Frosty

Cannot see the point of a website aimed at non Thai people written in Thai?

That's the Thai way. Makes it simple and easy for all. (To keep farangs out of the country that is)

Ask immigration a question and they will say "The answer is on the website"

All answeres are in English on the BKK Immigration site...

http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php

This should be the last word on this! I have lived and played here for the last 8 yrs. When I first came back here ,from my original vacation, I came to work or play as I like to say! I brought with me a Fender Strat, a resonator guitar, a Yamaha classical and a Peavey combo amp, NO PROBLEM! A friend brought over a guitar,Barringer USB Strat, and had NO PROBLEM. Another friend ,who comes 2 or 3 time a yr and has a sizable collection, brings a different Strat each time and NO PROBLEM. I went back to the States two times 5 yrs ago and came back with so much gear it filled two of the carts at BKK airport and NO PROBLEMS! Also went back last June and brought back a custom guitar and another Peavey combo NO PROBLEM! I understand from the few people who have had problems is that it has to look old ,it can't come in it's regular shipping box or have any sales tags on it! As long as it's in a gig bag you will not be asked anything and you can carry it on! Since I have lived here I have purchased a 2 Strats here a Mex and a USA 40th Ann. Right now in this wks issue of the Pattaya News there is a Chinese Squire ,a Jap Strat, and 2 ,yes "2" , Fender custom Shop Eric Johnson models for sale! As far as Marshalls , seems like over kill nowadays! But whatever floats yer boat! They are available here but look out for Thai and Chinese knockoffs! there are also a couple of guys who build amps here ,one in Koh Samui who does Dumble clones!

So in conclusion ,bring what you want, make it look used and as long as you can pay the excess baggage, NO PROBLEM! !

The reason that these laundries and many other businesses are closing is simple Mai mee Falong, mai mee satong! No tourists, No money! This is the 5th yr of slow tourism caused by tsunami, SARS, bird/swine flu, bad economy and all the bad publicity this country gets. This compiled with new visa laws,many full timers and long timers are leaving, and new tourists are not coming. If you count on just Thais for business then your price has to be low, and you have to survive the way Thais do. You need a good local clientele just to get by during low season, the tourist on season is where you make your net. After the way this country chases away Falong ,short time tourists and long time expats ,there is no Falong customers base only Thai and they have no money, because they can't make any without foreigners here spending it! A viscous cycle! A difficult time to keep a business going let alone start a new business! Save your money ,you're gonna' need it!

In Chinese writings, centuries before America or Americans, are known to have mentioned the prostitution in Siam!

""I sat next to a fat knacker once and he was stinking for hours

tried to sit in my seat and squash me.""

""fat people make a choice to eat. That is a choice they make in life, and they should bear the consequences of seriously over eating; just like a smoker - if a person smokes, they make the choice to do that, risk their health, knacker their body and now are confined in many countries to smoking only in private places or limited public places - was also long overdue.""

according to what has been said here ,smokers should also be charged more! who want's to sit next to a person who's clothes and breath smell like an old ash tray ,and coughs all the time!

We were surprised ,our first time in Taiwan, the store charged for plastic bags. We took our own bags back and reused them the whole time we were there, and re-sold them at the airport ,for a profit , when we left! ( Sorry , the re-selling them part was a lie , couldn't resist!) I can see bags becoming a black market idem in the countries that ban them.

As little as 20 yrs ago everything in Thailand was served in banana leaves or coconut shells . The vendor couldn't afford plastic bags and they were not as accessible!

I think the writer in the original article meant " Plastic does not de compose on it's own....".

"They fired into the air ..."

Anyone who has been trained with firearms know the dangers of shooting into the air. A bullet has no conscious and comes down with enough velocity to kill someone! Still a dangerous situation! Foolish really!

"In the early hours of Friday Morning,".... I thought it was only open from 1pm till 9pm !?!?

