snoophound

Not a lot of stuff chinese would buy in Thailand???

Some of their shopping centers are amazing.

Most of the stuff in Patunam comes from china now

i know lots of tourists from hong kong, taiwan, singapore who come to thailand at least once a year for shopping, dining, and general relaxation.  they like the variety and occassional bargains.  the thai tourism industry is represented by a far broader demograpic than just sexpats and poor white beach travellers.  there is also a fast growing chinese middle class market, as well as rich tourists from the middle east.

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Long term

Pataya looks better from an investment perspective.

For what you pay in Hua Hin.

You can buy quality in Pattaya ...ie:NOT Falang ghetto.

I like Hua Hin but somehow it's on the wrong side of everything. Especially with the new BKK airport. For some, on the good side.

It's a myth that 230km distance can be travelled in 2 hours (except between 2-4am), it's more like 5+ hours drive from BKK.

My record long drive was 8 hours to get from Hua Hin to Ekkamai. And the baby shit itself, smell in the car, stuck in the traffic, could not pull out.

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MMM

Good Irish stew

Caserole

yum

Lamb shanks

Missus always asks for chilli

I agree that my method (ie fry onions and garlic first) seems more like Indian, however, my curries are still distinctly Thai.  I know this from entertaining my Indian neighbours.  Obviously I didn't want to cook them Indian! So they have had my full menu of Thai cooking as well as Irish and Italian. 

Italian = pasta with various sauces, Irish = cheap cuts of meat with loads of potatoes and veg.  Next time maybe Mexican...

Cooking is such fun!

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Common in most countries

Its called "Failing Upwards"

Although in the Western World Mr Sarbanes and Mr Oxley are making directors more accountable.

Saw that on CNN and the first thing that came to mind was what the h3ll happened to their "checks and balances"?  Wonder if the culprit is going to get it deducted from his pay check, like for the next few hundred years.

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What may happen is, the guy might be "promoted" to a position from which he willl never be able to make such a mistake. Seen that several times in Japan.

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Maybe it`s time some of us `old` gold buyers can cash in on this upward trend

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If you can get it back

Correct

Same my missus whose Thai food is higly sought after by all her Thai friends here.

SBK way is def more an indian approach.

I think the secret is the mortar and pestle pounding the ingredients into a paste.

MMM love the smell of her cooking.

When I cook my Thai curries I fry the oinion and garlic (and sometimes the Galengal) first, ie before I add the other ingredients.  None of the recipes I have advise this but I find it works better.  Does anyone else do it this way?  And why should it make a difference?

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in TH , when we cook curry .. we will start by fried chilly paste with oil b4 ..

heat +old+herb+chilli make aromatic thing in them dissove and has greater scent (same reason that when u fry oinion and garlic (and sometimes the Galengal)

me.. sometime i just lazy to do follow from classic step , just thrown all ingredients in pot and then cook

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I agree that if you just want to be lazy - bung in all the ingredients and cook is perfectly fine! However, I just feel more involved with the process if I do things in stages, after I do the onions and garlic I add my curry paste then my coconut milk - lots, as I like it saucy! Then I add the 'harder' veg right down to the 'softer veg, and finally my fish sauce, soy, lime juice and coriander. And there you are, my version of Thai curry... I love it!

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Are you talking about Thai curries? Sounds more like the way Burmese or Indian curries are done. In Thai curries the onions and garlic aren't cooked separately they have usually already been pounded into the khreuang kaeng (curry paste) in the first place.

My wife, who has worked as a Thai chef for the last 20 years, never cooks onions and garlic separately. According to her and other Thai foodies I've talked to, it's because the proper flavours of the onion/garlic don't fully come out until they're pounded together with the chilies, galangal and other ingredients in the curry paste.

For kaeng karee and kaeng matsaman, the two Thai curreis that more or less imitate Indian curries, I think I've seen cooks saute the onions/garlic first but otherwise they're not on hand to fry.

Of course if you prefer to do it that way, that's fine, it's just not the traditional Thai way, and not the way most Thais would like to have it done.

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True Thats assuming the customers are computer literate.

You would need to have some pretty basic menu options etc

A big ask from my experience of watching the Internet cafe cutomers esp the older ones.

lampard, good to hear your business is going better. One thought though:

Maybe if you told your customers that if they want to be 100% sure they dont lose their masterpieces because of a glitch, downperiod etc., they should compose their emails in Word, Wordpad or Notepad - whatever text editor you have installed on your computers... it's the only failsafe way I know when you're dealing with webmail.

Of course, some people won't take advice, but it might be worth a try to put up a note to that effect, then you might get more satisfied customers.

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Same here.

My advice is If its not silly season ,book one or two nights.

If you book your whole stay and the hotel sucks you have no chance of a refund.

