jimster

1 hour ago, DrTuner said:

Yes Russian are Russians, but increasing? There was a proper exodus when oil prices crashed and the sanctions due to Ukraine were put on, I'd say 80% vanished from Pattaya almost overnight. Still 20% more to go, though.

 

From what I've heard they are now going to more friendly fellow commie countries, specifically Vietnam.

Around 2014 the number of Russians suddenly plummeted but since around 2016 they've started returning again, in droves. Their numbers this year could be higher than their previous all-time high recorded back in 2013 or 2014. In any case, there are more Russians coming to Thailand than almost all other European countries combined.

Chiang Saen immigration. That's the one for the casino on the Lao bank. Have got to wonder what a Burmese man who entered the country through Tak province, meaning Mae Sot was doing all the way in another part of the country? Gambling perhaps? There are casinos in Myanmar too, including 6 or 7 in Myawaddy, opposite Mae Sot. No need to go that far.

4 hours ago, kevvy said:

The  Casino in Laos is going ahead very quickly.Thats when the influx will come . 

That casino has been open for more than 5 years now. There are still some projects going on there, just as an airport, more hotels and apartments but the main casino, hotel and Chinatown have been operational for a while now. What do you mean by influx from that casino? It just so happens that the casino hires mostly Burmese and Thai nationals, in addition to Chinese as it's workers. Only about 10% are Lao. The tourists tend to be Chinese and Thai. Few westerners go there, apart from daytripping tourists who come on boat tours from the Thai side and go shopping at Don Sao island, now part of the casino complex.

12 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

I mean who cares. The less westerners, the better for me. There are some girls who will never be attractive or attracted to Asians ?

 

Plus I can watch footie without having more Arsenal fans around. And with less Russians the crime rate will go down

Russians aren't considered to be westerners. Their numbers are increasing - this report refers to nationalities like the Scandinavians and the Germans.

1 hour ago, marko kok prong said:

Well at one time Bangkok was know as the venice of the east,with all it's klongs,that was because it was built on a flood plain /rivermouth,and back then it was mainly light wooden houses. Over the years many of the klongs have been filled reducing drainage,many huge skyscrapers have been built as another poster said,squeezing down the soft ground,add predicted sea level rise due to global warming,ithink you will find in 100 years or so much of the city will be permanently under water.

Much of this global warming fearmongering has never been proven to take place. Sea levels are still the same now compared to when Al Gore warned us 20 years ago that by now many coastal communities would be flooded.

The actual problem lies more with groundwater rising thanks to the weight of all the infrastructure (buildings, roads, bridges, expressways) pushing down on the soft loamy ground.

Bangkok, despite being close to the sea is in a more sheltered position than many other coastal cities around the world anyway, the southern Thai and Malay coasts in the east and the eastern Thai, Cambodian and southern Vietnamese coasts shelter it and further afield you have Indonesia and Borneo - Bangkok isn't exposed to the open ocean like say Phuket, all Australian coastal cities, California and eastern Japanese cities for example, just to name a few.

3 hours ago, Prairieboy said:

I believe the average elevation of Bangkok is 1.5 metres (150 cm) above sea level.  There are 12 years until 2030 therefore at 1 cm+/year it will sink another 12 to 15 cm so........????  One report states 2 cm per year but even at that in 12 years, it would only sink 24 cm.

According to my GPS the average elevation in Bangkok is about 3m, with some areas around the north of the city being around 4-5m.

Much of this kind of reporting is fear mongering, though I do believe something has to be done to mitigate the problem of groundwater rising, however, as you say it's probably not going to happen as quickly as the news reports like to say. Even so, the authorities shouldn't be complacent.

11 minutes ago, thurien said:

 e.g.: Once you "subscribe" with one of the influential, prosperous NGOs in PnomPenh next thing you get is a Toyota Land Cruiser (6cyl., big thing) and sufficient funds for hanging out every night at Riverside, sipping red wine, going for Cambo chicks...good life, indeed. Seen plenty of these French passport holders (port of origin: Algeria, Tunesia and the like) 

Used to see the same thing in Laos back in 2003, lots of western NGO types with their whole families, wives, kids and all (from their home countries) driving around in Land Cruisers in Vientiane and Savannakhet eating at expensive restaurants doing nothing to help the locals and certainly nothing that looks like work. In more recent years, it seems many of these guys have started to disappear and those replacing them are getting younger, are now female and poorer...lol. Instead of middle aged Scandinavian men driving SUVs with their families in tow and hanging out at the riverfront all day, nowadays you either see a Lao person in the driver's seat or some naive "I'm going to save the world" 20 something western girl riding a bicycle through the streets of Vientiane while newly rich locals zoom past in their BMWs, Porsches and Bentleys splashing dust or mud in her face.

