "backpacker"? For me personally,a backpacker is somebody who hits the road for several months, going to a number of countries. But nowadays also people who are on a 3 weeks holiday and visit a number of places just in Thailand refer to themselves as backpackers. So I guess my definition is outdated.

My experience as an accomodation provider is that these backpackers as far as economizing is concerned are focussed on just one thing, and that is the price of the room. It happened quite a few times they went to great lengths trying to knock me down a bit for a room that was already cheap , after which they went to a diving school to shell out a small fortune for a liveaboard. Or, after having finally accepted my room , they pleasantly surprised me by spending a lot of money in my restaurant/bar.

Sure Rick is not the cheapest option. But in general backpacker hostels are more expensive than the typical downmarket hotel in the provincial town main street, where for about the same price or less you at least have a private room with ensuite bathroom. Added value for the backpacker is that the hostel gives them the chance to meet other backpackers. A very big part of the backpacking experience is socializing with exotic folks like Canadians and Italians.

I'm a bit puzzled about a fairly large ad on page nr.7 of the latest edition of the Phuket Gazette.

It is a black block with white lettering, saying:

Any problems?

Call Mr. No Problem

Tel 08-xxxx-xxxx

Oh well, I'm glad it is not my telephone number listed there.

Quoting the OP "yes dont u love it when peeps see their tyres slashed and one whole side of the car panel got scratched with a fruit knife?

im assuming it wont be covered by insurance?"

Don't assume too quickly insurance wont pay, especially when it happens the first time . Once when I took out a car insurance, I inquired if they would also pay if when drunk I would drive the car against a tree. The answer was yes. Never put it to the test though.

KBB, are these minibusses leaving from Phuket town busstation?

Blue British Shorthair cats obviously need a work permit.

This forum seems to be dominated by pro dog folks by the way. I have had cats my whole life, but for over a year now I have none. I'm waiting in vain for a cat just walking in to apply for a job, that's how I always got my cats.

There are two types of individual water heaters, electric ones, and the ones running on gas. When travelling in northern Thailand in 1999, I noticed up there they were using a lot of the gas operated ones, does this still apply?

As far as border crossings are concerned this is very obviously illegal, both according to Thai law and the law of the country which issued the passport. Most passports contain a text saying the passport should only be surrendered to competent authorities, and this clearly doesn't include Mr. Jimmy's visa service. Your passport is supposed only to travel with you, especially when the travelling includes crossing borders.