richard_smith237

At Short notice (3 days) I needed a flight to the UK from Bangkok.

My Instructions to the travel agent included…

Not Thai, and not a European Airline.

Not into Heathrow.

The departure time and a middle east stopover are not an issue.

I really rate the quality of service, seating etc on the Middle Eastern carriers and find their business rates quite competitive when I considered how hassle free the travel and comfort level are. Thai Airways cannot compete on long haul flights with until they significantly improve their service. However, I do believe that their local flights (within Asia) are quite reasonable.

I wonder why he was walking down beach road in the early hours serves em right.

Naka.

I hope Naka that you are more intelligent than this and that this response is not serious and is aimed at mimicking and winding up all the irritating ‘holier than thou’ crowd who suggest that because someone is a victim of a crime that it’s their fault…..

Whenever my girlfriend and I have visited Pattaya from Bangkok we have ended up in club called 'duffer'..... Its where a lot of other friends (mainly Thai) go to when they are taking a weekend away from Bangkok and want a some night life.

Its been a decent evening with none of the naughtier aspects that Pattaya offers in other areas.

How are these people that you don't know getting your number?

Wrong numbers, that's how.

I dialed a wrong number on Mother's Day. A lady answered and said "Hello?". So I said "Hello Mum, happy mother's day!". She said "Oh, thank you very much. Who are you?". So I said "It's me, Jetset in Thailand". [Yes, even my mum calls me 'Jetset']. She said "But I don't know any 'Jetset'". So I said "Is this "013........" and she said "Yes, it is". So I said "But that's my mum's number". And she said "No, it's mine."

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I'd written one digit down wrong on the number I'd stuck next to the land-line phone.

But a really enjoyable wrong number - we were both laughing our heads off by the time I said "Cheerio".

This reminds me of a similar story of a mistake I made while making the phone call within Thailand to a Thai friend.

It was around the time that the 8 was being included in the cell numbers…

Throughout the first part of the transition period I just hit the call register and used reply when I wanted to call one of my Thai friends…

However, for some reason (after clearing the call register perhaps) I selected my friends number edited in the 8 to his number and called him, what followed was something like this…

Me: Hey, xx its me, how’s things, you up for beer later ?

Friend: sure, where are you ?

Me: At home, but where do you reckon for beer?

Friend: Where is home?

Me: what do you mean?

Friend: Where are you?

Me: At home.. hold on… Is this xx ?

Friend: sure it is, where are we going to meet up for beers then ?

Me: Hold on a second, who are you?

Friend: This is me…

Me: OK ok ok, Can you get xx and tell him I called…

Friend: sure but what about beers…

Me: OK, I’m trying to get hold of xx, if you are one of his colleagues and you’ve picked up his cell, can you mention I called?

Friend: Its me, lets catch up for a beer.

Me: Who is me, can you tell me your name…

Friend: Its me, stop messing around, who are you? Where are you

Me: OK, IF I called the wrong number I’m very sorry bye….

(Seconds later I checked the number and re-dialed).

Me: Hey, xx its me, strangest thing just happened…

Friend: Laughter – its me again !

Me: Oh, I do apologize, I’m trying to contact my friend, On this number, its programmed into my phone so I don’t understand why its not going thought to him, I’ll contact AIS.

That evening my friend called me – his number came up…

I explained to him about the crossed line issue, and that someone with a good sense of humor and good English (and with a similar voice) was messing with me when I called him….

It took a few days to work out that I’d but the 8 in the wrong position so the number was 098xxxxx… instead of the 089xxxxx ……

I must have really wound up the guy who’s wrong number I was dialing because over the course of a couple of days, I’d dialed him 4 times. But when my friend called me, the number showed the on the same caller ID tag. Strange……

Anyway, I forgot that I’ve made silly mistakes *(such as this), but again, the Helloooorrr thing still is blooming irritating…

This has also driven me insane – especially after a particularly early in the morning after heavy evening the night before.

I have turned my landline on silent due to so many businesses cold calling.

I have lost all patience with the hallooor halloooers….

When someone I don’t recognize on the caller I’d says halloor, the second halloor is they get before I’ve hung up.

If its any of my friends I can see their caller ID, Thai or Wester, its usually hi there, hey, waddee etc etc and

If it’s a company, they ask for me by name… if its only hallooor, then whoever it is has no business calling me and its clearly a wrong number *(past experience has shown this to be 99% true)…

I never have this problem with incoming international calls (*from bangks etc) – I don’t know why it happens here, but I suspect a lack of phone protocol instilled by businesses.

It happened to a friend driving down Bang-na Rd (below the 2nd stage).

Someone dropped a pebble from the foot bridge and it smashed his windshield.

