parmi

Massive increase in Air fares from May 9

We have just received our new price sheets effective 09 May from Eva Air, and they are applying what can only be described as irresponsible increases to all their air fares from next Friday.

Example of round trip fares:

Low season London economy was around THB 33,000 and will go to THB 42,500

Low season Amsterdam was around THB 28,000 and will go to THB 34,500

Low season USA was around THB 30,000 and will go to THB 37,000

To add insult to injury they have also introduced a weekend surcharge on the USA! Needless to say the Elite Class fares also go up.

We have no idea how they can justify this, considering that the Baht has strengthened against all currencies the Taiwanese must be doing very nicely thank you from sales In Thailand but there is nothing anyone can do about it except fly on other airlines!

Anyone who is holding a booking that has not yet been ticketed needs to complete the transaction by the

end of 8th May, and Thaivisa Travel can of course still make bookings at the old fare for another week.

http://travel.thaivisa.com

I have no idea why these airlines seem to think they can up the costs with no explanation, they are basically (bending us over) i just retuned to thailand from london and BA, BMI AND a few other airlines based at HEATHROW have also put their prices up to new highs,

HEY... someone has to pay for the new airports and aircraft these airlines are buying, and i guess if it makes it safer to fly then we have to pay,

I ONLY use ROYAL JORDANIAN where it is possible, they are one of the cheapest companies around for long haul travel,in jan 2007 i bought a tkt from london to thailand and paid $1172,00 for a 1 yr tkt, i have just bought this yrs ronud trip from RJ from london to bangkok for $1270, only $100 higher. not bad,so call them and pay less,

and NO, i dont have anything to gain by talking about RJ,

This is a nightmare., Thailand is becoming far too expensive

IS BECOMING TOO EXPENSIVE,,,,, i have been here ten yrs and seen a 200% rise in most of my expensise ,just go to a local GIANT SUPERMARKET, since nov 2007,thats only 3 months, my food list is the same each month,but the cost has risen 17oo bht,on a 6000bht bill in nov to 7700 today,and the management tell me the same story,,( BECAUSE OIL GO UP)but oil not go up 40% this is the beginning of the end for the thailand we all knew to be cheap,, but to complane is not the tahi way,so i am getting the f--- out of here,bye all,

Just out of curiousity - why is the Thai Gouvernment so "Anti Long Stay Tourist" ...... I know alot of guys that work in the UK / Europe for 6 months during srping / summer, save up alot of cash, then go to Thailand for the autumn / winter (6 months) and spend all that cash...... I'm talking like 10 grand...... as in half a million Baht..... surely that is a good thing for the country? I can understand why they would want to stop foriegners buying up land & houses, pushing up prices etc., but what is wrong with people hanging around spending what is locally a hel_l of alot of money..... this money is filtering back up the entire country one way or another..... the typical long stay tourist is not exaclt a burden on the state?

Just seems pointless to me........... could some one fill me in?

Having been in thailand for 8 yrs and spending millions of baht on both house building and rental,general shopping and living costs,helping various poor families and not so poor families get a relatively good life started,and on top of this, giving no one a hard time,BUT only helping the general economy and still not understanding what the hel_l is wrong with this place they call THAILAND,(LAND OF SMILES)and why they are allways wanting to find ways to get us the (farangs )out as soon as possible, it has all turned to bullshit for me, ,LAND OF SMILES ,,MY ASS,,it seems to me that if you are not from another asian country ie:korea.japan.china(and any of these nationals can work or stay as long as they want) you really are not welcome here anymore. I only wished i knew why. but as of midnight 2008 i really have given up caring about the thai way of ripping us europians off and have decided on a move to a much friendlier country,the philippines,where the girls are just as sexy/friendly/giving and to top it all, speak english with gusto<< where the visa laws are with you,not against you and where a man can work and live without the fear of getting shut out at the turn of a hat from some wanna be PM ,or government worker trying to make a name for himself in the local party.( i know i sound like i am very upset and bitter and that many of you are saying that if you dont like it mate, then go away, well as i said before, im going, i just am very very sad that thailand has turned its back on the help given by the european thourists in the means of millions of dollars,over the last twenty or so yrs,its almost like,,, now we got your money, go the f--- away.well im out of here, see ya ,,,and good luck on getting japs.koreans and chinese to marry whats left of the girls in what was once the greatest place in the world for adult entertainment,but today is one of the worst.and is openly laughed about in other countries.(sorry ladies) but i think you really need a new strategy, THE ( HELLO SEXY MAN ) way of doing things is over.so from one long termer to someone looking to be filled in, sorry mate, i cant help. but if you do get a answer, please forward it to me.

cheers, have a great time in thailand.

