swindonabroad

Washed down with

A quite funny 'quiz' to see if Thaksin is 'fit and proper'.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/06/...oper_perso.html

Have a look!

Personally I think B50 tip for and hours massage is about right.

I think some people need to be careful here. I enjoy giving the tip for good service and the fact that it might actually mean something to that worker makes it more worthwhile.

I lived in Africa for some time and was let into the ‘local’ view on tipping.

The general population in those countries appreciate the tipping in reasonable percentages 10-25%.

If more affluent ‘foreigners’ start to give 50-80% tips then after a while this becomes almost expected in some places and anyone who didn’t tip such a large amount was made to feel rather uncomfortable.

The locals then are under great pressure to match these tips, which they cannot, and new tourists or visitors are almost hassled into giving more.

This is not about being tight. A lot of us are very lucky here in Thailand and to give to someone who works hard and does a good job is reasonable. But tip as you would anywhere else in the world. These people are workers, professional and take pride in their work. Do not treat it as charity as that is rather patronising.

I don’t know about buying or renting tables but found a good place to play where you can rent the table by the hour to have a practise with friends before venturing off to the bars.

Its called the Red Parrot in Patpong. I don’t know exactly where as Im not too familiar with the area (honest) and usually follow my friends. Think its between the two main soi’s, I know its upstairs.

Good tables, music, cheapish beers.

Why is gypsy the only the only word I can think of without a vowel in it?

Oh

11. Ex smokers are usually the biggest know it alls. I said usually. Not aiming to cause offence.

I agree that some seem to demonize smokers. Here are a few of my random thoughts, 20 a day by the way and not proud of it-

1. Smoking is bad for you and others around you (shock!).

2. I smoke but never in my apartment of in others houses as it smells bad.

3. I go outside to smoke at restaurants and sit in the non smoking areas. No one wants smoke around food

4. I like to smoke when out for a beer.

5. We all have free choice. Choice to leave a place if its too smoky, to smoke if we want.

6. Governments make a ton of cask from smokers (uk).

7. Owners of bars should have a choice whether to ban smoking then people can choose whether they want to go in there.

8. Banning smoking at work is fine but provide an outside space out of view if necessary for us.

9. I hate the smoking rooms at airports and I am truly reminded when I go in them how bad my addiction is.

10. How much pollution do we all suck in everyday in our journeys around Bangkok?

As I said random thoughts.

As much as people seem to have a problem with newbees how about the 'been there, done that, wasnt as good as it was 10 yrs ago" brigade.

As has been said before anyone who claims to know it all about any topic or country, be it after 10 weeks or 10 years has much to learn.

Tell UBC direct what you think...... http://www.truevisionstv.com/contactus/eng/contactus.aspx

Thanks all for the replys.

Will be checking them out soon.

I went by Kuwait air. 350 GPB round trip but long stop over.

Booked it through a travel agent as kuwait air site difficult to use.

If the poster needs the agents name PM me. Cant remember at the mo.

Come back to what you know- Embrace

Follow this link for a more amusing look at both sides.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/fiver/

Good footie siteby the way.

Firstly I am not one of those farangs who only eat chips, burgers and full english breakfasts, love the Thai food!

I do miss decent cold meat and fresh cheese occasionaly though.

Does anyoneknow of a deli or good place to buy meat, cheese etc in Bangkok?

Thanks.

English,

Sorry if not erudite and informative for you.

Yes was a little joke, may not have made you laugh but don’t care really. The idea on this site, I think, is to be informative and to have some fun. So sorry if too childish and low brow for you.

What are the 7 anti smoking laws?

Why so cynical?

I know its long but read this and you will see why so many are.

True story, link at the bottom. Feel bad for this guy.

Over 5 years ago I entered this business in an effort to provide riders of which am one, with an improved standard of honest service. Over much of that period I achieved some success but ultimately failed.

The main reason for the failure is down to the gross dishonesty of Komsan and his associates.

.

Click for a better view

[Name removed as per forum policy, henceforth 'X'] is a Thai national who I found some 4 years ago. At that time he was financially broke, I helped him by paying out some debt and getting him back on his feet.

Read on to find out how I was repaid. BTW [X] is now in the same position, even after stealing a few million baht off me and writing out his own dishonored Cheques (2.4 Mill Baht) to others. He even ripped off two of his best friends.

