chalvy

There seems to be two trains of thought here-- Hating on the French guy for being an idiot (which he was) and hating on the Thai girl for leading him on.

Nothing in this story has indicated that the Thai girl knowingly led this guy on looking for personal reward only. People seem to be forgetting that this guy only knew her for 6 months. He seemed incredibly keen to shower gifts upon her and get her to the altar without really getting to know her at all. To be honest- I dont blame her one bit for pulling out of the relationship, he seems a little too keen to have it all wrapped up, give her a quick shag and whisk her off to France at the first opportunity . As for the ceremony- it is no small thing for a Thai girl to do this in front of the whole village. People seem to forget that it is essentially a "face" thing and if her intention was to scam him there are quieter ways to go about it before standing up in front of her family and everybody she knows.

In short- the French guy is a fool and every body knows fools part with their money quite easily. I hope he licks his wounds, gets back on his plane and perhaps tries Russia next time for his quick mail-order trophy wife.

Maybe I am not as cynical as some of you......and somebody please shoot me if I ever am...

I was just in Amsterdam a few months ago and nobody is partuicularly worried....it will be business as usual again soon enough although not as "in your face" as before. I can see their tourist trade taking a big dive however....I did the canal thing but once that is done there isnt a lot more they have to offer really. In fact, Amsterdam isnt that nice really when you compare it to places like Paris, Madrid and London...pretty boring and droll really.

is there a possibitlity that it will affect koh chang? i need advise as i am leaving for koh chang tomorrow.thanks

You will be fine in Koh chang-- there is a significant land mass between you and the quake epicentre. The Gulf of Thailand is safe-- the warning is for the Andaman or Indian Ocean coastlines

I think we need lots of pictures to help us really understand the issue at hand here - lol

Excellent idea!

Hear Hear! How are we supposed to make a balanced and fair assessment without all the facts at hand. I would be more than willing to ride the skytrain all day with camera in hand for a modest fee (price of ticket!)

Ouch! Thats pretty harsh isn't it? News can be interpreted in many different ways, the emergence of the internet as a communication medium, loneliness and depression forcing individuals to live their life through a webcam, the perils of online dating etc etc. Personally I think its extremely sad but she was probably going to do it anyway, webcam or not, botfriend or not, breakup or not. Suicide is the end game of severe depression and unless the underlying causes of that depression are identified and addressed the victim will normally find a way to carry it out. Still classifies as news however, simply for the "voyueristic" aspect.

I think that Champix is not the same drug as zyban/quomen

You are correct of course they are not the same drug. I was attempting very poorly to state they basically do a similar job in curbing the cravings.

I am now on day 10 of taking quomem but i had my last smoke 4th September so according to the instructions it should be today i quit but this is my 4 th day.

Yesterday was hard and i had a lot of deep deep cravings but i spent alot of time researching quitting smoking on the internet and came across some videos on you tube about

EFT ! for quitting smoking..... its crazy and funny but works ! it helped me no end yesterday through the biggest hardest waves of cravings...

Its basically tapping acupuncture points on your body while repeating a little mantra and embracing your problem instead of fighting it...

It may not be conventional but with the aid of quomem and EFT yesterday was okay(actually it was pretty intense but today it feels like it was okay!!)...My goal is only for today....see what happens..

Champix and Zyban/Quomem are totally different and have a totally different physiological and psychological effect. I tried Zyban back in the day and felt it made me flushed, dizzy and also lost some equilibrium during physical work, i.e. light headedness. It got to the point that on a hot day at work I thought I was suffering from heat exhaustion and and to sit down and take a time out. Also, it didnt really do any kind of job reducing my cravings.

Champix, on the other hand, was a miracle cure that totally reduced my dependence on cigarettes and had side effects that were both manageable and mild. Thats not to say it won't affect people in a more serious fashion, there are documented cases of people becoming suicidal whilst under the influence of the drug. But, lets be honest, isnt smoking itself a form of suicide? Personally I had some mild sleeplessness and crazy dreams but I kind of like weird dreams anyway. I stopped for 4 years but recently fell off the horse so started them again. Been off them 6 months. Its kind of like flicking a switch. I fully recommend them but be mindful of some mental side effects.

