richard_smith237

We arrived a couple of weeks ago with 2 adults, one toddler, a lot of bags, car seat, buggy etc (all the crap you need to travel with a kid) so was expecting to need 2 cabs to get us into central Bangkok (approx 300 baht per fare).

Thai hubby goes to taxi rank desk & is told they have large station wagon style car on fleet. Great we think, 2k baht the man says!!!!

<deleted>..... hubby not wanting a scene left it to me to make one so I told the guy no way, not shouting but with a look of disgust that he was having a laugh, & asked hubby very loudly why these people want take HIS (thai mans) hard earned money. Thai don't love thai huh? No, just forget it we will take 2 separate taxis on the meter & be done with it. Amazingly the fare for the station wagon came down to 700baht inclusive toll charge.

2k baht is more than we paid to get is to Gatwick airport from London the day before & in a much nicer car & much much further. !!!

Now I could have demanded 2 cabs on the meter & it would have come in a bit cheaper but tbh I didn't want to go in 2 cars if we could go in one so we agreed. But talk about TiT huh!!!

Scamming is still def going on ime so be aware of it.

On principle you should have told him to stuff it, and why !

In similar circumstances I tell the offending rippoff merchant that had they started at a reasonable price in the first place then it would have been ok. However, as they started from such a high price I don't like them or trust them and don't want them to have my business (the same goes in the markets etc).

I pay for business class becuase I don't want to fly economy. Why should someone else get an upgrade becuase they fly economy a lot?

If the flight is full and they upgrade you rather than put you on the next flight then OK.

Why do people always want something better than the next person without being prepared to pay for it?

The recliner is part of the seat and part of what people pay for. It's use is normal.

Its anti-social to use it at meal times.

It's also rather anti-social to recline the seat quickly without warning the person behind, a gentle motion is fine.

If you can't handle someone infront of you using the recliner when sleep time comes around on a flight you really should be upgrading yourself of flying less.

Or take an airline which is known for better legroom not the budget carriers for the socially-uneducated passenger who doesn't possess any regard for his fellow passenger.

I used to get a 6 month tourist visa (3 entries) from my consulate in the UK.

If this is possible it seems the simplest option.

I am also tired of fat ignorant and smelly passengers. The only way to avoid it is to upgrade yourself. Otherwise take some medication with you...works every time...just slip it in their double vodka while they are too busy belching to notice.

A lot of people possibly pay for business class because of the types of people they don't want to sit next to....

IMO charging extra for excessively obese people would be very unfair.

If the flight is full (in Economy and business) I think it would be acceptable (albeit a little unfair) to refuse them flight on the grounds of safety and comfort of other passengers.

However, if the flight is not full, I also believe it would be fair to permit them two seats, again on the grounds of safety and comfort of other passengers.

Additionally, if economy is full and business class has spare seats, I would also suggest that it’s fair if a non-obese passenger is upgraded to business class providing the obese passenger with two seats, again on the grounds of safety and comfort of other passengers.

To add to this discussion:

I think stinky people should be prevented from flying.

enjoy your fun......but be sure never to make the same stupid mistake again..........

Do not ever again ask for advice on a forum where your answers will arrive from those who have never enjoyed a liason with lady from the bar scene, have never been relieved of one baht by a Thai lady!!!Know when you are among arrogant self righteous people........and avoid them like the plague!!!

Agreed…. The best advice will come from those who were clever enough to avoid avoiding being ripped off before…

Some of people I know are so arrogant and so self righteous they have never even been manipulated or scammed by a prostitute – I’d never take their advice.

I papped my horn at a woman crossing the road the other day.

In a moment of politeness I stopped to let a woman cross as I hate to see people abandoned in the centre with traffic passing foot either side in both directions.

Well she took her merry time crossing the road and did that ‘lazy ass, flip flop shuffle’ as if she were walking reluctantly to her doom.

Of course I was in the wrong, she had no intention of nodding in curtsey and gave me a filthy look as I papped and signaled her to move it along…

I am not normally impatient and regularly give way to pedestrians. This lady really was taking the pee with her shuffle. My Girlfriend was with me and thought so too.

It made me think, why do I bother? The same with giving way, holding doors open etc

IMO both Pedestrians and drivers need to improve.

Drivers can be more courteous and give people time to cross the road. It seems to me that when I cross the road the on coming vehicles seem to accelerate.

And Pedestrians can cross the road with some intention of getting to the other side soon and not show such a blatant disregard for the driver in the car who has been good enough to stop and give way.

I find both examples hugely impolite and infuriating and a perfect example of ‘me me me self-centeredness’ which is so prevalent in today’s city society.

It's illegal to have an unregistered phone in Thailand, be it contract or pre-paid.

It's also very easy to pop into a 7-11 and get a pre-paid phone without any ID etc.

With so many Law’s having the appearance of being made to be breached / broken for the financial gain of law enforcers its hardly surprising that not many of them are taken seriously.

I can’t remember where I have heard this, and have no idea whether its true or not….

