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Hey MidoriApple......wow! Thank you for the specific tips! So....Central World Food Plaza is moving up the list!!!

Let's see if anyone else is as passionate about their sweets and treats.....anyone? Anyone?

CHEERS!

D

Hey YoungFarang.....interesting comment. If I'm reading it right....you'd pick Siam Paragon? Any particular food item that was your favorite?

CHEERS!

D

The "Cream And Fudge Factory" at Siam Paragon sounds great.....but a lot of other stuff I see from Googling both seems to imply that overall Emporium has the better selection of decadent desserts.

Agree?

CHEERS!

D

For a special night.....a friend wants to do a "super sampler" of as many different sweets and treats as possible without traveling much. So....looking for a location where you can buy small amounts from many different places......candies, chocolates, cookies, pastries, cakes, ice cream, gelato, etc.

At first I thought a hotel buffet might be a good place, but even though the amounts are unlimited, there are at most a dozen or so desserts and sweets to choose from at most hotel buffets. So then....I thought....maybe one of the malls where there are many more choices.

Would Emporium be the best? Would Siam Paragon be better? MBK mall?

Or is there an even better option?

Help us.....and I'll dedicate the final sweet treat for the night to you. :-)

CHEERS!

D

Thank you so much for the feedback, folks!

I was able to access Gmail via an "https" url....and now even the regular "http" version is working. That said, I can't see any other reason for the 24 hours of downtime during which only Gmail was affected......other than the fact that True was filtering / blocking the site.

Sound way off....or right?

CHEERS!

D

Hi! :-)

I have a private internet line through True......and also wireless internet through my apartment building. So, two different ways to connect. When I use the wireless connection I can open all websites....including Gmail. But, when using my True internet connection (connected via ethernet cable), all internet sites open just fine except for Gmail, which won't open. All other Google websites open just fine.....calendar, the main Google site, all of them......but no Gmail.

My question......is anyone else here with a True internet line experiencing the inability to access Gmail?

CHEERS!

D

Greetings! :-)

As recently as two years ago, if someone wanted to rent a serviced condo for a long term rental period (one year) in one of Thailand's beach cities.....and they required that the city have

1. reliable high speed internet access
   
2. international caliber hospital
   
3. well equipped gym
   
4. full service large grocery store
   

....that person was pretty much dealing with two options, Phuket and Pattaya. The other beach cities, while gorgeous and in many ways superior to Phuket and Pattaya, just didn't have the overall infrastructure to provide for those needs.

Have things changed? Which other beach cities now provide for those needs?

CHEERS!

D

Hi!

I'd like to find the best 6-month condo rental....starting June 1, 2008....for up to but not over 60,000 Baht per month. In the past 2 years here in Thailand I've lived in big cities and in beach front locations. Each time I've signed 6 month rental agreements. I would like to do so again, and I don't have any preference for what city or area the condo is in. I will consider all options. My list of "must have's" is very short....here goes:

Must have:

1. size should be studio or 1-bedroom with a very comfortable bed
   
2. high speed internet in the condo with connection speed of at least 1mb (and would prefer to have the option of bringing in my own private phone line through True, TT&T, etc.)
   
3. walking distance to well equipped fitness center
   
4. walking distance to full size grocery store (meaning, not just a 7-11)
   
5. full set of kitchen appliances (and would prefer washer / dryer in the condo)
   
6. within 20 minute drive to high quality hospital up to international standards
   

That's it!

What do you have available?

CHEERS!

D

Hey Yorkman......thank you. I'm going to look for a "Global House" location here in BKK. I'll update on what I find so others who don't see enough of the sun can benefit, too.

And.....if it ends up "all being in the mind"....I'll try to post a bias-free update that will state that.

CHEERS!

D

Jimmi!!! Thank you....that is a very wise and very much appreciated suggestion. I will check it out!

Thank you again....and I hope that whatever it is you grow indoors brings a great harvest this year. Just don't tell us what it is, k? ;-)

CHEERS!

