perry21

The key story here is the strong US$ which is rising against most currencies, except the Rouble. The Japanese Yen, Sterling, Euro and Yuan are all getting smashed down. The scale of these moves is rather dramatic because FX markets rarely move with this level of volatility. Macro experts sometimes call a strong dollar a global wrecking ball that causes chaos throughout the global economy. Imports of energy and commodities (denominated in $) rise for all importing countries (Thailand included) leading to higher inflation. Furthermore many asian/thai business have borrowed heavily in dollars and the nominal value of that debt rises when converted back in local currency (like a foreign currency mortgage) . Conversely Thailand becomes attractive as a lower cost destination for Americans. Swings and roundabouts but the macro picture is becoming extremely uncertain. As a British person, living in London, I note the concern about the Thai economy, Personally I am much more concerned about the winter situation in UK/Europe, and I see Thailand as a safe haven. 

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2022/02feb/20220203-RESO-160B-RRD.pdf

This appears to be the official set of rules for entry from 10 February. Straightforward. This link to the official Philippines Gazette came from the British Government website. 

The UK has undertaken more than 50% of the DNA sequencing tests (that establish the covid variant) performed globally. By comparison Europe (and the US) has undertaken a much smaller number of sequencing tests. For historical reasons DNA sequencing is a big thing in the UK (for example, see the news about the forthcoming IPO of Oxford Nanopore). That is the most likely reason the Kent variant was first identified in Kent. Kent is the gateway county for continental Europe and where two of the UK's largest ports are located, through which much of the cross channel transport to/from Europe occurs. . Gatwick Airport, one of the large air gateways to Europe is also located nearby. So it is possible that the Kent variant could have developed in the UK or been brought in from Europe, or elsewhere. UK air borders were and remain rather open. So it is not possible to say definitively that the UK/Kent variant is from UK. It might be but that is not known. 

I think many of us will be unsurprised by the collapse in passenger numbers. But the freight results are shocking. If this is any guide as to what's happening in the real economy, these numbers are beyond awful. I am astonished and hope someone with better insight can perhaps shed some light. Regional GDP has bounced back reasonably strongly in much of Asia but this does not seem to be reflected in these freight figures. 

A thai friend of mine (who is a reliable) messaged me about this today. She owns a bar and knows many other bar owners in HH. Her son knew the victim's boyfriend quite well. Her information is that the victim was not the intended target, and was shot by mistake/accident. This makes the murder even more senseless and tragic. She mentioned the intended target but I will refrain from mentioning this. 

12 is a great age to take up golf, although this is obviously more difficult to learn and there is a cost aspect. Tennis is possible. Another possibility is squash (I seem to recall there are courts at the Ambassador Hotel). Fitness/gym/running? Does junior rugby exist in Pattaya?

In general I would be cautious about using lawyers outside of Bangkok, unless you have a very solid recommendation from a reliable source. There are just too many stories around about issues ranging from incompetence to theft. The main problem is that much of the legal work in the big tourist towns is real estate related, and that seems to be where most problems arise. Of course there are problem lawyers in Bangkok as well, so you need to pick selectively.

You need to be careful with wills. If you have an estate in two jurisdictions (Thailand and abroad), and the beneficiaries are overseas, then you need proper advice. It's not a simple will, but its not that complicated either. Ideally you need two wills in both jurisdictions that inter-connect legally.

I can recommend a good lawyer in Bangkok who has handled conveyancing, wills and some litigation for me. A long time and very trusted friend who works and lives in Bangkok has sued him for many many years and recommended. He is competent, honest and responsive. E mail me if you want his details, although using my own advice ideally you should use someoene recommended by someone you know and trust.

I am helping a friend who is seeking an experienced photographer to undertake a (paid for) straightforward fashion and portraiture assigment in Phukhet. The client (who will be the model for the work) needs a modest selection of mixed location photos - ideally some studio based and some outside the studio. The work is not for commercial use. The client would like a portfolio of photos of herself for personal use. The client will supply her own wardrobe.

I am keen to hear from any experienced professional photographers or competent amateurs (with genuine fashion/portraiture) experience. The client lives in Phuket, speaks excellent english, is not a professional model, but is reliable/sensible.

Thank you.

I would suggest you think about renting a car. Last week I rented a honda jazz from avis at the airport at 800bt per day. I suspect there are cheaper deals available with local companies, but not sure about the insurance, hence I go with the big names. There are probably scams with some of the smaller local companies. If you do any amount of travel outside of Patong you will recover the cost very quickly, and be able to see so much more of this very large island. There are several issues that others can perhaps advise on better than me. Congestion (particularly in the evening) can be very bad in the convoluted one way system that operates in Patong as much of the traffic gets shunted onto the beach road. Parking can be tricky. I sense there is a material risk with drink driving and police checks, but not sure. And finally the motorbikes are a real challenge - they are so many everywhere and they are constantly cutting in front of you from all angles. So the risk of an accident is quite high.

