hagler

Took a friend to the airport in Chiang Mai this afternoon. He luggage was 1.5 kilos overweight. To pay for this overage he was instructed to go to the ticket office, stand in line, pay for the overcharge at 86 baht per kilo and then return to the check in counter and stand in line again with proof that he had paid the charge. Not enough of an insult? Read on....

In the line at the ticket office was a lady ahead of him that was paying the "Thai price" for her overcharge of a miniscule amount of weight----at just 50 baht per kilo.

1.5 Kilos @ 86 baht = 129 baht.

1.5 kilos @ 50 baht =75 baht.

So, the additional price just for being a farang with the overage is 54 baht. I do not know what to say other than: How petty! How disgusting! How revealing of your narrow minded company policy!

If this forum is read by people who make policy for the airline may you rest assured that unless it is a dire situation you will never, ever again get a fare from me, or mine, or those that I influence.

pretty simple isnt it? Baggage overweight, you pay.

Put out few balloons and throw a few nasty mystery bags on the barbie and the riff raff will come a running ! Then tell em there is a carton of Singha in the long grass and you'll have the place tidied up in no time. And when it is all done just let out the dobermans for a little sport. That'll move the rotters on !

Love ya work, Burr old bean.

As I am here every day and no one has ever made a comment about our food or service I accept this as pure BS from those who would not know a good meal if they ate one.

Our cooks have an average of 8 years working here under direction of some of the best chefs from Europe and America. We have operated this business for 11 years which is a lot longer than most of the other fly by night places. We also grow and process our own tender grain fed and aged 21 day beef.

Regarding our service, we have used hand held computers to order food and beverage for the past 9 years. Khun Elle who has lived in the UK for 20 years is our dinning room manager and speaks perfect English and has not reported problems to me.

We have the longest running Saturday night barbecue in Thailand serving 20 items of food and changing each week.

If you are encouraged by other competitors to slander some one else then that is another issue.

Don Battles

Owner

Mate, not having a go, but do yourself a favour and engage the services of a good experienced PR person before you REALLY do some damage to your business which you have obviously worked long and hard to build up. The internet is a whole new battlefield.

Best wishes and success to you. There will ALWAYS be plenty of "gonnas" but very few "doers".

Thailand should follow Bhutans example. You want to visit you HAVE to spend a minimum of $ 200 USD per day of your stay and in reality it is going to cost you at least $400 a day. It is a wonderful place to visit, the people are happy cause they are not overrun by hordes of tourists, there is no strain on the infrastructure and the country still recieves the same amount of money as it would if it was letting sall the usual suspect cheap charlies in. fantastic place to visit.

LOS should make Phuket a special economic zone for non Thai passport holders. That is if you want to visit you have to spend a minimum of say $200 USD per day ( that is obviously just for the accomodation component) as per the Bhutan example. Couple that with Sri Lankas policy of a 100% tax on any purchase of property by foreigners and by upping the retirement visa requirements to say 10 000 000 baht deposited into an approved thai bank account for the period of the retirement term as per Malaysias Second Home Programme and you will definately see a marked improvement in the standard of tourists and resident expats. It could be the Monaco of the Far East with very little effort on the part of the Thais.

Sort it out with them BEFORE you fly. I had a change of passport and just contacted them and had then note the changes.

Reason? About 2 weeks before watched a lovely couple being POLITELY told that they wouldnt be getting on the upcoming flight cause their documents didnt match the ones on the booking.

First... some background.... I live in BKK, mid 40s, and I met the lady (mid 20s, never married, no children) a few months ago.

Enough said, game over. Move on people there is nothing to see here...

It is true that Phuket has tapped into new markets, Russia, Middle East, India etc. That is because they have totally burnt all the tradtional markets. It is a sad fact that the business done in Phuket is along the lines of, get the baht today, who cares what happend down the line. A recent Colliers Jardine survey showed that tourism in Vietnam will gro by 30% over the next 10 years, compared to 6% in Thailand. Those figures cannot be laughed away.

aahhh good old statistics. what you didnt mention is the NUMBER of touirst going to each respective country currently. check that out and you will find that LOS gets many many more tourists per annum than Vietnam does now. So of course Vietnam is going to grow faster than LOS in the coming years. it is an underdeveloped tourist destination currently.

Best thing LOS could do now is follow Bhutans example on tourism. You want to go there you HAVE to be willing to spend AT LEAST $ 200 USD a day and the reality is that the average spend is probably around $ 400 - 500 USD a day. Fantastic idea ,it keeps all the low life cheap charlie riff raff out and the place is a delight to visit as it is not overun with tourists and yet they still make the same money as if they were letting in all the cheapskates. Cant say enough good things about the place.

