Mac98

Book a hotel next to your mall of choice. Lots of restaurants and (overpriced) shopping in one air conditioned place. As suggested, book a driver to see some chosen highlights. Lumpini Park for a cool morning walk. Never go to any "bargain" gem or shopping place urged by taxi driver or street promoter. There is a giant Thai market on the outskirts, but deadly hot that time of year and no air con anywhere for miles. Your hotel desk staff should be able to direct you to local discount shopping.

14 hours ago, pookondee said:

Maybe the people reacting are aware of what corporate greed brings?

 

The more wages go up, the more likelyhood the cost living goes up exponentially, since retailers and big business have the perfect excuse to raise prices.

 

Will do nothing to help the wage slaves.

They might get an extra 10-20 baht but everything they buy has the potential to go up 5baht

How come they n ever use that argument when politicians, CEOs, white collar workers get raises?

Yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater is not free speech. Anti-vaxer rants, with no scientific proof, and which might lead to a million deaths in total, should fall under that rule.

Renters insurance. Home insurance against falls and burglaries. How about fire insurance? Flood insurance? Earthquake insurance? High wind damage? Car insurance. Uninsured driver insurance? Life insurance. Workers Comp Insurance. Travel insurance. Life Insurance on family members. Burial Insurance. Social Security Insurance. Motorbike insurance. What did I forget? Go ahead, insure to the hilt. Living in insurance wasteland is good for all of us. But say you need a new heart. 20,000,000b. Your insurance company is first rate and pays the max, 400,000. Whoopie! You only owe 19,600,000b. Give in where you feel you must, scrxx the rest.

6 hours ago, Reigntax said:

Just a minor ding. Somchai the panel beater will have it glued back together in a few weeks.

 

I hope the superficial chest injuries won't require new silicon implants !!!!

Minor chest injuries were all she suffered? Maybe it's the only place they looked.

I let them make the first move. Works well.

Thirty years ago they made it a cause for termination to even look at a female coworker, if she chose to be offended. Why risk it? Keep your head down and work. Employers loved it. Now males are grateful for a reason to avoid ever looking in their direction as they search for the next spot to graze, unless business demands it. Oh, the days of yore. The young ladies initiating much of the frivolity, it was the snarls of the few that spoiled the Christmas party, the St. Paddy's Day parties, the 4th of July swim parties, the after-work drinks, the office romance, the humorous chatter, the very things that camouflaged the awful boredom and life-sucking experience that consumes so much of the average work experience. And I had a good job. More pity to the rest.

I went to a clinic attached to a dental hospital in Chiang Mai suburbs. Saw a doctor, then a specialist, and was given two prescriptions to pick up after payment to cashier. The cashier wouldn't take my Visa card. She said the minimum I could charge was 500b and my bill was 400b. Even with Medicare insurance in the U.S. that whole thing would have cost at the very least 2100b. I'm happy with my medical bills, so far.

18 hours ago, grantbkk said:

I have been with Siam Commercial Bank since 2001. EVERY person that I have had interaction with at a branch or on the phone could not have been handled better. 

I was just about to write a similar comment but it isn't even my bank. I go to a Pattaya SCB to deposit my rent payments into my landlord's account held in Chiang Mai. Not just the tellers are friendly, even the guard helped me send a payment through the bank's ATM and avoid the bank charge of 50 baht for this service.

Scenic pics? Warm weather? Uncrowded beaches? Kauai.

Friendly women, if you speak Spanish? Colombia. Maybe Panama would be better for you. Or best bet is get another 30 days in Thailand.

On 12/1/2019 at 10:34 PM, Pilotman said:

but of course, he had absolutely nothing to do with it, you were just lucky, thankfully. 

I know that. I was agreeing with one post that it is not only the Thais who believe in such charms.

33 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Is she Irish - to be sure, to be sure?

That was strong among the Irish. My family arrived in the U,S. in 1863 and my grandfather born a few weeks later. My father (1899-1979) and paternal uncles and aunts all carried rosary beads and had St. Christopher medals pinned up in their cars. I was riding in one in 1948 that overturned on a snowy road. Back seat, no seat belt of course. I can remember waking up in a frozen gas station. St. Christopher got a lot of credit for our survival. I still have that pin.