Despite being paid well, [X] decided some time ago that he could make money on the side by buying and selling bikes privately. I gave him many chances to correct his behavior, warning him on multiple occasions that he didn't have the business skills or integrity to run his own business. In May of this year I had enough and terminated his employment.

I thought at that time my woes were over but on the contrary, they had just begun. The business had been running well enough since the time that [X] had departed until we received a visit from a bunch of Thugs masquerading as Police. There was no doubt that there were a couple of fairly senior Police in the Mob. Even though they didn't have the guts to identify themselves. They went through the shop and my living premises thoroughly. My fear at the time was that that they were going to plant something to "nail" us with. In the end they came up with a list of "indiscretions" that they said they would charge us with, furthermore if we didn't co operate, they would find more.

My wife is the legal head of the shop so she was the one they were intimidating. The next day we had a further visit from a individual thug who, while he wouldn't identify himself I had no doubt was cop. The intimidation process got heavier, even to implying possible harm to my daughters. Again, the threat was, co operate or else ! What they wanted to take few bikes which at that time we felt we had to comply with, after all, threats to your family tend to distort rational thought.

The back ground to all this is, working from his home, [X] had taken deposits from many fellow Thai's for bikes he had written out contracts for on forged Siamsuperbike letterhead. These bikes were not supplied, presumably because [X] had blown the money on pickups with big shiny wheels and large gold chains. When his customers pressured him for return of deposits, no cash or bikes were forth coming so instead [Name removed as per forum policy] pointed them to me, as a potential soft target.

Later it was reported to me that the customers conspired to approach the Police, who were then offered and accepted a substantial bribe to harass and intimidate my wife and I for replacement bikes, which they took from our stock. Eventually by one means or another they got almost everything, even bikes that I had thought were safely stored away at friends place, well out of the city. A good customer and close friend is working in Iraq, a couple of weeks ago a pickup with police on board turned up at his place and loaded up the bikes saying they were imported illegally, which they weren't but as the paperwork was locked in a safe inaccessible to the maid, she wasn't in a position to stop them.

On another occasion, a Cop who had purchased a CB 1300 from [X], months after [X] had departed from the business, came to see us because the customs invoice had never been received for this bike. None of us knew how we could help as it was a transaction entirely between this cop and [X]. It didn't stop the cop coming back and lifting a 2003 R1 as "compensation". While I am taking legal action to recover one or two of these bikes any result is unlikely to happen soon.

In the end I had to close the premises because of the constant stream of [X]'s dissatisfied customers banging on the door asking for "compensation". Meanwhile [X], being the gutless, slimy individual he is, has disappeared into hiding, leaving others to face the flack.

As well as taking my own stock the cops lifted some customers bikes, I have made a best effort to replace these but its drained me financially.

Now that I have my wife and daughters established out in the country, I need to take a couple of months to go back home to sell some assets and endeavor to rebuild and repair the damage brought about by [X]. In the meantime I have kept Pop on as my one remaining employee, he is the only one that has stuck with me through all this. He will deal with any registration books, warrantee and residual issues until I get back and re-established.

I have been in Thailand well over a decade, so heard many stories and I would have to say If I had heard this story second hand, I would have thought to myself "that's a bit a tall one" We all know the Police here aren't the purest in the world BUT!

Since this happened to me I have had a few people offer similar experiences, not so much with the police but with gross employee embezzlement.

Lessons learnt.

I came here after being involved in western business for 30 years, I thought that experience and what ever skills I had acquired over this time, equipped me well enough to do business in Thailand. That wasn't the case, In Thailand and presumably other 3rd world countries, you need an additional set of skills focused on security issues to make it here.

Mistake #1: Unfortunately I made the mistake of looking after people too well. In the Western mind set, If you look after employee's they in return will place a higher value on their employment and loyalty to their employer. NOT HERE. Looking after employee's with bonus's and good pay only raises their feeling of self worth and future expectations. It has no lasting impact on loyalty at all. As a note, I have employed 14 people over the last 5 years, 12 of these have I have fired for theft. What kind of moral guidance, if any do parents give to these people ? Maybe, Thai men are born with the Integrity gene missing.

Mistake #2 : If you are in business here, retain the services of a GOOD lawyer, having one would have saved my business, all the negotiation would have been with him and he wouldn't be as easy to intimidate as my wife and I were. In fact have two lawyers, a local, cost effective for tax and compliance issues and a "high powered" western one for major issues.

