JimsKnight

Could be that a sterling crisis is going to be the only way out for the beleaguered British economy. With interest rates reaching zero and (probably) plenty more bad economic news to come the BOE has very little room to manoeuvre.

A weaker pound will make British products and services cheaper. It's inflationary but with weaker domestic demand the effect might be muted.

That's all well and good if we've got plenty of resources to export, but we've fck all compared with other countries like Japan, the US etc.

Factor in that oil is rock-bottom as well and we've got few, if any bargaining chips...

if youre the adventurous type, cant beat a bike...if youre the adventurous type that doesnt become adventurous until you get to your destination....take a bus and rent a bike when you get to pattaya.

I would like to think that I am the adventurous type (LIKE to think at least) but it's not an issue of adventure as much as it is an issue that it is a CRAP ride. It's one thing if you have a large cc bike and an open road. But the OP will be relegated to a small cc scooter that cannot outrun danger. Even if he's on a big bike, you really can't ride that fast. Bikes can't go on the toll roads. Bikes can't go on the decent roads in the middle where the cars can drive. Bikes are stuck to the local traffic side lanes on the left. Even if you had the power to go fast, you wouldn't want to because the condition of the roads is crap, and full of potholes and debris. Finding the correct route isn't that bad, because there are alot of signs to Pattaya. But after doing it once, I really wouldn't want to be bothered to ever try it again.

You're kind of correct, but once you know the road, hammering it down the highways at 120-140 is a breeze in most places (highway wise!

if youre the adventurous type, cant beat a bike...if youre the adventurous type that doesnt become adventurous until you get to your destination....take a bus and rent a bike when you get to pattaya.

if you decide to ride there on your own, theres a few nice stops you can make while traveling, that cant be done on a bus....passing through ban saen, take the route through angthong to see a nice bay with restaurants located all along... then when passing through ban saen, go to the top of 'kow som mook'...to see wild monkeys ontop a hilltop, hundreds running around...also some really nice views ontop the hill.

Go for the bike, as long as you stay sharp out there and don't get the speed fever you'll be ok

In partial defense of sportscar owners it is the norm for them to do the - two parking spaces. Usually because you'll get some numpty opening their doors, pushing the shopping etc and clouting your car. Also, given the fact that sports cars are a bit bigger than ordinary ones (usually) is another reason.

What I do (If I take the skyline out) is normally go shopping during the week and park the furtherst away from the store and think of the long walk as excercise

But seeing the cool cars in Bangkok is great.

Using them in the greater areas of Bangkok is best, that way in the silent hours you can take them out and really give them some stick

I know in the provinces you'll see the occasional prelude and merc coupe and that's about it. Oh and a ton of bodykit hero's on their Honda Civics!

The fibreglass thing is a new one on me. But I guess come selling time they re-fit the original

I once travelled to the different embassies in BKK on a work contract. I found the British Embassy to be fairly professional but the busiest and also the trashiest, the Australian embassy was more professional and the quietest (and best looking) and most hospitable was the danish

The Japanese was the most austere. You can't even go inside unless you're asian, the BIB guard it!

for a few minutes i was considering to pep up the report to match the expectations and standards of some of the resident TV economic experts such as

-a youtube clip showing farangs being clubbed to deaths, grilled on open fire and eaten by hungry natives in Isaan,

-a picture of empty Fort Knox with the camera focussing on the pallet on which Thailand's gold reserves used to sit,

-a true report from an unknown blogger proving that fractional banking cannot be practised in Thailand as the existence of Thai banks is nothing but an illusion,

-picture of a money changer at Pattaya Beach Road handing over huge bundles of devalued Baht to each Farang changing a single Pound, Dollar or Euro,

-the birth certificate of Bernanke issued on a far away planet in alien script (with correct translation in Sanskrit and Thai),

-evidence (with Bible quotes) that the setup of the European Union is the work of Satan who's intentions are to abolish all fiat Baht and replace it by an alloy of gold, silver melted with hellish charcoal in order to put Thaksin back in power.

i had some more ideas but... i was told that dinner is served

LOL!

Naams on form as usual, kind of like the conductor leading the band on SS Titanic

And the band played on!

Let's hear it for the Naamstar!

I have 3 bank accounts with Siam Commercial Bank. I opened them soimply by showing them my passport.

I got an account with passbook ad Debit card same day.

Recently I went to open another account with SCB in Petchaburi, I was told by a rather gruff woman that I had to have a work permit.

So today I went to another SCB bank and asked them and they said that it is a new regulation, that Farangs cannot open up an

account without a work permit unless thay own a house !!! Unbelievable

Renting a house is not good enough! (Nor isstaying in a hotel)

Has anyone else come across this, and is it really true?

Hasher 69

Why do you want 4 accounts with the SCB?

Quite handy to have an account in a few cities you live in, spread the cash around and it saves on withdrawal fees too if you're staying in a city for any length of time

Some of the small branches haven't heard that farangs can open banks so they just assume it.

Just opened a bank account recently in Hua Hin, no probs, didn't have a WP

Hmm, while he may speak for a fair few thais, it's quite another story entirely to actually see through a country into isolation.

Too many countries are in the 'NWO' <ahem>, UN big boys club to allow this, Thailand being in the club as well means it can't really stick two fingers up to US. The US could quite easily do some of it's own exclusionist policy's.

Besides which I think the country itself would have to retool and radically reform for such action.

But TIT so who knows...

60 kph, officially, but some areas that are built-up in Bangkok have higher speed limits .

