Fallangpakwan

Showing my lack of IT knowledge I know but here goes. Where I live we receive free (no password) Wi-Fi which is okay for emails, Thaivisa etc and most times "Youtube" items; but is not enough to run my  Android TV-box satisfactorily. Of course I always have similar problems with signal strength at various resorts I stay at upcountry. Have seen several "BOOSTERS" at the new Harbour Mall in Pattaya but be damned if I can get any of the vendors to explain and/or recommend a particular device. Currently I have no modem but use a KINAMAX receiver device; (think TP-Link have a similar one) but this will not do anything for the Android TV box as far as I can tell. Can anyone help with what I can buy to do the trick???

Cheers

" The beer market is extremely large and Thai consumers enjoy all sorts of beers, from local brands like Leo to more expensive super-premium brands that you now see in upscale bars and restaurants"

What about the majority of restaurants? How many times to you go into a restaurant and ask what beer do they have only to be told the same old story

"Leo, sing, Chang, Heineken" that's it 90% of the time. It's like they are not allowed to offer something else or those Thai consumers don't give a toss for anything different.

Yes always gets to me why the choice is so limited; even in some very fancy restaurants upcountry;such as Khaomao-Khaofang at Mae Sot; that's what's on offer, even though within a mile Makro sells my fave TIGER and a whole host of others by the carton.

Must be right at the top of the list for "IDIOT OF THE YEAR" trophy.1st, second and 3rd prizes no doubt.

Back in the 80's everything stopped in Bangkok at 8 in the morning. Think it was around 85 they gave up on it.

I and friends always have to wonder as "Berty" has mentioned; when is this all going to IMPLODE. So many examples near to me that are astounding such as Harbour Mall on Sukhumvit Au Udom that was completed about 1990 and opened as a Laemthong Shopping Centre then closed a few years later and sat empty aside from a KFC in basement, until about 5 years back now with Tesco Lotus holding it together; but the 150 or so 4floor shophouses built at the same time that surround the main building have never been occupied more than about 10%, and now several have been renovated and are "for sale/rent".

This kind of stuff is to be seen all over the country; ( tongue in cheek a bit; I haven't driven way south for awhile);but even on a short drive to Trat you see hundreds of buildings of all sorts abandoned.

Drive into almost any moo-baan and look at the rate of completion and/or occupancy.

It's madness.

Have said before over and over, the whole country is being covered with concrete; and probably less than 50% of it is ever occupied.It's been going on for many years. Nobody knows where the money comes from; it's weird.

Looked to me the taxi was trying to turn right, the stupid farang decided not to let him do that; then instead of backing off, turns it into what others say, could be a fatal exercise.

While on this subject; what do you folks out there think about the very large property on the corner of North Rd and 2ND Rd Pattaya, opposite BEST supermarket, that was "developed" around the mid 90's; and about 15% occupied till last year; now all knocked down and another "development" under construction on the same site,(including on the adjacent land that was the stupid JJ Market for a short while).

Terminal 21 is being developed there it will be larger then CentraL

Yes I had been told that was what it was going to be; and the hotel part of it to be 24 floors high

While on this subject; what do you folks out there think about the very large property on the corner of North Rd and 2ND Rd Pattaya, opposite BEST supermarket, that was "developed" around the mid 90's; and about 15% occupied till last year; now all knocked down and another "development" under construction on the same site,(including on the adjacent land that was the stupid JJ Market for a short while).

Doesn't matter where you are; if you drive from Chiangrai to Trang;Mae Sot to Mukdahan; anywhere, and you will see probably 40 to 50% buildings abandoned or just unused; and yet more are being built wherever you look.

Question, if just doing a KL 30 day turnaround (fly in, fly back to Thailand,new 30 day stamp) on arrival KL do you have to clear immigration in KL or can you use just the transit exit?

You should enter and depart Malaysia. Otherwise your out and back is not legit because you have no proof you entered another country.

