phuketsub

I tried hitchhiking on Thepkrasattri many times, but all the people who stopped identified themselves as taxis and asked for lots of money to bring me from Bang Khu down to Supercheap, even though they were going right past it anyway. Sad.

That said, I am totally down with hitchhiking and often give rides to tourists in need, free of charge. I have met a lot of interesting people this way and they are always grateful for the assistance.

All of this underscores another big problem in the Phuket transport fiasco that seldom gets mentioned: unless your happen to be leaving a hotel or some other location where there is a taxi rank, it is almost impossible to get a taxi because they don't troll for fares like they do in Bangkok and elsewhere.

The taxi drivers here are not only thuggish, they are lazy.

The remind me of those crocodiles that lie in wait for a herd of wildebeest to cross their river...

Okay, so it is a little warmer than ideal, but I don't think it is a sufficient reason to complain. I moved here after living in Montreal for five successive winters, where it can get down to -30C, and windy, this time of year . You could get snotsicles growing out of your nose in no time. It really is a living hell, if you ask me.

I still think Phuket has the nicest, most benign weather of any place I have ever lived or visited and the TMD stats support this. The annual range of min-max temps over the last 50 years or so is something like 25C-38C. Hard to beat.

I find the most effective ways to beat the heat:

1. Open all windows AND SCREENS to encourage cross flow of air.

2. Wear a soft, cotton pha khao maa (Thai loincloth) at home. Yes, your Thai neighbors will laugh, but if you can't take that element of Thailand it might be time to relocate anyway.

3. Rinse off every two hours.

(Note, I don't pretend to have invented any of these measures, which are all well known to Thais)

If you do these three things you won't need to run the air very often at all. Anyway, I don't think it will be long before the talk turns from drought to flooding and landslides. It's all just part of the cycle here.

Some 7/11 put the amounts to their special notebook along with the money, when purchased beer during the forbidden hours. Then in the morning or after 5pm they push the amounts to the machines.

My experience is that 7-Eleven is the only chain of convenience shops to have never sold me outside legal hours...I have never once been denied at a FamilyMart

I was surprised to note today that BigC Market near Rajabhat is the same price for a liter of 100 Pipers as the SuperSuperCheap (my new name for it)...far more comfortable and much friendlier staff too///

I've seen people turned away many times at Tesco and 7-11. And they charge more than the local wholesalers, which will sell anytime. Patong Whiskey does a huge business and is stacked to the rafters usually.

Do they have a branch somewhere outside Patong?

Lone goal by Krissada Sakaew in minute 81. Only 425 people attended, including a contingent from Phuket.

This was just posted on the TPL website: Phuket FC win 1-0 in road match against Thai Tobacco Monopoly in Bangkok. The three points ties them for second place in Division 1, but there are still two more games to be played tonight.

Some 7/11 put the amounts to their special notebook along with the money, when purchased beer during the forbidden hours. Then in the morning or after 5pm they push the amounts to the machines.

My experience is that 7-Eleven is the only chain of convenience shops to have never sold me outside legal hours...I have never once been denied at a FamilyMart

I was surprised to note today that BigC Market near Rajabhat is the same price for a liter of 100 Pipers as the SuperSuperCheap (my new name for it)...far more comfortable and much friendlier staff too///

Interesting you mention that as I need to buy 20 bottles of 100 Pipers for my brother-in-law's party...thanks for the tip

Does anyone know if Promphan adheres to the retarded regulation banning alcohol sales between 2pm and 5pm?

Yes they do. There is of course the alternative of buying more than 17 litres of alcohol (at least I think that is the quantity) in which case you can buy at anytime, anywhere.

Does anyone know if Promphan adheres to the retarded regulation banning alcohol sales between 2pm and 5pm?

I could write a book on this topic. I would say the best bet overall is the one at Merlin Hotel, across from the Muang District Office.

A sentimental favorite is Fairy Barber on Tilok Uthit 1, near Talaad Kaset (near Robinsons). I've never left that place dissatisfied in some 28 years since I first went there as a tourist. It's cheap and old Chinese lady that runs it should be in the massage parlor Hall of Fame. The decor is a real time warp too. Despite the the name, nothing gay about it and it is open all hours.

If you really don't want to run the risk of any temptation whatsoever, try the one at Phuket Prison. All the massages are given under supervision of prison wardens -- enough said. The price is reasonable and it's clean, but there is definitely a weird vibe about the place.

At the end of the day it is all about the masseuse and not the establishment.

I wish I had more time and financial resources to research this issue further.

Where is this on the island? All I get in my area (Rassada) are swiflets and what are either sea eagles or Brahmini Kites

As a trained hydrologist who has been following water-related issues in Thailand for 25 years, I cannot help but feel dread at the prospects for the Thai capital in the face of global warming (anthropogenic or otherwise) and the other important issues mentioned in this well-thought-out piece.. Thais need to learn a lot more about draining off floodwater, and practice a lot less of draining the minority, tax-abiding citizen of his or her hard-earned baht.

Building the Suwannabhumi Airport on a former swamp largely contributed to increased flooding in Lard Krabang, which says a lot about the Thaksin family's understanding of the issues involved. That is just one small example of how poor planning, unregulated construction and unbridled corruption are all conspiring to make a real calamity there (one that will make 2011 look like nothing) highly probable at some point in the future. I just hope is isn't in my daughter's lifetime.

Bangkok is an alluvial floodplain; these words in themselves carry the meaning of why it is tenuous to build anything thereupon, let alone skyscrapers and underground mass transit systems. For the record, it is not fair to pin this one on the current administration, as those that came before it are all complicit.

