Gerrit

I was in Bangkok for business the last few days and found no taxi willing to use the meter. From Mo Chit to Pratunam they want 300 Bart and I had no baggage. I went prepared and used bus #77 for free. Don't ask me why but when I wanted to get a ticket they said free. The bus is basic but I enjoyed the ride and was dropped 200m from the hotel. From Bobae Centre to Pratunam same story. No meter, quoted 100 Bart but on the trip said the traffic is to heavy and upped to 150 Bart. From hotel in Pratunam to Mo Chit. Again no meter, quote 300 Bart, Told him to much and settled for 200 Bart.

And before you start ranting, you were not there and I can afford the inflated rip off fees but I will not take this extortion laying down. I do not mind paying any set fee as long it is it is uniformly applied and does not expose me to fighting for a fair fee every time I need transport .

I just returned from Bangkok, Pratunam area. At about 3pm I went into a restaurant close to IT City, no alcohol to be served. So I left thinking I have beer in my hotel room that I can drink before I find some food. But walking back to the hotel I passed a restaurant that is part of a inn and they had no problem serving beer and excellent food at a very reasonable price (the food not the beer). So I am confused. But this must be the most ridiculous ruling ever. Tourists have many choices when they decide on a destination and I believe this could negatively affect Thai tourism.

As a frequent visitor to Bangkok I find that the taxi situation became worse. Arriving at Mo Chit bus station before, I could find a taxi willing to use the meter. On my visit 12 January I found that they put up a sign indicating a metered taxi departure area. On arriving there I was approached by a person obviously associated with the taxis and asked my destination. I told him Prince Palace Hotel in the Bobae tower. (this destination is not further than the city centre) Immediately he quoted 800 B where I previously paid 70 B per meter. Nobody uses the meter. Eventually after an hour of searching for a meter taxi I had to accept a quote of 250 B, no meter.

In the six days I spent in Bangkok I found 2 drivers willing to use meters.

Speaking Thai should not be a prerequisite for using a meter. The taxi mafia is well and alive and very active in spite of the "cleanup".

Hi, I am glad that you enjoyed the temples. I am an expat now living in Siem Reap very close to the temples. I lived in Pattaya for 15 months. As with most tourist places you will always pay more in the tourist areas. But we do not eat or drink in pub street. There are many places with good food at a good price away from the tourist hub. Good report.

good for you.it seems like a nice place actually. missing the tesco lotus, macro and villa market that i kind of depend on in Phuket but i guess easy to get used to not having that stuff. my wife even said she could stay there so if Thailand ever kicks us out, i could live there.

it cirtainly has a feel to it like Thailand would have been 20-30 years ago.

i bet there are plenty of great business oportunities for someone wanting to set up a bar/restaurant/guest house or something more creative. i have no idea what the rules are around there however. i talked briefly to a english guy who i assumed owned the 'Angkor What?' pub so i assume its possible.

Yes we had to get used to the fact that there are no large shopping centers and yes the development here are many years behind Thailand.

But you get your visa for one year from your travel agent (they send your passport to Phnom Penh and a few days later you are set for a year) No reporting every 90 days. Has not yet encountered any police corruption like in Thailand. You hardly see any police.

Drivers license also at the same travel agent. To work you purchase a work permit without any problems.

Many business opportunities. I would steer clear from bars restaurants etc. I have actually just registered a business and should soon be on my way. I am the sole owner and I can employ whoever I want, no restrictions. No funds required to invest.

The move here certainly suites my lifestyle but then it will not be for others.

Good dental and eye care are freely available. Basic medical is available everywhere and there is a very modern private hospital. But for serious ailments you will have to go to Bangkok.

I sold my car in Thailand and bought a new motorbike here and are very happy to use it about town. It was the first time in my 70 years that I rode a moto but soon got the hang of it.