Fact of the matter is that, upon completion of a successful and flowing well, PTTEP would be the ones reaping the benefits and rewards. Too often in the drilling industry corners are cut or safety standards ignored due to a perceived idea of unnecessary cost. The truth is that the money earned from a producing well far outweighs the costs associated with drilling and completing and money spent is recouped in a very short timeframe. The fact is that PTTEP and the contractors involved did not adhere to the industry accepted "barrier" system whereby 2 or 3 blow-out barriers are to be present whenever opening the well for whatever reason. Whether it is mud, cement, BOP's or packers- almost all blowouts that have occured were a result of a failure to apply them or a mechanical failure of one or more of them. The technology exists for this to never happen and It all comes down to procedure and whoever it was that decided it was ok to skid the package with insufficient barriers in place. Normally that is the Rig OIM's call. Nothing being said about Seadrill......

This is a subject dear to my heart and has forced me to reconsider any travel to Bali in the future. Let me tell you the story-

I currently work on an oil and gas contract in the Timor Sea and travel through Dili for crew change. Originally we travelled to Singapore then on to Darwin where we had a day then onwards to Timor in the early morning. We are utilising Indonesian engineers on this job and they were all coming into Dili via Denpasar via a daily service that Merpati Air run. Putting 2 and 2 together I thought wht go the long way round? I found that Thai Air do a direct service to Denpasar from Bangkok so it would be more direct and would put me back in the LOS on the same night after getting off the rig. It also had the added benefit of a night in Bali on the company ticket when travelling back to work so what better way to ease back into the job than an overnight in a 4 star.

I convinced my superiors of this and went about changing my whole in/out routine. The first time off the rig was a breeze, straight through immigration and onto the connecting flight and back in BKK by 10pm. Going back to work was also nice although it did take about an hour to clear customs but once through the gate and ensconced in the Holiday Inn I was thinking life doesn't get any better. I quickly found that Bali isn't quite to my taste after being spoiled in Thailand but thats another story.

The next trip off the rig was an absolute nightmare! I got off the Merpati flight (which was late) and proceeded to immigration which was absolutely packed to the rafters. The line stretched back to the visa-on-arrival counter so I had to fight with incoming passengers and those already in line just to get my visa. Then I pretty much about faced and stayed facing the immigration counter for the next FOUR HOURS!! The hall is about the same length of Suvarnabhumi so you can imagine how slow things were moving. During this time I was absolutely shocked at the behaviour of the immigration officers and the level of corruption involved. They were openly accepting bribes from anyone wanting to get to the front of the line and were behaving like taxi touts trying to get money off the tourists. I decided not to partake in any of this nonsense so sat and waited for what seemed like eternity. Another issue is that Denpasar has no transit service for incoming passengers to connect with outgoing flights without leaving the airport. All people entering have to clear immigration then check-in in the normal way. Despite pleading with Merpati staff and immigration people for a way to get onto my connecting flight I was told to get to the back of the line like everybody else (unless I coughed up a bribe of course)

Suffice to say this left a bitter taste in my mouth and had to hurriedly book a hotel and re-schedule my flight for next day.

Once back in Thailand I sent an email to my boss and asked that we go back to our original schedule through Australia. My flight out of LOS was already booked so had to go through Denapasar one more time but that was no big deal as I had an overnighter there anyway. Suffice to say I got the same result but this time slightly better at 3 hours waiting at Immigration.

All was right in the universe after that and I swore black and blue I would never set foot on Bali soil ever again unless absolutely necessary. This was to come sooner than expected however when my Father died unexpectedly whilst I was on the rig. The quickest I could get was, you guessed it, through Bali then Garuda down to Perth. Again it was a FOUR HOUR wait!! Unbelievable.