I have had Pitbulls and found them to not only one of the most tenacious breed of dogs but also intelligent . I lived in Miami ,where they basically outlawed the breed. They made a law that a Pitbull owner needed to carry $50,000 worth of liability insurance. The hitch was nobody would sell you the insurance! The aftermath was much worse. People who were the type of people who used their animal as a weapon or for illegal fighting went out and bought Rottweilers. Here's a breed w/20 to 50 lbs. on a Pitbull w/out the intelligence!

I can only speak for the dogs that I have owned and they were all trained well, oth obedience and attack' They would also do stupid pet tricks to. When people would see how well trained my animals they would say.."I wish I could teach my dog to do that but he's so stupid!" My answer was always... "A dog is only as stupid as it's owner!" And they are only as aggressive as their owners make them!

Some one mentioned Poodles and also I would like to say Chihuahuas are some of the most aggressive dogs I've ever been around. No you might say their not as large or as strong as a Pitbull,same point I'm making w/Rottweilers. Weather it dogs , cats(some people keep dangerous large cats the should be in the wild) poisonous snakes, Parana fish.... the list goes on, but these people need to be responsible owners. It takes time and patience to train and care for an animal, and if it can't be trained, and they want to keep it, it should be loocked up away from people it could hurt.

In the 1950's-'60 it was the German Sheppard that became popular and over breeding caused not only physical defects (bad hips, cataracts,heart problems) in the animal, also ownership by people without the ability to handle them properly. People were saying..."don't trust a German Sheppard they'll turn on you!." In '70,s-80's it was Dobermens. And from the '80's it has been the Pittbull. In the future you can count on other breeds over breed and under trained because of it popularity and peoples stupidity!

People can raise bad kids too!

I’ve heard the haircut one too.

For bigger kids

Don’t wear socks with holes in them as you’ll lose money

Never build your house with the front and rear doors in line as money will come in the front and go straight out the back.

Front door in line w/ the back door is a Feng Shui thing ,like leaving the bathroom door open and/or the toilet seat uncovered your money will go down the drain. Anything with a hole in it ,sock , shoe,pot ,pan all loose money! Except bar girls!

Killing Plato ,Tea Money(or Laundry Man, the complete book) The Big Mango by Nealy I think?

I know it's not as good as having Suzie Quarto here, but her x guitarist and hubby of 20 yrs,Len Tucky, comes to Thailand several times a yr. He always comes to the Blues Factory to jam. He also managed Slade for 15 yrs. He told me he got tired of "baby sitting"! as a matter of fact he was just here for 2 months and left last wk.

The attached photo is from a post festival jam on Feb 22 in Phuket,after the Phuket International Blues festival

I think that is one of the problems, a lot of people (including myself too be honest to a certain extent) don't really know a lot about blues, it covers a wide range of music, I have to say from previous comments I've read and concerts I've seen I'd say there is definitely a difference of opinion regarding the concerts, as to who's right and who's wrong I'd say it comes down to personal taste.

Blues encompasses 100 years and 10,000 variations,

and each little local grouping thinks THEIR version is THE ONLY version.

So at festivals you try and pull from many versions.

The 'original blues' was the acoustic guitar, on the back porch, playing for supper, kind,

like The Swedish guys did. This was actually a more roots blues year.

A decent from the traveling troubadours of ancient times:

Philosophers, roving newsmen and entertainers of their day.

Something sad or tragic happened, they spread the word,

and played in a style to fit the sadness.

Eric Bibb is very much a bridge between the early roots and modern styles,

with elements of Sacred Steel, modern Gospel, Memphis jazz/blues,

and the classic honky tonk sounds. He also is a bridge between the classic

advancement of 50-80's jazz music, and the Minstrel shows of the 1800.

Steven Foster wrote the Blues as seen partly in the film Showboat.

That said Eric is modern and hip too with out losing the story telling and pathos.

Each year the Groove Doctors get better, but to say they were 'the most blues'

is just incorrect, they DID do some fine blues in an eclectic set.

Sorry, but Billy Cobham was NEVER the blues, even if it was done very well.