Once news spreads of this type of thing, I guess the occurrence might spread as the ‘copy cat’ influence takes place.

The threads when ladies are involved always turn towards the negative when those paranoid enough attempt to read between the lines.

But one thing always seems to ring true, and that is that Money is a big issue for many of us inherently materialistic creatures who enjoy the serenity of the east, but are also somehow tied to the logic and practices of the west……..

I wish to digress a little to make a point about my opinions of sin-sod.

One of the reasons (but not limited to) for breaking up with my Ex (who was a flight attendant with an international airline on a very good salary) was that she never had any intention to pay her way and expected the man to pay for her - she was from an extra ordinarily wealthy background (in Thailand I would estimate the house to be a 40MB+, its huge, and there is also another one on the property for the uncle) and she just expected things to be done that way. It went against my grain and I’m by no means stingy.

My recently new girlfriend pays her way. She is again from a particularly wealthy background or similar status mentioned above. The financial question mark that often exists in many of the threads I read can be cancelled out, particularly on my part, although often my GF’s parents may not be entirely satisfied with me when the time comes.

I make this point about money because I would be doing the same thing back home. For whatever reasons it is natural for me protect my interests and the fact that a lady would be interested in me and not any money I may have. The filter here for me is that I naturally end up meeting and dating girls who are from similar socio-economic backgrounds or better.

When I invite my lady out to a restraunt (or any activity), I expect that I’lI pay. I also expect that an offer will be made to share. If in the example of my ex girlfriend, I would expect in this modern age for a lady to at least hold her own and offer to foot the odd bill here or there. This is one of the reasons that in things started to wear thin for me in my previous relationship.

I am now friends with her (my ex) previous ex (there has always been an overlap in friendship groups here in Bangkok and I know many people through other friends Thai and western), her (my ex) previous ex also had similar issues with money (and he was not as wealthy as her, although a partner of popular night club in Bangkok (sorry for the convoluted explanation), so it might not be so much a culture issue)

Now – With all this in mind…. The ‘money’ the ‘quality of girl’ involved etc etc etc… If there are no alarm bells then its OK, no matter what the money is involved with sin-sod etc.

If I couldn’t afford the sin-sod I would expect some form of compromise, after all I would expect my better half to be making a love choice rather than a financial career move.

I must admit to expecting a sin-sod of 1-2MB+ when the time comes. This is what some of my friends, Thai marrying Thai have paid, also other friends have paid less, i.e often 400,000 B depending on their status and what they can afford – in this circumstance my Thai friend borrowed more from the perspective father in law to save face as a whole, which I think is a lovely compromise).

I will admit on this forum that I expect this sin-sod back (I wouldn’t be so happy being expected to pay this sum otherwise). I’m also told that many of the costs would likely be shared or covered.

This implies to me that the sin-sod in Thailand is simply a means of face for both of the families involved in the partnership and is more of a joining of forces.

Apologies for rambling on but I hope I’ve been able to accurately bring the observations I have made into the foray to even out the playing field a little in the Sin-sod Vs No Sin-sod discussion.

(edited for spelling)

This is absolutely astonishing.

Surely the governments must be doing a lot more to protect its citizens from such outrageous and extreme charges. Poppy seeds and 0.2g of hash – anyone could unwittingly have that on their person, shoes etc without having anything to do whatsoever with drugs.

Also, I know the regulations vary heavily from country to country, but I’ve often through the UAE and middle east and often with a few of the seemingly very harmless drugs on the list. I never thought twice.

This regulation and its penalties is simply unreasonable and insane – Can it be that someone has the wrong end of some poohy stick ? I just cant believe that anyone with any sense of logic and level of education could possibly send someone to prison for 4 years for having something stuck to their shoe !

However – I only recently was made aware that I could get into trouble in the states if I want to carry (as I often do) a couple of my favorite Cigars with me on holiday…

Insanity is everywhere… This 0.02g and 3 poppy seeds stories take the biscuit though…

Google is your friend! A search for "kite surfing Pattaya" returns over 29000 results.

Will do. Was a little lazy...

Amir,

Yes there is one, its a little outside Pattaya, past Jomtien. It does windsurfing and wakeboarding.

However, I'm of no further use to you as I cant offer good directions or the name of the club, my reply is just to let you know that there is a club so you will not be wasting your time looking for it.

R

I was asked for 1 million Baht originally, by her father. But was tipped off by my fiance, to "negotiate with him". As it is a way to prove myself worthy, as a man, and not a push over. We negotiated and agreed to 400,000 baht. Then the wedding plans began. A wedding account was opened and my fiance was given her own ATM card. She made all the plans for a Thai traditional wedding ceremony starting at 7am, ending with a wedding party in the late evening hours. Lots of "gold", envelopes filled with cash to give as gifts, lots and lots of flowers, Band flown in from I don't know where? Photographer flown from Bangkok with accomadations. along with all her school friends and fellow workers! Plus rooms for them and family in hotels on the beach in Ao Nang. where we had the party. The Nakamanda Hotel. Great place for a wedding party!