The things I would like to say after the above rant are this--

Unless you pay the "tea money" dont expect any favours from anyone there. I absolutely refuse to do that on moral grounds and especially with something as blatant as that.

Everyone entering Bali pays 25 US Dollars for the privilege of entering their cesspool of an island. That amounts to an amazing amount of money collected per day yet their infrastructure and the condition of their airport is an absolute disgrace. None of it goes into improving their service and most probably ends up in some generals pocket.

Bali itself is a waste of time and full of drunk Aussie yobs and Balinese trying to rip you off at all costs. Dont expect anything even resembling Thai hospitality or courtesy. Every time you put your hand in your wallet you have to rush back and have a shower to get the rape off you. Also, if I wanted to sample the "Bali Nightlife" I'd probably be better wandering into a pub in Western Sydney! A Bintang singlet and board-shorts does not make you look "local"!!

I will NEVER set foot in Bali again unless absolutely necessary. I advise anyone even considering it to spend the extra money and fly straight to Thailand. We all know its not perfect but I have seen the result of rampant consumerism, endemic corruption, budget flights, jaded locals and poor infrastructure and it is not a pretty sight. Bali may have been pleasant in the past but things have definitely changed for the worse. Lets hope things never get to this stage here.

*END OF RANT*

Also I do not speak Thai and never will because of a hearing disability, I also do not work and neither dose my wife, She also is the talk of the village as being so lucky ,as she no longer has to work 12 hrs a day 7 days a week.

You freely admit to not understanding Thai, so how do you know what anyone thinks of you?

Your wife tells you .... Sorry, not a relaible source, everything will be edited to make her look good!

I do not care what people say about me in English, Spanish .Thai, behind my back. I do not look for a sinister purpose to their friendship!

When they give me gifts of homemade teak wood furniture, when they helped me pour my drive way and refuse any payment, we fed and brought the drinks. When they give my a chair and a drink and plug in the fan to keep me cool when I visit their homes . When they bring over food they have cooked and my wife does the same. When they visit me when I am sick. One can tell of genuine friendship from fake friendship.

By the intimacy of your interactions, at frist I was taken back by a male ,touching me because of my macho Mexican heritage. but now I am use to it.

I live my life the best I can every day, and do not look for negatives or have any type of complex'es related to my relationships.

Also having lived in some of the baddest barrios in Los Angeles and Tucson , and worked in most of Arizona's prison as a Veterans Counselor , I am in no way "Wet" behind the ears.

Cheers

Well Said!

Rules to live by in Thailand-

1- Don't give a toss what others think, Farang or Thai

2- If you insult a Thai in front of others and make a scene then there WILL be repercussions. Get over it and defuse the situation through non confrontational methods.

3- If problems persist, go to the local head man or police chief. It might not stop it but will give you a chance to show the police you are not the aggressor or instigator.

4- Understand your enemy. If you were an Englishman living in an English village and your Pakistani neighbour came and banged on your car roof and getting all up in your face what would be your reaction? You'd be doing a lot worse than this guy has done! Dollars to doughnuts the guy would be getting a visit from you and your pissed mates at 1am!

5- Do good and good will come. Its been my experience all over LOS in the past 5 years that if you generally keep to yourself, remain polite and respectful and keep out of trouble then usually it follows that they will leave you alone and respect your privacy.

The bottom line, and its been said many times before, is that you are dealing with an alien culture that has its own standards of acceptable behaviour. The fact that you got all belligerent over the car incident and subsequent visit by the police shows me you had no tact or wherewithal to approach the situation calmly or intelligently. Getting your missus to knock on his door with a bottle of Sangsom and a quiet word before it got out of hand could have saved you a lot of unnecessary grief.