Neither was the Pink Floyd they did last year, but again they pulled off

something from left field very well.

Rich Harper is clearly the post Stones, Mountain, Johnny Winter rocked out blues of the 60-70's.

He does it very well on electric and it is what many people find as the current 'American Blues Style".

It is basically a rock style, not so much a real roots blues thing. But fun and blues based none the less.

He was trying to get back to roots blues himself with his set.

This festival would not be the same without Rich there.

Cannonball is a super tight and smooth Bangkok group,

with a very strong 70's southern rock blues thing going on.

It also has a high percentage of Keith Nolan's great original songs.

Less crunchy and abrasive than some and more rolling and rocking.

Just as much blues, but with in a more specific regional niche,

which is one of my favorites, and the do it very well.

On the other hand the most informed, versatile and musicologically correct performer

is hands down Snowman of the Blues Machine. His knowledge of sub-genres and players is comprehensive.

His devotion to style is sincere without limiting his work to ONLY one style of 'The Blues".

He sees the big picture and also how different audiences need different Blues to fit their expectations.

Their set pulled from a collage of true blues master song writers, and they infused the sound with a

great variety of modern blues textures from several eras. And when you heard them with Mitch

they sounded different again.

Mitch Woods is of the 'Classic New Orleans Blues Tradtion'

and an excellent practitioner of that boogie and honky tonk style.

A clear descendant of : Allen Tousaint, Professor Longhair, Dr. John and Fats Domino among others.

The guy has the 40's-70's styles of that deep southern blues, Cajun Zydaco

and their jazzier N.O. cousin down cold, and HOT at the same time.

The Blues Machine fit to him like a warm glove on a cool night. Not his words, but close enough.

The other well known performer of his generation is Marcia Ball. Both in styles and playing,

compatible and yet their own thing happening clearly. Mitch is a classic and the festival was lucky to get him.

I don't know who you are, but finally somebody who gets it! I would like to hear your critic on the rest of the acts!

I think that is a good move. I realize gambling is not a good thing the world over and it is another problem in family break downs etc, but it is life and people do it. It is better to legalize than put people in jail for playing 5 baht card games.

Drinking is the biggest problem in the world, if thats allowed in very country, why not gambling?

great revenue raiser and it puts less strain on the legal system.

IMHO>

I was under the impression that LOTTO was already legal! That doesn't stop the Thai underground Lotto!

Casino gambling will only widen the gap between the have and the have nots! Atlantic City used to be the pearl of the U.S.

Atlantic coast but fell into hard times in the late 60's. When gaming was announced people danced in the street because they all thought they were going to get rich! A. C. is still a slum except for the land that casinos are built on. People don't release that casinos are self contained. They have parking,hotel,places to eat from snack shops to gourmet restaurants. They have bars w/bands ,discos, cabaret shows,International acts in the showrooms ,shopping malls, multi plex theaters and even bowling alleys!

You have 3 types of customers at casinos (this is in the U.S. ,it may have a different effect on T-land) they are 1) the HIGH ROLLER(know in the gaming biz as a "WHALE")...he gets everything comped from the private jet, limo, suite in the hotel, meals...and he gambles BIG. #2) is the other end of the spectrum ,the BUS PEOPLE. (This should be popular here and of concern to everyone living here,more on that later!) they will come from the out lying towns ,such as Rayong and Trat ..etc. They pay one price for R/T bus ticket , a comp meal and few gaming tokens. They will play mostly slots and Keno and stay about 12 hrs before returning on the bus. Both of these types tend to stay at the hotel that they were brought to! The 3ed type is the category that you all and myself would fall into .We will go from casino to casino checking them out, gamboling a little, having dinner maybe see a show and go home.The local economy and businesses see none of the money spent by the patrons of a casino. The casino wants it all .Traditionally there are no windows or clocks in a casino .They don't want you to leave. They will give you free drinks if you are gamboling to loosen you up to play more bet more! The odds are always with the house (casino). They keep it all! Sure there are winners but the percentage of loss to win is always with the house ,otherwise there would be no casinos! (I have a story about my father and a slot mechanic that really shows the odds, but it's too long for this post!)