As for Cambodia, yes, still see that a little bit too but it's not as widespread or obvious as it was when I first visited there in 2003 and just like in Laos, for upcountry expeditions Cambodian drivers seem to have replaced the self-driving middle aged westerners from 15-20 years ago.

2 minutes ago, kevvy said:

Who wants tourists anyway , they are apin in the butt here in chiang rai . Lucky alot dont come here .

Seems to be a few Chinese in Cr province - they all seem to be applying for re-entry permits to go to Tachilek or the Golden Triangle Casino in Laos or something. But certainly not the numbers like in Chiang Mai, Bangkok or Pattaya.

37 minutes ago, kevvy said:

They always go on about the number of tourists coming here . I like to see the real numbers .Many are in transit only, as Bangkok is an international gateway .A tourist is someone who stays in a country for a set period of time . People are waking to to this country . 

I find it hard to believe that in 2008 only 14 million tourists set foot in Thailand yet they kept coming even during the upheavals of 2010 and 2013/early 2014 and now we have 35 million. Sure, there are tourists here, but a 2.5 times increase in just 10 years seems too good to be true. I suspect what is happening is all foreigners are counted as "tourists" even those on P/R and work visas. If you leave and re-enter Thailand 10 times during the year, you're counted as 10 tourists. That's how they manage to get up to 35 million. That and the in-transit people flying from say Australia to Europe via BKK.

On 7/31/2018 at 9:20 AM, madmitch said:

It's pretty bloody obvious really.

 

Thailand:

Weather - unpredictable. 

Sea - polluted and dangerous

Flight price - Expensive

 

Europe (talking about Mediterranean resorts here):

Weather - hot and sunny

Sea - warm and swimmable 

Flight - cheap

 

They're the basics. The only advantage Thailand has at this time of the year is on price of accommodation and food. And it has nothing to do with the Chinese boat disaster!

Thailand's weather is only unpredictable during the rainy season. During the dry season it's non-stop sunshine for 6 months. Mediterranean resort areas also experience sh*t weather during their winter. In fact, it's much sh^ttier than in Thailand, where at least you can expect warmth and some sunshine even during the rainy season, it's not like it rains all the time (except in places like Ranong or the Moo Koh Surin islands, which are closed during the rainy season anyway). But in southern France, Spain etc. it's freezing during winter. Only summer is good for swimming.

5 hours ago, realenglish1 said:

 After 10 days a Bar singer. No Thank you If she thinks a dowery is more important than love and marriage then

this girl is a bad deal

 

I have been with my Thai wife now for more than 12 years She is  28 years younger than me She never asked for a dowery

Find another dude

This girl's family obviously think they found another farang sucker. She's poor, and yet they were asking for a 500,000 Baht dowry? She's only worth 50,000 at most and that's what he already gave her. Seriously, she looks like a nice girl and all but she's a typical ex-hooker type.

I can half understand a middle class Chinese-Thai family wanting say a million Baht dowry or a wealthy family asking for a 5-10 million dowry, but where does this family come off thinking their status is anywhere near the middle or upper classes?

Similarly, I think the face she made when they had to move into that apartment above the storage facility was a bit too much. Some pretty high expectations from someone who has probably never known what space and a private bedroom were like, until she went to America.

On 7/31/2018 at 9:36 AM, sandyf said:

When in the UK, for convenience reasons, I only use Avis/Budget. When hiring a car on a UK licence they ask for recent proof of address. 

Still weird. Proof of address should be what it says on your licence. I've hired cars in Australia on my Australian licence also through AVIS/Budget (and occasionally others) never have I been asked for more paperwork than my licence and credit card. Ditto for the USA, renting on a US licence at the time.

On 7/29/2018 at 8:23 PM, phycokiller said:

see the post above, st 172 is full of good meals for that price

I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm saying in most places in PP, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, if you do manage to find a decent meal and drink for under $5, it'll probably be one of the cheaper things on the menu and just under $5, for example $4 or $4.50. I still would not leave my hotel without at least $10 in my pocket for a meal.

