sibeymai

Been to Phuket once in 10 years. It was once too many. On the subject of Phuket as a destination I see Orient Thai is offering cheap fares from Bangkok. Would that be one way or return ?

Phuket seemed passed its "use by" date 6 years ago. Can't be any better now. Without the international tourists coming in for 1-2 week package holidays the place would have shriveled up and disappeared long ago. The actions of the taxi mafia stinging the fly-in tourists guarantees that a percentage of them won't return.

Eventually these taxi mafia will be reduced to brawling amongst themselves for fares while the authorities look the other way.

As for the 51% Thai shareholders taking over the company you can allocate voting rights to the shareholdings. When I set up a company a few years ago, while I held only 20% of the shares the shares I held had a 6 to 1 voting right over the other 80% shares. Therefore I could not be outvoted by the other shareholders.

Just looks like any other sack of sh*t pick up. Unless you use it for business/carrying loads of stuff/move house every week then I honestly cannot see the point in them.

The ride terribly (springs or leaves), need stupidly large odd sized tyres, are as basic as a Lada Samara, have a high centre of gravity which is just plain old dangerous,drink faster than Anthony Worrell Thompson and look ghastly.

Don't get me started on SUVs (Stupid Useless Vehicles).

I wonder what you drive Dave !!!!!! Probably nothing eh. Not needed, only a short stroll to the bar mmmmmm. Now Dave, pray don't tell us

you really do have a car cos l wont believe you for one, . .

Ah Mr Trans-am, it's a disappointment that you have a grunty V8 in your avatar and are (I suppose) defending these behemoths.

The only way to get around Thailand is on a bike, so I have a bike. (I do have a car but I'm selling it as it's a waste of time here)

I'm not a troll (or a Dave) just expressing my views on the VW bandwagon as pictured at the top. No harm in having an opinion, or is that against the TV clique laws?

all friendly

FlatOut is exactly what you would be trying to haul a ton of fertiliser to your farm on a Honda Click.

Looks like a beauty, built in Argentina.

Could this become the first up market pickup on the Thai market ? Would you buy one ?

I will forgive you for tailgating! But, a jazz being fast? My wife has a jazz and it drives like a supermarket trolly, with no grunt whatsoever, overtaking what, mopeds?

I'm a safe driver, but I like to tailgate do not belong in the same sentance.

The Jazz with the 7 speed CVT (2006-2007) with paddle shifts can match it with most Camrys. Work it a bit with some Jap import parts and maybe a turbo and you've got a very quick shopping trolley.

Thai lifeguards are only there to check out the farangs in bikinis. If you want to see a real qualified lifeguard with the skills necessary to guard life go to Australia. Visitors to Thailand may be better off if there were nobody on the beach pretending to be of assistance in an emergency. Visitors might then take more responsibility for their own safety.

History lesson.

No, the first were all Aboriginees. The UK militia then cleared (killed) them out to make way for prison camps and UK settlements.

You decide who the real criminals were.

Yes, a history lesson is definitely in order.

Over 90% of the native inhabitants in the Sydney area where the First Fleet landed in 1788 died within one year of the settler's arrival due to their lack of immunity to European disease. Genocide was unintentional. The remaining natives moved away out of fear.

The video shows his passport bio-data page. He's a Bankstown boy, born and bred. (Bankstown is a not-so-wonderful suburb of Sydney).

Bankstown happens to have produced one of the best prime ministers in recent years...one P.J. Keating.

Stick and stones versus machine guns ? Hardly.

If you fire a gun at an armed soldier why be surprised if the soldier fires back at you ?

As for the comments being made on Australian talk back radio.....try shooting at a policeman anwhere in Australia and see what the respone from the authorities is. It's called "overwhelmng force".

Oz talk back radio is notorious for airing the uninfomed opinions of yobbos.

700bt taxi fare to Samut Prakan, 60ml bottles of perfume, Khao San road hotels, BGs, true love and Pattaya....man, this thread has it all. Hilarious.

Think I'll stay in tonight just for this thread.

Don't know where you heard that the banks take a commission on funds being transferred in. Have used Bangkok Bank over the last 10 years and never had a pay a commission. Don't think K-Bank would charge one either.

