gomangosteen

Public unaware that Visa is shamelessly promoting itself through news releases by claiming cash spenders don't know where there money is spent. TV falls victim to the scam.

Yes, this 'shock news' simply part of latest global marketing of their debit cards. They have a similar 'mystery spending' news release for USA, topped with:

Debit cards provide an easy and effective way for consumers to access available funds for purchases. And, according to the Visa survey, consumers agree. Among debit cardholders we surveyed, the majority (64 percent) believe their debit card helps keep mystery spending to a minimum and four out of five say a debit card helps them track their spending. This feedback supports that debit cards can definitely be used as a money saving tool.

The results also showed that 48 percent of Americans surveyed who use cash say they can’t account for almost one-third of it.

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Traditionally Thais don't celebrate birthdays but they are happy to celebrate anything - Christmas, Thanks Giving, The Somali New Year, anything.

"some'' perhaps

Come to Chanthaburi, where Easter is also celebrated, Stations of the Cross re-enacted, and even televised. Christmas, parade and events at the Catholic schools and churches. There are five of each within 15 min of our home, two schools and a church within the town itself.

Our town on Xmas Eve hosts a big parade and Christmas celebration. There is a cathedral 10min away in Chan city, and the congregation celebrated 300 years of churches on that site in 2011, the current gothic one completed in 1909, three years after the French occupation ended

Maybe they left a legacy of birthday parties? Or do we thank the Vietnamese Christians who built the first church in 1711? Or the descendants of seafaring Chinese traders?

I think it's a common knowledge Thais don't really celebrate it.

My partner's family - they're certainly acknowledged, and phone calls on the day between the scattered family members; for my partner,standard is a visit to the temple, a phone call to her mother, the office staff where she works give gifts, and they go out for lunch together. We'll go out with friends in the evening, no 'party' but a nice get-together

Last week, the company manager's birthday. Large highway/bridge building business across four provinces, my partner and other senior staff accompanied manager to her temple about 30km away, then restaurant for long lunch and office didn't re-open that day, all staff allowed home 3pm.

That our local shops sell an array of Thai birthday cards, and not just ones aimed at children, might suggest it's not as rare as some think.

In Sa Kaeo town

, bra's were now ฿120 instead of ฿100, farang tax.

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Good grief man, that deserves an entire thread of its own

Nice to see you're treating the good lady right with the high class lingerie, now that's classy !

Shop around, you must be able to economise further

It would be a good start. I know alot of friends who wont come back ever because they felt cheated and discriminated against. Nothing right about it and it sets the stage for nations rip of the visitor day....

Serious? What, did the 200 baht national park fee break their budget?

Hope they didn't go to Malaysia, Leos, Cambodia . . .

Never bothered me, more to worry about than a few dollars; as per post above, look at it as a discount to the Thai people

Two views of Chantaboon, on the Chanthaburi River

1897 and September 2015

Presuming the best of intentions, but Rule 19) You will not post missing or looking for person or information about any person, except with the explicit approval of admin by contacting support

Plenty of good reasons for this.

By coincidence, my 'good deed' in this respect took place in Sa Kaeo when we lived there 2010-11. Responding to a request on a forum for a missing Englishman, made great efforts to locate, half a day's travel and we found the 'missing' man

In this case he'd made a decision to cut himself off from family and friends. Changed cellphone sims, chosen to ignore emails. A polite glass of water and a request to simply say he was alive and nothing more. "on your way''

But could just have easily been a fraudulent claim for a 'lost friend'. A bad debt, someone chasing an ex spouse etc. And re the suggestion above, joking i think, who would appreciate having their name and details published on a public forum like this ?

There are four cafes selling Doi Chaang coffee here in Chanthaburi province, but in my opinion, only one good one.

The local one in Tha Mai, owner/operator is properly trained, superb coffee to my taste.

