bkkjames

OP. Send whatever you feel is appropriate be it a gift for the home or cash or just a card.

If they choose to judge you based on the value of your gift - it's only demonstrates that you were correct in erring on the low side.

I just want to add a few things to this thread as I haven't even looked here over the last week or so:

To those saying I 'must have done something'/'these things happen for a reason' - that's total bu11shite, I had done nothing, 'ma completely quiet and unaggressive person, I'll smile at anybody and always offer to buy drinks and be nice to appease the people I'm with/locals/aggressors...

Ta22, I'm not sure if you read my original post or even understood it but I remember everything that happened, I said that I was sitting there finishing my beer when all of a sudden I was faced with two thai men and they proceeded to kick me in the face a few times each then they smashed a bottle over my head and that knocked me out, I then woke up with paramedics surrounding me, taping my head up, I remember everything except when I was knocked out.

I still get headaches now, I still get dizzy spells all the time, my sleeping pattern is all messed up, I'm paranoid about most younger Thais hanging around there even though I don't go there any more, I still have to see some people sometimes and they work around there, to wrap this thread up I just want to say that I am completely innocent, anybody who suggests anything otherwise has failed to read my posts or is just a naturally suspicious person.

I don't think anyone is doubting that you feel you are 100% free of blame in this. However, I have rarely if ever seen a Thai resort to violence against a farang as a random thing.

You honestly believe these two Thai guys were finishing their whiskey and said, hey let's go kick the crap out of that guy for fun? This may happen in the west where guys go looking for fights, I doubt this happens in Bangkok between Thais and farangs.

Something you did (either known or unknown to you) is the reason why you were attacked.

Mistaken identity - I would guess less a 3% chance.

Hope you get well soon.

Ball in Hand Soi 4, no bit*hy looking 33 year old freelancers hogging tables being a pain in the rear, play by the hour. Proper tables and cues.

96.3 % of Thais don't even care about their own political situation, nevermind the 1 day of front pages regarding the US election.

Next.

I went and asked. Spoke to one of their sales reps and I was told it was a revenue generator and it was aimed at tourist. Show any form of ID that says you live in Thailand and you get Thai pricing.

Basically she said they needed to make more money. They feel that they have plateaued in terms of attendance and cannot generate more "quantity", cant raise prices overall as its already expensive for Thais. So "Tourist Pricing"

Typical Thai business model. Launch the 'next greatest best' thing to hit the country and expect that it would be sustainable over the long term by relying on gullable farang's to overpay for what is, by world standards, a pretty average attraction.

While it may be exciting for Thais to go look at, compared with other similar attractions around the region and world, it is very over-rated.

Let's see, list of things to do when visiting Bangkok.

Number 10) Trudge around a shopping mall and visit an aquarium. Not.

"Let me go out on a limb and say, 'Perhaps they were being a bit too successful for concerned parties'."

Let me go out on a limb and say, "you are wrong". Your take is that, rather than take a free shuttle bus to the nearby bus depot, people will pay 10 times the bus fare for a taxi. Baloney. If you ever go to the transportation center, you'll find a dozen buses that go throughout the BKK area, and allowing one specific bus to load/unload at the terminal is wrong. The transportation center has all buses, and that's the way it should be.

The full-sized 551 bus is 36THB, and the small 551 van is 40THB.

Hey Glymph: my taxi from the airport to Sathorn never goes above 300 baht mate. No doubt some people will want to save 200 baht by going to the transportation area with luggage in hand, waiting for the bus to arrive, then taking an hour or so to get into town before having to jump in a cab to their final destination, most people I know can think of other ways to save 6 USD.

And the economic / hassle / convenience argument gets even more one-sided when one is travelling with a companion or kid in tow. One taxi costs the same, 3 bus tickets don't.

The easiest way to get the pillows you want is just to take them from the hotel. No standing in line, having to dish out cash.

The hotel will kindly just bill your credit card and you can pay for it that way.

I like to look at the sunset and and make picture. 75 is my year of birth, same as my emails. so its thesunset75

That’s advertising.

My name says its all . everyone love me! im the best! and im “Torlea”!!!!!!!~!~!~ sorry im sure im not allowed to type it in Thai as its been deleted on more then one occasion.

Is that what it means? and all this time I thought it meant I love to play with myself.

about under-reporting of crime in Thailand, does it compare with the UK>>>

In 2007, it was reported that the BCS was underreporting crime by about 3 million incidents per year because it did not allow for a particular person to be victimized more than five times in a year. The error means that violent crime is actually at 4.4 million incidents per year, an 82% increase over the 2.4 million previously thought.