I'm a bit doudtfull about your hunting aptitude, if you ever get the chance, you'll be a lot better off downwind than up. As for hitting a wild boar at a range of one mile, who do you know with a Barrett .50 cal sniper rifle?

Upwind/downwind you know what I mean.

As for guns, yes its possible to hit a target from a great distance, not what I want to do at all. I want to try bow-hunting, its much more sporting.

How about you with a bow and arrows and another wanna-be rambo with one as well and the two of you are in the bush together all greased up with camo paint. First to shoot and kill the other one wins. Now THAT is what I call sport. Goddam I'd even pay money to watch that !

Grow up and leave the wildlife alone kid.

Been through the airport quite a few times now but have never needed to use a shower so havent really looked or noticed. Got a couple of long flights coming up this year with a couple of hours waiting before transferring to domestic flights. I always feel so much better after a long flight when I have a shower. Anyone come across any out there ?

Why must it be a level playing field? Why couldn't there be smoking and non smoking bars?

If there is a such a support for non smoking bars then I would guess most publicans would opt for the non smoking license.

You also have to consider a governments duty of care towards its' citizens; long neglected where smoking has been concerned.

Having smoking and no smoking bars offers significant less assistance in the fight to prevent future generations becoming addicted to this vile habit than a blanket ban does.

Jeez, and I keep wondering why two countries with the Magna Carta and the US Constitution have turned into such jackboot licking lickspittles and here's your answer.

The government does not have a duty of care towards its citizens. The government is instituted of the people by the people and for the people. The government works for the people only to the degree to do things that people can't do for themselves. The fact that so many people have allowed government to believe it owns you and has a responsibility to look after you (in return for you passing ever more authority and taxes to it of course) is why both the UK and US have turned into petty totalitarian nanny states where the people are forced to hand over half of their earnings to maintain the beaurocracy that oppresses them.

The government's only duty is to perform those tasks it is instituted to perform at the minimum cost to the people and with the minimum intrusion into the people's lives. Instead we have a monsterous beaurocracy that has tens of thousands of people working 8 hours a day 5 days a week who do nothing but sit around thinking of ways to extend the role and control of government at the expense of the autonomy and freedom of their citizens.

I've made a decision that many others have made and withdrawn my support for such a system by leaving. To see the Thai government mindlessly aping the worst excesses of western PC nanny statism is heartbreaking.

To see foreigners egging them on to intrude further into lives of the people and exert ever more control is nauseating

And did your withdrawal of support also extend to your voluntary selfrevocation of citizenship as well ? Real withdrawal would obviously include that, otherwise it is just play acting isnt it?

Sorry OP but this the funniest thing I read on TV for ages.

Best thing you can do is stop eating and drinking crap and get some exercise. This incident was a wakeup call that Obese = Early Grave.

Best of luck to you

Air Asia uses crap surplus fleet planes that are poorly maintained , avoid them if you value your safety.

Care to tell us what evidence you base that pretty damming statement on?

I'm always staying at the airport hotel inside the arrival hall.

follow the link for there website ( http://www.dih-dca.com/dih-dca/index.htm ) where you can book an room online.

The rooms are nice with an good bathroom, Channels on TV are so so but I don't care.

There is also an health club and swimming pool for the guest.

Next to the check-in counter is an bar for your night cap.

Thanks for that mate. Most appreciated and helpful. Will use it.

I have a 10 hour layover in Dubai on my way from Moscow to Singapore in late June. Arrive at DBX at 23.30 and depart to SIN at 0910. Bags will have been checked through. Whats the best deal for a hotel so I can crash. (will be absolutely knackered from Russia ) Close to, or in the airport itself is good. I dont go through this part of the world much at all but I reckon you guys from Europe should know it like the back of your hand. Dont care about the room standard as all I will need is a bed to crash in.

OP dont get discouraged by all the negatives you will encounter on here. This forum is aimed and populated by older people who really havent done that kind of travelling for a long time; if ever, and it scares them to think that someone can do it like that and still have a good time. As some people get older they tend to cover their own insecurities by becoming rapant consumers and inflating their own self importance by the purchasing of "comfort goods".

I am now in my mid 40's and am relatively well off and successful in the business world so whilst your style of travelling is still appealing it is just not viable to me at present but I do remember vividly riding a motorbike through Africa for 2 years on a grand total of $ 2 USD a day when I was about your age. People thought we were crazy, and we were, but God we had the time of our lives.

Lonely PLanet will probably get you a lot more answers but there are a few of us on here who will give you a sound pat on the back and tell you to get out and do it and hopefully give you some tips along the way. Good luck to your and dont ever stop thinking outside the box.

