geisha

@bobmac10, I quite agree with you. The huge lack of education is driving Thailand into the ground. One can see it on every level of working life that Thailand is far behind,and it's going to take a new education system to change things.

 its happened in Europe. I know people who caught an early train, first class seats,fell asleep, woke up couple of hours later, funny taste in their mouth , slight headaches.Both watches , wallets, purse gone. They hadn't eaten or drunk a thing.they think it might have been a sort of spray.

BritTim, some travellers have complained that certain airlines won't accept boarding if you don't have a return ticket, or ticket to leave Thailand , such as à Bangkok Phnom Penh for example, even when you have a visa . Is this true ? I have noticed on check in ,that Emirates in France ask for my visa page and check it all thoroughly.

thank you. 

@Banana7

i used MyVietnamVisa.com   Very easy to use and reliable. You get the approval letter and then your stamp at the Vietnam immigration Saigon or Hanoi. The person at the BKK office  should be reported. Happy travels. 

Many people will re think their holidays and long stay rents in Thailand this year.Taking into account a return ticket plus hotel, food and excursions, it will be quite an expensive few weeks, especially for families.( I'm not counting the all inclusive holiday packages lots of Europeans take!) . Independent travels to Thailand are definitely not cheap. Lots of the nice condos who rent out to long stayers , are generally in the 25 to 40 thousand baht range a month. This works out at between 657 € and 1052€  a month, a pretty price. I think tourism will take a serious dip this coming high season, as have most tourist spots in Europe. Money is tight, so the exchange rate is important.

What cries out to me is the fact  that 30 years ago most Thais were a happy lot.

Maybe the " innocence " is gone, and disillusion has stepped in. I see a lot of miserable, sullen shop workers and owners, people in all walks of life who can often be quite rude, something I never experienced before. I've seen some Thai people behaving abominably to tourists, and it shocks me and upsets me and my vision of the once lovely folk. 

This is why Thai produce are constantly being banned in Europe. Including vegetables fruit and seafood. Huge pesticide contamination. Thailand is knowingly killing its children, or at the best, creating illness and bad health for most people.

Thaidream, i dont agréé with all your views, yes , parents do not educate their kids as they should, and no, the police do damn all. Though most of the trouble makers I've come across personally, on Phuket and in Jomtien/ Pattaya, are not poor kids. They have nice motor bikes / cars and plenty of money to throw about on drinks and whatever , lots of them are school kids !!!!

Violence is escalating in Thailand and authorities should do something about it quickly as its now spreading to usually " quiet" areas, and not only the tourist towns and beaches. The police seem to be doing nothing at all. Hardly a day goes by when there isn't rape, attacks, road road etc hitting the headlines. Definitely best not to go out at night on your own, or on a motor bike, whether you are in Udon or Phuket, and if you are a foreigner , or Thai. 

I'm quite sure that these scams etc are published in all the tourist guides and on the net.There are also warnings against these small  " pop up" companies. Any traveller should know to use reputable tour companies and transport. If you don't know, find out, or ask ! 

For many years Phuket, for example, has been relying on Burmese for positions such as cooks, waiters, cleaners, and all the other usual construction jobs. Many of my once regular hang outs had Burmese employees , who were always charming, and did their job well, and didn't " disappear"  ( Thais, one day they're there, the next, not) .Buisness owners are usually very happy with them, especially as they speak English , which is not the case with the locals ! I think they were mostly all legal. All the condos I've rented have had Burmese running them , and they are very competent.

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So easy for the transport authorities to sort out. Have 5/6 designated areas of Bangkok with fixed fares. Even " land of scams" Phuket have this system , though largely over priced. 

Every time I leave France I'm asked for my visa page or return ticket.

I'm only surprised that this doesn't happen more often considering the horrifying lack of hygiene in Thailand, whether it's in restaurants ,markets ,  buffets or schools.  Hardly any rule is respected , from basic cleanliness to cooking or conserving frozen goods to proper refrigeration of meats and fish. The army of cleaning ladies and staff where I live are constantly sick and locked in the loo's. 