I always book in for one night and extend just to be sure in hotels I dont know well.

Been burnt before.

I don't know what country you're in...

I'm in the US, I always book everything through the internet for just about 10 yrs now...rooms, tour, taxi from the airport, condo room...

I always had good experiences, this way you can shop and compare prices.

If you want to go on a tour also, I usually booked the hotel rooms through them.

If you're planning to spend time more than 2 weeks, I would suggest booking a condo is much cheaper than even 3 star hotel..but as nice as 4+star hotel and come furnished with the kitchen also....right through the internet. 

For the condo, there will be some that let you rent for 2 weeks, but most of them is for 1 month min. but I always find them cheaper than the hotel for 3 weeks period. You're looking at the studio though. This time mine comes with washing meching+safe deposit box.  I'm not talking about a run down condo, this is very nice condo.

Good luck

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Nothing is ever as it seems on the Internet Bambi.

A lot of people live their fantasies on the web.

Sure lots of success stories....but a lot of frauds.

Hansum rich man turns into flat broke gargoyle etc etc.

Gorgeous size 8 gal is actualy a size 18 etc etc

But there a half a billion people connected and communication is instantaneous so have a go!!!

I think Internet love is possible just like people have romanced via letters in the past, though some people are more likely to than others... I think we fall in love with the idea of another person rather than the actual person.  Over a long relationship, we slowly learn who the other person is, changing our idea at the same time we are actually changing them (and vice versa).

Some people live more "abstract" mental lives than others, and these people can more easily fall in love with an idea of a person based in words.  Others need the physicality of gestures, expressions, touch, sound, and scent. To these people, the idea of an internet romance sounds cold and impossible...

I agree with people above who say that risks are similar, i.e. some people can appear quite differently in one medium or another. Who is to say whether it is the writing or the "in person" social behaviors which are the "real person"?  Some people might even get excited by the mystery of such inconsistencies, while others become defensive and consider it dishonesty... another risk is to fall in love with someone who is not interested in expanding the relationship. In other words, to fall for a flirt who enjoys the interactions in one place but has another life they go back to and do not want to blend.

In the end, the risk is having an incomplete picture and finding that you are incompatible with the whole person. I don't mean to sound pessimistic, you can also fall in love with half the person and then fall in love all over again with the other half!  And in a really good relationship, you keep doing this like Zeno's arrow and never quite get through to the end.  

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my point exactly...

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The shopping would be great if some switched on Thai fashion co started making and selling falang sized clothing.

Its frustrating going to mbk etc and not being able to buy clothes.

Its also the only reason those seedy indian tailors exist.

Seen some very nice cheap suits in Robinsons etc but all too small.

And I aint that big yet....90kg

Thank god for The chinese invasion and all their imports in Aus.

Otherwise my missus has to shop in the kids section.

BANGKOK: .... The Siam Paragon Shopping Complex had its grand opening yesterday amid hopes that the new development will attract more high-end spenders to the Kingdom

I thought that in general the tourism trade here was based around people coming to thailands beaches, bkk's night life .........

Never new the grand shoping malls in BKK were a reason to visit

i get the feeling this hope is unwarranted.

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they even have a link to register a complaint and they DO get back to you within 20 days ..often sooner.

Really,is the response anything intelligent or just govt drone speak?

The were a lot nicer and super effecient when they got their Tea money !

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What a shame its not still like that ...

latest update only 7 out of 25 people who voted think they are fair. Not a ringing endorsement is it ?? I think its fair to say that the bulk of the people voting on this feel they are to varying degrees UNFAIR. And any degree of unfairness should be of concern to us all. All those who do have concerns can write directly to UK Visas with their complaints at

www.ukvisas.gov.uk

they even have a link to register a complaint and they DO get back to you within 20 days ..often sooner. Don't forget to mention "British Embassy Bangkok" in your complaint . Also writing or going to see (if you are in the UK) your local MP is another useful tool at our disposal to register complaints about this. Both UK Visas website and the Britsh Embassy Bangkok website tell you what you need to do to qualify for each type of visa and both mention that the UK welcomes foreign visitors (don't laugh). The differance between this theory and the reality is great , but only by bringing this to the attention of UK Visas and the Home Office and your local MP (all of whom of course know this anyway) can we even begin to hope for improvements in the future.

SILOMFAN

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I dont know

I can think of nothing more boring then being stuck with friends who rattle on incessantly about their kids.

I avoid them like the plaque

  Subtle as a brick through a window!

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Just another Public service announcement.

Artie Ziff

Rich and HAPPY??

Good post, but Id be willing to wager that the majority of the people who say they are satisfied are lying to themselves and the people around them. In fact many of them post their crap here.

You sound like a bitter old man who has wasted his life trying to make money.

And maybe

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LOl, Im not old.

