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Elkski

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Posts posted by Elkski

  1. Many of these taxis trunks have a lpg gas tank inside so not room for a chair  much less 2.  If you have enough money I think it would be wise to secure a transportation van or two to have on call and maybe even a man to assist you as a security guard / helper.  I did see a wheel chair going down soy Cowboy last week.  I actually have thought quite a bit about the lack of Mobility on the sidewalks in Bangkok because I don't think any of my parents could handle a trip to Bangkok because of how high the steps are on the sidewalks and how narrow and uneven the pavement is in many places including where they plop a police box on a corner with not much more than 18 in of width between a wall and the police box or 10" on the outside the police box and a curb.  Some of these bottlenecks on these 3 m wide sidewalks create a one-person bottleneck.   Stepping in the street can be deadly here.  It's hard for me to believe they do such stupid things on the walking surfaces.  It's like each step must be watched  as if hiking in nature.   the unevenness of the walking surfaces is totally unacceptable in modern society. It is amazing the poor quality of craftsmanship on Thailand sidewalks. They will do a repair and just patch with cement and even if it's too much they will just heap the pile over because they don't want to haul the excess away or if it's not enough  they leave ot 5 cm lower. Many times  there is settling  and they just throw a bag of gravel or cement on top of the hole as it starts to settle into the sewer system. So many times they do not even use a trowling tool to smooth off the top of the cement and of course pedestrians continue to step on it as well as dogs and cats.

    In Thailand money will buy everything. Bring lots of money and set your expectations  amazingly High. 

    Soi cowboy  would be good access and you could ne dropped off safely  at each end of the 150 meter long soi.  Here is the typical step up into the bars and some do have  a ramp.  Nana would be so hard to negotiate outside of the plaza as a healthy person can barely  go down the sidewalks  and the traffic is  heavy on the road.  

    20200119_182625.jpg

  2. Unfortunately my trip  to Thailand dec 26 - jan 21 went through  Shanghai.  

    I just didnt see much screening  at very  many airports.   On arrival in Shanghai they did have a gauntlet  you walked through that seemed to have 2 big (10"x18") flat  plate thermal detector looking things  on tripods .  But it was not a forced single  file line so sometimes maybe hot faced were hidden.  Also how complicated was the software  system to detect hot spots?  How often did this system need rebooting?  I didnt see this same system upon  arrival in Shanghai at a different  terminal yesterday.  No thermal scanner  area upon arrival  in Seattle  even after the first USA case was found there.     I never saw any thermal scans of outgoing travelers which seems best. 

    It's only a 3 hour flight pvg-bkk so not a long time for symptoms to develop.   

  3. 15 k plus 1 k a year sounds about what I know from 2 data points.  One teacher  55 who also is  school nurse and helps kids with art projects that win her school top honors and maybe bonuses.  She makes 53 k/ mo. One year recently she got 2 raises.  She has no debt.   She showed me a list of about 15 teacher salaries.  45-65 k/ mo.  I really dont think they make as little as some guess.  

  4. I understand there are business costs.  By this same  assumption you agree a taxi is a business.   So fo you think it's ok for a cake shop to refuse to bake for a same sex couple or fat farang? I dont set the cab time and mileage fees.  Evidently they cab driver was aware of these rates.  It was close to 100 baht for the 15 min ride.  It seems they like airport runs but that is usually less than 300 baht from asoke.  And maybe would have been  45 mins.  I just dont see how refusing  a fare  is a good economic choice.     I was firing up grab when  we got a taxi.  Taxis cant cry losing revenue to grab imho

  5. 3 million  correlates with my one in debt teacher that I have met.    I think for many Thai's this is the first generation who had a chance at an education  and a prestigious government job.  Lots of gatherings to attend and show face.  Many needed a car to get to schools.  Why not build a house.  These funeral insurance loans so easy to get.  I  think I recall  a 6-9% insurance premium above the loan value mentioned  last year  when this was in the news.  They Could just keep refinancing everything into bigger and bigger loans.  A 60-70% payment to salary  ratio  was ok.  Meaning retirement income wont be enough. Payment periods well past normal  retirement years. No bankruptcy in Thailand.   I was told if as government worker quit paying they would lose their job.  I was also told only retired teachers participated in the protest last year because they would be fired if they were current teachers.  Basically the only way they will ever be free from these loans is when they die.  But even then I'm not sure what happens to the car the house the land. Just imagine, the profit was made on this much money

    • Like 2
  6. 2 hours ago, Number 6 said:

    Black eye on Thailand - couldn't get a lift in the middle of a traffic jam. Good laff thar

     

    Yes, I do. People offer services under whatever conditions they choose. I have the option to use or reject the services.