In his earlier days as a half Thai he wanted to represent Thailand in one or another Asian golf tournament. Apparently he was dealt with rather poorly based on his mother’s social status and his father’s race.

Once famous and clearly emerging as a world # 1 he was asked to represent Thailand in one or another golf competition, he told them to get lost and that is why he has not been such a huge hit here.

Has anyone else heard this story ?

Does the wheel itself not stay the same diameter ?

(i.e. with alloys and low profile rubber)

B400,000 or even B260,000 is nuts for rims on a B600,000 car. There are lots more options, I'd suggest shopping around a lot more.

I was quoted a similar price for 22" rims a while back - 17's for a Yaris should be significantly cheaper even if they are imported.

40,000 down to 26,000 not 400,000 down to 260,000

Toyota main dealer just confirmed that all warantees are VALID as they are fitting the wheels - I'll check diameters etc. you'resaying that the tyre is not so thick so diameter is same?

Woops... numerical dyslexia must have kicked in with the hangover this morning...

26 k is a reasonable price IMO.

I have a locally purchased Garmin Nuvi 200 (I think thats the model - it was about B9900 from MBK).

It's slow to start up and locate the satellites, it looses satellite reception along Sukhumvit (under the sky train).

On the positive I've found it useful with good maps both in and outside of Bangkok and it takes a lot of stress away from traveling to unknown parts.

IMO - A dedicated GPS is a better option than a one on a phone.

> The ESRI map is (with the garmin) is very detailed for the majority of Thailand.

> IMO Garmin appears to be more common here. I'm not sure about the Map quality and comparison.

> I have never thought my GPS was a waste of money.

> It might just be easier to buy the GPS locally with the maps pre-loaded rather than being charged to have the maps loaded (maybe some other responders can advise on this).

Does the wheel itself not stay the same diameter ?

(i.e. with alloys and low profile rubber)

B400,000 or even B260,000 is nuts for rims on a B600,000 car. There are lots more options, I'd suggest shopping around a lot more.

I was quoted a similar price for 22" rims a while back - 17's for a Yaris should be significantly cheaper even if they are imported.

I've been doing some research... here is what I have established.

Muju in S. Korea - But if you are a decent skier then this might not suffice. The runs are short, its more of a weekend play time for city koreans than a week long ski resort like Europe.

Shiga Kogen in Japan (Honshu - a few hrs from Tokyo to Negano) is apparently an excellent place to ski, but its quiet at nights.

Niseko in Hokkaido (Nr Sapporo) - Lots of Auzzie tourists, good powder, longer season than the rest of Japan (needs an internal flight from Tokyo to Sapporo).

All are about a 6 hr flight... then some further traveling is needed, trains etc.

I'm told, If you area good skier forget about Korea.

Apologies for the hijack - There seems little point in starting a new thread.

How about in Bangkok ?

Does anyone have the name / contact of a reliable insurance broker ?

> For a Condo and its belongings.... (TVs,, Washing machines, clothes, jewelry etc)

As I’ve heard.

Alert in Singapore – is OPITO approved (with re-breather). It also registers people on their data-base.

There is nowhere in Thailand OPITO approved (as yet). Petronas and other Operators in Malaysia will not accept the HUET/BOSIET from the place in Siracha.

IMO – If you want to be sure of your certification in the Asia Pacific region, Singapore is the place to do it and it gives you the same certification as anywhere in Europe (i.e. RGIT, Fleetwood etc).

I’m not sure about the level of certification provided by the one in KL. I know that companies like Petronas accept it, however I’m not sure how many outside of Malaysia would / will, or whether or not its OPITO approved.

Just bought a couple of Stiebel Eltron unit to be hidden under the sink.

One for For two sinks, shower and bath. 8000w model with a dial temp control.

Another for one sink and a shower. 6000w model with a dial temp control.

I purchased Stiebel Eltron as I’ve read that they are good. I also received excellent feedback and assistance direct from the service dept.

They are well known, although I’d never heard of them because I was never looking for a water heater before. Now I see them everywhere !

Cost of the units were around B7000-7500 each.

Somewhere such as Summit Windmills just past Bangna (30mins from central bkk) might suit your needs.

As its a busy course it is more likely than not that a single player will be asked to join another 2 or 3 ball - However, if its quiet he may still end up playing the round on his own.

To answer your questions:

• There is a large number of courses within 1 hr of Bangkok - try looking at the website 'Thai golfer . com'

• Virtually all the courses offer club rental (usually about 6-800 baht).

• Regarding procedures to join other golfers - I'm not aware of anything superficially in place. Single players are asked to join up if its busy on that particular day.

• Most if not all the decent courses have golf carts (usually at 6-800 baht per round) Again. try the website 'Thai golfer . com'...

There often seem to be members of this forum who are looking for a playing partner.... keep your eyes open and you might find your father a group to play in...

So many different Scenarios...

A friend is getting married next year.

His GF is from a socially and economically well off family. She's a Tammarsat Masters Grad, her Father is Wealthy business man and has fingers in high up the Chain in Thai Politics - Without naming names couple of known politicians will go to his wedding. As will a handful of Thai pop stars and TV personalities you see daily on Thai TV.