D

Hi! :-)

I don't get as much sunlight as I should.....and was hoping you could tell me where I can buy what is called a "Full Spectrum Light Bulb". From what I read, you put these in as substitutes for normal light bulbs (in ceiling light fixtures and lamps)....and you derive the benefits of exposire to sunlight.....but....they are not like "tanning lamps" so you don't get sunburn by sitting under them for hours at a time.

No spam here......but I will post the link to the information I saw about them. To be clear....I don't want to order from the USA.....I want to find them here in Bangkok.....any idea where I can do that?

http://products.mercola.com/light-bulbs/special/

CHEERS!

D

Hi! :-)

I read several posts when I searched the forum for "roasted chicken".....and they were either critical of Tops' pre-cooked roasted chickens for being too greasy.....and other posts were critical of the raw chickens from Tops.

What I'd like to know is....forget the raw ones that you cook yourself at home...........where can you get the best tasting pre-cooked, ready to eat roasted chicken on Sukhumvit? And what is it that you like about it? (Is it less greasy, more greasy, less spiced, more spiced, etc.?)

CHEERS!

D

Hi this is my first post, so pls go easy on me

I live in Chalong and I have been desperate for some good Humous, I have had it several times at restaurents and it was always dissapointing. I also bought some from the market in Central festival, and it was pretty bad. Ideally I would like to purchase some Tahini (which I ahven't been able to find) and make my own. I have found all the other ingredients, just can't find Tahini, which is strange because I have heard it's an ingredient in several Chinese receipes.

Thanx for your help!

WOOHOO!! Here's one I can help with! (I usually have more questions than answers.)

Tahini can be purchased at the Tops Market in Central Festival....and you can get it in white or black, both have only 100% sesame as the ingredient.

CHEERS!

D

Greetings!

Do you know what the current cost is for a "Prestige Card" (used for discounts on food at the restaurants) at the Shangri-La hotel?

What are the rewards....meaning, how much of a discount do you get at the restaurants? Can you use the gym facilities, too?

CHEERS!

D

Are you sure to have money enough for the fastest Internet connection available?

It's a leased line at 8 Mbps/8Mbps and just a few hundreds of thousand THB! 2 Mbps up and down cost about THB 150,000!

Hey TIT! You don't know?! True has quite bthe best service at Bangkok Area! I use 2,560/512 and is ok incl. running Web- and Mail-Server in house and others!

Hey Reimar....thank you for the instructive information! I'm not in the league of spending 150k BAHT....even though if I could spend that much per month on ANY service....it would be for FAST INTERNET! Lol!

I'd like to follow up on something you said about True. You mentioned that you're getting good speed with their 2mb plan, right? Just curious....what does the ThaiVisa Speedtest show for your up/down load speeds right now?

I signed up for their 4mb plan....and am using one of their routers.......but my speed is under 600kbps according to the speedtest. Do you have any advice on what I should do about that with True?

CHEERS!

D

Greetings!

What should someone do who has a private phone line through "True".....and wants the fastest broadband internet connection available?

I tried the 4mb True internet....but......the actual speed (according to the ThaiVisa speedtest) is only 550kbps. True says there is no problem with the line or their servers.

What should I do if I want blazing fast speed? Is there something more I can do through True.....something with another company? Who?

CHEERS!

D

Hi! :-)

Assuming a "legit" pharmacy.....like one at Tops Marketplace, etc......I've noticed that some drugs (antibiotics, thyroid medication, etc.) can be obtained without prescription. On the other hand, sleep aids do require a prescription.

Do you know where there is a resource that lists which drugs, or classes of drugs require a prescription and which don't?

Also, specifically, do you know if the following require prescriptions (note: some are brand names, some are the "chemical name"....but all are available according to the MIMS Thailand drug database)?