There will always be people with more money than sense. And gawd dont they flock to LOS.

Have just endured a 10 hour flight with a screaming kid close by the whole time. All the trailer trash mother could do was order more scotch and cokes and tell her dopey husband to look after the spawn of satan. People were getting REALLY p*ssed off and the attendants were called on more than one occaision. The kid slept for a period in the middle of the flight for about 1 hour and then woke up again and was at it full tilt within 5 minutes for the rest of the flight. It got so bad at one point after it woke up that a discrete call was obviously made by the cabin crew for a physician on board to come and look at the monster and see if it was in some kind of medical trouble. Dont know the outcome of that intervention but nothing appeared to be given to the little sh*thead and it just carried on at full tilt for the rest of the journey.

That was the WORST flight I have ever had to endure. I swear that some of the looks on the fellow passengers faces were of murder. I never want to go through that again. People were walking off that flight like they had been through a torture session and the service crew were absolutely shattered. It was ugly, very very ugly.

It really is simple; if someone, adult or child, cannot guarantee that their conduct throughout the duration of the flight will be such that it does not disturb the comfort of other passengers then they should not be allowed to board the flight. If that means that some people with children will not be able to travel unless the child is medicated then so be it.

Sorry, but I think that there has been some embelishment on the truth here to make an example of them.

Oh good, so you agree the truth is being told about this family by the Thai authorities.

No, not at all. As I said before her husband and step son are guilty, not doubt as they were caught in the act. That is undeniable, but sorry I cannot believe that Jenny was at all involved. In fact the only thing she is probably guilty of is being naive. Hopefully the British Embassy will be able to step in and get Jenny sent back home to her family where she belongs. There are some complete morons on here who are attacking this poor girl without knowing the full story. I have already uncovered a lie in that report, so how many more are there?? As I say I reakon the Thai authorities are using this to make an example of British Citizens. I just hope and pray to god that her family get her released. She isn't a criminal!!! How can you believe such a corrupt country anyway???

Oh gawd here we go. Next thying you will be setting some website called www.sheisiinocentandthewholeofthailandiscorrupt.com

Your diatribe is based on the fact that your sister knows the sister of the blagger ? And what? She has spoken to her in the last 48 hours has she to get the "truth" from the horses mouth? I heard a rumour from the 3rd cousin of the brother-in law of the niece that they were also planning to steal lollies from the 7-11's while they were there too. So it must be true.

Why is it time after time when these lowlifes get caught red handed we have to put up with this crap about how it is not their fault or it is the authorities that are the crooked ones. No wonder the Thai authorities get pissed off and rightly so too. Luckily this offence occured in LOS where the usual circus of political correctness and legalese rubbish isnt gonna cut any mustard.

Off to the slammer with the blaggers and let em see how real prison time is done. Waste of oxygen all of em.

Diatribe???? Firstly SIR read my posts. I KNOW THE GIRLS FAMILY and we have been friends for 20 years. She is certainly not the type of girl to do this sort of thing. Secondly my fact are correct as I have met Ms J Champan's daughter and knew she was older than the given age in this report which, in all honesty, is the worse peice of investigative journalism I have ever read. I too would be upset about something like this happening, but I am sorry BUT SHE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. I suggest sir that you crawl under whatever insignificant rock you crawled under and shove YOUR diatribe and obtuse ramblings up your orifice. I think the name for you sir is anally retentive!! As I said earlier YOU ARE INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY OR HAVE YOU EX PATS FORGOTTEN THAT!!

Been hooking into the sauce bottle a bit have we mate ?

You should volunteer as a character witness for the blaggers when it comes time for sentencing. I am sure the Thai judge will make an extra special effort to show how much the Thais love farang Crooks coming to their country after he has heard your eloquent reasoning for her innocence.

Sorry, but I think that there has been some embelishment on the truth here to make an example of them.

Oh good, so you agree the truth is being told about this family by the Thai authorities.

No, not at all. As I said before her husband and step son are guilty, not doubt as they were caught in the act. That is undeniable, but sorry I cannot believe that Jenny was at all involved. In fact the only thing she is probably guilty of is being naive. Hopefully the British Embassy will be able to step in and get Jenny sent back home to her family where she belongs. There are some complete morons on here who are attacking this poor girl without knowing the full story. I have already uncovered a lie in that report, so how many more are there?? As I say I reakon the Thai authorities are using this to make an example of British Citizens. I just hope and pray to god that her family get her released. She isn't a criminal!!! How can you believe such a corrupt country anyway???