Originally he was prepared to offer 1MB, but he was not sure he would get it all back and believes that money should be for his and his wife’s future.

As such B400k sin-sod has been agreed- He's not sure if he'll get all, half or any of it back.

Her family has / will give them 10 MB worth of land nearby on which to build a house (of course he cannot own this).

For all those who say sin-sod is a scam for westerners… In the bar girl scene maybe. But amongst normal middle to upper class families it’s simply seen as a tradition, nothing more and nothing less.

It's my understanding that as she has been Married before then sin-sod it not the norm amongst Thai-Thai marriages. In that case it shouldn’t be for yours.

Paying for the wedding by yourself should be enough.

It might be helpful for your decision to establish what the norm is for your circumstances. i.e. IF she was marrying a Thai fella, what would happen then?

I suggest that the OP looks around him. Do you have a roof over your head? Do you get enough nourishing food? Do you know where the next meal is coming from? Do you have access to good medical services? Have you undertaken full time relevant education? If you can say yes to all of these just be thankful for what you have. You are far better off than over half of the world population. What is your chance of stepping on a land mine? Or being caught up in a civil war, terrorist activity or governed by religious fanatics? Will these thoughts brighten your day and stop you feeling sorry for yourself in a situation that you have contributed to bringing about?

I suggest that you give deep thought to what YOU did that makes her behave in the way that she has. What she is displaying is the result of disharmony, not the cause. Put yourself in her shoes. Wafted away from her friends and relatives to a foreign land with strange customs and probably the object of much curiosity and maybe conjecture. How much support was provided for her by your family and friends? Were you not dazzled by her superficial beauty and she by the promise of a sunshine life in a privileged, dare I say spoiled, society so that neither of you could see straight?

So it has all gone pear shaped and you are all broken up. So what? Do you think that you are the first person to have been in this situation? Grow up and deal with it, learn from it and you will be wiser. What you are experiencing is real life and as the song says, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again. You might learn that in life when one door closes another one opens and you will find later on in your journey that you will be thankful for what has happened .

The guy who used to live next door to me, married for over 30 years to a Thai woman and spawned 3 children, has worked in Saudi Arabia for sometime. She bragged that her husband earned 1 million baht per month. I, and my neighbours, considered her a loud, loathsome, lying and conniving creature of intemperate habit but he couldn't or wouldn't see it. While he was away she paid young Thai men to oblige her, bought new cars and trucks for her family on hire purchase and gambled all of his hard earned away. Recently the transport was repossessed, and the house and an apartment block which she used as security for loans taken out to support her wayward lifestyle have been taken from her and put up for auction. If that wasn't enough she 'married' one of her young men and paid sinsot, rumoured to be 200,000 baht, and bought him a new car. He immediately took off with the car and the dosh. This poor misguided, blind fool, now in his sixties, has nothing to show for his loyalty and endeavours, his total life a wreck. Perhaps you might, in the circumstances, consider yourself lucky.

Harsh, but summed up quite accurately. The Op is lucky and should take this lesson with him.

To the Op: Don't be sour or vengeful, just move on and use your instincts and intelligence - There are many good people out there. At the right time and the right place the right lady is there. Alternatively you can meet 'a right b!t£h' in the wrong place at the right time...

I shipped 3 boxes (each about 1 cubic meter) from the UK about 5 years ago. I used a company called 'Voovit' and the boxes of clothes and other miscellaneous used items arrived at a condo in Bkk without issue.

Damaged my back in a sports accident. I was referred for an MRI by a Dr. at Bumrungrad. It cost about B14000 for the lower half of my back.

As expected at Bumrungrad, everything was very smooth, little waiting etc

Looking at the costs that other people have posted I guess Bumrungrad was expensive. The experience met all expectations of a quality private hospital.

You don't need to justify yourself - what you had previously written was clearly understandable.

Some folk simply refuse to accept that a situation can happen. And until it actually happens to them they assume everyone else is either making it up for attention or has a very skewed view of reality....

Keep your chin up. You’ve found out relatively early.

You are already aware your only real option is to cut loose, it seems that your pride will take a kick which is understandable.

I was talking to a guy today and what I heard shocked me as I always thought it was the beer bar loosers who experience these things…

This fellow (I’d guess in his 60’s) in a very prominent position in his company (and I couldn’t imagine him being on less than the equivalent of B10million per year).

Having been here since the Mid 80’s – met his girlfriend in ’92, discovered she was cheating quite early on but forgave her nonetheless. 10 years later she had a child, which it turned out was not even his, he is still with her after loosing his car (in her name) to gambling debts, and no now very worried about the house he built and paid for (all in her name)…. (This really is a true story I listened to today, I couldn't beleive how much like a bar stool story it seemed).

I didn’t ask him, but I have a very good idea of the type of woman he met and where he met her.

What you have experienced is not even the thin end of this wedge. The first time she cheated on you was when you should have walked away. Once you planted the seed that you could forgive that behaviour things were lost.

Move on and move up… Good luck…