phuketsub

I will try Gaetano's, but it was one of the ones that was closed when I went by it a few days ago....I agree wholeheartedly with the negative comments about Hawaiian Pizza! I also haven't come across too many Thai pizza recipes that are up to snuff.

Chalong is out of the question for me; too much traffic.

I still have not gotten around to check out La Gaetana, but I was under the impression that they do not offer any pizza there. More of a fine dining place with very limited tables, so reservation is always recommended.

Been to Salavatore's once or twice and the Pizza was good. Can't remember the price, but it's not a budget place for sure. Btw. if La Gaetana does offer pizza, that won't be a budget deal either.

There is a new place a couple of units down from Farang restaurant (street behind Big C, PIH, Index), called Crust or something. Have not checked it out, but planning to do so at one point. There is also a new place in the corner unit of the same Sino-Portuguese style house, something like Flame or Bake, possibly both and driving past there, I think I read something like pizza & pasta. Then I have also seen a place called Bellini opposite Makro, to the left of Headstart. Of course you could also get a pizza at the Wine Connection in Central, which is not bad and the price is reasonable, too.

Any opinions on Crust, Bellini, the other one or any further places in Phuket town are always welcome!

Thanks for all that. Sounds like Gaetana is out of our league at the moment, but will try to check out the others you mentioned when I am over 'that way' (I try to stay off th bypass as much as possible, for obvious reasons).

That said, Gaetana is in a bad location parking-wise as well...

Part of the problem is that tourists in Karon get touted and hassled so much that they tend to tune out people who might really have important information for them. The same is true with the massive proliferation of signage in Karon, which is likely to cause some people to overlook the warning signs.

I once formerly asked ThaiAirAsia to ask their pilots to warn inbound passengers during monsoon season, but they chose not to.

I think the poster pretty much sums it up...

For me the main problem with the Hawaiian is the texture..

I will try Gaetano's, but it was one of the ones that was closed when I went by it a few days ago....I agree wholeheartedly with the negative comments about Hawaiian Pizza! I also haven't come across too many Thai pizza recipes that are up to snuff.

Chalong is out of the question for me; too much traffic.

Thanks for all your input; the pic of the buffalo has quite put me off on the swimming. Maybe I should invest in a kayak instead, As for the spelling of Ranode, I understand there are numerous different version, but I prefer mine because I think it best reflects the actual Thai pronunciation...

I seem to be having trouble finding a decent pizza place in Phuket Town. First PPizza in Samkong closed, so I started going to Romantica on Thalang Road, but now every time I go there its closed, as are 3 other pizza places downtown...

If anyone knows of a good, reasonably priced one please clue me in.

I don't consider the stuff that comes from The Pizza Company edible, by the way.

This is certainly the best time of year weather-wise to enjoy whisk(e)y in Phuket

That line jumped out at me as well; I wonder if it was an intentional double-entendre....

'Things are liquid' - Yup, that's a symptom.

I couldn't agree more with the statement "The aim is to get the kids passable at an early age and then they can learn on their own". I have been teaching on/off here for 25 years (B.SC, no Tefl certificate) and the key to success is an early start, then continual exposure in real-life situations in which listening skills and context are key.

I have been fortunate to teach some students whose parents understood this, were able to pay me a reasonable amount and were committed to long-term study, either one-on-one or in very small groups (eg. two siblings), from a very young age through until their graduation from Matthayom. In several cases the result was that when they were old enough they were not only fluent, but able to gain admission to top (Ivy League) universities abroad.

I am not blowing my own horn here; the kids and their parents that deserve most of the credit because they paid attention, put in the hours and paid me for a service.

I have also 'done time' in the mainstream education system, where classes of over 50 are common and real progress almost impossible. I have also witnessed first hand a great deal of corruption, with schools charging parents extra for their 'foreign teachers', then paying out only a very small fraction of what they collected. At one stage, while working for a well-known network of state-financed "institutes" (since upgraded to Universities, but with no real improvement in quality) I was actually forced to read>edit>rewrite doctoral theses for associate professors hoping to get full professorship credentials by graduating from a bogus, mail-order university in the Philippines.

If there is a country on the planet that spends more on foreign, native speakers of English as teachers, and gets back worse results than Thailand, I would like to hear about it.

