idiot farang

bumping to try to get a view more opinions in light of the stepped up rhetoric coming out now.

also, given that Chiang Mai is red shirt ground zero, would you give that a miss for this trip?

finally, do you think Bangkok will be the only area really affected, or do you envision protests and/or violence in areas outside of BKK like Hua Hin, Phuket, etc?

thanks (now due to arrive in a week)...

I wouldn't worry about it at all. The media seems to make it look worse than it really is. IF there is any violence, it is between Thais, and should not be directed towards you at all. I would have no problem inviting my friends and family to visit Thailand this spring.

Your reply is exactly the way i am viewing it, even knowing the whole Thaksin thing mid month. Only started to take notice when the PM started talking about impending red shirt violence.

As title says, I will be in Thailand for a month starting 02 February. I'll be in Bangkok 1/2 of time and hope to hit Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hua Hin whilst I am there.

My nature is to kind of downplay the thought that the political situation and upcoming events will disrupt my holiday, much less be dangerous to me personally. Am i being naive? The only thing i have questioned is going to Chiang Mai, as i know that is red shirt land. Then again, never really read about issues there last time there was violence, so maybe it's not an issue.

Basically, just looking to gauge whether those of you who live there have any anxiety level about the coming month and whether it would give you pause if say a relative of yours was about the come for a similar visit.

thanks.

Maybe you should have a real holiday?

ah, if only that were an option. gotta pay for the trip somehow. that and 2009 was an unmitigated disaster to my net worth. finally, i really view this as a test run for living in Thailand part of the year. ability to work is obviously paramount in that decision. As such, i want my working vacation to approximate those conditions as much as possible. The other option is Singapore, which i know will work for trading, but Thailand is less expensive and certainly more fun.

Best internet cafe kind of connection I ever had was the TOT headquarters in Samui - they have a 6Mbit connection, 1 baht/minute.

missed this part first go 'round (trading and reading forums is not a good combo- on lunch break now).

anyway, was this an anomaly or does TOT have these type of offices with connections throughout Thailand? if so, one would think that would be a good option.

The only way to get a reliable always-up connection in Thailand is to load balance a DSL line + a USB 3G card, I guess True 3G for bangkok, CAT CDMA for the provinces. I'd think that a 3G card would be a good investment for you - tends to be more stable than DSL. Has a higher lag though so might be problematic for trading. What are you trading during Thai business hours? Don't you need to be online during U.S. market hours?

But if internet cafes were good enough for you last time, they certainly haven't gotten worse. The very expensive connections in the big hotels are often surprisingly crappy. It's hit or miss and you don't now if it's good or bad before trying it out (staff doesn't know anything about it usually).

Best internet cafe kind of connection I ever had was the TOT headquarters in Samui - they have a 6Mbit connection, 1 baht/minute. But that was on Koh Samui, and as I recall - I was there every day - it was down at least once while I was there.

yeah, the worst internet connection i had when last in Thailand was at the JW Marriott business centre- go figure. Best was actually some internet cafe full of gamers in the middle of nowhere area in BKK way away from downtown.

I trade asian markets: HK, Japan, Taiwan- futures. As such, the only server i will be connected to is in Hong Kong- so i am hopeful that the ping isn't too horribe. Only really trade the US around major economic releases.

Yeah, i was wondering about being able to use my iphone or 3g laptop card as backup. My plan is to (hopefully) find an internet cafe or the like with a very good connection with a wireless backup to allow me to get out of a position if the other goes down. i can always call, but by the time i get thru security questions, they get the order in etc etc....... it's always a minimum of 5 minutes- even if not on hold. waaaayyy toooo long to avoid heart palpitation! i know from in the US that even there wireless 3g has too much of a lag for my type of trading- so it will only get good for emergency backup.

have googled trying to find reviews of different internet cafe's in Thailand without an success.

Hi.

I will be in Thailand for a little over a month (mostly BKK, but with side trips to Phuket and the like. Need a fast and VERY reliable internet connection to work for about 5 hours per day during regular business hours (i am a trader, so one poorly timed 5 minute internet disconnect could cost me more than the cost of my entire month holiday!). Hotel connections are just not good enough speed-wise, but, particularly for reliability.