And Im a happy ######er too, I can walk out my back door anytime I want and catch largemouth bass, walk into my garage and choose from several autos and 3 different bikes, have a home large enough to have 5 couples and their kids come to stay anytime they wish (and they often do), if I want to take a trip I take it. I donate more to charity than you earn in a year, and Ive put 3 of my relatives children through college because they were so bright and got such good grades. ie...they deserved it. All of them succeeded in getting their degrees.

Look at this disgusting display of decadent evil capitialistic, eating the flesh of the poor , wickedness!

I earned it pal, you are exactly the type of person I was describing. I am certain that in a few years you will get a taste of the reality stick across your behind and spend the rest of your life full of regret.

Have a nice day!

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Where is your home located Milk ?

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I have a thai friend in Melb that had a VERY good business importing stuff for restaurants.

Plates,candles,tablecloths etc.

The special Thai plates for various dishes ie:ones shaped like a fish or banana leaf etc were good margin and popular.

Candles and Tablecloths also...but chinas better now for those.

She just drove out and hit all the restaurants.

Maybe an idea for someones GF in UK.

Hi,

I know a bit about this, and furthermore I'm willling to share my knowledge, cos for the moment I've abandoned the idea....

The killer thing was buyers. I didn't have any, and didn't have any success finding any. So that was that. Never sold anything. And yet there is a demand for this sort of stuff, and the western prices are still very high compared to Thai markets...

One lesson you can have for free, don't waste time trying to sell wholesale on ebay. The "wholesalers" there are fakers trying to catch ebay newbies. They are mostly ignored. I tried offering a genuine 1 dozen lot, got no responses; and afterwards realised, anyone who knew what they were doing, would look directly for suppliers, not pay premium rates to ebay.

Try going to one of the "BIG" (Bangkok International Giftware) trade fairs, held 4 times a year in Muang Thon Thani, Bangkok, just to get an idea of what others are doing. BTW, the prices they quote there are much higher than what they charge in your local market!

My website is thaigecko.com. Take a look. I spent a lot, probably waaay too much, time getting this set up (I mean months). It's built on one of the best-known shopping site engines, OSCommerce. OSC is free software, but you have to customise it, which is a bit like saying, "you want a car? Here's the steel, but you have to customise it...." I also put in a fair bit of effort into online marketing, ie getting links from other sites. I still get the odd enquiry, long after giving up.

If you're interested, I'd consider selling that site, with or without customisation to what you need yourself. That's actually my main motivation for writing to you now :-)

To give you the general idea, the general public only sees half of the site; there's a lot of invoicing/order tracking/customer database stuff available when you log in as the administrator, and potential for connecting it to various accounting software.

There are no special customs rates/rules on the Thai export side, with two possible excepts; Buddhas and anything that could possibly be confused with illegally harvested wood, i.e. teak. I've been told that these are such nightmares thath it's best not to carry such products. Samples are fine, with the same 2 exceptions.

I reckon a great idea would be to have a retail outlet in a UK city, so that you effectively provide your own buyer. If you've ever looked into that type of shop, they always seem to be quite busy just from passing trade, even in odd locations. And of course, 20-30 quid for a simple lamp is great value there. Of course it takes a fair bit of capital to start a retail outlet in the UK.

Don't try to sell retail online from Thailand, the shipping costs are impossible and no one trusts Thailand. Online might be worthwhile if you had a UK base though.

Well there's a few ideas anyway... Best of luck,

Cormac

I'm going to the UK next week and am taking samples for the purpose of exporting.

I don't know the first thing really about this kind of business and am looking for tips on how to do it, things to avoid etc.

These things are mostly gifts, decorative items and handicrafts supplied locally here in Isaan. I have a relative with a gift shop and a couple of friends with their own general stores. I'm not looking to make a fortune - just a little side-line.

How do I compete with the internet sites selling this stuff?

Do I need to set up a web-site?

Customs problems? Is it ok to take a large bag of samples?

Do I need to hire someone in the UK, any problems here?

Is this a crazy idea?

I really want to hear from you with experience of doing this, especially on finding the buyers.

Cheers,

N N

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Heres an idea for George

Just about every consumer focused internet site has weather rating in the top 5 for hits.

What about a TV weather channel.

Lets know what the weathers like anywhere in the world from the grassroots membership.

Well Patsy, I would gladly trade places with you - it sounds lovely and Christmassy where you are - as opposed to grey, depressing and    its raining again!!!

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40 degrees and Windy in Sydney

Udon baking in Tin Shed.

Please Post in Pets forum to keep him awake.

Cold cold and sunny here in Switzerland and getting christmassy with trees and lights and tinsel... but i would give it all up to be on the beach in the rain...