You can try and rationalise it or compare it with other countries problems, but this is an all time low.

I agree - Walking Street is a sleazy place.

WALKING STREET IS A SLEAZY PLACE,

In the many years i have been in thailand,i have seen walking st go from a adult disneyland, to a brutal agressive expensive anything goes shit hole of a thourist spot, with no one really knowing who is coming and who is going there, i for one will not be frequenting any of the new bars or clubs on walking st any longer, and i am REALLY thinking of a new town if not country to move to,

and its a real shame, because there are so many farang trying to do so much for pattaya, but sorry guys, its like the drug wars of the eighties, YOU JUST CANT WIN THIS ONE, but good luck for trying.

My condolences go out to the Royal Family,

The thai people have lost a wonderful Princess and a great humanitarian.

She will be remembered by so many for doing so much.

Our thoughts go out to HRH the KING on this sad day.

LONG LIVE THE KING.

Due to unforeseen situations in bkk, soi cowboy will be closed on the 15th and 16th Dec. SORRY to all that were planning a night out, late friday night the management of soi cowboy bars were told that they MUST close for business on 15th and 16th Dec in respect for the recent law passed on bar closures.or face high penalties.

However i am sure that there will be some, that do not follow the law and if you really look, you will find what you are looking for, ,, good luck,or you could just give your body a chance to dryout,Just think of the health and money savings.

Thai election forces 2-weekend booze ban

BANGKOK: -- No alcohol will be served to expats, tourists or local residents in bars and restaurants over the next two weekends nationwide due to the oncoming election.

The first dry days will be 14, 15 and 16 December, pre-election days for a few million Thais who registered to vote early.

Thaivisa has been informed that no alcohol is allowed to be served nationwide between Friday 14th at 6pm until Sunday 16th at midnight.

Elections on the 23rd will mean no alcohol will be sold from 6pm on the 22nd till midnight on the 23rd of December.

Practically this means two or three dry days in the two weekends ahead, although some tourist areas tend to be lenient once it's past 7pm on election day.

Please be aware that local rules could apply. Big hotels are not likely to be affected.

--thaivisa.com 2007-12-13

AS i have stated yesterday, SOI COWBOY BARS OPEN 14 15 AND 16, BUT CLOSED 23 24, ,,,YOU WILL be able to get as much booze as you can get down you at< FANNY BAR,,JUNGLE JIM,,,MOONSHINE AND TOY BAY > on soi cowboy, open regular hrs, so all you guys that need a drink, cum on down and bring a friend, tell them STEVE sent you.

enjoy,

THIS is the last time i say it, SOI COWBOY OPEN 14 15 AND 16, if you want a drink come to FANNY BAR and ask for khun pim,tell her pa sent you.

you can now relax, and cheers,go nuts guys.

Thai election forces 2-weekend booze ban

BANGKOK: -- No alcohol will be served to expats, tourists or local residents in bars and restaurants over the next two weekends nationwide due to the oncoming election.

The first dry days will be 14, 15 and 16 December, pre-election days for a few million Thais who registered to vote early.

Thaivisa has been informed that no alcohol is allowed to be served nationwide between Friday 14th at 6pm until Sunday 16th at midnight.

Elections on the 23rd will mean no alcohol will be sold from 6pm on the 22nd till midnight on the 23rd of December.

Practically this means two or three dry days in the two weekends ahead, although some tourist areas tend to be lenient once it's past 7pm on election day.

Please be aware that local rules could apply. Big hotels are not likely to be affected.

--thaivisa.com 2007-12-13

AS i have stated yesterday, SOI COWBOY BARS OPEN 14 15 AND 16, BUT CLOSED 23 24, ,,,YOU WILL be able to get as much booze as you can get down you at< FANNY BAR,,JUNGLE JIM,,,MOONSHINE AND TOY BAY > on soi cowboy, open regular hrs, so all you guys that need a drink, cum on down and bring a friend, tell them STEVE sent you.

enjoy,

Hi,

I heard a rumour the bar's in Bangkok are closing this week end, 14, 15 and 16 December, some Pre Election thing. Fuelled by a sign at Foodland saying "No alcohol being sold" on the dates mentioned. Had planned a few day's up there but......

Any information would be much appreciated.