Haven't been to Thailand for about 4 years, but internet cafe's back then had pretty good connections- though i'm not sure they were up to the quality i need. 4 years on, i'm hoping they're a good route to go. i am very open to suggestions. I only say internet cafe's because that is the best idea i've come up with on my own.

Thanks.

3G is not a STANDARD. It simply means third generation telephone. You could argue any phone with a camera is 3G.

Thailand has had 3G longer than the UK and Australia for sure.

ummm... wrong.

3g is the generation of the WIRELESS DATA NETWORK, not the handset. your 'phone with a camera= 3g' comment is woefully off mark.

I was at the court room today in Korat and the saga continues.

What I can only described as haggling over the price of a life took place and all settled on 700,000 baht. Neither party happy.

But its not over yet, as the people to pay say they dont have the money, so, it goes to the higher court in about 4 months.

This is the big new building behind the Government offices, across the moat, in Korat.

They will have the means to confiscate land , etc....but I guess thats another story.

Anyway, I,ll keep posting the story as it goes along,, its unfolding to be a bit like a "Lord Of The Ring" epic up to now.

Just to give all an insight of what actually goes on with the Judicial practices in Thailand for the common people.

And this is only my personal experience,, I,m a mechanic, not a lawyer.

Its a funny old game innit?

those who quote and compare Thai crime rates with the UK or US seem to be missing the point in this post. back home, murder someone and get enough evidence against you and you're going to prison. can you imagine a negotiation over suitable monetary compensation for taking a life like this back home?!? of course, Thailand isn't alone in terms of countries where life is cheap- LITERALLY. in Thailand, it seems, it's a known fact that if you have the right connections, you CAN and WILL get away with murder. to do that in the US, you either have to: A. be a combination of lucky, very wealthy, have hire the right attorney and have the police/prosecutors be inept, or, of course, B. be a Kennedy!

Reading the thread titled 'Protein' a little down the page it appears that protein powder is very expensive in Thailand. I know I could adjust my diet to take in lots of protein without any whey (eggs, fish, very cheap), but i'm thinking of bringing a 5kg bag with me anyway, since I will be travelling light.

So is there any reason to be slightly afraid of putting this powder in my checked luggage and sending it through Mumbai and onto Bangkok? I dread to think of the consequences if any customs official suspected for even one minute that it was something illegal. I'd definitely end up out of pocket in one way or another.

couple weeks late but...

a lot of the protein companies (here in the US, anyway) now sell refill bags in addition to the plastic tubs- at a reduced price as well. for my trip, that is the route i am going- figure a sealed bag with company info on it is easier to explain than a ziplock bag full of powder. example would be allthewhey. here's a link to show you what the bags look like (as an aside, their direct prices are much higher than buying from a reseller- the reseller i use just doesn't have a picture to link to. also, since the default in the link is peanut butter flavour, i feel compelled to interject that that is a horrible tasting flavour! the chocolate is awesome): http://www.allthewhey.com/awpi05rf.html no affiliation, i just happen to like their whey powder and their refill bags are great for travel.

ya know, he might not be the guy folks. sounds like he didn't have the money and the athletic moves seem a bit inspired for the 54 year old. if he had the $ on him, they wouldn't need DNA. could have been wrong place wrong time. unless he was whacked out on drugs or has mental issues, hard to imagine a 54 year old doing a rob and dash- that's more a young man's crime.

i followed his tragedy when Dale was murdered and it is nice to see that there is at least this shallow victory. killing someone... someone who loves you.... for money- truly beyond my comprehension. i only hope that these subhuman murderers live to a ripe old age in a Thai prison- wishing for their own deaths. i soooooo hope that predictions in this thread that they will end up being released prove to be wrong.

having had a family member murdered, i've followed along as Mary Jane and Richard have fought for justice. you've both done your brother proud and, quite possibly, thru the publicity, saved the life of another in the process. it's hardly a stretch to imagine that your efforts have altered the plans of a scheming Thai wife or caused a vulnerable farang to alter his will in such a way to deter falling victim as your brother did.

so, along with bringing your brother's killers to justice, you should also feel pride that there very well might be someone, not unlike Dale, who lives today as a direct result of what you've done. all the best to you both...