A year or so back I did a roundtrip to Singapore; THAI without saying anything gave me 2 boarding passes; got to Spore and thought I could go in/out and get a stamp but the crowd was too much.Got back on same aircraft, same seat and back to Bangers; entered with 30 days no problem.

This is Thailand all over;you can drive from Mae Sot to Mukdahan, Chiangrai to Trang and see at least 50% of all kinds of buildings having never been occupied; and more being built alongside.One perfect example is the probably hundred or so "shophouses" built around 1990 surrounding what is now the "Harbour Mall" along Laemchabang way that have never been used; they were falling down now see some have been renovated and back on the market.Have to wonder where the money comes from.

No problem, cross the bridge, pay 500baht, get a temporary pass and take a look around or go straight back over the bridge.

When it happens to me, someone decides to sit near and light-up even when there's plenty of vacant seats further away; I quietly inform them that cig smoke makes me vomit and "when I do it will be over you".

In my 35 years in the LoS I have never been asked by Police to show my passport; I do keep my driving licence with me; and a PP and visa copy in my car, and can remember ever having to show my licence only about twice.

My best at the moment is BBL and I do have accounts with Krungsri and Kasikorn; years ago when still working used Siam Com also and they were good. Currently though, if I need to go into a Kasi or Krungsri branch I need to look around for one that's not crowded out.BBL to me is easiest online bank

Would advise anyone on this planet to stay well away from the HSBC; a <deleted> nightmare to deal with, Stanchart not much better.

Since being given a Peugeot company car back in 1981 that broke down every day; I have been a TOYOTA man, but gawd, one of them back around 1990, after only 100,000km; the light bulb in the inside dome-light burned out and I had to spend 20baht to replace it.

Not a bad selection usually at the shop on left about opposite "Bamboo Bar"(near Walking St entrance) as you go round the corner from Beach Rd and along to 2nd Rd.

At least it was a case of one piece of crap taking out another piece of crap with no "innocents" involved; hope to see more of it.

Have to mention, I recently for first time, went into a large fairly newly established outlet on Highway 7 (name withheld), it would be at least 200 metres long, and narrow; small entrance in centre,concrete walls all along, crammed with all kinds of flammable stuff, saw no emergency exits or sprinkler system though must admit I did not do a detailed study, but it's bothered me since and I for one will never go in there again. One would hope that a topic like this being discussed here could have some positive effect; doubt that though.

I witnessed that fire; must say there was some reasonably rapid response; at least 2 choppers were there in no time ferrying people off the roof and down onto the beach.

For some reason MAKRO seem to have the most friendly staff I know of; at Pattaya south and north, Petchabun, Mae Sot and a few others I have used. One day at Pattaya north I was checking out and noticed a small bottle of massage liniment with the girl at the next vacant check-out and asked her if MAKRO was now selling that. No, she said,why whats wrong? I have a sore neck I said; she jumped over with the liniment and started massaging my neck while waiting for my bill; can't beat that.

My XP crashed a few months back and I had the famous shop opposite Pattaya Foodland reinstall it for me, but they put AVAST on with it and I've had problems like not being able to open attachments, videos etc unless I disabled AVAST first. Sounds like I'd be better off without AVAST. Icidentally I bought my first ever computer from the "opposite Foodland" people back in the 80's, and the netbook I'm using now; they are great; maybe a bit more expensive than other places though.

Back in the 1990's I rented an expensive condo right on the beach at Ban Amphoe (Bann Som.....g)but about a year later there, the smoke from the charcoal-makers up in the hill beyond Phoenix Golf course would creep down early morning hours and all windows etc closed and A/C running would damn near choke me; had to move out.

All sounds very complicated; I go online to one of my banks in my home country,fill in a form and add an OTP (one time pin) that comes from a "TOKEN" they issued me that ticks over a new number every minute;the results are my funds are in my Thai Bank usually within about 24 hours.