jaywalker

In spite of what people may think, there are islands where rich Westerners go to. Boracay is an example.

I remember Boracay from when it was the archetypal beach paradise for backpackers, with only buildings without foundations and no electricity, and the accommodation was beach huts for few tens of pesos.

It has changed somewhat since then.

Boracay doesn't hold a candle to even Koh Larn. The entire beach is/was about 500 yards long maybe when I was there in 2000.

It had hotels & a nightlife of sorts though, which Ko Larn did not have back then.

I've spent a decade in Thailand & only a few weeks in the Phil's, so I'm no expert. The original question is an enigma to me as well.

I recall IloIlo City & driving by stagnant tidal bays so full of plastic bags & garbage you could walk across them without getting your feet wet, & ZERO Tollways/Expressways in Manila.

I got "hung up" in Manila once on business, supposed to return to the US, & the boss suddenly wanted me to drop in to East Fricking Timor as I was "over that way".

The capital of East Timor, Dili, was still smoldering from psycho's that lost their minds in the 1999 independence referendum.

Anyhow, my contact in Dili told me to hold off on my visit for a few days. I was staying in the Manila Shangri-la at $167 a day (or so.....bastards changed my room rate by a few USD cents every day according to the USD exchange rate.....what a nightmare of an expense report!)

I HATED Manila & had never heard of Angeles City, so I managed to save the company some money for the 12 days I was twiddling my thumbs by staying at the Niggi-Niggi-Noo-Nooch Bungalows on Boracay at $30 a night.

I rented a dirt bike for a day & aside from that one beach strip, there wasn't a lot to see.

Ko Larn is bigger than Boracay & has half a dozen nice beaches, but only got a few decent hotels in the last few years.

It really is strange how the two countries are very much alike, yet so different.

My guess is it must be the island isolation, plus the natural disasters that so often occur in the Phil's.

Corruption is rampant there, but it's the same if not worse in Thailand.

My company offered to send me in with a couple 40 foot containers of goodies for free for their Army once. The idea was to have me rebuild some 1985 era model ground equipment into the next century & the General turned us down because we wouldn't bribe him.

Our East Asia Director of Sales vowed the opposite of MacArthur. He vowed to NEVER return!

"The province’s Damrongtham Centre earlier has received complaints about public transport and vendors blocking traffic lanes with vehicles, rental motorcycles and furniture."

What is it with Asians & crowding every last bit of everything imaginable into tiny spaces?

Let's build 2 feet off the edge of the road & leave zero room for parking....AND let's put s&it everywhere on the road.

Taiwan is the same way.

The answer is because countries like the UK have regulations which are strictly enforced. If you commandeer the pavement for your own business, the local council and police will be visiting you and issuing fines within a short period of time. Commandeer the actual road, and thus cause an obstruction to traffic flow and / or parking and you will find the police or a traffic warden there within a few hours, guaranteed.

Thailand does not have strict enforcement of regulations. Thus businesses "rent" bits of pavement and road off the municipal police or other enforcement agencies and grab whatever else space they can. The result is a blocked pavement and reduction of the road space.

It is an easily observed difference between the two cultures. Go to Asian-occupied areas of Europe. They recreate the messy chaos as much as they are permitted to. I believe it is a strong cultural trait based on having little faith in other's or competitiors' willingness to follow the rules so everyone tries to bend or flagrantly disobey the rules to get the most they can. Only suckers and losers would obey the rules in that environment.

A pack of Laotians moved in 1/4 mile/400 meter down the road from my Mom's house in Florida. She's lived there almost 50 years & it's in the country.

They insist on having parties with 17 foot tall speakers BLARING AWAY as loud as possible.

Here I was, sitting in her back yard, listening to crickets chirp & owls hoot, when BLAM!

It was like I was down the street from a Thai wedding or funeral or something.

Those Laotian picked the WRONG Farang to irritate that day. I called the sheriff's office on the IDIOTS.

Fricking retards.

"Several victims came to the police station to finger the suspects, Thai style."

Words elude me.....I wonder what kind of "Thai style" fingering they'll get in jail & dammit, how can we be sure they're the "thwarted culprits" without somebody pointing at them?

"The province’s Damrongtham Centre earlier has received complaints about public transport and vendors blocking traffic lanes with vehicles, rental motorcycles and furniture."

What is it with Asians & crowding every last bit of everything imaginable into tiny spaces?

Let's build 2 feet off the edge of the road & leave zero room for parking....AND let's put s&it everywhere on the road.

Taiwan is the same way.

http://www.thailandtrustmark.com/en/business/directory/detail?businessId=263

How do you smuggle a car into Thailand?? and where would you smuggle it from, I mean where is the nearest tax free zone where you can purchase these cars? I am honestly curious.