I arrived in Chiang Mai just in time for the army to storm the red camp in BKK. I had a feeling that things weren't going to be very nice after that so decided to stay in my hotel rather than hit the town. I quickly ran out of beer and cigarettes so decided to venture out to find a 7-Eleven. Walked east along Thapae Rd at the same time a local group of about 30-40 agitated and pissed off Reds entered the road on their bikes (7 - 8pm). Decided that wherever they were going it would be wise to go in the opposite direction so I decided to head down a small soi/lane and search for a little mom and pop shop to fulfil my needs. Had not walked more than 3 feet when small arms fire rang out from the direction I was walking. At first I thought it was firecrackers but they were too random and had different tones suggesting pistol and rifle fire. Instantly those Reds came speeding back from where they came in all sorts of bedlam, chaos and cursing! Suffice to say I didn't wait around and made a bee-line for my room and fortunately found a little store on the way.

The next day they imposed the curfew so I was again restricted to my room. I went to Loi Kroh for a wonderful lunch at the Chiang Mai Saloon which was pretty appropriate in hindsight because any minute I expected to see tumbleweeds rolling down the road, it was DEAD!

The next day I decided to cut my trip short and head down to Hua Hin for a week where no curfew was in force and most of the BKK rich and beautiful had also fled. In fact, you'd hardly know anything happened at all down there. No Army or Police presence and no worried or depressed shop-keepers and bar folk. In fact it was the opposite with traffic jams in the middle of the day!

RESULT?: For me, mild inconvenience. For Chiang Mai, the loss of a farang who was more than willing to inject a couple of grand into their local economy over the course of a week.

Sad times indeed.

Well Done Guys! Excellent tool and I look forward to its continued success!

I've just been to Samui for 10 days, Pattaya for 4 days, Hua Hin for 4 days and on tuesday i'll be going to Chiang Mai for a week. Although numbers are down there is an air of normality in all of these places. In fact, tonight i'm off to a beach BBQ and while I expect some red/yellow conversation its doubtful it will turn into an argument or forceful discussion. All the thais I have spoken to about it are apologetic and don't really follow the political situation too closely. Most are Reds however they distance themselves from the current violence. Maybe this will change but for now I think comparisons to Iraq or Bosnia are a little over the top. 50 lives are 50 too many but it has to be seen for what it is-- nowhere near a Bosnia or Iraq type conflagration.

The car is always wrong when it comes to collisions with bike riders. Ask any thai, they will tell you. My (thai) wife had a bike run into her that was travelling on the wrong side of the road as she was exiting a petrol station. It was clear to everyone involved that legally the bike rider was 100% at fault. But, this being Thailand, it was never discussed or contemplated that the bike rider should admit guilt. My wifes immediate response was to take the bike rider to the hospital where she then called our insurance company rep to negotiate a settlement with the bike rider. It was a given we would pay for hospital care and bike repair. Police were involved but had no input into restitution or assigning of guilt or otherwise. We even had her husband call a month later to ask for 10,000 baht in lost earnings because he had to take time off work. Even that was considered our responsibility although we later negotiated him down to 3000. It was the most normal thing in the world for us to pay all and when I questioned it all and sundry looked at me like the silly know nothing farang I apparently am. So, the crux of it is, you all can fool each other concerning the legalities or what your rights are in this situation but at the end of the day you are expected to pay up and should you fail to do this it will become very ugly and very distressing for you very quickly.

I reckon that if I was a Muslim Extremist in southern Thailand and the Malay peninsula and my goal was secession from Thailand and the Islamification if SE Asia I would have been stashing explosives around Bangkok for the last 6 months just waiting for a moment like this. To incite civil war amongst the Buddhist ruling elite and country folk would be an ideal way to push their agenda for separation and to bring the southern population over to their way of thinking. I'm not saying this is the case but it seems that a lot of munitions and arms have gone "missing" from southern barracks over the last few years and not a lot of people are really talking about the possibility of a "third force"....

I'd tell him that, personally, I go with the darker shades when choosing shirts. Yellow and Red are both good but has he thought about a vibrant green to suit the tropical climate? Pretty much any colour is fashionable these days although pastels went out of fashion some time ago...