Thankfully this isn't the stasi-esque uk with some red-tape nazi building devices to measure our speeds the thai-style laissez-faire feelings comes into it. Hence the fact we go above and below it now and again

If all else fails just come on down and follow the sound of the roaring big bikes

Well I dislike the new ads below post 1 and 2 with a blazing intensity!

Even my own websites aren't so 'doinky' in this quirky advertising regard.

It's disjointed, uneven and very un-easy on the eye. If there was a linear path to it (like halfway down the page) I think people would have less issue. But having them 'jump' out straight after the top banners isn't very aesthetic.

C'mon George, experimental ads a go-go as it's your castle but this needs adjusting a touch mate

That said I'm not driven to abandoning the forum at such haste.

Hmm, you could consider eye surgery as one 'alternative' option?

I might be going for it.

Dude, NuLabour are in this for the long haul, they've supped at the trough now for over ten years, they like what they sup and they ain't going down without a fight, mark my words.

The Brown Man will hang on to the bitter end in the hope of the recession easing and then taking the credit for it. Then the Tories will have a battle on their hands.

Give me tory sleaze any day over the Stasi-like Labour machinations and wrecking balls that have been unleashed on the economy!

Can it be true that i have to pay 20.000 baht a year for 1st class insurance on a bike that is 9 years old and worth maybe 210.000 thousand baht. If that is the case i find very expensive.

Jan.

Rip-off factory anyone? That's nearly the same as I'm paying on a top end group 20 sports car back home!

In a lot of cases I think you'd be better off just having TPCL (third party) as the prices for insurance here are akin to the west.

As long as you wear armour, don't destroy your bike (a lot of the time you can get it fixed on low to medium damage cheaply enough) and don't injure anyone else the statistics will be on your side.

Just don't quote me on the stats though

Blast off!

Don't overdo the thrusters this time Speedy!

i have been to all the usual optical outets in the north of thailand - they kinda giggle when they see a high + lens prescription, say they can order, make call but can never get any strong contact lenses. I'm +8.5 and 9.5, tried ordering from the Uk but they will not sell to me without a new test at one of their branches - anybody have any err - contacts here?

Yep! But not strong / high in the sense of focusing strength (+ x.xx), which I presume you mean by 'strong/high' right?

All UK branches are under the 'eye test above all else' umbrella, they want your cash and don't want any independent contact lens dealers to start up. I recall a big hoo-haa when they became available on Ebay in the uk and the contact lens moguls got a bee in their bonnet

I have x2 - +1.25s. Get them anywhere in LOS.

Keep looking!

8,000 - 9,000 is about right. Testing him on his map reading skills is another must-do along with punctuality.

per week or month?

Per month.

Start at 8k and move up to 9k if they are decent and go the distance (ie don't quit after the first mishap).

As I'm sure all you gold bugs know if the gold is at near 100% purity it'll wear away at a faster rate if being touched etc.

a fairy tale which does not become true no matter how often it is repeated Honourable Knight.

Umm, that's simple physics, sorry to correct you oh all knowing one!

Hes an old guy.. Has no ties left in the west.. And I get the impression its to be buried on his property for his young wifes inheritance.. I personally wouldnt go that route but he wants to have it here.

So the question is.. How can he get it here ?? What is the duty (gold doesnt seem to have sales tax) ??

He's probably quite wise the way the west is collapsing right now

He can get it here, it's just whether customs will check his bags and find the gold.

A possible way around this.

Fly into an ADJACENT country, hopefully one without the hostile gold import bs and transit the stuff through via land-border crossing. Less chance of being shaken down at land-crossings. And as the unlinked text says, it only says it's illegal to bring into Thailand, BUT at a land crossing there's no facility to hold onto gold. In which case return to the adjacent country and try again another day

8,000 - 9,000 is about right. Testing him on his map reading skills is another must-do along with punctuality.

Good groove man, biker lives to tell the shaggy dog story!

Just joking.

Sometimes I think you've got to hope to have some kind of guardian angel buzzing around helping you out on these roads! Otherwise clunkin' things like this become more likely!

Perhaps you ought to of asked for her number and opted for the TLC approach

My wife and I lived in Jomtien but she has a house in Loei province. We kept a Honda Wave in Jomtien and a Suzuki Best in Loei. When we finally made the move to Loei, we took the Honda with us. We decided then that there was no need to keep both bikes. The Honda was cold blooded and needed the choke played with to keep it running until it warmed up. Both bikes had less than 8,000 kilometers so obviously not worn out. The Suzuki was one kick, no choke at all and off you go. The Honda seat was more comfortable for me but the Suzuki engine made selling the Honda a no brainer. The Suzuki also has a lot more power.

GaryA, I absolutely luv ur posts, they are always entertaining. THANKYOU!

I'd go for the sonic.

JK, why would you go for a sonic, because they still make them?? or another reason. I have ridden the sonic, drives me nuts because its only got a 5 speed box & I always feel the need to change up. I would of thought you would of suggested cbr150?

Maybe the OP should be talkin to crobiker....just go hel_l for leather and buy a 1400

Because I thought he was after a scooterish bike, not a sports one.

In which case, if he's got the money, ought to get himself an R1 rocket bike

If I'm going I'll likely be travelling the day earlier to settle into Patters. The departure time is crazy, traffic will be buzz-balling all over the place.

2.30pm is perhaps more agreeable?

I know a few enterprising farang who want to offroad bike their way into Burma! 9/10 for guts, not so sure about the legality!

Big Brother cometh! A conspiracy theorist I know in Chiang Mai actually claimed that within 2 yrs time commercial air-travel will be so restricted we'd be stuck in home-countries. I'm beginning to wonder if he's onto something!