searcher22

I have a flight to Bangkok booked for March 17. The big Red rally is slated for March 14. I was planning to go sightseeing in BKK, then hit the beaches. I booked it ten months ago with Air Asia for 450 baht total (return flight incl). I will decide at the last minute if I'm going.

A few years ago I stayed at the Condotel too, facing the beach in Rayong. The hotel was fine, but what I didn't like was the trash that washed up on the beach every morning. Made my morning jog somewhat unpleasant. I went to Koh Chang the following year and the beach was great.

I normally fly Montreal-Vancouver-Taipei-Bangkok with EVA. The MTL-VANC leg is code-share with Air Canada. I don't think I'll be switching to Toronto-Taipei as it's a very long time to be sitting down. The flight from Montreal to Bangkok is broken down into neat little segments. Also, I would have to fly out of Toronto near midnight...don't like that. Only a significant discount would make me switch.

Scheduled bus routes, bike paths, more sidewalks. Give the streets back to the people by discouraging car use.

Sorry to hear. I know how bad you must be feeling today. I hope that your laptop data was backed up. As for me, I always keep my laptop locked (with a Kensington lock), even when I'm using it! At night, it stays in my locked room in my locked house.

Thanks to all those who provided constructive feedback. Just a few final thoughts....

* Ironically, I decided to got to Buddy"s to make an important call because I didn't want to use my cellphone and risk a dropped call. Only when I was in their phone box did I discover that they had switched to an Internet IP phone.

* Buddy shouldn't be offering an IP phone service in a country where Internet connections are still problematic. They are just asking for problems.

* I am appalled by those who say that if their phone doesn't work, it's not their problem. I paid for a "service", I didn't pay to "get a connection." My Thai girlfriend said that she would have walked out without paying. The clerk at Buddy's should at least have shown some empathy towards me and offer me an hour of free Internet as compensation, as a goodwill gesture, and all would have been forgotten.

* I think NancyL is right when she states that the night staff at Buddy's is less customer-oriented. I'm sure there are a few at Buddy's who are doing a great job.

*Anyways, I called using my cellphone yesterday, using the AIS 009 service. The call was not dropped, the connection was crystal clear, I made two calls to government offices and both calls were answered in under 2 minutes, and everything was sorted out in a few minutes. Maybe I was just lucky!

I just tried to make a call to a government office in Canada from the phone booth inside Buddy's Internet shop, across from Kad Suan Kaew/Central Mall. After two unsuccessful attempts, the connection was finally established. But after a few seconds, the line started to break up and I could no longer hear the voice recording. I hanged up and called again, and the same thing happened again after twenty seconds. I called another government office at a totally different number and again, the connection started breaking up after a few seconds. I then informed the agent at Buddy's and told him about the problem, but he didn't seem to care and he just insisted that I pay for the four calls I made (1 minute each), even though I wasn't able to speak to anyone. They charged me 20 baht - not a lot - but I felt cheated and I let him know. The phone I used had "IP" displayed on the screen so I guess it was an Internet call.

I used to like going to Buddy's. They used to open the door for customers and greet them. Now, the staff has changed and the friendliness seems to have disappeared.

No problems. I was there Friday, Jan 8 to have my second of 2 visas stamped. I was in-and-out in under 30 minutes, didn't bother to shop in Myanmar.

I sent a big parcel to Montreal on December 9, and it arrived on December 24. I mailed from the Airport Plaza post office, using regular Thai post. No registration, no declaration stickers, no nothing.

The Wall Street Journal had an article on this very topic today:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1249504210...mod=rss_US_News

No More Perks: Coffee Shops Pull the Plug on Laptop Users

"They Sit for Hours and Don't Spend Much; Getting the Bum's Rush in the Big Apple"

Lots of good apartments in Chiang Mai between 4000-6000B....if you can do without the stove. Some apartments in the 6000B range may have a microwave. Check thaiapartments.net for prices & descriptions.

Ive just returned from Singapore

What a delightful airport Chengi is compared with BKK.

Singapore:

Delightful check-in staff, easy and quick - no problems checking in early

Departures Area - Loads of shops selling electronics at VERY reasonable prices (bought a Mac Book Pro), plent of english language book shops, newsagents, FREE internet gaming place with PC games, free TV lounge, Massage for $30, Somewhere to sleep for 3 hours and have a shower for $30, loads of restaurants, SUNBEDS at the departure gate - great for long haul transfer passengers. Loads of plants and flowers growing all over the place - giving the whole airport a "fresh feeling",

Building: - Nice carpeted building, no long walks to departure gates (spread over several terminals with interconnecting skytrain). NIce music playing in the background.

Other Things: FREE TOUR of Singapore for transfer passengers with 2 hours to kill. Free Wi-fi

Bkk:

Rude check-in staff (Thai singapore Airways Staff) who directed me to a ticket office on 5th floor that didnt actually exist!

Departure Area - When you go through immigration you are confronted by a large gold Naga Dragon - but no signs (left or right) indicating which way the gate is - so you have to guess walk either left or right and then you will see the sign which will let you know if you went the right way or not - i asked an airport staff lady who didnt know where my gate was (she seemed to point in the air).

Shopping in Departure Area - A bunch of up market suit and clothes shops with very few customers, but I didnt find any book shops, magazines, newsagent, fast food, somewhere to get some sandalls, somewhere comfortable to sit down, nowhere to watch TV, a VERY long walk to the departure gate, couldnt use the Internet anwhere the pay treminals were not working - didnt see any wifi spots etc. Horrible metal chairs, no airport hotel or place to sleep.