Mistake #3. Don't trust ! A healthy dose of paranoia and more importantly skepticism is not a bad thing in Thailand. We have all heard the "Girl got my house" stories, but in business here its worse, there are sadly few people with the sort of ethical behavior we generally tend to take for norm in 1st world countries.

Mistake #3 Letting them gain leverage. Someone told me "in 3rd world countries, if you have assets and they gain leverage, they will use that to relieve you of your assets" . Never let them get leverage. I was guilty of doing this I am afraid, in too many ways, being talked into doing it "The Thai way". Shortcuts only work until they can turn them against you. In addition because I don't read Thai, I glossed over documents putting my trust with [X]. In future all Invoices, agreements etc would be "gone over" and kept with a local Thai lawyer. They (Thai lawyers) are useless in confrontational work but for checking paperwork, compliance and tax issues, they are masters. the Thai system is designed to give locals leverage, minority ownership etc and its getting worse now that for new companies, all shareholders are to have access to business banking accounts. You must at all costs secure and protect your assets.

For the future:

To be honest my first response was just to pack up and go home, but my family was born here. I really enjoy many aspects of living here and wish to continue to do so. Almost without exception friends and many customers persuaded me that the right thing was to continue the business, albeit in a different and more secure form. I have been in this business longer than any other westerner and have more experience, good and bad than most. I love Motorcycles and believe they make sense in a country with weather such as this. In this business you have great customers, nearly all are nice people and many have become good friends. On the supply side, you need to deal with the vermin who supply bikes and facilitate things for you.

While its going to be very difficult with almost no capital, I would like to keep the business operational from a new and secure site. In other words we won't have a open a conventional show room as such, bikes available with be listed on the internet and you will be welcome to come and have a look by appointment. I don't intend to have the usual type of showroom and be at the constant mercy of the scum bag's to harass and pick off what they want when ever.

This will give me better security and as well enable us with significantly lower overheads to give much better pricing.

http://siamsuperbike.com/aboutus.htm

I think the use of this forum to sound off about frustrationsand problems encountered is exactly right.

Just because a poster comes on and tells all about a time he's been ripped off, double charged etc doesnt mean he hates the country and should leave. I always find such a response as "then go home" highly ignorant.

Put it this way. Imagine the same service ( Thai Visa) in the uk for all expat Thais.

It would be full of complaints about the weather, train service, rude people, cost of living etc. A quite right too.

The title of the link I always click to to get to TV says Farang Forum. Aplace where we can share the high and low points of our experiences with like minded people.

Long may it continue.

If the original poster wants to be picky about the right to be in this cup then maybe we shoulf dicount Liverpool.

Winning the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE with the emphasis on champions when they have not won the title for at least 15 years.

Some important documents, well pieces of paper, that are needed for marrying a Thai lady are those retangular ones that you get by putting a card into a machine and pressing numbers.

Bank notes I think they are called.

Thats what I was thinking. How can it be night all over the world at the same time?

Interesting picture though.

Have used this Berocca stuff for some years. Take one in a glass of water when you wake up. Its got (guessing here) something like 200% of daily intake of vitamins A, D and E and has loads of other stuff like potassium.

Works great!

I have a slightly different point to make about the liquids ban.

I understand the sentiments behind it and agree that making it harder for these people to destroy planes is obviously a good thing.

The point at the moment is that these procedures are useless and ineffective as not all countries implement them

For example, I flew BKK to London via Kuwait. Not one item removed from my hand luggage following checks.

Flying out of Heathrow I lost my shaving foam, toothpaste and mouth wash.

Now if someone, for example, wanted to destroy a plane or use some item in their hand luggage as a weapon all they have to do is get on the plane in a country where these restrictions are not in place.

Another thing, in Heathrow I would have been allowed to take these items on the plane if they had fitted in the small plastic bag provided. So there is some criteria regarding the size of items that I am not too sure of.

Regarding mobiles on a plane. Please NO! Not in regards to safety but just love the fact that I cant hear those endless and usually pointless conversations we all hear on buses, trains, coaches and well everywhere.

Why do the words inflamible and falmible mean the same thing?

I am one of the many I guess. If any members want any info or questions asked to the manager then pm. May save you a journey.