To my surprise, all the sin sod was returned to us after the party! I didn't want it, but My wife said, "it was her fathers wish, and to respect him". So, we did.

I have to say, It was ALL WORTH IT! I have the most honest, smart, and beautiful wife I could possibly dream of! Now the best mother also, to our new born daughter

Oh, as part of me being "proved" to be worthy, I stayed and lived under their roof for almost a month, at the mothers request, just so they could see my love for their daughter. Only then, did they agree to sit down a talk about the sin sod.

"We will continue this tradition with our daughter! She will never marry a man who refuses our tradition and values."

Eric,

I have to respect and agree with everything you said in your post.

You have clearly welcomed the local customs with out ‘turning native’.

I also hazard a guess and make the assumption that you have a good job and your wife is within similar socio-economic boundaries.

I suspect that most of the questions raised against sin-sod are from relationships that are crossing these socio-economic boundaries or relationships that originated from financial beginnings / transactions….

R

At 27 I got braces – It was the best choice I’d made. I can’t remember the cost but a correction was necessary for dental treatment I’d received as a child in the UK.

I had a gap between my upper two front teeth and one of them stuck out a little further than the other. Also the two teeth next the front upper middle two had a gap and were a little small.

After the braces came off (after approximately 10 months) I waited for a year for my teeth to stabilise (to be sure they were going to stay straight) and had veneers (Cost B50,000).

It’s the best money I’ve spend. I now have very straight and normal teeth, not the bright while Hollywood smile, but a good set of teeth that look natural and aid a good smile. The veneers I'm told should last a life time if looked after, I've forgotten I have mine and often bite into ice, rock hard chocolate etc.. Its possible one will crack and I'll need a replacement but I'll have to deal with that at the time.

Its pure vanity by the way, but what the heck, in the Land of smiles it makes it easier to smile.

Common courtesy dictates that if someone is in front they are in front, pushing into a queue is simple bad manners nothing else. It would wind me up.

For the guy to used his Aussie official ID to work for him as revenge, yes its harsh, but I love it…..sweet…. That would certainly make a lot of people reading this forum to think twice before pushing in…

And the Russian women, gosh - I wouldn't like to have an arguement with them - experience has shown that Russian women overseas can be quite surly and catty.... I'm scared of them, I'd have to tuck my tail between my legs and let them push in...

I've been driving myself around in Bangkok for about 6 years. I quote one of the reasons for having a car as having to deal with taxis when sobre (I'm a good natured drunk !)...

...........The opening door, always too hot, having to listen to issan music, gobbing on up out of the door, nose picking, hacking their guts up, the noise they make when trying to suck something out of their teeth, the Manchester / Liverpool conversation, the you have thai girlfriend? conversation, the you want sexy lady, you like boom boom? conversation etc etc… the list is endless.................

But.. In defence of taxi's in Bangkok in General I’d suggest that 90% of them are quite reasonable, often the quickest route is not always the most direct.

After driving here for long enough I’ve worked out that at different times of day its sometimes better to take slightly different routes…i.e. its better to travel out of town, get on a toll way just to travel half way across town…

However the shockers are the ones who can sense weakness and try to over charge outside hotels etc. I imagine international hotels and the Airport attract a lot of the scum.

When not driving myself (i.e. at night cos I’m drinking) traveling around town the only common issue I ever have is that the taxi does not want to go where I want to be taken.

At 7pm this is infuriating because they don’t seem to want to go anywhere….

I had a taxi the other evening (actually about 3am) who was taking me back towards town along Ratchada rd (from the other side of Vip-Rangsit rd). I think I had a new guy (perhaps in his fathers taxi, the ID photo was a lot older than the apparent 17 y/o driving the taxi). The poor lad had trouble changing gear and then insisted on keeping in the left most lane, I had trouble persuading him to change lanes to the middle two so that we could take the flyover and underpasses… this was hard work.. What was more hard work was trying to convince him not to pull up behind the long line of other taxi’s waiting to pick people up coming out of the clubs nr Ratchada Soi 4 and 6. After pulling up behind a second line of taxi’s and becoming boxed in, and after explaining that I wanted him to stay in the outside lane to navigate round the stationary waiting taxi’s I gave up, handed him a 100 (B80) said thanks and got out. I took another taxi and arrived home with out further issue. Had I not known where I was going, the first guy would have got me very very lost, particularly has I had to stop him from taking the turning towards Rangsit soon after I got in (my Thai friends told him where I wanted to go and when I got in the car I asked him and he confirmed my destination)…

Simply, he was not out to rip me off he just didn’t know where he was going or how to drive. I wasn’t annoyed, just exasperated . But it did make me think… What if the same thing happened to someone new to the city… fortunately getting lost or a wild goose chase costs very little compared to the potential cost back home, although if you allow it to it can cost a lot in stress !