I've been disappointed at each of the other three, so not just the coffee/brand but the person behind the machine just as important

Great story behind the brand too: CoffeeTalk

another from near Aranyaprathet in Sa Kaeo province; about 40km northish from town, near the Cambodian border. My photos below from 2010 - there was some restoration work going on, maybe a little improved now in 2015. Non-commercial - the only people there were a few stone workers, otherwise we had the place to ourselves. Very peaceful. but we were told to keep on the tracks - despite demining being complete

Sdok Kok Thom (สด๊กก๊กธม)

An 11th Century Khmer temple located about 43km northeast of the Thai border town of Aranyaprathet. The temple was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Constructed by a prominent priestly family, Sdok Kok Thom is best known as the original site of one of the most illuminating inscriptions left behind by the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of Southeast Asia from the end of the 9th century to the 15th century. Built of red sandstone and laterite, the temple is a prime example of a provincial seat of worship during the empire’s golden age. It is small by the standards of the major monuments in Angkor, the empire’s capital, but shares their basic design and religious symbolism.

Some info from from wiki:

Following the Vietnamese army's invasion of Cambodia in 1978 and the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge government, the forested area around the temple became the site of a large camp of Cambodian refugees, known as Nong Samet Camp or Rithysen. The camp was controlled by anti-communist guerrillas known as Khmer Serei, who were opposed to the Vietnamese presence in Cambodia. The camp eventually became an important source of support for the Khmer People's National Liberation Front.

In 2002, with the Cambodian conflict long settled and the refugees gone, the Japan Alliance for Humanitarian Demining Support, the Thailand Mine Action Center and the General Chatichai Choonhavan Foundation began cooperating on a program to remove landmines and other unexploded ordnance from the area.^[10] Local villagers were recruited and trained for this work, which ended in 2004 after the removal of 76 mines and other pieces of ordnance.^[11]

Over the years, the temple had fallen into a grave state of disrepair, due to the passage of time and plundering by art thieves. In the 1990s, the Thai government’s Fine Arts Department began an extensive restoration of the temple (see photos at ^[12] and ^[13]). Workers have cleared brush and trees and excavated soil on the temple grounds down to its original level. Fallen stones have been cataloged and returned to what experts believe to be their original positions; masons have fashioned replacements for missing or severely damaged stones. Moats have been dug out and refilled with water.

Sa Kaeo province

Prasat Khao Noi Si Chomphu

Aranyaprathet border town, with Poipet on the Cambodian side

12km south of Aranyaprathet is Prasat Khao Noi Si Chomphu (ปราสาทเขาน้อยสีชมพู)

Prasat Khao Noi Si Chomphu is believed to have been a Hindu shrine, and is dated as being built in the year 637AD.

Made of bricks without any use of mortar, it comprises 3 brick constructions, the northern and central Prang and the southern Wihan.

Only the central one remains in quite a good condition, while only the bases of the northern and the southern ones are left.

A restoration is underway.

Hi

Options here for buses

http://www.kohchangholiday.com/getting_away2.html

Regularly take bus to/from Chanthaburi to Suvarnabhumi/Bangkok, start of route is Trat

Recommend the government bus service. Better buses and drivers than the opposition, on time and reliable, though less trips available per day

Cost to Trat i expect around 300b. It is 214b from Chan, which includes a bottle of water, small fruit juice and cake

Other company on this route is Cherdchai, run more services, but buses a lot older, and more stops along the way

Have used both many times since 2011 when we moved here, no complaints

I've been quizzed on some occasions. Partner's company owners and their family holidayed in nz in April i was asked to help out with itinerary, best places to visit etc, and they met up with my brother in Auckland took him on a harbour cruise ( think this was 'my' thanks in a roundabout way).

There's a youngish doctor in the cycling group i ride with, he did his post-grad studies in Melbourne and had taken a package tour of nz, knew more than most, we get along well as a bit in common i worked in nz medical recruitment for several years

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Currently i am on a short contract in Taranaki NZ, oil/gas and dairy farming region. Was asked to send dairy farm pics back as know a man whose brother in involved in Thailand's small dairy industry, he's at Wang Nam Yen in Sa Kaeo province, nz has a history of co-operation since the 60s in dairy, friend's father was in Thailand then Indonesia for years, as a NZ Dairy Board farm advisor. My pics are welcomed, and circulated among staff. The woolly highland cattle, and belted Galloways had them confused, having not seen those breeds before

The Lord of the Rings, and All Blacks, most common topics when nz gets a mention, though the 2010 football world cup raised a few questions, not a sport i follow, but the nz side got coverage at the time in Thai media

Mountains, hobbits, and men kicking balls ! That sums it up.

and here it is, Chao Lao beach, Chanthaburi