Awk

somebody stopped paying the tea money and someone else felt he had no choice than to do something he was paid for

Can we get a "Don't Like", "Dimwit", "Go Away" or similar button, to go along with the "Like This" button?

That is why hookers are a LOT safer. they always insist on condoms, because they know the risks.

Nonsense. Hookers are in the game for money. The chances of them turning down a John and loose the money they more or less desperately need, because the John does not want to use condoms, are not overwhelmingly big.

The sad part about the lack of public information in Thailand is that people are not getting tested. If people got tested, went on antiretrovirals, and eliminated their viral load, they would not pass on the virus. This is slowly becoming realized in Western countries. The biggest advance in HIV treatment in 2011 was that "treatment is prevention". A person taking their HIV medicines regularly for six months, with no viral load, cannot pass on the virus. It is those who have not been tested, so don't know they have HIV, who are spreading the virus today.

That was news to me. The CDC site (http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/treatment/resources/qa/art.htm) seems to confirm what you are saying, though they are, presumably correctly, being a bit more conservative and saying it reduces, but does not eliminate the chance of spreading the virus.

I tried 85% once and thought that it tasted like chalk.

Try it a few more times and you might change your mind. An acquired taste as the saying goes.

I also buy the Lindt 85% most of the time since that's what I see available here, though I would

also welcome tips for something better (e.g., Valhrona).

95% Lindt (or anything else 95%) I have never seen here. I once tried 99% of some brand I don't remember

what was and did not find it delicious, but would be happy to try Lindt 95% if that's available in CM somewhere.

For higher end laptops, it seems best to import them. I saved about 33% (after taxes and shipping) by haveing my last laptop (Thinkpad) purchase shipped from China to the East coast of the US then to Thailand. It seems the prices here are more competitive for lower end machines but more expensive ones require a bit of ingenuity to avoid paying crazy prices.

One interesting note in this regard is that Thailand for some reason does not add anything other than the 7%

sales tax on laptops. Tested and tried, but do for your own sake make sure the package is very clearly labeled "LAPTOP".

Been having a bunch of old parts replaced on the even older car, so have used the opportunity to try

out some different shops and mechanics than the shop I had been using before (recommended here by some,

but not by me). Some recommended here, and some recommend by locals.

Most of the experiences have been bad or not too good, including some of the shops recommended here, but

in addition to Khun Daychar, who you can find by searching this forum, I would like to recommend this guy:

Khun Ge, who said it was ok for me to post his phone number: 08 3207 6802. He's staying around Chang Puak,

but will as said drive out to you, presumably within reasonable limits.

I'm not a mechanic myself, though I used to play one when younger, and I've also had one mechanic who has been recommended here, Khun Daychar, double check what Khun Ge said and did.

Ge does not have his own garage, but turns up with his toolbox at the appointed (thai-)time, and has done quite a bit of good work on the car (including redoing some of the crap done by others). I was hesitant to using a guy without his own garage, but for the things where you need expensive/big tools (e.g., hoisting the car up, alignment racks, etc.), he knew where to go and either made appointments for us, or took the car there himself and rented/borrowed their equipment.

While it was much more important for me to have the job well done than to have it done cheaply, his prices have been better than the clowns that overcharged for sloppy work and worn out replacement parts, so I'm happy to recommend him.

Be warned that he speaks only Thai though. If you can't find any Thai people to help you contacting him, possibly I can

hook you up with somebody who can help. Ge services her car too, so she might be interested in translating a little

in return for some goodwill from Ge and a red note or two from you.

Price and time needed is encouraging. You had it done at Phantip Plaza, which shop?

I guess to add Thai lettering should b doable too, or?

My one experience at the "PW" shop in Pantip Plaza was great, as you can read here:

I did not have an Acer, but like most shops, they seem to deal with most brands.

Don't know about that marmite crud but good old Vegemite never goes off.

I have jars that are a good 3 or 4 years old. After a nuclear war there will be cockroaches and Vegemite, thats it.

What would off marmite taste like? How could you tell?

It's not about whether it goes off or not, it's selling it at a premium price, a month past its SBD.

Ehhh, sell by, best before, it's like the pirate code, it be more of a guideline than a rule.

Obviously the staff at Tops, unlike you, understand what it means, which is why they removed it once

somebody else noticed it.

That they put it back, and that the OP had the luck of encountering the same clown when he noticed it the next day

is slightly hilarious however. I've read here before that at least some branches of rimping have some clued up

people one could try asking "why", but dunno about tops.

