MickeyM

4th floor of Pantip in Bangkok - directly above S&P restaurant; a Network supply vendor.

A Premier account with HSBC (Thailand) will provide you with same day transfers with no fee from any other HSBC bank (for transfer to account of same currency, otherwise normal baht conversion fee).

Tha Prachan area (adjacent to Thammasat Univ.); many such shops inside small walkways leading to the river.

Bug & Bee Cafe - Below Saladaeng BTS on Silom

It is my understanding that the HIGH SPEED Express train is only accessible at Maksasan. There is a new local train that runs from Phayathai BTS, on the same tracks, to the airport and will take considerably longer than the Express. Ironically, it appears that it will NOT stop at Makasan, so no transfers are possible to the Express.

Try TV Air (Inside Emporium and also inside Central Chidlom). However, their service can be good or terrible, depending on the clerk.

World Group - near Oriental Hotel; on site tailoring and good quality (Multiple fittings) - around 12,000-14,000 for a suit

I have priced shopped at July Tailors on Saladaeng - very expensive (20,000+ for a suit)

Yes, I have been there several times. I believe the buffet is served only Thur., Fri., Sat. evenings and is priced at 750b net (or 1095b net with 3 glasses of house wine). During Sept./Oct. they had an outstanding bargain of the above at 2 for 1, but that is over now as far as I know. The buffet is a bit limited in comparison to some 5 star hotels, but what they have is good and the ambiance/service is very nice. They also have a free-flow wine promotion in the bar for two hours (either 4-6Pm or 5-7PM??) at 650b and a 'wine flight' at around 350b at all hours. I can provide more details - PM me.

What is in your opinion the restaurant or cafe serving the best pastries in Bangkok? I've tried a lot of the chain stores in places like Secret Recipe and I find that the cakes are somewhat...lacking. It seems they look better than they taste and use too much lard.

Best cake i've had was in Chiang Mai at a mom and pop store.

This is common throughout most of Asia. They cut the sugar back to local tastes.. or in some cases increase it to a sickening amount and think it's special.

Try the Au Bon (bad spelling I'm sure) places. You'll find them in the bigger malls and some hospitals like Bumrumgrad. They bake on premises and the pastries are the most neutral tasting (between east and west) I've found here..

Pak Bakery:

Link to Review

Petchburi Rd. Opposite First Hotel which is Soi 11. Large Guitar Shop. Another Between Soi 13 and 15.

Some are taking a perverse delight in sniping at the perfectly reasonable position taken in the OP. I've had quite a few small items (including, for example, items from eBay) delivered to Thailand by ordinary post without problems, but anything sent via the major carriers (FedEx, DHL etc) seems to attract inflated charges. We're are not talking of a major import/export business for goodness sake, just the odd domestic purchase, and some of the early posts seem completely wide of the mark.

Agreed - Postal System seems the most hassle free. Fedex and their Customs clearance provider (from my experience) are the worst; I had a shipment of books sent here by a relative (via Fedex), along with a one tutorial CD; all were declared properly. Books are normally duty free in Thailand - however, since the CD was included, Duty was charged on ALL items (3000+ baht).

I suggest you take a look at COMMART in 4 weeks. You can see some featured gadgets here. Should be a better option than sexy movie place... or why not take a look at Fortune in the meantime?

Be careful at COMMART - Last time there were some shops selling 32GB labeled Kingston USB drives that were actually only 2GB.

Many (Most?) Kingston drives selling locally are Chinese knock-offs - not really Kingston Brand.

I've never eaten there but I read an article in the Financial Times about a Chinese place in Gaysorn Plaza that is supposed to do a magnificent dim sum.

They(above) also serve a good Peking Duck. (I recall it being on the 3rd floor.)

There is also a small Chinese restaurant near the Chong Nosi BTS station (West Side) that specializes in fresh dumplings and noodles - very good and inexpensive.

Philips has them - I have their 1st generation model and have been very happy with it; At the moment (in Bangkok) they are hard to get as the staff says a new model (4th generation, I believe) is coming 'soon'. Model with Hard drive is quite a bit more expensive than the one without, of course (with the earlier model, about 6000b vs. 13,000b). However, I simply record to reuseable DVD-RW instead. Hard disk would be needed for any large volume of unattended recording only.

Have a look at TV's instead of monitors - most have a PC connection option these days, and you then have a TV in addition to a monitor.

Street stalls at night along Petchburi (south side) near Soi 10.

New Samsung S2 drives (up to 500GB) are quite nice - 3 Year warranty. 3650b at Pantip for 500GB.

Well for what its worth, these three hospitals are most often mentioned by

farangs, but there are many other good hospitals too.

You will probably cut your costs in half if you go to St Louis Hospital

near the Surasak BTS station down in lower Satorn.

Very modern and some excellent doctors.

It is worth a visit or a call to set up an appt with an OB.

Good luck

Agreed; I switched from the busy/factory like operations at Bumrumgrad and BNH to St. Louis and am very happy with their services (at 25-50% less cost).

There is a DELL operated retail shop at Pantip (Petchburi); also several other retailers with DELL products.

Vie Hotel (New hotel on Phayathai -Opp. Asia Hotel) has a good buffet promotion thru Oct. (Thur./Fri./Sat. Only); 2 buffets for price of one (750b net for 2 people).

Mate, My advice is that you buy nothing permanent in Thailand. Many good reasons if you want to preserve your savings. Just do some inquiries. If anyone is honest to you that bought property here they will tell you that it was a big mistake.

I bought a 140 sq/mtr at 27,000 sq/mtr (Near Siam) in 1999. Am I dishonest in saying I am happy?

(My Advice: Look for used condos in a well maintained bldg. Usually much cheaper than new buildings.)

Bug and Bee Cafe (at Saladaeng Station) on Silom - Free Wi-Fi

Books should not be charged customs duty in Thailand - all other merchandise is subject to duty. I have never been charged on a 'books only' shipment. If you mix books with other merchandise on the same order, Customs charges are unpredictable.

T.S. Southern Thai Restaurant (Near Petchburi/Phayathai Intersection - adjacent to BTS)

Could be some truth about going broke.

If you see the owners house in Mai khao beach, it's amazing

3 hole golf course, tennis court etc sitting on 20 rai of absolute beach front

I got to take a look because it is quietly on the market for $24m u.s.

2 years and still no buyers

The home is called "Beyond"

You can buy something decent in Florida for that. No wonder it's been on the market 2 years...

A recent article about the house (w/photo):

Link to Owner's House