Loptr

Quite ironic that this news release came from Tel Aviv...

Timing is everything...along with location...in a retail type business...

Customer numbers are down in most of Thailand...

Could be years...if ever...they get back to 2012-2013 tourist numbers...

Tourist baht and ex-pat baht filter down thru Thai economy...

Volume of baht transactions are down significantly from previous years...

All true

But was the Promenada built for tourists in the location it is in I don't think they figure on a large tourist trade. I think they have their eye on the future. As the area grows it will be the main center for shopping. Defiantly a down the line project.

Have you noticed the construction going on in San Kamphaeng, or all the gated communities in the area? Lots of well-heeled Thais in that part of town, along with lots on farang, including myself... I know, I see them every day as I am in Promenada at least once and often twice a day... The 69 baht breakfast at Rimping is hard to pass up, plus I can drive there faster than I could make it myself...

I recommend finding a reputable kennel with experience in shipping pets to other countries. That is what I did. They had never shipped one to Thailand, but they conducted all research and communication with the appropriate people to find all the requirements. They also kept my dog for two nights at the kennel to acclimate him to sleeping in the container, and they delivered him to us at the airport three hours before our flight. We entered Thailand at Suvarnabhumi airport, and our dog was delivered directly to the baggage area. We wheeled him over to the animal control checkpoint, paid a small fee of around 100 baht, got his papers stamped and all was done before our luggage arrived. This was over five years ago, so the procedures at the airport may have changed. It was worth the money to the kennel to make sure everything was done properly.

It is the easiest way however a costly one. Had 2 shipped less than 2 years ago( had to be cargo due to their size and airline regulations ) cost me in total over $5000

I was quoted $3300 USD by an international pet shipping company to have 1 dog sent from the US to Chiang Mai... I told the agent it would be cheaper for me to fly back to the US, get the dog and fly back with her in the cargo hold... Which is exactly what I'm going to do...

why bother getting one at all? getting into National Parks cheaper seems the only advantage !

Technically, if you are in-country for more than 60 days, you cannot use your home country DL or an International DL... Easier than carrying around a copy of you passport too... Also gives the BiB the message that you are not a tourist if stopped for any reason and asked for ID...

Nice write up...

Here is a link to similar information, but includes some additional details, such as links to download all required forms and samples of the exam questions and answers...

http://donslifeinthailand.com/Thai-Drivers-License-2.html

BTW, I had to renew this week myself in CM... Went at around 1:30pm and was in / out in 30 minutes... Wasn't required to watch any videos...

To answer your question.....the high season usually ends around March, after Sonkran.

That would be a good trick, considering Songkran is in April...

It is entirely legitimate to open a bank account on a tourist visa...

Err, because Thailand is not a socialist country?

Great to see the humanitarian Netenyahu leading the March. Should have been in chains.

So no comment about the innocent Jews murdered at the grocery just for being Jews?

Sorry. I should have said ball and chains.

I guess you did answer the question. No problem with civilian French Jews being able to shop without getting murdered, eh?

Off topic at best... Palestinian children are civilians too, no? Do you really see any difference? I know I don't...

Given the fact that you are an avid supporter of the Obama administration, how do you, as a Jew, feel about his lack of respect for your Jewish brothers that died in these attacks?

There is a GNC at Kad Suan Kaew mall on the west side of town...

It really was a slap in the face for the US to only send their ambassador... Pretty much tells the tale... But this didn't stop Dianne Feinstein from vomiting into a microphone that terrorist cells have been activated in the US...

The Attorney General was there.

I think it was weird that at least the VP wasn't sent.

Err, no he wasn't...

http://nypost.com/2015/01/11/eric-holder-noticeably-absent-from-paris-unity-rally/

OK. He was in town though. I really don't know what Obama was thinking. Weird.

Here is what Obama was thinking... Number 10 is a doozy...

#1 “The future must not belong to those who slander the Prophet of Islam”

#2 “The sweetest sound I know is the Muslim call to prayer”

#3 “We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world — including in my own country.”

#4 “As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam.”

#5 “Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance.”

#6 “Islam has always been part of America”

#7 “we will encourage more Americans to study in Muslim communities”

#8 “These rituals remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings.”

#9 “America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.”

#10 “I made clear that America is not – and never will be – at war with Islam.”

#11 “Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism – it is an important part of promoting peace.”

#12 “So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed”

#13 “In ancient times and in our times, Muslim communities have been at the forefront of innovation and education.”

#14 “Throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.”

#15 “Ramadan is a celebration of a faith known for great diversity and racial equality”

#16 “The Holy Koran tells us, ‘O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.’”

#17 “I look forward to hosting an Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan here at the White House later this week, and wish you a blessed month.”

#18 “We’ve seen those results in generations of Muslim immigrants – farmers and factory workers, helping to lay the railroads and build our cities, the Muslim innovators who helped build some of our highest skyscrapers and who helped unlock the secrets of our universe.”

#19 “That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn’t. And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.”