I do wonder why so many people are obsessed with Mayan Calandars, "vapor trails" and so much other bullcrap when the real issues are so very ominous.

Fyi, the Soi Dog clinic schedule is on display in front of the Tessaban Building at Saphan Hin. They have quite a few coming up.

When are we going to get a new Haad Yai - Phuket service?

The last carrier that tried in , the poorly named Happy Air, suspended it over a year ago,,,

Now both of these are great drinks! I will start lookin in enrset

Give it a shot! (literally)...On the topic of rum, does anyone have a copy of the book The Rum Diaries?

Everyone keeps telling me it is a must read...

for the record, the new bus terminal is in Rassada, not Koh Kaew.

I have had some really nice interactions with tourists here in the past few months, most of whom approached me for similar info, directions, etc.

However, I have stopped approaching tourists who are standing by the side of the road with a map, confused and seeking help from a clueless motorcycle taxi driver who is holding the map upside down.

Every time I tried to help in cases like this all I got in return was rudeness, so I stopped trying. Just wonder if anyone else has had similar experiences.

I came up with a new killer drink yesterday involving rum and coffee ice cubes, the key being the coffee ice cubes.

I just made the coffee ice cubes on a whim when I saw an empty ice-cube tray sitting next to my coffee-filled french press machine.

After you make the cubes, just pour a high-quality rum over the cubes.

If you keep the rum in the freezer too, the end result is the coolest drink (it is indeed superchilled) and the coffee in the cubes give it a kick not unlike Vodka/RedBull, but it's much nicer on the palate.

I had never heard of coffee ice cubes before, but there are some references to them on the Net.

If anyone gives it a go, please let me know what you think.

On a related topic, I was down at the Land Transport Office yesterday to have my motorbike and car licenses re-issued after(Doh!) losing my wallet. The lady there was extremely helpful and speaks
English well. She explained to me that I needed the Certificate ofResidence to complete these tasks, then mentioned that my DriversLicense was up for renewal in a few weeks time and suggested that I wait
until and do them both at the same time to save on the expense. I asked if my police report for the stolen wallet would suffice if I gotstopped for any reason, and she said that was up to police. I have decided to take the risk, since I don't need to drive that much.

Shealso mentioned that the information on the Gazette website did not specify the Certificate as a requirement, which was a constant source ofwasted time for both applicants and their staff. I took the info fromPhuket Direct website, which also doesn't specify it as a requirement. Anyway, just a heads up for anyone who needs to renew a license or replace a lost one.

@ Jimi007

Fair call and good luck to you.

My approach is to walk in like a nameless and faceless farang, pay my 300 baht and leave.

I do not want to "know" them, and I do not want them to know me.

Having said that, I might give it a go next time.

If you go in nameless and faceless you get treated like you're nameless and faceless. My Thai has gotten a bit better over the years, and some of the guys know me. I go in dressed nicely and treat them with the respect they are due and try to make it as enjoyable as it can be for an immigration office visit. I'm usually in and and very quickly, compared to most. But then again it helps to have all your paper work in order and filled out before you get there... It can actually lead to mutual respect.

This is my experience there as well. In the past, the main problem I always had was getting them to tell me EXACTLY what documents I needed, in my case for extending my 1-year permit to stay based on marriage. In the past I have often turned up with documents I did not need (prepared at time and expense) and without the ones I did need. The requirements seem to change year-to-year. The volunteers will give you a short list, but it is not comprehensive.

But yesterday I asked for and received a comprehensive list (fortunately I can read Thai) from they guys in the back row, which I expect to make my life a lot easier...

Tangentially, I always find it interesting how Phuket Immigration seems to be set up like an offensive formation in NFL football.

I am still a bit lost on all this, but interested.

My car is about 15 years old and has some rust/dents, etc, on the bumpers and doors. I don't care what it looks like; in fact I like heading into a congested intersection for a game of chicken with fancy Fortuners and coming out the winner -- because they know I don't give a flying puck about getting another scratch.

What I am interested in is maintaining the structural integrity of the car as long as possible. Can this so called "wrapping" help in this regard?

I suspect this one to go the same way as the investigation, called for by 13 embassies, to explain what happened to all the millions they donated to the tsunami victim identification process

There is a fantastic sea food restaurant not far from mission hospital, if you pass mission hospital on your right, turn right at the lights and follow that road until you come to the restaurant on your left, we consider this to be the best sea food also consider it to be better than Laem Hin!!

The name of the restaurant you refer to is Paknam Seafood. The road it's on is called Rassadanusorn Road. It's good and not too expensive. It is a real hit with Thai bureaucrats. They also have another branch at Wongwian Nimitr (Seahorse Circle), but I have never eaten at that one.

The best eateries and nightlife near Chalong in my opinion is Phuket town. One of the reasons I don't understand why people chose to live in Chalong over Phuket town.

Nightlife:

Timberhut, Sofa, Sunaeha, Phukana, Roxy Bar etc

I tend to agree with this. Chalong is sort of a hybrid: half Patong ripoff, half Phuket Town non-ripoff. Personally I prefer the full-on experience of Patong (but only once in a great while) than anything Chalong has to offer. I am not impressed with any of the nightclubs or bars in Phuket Town, though. I think there is a real opportunity there for someone who can get the location and set-up right for a good expat hangout (think dart boards, pool tables, pretty girls, good music and room -- most of the bars in Phuket Town are too cramped and too loud).

Tango Bar (subsequently Boatyard) was a good hangout, but too remote to pick up much passing traffic...I guess that's why it closed. Anyway, if anyone finds a new hangout please keep us informed.

Phuket Land = Pandora's box