Good luck with whatever you do, and remember the old saying, "isn't it amazing how so many people tread through life carefully, so that they can arrive at deaths door safely".

great quote.

the time to take chances is when you're young. if you want to start a band, travel, start a business that everyone tells you is stupid and won't work- do it! how stupid is it to drop out of harvard to start a company? ask Bill Gates. i guarantee you everyone told him not to do it. we're all influenced to take the well worn path of mediocrity by those around us. i allowed myself to be talked out of several things when i was young and that is why i am passionate about such questions. i've actually helped a couple kids with small loans to follow their dreams and given them my thoughts. both cases they failed, but both are glad they took the chance (worth noting, both eventually sent me back what i lent them- just as i figured they would).

my goal now is to not have new regrets when i look back 25 years from now...

Interesting, so rather than tell the OP to knuckle down for a few years and invest wisely so he can retire young, you are suggesting that he should just be free with his money and life and the universe will take care of it all .

I busted my arse from a young age & retired young, now Im really wild and all of that & I can afford to be

i said nothing of the sort. i suggest reading what i said again- perhaps with better reading comprehension this time. i fail to understand those whose method of debate is to pretend like the other said something ridiculous. oh... insert your 'rolleyes' emoticon here.

like fly said: why wait til you're old to travel and take chances. you may not live to be old. you may not have the opportunity for financial, health or other reasons. for me, my mother and sister both have serious health issues and they need my help with things- issues that, predictably, were not present when i was 22.

do you really believe that if a kid like this generally has his act together that if he takes a couple years to have fun and adventure that at 24 or 25 he's 'blown it'? like i said, as long as he follows the golden rule: don't be dumb- he'll be fine. the naysayers who have him thinking he needs to wait anotehr 3 years are doing him a disservice. it will be MUCH harder for him to do this in 3 years. if he's as together as it sounds, he will have career and/or other commitments that will make it difficult to just shove off like he can now. so.... he ends up never doing it, gets locked into an everyman work a day life and then.... 25 years from now, he can look back with regret.

as for your success: congrats. recognize though that 'working one's arse off' doesn't exactly guarantee early retirement, or even success, or even living to see 40 to retire. many work hard and never make it or work hard to barely get by. you're among the fortunate where your hard work and ability produced the desired result. statistically speaking though, that combination sadly fails far more that it succeeds. even still, i'd much rather have had 1mm baht @ 22 years old than 20mm baht and 40 to go to thailand. my body was much better and my mind was 20 years removed from 20 years of living on this earth and what one confronts along the way. the innocence of youth adds something to experiences that one cannot recapture later in life- at least in my experience...

Here let me help you OP.

Follow these rules:

1. Don't buy a beer bar.

2. Don't invest your money into a business here in thailand.

3. These are the best years of your life for earning money, go get yourself a few jobs, yes work in the daytime, then in the nighttime & finally invest your money wisely.

and then re-post here when you have a few more million saved up, at which time rules 1 & 2 will still apply.

Goodluck, I remember being in my twenties, it was good.

i agree with most of what you say but, no offense, the tone of #3 and other replies of the like are way off base.

being 'older' the most constant truism i've learned from my life and those i know is that it is what we DON'T do that we regret (unless what we do is life damaging- crime, drugs, whatever). youth should be spent enjoying life free of what comes with aging: career, commitments which make such a move impossible, aging parents to care for, home ownership, bills, kids, etc etc.