Hi, I am glad that you enjoyed the temples. I am an expat now living in Siem Reap very close to the temples. I lived in Pattaya for 15 months. As with most tourist places you will always pay more in the tourist areas. But we do not eat or drink in pub street. There are many places with good food at a good price away from the tourist hub. Good report.

locals can own them and there lots of expats living up there

as to the tuk tuk

my usual day is get up an the tuk tuk takes me out by sunrise till around 11 am when i head back for a meal /rest at the hotel, back to the temples at 3pm or so till the sun has set.

that's what my $15 gets :-)

One time he even came back at 7pm to take us out for the night an back at 11 pm ( for that i gave him an extra few $$)

That would be great if they start to rent Ebikes, I was in Bagan, Myanmar in July, an they will not allow motorcycles rented or driven by tourist (you need a Myanmar driving license) but they did rent the Ebikes ( $8/day)

I agree Phuket to sr and back is alot of driving, 3 times now i have driven up but I add in northern Thailand an Laos as well, total about 7,500 kms

twice just phuket to Koh Kong/Phnom Phen

I enjoy driving

Yes, it is correct that no moto 's are hired out in Siem Reap but plenty of green electric motos for hire.

I cook at home but do not use a lot of oil. I use Canola oil because it contains essential omega 3 nutrients.

Then I use Coconut Cooking oil to make Dark chocolate (It is healthy) The oil is from Friendship Pattaya at B158 per liter

My meter burnt a few day ago and had to be replaced. The cables overheated where they are screwed into the meter. This is a very common electrical problem. If the screws are not tightened properly it causes a high resistance joint with increased load and thus the burning of the cable.

When I was new in Jomtien I wanted to do some shopping at Big C South. Armed with a tourist map of Jomtien/Pattaya I approached a bart bus driver and showed him exactly where I wanted to go and off we went. I soon realised he was going in the direction of Pattaya Second street. I was eventually dropped at Big C Central on Second road.

I can only say thanks to Google maps and street view to find places. And yes, store directions in advertisements and web sites seems to cater for the Thai mind. I do not find them usefull.

Mine just died and I bought a new one at a baking supply company called Yok in Chiang Mai. The brand was Tanita so it should be widely available. And it also came with what I bet is a really useful manual: useful if you can read Japanese. As it is, all I can get the thing to do is weight stuff. There is a button in it that changes the gradations from 1 gram to 1/10 of a gram. It cost 1190 baht. There were a couple of other brands available at the local scientific supply house. One cost 3,000 baht and the other 18,000 baht.

Thanks. I will follow this lead and hope to find what I am looking for.

Why would anyone need a scale of 0.1 gram or better ? Are you cooking to an accuracy of +/- 1.5 grains of salt ? Waow, that's super cooking

I have been looking around Pattaya for the last 5 days for a .1 gr division sale. I am still looking and will appreciate feedback.

To avoid uninformed comments I would like to offer some explenation to my requirement.

I develop spice blends and sauce products. Now, in 1Kg of BBQ spice the bulk of the product will be salt, corriander etc. But when it comes to other ingredients and Olioresins that gives colour and taste to the product you require a scale that can give a very accurate parts of a gram. In sauce products there are legal limits to certain additives and is also measured in accurate small quantities.

In cooking and baking where food colourants are used it is essential that an accurate small amount can be measured for the sake of concistancy.

If a recipe calls for .5gr of Safron you better weigh it accurately because it is the most expensive spice available. Good quality Saffron can be up to 30000 THB per Kg

ok....cool - thx. so there is super precise cooking, just never seen in in hells kitchen.

Thanks for the reply

Why would anyone need a scale of 0.1 gram or better ? Are you cooking to an accuracy of +/- 1.5 grains of salt ? Waow, that's super cooking

I have been looking around Pattaya for the last 5 days for a .1 gr division sale. I am still looking and will appreciate feedback.

To avoid uninformed comments I would like to offer some explenation to my requirement.

I develop spice blends and sauce products. Now, in 1Kg of BBQ spice the bulk of the product will be salt, corriander etc. But when it comes to other ingredients and Olioresins that gives colour and taste to the product you require a scale that can give a very accurate parts of a gram. In sauce products there are legal limits to certain additives and is also measured in accurate small quantities.

In cooking and baking where food colourants are used it is essential that an accurate small amount can be measured for the sake of concistancy.

If a recipe calls for .5gr of Safron you better weigh it accurately because it is the most expensive spice available. Good quality Saffron can be up to 30000 THB per Kg