I would only be flying in from the UK a couple of times per year. The rest of the time I would be flying in from Asia perhaps a couple of times per month.

My wine consumption is relatively high; usually enjoying a bottle or two with dinner (for two) 3-4 bottles don’t last the week.

This means that each time I arrive I would like to purchase at least 3-4 bottles of wine at duty free before passing customs.

I wonder how the customs officials in the red lane would view this. Has anyone been honest enough to try this? It might be worth trying it with one extra bottle just to see what happens.

One thing I would like to comment on in direct reply to your post is that if I was flying from the Middle East I wouldn’t like to lie to customs while my airline baggage tags remain remained in place.

Tree’s are a first, I’ve never heard of that one before.

It seems no matter how fixed something is it can still be stolen, it’s the cheek that amazes me.

At my girlfriends house, due to some working going on the cars were parked outside the gates the other month. Her fathers (S-Class), Mothers (E-Class) and her (A-Class) all had their wing mirrors stolen (Just the glass part). This was in central Bangkok in a fairly busy area. The whole operation took 5 mins and was caught on one of the security camera’s they have mounted on the external walls to their house. I’ve seen the tape and it was a girl who stole the mirrors. Why she would do that has me stumped, but I guess that some parts shop would pay for the mirrors.

How much could a hard wood tree sell for if stolen? and how much could be made from 4 Rai of trees? Someone knows a lot of something here.

I’d be very grateful if anyone has any factual information regarding wine.

As I understand it I am limited to 1 liter of alcohol, be it spirits or wine but sometimes I’d like to bring more.

For example: If I chose to purchase 5 bottles (wine or spirit) with the intention of declaring 4 of the bottles of wine, would this be permitted, and if so, does anyone have any idea of the taxes imposed?

i.e. Champagne at approx B2000 per bottle (at duty free) is approx B3600 in the supermarkets – Spirits don’t appear to offer much saving and the savings on wine varies from brand to brand.

In a similar situation (I was stationary) my 4x4 was hit by a private taxi. Obviously his fault and he admitted so. However, he had no insurance. Accidents happen. Instead of the allowing the possibility of it taking longer while the insurance got money from him etc, I just permitted him to leave the scene and told the insurance that he drove off (I’d taken photos of him, his licence etc just in case this backfired on me later). The insurance wanted guy wanted me to go to the police, but I just said that I’ll accept full responsibility.

I took my car to the dealer and travelled back to my home country for Christmas the next day. The day after I returned from overseas I collected my car. My insurance covered all costs, my inconvenience was minimal. And, surprisingly enough my premium didn’t increase, the reason for this as I understand it is that the cost of fixing the damage is below a certain price. My car is rather an expensive one and I don’t imagine that a new bumper and rear wing are inexpensive, hence my surprise at my yearly insurance premium actually being reduced by 20%.

To the Op. I’m not certain that if you were to claim on your insurance and get necessary fix done by a ‘specified dealer’ that your insurance premium will remain the same or increase. Its worth checking out.

Have to comment on this one….

She seems like an ‘occupational Farang hunter’ hedging her bets.

Some girls are looking for the next best thing and she thought the op was it until something changed her mind.

Many Thai girls of any occupation are readily available for meeting with westerners etc, many dream girls out there in Thailand as there are at home. I really can’t see a huge difference, girls here a primarily slimmer and due to financial attraction there are more of them, that’s all. But it doesn’t make them beauties. The dark skin, button nose may be cute for some, the white Chinese skin for others, but the op commented on the quality of conversation. I find many girls here just too childish and girly, the whole cutesy cutesy act can be nauseating. I think that the intellectual bond is often what is missing and possibly what the Op is attracted to (in addition to the fact that she is probably an attractive woman in her own right). The lady in question sounds more sophisticated than the average bar girl, at least to a conversational level enough to satisfy the Op for a couple of evenings.

This would not work for a lot of guys and I’m sure they like to shoot a lot higher. I for one would be very careful when meeting a girl who may have had one or many western boy friends before, although I have always tried to keep an open mind.

I would make a guess and suggest that the lady has dated a series of western guys before and is familiar and confident in their company. I don’t doubt her job in the hotel. But I would doubt her motives towards men and suggest that often people in a low-paid limited career employment will look towards any relationship as a potential career path.

I would suggest that this girl has a stream of guys and is selecting the ‘right one’, but her behaviour indicates that she may always have a plan B and is likely to be promiscuous.