. Sheriff Kevin Walsh said he did not know how the FBI tracked them down in Thailand.

a law enforcement sheriff has no idea how to track a kidnapper who has been identified to the authorities ?

first ,they check his passport number in the central database,then they know the last time he flew and into which city

then ,check his atm .credit cards and see where he has been withdrawing cash ,then you have his neighbourhood /areas he frequents (say sukhumvit rd etc )

then you check how many farangs are in rented homes and guesthouses in this area (you cant rent anything anymore without your passport copy and landlord must sent that to immigration ,even if u only stay a night ) ,talk to locals about seeing a man with a little farang girl etc and show pictures of him to all the thais in that vicinity

and you will probably have him arrested within 24 -48hrs

how can a "sheriff" go in the media and say silly things "well,i dont know how ,but they found him etc "

its like homer simpson policework

Maybe he didn't want to seem like a pompous know-it-all by saying all that. Maybe he didn't have authorization to give away details of the case and said that instead of "No comment." Maybe what you wrote is how they found him but, maybe not. The report didn't ask how the girl could have been tracked down. They asked how. There are many techniques the authorities may have used besides the above. Giving an detailed answer off the top of your head when you don't have the actual facts, especially to a report, is foolish.

Obviously somebody who will never become a TV-member. ;-)

. Sheriff Kevin Walsh said he did not know how the FBI tracked them down in Thailand.

a law enforcement sheriff has no idea how to track a kidnapper who has been identified to the authorities ?

first ,they check his passport number in the central database,then they know the last time he flew and into which city

then ,check his atm .credit cards and see where he has been withdrawing cash ,then you have his neighbourhood /areas he frequents (say sukhumvit rd etc )

then you check how many farangs are in rented homes and guesthouses in this area (you cant rent anything anymore without your passport copy and landlord must sent that to immigration ,even if u only stay a night ) ,talk to locals about seeing a man with a little farang girl etc and show pictures of him to all the thais in that vicinity

and you will probably have him arrested within 24 -48hrs

how can a "sheriff" go in the media and say silly things "well,i dont know how ,but they found him etc "

its like homer simpson policework

That's probably why it took the FBI 5 years to find her rather than the 1 to 2 days you would have taken.

All without wana here even getting out of his couch, no doubt.

Based on past reports here by members who have done them, SCB simply used their DCC rate for counter withdrawals. There was no which rate would you like to use discussion at the teller counter....

I had not considered before that the rate I would get by a over the counter withdrawal ("cash advance" I believe it

is called here in Thailand) could be different, but after reading this thread I experimented with it on Saturday.

I did one cash advance inside SCB, and afterwards I went to the SCB ATM outside and withdrew money from the

ATM, using the same VISA card. The number of Baht per my VISA cards local currency I got were this:

Cash advance: 5.3185

ATM : 5.3186

I.e., a miniscule difference in favour of ATM, but I suspect this is simply due to rounding (the cash advance amount I withdrew

was unfortunately not the same as the ATM amount).

And frankly, notwithstanding what the VISA website says, I've personally run into merchants here in Thailand, as have others here, who wiill automatically ring up purchases in DCC. And if you try to object, they'll insist the rate is the same (not less) and/or that that's the only way they can ring up the transaction on your foreign card. The King Power Pullman Hotel and its restaurants is one of those places, and I've posted about it here previously. And other members have posted about some Sizzler outlets doing the same kind of thing.

I have never experienced this at Sizzler (though I now always pay in cash as the Sizzler member card, which is great value for

money to me, gives a 10% discount if you pay in cash). And while I'm sure you know, others may not know they should

check their receipt before signing. If the receipt contains anything at all relating to any currency other than Bath, you can simply refuse to sign it. Just remember the amount/day and remember to check your credit card bill when you get it later. If you refused

to sign the receipt, but it still appears on your cc bill, it should be simple enough to contact your bank/cc-company and

dispute it.

In my experience, while it might take a little time to explain why you want them to ring it up again, most shops will eventually

understand what you mean and ring it up again.

Was taken here by Japanese friends, they liked it so did we.

http://www.farangfri...sridonchai-road

I've also eaten there a few times and liked it. Quite a step up from Fuji or Zen (which is the name of the restaurant near KFC at AP), though quite expensive also. Looking forward to try some of the other places mentioned in this thread now, in particular the place mentioned opposite Dhara Devi. Never experienced a sushi buffet that was anything more than passable (and no, the

Zen buffet does not include tuna, unless you count the "tuna salad" thing), so interested in giving that a try after reading the positive comments here. Price wise it looks like it would be cheaper than some of my meals at Ichiban also.

"Zen buffet does not include tuna" it did last week when I was there, next to the salmon and the time before, I just asked for it.