Building: - Massive waste of vertical space, must cost a fortune to aircondition especially considering the whole airport is made of GLASS in a hot tropical country.

Arrivals Area: - To many fake taxi trivers hastling tourists, they shout (or whistle at you like a dog) and tell you that they are a proper taxi driver when they are not (could be dangerous getting into their car!) Gives a very bad impression of Thailand when your first experience when you are pounced on by these cowboys.

OTHER THINGS" - When leaving the esculator there is an announcement which says "Beware of the WAR" (obviously meant to say Mind the WALK way) - its repeated thousands of times a day - nobody seems to have spotted it.

I havent mentioned the "broken runway", mobs of communists hijacking the airport, rude people running the shops ( i politely asked to change a 500 note and a woman pactically threw the change at me).

Is it me or is Thailand no longer the land of smiles (now its only Amazing Thailand).

I have been out of the country for the past 6 months and have really noticed a change in attiduted of Bangkok people.

well dont bother coming back to Thailand if the airport and the Thai people upsets you so much, i think the airports fine and does its function, for me and the people are fine, bye bye and go and live in Singapore airport

BKK a rubbish airport? Try flying into JFK New York! It was if I had landed in a Third World country! At least that was my experience at the Eastern/Delta Terminal. Very long and disorderly line-ups. Airline agents that looked underpaid and overworked. A currency exchange booth that wanted $6 commission fee to change $20 CAD into USD. A 4-minute phone call to Canada (about 5 minutes) via a pay phone using my credit card, that cost me $15. Junk food restaurants everywhere, with more fat people than I saw in 5 months in Thailand. PA warnings every 20 minutes "not to carry someone's else item on the plane." Confusing inter-terminal train system.

Oh how I missed the civilized environment and the gentle staff at BKK and Narita!

Make CM a "sustainable" and people-friendly city. Build 100 km of dedicated bike paths. Cut automobile traffic around the moat in half. Provide clean, safe and reliable public transportation. Get rid of stray dogs. I guarantee you people will flock here once they hear about "the Paris of Asia".

You got your stuff swabbed in Canada? Which airport?

I have never experienced that and I have been in and out constantly.

I was swabbed in Montreal. Last year too. This year, they also made me turn on my laptop and took a quick glance at the pictures I took with my girlfriend in Thailand. They said they would check my two USB keys too but they never did.

After several months in Chiang Mai, I returned to Canada. Immigration took a swab sample of the inside of my small backpack (which I use to carry my laptop) and detected the presence of cocaine and heroin! What the $?%& ? I've never done drugs, heck I haven't even taken an aspirin in over ten years! So it came as quite a shock to me. Immigration didn`t pursue the matter as they obviously never found any drugs besides that trace amount. Now I'm scratching my head trying to figure out how this could have happened. I sometimes used the backpack to carry stuff like my shoes or groceries, so something must have come into contact with these drugs. The Immigration official told me it was a good thing that it wasn`t detected in New York, where I transitted from, as I could have been in more trouble. A word of advice: Wash your bag thoroughly before returning to your home country!

Lake for me a great relaxing lazy day eating, swimming, drinking (not in that order) and I can confirm seeing a snake in lake (poet) so did several thai's who ran out of the water double quick, I don't know what type of snake it was as it was a few meters away sliding across the water.

I went for a walk around that lake today and I did see a snake swimming near the shore. It was about a foot long. I think I'll opt for a swimming pool instead.

Great stuff! Had me laughing out loud. I've bookmarked the site and wish it success. And I'd love to contribute some stories of my own too!

the wealth of information to be found on this forum far outweighs the occasional lapse into incivility. The majority of contributors to this forum are civil. This forum is a reflection of it members, and not all of them are choir boys. If a particular thread offends you, stop reading it. Moderators should just keep an eye out for "repeat offenders" who contribute nothing.

I'd be surprised if it goes lower than 1000b. If you're more than 80% sure of flying on that date, book the trip.

I have a friend in Canada who married a mail-order bride from Russia eight years ago and brought her over to live with him. He spoke English and French, she could only speak Russian. Today, she also speaks English and French, has a decent full-time job, and two kids. Where there is a will, there is a way. The government shouldn't be dictating who we can and cannot love.

Last year I became a member of the library on the opposite side of the road from Kad San Kaew. Not to borrow books, but to surf the Internet in their computer room, at 10 baht for one hour. The Bangkok Post newspaper is also available.

I would also recommend the Huay Kaew residence, having stayed there a few months last year. Conveniently located, English TV stations, reasonably priced. Yes, the Internet can be a bit sucky at times, but there's the Buddy Internet shop across the street that is open from 10am to 2am daily....with the best Internet connection in town. Comfortable working environment too. The only gripe I have about Huay Kaew is the hard mattress...it can take a bit of getting used to!

Does anyone know where I can get the cheapest fare for a July flight from Chiang Mai to Toronto or Montreal, Canada? Or can anyone recommend a good travel agency in CM or BKK? Would like to avoid USA stopover. Thanks.

Congrats to MyPenRye for his initiative. I was at the event and thoroughly enjoyed it. Nice civilized discussion with good, cheerful people. Looking forward to the next meetup.