I'll be very surprised if Thailand has a good low , or high season this year. Apart from the low cost tourists, mostly Chinese and Russian , there will be a lot less of European/ American tourists.There are a lot of economic problems around the world today, and people are holiday ing close to home. We have seen this in nearly all of the favourite holiday spots this year. Add to that, Thailand is no longer a " cheap" place to vacation. Prices in good hotels are near prices asked in Europe these days.A week or two , for example, on Koh Chang or Phuket will cost the same in a similar European resort. Sadly, I was told by one of the leading travel agencies, Thailand is not fashionable anymore and has too much bad press concerning accidents , murders and attacks on foreigners. 

So, a lot of posts stating they haven't seen proof of this after numerous years in Thailand. ( me neither, by the way, tho I don't go out very late, or to bars/ clubs). But , who has seen this terrible abuse of children in Thailand? No posts on this ?

" Free" healthcare does not exist, your taxes pay for it .

As most people who have been/ lived on Phuket know, the taxi scam thugs have been operating for years ! And all over the island! They are the main reason why tourists have bad memories of their holiday . These mostly rude,often drunk or high on drugs individuals are a danger to society . You do not get this problem in Bangkok or other Thai cities, or very rarely. The government and prime ministers have closed their eyes to this problem for over 20 years, why will the General do something about it now ? 

I  spent two whole winter seasons in Hua Hin 5 years ago. Violent attacks against foreigners had already started, and I was constantly warned not to walk on certain soi s after dark, where a few of the usual favourites of farang restaurants were. 

I work in the hospitality business and am often shocked at the way some customers behave. We've had a lady screaming at staff because she has to wait for 10 minutes foer her table ( we are not a 5 star restaurant!) . People demanding to change their meal because it does not suit their taste ( for free of course!) , using the linen napkins to wash their face and arms !!!!, destroying the toilets and throwing all sorts of things into the wc, people walking in and ignoring staff proceed to sit down at any table they like, I've been told to <deleted> off because I told a man he could not sit at a certain table. I sometimes think I've seen it all, and while no one is perfect, we all have respect for the people who work so hard to serve others. I'm quite sure being an airline hostess is a very hard job, I couldn't do it despite some perks. This lady passenger sounds like one of the nastier types with the proverbial chip on the shoulder to me. 

Shame that the head steward couldn't have taken over from her right at the beginning of the incident, which is what I do when someone is rude to the other staff. 

Most 4 star hotels charge a deposit. I've paid at Holiday Inn and Novotel, and Koh Chang, never had a problem getting it back though. By the way, Sleep with me hotel is not near Junk Ceyon, it's on the road to Phuket town on the way out of Patong, unless they've opened a new one. Not the best area for me.

I do enjoy rooster59 every Sunday! Though, like many others, I have fond memories of rushing to buy the Bangkok post years back to read and laugh at my favourite Bernard Trink. What a wit he had ! I've still got some of his jokes !

I'm no prude and certainly had a whale of a time partying with my friends, though not in school time I admit. I was quite shocked to see  a bunch of school kids, definitely under 16, getting on the bus after school each with their nice cool Chang. These same kids hang  out evenings with their friends, drinking smoking and blasting loud music on the beaches till late. I don't think they have a decent future to look forward to if the government and parents turn a blind eye. 

Khunper, good address but I think that a million baht will not get you far in a private hospital in Thailand. I've seen and heard of quite a few accidents and necessary surgery and  the surgery cost way more than a million baht. Is that they're top cover ? 

I know' I keep on repeating myself, but it's all down to a lack of education. The kids here do not get good schooling, they are not taught what is right and wrong by their parents either.There are good jobs open to women in Thailand, look at the banks and secretarial offers, hotel industry ( restaurant/ cooks/ silver service ) and all the jobs that women could study and train for if they had the chance . The Thai government should get the girls into higher studies and financial help given to get them into uni.You just have to look at all the sorry looking salesgirls in the nice shopping malls, sleeping in corners, staring in their mirrors, to see that most of these girls will end up in bars or worse. The best they read is a Thai comic paper book, have you ever seen a Thai girl reading ? When you don't read, you don't learn either. For me, it's solve the lack in education that will put an end to a lot of the horrors these girls will go through otherwise. Everyone knows that the most poverty struck areas of Thailand produce the most prostitutes, so the government should open its eyes and get off its lazy backside !