the time worn 'work hard when you're young so you can travel and live 'the good life' later is backwards in many ways. your body and energy and ability to take advantage of things at 50 (or later) is not what it is in your 20's. if you have your head on straight when you're young to take a couple years to travel or live in a foreign country, etc- THAT is the time to do it. unless he was given the $1mm baht he says he has saved- that shows he's ahead of the curve if he can save that much. even if he blows it all and has to head home in a year- so what! leave enough $ at home for your return flight and a few months living expenses to get a job again and then go for it if you are so driven. frankly, he'll look better fro future employers- shows he had the persepective to enjoy his youth, got the wild hair out of his system and is probably ready to embark on career after the adventure.

i took the 'work hard and salt it away path and i COMPLETELY REGRET IT. my carefree years were spent working 70 hour weeks and never going on holiday (couldn't be 'irresponsible' and blow the $ i was saving for the future). pissed away a lot of my best years, imo. the truth is: i could have graduated university and then pissed away the next 3-5 years on pure enjoyment instead and i wouldn't have really hurt anything or been behind where i'm at now. since then, life has intervened to make such adventures impossible and now, at way too many years old, i'm trying to set up traveling and living abroad to the extent possible- still, family needs make it difficult at best.

those who are f-ups are going to be that anyway from my experience. if you have your act together, you can easily sustain putting off your 'earning years' and enjoying your life in the most free and enjoyable time- your youth. just follow the golden rule: don't be dumb. ie: don't do something that will jeopardize your future. beyond that, enjoy yourself.

the new advertising campaign should be tagged:

Thailand! Burma with Electricity

THAT is funny.

i don't know the Thai's well enough to really comment, but the kind of comical stuff their interchangeable governments come up with is embarrassingly comical to the world outside of Thailand. my question to those of you who have lived in Thailand for a while: do many Thai's realize how mickey mouse their govt comes across, or is the Thai pride thing so ingrained that they just don't see it?

as i read this, all i can think is that this is the govt. cozying up more to the BiB. 'you want more money? no problem, we'll create some more ridiculous laws to give you a new avenue for tea money'.

I've never lived in BKK so I cannot comment on power issues there but in Pattaya and upcountry you sometimes get these 1-2 second blips that knock you off the internet. With the UPS I always seem to stay connected to DSL. I'd also have a UPS that protects you from surges as lighting is frequent here.

I just bought two Acer X233h monitors for $157 USD per, 1920x1200 and I think they are 23". UPS was I think another $100. Might be cheaper to buy what you need here.

I need to figure out the right combination of equipment that will make this work. I think with both Maxnet Premeir and EVDO I can pretty much approach the reliability of my dual connection in the US. I don't experience the problems others have with their DSL, hardly get knocked off for example. I don't know if that's luck or because I pay more.

Once again, thanks. i never even considered buying LCD's there as my experience has been that computer and electronics stuff is way more expensive in LOS than in the US. where did you buy them? If you come up with a load balancing combo solution that works well, i'd appreciate it if you'd post it to this thread or PM me. thanks.

After posts on this thread, i was already considering buying the 12 month pre-paid EVDO and offering the balance of months at a good price by posting it here. i could do the same with the LCD's. buy them, use them for 2-3 months and then sell them 1/2 price to someone here- everyone wins kinda thing. if i could get 22 or 23" monitors at that price, i'd definitely go that route.

but i HAVE to have solid internet connection or i can't

I'm not sure what your particular idea of solid is, but here are a few hazards you can expect:

* Frequent power blackouts (usually a few minutes, sometimes a few hours). Shared infrastructure in apartment buildings may stay down until you can find someone to turn important equipment back on.

* Random cut offs from your ISP. My last ISP deliberately tipped everyone off the internet at least three times a day every day without warning or explanation (to kill torrents, perhaps?).

* Lousy speeds and poor latency. There's a fair bit of luck in finding a place that has good infrastructure/connectivity. Don't assume you can just 'order' a fast connection.

* Everything is much worse when it rains (and now its the wet season).

If you really, really need a solid internet connection you should think about going somewhere else. Otherwise you are going to have to take your chances.

Thanks for the input. One question: have you had 'business' dsl service or the regular consumer? seems from the posters to the thread (albeit a small sample size, it's very consistent), that the quality of the service is far greater with the business class services.

thanks.

