spicypete

lets be realistic... Pattaya is a den of iniquity, a brothel dressed up so families can fool themselves into feeling as if they are in some resort area. we all must take responsibility for ourselves and not put ourselves in harms way. I have been to Thailand many times, including Pattaya, and i have been threatened and nearly assaulted 5 times. 4 of those times were by Farang who were drunk. only 1 time was by a drunk Thai man. And may i point out, 3 of the 4 times i was threatened by Farang, they were of Russian decent.

So, 3 men of Russian decent (Estonian) decide to fight some Thai men, ....hmmmmmm.... i cant say they deserve to die, however if they had just enjoyed themselves and moved onto the next bar rather than having a few more drinks and acting like they are tough guys and going back to fight the Thai men, maybe we would not be reading about them and all three would still be enjoying their vacation.

perhaps the reason i have never actually been assaulted in Thailand is because i dont play games and tease the girls or tease the touts, and i dont act like the rich Farang, i smile a lot, i am nice and friendly, i dont wear jewelry there, and i have learnt to understand the saying "mai pen rai khrap" (no problem), and i have learnt several polite thai phrases... "excuse me", "thank you", "no thankyou", etc... and i dont go to places that are unsafe, i dont get too drunk, i dont do drugs, and i have learnt to walk away when i see problems starting.

the fact is, some people attract trouble, they look for trouble, they create trouble... so lets not put down Thai people or Thai society because 3 men who were looking for a fight with some Thai men, found a fight with Thai men. we must accept that we will live with the consequences of our actions, so lets act more appropriately.

And one last point... one of the times i was nearly assaulted, i was in Pattaya, on soi diamond, i had just had knee surgery and was wearing a knee brace and had visible scars and over 60 stitches in my leg, and 3 very tall Farang men were wrestling and drinking at the neighboring bar (beside the carousel bar) and the three men were bumping into people and they got close to me and i asked politely with a smile, "gentlemen, please be careful, i have just had knee surgery". the biggest man, about 280lbs, 6'6" tall, decided he would slap me around and tell me to mind my own business.... and before he could actually touch me, three Thai men came to help me. i did not now the Thai men, but they had seen me walking down the street a few times and I remember smiling at them and politely saying “no thankyou” when they asked me to enter their gogo bar . the very big man backed off and left me alone once it became clear many more Thai men were just steps away from joining in to protect me. All i can say is, there are good and bad in all countries... and i have had the honour of seeing the good side of Thailand much more than i have ever seen the bad.

4,300 stores nationwide.

Some are only 50 yards apart.

Tell me, are they owned by one company, CP All , or are they franchised?

Ridiculous way they are placed in community.

Milk products are half the price of similar in NZ.

I live on flavoured milk whilst in Thailand, love it.

Milk is a very complex thing! NZ has the purest milk in the world. It starts on the farm where the land must be uncontaminated by chemicals and GM crops for at least 3 years prior to having dairy cows on it. Cows are free of drugs and tested regularly. The milk is processed in a delicate way to keep the goodness in it. (eg:not boiled or radiated=UHT). There is an amazing amount of goodness in milk but only if it is processed in the correct manner. Otherwise is quickly becomes less and less nutritious! The taste may remain the same but what is in it doesn't. Japan pays a huge price for NZ milk because it wants the best. Its also why NZ is able to supply over 33% of all the worlds milk powder. Its not the amount it produces, its the quality. Other nations produce milk powder but cant compete with the quality.

It really makes me laugh that the topic is rising prices at 7/11, and this person goes off on a rant about how wonderful milk is in NZ...lol. anyhow, very interesting to know that, lol. i wonder... is NZ so borring that one must feel the need to be so patriotic toward the quality of milk.

Anyhow... so what if prices go up? that is normal. the store owners need to pay bills, pay for product, and make a profit worthy of investing and risking their money in a business venture.

I am a Canadian, and i am tired of listening to fellow Farang complain about prices. It is very pathetic that any of you feel you have a right to complain about having to pay a little more than thai people must pay. the fact is, the tax will be an extreem burden to most thai people who have internet at home, or use it at an internet shop. The burden will be so great that almost all low income people in thailand will no long have access to internet. and lets not forget... more than half the population of thailand is low income. so when you complain that you must pay extra, lets remember the extra charge that is greater than the thais are being taxed calculates to an amount equal to what you earn in .5 to 2 hours of work back home, and it gives you a months worth of paid internet tax. For some thais, this amount is greater than what they earn in a week (6 days at 12 hours each). so stop being so selfish and spoilt, and remember, you can always go to hong kong, and the amount that you pay extra for just one day in your hotel in HK, you could pay that tax for many many months. so do you really feel you need to expect that thais pay the same as you pay? give yourself a slap, and open your eyes and apreciate that one of the reasons you go to thailand is because of the people, the wonderful things those people have built, and the warmth those people have offered to the vast number of farang tourists,... so shouldnt they get some kind of break to make their lives a little more liveable? or are you so ignorant that you cannot understand that you are vastly wealthier, and have far more oprtunities in life, and the thai people suffer in comparison. it reminds me of a famous lady... who said, "let them eat cake".

just wondering... is everyone stupid or just acting stupid?

when they say it takes 20 seconds to clear immigration, they mean once you get to see an immigration officer, it only takes 20 seconds on average before your pasport is stamped and you are on your way. so if 15 people are ahead of you in the line, it should take aproximately 5 minutes before you get to the front of the line and see the immigation officer, and 20 seconds more before you are on your way. I think if you go to any magor airport in the world, this is considered very fast.

My goodness, why are so many people always willing to absolutely close their eyes to the truth or are so negative that they try to twist the truth. i now give you a voice of reality and reason:

in all countries around the world, women have looked at mens financial prowess. even men judge each other by the amount they make, or the title of their job.... or the beauty of the woman they have on their arm.

so lets all get off our high horses and get real... we all work for money, money is important, and if you come from a poor family, the biggest praise you can give to your new farange son in law is to vocaly give him credit for your higher standard of living.

so stop trying to look at things with a negative twist, and realize that all over the world the average men look for beauty and women look for stabuility. there will always be bad men and bad women... but that does not mean all are bad.

so when we judge others, we should first try to see things from their perspective, and accept a compliment and apreciation when it is given, and dont try to pick it apart just because you have a tainted perspective.

ok... breath, smile, and try to understand the true meaning of, and positive effect we could enjoy by adopting the thai words "MAI PEN RAI KHRAP" into our farang cultures.

sincerely SpicyPete.