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Its all perception

I have noticed the young thai/Asian gals use a lot more charm,cocquettishness than the boisterous Aus gals.

I think thats what shapes their opinions somewhat.

Tell me abt it bkk madness, but to presume that thai women are subservient or less opinionated than farang women is laughable, when most of them (farang men ) can be bothered to learn thai properly they will understand what their wives & gf's talk about & which they maybe can't articulate in English or can't be bothered to.

Ask a thai man what they think about their thai wife & they most will say the same as you farang guys do. Complain alot, demand too much, talk too much, nag too much. It's the nature of the beast.

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Yes understood

I just wonder whether the Thai boys can cope.

Hes asking his three friends today!

quite frankly I wouldn't want any guy who thinks an opionated women is a bad thing as they obviously think themselves superior to women & that they (men) are the only ones entitled to have an original thought.

Give me my (real) man any day, he isn't afraid of me & my power as he is safe in his own skin

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So thats why all the truck and bus drivers run away.............

On the next Thailand Today,

Do a bad job, get a good job…or how to get rewarded for failing in the Land of Smiles

"The wrong here lies in not correcting and avoiding responsibility. That is the way things are. In Thailand people who do improper things, resign. They resign and are found not in the wrong, even though they have committed terrible wrongs. If they are bureaucrats, they are transferred to their ministry, to Bangkok and the story ends. They hardly go to jail."

Bangkok Post

6 December 2005

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Asked my 21 yr Thai stepson in law,if he ever wanted to go with an aussie girl.

He has been a student here in Sydney for two years.

He said Falang women too scary,talk loud and bossy.

I said you mean you dont even want to try. Noo

I think the thai boys struggle to deal with Euro women as they are much more opinionated etc.

I think cheating goes with lying, so in my book no. If you have a partner that is okay with you seeing other people then you aren't cheating.

I think the westerners are a lot more hung up on the whole subject, but lying is lying and breaking a promise is breaking a promise. Then there is the dbl standard that it's okay for the man to see other people, but not the women. That's something that is total BS and I see that in both Western and Thai men. 

I have to agree with Kerry on the whole marrying a prostitute thing. It's funny how many Western guys have this whole idea that they are going to save this poor women from her life of being a prostitute in Asia, but they wouldn't do that with a women from their own country.

What's with that? Is it because Asian women are generally more sweet then prositutes back in the West? Is it all the cartoon and Hello Kitty stuff that they all seem to wear on their tee shirts, that makes guys think they are some how more innocent then a hooker back where they come from?

Again I agree with Kerry. Thai men are more careful of the type of girl they will settle down with and marry. A person for hire is a person for hire. It's a working realationship and no more. I know a few working girls on Samui and they are nice enough, but they all know that if they want to get married it's going to be with a Farang.

So back to the topic: What do nice, decent, hard working Thai men look for in Western women?

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Well said

Not to mention the fact when you return you want to be able to have a good lifestyle and go home with some money.

Unless its a :'lifestyle" choice of course.

Let's see this point from another angle. If you are in HR for your company in Thailand, your management decided the company needs an expatriate for a specific job. This would be a job, Thais generally cannot do (think of the work permit) and requires some experience.

So what you are looking for is somebody from back home, the USA, UK or Continental-Europe, bi-lingual or at least fluent in English, minimum 10 years job-experience, 5 years in mid-management, like section head etc.

The total income must include salary, housing allowance that makes it possible to rent same style as back home, schools for children that allows after a few years to catch up with th schooling system home.

Pension funds and health insurance back home to carry on. 

The offer must as well be attractive enough to get the applicant away from his/her present career and jump into the 'adventure' to move to Thailand.

I doubt very much you find anybody for Baht 35K p.m. So what would you offer to find somebody?

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that was our worry for sure.

But....what can ya do

young love.

and he really is a nice boy

works 7 days incl school,gives her everything she wants...poor bugger.

Mum trained her well.

T

I don't know how much she would be worth, but her passport has got to be worth a few pounds/dollars/baht   

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Well my missus is 10 yrs in aus

Her daughter is Thai father deceased and Thai mother.

She is 20

The thai boy she is marrying is a student here in Sydney.

Hes 21 and a hard worker.

His parents are middle class...he even manages to send money back.

Our last trip the Boys mum very shyly asked how much sin sod.

To her credit the Missus said ...as long as your son looks after my daughter "No Worries"

Daughter v attrctive,aus educated and au passport

Under all this stuff she was a bargain!!!!!!!

Sold? I suspect the girl might object to that characterization since no Thai person considers it "selling" their daughter.

I don't know why it is so hard for some people to understand that in traditional normal families this money is returned to the young couple to start their lives with. Consider it more like the showing the ability to care for the girl.

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Eat I am going to start snorting them

You're supposed to wipe your face with them, not eat the thing!

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