Jabiru

I can definitely see the benefits for Thai students to learn Mandarin Chinese, I know English is still the international business language but I think its very much in Thailand's interests to be able to communicate with the Chinese in business.

However I can't see many students in China really being that interested in learning Thai?! If the majority of Thai teachers I've worked with are anything to go by, I'm sure the Chinese education system can probably survive without a bunch of middle aged women with 2 foot tall, concrete hairspray quiffs, sitting around in their classrooms doing bugger all during the school day, then demanding students attend their special classes after school where they actually 'teach'.......yeah I somehow don't think that education is going to be Thailand's next big export =P

Everyone forgets that China is not the only power house of the future. India will be a major player in the future and one day soon have a bigger population. A very large population who speak English as a second language, so I do not think the business world will be switching to Mandarin just yet. India will keep the status quo for the future.

I assume the Hire Company gave them a safety briefing and a short training session before letting tourist loose on the high seas!

I would have expected he tourist to pay some sort of excess if they were riding in a dangerous manner! Other wise the operator should have adequate insurance to cover everything. I suspect the operator has been gambling with been under insured to maximise his profits and expects the tourists to pay for his inadequacies. This should be a lesson to us all to check what we are insured for when we hire anything in Thailand.

I heard about this from my GF more than a week ago. I said, no one has ever predicted an earthquake. They make predictions for that one may happen in the next twenty years or more, even those don't come true. Growing up in California, I've felt many earthquakes! You never know they're coming until you hear and feel them!

Earthquakes are made by HAARP, and yes they can be predicted , and have been, like the Nagano quake in Japan 2 years ago.

watch the HAARP vids on youtube.

If you are refering to HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Resarch Program) then you need to resarch their website. Comming from Rugby and having worked at Rugby Radio Station an ex VLF site I know something about HAARP. The goal of this HAARP is to further advance our knowledge of the physical and electrical properties of the Earth's ionosphere which can affect our military and civilian communication and navigation systems. The HAARP program operates a world-class ionospheric research facility located in Gakona, Alaska. This bounces signals off the Ionoshere and studies there effects. They can not even puch a hole in the Ionoshere so how can they cause Earth Quakes or even detect them?

Anyone know if its a problem having a 6 day over stay.

think its 500 baht a day, i will be leaving via the new airport, i have used up all my 90 days in 180 period. i have lots of tourist stamps in my passport plus

one single entry tourist visa from feb this year.

Would that overstay effect me getting a single entry tourist visa a few weeks latter in KL.

Thanks.

When I use to work in Thailand back in 1994, there were a couple of guys who worked on the same project, without having a work permit. Their company forgot to arrange it. They over stay by six months. The Thai rep for Tapline, suggested they bought lots of whisky and pay the fine. Suggest a bottle of whisky may help matters.

Quite agree. When the next addition of the Lone Planet or Rough Guide to South East Asia comes out and they tourists find out that everything shuts early they will start heading off to other destinations. I believe tourism accounts for a large part of the economy?