Regards

GezT

CORRECTION to my last input, the bars on soi cowboy WILL BE OPEN 15 and 16, normal hours,HOORAY, dont know about other locations,come on down and ask for the election day special. BARS OPEN ARE << fanny bar,,,toy bar,,, jungle jim and moonshine,>>bring your own tissue, it should be an emotional day.

have a great day,

Hi,

I heard a rumour the bar's in Bangkok are closing this week end, 14, 15 and 16 December, some Pre Election thing. Fuelled by a sign at Foodland saying "No alcohol being sold" on the dates mentioned. Had planned a few day's up there but......

Any information would be much appreciated.

Regards

GezT

The bars are closed on 15 and 16 so that thais working in the beer biz and live out of bkk can go and vote or will not be shit faced the nite before and can vote in bkk on the 16th.sounds weird but its true, the local govt thinks that closing bars and stopping the sale of alcohol will help in getting the people to the vote booths,GOOD LUCK on both counts.the bars are also closed from midnite 21st till 24 th, for basically the same reason.what a way to spend the xmas hols,

Yesterday i made a reservation on sawadee.com to stay in a hotel in JOMTIEN, and today when i received the booking i was told that (and to my amazement) that because i will be staying with a thai national,i would have to pay 400bht per night per room surcharge,well i called to ask why,and was told that thai nationals have to pay this surcharge because of thai law,.after 10 mins of complaining i was told that this charge would be dropped,but can anyone tell me if this has happened to them and where it happened,so i dont book a room their.by the way, sawadee.com are a very good service and this is a surchrage added by the hotel not sawadee.com, and if this is law in thailand why have i NEVER heard of it before.or is this a new law to try and apese the farang tourists who have to pay more at national parks and the like.

all answer welcome.please.

Well Krabi Resort is my favourite in that area. It's very old, but infairly good nick. There are bungalow style guest homes and rooms around the swimming pool - which I prefer although I havestayed in both. The restaurant at the seafront has a huge window for looking out over the sea while having breakfast - and the breakfast buffet is fantastic. The resort staff can organise trips, diving, snorkelling etc etc etc and the beach in front of the resort is almost private. IMO it's a great place to stay

Thankyou very much,

As far as the bungalows,i am bringing my ma and sis out for 2 weeks ,do you think this is a place they would be happy, it is their first trip to LOS and i want it to be a good one, ma is 78yrs and sis 53,we come from uk. i have been to krabi many times but not to this resort,

one last ?,,, do you have any pics of this place.

sorry to be a pain in the a--,

thanks again,

steve

Two Israelis arrested in Thailand for possession of 23,000 Ecstasy pills

Two Israelis were arrested Tuesday in Thailand after police found 23,000 Ecstasy pills in their possession, the foreign ministry said Friday. Israeli Consul Hanoch Amadi in Bangkok said he expected the two to be held for a long time for drug-dealing.

The two were arrested during a wide-scale police operation on Kwasan Street * Khao San Road * in Bangkok, where many Israeli tourists tend to congregate. Police also arrested a number of other Israelis at the same time, but some were released on bail and the others were released when it was clear they had no connection to the drug deal.

Amadi, who is in contact with the local authorities, told the foreign ministry that the two arrested are receiving legal aid. The foreign ministry updated the families of the two Israelis about their arrest.

- Haaretz (Israel)

===============================================================================

Two Israelis arrested with 23,000 Ecstasy pills

Two Israelis were arrested in Thailand on Friday after police caught them with 23,000 Ecstasy pills, Army Radio reported.

According to the report, the two Israelis are suspected of selling drugs in the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. They were arrested along with other Israelis in a large police raid in Bangkok. All of the other detainees were later released.

The arrests were made after police in Thailand received intelligence from sources in the US.

The Israeli embassy in Bangkok appointed a lawyer for the suspects, who are now awaiting trial.

- Jerusalem Post

===============================================================================

Thai police nab Israeli drug suspects after US DEA tip

BANGKOK -- Two Israeli nationals have been arrested on charges of trafficking more than 10,000 ''Ecstasy'' pills reportedly destined for the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, Thai authorities announced Thursday.

The Israelis, identified as Alan Macloff and Vladimir Acronik, were arrested by narcotics police in Khao San Road area of Bangkok after they had allegedly brought the drugs from a European country.

The police operated on a tip from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which had earlier sought the suspected Israeli drug traffickers.

- MCOT

First off, one sounds english and the other russian,but either way i wish these idiots all the luck in the world when they start their 100 yr sentence,they will need more than esctasy ,

on a more serious side. i just wish these drug dealing aholes would stay the hel_l away from thailand and give the good law abiding farangs a chance.that goes for the kiddie fiddlers and any other freak that thinks thailand is a good hidding place.