In USA I played where you had to break four out of four to win a large Teddy Bear, with choice of colors. The darts were weighted and you had to find the balance point. I won 13 times in a row. Then two pretty young ladies asked me to win for them. They paid.  Hopeless. Always 3 of 4. Tried to give them bears I had already won but they wouldn't take them. It's not gambling, it's skill.

4 hours ago, metempsychotic said:

 

while the government have surely dropped the ball, people are travelling less for "smut" either way.

 

Millenials are <deleted> each other and the incels that would be all over it are afraid or unable to travel to foreign shores.

those that have traditionally flocked to pattaya are ageing fast. 

i have seen an increase this year of friends and friends of friends traveling this way. they are coming for islands like koh phangan, or doing wakepark tours of bkk and phuket. they are all 30-45 and are travelling for lifestyle and activities now and pattaya is not on the radar. 

they want proper massages, good food, beaches, sunsets, hikes etc. 

A good night out involves proper music, cocktails and dinner. Many are vegan, but all are willing to spend on food. the bars may be a curiosity but certainly not a priority. 

 

10 years ago, people i know might have had a few days in pattaya on the itinerary, but I cant think of a single visitor through my doors that has had plans to go to pattaya for something other than business in the last 5+ years 

many things have changed. Pattaya really hasnt.

 

The tourists you describe are likely 'one and done', looking for the next tofu and bicycle city on their list. The nighttime fun tourists that formally booked Pattaya were happy to return every year. They wanted something different from cookie cutter resort cities around the globe. Pattaya had that. 

Strong baht=slowing exports.

Slowing exports+high household debt=slower economy=higher unemployment.

Higher unemployment=more bankruptcies=more social spending=lower tax collections=lower interest rates=lower baht.

8 hours ago, John1012 said:

Is taking a picture with a dead terrorist a war crime? Why is it that out military is persecuted, British paras prosecuted 40+ years after an event, and terrorists get forgiven. These men and women live and fight in extremely hazardous conditions, against a cruel and barbarous enemy (who have NO ROE), who would treat any captured soldiers with extreme cruelty and death, yet they are expected by the pantyhose liberal desk jockeys to act in a courteous and appeasing manner to these evil people. Perhaps Trump want a more aggressive and less forgiving group of military exponents, who are prepared to return the treatment that they expect to receive if they ever fall into the enemies hands. A deterrent. perhaps? Perhaps he is showing respect for the people at the sharp end taking the risks.

 

Trump is involved in showing voters that he is invulnerable to media criticism, court decisions, congressional action, and now the military. He wants service men and women to know they are protected from their own officers if he calls on them to take action anywhere, including the U.S. (Read that last part again.)     

At no expense, roll back the nightlife rules to 1998, then stand back and watch Pattaya come back to life. Remember fun?

I bought a used cell phone 7 years ago for 1,000b. It calls taxis, doctors, girlfriends, and even works for international calls. Imagine that! No, it doesn't start my oven, remind me it's Aunt Tabby's birthday, or play Rock n Roll Part 2 when I get a call. In U.S. I always had a land line. Cell phones are electronic leashes.

Proper wording would be "Less traffic, fewer accidents... "

Yes, let's blame the dupes. The ponzi artists are just saintly businessmen. That would cone straight from the books at Trump University, before it was shut down by the cops.

On 9/6/2019 at 7:50 PM, Just Weird said:

"The problem here is that the definition of 'illegal smuggling' is far to broad..."

It's not broad, it's black or white, you've either got items with unpaid duty that you're bringing in or you haven't.

 

"It seems to me that this is just another money maker for customs who will abuse the law as they see fit".

That's just your speculative opinion for which you have no empirical evidence.

 

"Thai authorities are allowed to charge 10 times the duty required for either product (and they are doing this hundreds of times a day). This is outright extortion..."

If that is the law, it is not extortion.  There is a way around it, though, declare the items or don't risk hiding them.

 

If you declare the items you will still have to pay whatever they decide to charge you, and they might keep it anyway. I would gladly declare extra pipe tobacco if I only had to pay the predetermined duty and was allowed to keep my select tobacco. But how much extra would I be allowed to bring in this way? An ounce? A pound? The way things are handled now, I just don't see any benefit to declaring any excess product. Any clarification is welcome.

Plan on 4 weeks and buy a RT ticket. If things go good with your new friend, great, you're covered. But if they don't, then spend the days left to you by celebrating your continued freedom in the LOS.