I had to do one because I was sweating bullets during the 2 week wait for the results of my chinese visa medical to become available so hauled ass with the missus off to San Paulo for the same-day HIV check. I must say I was very impressed with their attention to cleanliness and procedure and ability to draw the blood without poking around in the vein too much like some other aussie nurses i've had unfortunate dealings with. We were in and out in under half an hour, told to come back in around 4 hours and lo and behold there it was when we got there (clear for both I might add thank god!) From memory it was around the 300-500 baht range each. Nowhere near the 10K you were quoted elsewhere. Check out http://www.sanpaulo.co.th/promotion_en.html . It doesn't have a price for HIV in particular but gives an idea of their general fees.

Why not the Novotel at Suvarnabhumi? Its a little pricy but the convenience far outweighs the negative price impact IMHO. I normally stay at the Pullman near Victory Monument which is also good but recently stayed at the Novotel solely on the recommendation of a friend who raved about their dinner buffet. Was somewhat sceptical but I have to say that I was most impressed with the rooms and the buffet was out of this world. My friend is an ex-politician back in Oz and has travelled extensively so when he says its the best he has ever had I would tend to agree. Ate so much I couldn't talk! Had to go lie down.

If the price scares you away I would try the Pullman. Be aware that unless she is taking the metered taxi's the airport transfer into BKK can cost between 1200-1900 THB each way so it may be best to factor that into your budget as well.

so the point is

dont be stupid

OUCH!! That's harsh dude!

But also correct. If ever there is a time in your life to be conscious of your legal obligations and minding your P's and Q's its when you visit another country. Good to see the immigration boys were cool about it. Some other countries in the region like China and Myanmar are maybe not so forgiving.

Arrived in Phuket in a blinding rain in the middle of the rainy season. Dropped my bags in the room at Patong and sauntered down to Soi Bangla. Deposited myself on a stool in the Kangaroo Bar for 3 hours and got talking to a fellow Aussie from Sydney. Turned out he was some heavy crim type voiding the law. Talking for a while, nice enough bloke. Went for a piss and next minute he's in there with me, knife poking me in the stomach and demanding the contents of my wallet!! UNBELIEVABLE! Travelled all that way and get robbed by my own countryman! Anyway, shrugged it off and had a great two weeks after that. Went back a few months later, met the wife, decided to move. The rest is history and my single biggest dissapointment about Thailand remains that very first day. Have since learnt that the ones to avoid the most , sadly, are the Farang!

Arrived in Phuket in a blinding rain in the middle of the rainy season. Dropped my bags in the room at Patong and sauntered down to Soi Bangla. Deposited myself on a stool in the Kangaroo Bar for 3 hours and got talking to a fellow Aussie from Sydney. Turned out he was some heavy crim type voiding the law. Talking for a while, nice enough bloke. Went for a piss and next minute he's in there with me, knife poking me in the stomach and demanding the contents of my wallet!! UNBELIEVABLE! Travelled all that way and get robbed by my own countryman! Anyway, shrugged it off and had a great two weeks after that. Went back a few months later, met the wife, decided to move. The rest is history and my single biggest dissapointment about Thailand remains that very first day. Have since learnt that the ones to avoid the most , sadly, are the Farang!

Very bad form to talk of the dead, but bloody hel_l! The guy must have been just a little bit nutters. Good riddance to bad rubbish i reckon.

My 2 girls!

I may be offered a job in Norway at the end of the year and, as such, have been looking at visa options. I will be getting a Norwegian work permit once there but I am also eligible for the UK Ancestry visa which is valid for 5 years and enables the holder to work freely and eventually obtain UK citizenship. Is it possible to have both? I am in the Oil and Gas field so there will also be job opportunities available in the UK sector of the North Sea field no doubt. It would be nice to switch between the 2 zones easily if need be.

Burnt toast gives you cancer.

Leaving toaster plugged in wastes power.