I was surprised that it cost $3 for a fish amok at a hawker stall in the Siem Reap night market. Not only wasn't it a very big dish; there was also nothing cheaper on the menu. Would have thought with all the backpackers I could find something for $1.50. BTW I'm not a cheapskate like some people - I'm happy to spend $10 for a meal when traveling, in fact, that tends to be my average. Just that I would have expected Cambodia to be cheaper, but maybe it's because I tend to stick to the tourist/expat areas. If I could speak/read/write Khmer I'd be happy venturing into more local areas like I do in Thailand and Laos because I can speak these languages.

The only thing that is really cheap are the fruit shakes - only US$1 on the street.

2 hours ago, phycokiller said:

plenty of restaurants in phnom penh where you would get a good fried rice and a fruit shake for less then $5, or pretty much any meal, chicken marsala, pastas, fish and chips etc.

not really. You'll struggle. Maybe for 6-7 dollars but under 5? Only at a few hole in the wall backpacker joints. The prices on the menu above are typical of tourist/expat areas of Cambodia and rarely will you find cheaper.

On 7/22/2018 at 12:56 AM, Nokawou said:

This is a example of the local menu at a restaurant outside the hotel in Siem Reap  the worst food we have ever eaten in any country I have visited and quit expensive. The is NO comparison with Thai food including street food. The Lok Lak beef was especially disgusting as was the Prahok sauce (fermented river mud fish) even my Thai wife did not eat that.  We spend a day looking at Angor Wat which is really interesting but the rest does not compare to Thailand at all. 

very expensive...in Thailand no way would you pay the equivalent of more than 100 baht for a plate of fried rice, unless it's a chain restaurant or hotel restaurant. Most good restaurants will charge something like 49-69 baht for fried rice (which is anywhere from 20-50 Baht on the streets or in shopping mall food courts), about half the price of this menu and you will also receive a nice shiny menu not this flimsy piece of laminated paper that was made 20 years ago.

However, unless you go to a very local restaurant where only local diners go, these kind of prices are typical in tourist areas of Cambodia, which is basically anywhere in Siem Reap or the central parts of Phnom Penh. Even at the night market in Siem Reap, I wouldn't go anywhere with less than US$5 in my pocket and for that money I can hopefully buy a plate of fried rice and a fruit shake if I'm lucky - probably I'll end up having to spend around US$5-8 though, which seems excessive in a country where half the population lives on less than US$1-2 a day.

On 7/3/2018 at 9:03 AM, rhodie said:

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/region_rankings.jsp?title=2018-mid&region=142

 

Rankings just out and it is noticeable that Thailand is more expensive than Cambodia and Vietnam.

Nonsense - unless you live like a local maybe but the quality of life in Cambodia at the local level is very low. Thailand is cheaper than Cambodia in most respects - housing, food, even fuel (which is about 10% more expensive in Cambodia than in Thailand). Cars (mostly second hand) are cheaper in Cambodia, but depends on the brand/model. Thai made pickups and sedans are cheaper in Thailand than Cambodia (as you would expect) but American imported used cars are cheaper than in Thailand.

Vietnam is the cheapest of the bunch.

On 7/5/2018 at 7:27 PM, Argus Tuft said:

Just to clarify a post above - the border pass on entry to Kawthoung works a bit differently to other entry points

$10 allows you to visit any of the islands below a certain point about 2/3 of the way up the archipelago.  You cannot go overland or visit Myeik.

But it gives you 14 days - not 3.

 

As other posts have pointed out - the evisa for $50 ($56 if urgent turnaround needed, takes a couple of hours) will get you in through Kawthoung and allow overland (or by air or sea) travel anywhere in Myanmar, and you can exit from any other border crossing or international airport in Myanmar

 

Source - I work in that area

OK so better to get an e-visa than an on arrival pass if you are intending on heading anywhere other than Kawthoung, the area up to a little north of the airport and islands near Kawthoung by boat, such as Bruer island and the casino island where Thais and expats go to gamble.

If you apply for an e-visa during working hours, you'll get it within a couple of hours at most for US$50. You only need to pay US$56 for the urgent visa if you apply during weekends, holidays or in the middle of the night and need an urgent visa. I have never waited more than an hour for a tourist or business visa, if applying during working hours and paying the normal fee.

Overland travel from Kawthoung is allowed now at least with a visa. Indeed I have heard boats have stopped. However, I wouldn't recommend overland travel from Kawthoung to Myeik during the rainy season as the roads may be impassable. North of Thanintharyi to Myeik and beyond is fine year round.

