stevenl

Bad news.....I had already purchased my bozo the clown outfit for this friday

i know just bought a red liverpool top. think had better put that back in the cupbaord

No worries, just tell everybody it is Man U and not Liverpool

Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the mysterious Claude Alfred Francois Marie Prigent remain unknown.

Both Siam Commercial Bank and Claude Prigent agree he should face charges.

“We’ve told the police and immigration to lock him up right away if he ever comes to Thailand again,” Mr Thurdsak said.

Hold on.. In previous statements your saying the leases are identical translations..

I really think it is easy.

You promised him 30+30, but in the valid contract (that means the Thai, because in case of any dispute the Thai contract will have value, not the English) it says 30 years only.

However, in the English contract, that one without any value, you wrote 30+30.

So the buyer will think: he promised me 30+30, he wrote in the complete worthless contract 30+30, but in the only contract of any value he wrote 30. So he (being abrak) is screwing me.

I think what I have stated at least six times totally contradicts what you have said.

And that will surely convince the prospective buyer. Try to look at it from his perspective.

I really think it is easy.

You promised him 30+30, but in the valid contract (that means the Thai, because in case of any dispute the Thai contract will have value, not the English) it says 30 years only.

However, in the English contract, that one without any value, you wrote 30+30.

So the buyer will think: he promised me 30+30, he wrote in the complete worthless contract 30+30, but in the only contract of any value he wrote 30. So he (being abrak) is screwing me.

Could it be that the major difference is that Blakegeee is talking about a scam, where some con artists are doing their rounds, hoping that somebody will cough up, whereas LivinLOS and SB are talking about the real thing, where a representative of one of the labels is doing his rounds?

Both accompanied by police, where in the former situation the officer will play a passive role, in the latter be more active?

I went to Bake the other day, aka Belgian Bakery opposite Wat Chalong, & had my favourite ham & egg sandwich which is still good but pricier. It was not a cosy atmosphere as in the old shop & felt quite sterile. There is garden seating. Cake display did not look as enticing as before.

The old place was IMO excellent but pricey. Still, worth to go there once in a while for something different.

Do I understand correctly that you thought it less good and more expensive?

Doubtful, Bongman who owns the whole place nearly would have your guts for garters, he is very defensive of his bay. Never heard of an engine going missing in Ao Yon, or Rawai for that matter [stay in with the longtail guys], Chalong is a different matter though.

It happens. A friend of mine had his 15hp outboard stolen whilst the boat was tied up on the beach.

Another friend had his RIB stabbed to death, again whilst tied up on the beach.

In saying that, this can happen anywhere. Ao yon is pretty safe and sheltered, though it's very busy and moorings are tight.

and that was at ao yon?

So why not include 30 plus 30 in both english and thai text? Only in english does give the impression you're trying to hide something from a non-thai speaker.

How do you know it wasn't legally parked? Patong Bob wrote: "he was apparently legally parked".

I would like to know what he was convicted for before claiming: this is because he was a foreigner and all kind of other accusations..

Post 23 indicates he was parked on the dual carriageway with the side solid white line.. Common but not legal.

I'm sorry, but I just don't understand how people can post in this thread indicating that the Thai legal system is crazy, that they are after the farang, etc., without knowing what he was convicted for.

Nobody here knows the factual situation, but that is not stopping people from presuming and based on those presumptions posting, without indicating any doubt their presumptions may be wrong.

The one closest to the fire writes: 'he was apparently legally parked', but everybody here presumes he was parked illegally and was convicted because of that.

How do you know it wasn't legally parked? Patong Bob wrote: "he was apparently legally parked".

I would like to know what he was convicted for before claiming: this is because he was a foreigner and all kind of other accusations..

GoodGirl, you're right, the list is better than I thought. I was confusing the number of new Muay Thais in the area (some) with the new gyms in Rawai (even more).

Quite a few of the new ones are not in that list. In Rawai alone there are I think 3 new ones (so not including Rawai Muay Thai and Sinbi).

Park on the parking lot of the Hilton and you'll have penty of space to choose from.

See this thread.

'30% loss ratio over the high season' from a total of 219 jet skis.

So 65 jet skis have been written off and replaced?

Total BS!

It means of the total premium income they had to pay out 30% in damages so far.

That might have been true in the past, but nowadays it's a very busy hospital as it's the only Phuket hospital that caters for those people on the government heath card scheme. I tried to get my annual medical exam there last year, but it was just bedlam in the reception area. Nowhere to sit, many people standing, all the staff very harassed, could not even get an appointment. I will not be back.