Yes gamboling will provide jobs,that goes without saying,maybe help tourism. But the down side is never really thought out,even in other countries.Taking into account the bad moves and decisions we have seen made in LOS it should be obvious to everyone that the worst is coming! In that light, I mentioned the buses in A.C. The number of buses became so overwhelming that the people who lived on the streets .on the way to the casinos and used buy the buses , moved their tables and chairs into the street . They sat there stopping the flow of traffic in protest trying to the stop the constant noise and traffic problems caused buy the shear number and volume of these bus people buses! Sounds like Pattaya without gaming!

Somebody mentioned setting up pawn shops around the casinos. For many yrs U.S. gamboling was only legal in Nevada . A.C. got it in the late 70's. In the 90's the U.S. allowed gaming on Indian reservations ,and the state of Mississippi (the poorest and least educated state in the union) allowed "off shore" gaming on the Mississippi River and on its Gulf coast. Not the twelve mile limit but merely built over the water on barges with a ramp to shore! The fastest growing business in Miss. since then has been pawn shops!

My knowledge comes from playing in A.C. and every dirt town in Nevada from Laughlin to Carson City, Wendover to Winnamucca, including Reno and Las Vegas. I had a great time doing it but I also saw the damage that legal gaming can do! And we know,here in T-land, it will only make the rich richer ,the weak poorer and the corrupt will will have a whole new venue to ply their trade!! TIT

Why worry about doing your own laundry!!!! If you are in Jomtain go to Beach Way Laundry ,across from the Avolon Hotel just before Teppraset,if you're coming from Jomtain. You'll see "BUNGEE JUMP" on their wall. They have a gate on the side of the front that looks like a sun in yellow.They are the best laundry I have found. They charge a little more but not that much when you consider they have hot water and real dryers. If you do your own at a coin laundry ,it's not like back home ,it's cold water and there are only washers no dryers ,you'll still have to hang out your own stuff and iron. Beach Way has ironing available but they fold everything so nice ,after the dryer ,i have never needed ironing! The owner ,Jo, is always a joy to talk to and speaks great English! It's not worth the hassle to do your own here! If you don't go to Beach Way ,beware of other laundry who hang their ,or I should say 'YOUR', laundry out on the street . It gets dirtier than when you brought it in! This is also rainy season and if the sun doesn't come out for a few days you'll get your stuff back wet and it will mildew quickly!

There is no magic diet , pill or machine that will make you loose weight! They can all help you loose weight. There is however one and only one way to loose weight ,the answer...TO LOOSE WEIGHT BURN OFF MORE CALORIES THAN YOU TAKE IN! That's it, there is NO other way! ( unless you would consider Liposuction or loosing a limb or two)! Do the opposite 'Take in more than you burn off' and you will gain weight! It sounds simple but it's harder than hel_l to do! Weight goes on much easier than it comes off! Then once it's off you have to make life style changes or you'll go back to your old habits a gaining it all back + some extra! Take it from me I have tried it all. In my life I have probably lost over 1000lbs. This is also not good for it's called 'YO YO ing' We who are addicted to food have the worst addiction to kick. You can live your life without a cigarette, booze or drugs.... but try and live without food!

I had a football ingury that plagued me from High School, a shoulder dislocation. I was supposed to keep it taped to my body for six wks. I was young and it was summer and I tore off the bandages.for yrs. After that it went out on me anytime I over extended my arm ,throwing a ball, throwing a punch (vary embarrassing!) even rolling over in my sleep. In the '70's I met a chiropractor who was also an acupuncturist. After throwing my arm out playing volley ball at a BBQ at the Dr's house,he put my arm back and gave me an acupuncture treatment. I had another treatment ,by him, the next day and my arm has not come out in over 30 yrs. To get to your question,just after the first of this yr I started to get a click and pain in that same shoulder. I went to Bangkok Pattaya and had 2 normal acupuncture treatments and one elec. accu. treatment, one a wk over 3 wks. The pain and clicking are 99% gone and I am doing exercises to get the other 1% back in shape. I would recommend it for anyone. The Doctor is only there on Sundays. He will tell you straight out what he can and can't fix! He won't promise results that the acupuncture can't do.