For myself… If a relationship is judged on the same merits as I would judge it back home then I will always find a decent lady. Most often (and I’m not saying always) cross cultural relationships are likely to work within a similar age group and socioeconomic boundaries. This works for friends too. The bills are shared, the conversations interesting and the friendships genuine – it just seems common sense to me that this mentality works well here in Thailand also.

It happens commonly – its more of a ‘Jai Dee’ / ‘Nam Jai’ thing.

It’s happened to me many times meeting friends of friends, I politely go along with the farce… especially when there is no phone number handed out. However in this case you give off the impression that he seemed genuine enough.

Normally, If it is someone you’ve just met I’d suggest that they were just being polite but without any real expectation that you would ever take them up on the offer.

If you were to find yourself in a sticky spot then he might be very helpful. Everyone is different, maybe he is willing to help, if he is powerful enough to get you out of a sticky situation then it’s quite likely he doesn’t need the money. But, he may be able to help you facilitate payment to his subordinates whom he has instructed to help you out. Thus he gains face, his subordinates gain some money and you get a ‘get out of jail card’…..

I have some friends like this, we are good drinking buddies, one of whom I am god father to his child, he has visited my family in the UK and I consider him an excellent friend. I’ve never needed or felt the need for his help, he is a friend not because of his position. I wouldn’t want to waste his time with something as simple as being pulled over for a traffic violation or speeding etc. He respects this while at the same time enjoys telling his friends that I’ve got this get out of trouble card and I never want to use it. My friends enjoy the stories I have told when something does happen. They seem to like the fact that when ever I have been stopped, the police are always polite and I’ve managed to secure a satisfactory compromise.

I reassure my friend that if a situation arises where I do need his help and I’ll call him, however at that time I’d be in a lot of trouble, so much so he might not be able to help so it’s almost a catch 22 situation.

You may get lots of varied replies…

Here is what I would recommend to friends….

Restaurant – Beccofino (Italian, Sukhumvit 55)

Nightclub – Bed Supper Club (Sukhumvit 11)

Hairdresser – Tony & Guy (Siam Discovery Centre, Siam Square.

I always keep a very quick guide that I e-mail friends who visit here. Its aimed at 28-35 year olds who don’t mind spending

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All, Clubs etc require photo ID regardless of your age (Q Bar, Bed definitely) the clubs do not permit Sandals (flip flops) and shorts for men.

http://www.bangkok.com is a good website for information

Bars ( 6pm to about 10pm)

Sky Bar (Sirocco) - State Tower – Excellent roof top bar / great views, good cocktails. A definite must for Sunset

Koi Bar – Sukhumvit 22 (not 100% certain its 22, hotel concierge should be able to tell you). Excellent but pricey Japanese fusion restaurant. Next door is the bar – very fashionable, where all the beautiful people go (because its free drinks for models) I rarely go there, I’m not sour !

Bars / Clubs (from about 9pm to 1:30 / 2:00am (sometimes later)

Bed Supper Club - on Sukhumvit Soi 11 – A mix of expats and Thai. Some good nights there. Music varies from hard house etc to 70’s. (gets going after 10:30 pm ish).

Q Bar – Sukhumvis Soi 11 – As above, mainly an expat crowd (gets going after about 9:30pm ish)

Zantika – Just after Ekammai Soi 5 (Ekammai is Sukhumvit 63). It’s quite a large night club, playing varied music from dance to rock, it has a loud Thai Rock band that play int’l covers. It’s about 90% Thai, 10% westerners. More of a real Thai club than the others I mentioned, with a younger crowd.

In all of the Clubs in Thailand, I’ve found the best way to drink is to buy a bottle of whiskey or vodka etc and have that for the night (with mixers).

There are lots of Other clubs that are primarily Thai in visitors, they welcome westerners and good fun can be had there. They don’t attract the bar girls because not many westerners go to those places. But at the same time they are a little less refined, they are over crowded and louder. These are the places that I would normally go to and are…

Escudo (Thonglor) / Booze, Jet, Gigabite (Thonglor Soi 10) / Slim, Route, Prob bar (all on RCA) / Nanglen, Escobar (Ekammai)

Pubs – All day all evening.

Molly Maloneys - Irish bar – Silom So Convent. good beers, good British / Irish pub grub

Dubliner – On Sukhumvit Rd, Near Soi 22. Beer and British / Irish pub grub

Barbican – Silom (near Thanya plaza) a decent modern looking British pub, a but winebar-sh.

Restaurants:

(By Order of choice – although Normadie is too epensive for a regular visit.