The delusion that we feel perfectly safe in Thailand is built on the a hope that we will be safe. It is really a denial of sorts. We are actually hoping that we will not become victim of a serious crime. Those of us who have spent some time here, especially in the big cities, know people or have witnessed serious crime.

The truth is that there are around 65 million people here, mostly poor, and crime is inevitable.

You talking about Thailand in the above or the UK?

With the world in an economic crisis and Thailand embroiled in political conflict and a minor civil war moving forward in the deep south crime will only get worse here. My first question to anyone who says that they feel safe here is, where are you going to find one of those 275,000 police officers when you need one? What is the police response time to an emergency call to your home or office? Where is the closest ambulance or manned fire station? You see where this is going? Often we come from countries where emergency service is taken for granted. You go live in a foreign country or visit as a tourist it never becomes a matter of speculation. What could happen?

No one can argue that serious crime is under reported here in Thailand. People are jumping or bring pushed from buildings in the big cities at an alarming rate is one example. It is an embarrassment to the Kingdom and may affect tourism is the reason the government gives for asking the press to eliminate or tone down the reports.

Bombs and grenades are going off in Bangkok every couple of days now. Sounds like things are getting hotter here.

Yes, and in India, Pakistan, oh was that Anthrax in London the other day?

Let's be careful out there.

A slow day at your office mate?

Anyways, first thought was 'hot', dam_n 'hot'

"95 percent of black Americans who did vote voted Obama, and that is a fact."

Well, no it is not. But, what if it were true, so what?

Yep, and he got more white votes than John Kerry.

I don't care if Obama is black white green blue or red honestly.

But watching the television over the last 24 hours, its amazing to me how so many (Jesse Jackson, Spike Lee and so on) made this a 'landmark event' for African Americans.

Seems to me it is they who are making a bigger deal out his colour than whites, hispanics, asians or others.

They had the opportunity to say, "We voted for Obama the man, not the colour / race" but no, let's bring up the whole history thing over and over again. Perhaps this is only human nature to do so and I can appreciate the 'history'.

However, I thought the days of bias based on colour / race / religeon were behind us. People like Tiger Woods, Lewis Hamilton and so many others have basically (in my mind) made colour a none issue.

Sadly, I guess I was wrong.

IMO, if someone wants to get past this issue, surely it is they need to stop bringing it up when convenient and just stop talking about it.

I can only imagine the scene if it was Hillary instead of Barack

Does anyone know what the baggage allowance is for PB Airways, need a connect flight to Buriram but worried i`ll have to much weight..falang inbound...regards

I didn't know they still operated.

Benjamat..........probably not a good idea to judge a country by the people you meet in Thailand. I know if I based my opinion of the English on the ones on ThaiVisa and the ones I've met in thailand it would not be a good opinion at all. Lets face it a lot of losers come to thailand and they are not a good representation of their home country, present company excepted of course.

Your apology is appreciated and accepted. Hopefully he will live up to everyones expectations. I wish him the best of luck.

Speak for yourself mate.

I have strange experience to share.

2x now I have gotten off the BTS at Saladaeng station to go to Tops. Both times, for some unknown reason to me, my Blackberry goes into reboot mode when I am near this area???? First time my battery was low so I thought maybe this caused it.

But tt did it again yesterday and my battery was full. Soon as I left the area my phone returned to normal. This has never happened anywhere else.

Took a private car and driver last week. Brand New Honda Accord, nice lady driver - fast but safe.

Picked me up at my home and dropped at hotel in Pattaya according to my convenience, same on the return.

1200 baht plus toll way each way.

Have taken the bus before but doing the math vs convenience, the car (for me) is the way to go.

Bus - taxi to bus station Ekkamai - 80 baht (30 mins from my place + 20 min wait for the bus to leave)

Bus ticket 127 baht x 2 (2.5 hours journey time)

Baht bus pattaya to hotel 50 baht. (20 mins)

Total Bus 384 baht 3.5 hours total

Total Car 1320 baht 1.5 hours total

Under Zola we've won 2, lost 3 & drawn 1 but is it just me or is anyone else over the moon with the way we are trying to play Footballl the " West Ham Way ", introduced the Kids last week who played really well in my opinion after watching the replay here on Monday, isn't scared to change Players as & when even if they're the so called better Players, & just overall is a lot more happier at the way we're playing ??