I use the International Hospital, doctor's fee 400 baht, and I buy any medication at my local pharmacy. I would also recommend Dr Chusak in Kata if you just want a GP.

Up until last year Vachira was also available for the government health scheme, has that changed?

PS ..ALL THOSE WHO MOAN ABOUT THE COST OF THE TICKETS SHOULD BE ASHAMED, WHERE IN THE WORLD CAN YOU SEE 12 TOP CLASS BANDS FOR 1000 BHT OR 20 POUNDS....

I thought you new something about diving here, but was obviously wrong.

This is really disappointing Steve. There is no need to get personal. We are both supposedly professionals here.

Your implications that I am somehow being unsafe is quite offensive and inaccurate. Please explain where you think I have been "wrong," (i.e where you have a difference of opinion.) I'm just a freelancer now. I have a full item job outside diving. I have no motivation to promote one thing over another, only what I feel is the best fro the new diver. I think you have an online booking company or something no? Perhaps your company doesn't offer the Phi Phi overnight? That would explain things a bit.

Maybe me being an IDC Staff instructor, my 3 years teaching in Phuket , 9 years teaching total, and 250 certs doesn't make me the expert you are, but the facts as I stated them are correct. In fact at present I am teaching an OW course exactly as I have described above, and have another booked next week. The students simply love it.

I stand by what I said about it being a great option for new divers to really have fun and emerge a better more confident diver. It is completely safe.

A scubadiver with 2 dives at Shark Point, open water course without hesitation at Bida Islands, forgetting the strong surf and surge in the Bay, making this totally unsuitable from May onwards and quite often also in other months, etc. All dangerous practices.

But as I mentioned, I know this is common practice, but I am also of the opinion that one of these days there will be big trouble with this.

Yes, we do offer the PP overnight but for certified divers. For open water courses: no way.

I thought you new something about diving here, but was obviously wrong.

I agree with stevenl in regard to the basic certification for open water divers. The overnight trip is great for the second course, advanced open water, but is inappropriate for open water due to the conditions at the dive sites. Besides that observation, for anyone interested in the Phi Phi overnight trip, it offers SEVEN dives, not nine.

If you take the open water course in conjunction with the Phi Phi overnight trip, open water dive 1 and 2 are off the beach the day before the trip, hence the 9 dives in total.

thanks for the info and replies guys, i think i will do the phi phi overnight trip... sounds great.

Do what you want, but for open water certification it is not great, even stronger, very bad and potentially dangerous.

Dangerous? I couldn't disagree more. Considering the student diver just completed all the confined water and 2 open water dives from the beach, in my experience the student is going to be more qualified and comfortable than your average warm water tourist diver that has 20 dives and does 4 dives a year. Of course each student diver needs to be evaluated individually and if it is apparent to the instructor or the student that the student isn't ready, then the open water dives will be delayed until the diver is ready. That may piss of the shop owner, but that doesn't bother me very much. It's safety first.

Look at the divesites during the overnight trip:

1) Shark Point, unsuitable for any open water training dive;

2 and 3) Bida Nok/Nai, only suitable for 3 and 4 provided the conditions are good, which you really don't know in advance; never suitable for training dive 1 and 2;

4) nightdive, not suitable for open water course, but if 2 and 3 worked out ok the student diver could be certified by now and make the dive.

5) Bida Nok/Nai, see 2 and 3, provided the conditions were ok on day 1 the student diver could be certified and made the dive;

6) King Cruiser; provided the student diver was good and is certified by now may be able to make the dive;

7) Koh Doc Mai, quite often strong current and poor visibility, but should be ok even for a newly certified open water diver.

So all in all: if the weather and diving conditions cooperate and the student diver has already done open water training dives 1 and 2, it could be ok and it could be not ok. If not: no way.

And yes, I know quite a few DC's do training dives 3 and 4 and often even 1 and 2 at the Bida Islands. A very dangerous situation IMO, and an accident waiting to happen, after which we'll all ask: but why did he do the training there? All for money, pressure form student, etc., not because of the quality of the course and/or safety.

Presumably you also mean hin daeng + hin muang? There are a couple of sites there I'd still love to visit  - saw a whaleshark there last time, although that was December.

Post # 10 looks very plausible to me, and seems written by someone who really knows what he is talking about.

thanks for the info and replies guys, i think i will do the phi phi overnight trip... sounds great.

Sometime in my the wind will change direction. Go there as soon as you can.

Khao lak scuba adventures is the company i would recommend of the ones you mention.