On 7/11/2018 at 8:07 AM, phuketrichard said:

as confirmed on CEO forum, with a poster visiting immigration....as of yesretday

u can get unlimited 6 month EG extensions after leaving and re-entering

 

Thats as of YESTERDAY
tomorrow???
who knows

They won't change things that quickly, it's Cambodia. Cambodia will probably have similar immigration laws to Thailand in 10-15 years time and only recently introduced the 6 month EG visa and the work permit requirement to get an EB visa.

Not sure if it's possible to just pay for a work permit without actually working in order to stay on an EB visa. I would say yes, but depends on the agent. It's all about the $$ anyway.

19 hours ago, dabhand said:

Hired a car from Avis at Heathrow last year with my 5 year Thai licence. No problem.

 

Believe that using a UK licence, for those no longer considered as UK resident, could lead to a rather hefty fine as well as potential insurance issues if involved in an accident. Using an expired UK licence is unlikely to be accepted by any hire company and is not a good idea under any circumstances.

That sounds bizarre. If you're a UK citizen how does anyone prove you're not a resident? If you have a valid UK licence, irrespective of where you live use that. If you have a Thai one but no UK one (or an expired UK one) use that one. The key point is the licence must be valid, that's all.

21 hours ago, smotherb said:

There is little I can do about the ignorance of others.

Sure, but either way Thailand does not seem to be a country known for it's guns, as far as foreigners are concerned. Everyone knows about the US "right to bear arms", many also know that Switzerland also has quite liberal gun laws, with many Swiss owning a firearm but Thailand?

I still don't think the average Thai owns a firearm. Many do, depending on their profession or whether they feel threatened by someone, but not your average Somchai.

6 hours ago, smew said:

Not true, Thais firmly at 84 and not budging on that issue as long as their schools etc etc are what they are.

US army will not enlist individuals with IQ less than 86 as these people are deemed untrainable so maybe thT explains few things around here!

The US army generally enlist recruits that don't really have any other options. Those who barely managed to finish high school for example. I'm pretty sure armies around the world are about the same - rarely does a very IQ individual consider a career in the army. The pay is crap, your freedom goes out the window etc.

6 hours ago, Thian said:

There are also very big thai avocado's, they're not so fat but if you have a good one they can be nice and good for guacamole.

 

One day in Tops they had hundreds of avo's which were all far too soft and rotting, they had them in the promotion for 70 that day....i bet they were all brown.  

I tried growing avo's myself but in BKK it's too warm, they won't bloom. I had many varieties. 

Avocadoes are a tropical plant. They will definitely bloom in Bangkok. However, you may struggle to get a tree grown from seed to produce fruit, or it will take many years.

8 hours ago, Briggsy said:

It's all about the soundbite. And the sad thing is many U.S. voters are dumb enough, desperate enough or ignorant enough to buy straight into it.

 

Automotive companies with worldwide sales understand that in today's world they need to have several production centres around the world. The industry is very capital intensive and decisions have to be taken years in advance. Many factors enter the equation. Too many to list but here is a few. Cost of labour force, Skill of labour force, Location of customers, Tax and tax incentives, location of parts suppliers, stability of business environment, development of local automotive assembly industry. 

 

The president is just talking complete garbage as usual. 

Yes you are right about all the various costs that have to be considered, but these days it's absurd in some cases you literally have parts from all over the world used to make one product, how can it be cheaper to fly in all these parts instead of making them in one place? It's almost as if companies are making parts in different countries just for the sake of it, or to brag about how this part was made in Hungary, that part in China, and that part in Argentina. Ridiculous.

In Thailand, it just so happens that car manufacturers also use parts supplied by local manufacturers, making most vehicles built with 90% or more local components. In manufacturing there are also more and more robots being used therefore the cost of labor is less important than it used to be - I'd be surprised if in a few years time there will be any human labor left in any manufacturing facility making cars or motorcycles save for a few supervisors, managers and QC people but all the repetitive tasks will be made by robotics as is already increasingly the case, even in Thailand. Tax incentives certainly bring manufacturing companies here, but consumption taxes are very high in Thailand so even if a vehicle is made here, if it's sold on the local market it will still be relatively expensive, compared to what it would cost in the USA. For example, consider how much a Thai made Honda Civic costs in Thailand compared to a Honda Civic sold in the USA. The Thai made one is more expensive - then what is the advantage of manufacturing in Thailand exactly?

On 6/21/2018 at 8:02 PM, bkk6060 said:

Much cheaper for what?

A youth hostel dorm and a can of beer?

Some semblance of a quality life is important to some people... 

Sure. Vietnam definitely offers a better quality of life than Cambodia though, while in turn Thailand offers more than Vietnam.