Le Normandie – French At the Oriental hotel: Quite Simply its known as the Best restaurant in Bangkok, Its Michelin 3 star, the only one restaurants in Asia (outside of Japan) to have been awarded Le Table de Monde (tables of the world). Its pricey (about US$2-400 for 2) As I understand it, its very worth it for a special occasion, You’ll need a jacket and tie, mobile phones must be off, or silent ! (I like the mobile phone rule !) Definitely book in advance.

Beccofino: My top restraunt in Bangkok. Excellent Italian Restaurant on Soi Thonglor (Which is Sukhumvit 55) at 500m down the rd on the right hand side (as coming from Sukhumvit Rd)

Tsunami: Japanese Tepanyaki restaurant downstairs at the Marriot Hotel, Pleonchit (just a little up the road from the start of Sukhumvit rd)

Koi: Japanese International restaurant on sukhumvit 22, as mentioned about (has a bar next door)

Spring & Summer: Thai International (Tricky to get to, in the small Sois, near close to Sukhumvit Soi 49!), excellent food, good atmosphere, need to book.

To Die For. Thai International (Sukhumvit 55, Thonglor, Near H1, on the right hand side, all the way down the end of Thonglor, opposite end from Sukhumvit) Excellent, sit back and Chill, restaurant, international mixture of food.

Zanotti: Italian – very popular (21/1 Soi Saladeng, Silom area).

L’Opera: Italian - Very well hidden along Sukhumvit 39, very romantic.

Guisto: Italian / International, Sukhumvit soi 23. I’ve heard its very good. But I got moody and walked out last time cos the waitress was impolite before I even sat down !!! – I’ll be trying it again soon because I’ve heard good things.

Le Café Siam: - French (tricky to get to – Near Rama IV Rd – the hotel should be able to help with directions if you want to go here) – A good French menu with a varying menu, good wine list (but the wine is pricey) – the varying menu means sometimes the food is great, other times its ok. Its in a nice peaceful house, a little different but can be very quiet if not busy.

Also – Your hotel might to a Riverboat dinner cruise – I’ve never done this, but I’ve heard that they can be good.

Thai Food.

Ban Khun Mae: Siam Square. Good Thai restaurant, good for tourists, food not so spicy.

Blue Elephant: Sathorn Rd. Excellent Thai restaurant, very popular with tourists, again food not so spicy unless asked for.

Ton Krueng; On the Corner of Thonglor Soi 15 (that’s Sukhumvit 55, Soi 15) Authentic Bangkok/Thai restaurant. Not expensive, mostly Thai’s eating there, a good solid feast, some things can be spicy as hel_l !

Sea Food: “If it Swims we have it” : On Sukhumvit 24 – A good novelty value restaurant, choose your own fish, crab lobster from local live selections or international frozen options. Tell them how you want it cooked, choose from a large wine selection, in a huge hall. Has many bus tours. Not cheap, but very good.

Sunday Brunch:

Marriot, Riverside Hotel: Free flowing cocktails and wine (11am – 3pm) Not to be mistaken with the Marriot hotel, Ploenchit.

Four Seasons Hotel: Free flowing Verve Clique Champagne and wine (often fully booked – I have ways of getting a table !!) midday to 3:30pm (can stretch it to 4:30pm !!

Banyan Tree Hotel (top floor – free flow Champagne (was last time I went - 11am to 3 or 4pm)

Sukhothai Hotel – best food, no free flow wine or Champ. But I have been allowed to take my own wine before and not have to pay corkage (that must be discussed before hand).

Shopping:

MBK - Near Siam Square, like Sun Gei Wang Plaza in KL, but a lot better. Its 5 floors of pretty much anything. Its Aircon, has plenty of café’s restaurants, you can buy anything from Mobile phones / fake watches / Real second hand watches etc etc etc the list is endless… This is probably one of the best places to shop if you want a market that has everything, without the sticky heat.

Siam Paragon Centre – Hi End Shopping Mall, newest in Bangkok. Has all the designer names. You can even buy a Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini !!!, it has golf shops, a huge departments store inside. Has everything, one huge Mall (Similar to KLCC but a lot lot better, easy to get lost though !) It has a very good selection of restraints on the ground floor / basement.

Central World Plaza – Everything in one huge Mall (Similar to KLCC but better), not quite as good as Siam Paragon, but it competes well.

Out Door Shopping (Sat / Sunday Only).

Chatuchak Market – a huge outdoor, hot sticky market – Can buy anything and many bargains. Last time I went there I lasted no more than 10 mins before going home again, too hot, too sticky, too crowded… but lots of bargains, Sharon might like it, if you want to go to an outdoor market, this is the biggest and best (you will get lost in there !).

Patpong Market.

