JMWPACIFIC

You can never have enough cynicism!

Is this Thai Visa or Cambodian Visa?

Try Citibank which has branches all over Europe. If account is sizeable, you will be in Citigold and have a relationship manager, no fee ATM and a decent online experience.

How about The Tides Resort in BS across from the beach.

Let's see---jetski noise, longtailboat noise, not cheap, live music (probably more noise). Some recommendation!

Saw it at Central Festival on Beach Rd. Has gotten universal good reviews. My review: yawn! Harrison Ford mailed in his performance, Carrie Fisher never could & still can't act, Chewbacca always lovable & hasn't aged a day, Daisy Ridley - a very bright new star is born, John Boyega also very good, BB-8 (the new CP3) very cute, Mark Hamill--got 2 more minutes of fame, missing James Earl Jones. Just chalk this up to one curmudgeon's remembrance of the classic movie of the 70's.

Today the 17th. Got my tix already. May the force be with you.

All you need is the original "Foreign Exchange Transaction Form" according to Citibank. All of my forms are also stamped Certified True Copy with an authorized signature.

Be very wary and choosy, maybe use a high end watch shop in Central.

Saying that I used Mr Wong to service mine, which he did but 11 months later it stopped and he didn't honour the guarantee and was a bit rude too be honest so I held on to it and did it in the UK.

In an ideal world I wouldn't, put it in a Rolex dealer in BKK.

I too have used the one in Central for cheaper watches but, for a real Rolex, you should go to Rolex itself and not even to an "authorized dealer". My experience with an expensive vintage Baume & Mercier timepiece was I first took it to Central and was not comfortable with their plan. I then took it back to Los Angeles and called a couple of sleazy "authorized dealers" who, after checking on them, had consumer complaints against them. I wound up sending it directly to B & M in Dallas who sent it to the Switzerland home office for repair. Since it was vintage, a part had to be tooled. Cost me a bundle but now I have the beautiful timepiece in perfect working condition.

Bottom line, I wouldn't let anyone other than Rolex touch the watch if it was mine.

Proceed with caution---sounds like you have broken into the common area wall on the balcony which is not your property. Were the other 40% moved by renovation or were they originally installed that way? Your manager might have a good case but i would take it to the authorities nevertheless. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Put "State Department" as your answer.

Probably Bangkok Pattaya is the best for the wide variety of care specialist's. I can vouch for dermatologist and urologist. Be prepared to negotiate hard as there is the Thai price, the expat price and the non-expat farang price.

Skype is working fine and is excellent as usual.

Let's go deeper. I first visited Thailand in 1978, stayed at a fishing village called Pattaya. After 78 I travelled frequently commissioning fire trucks, mainly in the BKK area. The nightlife was relaxing, no pressures to buy girlie drinks, prices were reasonable. The absentees were the foreign long stay pensioners, tight <deleted> and problem tourists.

Fast forward to 2002 when I was asked by my UK company to relocate to Thailand. They offered me a fantastic apartment in Sukhumvit which I turned down, why ? Because after spending a week in a five star hotel in the area, I was totally turned off by the standards of the expat/tourist in the area, so I settled for a lovely house in Chaeng Wattana.

Of course at weekends and holidays I travelled to relax, but soon realised that Pattaya ( in my opinion was the cesspit of Asia) I gladly relocated to China in 2009.

Summary, I visit Thailand on business very regularly, and have noticed the very low standards offered by what I assume to be expat residents. They are in the main lowly educated, they behave appallingly, dress like peasants, act arrogantly and more importantly in the main haven't got two Baht to rub together.

these Thai haters believe that because they are westerners, they are above everyone else, they are racists, losers, ignorant, arrogant and should not be here. They are not diplomats in any shape or form, and I for one welcome the new visa regulations being introduced.

Now I am sure this post will attract defensive replies so be it, but I am not tarring everyone with the same brush, just many who seem to be totally out of their depths and are bitter.

Apt descriptions all.

Good on you---you are one of the lucky ones.

If you are too STUPID to wear a helmet on a motorbike in Thailand, then suffer the consequences. No sympathy whatsoever.

I think you might mean "if you are to STUPID NOT to wear a helmet on a motorbike in Thailand" But got your point anyway and completly agree 100%

He knows what he means, I know what he means and you know what he means---so why comment?

Why a Thai bank?

There is CitiBank, HSBC and ScotiaBank to mention a couple.

I'd vote for Citibank and it is a Thai bank---a sub of Citicorp

Over the 10 years living here, I've learned it's in the genes---accept it or leave!

Gibson is pretty savvy---good article!

Run independently but they seem to have the same website architecture and the prices are pretty much identical once you add the taxes in to Agoda's headline prices.

They do seem to have different properties on their books at the very fringes though and Agoda tends to let you pay on arrival (having taken a credit card as guarantee) whereas you pay booking.com direct (or is it the other way round) so always worth checking both.

Indeed, it is the other way around in my recent experience booking rooms in Burma. I even found once that agoda wanted full payment and "non-refundable" but maybe that was the hotel's requirement.

Does that mean I can run them over and not get too upset about it?

Yes!

At least, if you do, you won't be the automatically guilty falang!

Have no suppliers of your items but do you need pink flamingos?

Just noticed more Pegas busses around the sois. Must be high season.

As long as you're out within 30 days, you can come back in for another 30. And it is obvious by your length of stay, you are not abusing the rules or offending the sensitive officer who tries to make up her iwn new rules!

The people that frequent them.