Ok, but keep in mind that after the initial exuberance of Zola's arrival, your record has been heading the wrong way. But good luck!

I am sorry to say that I have been highly critical of the American people over recent years.

I have at least in my own mind blamed them for the majority of the ills that beset the world. Maybe I have been unlucky but as an old style brit I found both the brashness and the directness of most of the Americans I have met less than acceptable along with the conviction they seemed to have that they were the only really important people in the world. Perhaps this is because Iapart from 1 short visit all my contacts have been with Americans overseas.

With the events of last night I feel completely humbled.

I can think of nowhere else in the western world that would have had either the conscience or the courage to do what was done last night in the election of Barak Obama. Certainly not in the UK.

The fact is that America does lead the world and for the first time in a long time I feel some optimism for the world in general. This relatively young man can achieve more on a global scale than any other this century and he has a huge burden of expectation on his shoulders, I hope he can match the challenge.

What happens now will affect the whole world in one way or another.

I hope the mods dont see fit to remove this thread. I congratulate America.

Needing a visa to visit the USA do you?

kidding, cheers

Perhaps a curry with the diced beef and veg? salami salad starter?

Anybody??

Take the cheese, salami and pate and place it on a plate, serve with bread (half-baquette) and olive oil and balsamic on the side. This will be your starter. Serve it 20-30 mins before your main.

For your stew / braise the beef slightly first in the same pot you will use to make the stew. Once done, the beef needs to be boiled gently for awhile to soften it up, a good hour or so (add in one cube of beef or chicken stock). Then add in your veggies for another 45 mins and gently simmer. Meanwhile think about flavoring your stew with the usual condiments. Go easy with the spices at first as you can always add more as you go along if required. (taste as you go) Dice up a tomotoe and throw it in the pot with the rest of your ingredients. Don't put your potatoes in too early as they go too soft starchy otherwise.

If it were me, I would go for a more mediterranean flavour to the stew. When you serve it up, top it off with a nice big dash of parmesan cheese and serve the remainder of your bread, your salad with a nice light dressing (italian, french or similar.)

BKK is pretty grey and dull. No, really.

As well, many expats here are of a different breed than in other Asian cities/countries where I have been expatriated. But I guess they are a byproduct of girls & booze.

You must be referring to the Singapore Expat. Heaven knows that that group of tea toddling, stand me up at a bar on Orchard Road with my latest Jamie Oliver haircut to impress the Chinese gals kind of guys, should be something we all aspire too.

hmm

im only here for schooling and i was born here but hmm its so annoying all the traffic and crazy people about when your trying to drive about and so many rude people here!! but i am never bored here all my good friends are here and many places to eat 7 11 just everywhere!! haha just wish there was not so many girl who love themselves so much buh if u dont like it get da hel_l out muahahaha!

Ok RJT, thanks for your creative input as usual.

I saw a advert saying Chelsea were top of the league ????????? shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

There is only one word to describe last nights performance...........

UNPROFESSIONAL

That McMan guy on Football focus hasn't got a prediction right in his life saying Chelsea would hammer Roma. Best one to date, Arsenal 5-0 over Hull

I really don't like that Fella at all, something about him that just can't be trusted...

sorry chelsea folk this is not a liverpool thread, i don't mind him cause A) he has played and he speaks his mind but really I would love to be his bookie.

Sorry i got mixed up, you mean Macmahon ??

I like Macmahon, i don't like the Fella with the Glasses who was on last night, not Jamie Reeves, the other one...

Spencer something ??

I agree, who is that guy? a journalist at the Guardian or something I would guess by the way he drones on about nothing. He makes me long for Chevy Sing or whatever his name is. ESPN STAR really know how to dig up nobodies to do colour - check out the formula 1 show, ex minardi racers and others who raced formula 3.

TV's newest sponsor should post this in the Pattaya forum

I saw a advert saying Chelsea were top of the league ????????? shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

There is only one word to describe last nights performance...........

UNPROFESSIONAL

That McMan guy on Football focus hasn't got a prediction right in his life saying Chelsea would hammer Roma. Best one to date, Arsenal 5-0 over Hull

I really don't like that Fella at all, something about him that just can't be trusted...

sorry chelsea folk this is not a liverpool thread, i don't mind him cause A) he has played and he speaks his mind but really I would love to be his bookie.