Phronesis, please can we agree to disagree. I would like to think if me met in a bar we would get on fine, compare views and move on to other subjects. i dont want to fallout with anyone on this forum. I am perhaps typical of some users of these types of boards - I peer in quite regularly but for various reasons have not shared too many views. There are many reasons for this - its easy to freeload and use a free resource (for which I apologise to the owners), one is nervous about positing to a community that includes people with vastly more experience and knowledge of the country than me, and I already spend too much time at a computer for work. I am not by nature a natural poster. Having said that I thought I would start following my recent trip. It seems to have caused an unfortunate reaction from you. Lets move on to other matters. I am keen to be a more active contributor and will perhaps pick less emotive subjects in future. Perhaps we can find other areas where we have common views. Oh and BTW I am nothing to do with bikinis and martinis or any such publication. I just got bored with beer about ten years ago and started drinking more wine and cocktails (which had a good effect on the wasitline). Best.

Phronesis, perhaps I should have added the word "easily". The statement as written is a bit OTT, but I was trying to convey the sense that Phuket really does offer some rather extraordinary experiences, and I was trying to offer a contrary view to what i perceive to be quite a lot of anti-Phuket sentiment around, which I understand (expensive, lousy infrastructure, too many scams, Russian invasion, etc). My experience is nowhere in Thailand is perfect and all locations either for a visit or as a place to live involve various trade offs, and those trade offs are highly subjective.

A few examples that reflect my experience - I had a perfect martini (which I have never managed to find anywhere in Thailand), a private boat charter to the extraordinarily beautiful Phangnga Bay, a near perfect sunset drink from Baba's nest, certainly one of the the best high end Italian meals I have eaten anywhere. The beach clubs at Kata and Surin were a revelation, seriously cool sophisticated places to chill out and have a cocktail - I have not come across anything quite like these outside of the Mediterranean.

No doubt there are other amazing experiences to be had elsewhere in Thailand - for example various visits to Isaan have been equally memorable but in different ways. I also think a major qualification is relevent - many of the best things in Phuket tend to be very expensive which is of course problematic. But the same can be said of my favourite cities, NY, Paris, Hong Kong and Sydney (and BTW I am not comparing Phuket with any of these cities). It does not make me like them any less, just means I cant visit as often as I would like. They all have their downsides as does Phuket. I suppose this is a rather roundabout way of saying I now understand (in a way that hitherto I had not) why the Phuket property market is the leading international residential resort market in Asia (by a country mile). I suspect this will continue for along while yet, foreign money will continue to pour in from China/Russia/India/the Gulf , prices will go up etc. Quite where it all ends is unclear because without major infrastructure investment it surely cannot last.

It seems to me the substantive issue is that both central Bangkok and Phuket are extremely expensive places (by Thai standards), comparable to major international cities in Europe, at least in terms of some of the most visible expenditure categories (accomodation, food/drink, leisure) for visitors (not residents). A high end steak or italian restaurant or an upscale bar in Bangkok or Phuket is comparable in price to central London. This is the biggest change over the past few years and reflects the strength of the baht versus the weak pound, significant land price inflation in central Bangkok/Phuket, and a flood of foreign money pouring in from Asia. Phuket really is the playground of the super rich in SE Asia for whom 7000bt green fees or 40000bt boat day charters or 20000bt hotel rooms are normal. This stratospheric inflation at the top end of the market seems to be pulling all prices up. At the high end of the market I am not sure there is much difference in price between the two, not least because it is hard to compare a 5* city centre hotel with a beach resort.

At the margin, Bangkok is cheaper for hotel rooms, mainly because of the over-supply of 5* hotels - which charge 4* prices. You can still get amazing hotel deals in Bangkok at the upper end - Bt5000 at the brand new 5* Marriott Residence on Sathorn for a 65 sq m room. Golf is vastly cheaper in Bangkok. I think restuarant and bar prices are comparable. Taxis, car hire broadly similar. Likewise spa/massage. Retail is much the same as all the malls have the same chains. However in Phuket you can spend all day at the beach on a sun lounger for 100bt - try doing anything in Bk for 100bt all day. Nightlife, Bk wins hands down.

I am just back from a business trip to Singapore. That really is an expensive place and makes Bk feel quite cheap by comparason.

Bubblegum, I would not recommend any expensive places because value judgements are so subjective. However I can thoroughly recommend La Cappanina to anyone living on the island. It is a really great value family run trattoria with the most amazing pizza - I should say I found it through this website. You would never stumble on it by chance since it is tucked down the end of a very obscure soi in patong.

Ditto Yes Coffee which is a rather curious place. It is a Korean owned coffee business in Nai Harn. They specialise in single origin 100% arabica coffee from Thailand (Chiang Mai). It is not easy to find - down a small lane leading off Soi Naya - as you approach the lagoon by Nai Harn beach (turn left for the beach), you turn right down soi naya, proceed for a few hundred yeards and there is a small lane off to the left, its up there. In the vicinity of coco palace resort. You can view the roasting room and then sample the produce in a simple but very pleasant coffee shop - hot and iced coffees of various types. And you can buy beans to take away. I think they also sell various coffee making contraptions including the stove top Bialetti Moka Express (my preferred method) and the Korean/Japanese thing that looks like it comes out of a chemistry lab - two glass flasks and a burner. I like the thai coffee - it is smooth, good flavour, not overly aggreessive. The manager is a very ernest english speaking young korean chap who gives you a "tour" of the facility. All in all a world away from starbucks.