To the parents of these two idiots, you better send your boys a good stock of KY, they gonna need it.

I am looking for anyone that has stayed at or lives near the ( krabi resort on Ao nang beach,) i am planning a long term holiday for some people from the uk and was told the this resort is very good, if anyone has pics or anything to show or tell i would be very thankfull, better i look before i put down a deposit.

thanks in advance,

For future help. you should pay the bin after every 4 or 5 tickets.that way you can keep some kind of control.we all know that this scam goes on,and i bet most people reading your story have been their done that.i know i have. but you have to take it for what it is, and then move on.not all bars are the same,but if they can take you, they will.you got to love um.and it was only 1350 bht,imagine you stayed their all night.CHA-CHING, welcome to thailand.

If you only had a check bin of 370bht,and you bought a FEW lady drinks and a FEW for yourself, you must of been in a bar in the 1970s,for 370bht you should only get, at most 3 drinks,but i am not disputing what you say,stranger things have happened, i am just saying you were a lucky guy to find such a cheap bar,as a matter of interest, how much is a bar fine .100bht,

at these prices i would go their often.

I find that when old friends or family come to visit .they all seem to have this idea that thailand is all about girlie bars and hookers,and that i must be a total sex freak to even stay here,but i am happy to see that after a few days in bkk then a trip to either the north-east or the southern islands,they start to see that thailand has so much more than just bars and hookers,(sorry girls)the word hooker is an awfull word when desribing the girls in the entertainment field,but it is the word most used by americans or brits,anyway, after only a few days of beach and boat trips,their views start to change and that is when the comment comes,MAYBE I WILL COME AND STAY HERE, please god NO, go home and leave me alone until next year.Thailand is where we that have been here for a while,in my case 8 yrs, have made new friends and have new ways of living to fit in with the thai way,and i just dont want to go back 8 yrs and start over with newbies,

The brit government is now starting to make thai girls(wives) of brit citizens take coarses to make sure they speak english and god knows what else they have to learn to get uk visas.

I think that anyone wanting or planning to become an expat in thailand from uk usa or anywhere else for that matter, take coarses in how to respect and behave in this or any other country.

So if you want to go on holiday and get s--t face drunk,act like a total animal and treat people like you do at home.PLEASE go to tenerife or costa del brit.NOT THAILAND. Thanks for listening to my rant,but i just want to be left alone and not be a tour guide twice a yr,

HI,

when i upload pics from my hard drive to my blog,nothing seems to happen, what am i doing wrong or is it the system,?

If you are a foreign tourist and want a drink,who cares, you cant vote anyway, so impose the no alcohol ban on thais if it is really needed, but throughout the kingdom,thats a lot of money NOT being spent,You will only need to go to nana or cowboy in bkk, or anywhere on walking street in pattaya to get a drink on these days, and we all know why, lol lol , i personnally am a non drinker so i couldnt care less, but this is just another negative in the eyes of foreign nationals wishing to spend time in thailand for the hols,HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

I recently visited a nat park in the Krabi area, i forget the name,but it had a waterfall(which had no water) and was about 30 to 45 mins out of ao nang beach area by motorcycle, they charged my thai gf 20bht to enter ,but being a farang i was charged 200 bht, and on top of that there was a sign saying 20 bht for motercycles, however after parking, the parking attendant started yelling that i had to pay 100 bht. So after a brief arguement with the gf and how i feel we are being ripped off just because of where we come from, i paid the 100bht and walked the few hundred metres to the waterfall, only to find that it was completly dry,why were we not told that it was dry after being taken for 300 + bht. i really think that some one needs to oversee these park employees to make sure 1, they are doing their jobs and 2, they are not pocketing the fees,

i really love the Krabi and ao nang area and in the last 9 yrs have spent some really nice times their and not to mention the hundreds of thousands of bht,and this will not stop me from returning, HOWEVER as far as nat parks go, i agree with other farang friends of mine that until the government can show me WHY FARANGS HAVE TO PAY SO MUCH MORE FOR THE VERY SAME EXPERIENCE AS THE THAIS WE TAKE WITH US, I WILL NO LONGER VISIT ANY PARKS.

NOT MY LOSE,BUT THE GOVERNMENTS. i thought the thai government had a soft spot for foreign travellers and needed the revenue, i guess i was wrong.

SORRY TO SAY, but border countries are looking more and more sweeter.