Palmello (sp?) it's a cross between a grapefruit and an orange . Eat at night and it will make you regular every morning!!!

I could never assimilate back into the U.S.of Bush ! I would go crazy w/ boredom or end up in jail!

It's not worth to go against the insurance company. they have more money and better lawyers than you. I had the same problem in the year 2001. some guy wrecked my parked car on my private property. He just jumpt (Highspeed) of the road, directly in my car and two others. total damage was arround 300'000 Baht My car was total wrecked. The insurance offered to pay 30'000 Baht for all. we never got payd. It's normaly overhere. Therefore the best thing is: Drive a Junk! Never got any problem again since i drive a Junk.

This company has no money or they would pay their bills! They were headed by one of Toxin's boys . He put the bond money up for starting the company and then withdrew the dough when the company was licensed. I was told that last Thursday was the final day for them to pay or quit. Wed. the office on Pattaya center Rd. had already changed it's name. Another rip off in the LOS! They were selling insurance up until last wk. I don't know how many people are insured with them or how many know what's going on,but I can bet there are a lot of people driving around thinking they are covered and protected and they are not!!!

I don't see why it should.

I have never heard of Immigration checking for outstanding court cases,

and if yours is thrown out you should have no problem.

I know you mean well,but I just don't want to take a chance with only one reply> Please any other info on this would be helpful.

I am being sued by a garage who fixed my damaged truck. I had insurance at the time but the company never paid my bill or any other clients. the garage I went to is owed over a million bhat and others as much as 5 mill. This is all over the country to the tune of 2-3 hundred million. Needless to say the company is going out of business. I know in court my case will be thrown out,but what I want to know is is this could somehow effect my visa or work permit in a negitive way?

I have found out that ,yes I am not responsible for the dept ! As one poster said, the repair was made with an agreement between the insurance co. And the garage would not let me take the repaired truck if it was not paid for or I had not made some payment plan w/ them. If it went to court it would be a loss for the garage.

My other problem is that I have a work permit coming up in July and my lawyer says I should pay it so I don't get refused or some thing else that would slow down or stop me getting a permit. I feel he is wrong and I want to do things differently.

I know and like the garage owner. On the many times I have taken my truck to him we have talked and I find him to be a nice person. I understand his tiring to recoup some of his losses. My plan now is to go see the owner and tell him the futility of him suing me . hopefully he will understand and help. If I can get names and numbers of others cheated by the insurance,that he has , we could all go to the police and have the police accompany us to the Insurance office. I also would like the help and support of Pattaya People newspaper and will write and call them.

Thanks for everyone's replies! I still need anyone who has been cheated by this company to contact me at 089127348. Let's go get these guys!

Sorry! I didn't know the name at the time of the post,but my says it's TANASIN. Their office in Pattaya in on the north side of Center Pattaya Rd. across from the Red Lobster. If anyone has used this company be forewarned .I sold the Ford truck, that was repaired, a yr ago May (w/the remaining insurance) ,over a yr ago, so they can still come back and haunt you!!! We know of one other Thai lady who is getting sued for 2000b ,they are suing me for 15,000b. if any one else is being sued or is using this company please call me 089127348 ,we want to put and end to them doing business or pay their bills!

A few days a go a letter came in the mail that from a lawyer hired by the garage that repaired my truck ,after an accident. At the time I had insurance but the company never paid the bill. The company is still in business in Pattaya and BKK ,taking peoples money. So far we have found one other woman w/ the same problem. If you have had the same trouble please contact me at 089127348 .We intend to contact the garage offer half payment,as we both loose,and not our fault. And ask him to join us with the police to bring charges against this rip-off insurance company.