     

    I realize I may be in the minority but I wholly side with the taxi drivers regardless of any stupid law which they blatantly disregard because there's no way a poor person is going to act to actively lose himself money. Wake up and stop acting so entitled.

     

    Moreover, anyone not on life support would know not to try and get a standing taxi anywhere, but especially Sukhumvhit. Then you complain about it.

     

    Arguably, the taxi is sitting and not looking for fares.

     

    Sukhumvhit is very crowded and a bone creaking slow go. I have every sympathy for the driver.

     

    Take a motorcycle.

    How long have you enabled this behavior?  So you cant complain but I can.   There is always traffic in BKK.  They were taxis in the pickup lane of terminal 21.  Oh I guess that means they didnt want work?  Means  they can refuse fares?    Let's just see how this concept goes over with the real World. 

     

    • Like 2
  7. 2 hours ago, Number 6 said:

    I don't know why this is such a problem for people. It's their taxi. They don't want the fare! How many times I driver turned me down in NYC? Many. It's their business, up to them.

     

    They fancied not sitting in two hours of traffic for 100b

     

    Of course you flagged the taxi down right?

     

    Typical tourist whine.

    Stupidly on display or satire?

    So there is no rule that a taxi must take the fare? Within reason.    And use the meter?  I thought I read where the government wants people to report if a taxi wont use the meter. 

    The ride was only 20 mins not 2 hours.

    The fact is this is a black eye on Thailand.   Sorry if you think it's ok for a taxi to refuse  to do his job.  Maybe you feel the same way about your doctor, masseuse,  or the diner?

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
  8. The numbers are really not important.   They need to somehow calculate this into $ spent.  They should also track things like if people will likely return or will they promote or trash Thailand  with friends and family and social  media.  

    They should ask what are positive and negative  memories.  

    • Like 1
  9. Bus stop  fans to blow the bus pollution down the street 50meters.  

    I'm all for brainstorming. 

    Set tight vehicle emission standards for this time of year if not  always. 

    Start with all taxis and buses.  Get off the road if needed.  

    Install  reputable particle counters  at about 10,000 locations  in Thailand.  In bkk start with all the bus stops.   Rrsdongs posted in real time  like airvisual.com or purpkeair.com.  

    Make quality n95 masks available for Asian  faces.    Educate on poor results with low quality  masks. 

    Roadways in bkk should be swept with  a street sweeper every 48 hours. All  construction sites need a tire hose off area.

    • Like 1
  10. Just had 6 taxis in a row at terminal 21 refuse us.    Going to  thonglor soi 6.   I know  economics  but there is a law and I assure you I was irate.   I videoed a few of them.  Good thing was they lost their place in the taxi  line and had to exit out onto Suk.  Hopefully they understand " tourist police "  and worry for a second  about a ticket.   I may actually file a complaint Saturday.   If no one ever complains this <deleted> will continue.  I will also post about taxis and the bad air on every social and Thailand  board I am on.  This is with a thai person doing all the talking. 

  11. I cant take  pictures.   Memory  is full 64 gb.  I've been offloading  pictures every couple of days to s thumb drive.   But after offloading 1.6 gb and then deleting the pictures in my gallery phone is still full.   I swear I saw a empty trash bin button last week and I thought  that opened up space after deleting pictures.   I cant find where to  empty the trash?  I'm thinking the pictures are deleted but still  occupying space.  It seemed to work that way  last week. I clean memory and storage  in  device care.  I'm wondering  if I have a virus or what to do.

    Screenshot_20200117-111905_Device care.jpg

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