As for a mortgage, it is possible though not easy. You may be able to do it wholly in your wife's name (provided you are legally married in Thailand) with at least 50% deposit up front and you as a guarantor for your wife for the remaining 50%. Your wife will have to show proof of income or other assets for security. The bank may accept a statement of foreign assets/income from you depending on their mood at the time.

I have been offered mortgages on the above terms by a number of Thai banks. However, do be aware that the banks will tell you one thing and then do another or even renege on their offer at any time so beware and get everything in writing.

By all means, give these whinging Poms the cost of their hotels, food and whatever other expenses they may incur on their extended vacation.....on the condition that they surrender their passports on arrival back in the UK and promise never to leave their homeland again. <deleted>.

Walked from Chit Lom to Pantip this afternoon through the barricaded area outside Central World between Ploenchit and Petchaburi Roads. Not a soldier in sight. Hardly seemed "on edge" to me. Dull and boring, in fact.

The company has not held you responsible for the fraudulent charges and you want to sue them ? On what basis....personal pain and suffering ? You are joking, right ?

The credit card company should sue the condo for allowing you to live there and counter-sue you for applying for a credit card. If neither occurred they would not have suffered the loss.

Slightly off topic, but I thought the only reason hemp was made illegal was because DuPont invented synthetic fibre and wanted hemp taken off the market globally.

Close but no cigar... Dupont invented a process to pulp trees into paper much more efficiently than the previous process which was a labour-intensive method of refining hemp into paper... being good capitalists, and well connected in the upper echelons of US political power, Dupont moved to eliminate any competion - hence the criminalization and demonization of cannabis.

I'll settle for a cigarillo then.

Scientifically much less harmful than alcohol!!!!!! wow you druggies really are into self dellsion arent you. A moderate to small amount of alcohol is good for you excessive amounts are not but with ganga even a small amount is potentially harmful that is why it is an illegal drug. Have all of the Governments around the world got the science wrong while you have it right?

Slightly off topic, but I thought the only reason hemp was made illegal was because DuPont invented synthetic fibre and wanted hemp taken off the market globally.

Millions of people in South Asia and the Middle East consume weed or hashish daily and it doesn't seem to make any more problems in their societies than the consumption of alcohol in the West does, possibly less.

Still, the guy should have known better than to do drugs in Thailand.

We are constantly bombarded with new rules and regulations all in the name of the war against terror. All these are meant to protect us whilst traveling. The trouble is they then give the job to apply these rules to semi literate idiots that are on the minimum wage. The whole concept of the rules and regulations are lost. There is NO common sense and as such the traveler is inconvenienced for no extra protection. Would you trust the safety of flying if we applied the same rules to employment to air traffic control as we do to security ? No ! I certainly wouldn't. It is also not limited to a country or a continent it is worldwide. Airport security is mostly given to the company that puts in the lowest tender.

As they say " You pay peanuts, You get monkeys! "

Agree totally.

Case in point: on a recent trip back to Oz I purchased a battery powered "marital aid" of the type not usually available in LOS. I had it in my carry on luggage. Being an electrical type device it showed up on the x-ray. The over zealous customs officer proceeded to inspect the object and possibly thought I might be of some entertainment value when he pulled the object from the bag, held it above his head and demanded in a loud voice "What's this ?"

My retort, "well, if you don't know, mate, I can't help you" was met by chuckles by the surrounding passengers.

I think he was one of the monkeys H2oDunc was referring to.

As usual, nobody mentions Nissan. Wonder why. Guess there's not that many discerning pickup buyers in the market.

Is it true that a platinum Visa card gets you into the Thai lounge at BKK ? Which card issuer ? Anyone know about Mastercard ?

Great. Think lines of Tuk Tuks waiting to take tourists to to gem scammers. Fantastic

Million, schmillion. Dream on.

"Priority Pass" ? Maybe your KFC gets delivered quicker.

Do yourself a favour and buy a Thailand Elite card. There must be plenty going cheap right now.

OK, who's going to get the award for stating the bleeding obvious this week ? If I went around stating the bleeding obvious to anyone who will listen can I also have a bank chairman's position ?

Are you Thai?

Some people's reading skills are somewhat less than adequate to be posting on a web forum.

Simple fact is there is no free medical care for farangs in Thailand, in either government or private hospitals.