There's a "Bonded" warehouse zone at Laem Chabang port, where a Thai company can import, say a left hand drive luxury car, convert it to right hand drive, and then it theoretically gets exported to Malaysia or Australia etc with no Thai import duties, as it, again theoretically, doesn't leave the bonded area.

I'd imagine a few slip thru there.

The missing guy is my half-brother. I last spoke to him on Skype about a year ago & he's dropped off the grid.

He'd married & divorced a UK lady, & decided to stay there to be near his 2 kids.

I know he was growing green things indoors with lights etc, so there's a good chance he may be behind bars.

Does anybody know of a Liverpool website where I can check arrest records and/or have any other ideas on ways to look for him?

He's no longer active on Facebook or Skype.

M Roy Ha Sip!

I have to commend them for at least trying to do something against it.

+1 ... some people closer to home could learn some lessons from this.

I agree it is nice for the Authorities to try and do something. But if it is anything like they did for the Beijing Olympics, getting the people to learn and queue, then it will not last long. The Chinese people went right back to their normal ways after the Olympic games, pushing in queues and really behaving without any manners and decorum.

I would make them do some training beforehand on queuing along with some of the middle eastern tourists. For the Thai Tourism Authority, I would start redefining what a quality tourist is.

I got caught in a mob of Chinese women at Nong Nooch Gardens once.

They had just opened the gate for the elephant show & WOW! I got smushed & elbowed like mad!

This should be rich.

I was working with the UAE Army in 1998 & they had aspirations to join NATO.

We were giving their "bright" young officers a class on how to classify everything military to a standard parts system, and how it all must be cataloged, which should be pretty simple, given that pretty much everything their military has comes from a NATO country.

At the end of a 2 hour lecture, a young UAE Army captain, says, "Now, I do not understand. Why must we use catalogs?"

Add that to Thainess & well...

Oh yeah, I once went to Abu Dhabi to do a 1 month training course, which some Colonel got stretched to 2 months. No problem. I stayed another month.

At the end of I needed a signature & the colonel wouldn't touch it. I had to go chase a Brigadier General all over town, one who had no I dea what I was talking about, have tea with him, and he eventually signed it.

WHEW!

Can't have any thoughtcrime now can we?

3 years

Try doing it the smart way

Cut a hole in the floors and demolish it inwards floor by floor

The rubble falls to ground level

All you end up with is a large pile of concrete waiting to be crushed and used as road base

Or maybe controlled internal implosion could be achieved in few months of planning with correct specialists involved.

Surely you jest! "Correct specialists"! Bah!

It would probably take them 4 years to get work permits for them = better off letting Somchai peck away at it with a claw hammer for 3 years.

Aren't guns illegal in OZ?

If so, how can this happen?

Hope the terrorist gets shot & the hostages get out, but one armed citizen amongst the hostages could be quite handy.

Every time I see these clowns in a police photo pointing at something it reminds me of Young Frankenstein.

Hump? What hump?

Years ago I got caught in a rain squall on Sukhumivit Soi 8. I took refuge under the eves of a tailor shop.

An extremely nice Indian guy invited me inside and didn't try to sell me anything, but offered me coffee, water, tea & even a beer!

A few months later I needed a couple suits made so I went to see him & ordered two suits. I still have them 13 years later!

Absolutely fantastic fit (be prepared for at least 3 visits over the course of a week to get the tailoring done correctly).

One visit to choose fabric & order, another visit for a second set of measuring & fitting, and pick them up on the 3rd visit. Order on Monday done by Friday.

Top quality material & the jackets have actual pockets, no fake ones.

It was $180 USD for two suits, and included tailor made shirts and silk ties.

No idea about current prices, but I did stop in about a year ago just to say hello & they're still going strong.

http://www.jimscollection.com/location.htm

My guess.....Container truck had zero lights and was traveling at 10 kph/5mph due to a pathetic truck, due to corruption/300%tariffs on bringing in a fricking Peterbuilt that can haul 50K lbs on a roadway at 100 kph.

Dumb-ass bus driver "wasn't dead yet", but from the looks of the "Face" of his bus, it's not a pretty "Face".

Som nam naa Thailand......Funny how the term "LOS" has fallen out of use these days.

Land of Smiles has been replaced with "Thainess".

If you have to go to Asoke, Soi 22, or Thong Lor, and you are on foot, just keep your eyes peeled and you stand a good chance of seeing any police before they see you. They are not the most quick or quick witted you'll meet and I would not think it would be too difficult to stay away from them. Cross the street, turnaround and walk quickly in the other direction, whatever it takes to avoid them just as you would avoid crossing paths with someone who looks like they might mug you.

