konying

You say i never set foot in a Thai school in a teaching capacity !! WRONG !!

Been there done that, was treated with the greatest of respect.

Took part in all school activities.

No doubt

Its always hard to get the truth on these things....lots of bloody bingo players with business interests talking up the place.

Have a look at Soi buakhao. Previous years there was no chance to get a shop. This year already at least 8 empty ones in prime locations .

I only prey I am wrong but I think by March of 2016, this number will triple if not more, that includes small guesthouse and hotels

about soi buakao, 4 years ago the 2 sawadee hotels were already falling apart ...beginning of december, for the mansion , were only 4 guest and around the pool of the second just one lesbian couple

did the managers find money to renovate ? or the buildings are already collapsed ?

The outside was painted , the inside untouched

Its always hard to get the truth on these things....lots of bloody bingo players with business interests talking up the place.

Have a look at Soi buakhao. Previous years there was no chance to get a shop. This year already at least 8 empty ones in prime locations .

I only prey I am wrong but I think by March of 2016, this number will triple if not more, that includes small guesthouse and hotels

If I am not mistaken you have flat feet, as I do.

The only proper way is shoes with arch, central department store .

Crocs I believe started to make some, around 3000 baht.

Also in my case, loosing weight helped a lot

I have been here for 8 straight hi-seasons. I know a beer bar owner on Walking St. / Soi Diamond. Every year has been worst than the one before according to both of us.

Nah , you lying as according to 2 posters already the place is jammed packed and MOST hotels are fully booked, in fact so booked that many offering 50% off in high season.

well after 6pm most people go out and they don't go the beach, every bar from second road back to 3rd road is busy, Ne plaza is busy

Soi Buakhao is busy, Lk metro is busy

its HIGH season and as busy as it has been in the past 12 years

most hotels are booked up

Awesome, so lets try this trick with another poster, can you please give me the names of those hotels which are booked up?,

Try friendship as well second row from the far right

Putin respects Trump because he realizes that Trump is the only hardfisted negotiator in the bunch that is a true statesman. The rest of the Republicans want to bomb, bomb, bomb and then invite the tens of millions that they've bombed into the US as a sign of their magnanimity.

Trump is the only true negotiator in the group. He negotiated his way out of $4.7 billion worth of debt, with his four bankruptcies. I guess that takes some talent.

A true statesman. That is a hard one to swallow. The definition of a statesman is a man who is well versed in foreign affairs, able to negotiate a fair and balanced settlement, and able to command the respect of his or her counterparts. I do not think Trump possesses any of those qualities.

He does not have a fair bone in his body.

He would not command any respect on the world stage. He would be regarded as a circus goon.

His command of foreign affairs is building a wall, and a golf course in Ireland. It ends there. Most 9th graders know more about the world, and foreign affairs than he does.

His belligerence would prevent him from negotiating with his peers on a political stage.

When Obama was first running, he made incredible speeches which just rolled of his tongue. Once he became the president, he can not string 3 words together without "well" "you know" "hmm" "errr"

As if puppet master let go off the strings

You can though rest easy knowing that if Trump comes to power, he will not be poking sleeping Russian bear or doing deals with Iran where US walks away with a tail between its legs

I have tested Zello and it fits my needs just fine.

My staff run the hotel anyway, whether I am onsite or offsite, (I just monitor the business). I have not had any problems with losing money because all room bookings are managed by me, via my accounts.

If a customer books a room, then that money automatically goes into my bank account. The staff only handle the small amounts of cash for F&B, and only 1 staff member handles that cash. She is well-paid and I have never lost 1 baht.

I'm taking time off to build a new resort (the 5th that I have built since 2002 and my 8th resort/guesthouse). If my staff were stealing money, I wouldn't have got past building the 1st resort

Admire your confidence, best of luck.

Just a question, when customer decides to extend their stay, does your staff send them to pay into your account or to book through a third party where you pay 20% commission or do they sell the room?

Same question applies if someone is a walk in guest

I believe you also now serve food, so what happens when someone makes and order and your staff can not be bothered, so they reply "not have"

Now think what happens when you away and someone wants to extend their stay

Example for you, i just fired one lazy ass, who was working night shifts and when guests wanted coffee early in the morning, he told them we did not sell any coffee.

To make matters worse, i do have a full service restaurant and cafe open 24 hours.