Like China town in KL, busy, lots of hassle, normal market things in a sleazy area of town. Good fun to go there if you enjoy being insulted by someone who thinks you are dumb enough to pay 3000 Baht for a wooden elepthant that’s worth 250 baht tops !.. Ok – so its not my ideal place to shop. They are very used to tourists the smile while enjoying a friendly spell of bartering seems to have disappeared.

In the city you have to be aggressive

aggressive , definately not.

but assertive , yes.

there is a big difference.

Yep - Agreed... Assertive is a far far better choice of word.

I had an accident about 5 years ago.

I’m certain I was not in the wrong.

I was on Petchaburi road, in the right hand lane, turning right into an office building car park when a mini-van driver decided he was going to overtake me at the same time.

I took photos immediately after the accident.

Back at the police station I was told that I was in the wrong because I was the one making the traffic maneuver.

I pointed out the van was driving the wrong way in a bus lane while attempting to over take me which is also a manover.

The Boss of the Van company came along, the police gave him a nice big wai. Then I was told I should pay because the van had no insurance.

I told them I am not wrong and I am confident I can prove that.

This discussion went back and forth each time my photographs showed on way or another that the Van drive had been telling a little porkie.

The police didn’t want to make the decision of who was right or wrong. They were taking kick backs from the Van company to operate illegally in that area while at the same time I maintained that I was not in the wrong, it was a tricky one for them. We were referred to the head office, they looked at the car and made the decision that we are each responsible for our own part of the accident. I was told that as I had insurance and the other van didn’t and that this was the best solution as my insurance will pay for me, but not the van. I accepted this.

We had to go back to the police station the next morning to get the insurance document signed, while there the van driver wanted to change is story again. The police man stud up, shouted at him and kicked him out of the police station (after taking 400B procession fee off him). I gave over my 400B processing fee, the policeman shook my hand and told me it had been a very interesting case and that while is created a headache for him and more work, he respected my decision not to accept blame (this would have been the normal Thai way, accept blame quickly, go home for tea, insurance deals with the rest).

I left after an interesting incident, feeling as though I’d learned something about Thailand, seeing a side of things that one wouldn’t normally see. I also left with the feeling that sometimes a situation can be sticky but even in a situation like this the police can be as independent as possible. I have a relatively powerful friend who works in the police force at no point did I feel the need to involve him and cause potential embarrassment for those policemen who through out the proceedings never once postured to intimidate me or force my decision to suit their situation.

I left feeling ok about the event and with no fear that the system is against westerners, the system just likes to decide the simplest way to deal with things is to let the wealthier party cover the costs of an unfortunate event.

SBK,

My friends girlfriend had a very similar incident – She’s a Thai lady, and the motorbike driver demanded money off her. She called the police – at first the police said she should pay the guy. She refused. It ended up without her having to pay. If in the a similar circumstance I would also refuse to pay and be quite happy to politely maintain that point with the police. I think the outcome is often not the difference between right and wrong, its often just whatever the easiest decision to make. i.e. Poorer Vs not as Poor… (who appears that they would be hit less by the cost takes or is given the blame).

Driving around anywhere in Thailand is ok and easy to do. However, it takes far more concentration than in the west… for example passing traffic on a dual carriage way the car you are passing is quite likely to change lanes without any apparent reason or signal. I’d believe that westerner and Thai’s alike are at equally risk to being involved in an accident and simple bad luck plays a big part in that.

My friends and I have all been driving in Thailand for at least 5 years… I’ve had two crashes, neither my fault, they were harmless fender benders, my friend has had a crash and that’s it.

It’s the motorbikes you have to watch out for… its quite insane and I am still surprised that I have not hit one, sometimes they cut you up with such proximity missing them seems impossible.

In the city you have to be aggressive, nose out and force your way a little in order to make headway, its unnecessary to get annoyed although most people will at some point in any traffic.

Out of the city, less aggression is better and simply being very vigilant is the best way to drive.

Maps can be obtained, and getting around should be simple enough. Getting a little lost is also part of the fun. People are generally nice and will always try to help, in fact they love to help and even if they don’t know what you are saying or where you want to go you will very helpfully be pointed off in any direction with a smile !

Also – because of the distances involved, flying somewhere (i.e Chiang Mai) then hiring a car to drive around the region seems a logical way do to things, the same for other areas (i.e. North East). I’ve hired a car in Samui and dropped it off in Phuket before (this obviously costs a little more).

The real question is… do you trust yourself than someone you’ve never met before to drive you around. In the city taxi’s are fine. Heading out of the country some guys have no concept of consequence and that can be frightening. I’m much rather be in control of my destiny, but at the same time its tiring to be thinking all the time, what if they do that, what if this happens etc etc….

Its certainly not like as easy as a driving holiday in the west, but at the same time you don’t want it to be.