If you get into a position where they can stop you, feign confusion, or pretend you can't see, hear and/or understand them or whatever it is just short of running away and just keep walking, don't stop. They probably will not physically grab you and make you stop. Look at your watch as though you are in a hurry and maybe even break into a jog. The minute you stop and open the interaction then you are totally vulnerable to being cooked in the tom yam tourist pot.

Maybe start acting mentally retarded, drool & spit a lot when you say something.

Sounds stupid but I bet it would work.

Has anybody tried to use an AIS (or other) wireless USB internet dongle (little thing about the size of a cigarette lighter) in Prasat lately?

I had an AIS one that worked great in BKK & Pattaya, but could barely pick up an EDGE signal in Prasat, but that was almost 2 years ago, so just wondering if anyone has any recent experience?

Saddened by this tragic event.

But still, police couldn't be contacted ? They was too busy ? Had to use the internet ? What if it was you who phoned the police, and there was no answer ?

And the building itself. A victim of the Asian economic crisis ? What, the one that hit Thailand back in 1996/97 ? The building has been in this state since then ? Nearly two decades ?

And, on the Skytrain, between Nana station and Asoke station, and maybe a bit beyond as well, are the partly-built buildings still there ? I take it those were also buildings were construction stopped during the building process, due to lack of money for wages and materials.

The abandoned one near Nana BTS on Sukhumvit (Post Office side) was pulled down a few years ago. It's a big open space now.

Further up is the Times Square U-shaped complex which was built decades ago and left unfinished for many years. It was finally finished some years back and seems to be doing well.

The big one at the corner of Sukhumvit and Asoke (going to the Convention Center) was also finally done for occupancy after years being left unfinished.

As for the sky-high monster where the unfortunate farang was found hanged I've looked at it over the years every time I've been to Saphan Taksin BTS and wondered why such an attractive-looking high-rise in such a prime BKK location could have been left so close (apparently) to termination. An insurance-unacceptable flawed safety design in the fire-escape stairwells ?

It's not good for such buildings to be left open to the weather for so many years. Rain waster will eventually get in the concrete and the re-bars will rust and crack the concrete. I was surprised to see the long-abandoned Times Square building being resuscitated !!

I was thinking the same in regards to the rebar not being worth a hoot after almost 2 decades of monsoon weather.

Kinda makes one wonder at the safety/structural integrity of those other buildings you mentioned.

Avoid the long tail boats like the plague.

They are... L-O-U-D!

No muffler at all, and the seats are like a slave galley.

The Bangkok police should stop urine testing foreigners and do a blood test direct. This would save the foreign men the indignity of urinating in public. To show their commitment to women's equality in light of the Bikini comment. More women police officers should be trained to take urine and blood samples from women tourists especially if they look trashy and are with seedy men. This would help in the fight for national security as well as put an end to the scourge of people 'relaxing' while on holiday in Thailand.

Thought you were going to suggest more women police patrolling in bikinis for a second there.

That would bring in the tourists in DROVES!!!!

I see idiots every day on the roads.

Always wondered why the police don't exploit this as a money maker?

Could make a 'legitimate' fortune handing out tickets to these morons.

Back in the 1980's I was in the Florida Army National Guard, and quite a few guys were in Law Enforcement the other 28 days of the month.

One guy was an Orange County Florida (Orlando =SUPER Tourist area - Mickey Mouse lives there) Deputy Sheriff & he said they had 500 deputies.

Let's say Pattaya is as big as Orlando was 30 years ago = 500 Pattaya cops.

They each currently get, what? 10,000 a month? Let's say 20,000, as I have no facts, just a guess.

500 cops write 10,000 baht worth of tickets every day in legitimate tickets for legitimate public safety violations...500 X 10,000 = 5 million baht per day going to the Police Department coffers = 150 million gross per month.

HMMMM......Nah, just let them set up a check point here & there & randomly enforce the law & let them pocket 800 baht a day illegally, WITH A BADGE & WHO CARE ABOUT LAWS OR SAFETY?

Doesn't look like the Chevvy took off. From the reports it would appear that he was a drunk driver so they should throw the book at him, lock him up and throw the keys away! They were supposed to be making this stretch of Jomtien Beach Road a one way system. What happened?

Of course drunk is no excuse, but odds are there were a couple guys standing on the back, in front of/behind the tail lights/brake lights, which I have always found to be terrifying.

I can deal with no turn signals, but no tail lights & no brake lights??????

Standing there blocking the view of the traffic behind you as a passenger???

No thanks!

ALLOWING passengers to do that? STUPID all around.

Baht bus driver, idiot blocking view of vehicle lights of their transport & add in a soaky coming from behind.

What could possibly go wrong?

That's "Safety First" in Thailand for you.