I only caught him by chance, because had a mate staying over who told me. Mate was up at 7am each day to have his coffee and was told we do not sell so he went else where. Told me only after 5 days. 395 baht lost. and thats only 1 guest, how many others(may be)?

One does not need to steal directly from the register for business to loose money, this is all i am saying

Simon go with skype, this way you can also hear and see what is going on.

One way to ensure its on even if they do not want to, is to change computer settings that it never sleeps, then install teamviewer, which lets you connect remotely and control your PC in hotel.

So basically you can communicate at all times and when they think you off line, you can call yourself, answer yourself and hear everything.

PS, i do not envy you, 1 year i had to be away for 2 months, easily lost 300 000K

The following year was away for 4 months due to death in the family, 250k stolen by one of the staff and lost revenue about 250 at least and mind you i controlled all the bookings.

What about the 3,000 drivers with a mentality of under 10 years?

They were given brand new vans to wreck, so its all safe now

Have you asked your management to contact PEA?

and thai lawyers are worried about non thai lawyers being able to practice, if this is just a sample of how hopeless they are they have nothing to complain about. The clients may even be able to get a decent representation if ones like this have competition from a good lawyer, client faces arson charges and his lawyer gets him sentenced to death according to him but has it commuted to prison, what a drop kick.

There is a good reason for convicted person to file an appeal

Reasoning, my previous lawyer was a moron

Immigration is full with queues out the door, Beach Road is chocka from 5pm onwards, I struggled to book a room for a friend arriving tomorrow....guess its quite...oh the bars are quite

Can you give me the name of the hotel where you tried for tomorrow please?

"My coworkers and I laughed it off."

This shows your attitude towards Thailand in general. Anyone who has been here longer than a day knows that the Thai Royal family are highly revered and worthy of respect. For you and your colleagues to decide you are above dragging your sorry @rses out of bed like the other teachers simply proves you have no respect for the school's request, for Thai culture or for the monarchy. As such, I'd say any animosity, real or imagined, has nothing to do with you receiving a higher wage, but more to do with your attitude which is quite frankly, lacking.

It was the supreme Patriarch (not an aristocrat or member of the monarchy): Funeral procession of Supreme Patriarch begins

There was no question of disrespect, the school wanted him there early as part of their procedural requirements which, as he points out, were irrelevant to his timetable.

Unfortunately he ran foul of their obsession with regimentalisation.

If he had used the excuse that he intended to go to the funeral (which is probably what his students did) he might have been treated rather differently.

(He might have had to show them the selfies though, which could have been a bit awkward).

PS. You're a fine one to lecture on ignorance of Thai culture, given that this particular big event has been getting up an enormous head of steam for 2 years and you've been blathering on as if it you didn't know what it was and who was involved. There were royals present, but it wasn't about them.

If you read the OP, he stated Supreme MONARCH. I replied with that in mind. Regardless, I'll stand by what I originally said. If the school admin requests that you be there at a given time for a one off event which is important to the local people or Thai culture, why wouldn't you do that? We live here and as such should respect the local culture and traditions whether we agree with them or not. If not we need to stand in front of the mirror and ask ourselves do we really want to be here.

You live here and comment on what people should and should not do then preach about the culture and yet you did not know what OP meant?

Even if he wrote, monarch, do you not know there is no such a thing as Supreme Monarch?

Love all the experts who judge and give out advice, yet do not have a single clue or an ounce of experience, and hardly any common sense.

I gave up with Thai massage many years ago after I suffered a 36-hour headache following the masseuse pressing very hard on my temples with her thumbs. Final straw and all that.

I am reliably informed if it is not done hard, it is not a Thai massage. Well if that is the case, you can keep it.

My Thai wife who loves Thai massage almost don't go anymore. And when she goes afterwards I hear her ranting......Always the word Kwai is in the rant.....She tells the best she can find is medium, but usually the massage isn't good at all and she knows how it should be done and can advise and complain.

Here's a thought.

Hundreds of small, medium, large massage shops everywhere (I mean the ones that don't offer happy ending or more). Some in very small and very simple premises, some in very up market very large premises with expensive furniture and fittings, etc.

Regardless of any signage or verbal claims, how many of the employees in these shops do have proper training by qualified trainers?

Is there any law or regulations requiring such employees / owners etc., to have specific training and qualifications?

Is there any visitation / check by the health ministry or whatever on these premises in regard to hygiene and the qualifications of the employees?