My first time thru SIN i had just about the exact layover as you- mine was 10 hours. the little airport hotel was booked (go figure) and i decided to just hang in the airport as some have said. couldn't sleep. it was fine for the first couple hours, then time actually stood still! if you have to get stuck overnight in an airport- this is the one. but... it's still an airport. got asked for my ID 3x by the police during the night.

hindsight.... i'd never been to Singapore and was stupid not to venture out. my 2 cents would be to venture out. it will definitely be more interesting!

I second CSLOXINFO SME package. With Maxnet premier being the second recommend on my list.

I am on 4mb SME with CSLOXINFO - works well as can be expected considering the international infrastructure of the net for Thailand.

Thanks. And thanks to everyone for all the help.

Based upon the feedback, it definitely seems like i should be able to make it work. i am still a bit worried about latency. the gateway i'll be connecting to is in Hong Kong, so hopefully that will be better than connecting to the US or Europe.

Ya i lose power alot too here but only for a few minutes, the battery in my laptop is good for 2 hours, Hutch stays on uninterupted

when the power cuts.

The biggest problem i am having trading is i have to trade the US exchanges at night here. I am in Pattaya and there is so many

go-gos, beer bars, girls, pu yings, tarts, mint chicks, soi magnets (errr you get the idea lol) that I feel like going out as soon as the sun drops in

the ocean.

To get around this I am training my wife how to trade. My system is pretty easy and she really enjoys the excitement. Kinda like

a video game. I am also looking at a 15 minute chart/system or even a 30 minute where i could take a small laptop out with me

to the hunting fields and check the chart every 15 or 30 mins for a signal.

Also if you come to Pattaya, Soi 6 opens at noon time, another option I use for balancing work and play. I will trade til 3am then

go to sleep right away then wake up and head over to Soi 6 and spend the whole day. Then go trade, what a life.,........

take care

SGH

lol. funny, we're both backwards. i live in the US, trade Asia and the DAX mainly and, thus, i'm typing this in the middle of the night after trading. last night was a nightmare- got back the loss tonight. i am soooooooooo looking forward to being in SE Asia and on a schedule with others around me. for me, the timezone is PERFECT. trade asia during the day, the DAX in the afternoon if i want. if there is a fed meeting or employment report, it's easy to trade 8.30 (or even 11.15) EST news from LOS. like i said, perfect. the other thing is that, since it's like a working vacation of sorts (or so says the plan on paper), i'll be much more inclined to stop trading when i've had a good first couple of hours vs what i do at home- keep pushing and sometimes turn a good day to bad. i just have a different mindset when i am away- esp. in a place like Thailand. hel_l, i even had a good time the night i was robbed during Songkran!

btw, yeah, lots of guys turning to the 2x and 3x ETF's exclusively. i'm actually long FAZ in my non-trading account now (took 1/2 off at 6.28 last week).

Very easy to install. Took 4 working days from the day I called (Chiang Mai). I live close to the ADSL exchange, so I was able to get the 6mbps package. We also have a CAT Telecom HiNet 6mbps package at the office, also very good but it depends where you live and with how many people you share the line. When I lived in Phuket CAT HiNet was amazingly fast, was always doing my 6mbps on international transfers without using a download manager.

Surprisingly enough, Internet seems faster and more reliable in Chiang Mai (ISP: TT&T, CAT) and Phuket (ISP: CAT) compared to Bangkok (ISP: True). Always make sure to subscribe to the "Premier" or "Business" lines. CAT always install a dedicated data landline for all of their ADSL packages. If you live in apartments/condos, you can always deal with the owner to order a new line (about 4,000 THB) that connects directly to your router, so you won't have issues with bad/old wiring in the condo/apartment.

I also use CAT EVDO (USB dongle) when I roam around town with my laptop. I get speeds of 1 to 2mbps on international lines. Latency is about twice more than you'd get on ADSL.