Also, the Jollies (Police, often referred to as BIB; Boys in Brown) like to pull people over for any reason. Being foreign can help or hinder you it just depends on the situation.

Deal with them politely they’re just out to make some small change, if you are certain you have done nothing wrong its ok to politely try and say that (you’ll probably be waved on because they don’t want to waste time trying to talk to someone they cant understand). However, some could be difficult and this could be testing, the police sometimes like to try and intimidate, but if you are relaxed this posturing does not last long. Paying tea money of B100 or B200 is quite normal, paying more than that would be considered excessive.

Hi there.

My first time in this forum. I have a question one in here might have a good answer too:

I am 36 years old. danish. retired by my government because of an accident. getting paid every month on my thai bank account every month now and basically live here as a retired guy now on my 3rd. year.

I can NOT get a retirement visa as far as I know, because I am not over 50 years of age. So I am here on a tourist visa and have to do these crazy runs all the time. This drives me nuts.

does anyone in here have a bright idea how I can handle this situation? I tried business visa for some time but its too expensive to pay all these lawyers, accountings, fees and stamps.

I am not gonna get married or make any babies in the near future just to get a long time visa.

what are my options? if any?

any help is appreciated.

thanks

martin

This is likely to get a negative reaction given the consensus of opinion in this forum on the subject. But... if your budget permits, look into the Thai Elite card….

Its pricey at 1.5MB, it gives you a 5 year SE visa (special entry visa – which is basically the same as a tourist visa) which is renewable every 5 years for the rest of your life (this may have recently changed to 30 years). It also has some other perks such as free massage, free golf, free airport transfer and a quick escort through immigration on departure and arrival.

The downside of getting this card is a biggie… there is varying confidence in the longevity of the service. It’s possible that the program collapses and you could loose that money. Equally so it may just last the duration, no one really knows.

hello i'm 27 years and from belgium i am planning to start a live living in thailand but with my age it's not so easy to do iff i don't marry a thai.

now i am looking for my options how to get a nice visa untill i marry in thailand and i cross over someone who told me about a

'' thailand elite card'' ( cost round 1.500.000 BATH )

i hear iff i buy sutch a card i can get a 5 year renewable visa.

my question is because i just hear about this and have no idee what so ever about the truth on this?

what for a card is this?

is it tru?

and how and were to get sutch a thailand elite card?

thnx

Hi Dennis…

I can only speak for myself… and I’m happy with the card.

I’ve had the card for a year purchasing it when it was 1MB.

I’m 33, don’t want to marry a Thai just for visa purposes and find myself in the loophole whereby I don’t work here, but live here and work overseas. I like it here and want to stay here.

I travel in and out of Thailand on almost a fortnightly basis.

I find the visa, the airport transfers and speed through immigration highly useful.

I used the free massage maybe 2-4 times per month (I wouldn’t massage if it wasn’t included in the card)

I play golf on the card approximately 4-6 times per month (and would pay to play anyway).

The rumors of being able to own land etc are a total myth.

For me it’s worth it and will pay for itself in 7-8 years.

The only issue I have is the insecurity over the longevity of the program. It says a life time membership with 5 year renewable visas. This is my only worry, will the program last? Nobody knows. If in 4 years time I cannot renew my visa or the program fails I’d be annoyed, but that’s the risk I take. If on the other hand it failed in 10 years I would have saved myself money. If ithe program doesn’t fail, then great.

The vendor partners (i.e. free golf, massage etc) are changing a little all the time, however the ones that are on the contract when you sign stay there. Even though some of the privileges are no longer offered to new members, they are maintained for older members. So as I see it you get what you buy, but also new privileges when they come are added to your membership.

I’ve spoken to the meet and greet Thai Elite personnel at the airport – and on average they have 20 people coming and going in any one day. I’m surprised by this as it seems busier than I would expect if the claimed number of 2500 or so members is true.

There has never been an issue when arriving at a spa or a golf course (I get approximately 10-20% discount off green fees for guests at golf courses too).

I’ve just had a full medical at Samitivej hospital. The bill was B16,000 covered by Thai Elite, we get 1 per year.

If I was looking at the card as a potential new customer the 1.5MB would be a large sum to swallow. But if I could pay that and not worry too much I wouldn’t hesitate. I have found the service excellent. BUT I do have a minor concern about the program lasting. My way of dealing with this is just to take the hit and accept the loss if the program fails. Any talk of compensation etc is great if in the event of program failure it materialized, I wouldn’t hold my breath or have any expectations of that happening.

I for one am a satisfied customer. I would say otherwise if I had any issues with the program.

PM me if you would like any further information.

Also you can either contact them directly (via the contacts addresses on the website http://www.thailandelite.com ) Or I can give you the contact of the lady I dealt with directly who was very helpful and spoke excellent English.