Well I guess you don't need the question about regulations and enforcement answered.....

Somewhere close to us is a massage from blind men (that is what I got told) which is supposed to be excellent. My wife sister went there sometimes. But my wife don't feel comfortable by having a man massage her, blind or not.

(I understand I am the same I wouldn't want a man massage me, as well....)

I think the really good are know by the wealthier Thais. But I think still the medical and the sexual thing is not clear separate in Thailand.

In theory, massage by a blind person should be amazing, because people without sight would have learned by touch, ie exactly know what is wrong and where.

However i feel this "notion" has also worn off and many doing it without any education as too many have opened up recently, "blind man massage"

As if its a new trend

Going little off topic, back home in Sydney, i knew an old Chinese guy, who hardly spoke any English.

Not only his massage was incredible, but you did not need to communicate at all, as he would run his fingers through the body and tell you what or where the problem was.

To make it even scarier, my grandfather went to see him for massage,after running his fingers over his body, the old man(Chinese advised my grandfather to visit doctor immediately as he had cancer

Sure enough, my grandfather had cancer.

This Chinese guys over the years learned some English, as it turned out, the "skill" was passed on by his father who learned from his father and so on.

Sadly after more than 15 years, he had to close down, because some retarded cow filed sexual harassment charges against him for touching her "inappropriately".

In Bangkok, after my shoulder surgery, i had to go for physio 3 times per week at Bangkok Hospital, 1200 per treatment, about 20 mins(ouch)

Anyhow, had one young guy, who just knew where to touch and how to push, was painful yet the most amazing feeling of release( not the sexual kind )

Then on some days, i had another one, who did not have a clue at all

No real moral to the story, just felt like sharing

There we go: secret meeting, means we are not to know what has been discussed by 2 questionable nations.

One wonders whether the agreement has rendered Turkey instantly questionable, not that I trust Erdogan one iota. I hope Israel continues its policy of supporting the creation of a Kurdish state though.

I think the benefit for Israel is expulsion of Hamas leader and turkey butting out. Though one has to question why now? Must have something to do with pissing off the Russians

You say you are tired of the Thai system.

Maybe the other teachers have a reason for not liking you.

From your attitude towards Thais they have good reason.

Go elsewhere you are only spoiling things for good teachers. Bye bye.

Considering you have 0 experience working with Thai and hardly any contact with Thai outside your room, just your wife and your nurse, you are in no position not only to comment on how things are but to tell someone where to go.

Lucky for Saudi's they are not ruled by brutal dictator , otherwise regime change would be in order

I am sorry that I am so far away from you......else I could borrow him and take him along my bicycle rides (would keep me free from the soi dogs who want to eat me) and would make him tired.....Or maybe it would only make him more hungry

If you give me your address I will post him to you.

I could do with a holiday, I am sure the rest of the pack would be glad to see him go for a holiday as well. lol

Trump: A dangerous unstable CLOWN.

Why? Because he wants America to be for Americans ? Or because he wants Americans to have jobs instead of illegal immigrants? Or because he does not want people who are happy to see dead Americans?

A clown who can make billions is by far better than a politician under someone's thumb

Who is going to do all your shit jobs and agriculture at $4/HR.The mighty US of A would grind to a halt without your working poor and illegals.How much does the clown really have,it's all just paper bought with other fools money.All piss and wind,you deserve what you get.Remember that other clown that sent the country broke.He was a Reb too wasn't he.America for Americans,yeah,as long as you all stay behind that fence and don't come out and annoy the rest of us.America.the gated country.

Do you have this paper ?i did not think so

Just an observation.

One of my preferred places has free standard rooms all the month into January except for two or three days around New Year.

I remember a year when I could not get a room in February as a walk in.

Good for me as I want to be there a few days in January without planning ahead.

They are not the only ones. I am in the same boat, even the New Years is still not fully booked

The beach and surroundings is busy, go past buakhao and its dead.

I am surrounded by 5 hotels and we all on good terms, price ranging from 500 to 2500 and we are all empty , 2-3 rooms.

No doubt hotels with contracts to Chinese or Korean groups are full but it does not help most other businesses

The usual fair may well be 300 but did they agree or discuss the fair?

Trump is the only one with balls to speak the truth whithout being worried if he was politically correct.

Putin is the same .

As for Obama lovers, there is a good reason why his popularity at 40% and Trump keeps on rising .

About time US had a president who put American people first and everything else second