Just back from a week of vacation in Phuket and played (for the first time) Red Mountain twice. I play regularly at Black Mountain in Hua Hin and have been visiting Hua Hin for 20+ years to play golf. Hence I was curious to compare the two courses.

Red Mountain is a truly memorable golfing experience. The course is one of the most scenically dramatic courses I have played - the majority of the holes are quite amazing visually. And that is I think the strongest point about the course - it is truly spectacular, and the experience will live in my memory for a long time. The first round had a real wow factor. I suspect for some elite level golfers the core underlying golf architecture may not quite live up to the surrroundings or the level of the green fee. My sense is that while the course layout is excellent as a resort course, I am not certain it is a great championship course. Frankly this is not a judgement I am well qualified to make, and time will tell. The condition of the course was very good (not outstanding) and both caddies were extremely competent. It is very hilly with some extremely long path connections from certain greens to the next tee, so complusory carts make sense.

The two main downsides - slow play and cost. Phuket receives a lot of visitors from Thailand/SE Asia and typically these golfers play 4 balls with extensive gambling - significant amounts of money can ride on every shot so they tend to be slow. Because Phuket has relatively few courses compared to the volume of visitors this issue is exacerbated, and Red Mountain perhaps suffers most because it is currently perceived by many people I spoke to to be the best course on the island (ahead of Blue Canyon). My sense is this is a bigger issue in Phuket than, say, Hua Hin.The marshalls try to assist faster players by jumping them forward a few holes but this soon becomes problematic - you forget which holes you have played/are on, loose a sense of the layout, at some point have to go back to play holes which were missed out (thereby cutting in ahead of others), meanwhile other players are leepfrogging you. It is not really a solution. You just have to be prepared for a slow round.

The cost is very high compared to comparable course in Thailand - Bt6700 including caddie fee and compulsory cart. I would not want to pay that on a regular basis but for a truly special experience it was ok. Costs in Phuket cannot really be compared with anywhere else in Thailand other than Bangkok, it is by Thai standards an extremely expensive place. Why? It is the pre-eminent playground of the rich/super rich in SE Asia.

I am much more familiar with Black Mountain in Hua Hin. Both are great courses, but I am quite convinced Black Mountain is the better, overall. The layout at Black Mountain is better, the holes are harder, represent a better test of golf, and are more interesting with more significant risk/reward decisions. Simply the best holes at Black are better than the best holes at Red. The condition as Black Mountain is better - it is and always has been truly exceptional and a result of a vast army of workers constantly toiling away. By comparason in two rounds at Red Mountain I saw very few workers. Red Mountain wows you with its scenery, Black Mountain wins out in my opinion as a pure test of golf. Hua Hin is very significantly cheaper than Phuket in every respect, and this is also the case as regards golf.

These types of comparasons are very subjective, and no doubt others will view things differently. They are both splendid courses and it is a real treat to play either.

Please can you tell me how busy Phuket is kikely to be in mid April. I arrive on the songkran weekend for a week and was wondering whether the island is now well out of the high season, specifically as regards hotel occupancy and golf tee times. I expect to stay around the patong area for the bars, shopping, nightlife etc. Any help much appreciated. Many thanks.

i have stayed a couple of times at the majestic grande in sukumvit soi 2, about 100 yards beyond the jw marriott. booked via agoda and i paid about £50/night including breakfast. its very new. rooms are better (large, luxurious and well equipped) than jw marriott for less than half price, although it does not have the same level of service (staff not so well trained, english not completely fluent etc) nor the same level of ammenities. the pool area is nice and quiet, perfectly adequate for relaxing, and the breakfast was standard 4* buffet. so ideal for the leisure visitor who want a high degree of comfort in a brilliant location. perhaps a demanding business traveller would be better off in one of the bigger brands.

I am not a HH expert as I dont live there but do travel there every year. From memory, I think you will find the rugby shown at the following:

El murphy's - I remember watching cricket tests there with commentary so think it highly likely

O'Neils - not sure but would think this irish pub would have it

Ye olde buffalo tavern - ditto for this english style tavern

Thaiwai - more difficult to find, best bar in town imho, in soi 80, would think the american owner will be doing something around the world cup

other in soi 80 - there is another sports bar in soi 80, cant recall the name, will have it

Good luck

I would like to buy a pair of handmade leather golf shoes. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where I might find a pair. I am not overly concerned about price, I am very keen to find a high quality pair. I will be in Pattaya next week and will look there but will also make a trip to Bangkok later this year. Many thanks for any help. Perry

I have not completed on my unit yet. There is still a reasonable amount of final rectification/snagging work to be completed which is dragging on. It is extremely disappointing that so little progress has been made with the low rise units at the front and rear of the development. In their unfinished state they are a real eyesore.

I am curious to know how many other readers out there are waiting to complete.