Oh gawd here we go. Next thying you will be setting some website called www.sheisiinocentandthewholeofthailandiscorrupt.com

Your diatribe is based on the fact that your sister knows the sister of the blagger ? And what? She has spoken to her in the last 48 hours has she to get the "truth" from the horses mouth? I heard a rumour from the 3rd cousin of the brother-in law of the niece that they were also planning to steal lollies from the 7-11's while they were there too. So it must be true.

Why is it time after time when these lowlifes get caught red handed we have to put up with this crap about how it is not their fault or it is the authorities that are the crooked ones. No wonder the Thai authorities get pissed off and rightly so too. Luckily this offence occured in LOS where the usual circus of political correctness and legalese rubbish isnt gonna cut any mustard.

Off to the slammer with the blaggers and let em see how real prison time is done. Waste of oxygen all of em.

Thanks for taking the time to respond folks. Appreciated.

I am in Phuket for 10 days or so next week and have to fly up to Bangkok for a couple of days for some business. The question I have is where can I park the motorbike at the Phuket airport for a couple of days ?

Why is it that the people who complain about others recieving money usually have not quite enough of their own?

And why is that the people who complain about others asserting tbeir rights usuallly arent quite satisfied with their own lot?

hmmmm...could it be that there is a tinge of jealousy amoungst the whingers? Surely not ! After all they are the highly successful members of their own society arent they? They have worked hard, invested well, made good life decsions and are now in a very comfortable position arent they?

Surely the loudest whingers couldnt be failures of own could they?

Some people need to accept that they havent made a success of their life, that the world doesnt owe them a luxurious standard of living and that it is not anyones elses fault that their life is so.....average.

The term "chattering middle classes" comes to mind reading some of the stuff on this thread.

Does the smoking ban effect outdoor seating areas of pubs/restos/other venues? what about beer-bars?

I've been talking to a friend yesterday night about this. He own a totally open bar with live music, no aircon just fans. He had a visit from the BiB recently and they explained about the smoking ban. To his surprise (and to mine) smoking will not be allowed in his bar anymore. He has to remove all ashtrays. If some guest however decide to smoke they could be fined 2,000 Bht. As the owner will offer no ashtrays he would not be fined.

What a joke. This bar is almost under the blue sky, open everywhere, even some outside seating without a roof. I will be a big big story to enforce the law. For my own, I will at least continue to smoke in such king of entertainment venues. I understand and respect not to smoke in aircon restaurants, but banning smoking in an open beer bar is really a joke. Thailand just now does everything possible to scare off tourists.

yeah I reckon the TAT will be REALLY worried about the drop in tourism from this brillant law. If anything I think it will incease the numbers of tourists heading into bars. Now all they have to do next is totally ban the sale of all tobacco products in the Kingdom and make smoking illegal everwhere and they will have more applicants for retirement visas and more quality tourists than they will be able to cope with. Bring it on ! LOS could be the world leader in eradicating this foul and vile habit from the face of the earth.

Again.........

So they are soooo concerned about getting exposed to second-hand smoke WHILE GETTING DRUNK IN THE PUB.

Logical, no???

I am for a TOTAL BAN ON ALCOHOL, STARTING IMMEDIATELY. And leave the smokers in peace, they do NOT cause accidents, fights etc.

Regards.....

Thanh (non-smoker by the way but don't mind it the least bit)

I have to agree with you. Smoking turns you into a person who smells (and slowly but quietly dies of cancer).

But alcohol turns people into...... well look around at what you saw on your last night out...

My last night out i saw a hel_l of a lot of smoking coke-drinkers in DJ Station. Lots of drunk guys too. And i personally still prefer someone's clothes to reek of smoke (because those can be taken off and deposited on the balcony) than someone's breath reeking of beer or whiskey (that smell tends to stay even thru a 15-minute toothbrushing session followed by a thorough Listerine-abuse). And the next-morning-hangover i can also do without, thank you very much.

Oh and Alcohol turns people into the mess found in totaled car wrecks, the knife-wielding attackers of housewives periodically seen on TV and the mass-gang-fights that leads to banning of rock concerts etc. And also the puke puddles on the sidewalk that i have to avoid on my way to 7-Eleven every morning (i live close to a pub) were NOT caused by cigarettes, i can guarantee that.

By the way my boss in Germany was a chain smoker. he started smoking at age 12, was a chain smoker by age 20 and went thru about 12 packs a day from then on. He died at age 77 - falling from a ladder while fixing the roof of his house. My own grandfather died of cancer when he was 74, he hadn't touched a cigarette in his life.

regards.....

Thanh

and I turned the life support machine off on my father at 60 from lung cancer from smoking...

This is one of the saddest reports I have ever read on here.

Regardless of how the man died it must have been a truly frightening and lonely experience for him.

So, So ,So, sad. May his soul rest in peace.