#20 “I also know that Islam has always been a part of America’s story.”

You want more?

http://www.youngcons.com/40-mind-blowing-quotes-from-barack-obama-about-islam-and-christianity/

It really was a slap in the face for the US to only send their ambassador... Pretty much tells the tale... But this didn't stop Dianne Feinstein from vomiting into a microphone that terrorist cells have been activated in the US...

The Attorney General was there.

I think it was weird that at least the VP wasn't sent.

Err, no he wasn't...

http://nypost.com/2015/01/11/eric-holder-noticeably-absent-from-paris-unity-rally/

^ News to me as I was at Zoe Yellow until around 2:00am on NYE and only saw the plod directing traffic... I could be wrong, but such activity would have surely raised an alert throughout the bars...

one should tell tourists to stop negotiating with fake watch sellers from first hand. Don't even start a fri...g negotiation unless you really intend to buy a fake watch for the price that is called minus 70%.

What is so astonishing, I watch the Russian tourists stop the fake watch seller, wind him up in a 30 minute bartering session, and then try to send him his way.

If I was a seller, I would get angry, too. You are wasting my time, I have got a life to live by selling watches to people who are interested, not to people to just want to make it a show to their friends and their grandmother.

Even if I get solicited while walking down the street, by a watch seller, I have the dignity of leaving HIM his very own dignity. I do NOT stand in front of him proudly proclaiming " Your watches are all but a fake" . I would tell him "leave me alone, I do not need a watch", and let him go after his business . .. I strongly doubt if you call them off in the correct manner, insisting you are not interested in his offers, they will stop insisting to sell you a watch and keep walking on, no matter if the fri....g watch is fake or not.

just say no, in a polite and comitted manner. Stop insulting them or calling them scammers of a million of fake watches.

You spit against the wind, you get spat yourself.

So are you suggesting that the watch seller was justified in pulling a knife? God help us all if you are because that's what it reads like. Get angry and stab someone, now that's really gross.

I am in no way defending the vendor that slashed the Russian, but there is a saying in Texas that goes, "You f##k with the bull, you get the horns"... Given the demeanor of many Russians that I have encountered in Pattaya, I would dare say he brought it on himself... A smile and simple Mai Ow Khap is all that is necessary to send a vendor on their way...

Here's a classic one... Draw your own conclusions as to who was at fault...

Hardly news for Patters... Sorry you and your GF got caught up in it, but you did the right thing by leaving and not getting involved... Reminds of a time when a bar owner on soi LK Metro took a beer bottle to a long time friend, then fed him to the motocy riders outside the bar... Head down and keep walking lest you wind up the same...

It really was a slap in the face for the US to only send their ambassador... Pretty much tells the tale... But this didn't stop Dianne Feinstein from vomiting into a microphone that terrorist cells have been activated in the US...

One just need to be in the wisdom lounge of Kasikorn Bank in most branches on weekends to realize most sitting there sipping the free lattes are not farangs but also Thais.

To qualify for that, you need to have at least a few million baht investments annually or savings balance to keep that membership

1Mbht is only $30k

I doubt any American in CM couldn't find 2-3M bht.

Not that you would want to bring that into Thailand at the moment.

If you see how active the 30 baht dish thread was ...you may form a second opinion

I am sure there are lots of monied Americans living in CM no doubt ...whether they want to park 60-90k USD of their money in Kasikorn to get the parking perk may be another thread altogether

I am moving money out of the US banking system after the balls were ripped out of the Dodd-Frank bill and NIRP is on the horizon... The FDIC cannot cover all deposits, of this I am sure... One needs to ask just how much derivative exposure do Thai banks have... Surely less than the estimated $1 quadrillion by the western banking cabal...

Your wife's mother probably told the sister it was ok... No ploblem... jing jing, khun farang jai dee...

Be careful which one you buy if using it internationally as there are several models with different radio setups... I use one that has been unlocked and will do everything from cdma to lte... It wasn't cheap...

Korean mafia in Patters? That's a new one....

I know it was "Wan Dek aka Children's day" today but the Prom was packed to the rafters and not a car park to be found (I made one though).

Very lively atmosphere today.

Don't go righting her off just yet. Think you may be surprised that these "investors" actually knew what they were doing. Long term.

I for one welcome it in amongst the other soulless malls in town.

You couldn't get near the place last night, 10/1... They were parking out on 1141 because the lots were full... Live music on the stage and celebration going on until after 11:00pm...

I have been dinged twice at that spot. They are targeting people who cut straight across Changklan Rd on Loi Kroh. Only a right turn is permitted at that intersection. Both times I have been nicked they sent me to the police station for a 200 baht fine. So they are not on the take, unlike the police on Tha Phae just W of the bridge. I have been stopped there twice too, both times for nothing, and both times paid tea money (400 baht each).

They got me at that spot just west of the bridge on Tha Phae last Friday morning, along with a slew of other foreigners... I had all my papers in order and I was wearing a helmet, but the BiB didn't like it, so off to the cop shop to pay 400 baht...