1. antidepressants
   
2. Concerta (or Ritalin)
   
3. Nimodipine
   
4. Naltrexone
   
5. Mestinon
   
6. Itraconazole
   

Thank you for your help. I can assure you this is meant for a good cause....as a close friend is suffering through Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (a really bad case of it, too) and her doctor is only partially willing to help with prescriptions. For the most part, doctors just don't offer much help for this affliction at this time. Hard thing to deal with for sure.

CHEERS!

D

Greetings! :-)

Where can Ribose supplements be purchased?

CHEERS!

D

I like the shop int Fortune Town. The owner speaks perfect English. Theres another mac store in there that i hate! A quick trip into the two shops will tell you which one im talking about.

While there is a very valid point regarding aftersales and whatnot, with a mac, you have much less need for it. I use both as they both have their benefits, but my PC's are much more maintenence intensive. Ive had a cheapo iBook for 3 years and it hasnt needed ANY miantenence. Im afraid i cant say the same for any of the PC's ive owned over the years

Hey Moonfruit (or anyone else who knows).....just so I don't go to the "wrong one" in Fortune Town....can you describe a bit the location within the mall of the "good store"? What other shops is it near?

CHEERS!

D

Hi! :-)

I see several references to both good and bad experiences with Apple dealers throughout Bangkok. I'm hoping to collate them here in this topic.....which asks the question:

Where is the best place...in terms of presale help with specs and questions and after the sale for service and general help....for someone who will be buying their first MacBook Pro or iMac?

CHEERS!

D

Greetings! :-)

What do you think? Someone asked me this....and I just have no idea what to tell them. They want an emphasis on "desserts"....mainly chocolates (not so much baked goods or traditional Thai desserts)...........and their friend would like an emphasis on a variety of meat (mainly seafood and more exotic red meat like lamb, veal, etc.) and a big selection of vegetables and salads (exotic stuff preferred, not just cabbage, lettuce, and cucumbers).

Is there a place you know and or like that would serve to satisfy both cravings....in an all you can eat format??

CHEERS!

D

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/22...g.ap/index.html

Rising seas, sinking land threaten Thai capital

* Story Highlights

* Bangkok is at risk of being swamped as sea levels rise in the coming decades

* The loss of Bangkok would destroy the country's economic engine

* The city, built on clay, is sinking up to 4 inches annually

* Options to keep the city afloat include water diversion channels and dams

KHUN SAMUT CHIN, Thailand (AP) -- At Bangkok's watery gates, Buddhist monks cling to a shrinking spit of land around their temple as they wage war against the relentlessly rising sea.

During the monsoons at high tide, waves hurdle the breakwater of concrete pillars and the inner rock wall around the temple on a promontory in the Gulf of Thailand. Jutting above the water line just ahead are remnants of a village that has already slipped beneath the sea.

Experts say these waters, aided by sinking land, threaten to submerge Thailand's sprawling capital of more than 10 million people within this century. Bangkok is one of 13 of the world's largest 20 cities at risk of being swamped as sea levels rise in coming decades, according to warnings at the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change held here.

"This is what the future will look like in many places around the world," says Lisa Schipper, an American researcher on global warming, while visiting the temple. "Here is a living study in environmental change."

The loss of Bangkok would destroy the country's economic engine and a major hub for regional tourism.

"If the heart of Thailand is under water everything will stop," says Smith Dharmasaroja, chair of the government's Committee of National Disaster Warning Administration. "We don't have time to move our capital in the next 15-20 years. We have to protect our heart now, and it's almost too late."

The arithmetic gives Bangkok little cause for optimism.

The still expanding megapolis rests about 3 ½ to 5 feet above the nearby gulf, although some areas already lie below sea level. The gulf's waters have been rising by about a tenth of an inch a year, about the same as the world average, says Anond Snidvongs, a leading scientist in the field.

But the city, built on clay rather than bedrock, has also been sinking at a far faster pace of up to 4 inches annually as its teeming population and factories pump some 2.5 million cubic tons of cheaply priced water, legally and illegally, out of its aquifers. This compacts the layers of clay and causes the land to sink.