You'll be fine, lots of options!

thanks again. hmmm.... seems all the info i got about BKK being the only real option for good internet wasn't very accurate. of course, in reality, it would be pretty difficult and pricy to hop around Thailand starting new service for a month in CM, a month in BKK, Phuket, etc.... still, if the EVDO works well, i could go for a week, straddling the weekend and still do some light trading for a day or 2. i assume the internet cafe's have pretty good connections. last time i was there, i worked a deal with one by the marriott in BKK where i used my laptop and one of his monitors 2 hours every day i was there. his connection was quite good. would have been too distracting if i were trading though.

My primary internet connection is TT&T Maxnet Premier. I think I pay around 2000 THB for 3 meg connection. My secondary connection is Hutch EVDO. The third backup for me is the internet cafe five minutes away. Trade desk is on speed dial, in a dire emergency I can call and close positions. I've never had a speed issues, then many problem in latency, 250ms is normal and works ok for me but on occasion I've had almost 750ms and some lost packets which affects my level II. Next project is to get a router that will mix the TT&T and Hutch connection without having me to switch over.

One thing I've noticed is your much more likely to have power problem then internet. I have everything on a UPS but if you do not have access to your router/modem to add a UPS the slightest power blip will knock you off for a minute or two.

You get what you pay for. Many people complaining have cheap connections, or TOT, both of which are completely useless.

Thanks for the heads up on the power issues- frankly, something i never even considered in BKK. You've got me thinking of a vacation in Costa Rica 9 years ago- no power at some point every day (wonderful place, btw- but has gotten almost as expensive as the US these days). i dread dragging my UPS around along with my monitors and everything else- but it's now on the list. my extra baggage charges are going to be more than my plane tickets! so, when the power goes out your dsl remains live due to your UPS? here in the US, it's iffy. if the neighbourhood goes down, the cable internet ALWAYS goes and sometimes the dsl does too (i guess the nearby routing equipment doesn't have power backup). that's where the EVDO and dial up come in, they're faster than getting thru to a trader at my broker.

I've had a combination switch on my 'to buy' list for the seamless switch from the cable to dsl if one goes out- never thought of it working with the EVDO also. that's a good idea, and worth checking out before i start my trip.

At home I have a 6mbps Maxnet Premier line, at the office we have 3 x 6mbps Maxnet business lines. When I trade, I always have a few charts opened and I rarely download above 60 kB/s (less than 1mbps). The server I connect to is in Switzerland and the latency is about 400ms. I don't feel like I'm at a disadvantage when I'm trading here. You could get a 2mbps business line and I think you'd be fine.

Maxnet 2mbps business line is THB 5,900 per month

http://www.maxnet.co.th/product_corp_Biz.php

This will give you an idea of the speed, it's a video I made last September (Qucktime video)

http://www.tinyurl.com/thai-internet

your video is awesome- very helpful. i'm starting to gather that the ISP's offer regular DSL to the masses pretty cheap with a 'you get what you pay for- tough luck' attitude regarding speed/reliability for them, whilst offering a reliable service at very dear pricing to those who can't/won't put up with the poor 'regular' service. i take it you had no trouble getting them to install the Premier line at home? i'll need to figure out what housing options will allow me to get separate service on my own.

thanks again.

I trade for a living here in Pattaya and with the systems i developed i get by nicely with Hutch CDMA EVDO

Hutch is not fast but with my systems I dont need a super fast connection. But Hutch is very reliable, never down which

is very important to my trades.

I have a dialup backup in place just in case.

thanks for the reply and mentioning the EVDO. i googled and RTF and seems everyone is pretty happy with it in LOS. on a TV thread, someone posted 1.2 down, 200 up international speeds- that would possibly work for me. i didn't expect a wireless option that robust- would certainly, if nothing else, give me a quality backup, which would make things less stressful. plus, if it's fast enough, it would allow me to get out of BKK some and travel to Chiang Mai, Hua Hin etc if they both also have good speeds/reliability.

i take it you do more position trading? my average hold is usually under 3 minutes, and i have quite a few charts (i think i'll be dragging 2 x 22" monitors around the world with me, plus having the laptop monitor). do you mind telling me your broker? i only ask as some sites will have issues in some countries. i use interactive brokers as my primary trading account.