The program described in the OP appears to have none of the essentials for real success, as far as I can see: class sizes will probably just be too big and difficult to control, especially for an inexperienced, new recruit with almost no training.

That said, that is the status quo already so I don't expect any great outcry.

Bilingualism is one of the few phenomena that has been scientifically proven to correlate with a later (statistically-speaking) onset of Alzheimer's disease and which has a number of other positive effects in the workplace, socially and business. I cannot, however, think of even a single case of a student who achieved even a modicum of fluency in any foreign language as a result of study in the Thai mainstream government education system.

In the case of my own child, who I like to think is perfectly bilingual, I view the English-language instruction she receives at her Thai school as generally detrimental.

Learning a second language, especially one that is so different than your own is so overwhelming especially for children. I have been trying to speak the Thai language for many years now and am lucky to get my point across in a restaurant. Most of the volunteers are with some kind of college degree and must have been good students to achieve it. They usually don't understand mediocre students. Most people in the world don't learn by rote. I don't understand how this will work. There is another way to learn a language and it is called “Total Physical Response” (TPR) I think young students as well as their teachers will learn with this system because it makes learning fun and there is a lot of laughing. Laughing is something (Thai) children love to do.

I think learning a second language is much, much easier for children - evidence all suggest this too. My kids speak English with an English accent and Thai with a Thai one - both fluently, both with correct pronunciations (even the difficult L's and R's for Thais and EUR and NG for westerners) - this is because they learned both languages equally (they also speak a little Latin which has been taught to them - by me - as an academic learned language, like when we did French/German/Spanish/Latin/Greek/etc at school).

The aim is to get the kids passable at an early age and then they can learn on their own - I love the fact that often films here are subtitles instead of dubbed - this means as their English improves they can move away from reading to listening and thus enjoy the film more. Books are also much more enjoyable in English (my kids tell me - same story in English is more interesting than in Thai as Thai is more matter-of-fact than flowery adjective laden imagery English). The kids either take advantage or don't, its a life opportunity like any other - one that can help with further education and a better job - or not.

I couldn't agree more with the statement "The aim is to get the kids passable at an early age and then they can learn on their own". I have been teaching on/off here for 25 years (B.SC, no Tefl certificate) and the key to success is an early start, then continual exposure in real-life situations in which listening skills and context are key.

I have been fortunate to teach some students whose parents understood this, were able to pay me a reasonable amount and were committed to long-term study, either one-on-one or in very small groups (eg. two siblings), from a very young age through until their graduation from Matthayom. In several cases the result was that when they were old enough they were not only fluent, but able to gain admission to top (Ivy League) universities abroad.

I am not blowing my own horn here; the kids and their parents that deserve most of the credit because they paid attention, put in the hours and paid me for a service.

I have also 'done time' in the mainstream education system, where classes of over 50 are common and real progress almost impossible. I have also witnessed first hand a great deal of corruption, with schools charging parents extra for their 'foreign teachers', then paying out only a very small fraction of what they collected. At one stage, while working for a well-known network of state-financed "institutes" (since upgraded to Universities, but with no real improvement in quality) I was actually forced to read>edit>rewrite doctoral theses for associate professors hoping to get full professorship credentials by graduating from a bogus, mail-order university in the Philippines.

If there is a country on the planet that spends more on foreign, native speakers of English as teachers, and gets back worse results than Thailand, I would like to hear about it.

The program described in the OP appears to have none of the essentials for real success, as far as I can see: class sizes will probably just be too big and difficult to control, especially for an inexperienced, new recruit with almost no training.

That said, that is the status quo already so I don't expect any great outcry.

Bilingualism is one of the few phenomena that has been scientifically proven to correlate with a later (statistically-speaking) onset of Alzheimer's disease and which has a number of other positive effects in the workplace, socially and business. I cannot, however, think of even a single case of a student who achieved even a modicum of fluency in any foreign language as a result of study in the Thai mainstream government education system.

In the case of my own child, who I like to think is perfectly bilingual, I view the English-language instruction she receives at her Thai school as generally detrimental.

I will be moving from Phuket to Songklha's Ranotde District soon (I hope). I am an avid swimmer who never gets a chance to swim in Phuket because of logistical problems (mostly traffic, childcare, etc). My eventual new home will be walking distance to Songkhla Lake, so I was just wondering if anyone has ever swum there and what it's like...