Everyone -- the government, scientists and environmental groups _ agrees Bangkok is headed for trouble, but there is some debate about when. Anond, who heads the Southeast Asia START Regional Center, believes total submersion may not be imminent, but Smith disagrees.

"You notice that every highway, road and building which has no foundation pilings is sinking," says Smith. "We feel that with the ground sinking and the sea water rising, Bangkok will be under sea water in the next 15 to 20 years -- permanently."

Once known as the "Venice of the East," Bangkok was founded 225 years ago on a swampy floodplain along the Chao Phraya River. But beginning in the 1950s, on the advice of international development agencies, most of the canals were filled in to make roads and combat malaria. This fractured the natural drainage system that had helped control Bangkok's annual monsoon season flooding.

"It's the only city in the world where a car has collided with a boat," says Smith, recalling a deluge where residents commuted by rickety boats down roads flanked by high-rises.

As head of Thailand's meteorological department in 1998, Smith warned with little success that the country's southwest coast could face a deadly tsunami. He was proven right.

He urges that work start now on a dike system of more than 60 miles -- protective walls about 16 feet high, punctured by water gates and with roads on top, not unlike the dikes long used in low-lying Netherlands to ward off the sea. The dikes would run on both banks of the Chao Phraya River and then fork to the right and left at the mouth of the river.

Anond, an oceanographer who studied at the University of Hawaii, says other options must also be explored, including water diversion channels, more upcountry dams and the "monkey cheeks" idea of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The king, among the first to alert Bangkokians about the yearly flooding, has suggested diverting off-flow from the surges into reservoirs, the "cheeks," for later release into the gulf.

"There is no one single solution to respond to climate change," says Anond, whose team is putting forward recommendations based on several scenarios. "We have to start doing something about this right now."

As authorities ponder, communities like Khun Samut Chin, 12 miles from downtown Bangkok, are taking action.

The five monks at the temple and surrounding villagers are building the barriers from locally collected donations and planting mangrove trees to halt shoreline erosion.

The odds are against them. About half a mile of shoreline has already been lost over the past three decades, in large part due to the destruction of once vast mangrove forests. The abbot, Somnuk Attipanyo, says about a third of the village's original population was forced to move.

The top of a broken concrete water storage tank protrudes from the muddy sea, which swirls around rows of electricity pylons and telephone polls now stuck offshore.

The monastery grounds are less than a tenth of their original size, and the waterlogged temple is regularly lashed by waves that have forced the monks to raise its original floor by more than three feet. Among a group of villagers attending morning prayers at the temple, 45-year-old shrimp farmer Rakiet Phinlaphak looks toward the watery horizon from the promontory and says, "I have seen the sea rising higher since I was a child."

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.

Greetings! :-)

Do you know where the nearest tanning bed / solarium would be to Sukhumvit soi 10? It doesn't matter to me if it's at a hotel (i.e. in their spa) or at a free standing business. I'd just like to find a place to go a few times a week since my schedule doesn't allow anytime outdoors.

Help?

CHEERS!

D

Thank you everybody!! I think I'm all set now based on your tips.

Main reason is I eat a lot (crazy amount actually) of Marat (bitter gourd...but the small dark green ones) and same for mushrooms. Most of the time at Tops, finding Marat is hit or miss....and I don't feel good about throwing away so much of the plastic packaging they put it in....I like buying from the fresh market because I can just stuff a big bag full of it.

As for mushrooms.....at Tops and other stores they are more expensive....and they don't have the same kind that the market has.....which are a sort of "button mushroom" with a unique shape and taste. (That said....Shitake still taste the best and have the most nutrients.....but I only find those at grocery stores).

Sorry for the long explanation....lol!! Thank you again for your help.

CHEERS!

D

Thank you, legag! :-)

I'll still hold out on hopes that someone knows about a closer one (to Sukhumvit Soi 10).

CHEERS!

D