My preferences for swimming are: salt>fresh>chlorine.

I am not a big fan of Gulf Coast beaches from past experiences in Songkhla's Chana District (way too much debris in the water, jellyfish, etc), so I was wondering if Songkhla Lake might be worth a try...

I look forward to becoming an active member of this forum after I move. Any advice would be much appreciated.

It may be easier to just order one from Amazon. com.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Amazon doesn't ship to Thailand, so if I go that route I have to inconvenience people stateside and then face shipping fees, import duty, etc.

Since we live in the world's largest rubber producing nation I thought they should have them here...we'll see.

I've had several things shipped by Amazon, some books and a replacement screen for my lap top.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I'll have to check it out again...I would love to be able to buy stuff from them, starting with size 15 shoes...

Just as a matter of record, and in case it might benefit someone else with a similar problem, I found something that seems to meet my needs. It's a (rolled up) rubber bath mat that I found at Amorn shop (Basement of Big C). Ninety baht. I have used it a few times and I can definitely feel the damaged tendon working in a way that I did not experience with other PT exercises I had tried.

Just FYI.

Also, Paiboon was also quoted in that report as saying they will now install CCTV around there, so apparently they didn't have any -- or enough -- prior to this.

The explosion was the second top story in a teaser for the national news tonight on channel 3, after the latest bombing in Bannang Sata, Yala.

Also, Paiboon was also quoted in that report as saying they will now install CCTV around there, so apparently they didn't have any -- or enough -- prior to this.

The explosion was the second top story in a teaser for the national news tonight on channel 3, after the latest bombing in Bannang Sata, Yala.

MCOT Thai language site just reported that police think the bomb, which was 'not that powerful' , was probably meant to intimidate, not kill. The back this up by saying the location was in the parking lot, away from people.

The describe the device as an IED, detonated by clock: a crude time bomb.

OrBorJor chairman Paiboon quoted as saying he didn't think it could be from a conflict between any OrBorJor [elected] officials or kha ratchakaan (civil servants), but said he couldn't rule out that it could have been related to dissatisfaction over a bid outcome.

Don't jump to confusions; this has nothing to do with the situation in the Deep South.

Personally it has always amazed me just how lax the security is at SalaKlang.

Even the separatists in the Deep South have never targetted a seat of provincial power, at least not that I am aware.

Anyway, given that the Phuket Reporters Club office is a stone's throw away, I wonder why more news hasn't been forthcoming.

I wonder if this could have anything to do with the protest to build a new SalaKlaang across the street. I talked to the mototaxi drivers there last week and they told me the protest was over.

Anyway, this should be an interesting case to follow.

Given everything that goes on over there I am surprised that I have never seen them on sale anywhere...

I know the pain that you are going through. I have had it in both elbows, 25 years ago, while golfing a lot. Had both elbows, at different times, operated on. They cut you open, disattach your tendons, sand down the bone spurs, and then lay the tendons back down to reattach. After time to heal, months of physical therapy. Hope this rubber tool works for you. My problem was solved permanently.

Thanks, and glad to hear you got a permanent fix. I won't get surgery until I have exhausted every other option though. I am still racking my brain on where to find this elusive 'rubber bar', though.

One friend suggested jokingly that I use a big dildo, but I wouldn't know where to acquire one of them locally either!

Woe is me; getting old sucks.

I think we need to view this in terms of the entire spectrum of potential 'roadkill', from the clueless centipede or cockroach up to animals that can really have an impact (literally) on one's vehicle. This could be a good premise for a reality TV show: Daihatsu Mira vs African Elephant, etc.

More seriously, and I don't intend any disrespect, my greatest fear remains 22-wheel flatbeds parked in the breakdown lane of the road (especially the bypass road), with little or no lighting when I am on a motorbike.

Anyway, due diligence to anyone who would take to the roads of Phuket, sober or otherwise...

working to keep it from the beaches, because if no one sees it then it didn't really happen

No you keep it off the beaches as it has less of an environmental impact if controlled at sea. Have you ever seen an oil spill on a beach? Sea birds get coated with the oil and die, fish and shellfish dying due to the pollution. The MO for controlling oil spill are the same the world over, Google BP's oil spill in the Gulf and look at the effect it had on coastal communities when the oil washed up onshore.

It is well established that clean-up at sea is also detrimental - the hemicals used are detrimental and the substances that get into the food chain in droplet form in suspension will eventually end up being consumed by other animals and ultimately US! there is also fallout from the suface and a lot of stuff ends up on the sea floor - coral etc being destroyed or otherwise affected.

This is a pretty black-and-white view. Petrochemicals float on water, especially saline-dense saltwater, although of course some fraction will dissolve (this is why time is of the essence). There are many examples where cleanup efforts have had a successful outcome and the technology is several decades old. The key is readiness and having a predesignated person with experience, necessary resources and authority to make decisions in real time to assess the situation and make command decisions based on a variety of complex factors: the size and nature of the spill, prevailing currents and tidal info, winds and, most importantly, the OVERALL effect on the environment -- not its potential to affect the tourism industry.

Sadly, the various agencies reported to be a part of the so-called 'cleanup' effort don't have a very promising track record in this regard.

The headline that keeps giving and giving...how many times has it been reported and/or discussed before?

As for sweeping generalizations about nationalities, ethnicity and religious beliefs: equally redundant and boring.

The unofficial motto of the Thai state is as an indivisible, single entity based on three pillars, the first two of which are Nation and Religion; whatever the Constitution says about the right to practice religion, the presumption is that Thai is the national language (Not Melyu Patani) and Buddhism the national religion (see the holiday schedule). Every time the idea arises to provide some level of autonomy on such issues, it is quietly squelched and allowed to die on the vine, and the careers of the officials who broached the topic seldom benefit.

So, almost ten years on, now we have what we have: a horrible status quo pitting a well-funded, monolithic Government security apparatus (throughout which one hand doesn't know what the other is doing) against a small number of active 'real' insurgents and their supporters, on the other. If that ain't bad enough, throw in all the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats, drug-dealers, mafioso, etc., and others who benefit from the chaos in multifarious ways. The Deep South, for all its beauty, is now home the worst armed insurgency in Asia, not what the nice and innocent people who make up the vast majority of the population deserve at all.

The well-funded SBPAC tries to "buy off" the presumed opposition, such as by spending over a BILLION baht to fly Muslims from the region to Mecca for the last Hajj last year, to what end? A better approach would be to adopt a secular approach and get the government out of the 'business' of religion altogether.

Espionage blimps, the bogus bomb "detector" scandal, dropping origami birds by aircraft: you could not make this stuff up if you wanted to.

The reporting is pretty abysmal too. For example, in the car bomb attack that left two Muslim teachers dead in Narathiwat recently, the driver of the car died a few hours later from schrapnel wounds to the head: never reported in the English-language media (at least that I am aware of).

The solution to the problem will remain elusive as long as so many continue to profit so handsomely from the misery of others. If I had a magic wand and a single wish, I would wave it over this entire region and extract all the minority scum on both sides who are perpetuating the situation at the expense of the normal people who just want to get on with their lives, not live in constant fear.

Hi phuketsub,

I don't claim to be a therapist or doctor of any kind, so with a grain of salt, I'm pretty sure a friend of mine that had the same problem used rubber surgical tubing tied to a chair and did exercises for the same problem.

Maybe a youtube video out there on it, might be a quicker solution, going and purchasing rubber tubing.

In college we use to use the stuff and a funnel to make water balloon launchers, might be a Songkran idea.......

There are indeed some good videos on YouTube, including one that advocates self massage,but the 'rubber bar' one is the only one that seems to have been proven clinically effective in a controlled study, so I want to try that first.

Anyway, thanks for all your input...

It may be easier to just order one from Amazon. com.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Amazon doesn't ship to Thailand, so if I go that route I have to inconvenience people stateside and then face shipping fees, import duty, etc.

Since we live in the world's largest rubber producing nation I thought they should have them here...we'll see.

Hi Everyone,

I just found out that I have 'tennis elbow' (self-diagnosis) and my initial Internet research shows the best and most convenient treatment is a set of exercises using what is essentially a 'rubber bar'.

These are marketed in the US as Thera-Band Flexbars...

Does anyone know of a store that carries them, or something similar?

I really don't want to spend my Sunday on an annoying wild goose chase, so any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

(Also, please no flak for performing self diagnosis.)