I've eaten at the buffet twice, perhaps a year apart (last time a month or so ago), and never saw any tuna at the

buffet table. I did not think to ask for it though, assuming "what you see [at the table] is what you get". Good idea

if there is ever a next time there for me, though. Thanks! ;-)

The buffet at Zen is 399B if I don't remember wrong. The fourth floor, next to California Wow, also has a similarly

priced buffet (50-60B more or so), but no Tuna there either. Apart from that the selection is quite a bit

bigger than Zen, though the quality seemed to be the same or worse than Zen, the one time I ate there.

Was taken here by Japanese friends, they liked it so did we.

http://www.farangfri...sridonchai-road

I've also eaten there a few times and liked it. Quite a step up from Fuji or Zen (which is the name of the restaurant near KFC at AP), though quite expensive also. Looking forward to try some of the other places mentioned in this thread now, in particular the place mentioned opposite Dhara Devi. Never experienced a sushi buffet that was anything more than passable (and no, the

Zen buffet does not include tuna, unless you count the "tuna salad" thing), so interested in giving that a try after reading the positive comments here. Price wise it looks like it would be cheaper than some of my meals at Ichiban also.

Other than that I'm not sure what prowess you feel the specialist are lacking?

I thought it was pretty clear that I said it was scientific.

Of course. But how and which scientific prowess are lacking? Even though my education is in science, though in a completely different field, I have no idea what scientific prowess it is you feel are lacking at the person in question. I had a faint hope you could contribute something based on your own scientific prowess, which I could hopefully learn from.

Anyway enjoy the beautiful conditions there in CM later this week

Thanks for that, but I left Chiang Mai when the monitoring stations started to show the increasingly bad trends and am not planing on returning until the conditions are back to normal.

"Kitti Thupsri, technical specialist at the centre said that three aircraft are set to start the artificial rainmaking operation over Chiang Mai’s provincial seat, the first targeted location to alleviate haze and suspended dust particles that have been at more that safety standard for several days.

However, he said the operation may not be fully effective due to unfavourable weather and low humidity in the air.

The rainmaking operation will continue until October to ease the haze problem and drought in the northern region, he added."

Another impressive demonstration of the great scientific prowess here. I suspect their rain making operations will be far more successful during the May-Oct period.

Not sure if the October reference is something lost in translation or not, but seems more likely than not.

Other than that I'm not sure what prowess you feel the specialist are lacking? One or two posters here do seem to have some education in the field, and if you are one of them I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be all ears to hear from somebody with more impressive scientific prowess.

Would be a nice change from the more or less retarded rants here, including the one wunderkind who not only complained that the new air quality report site was not (yet?) available in English, but even insinuated it might be to keep the farangs in the dark about things. Never mind we are not in an English speaking country and that people like that are indeed best kept in the dark, without any Internet available preferably.

So you have only just realised that a warranty on anything in Thailand is not worth the paper it`s written on, that`s if you`re lucky enough to have it in writing.

Rather, it will vary how the company deals with it. A few months ago I returned a somewhat "high-end" (private consumer wise) DSL-router that I originally paid around 4,000 baht for. Two months before the two year warranty expired, it broke down.

I returned it to the shop in Pantip Place where I had purchased it (Goodspeed), and while I'm not to pleased with having

had to wait over two months for the replacement (eventually I convinced Goodspeed to let me borrow another DSL-router

after having waited for several weeks), I did get a replacement router eventually (a more modern version of what I had before)

without having to make a hassle out of it. Now that I think about it, I actually had to return the original router after a few days

when I bought it two years ago also (not everything that has Cisco printed on it is actually Cisco-quality it turned out).

At that time Goodspeed simply gave me a new one there and then.

So: Goodspeed: pass. Living Index: fail.

I went into California wow today with the intention of signing up for 3 months.

They had advertised a 4000 baht/3 month deal on their website but they wouldn't not honor it.

They tried to get me to pay nearly 7000 baht for the 3 months, which doesn't even make sense.

There's clearly Thai pricing and "Falang" pricing here.

Clear from what? Did a Thai inquire before or after you, and got a different price?

The latest edition of the Expat Club newsletter had a advertisement-column from Assist Thai Visa. There were two interesting items that I pass along because they are new angles (to me) on two visa situations and I am curious if anyone has experience with this sort of situation.

I have never heard of a couple sharing an 800k funds account, and, second I have very rarely heard of any Americans or others having presented consular affidavits regarding adequate pension income being asked for additional proof, Although I do believe an immigration officer may ask for any proof (or additional proof ) he or she wants, I have never heard of this being a general requirement.

From the CM Expats Club Newsletter:

If you are married and are seeking to use the sum of 800,000THB as a couple (retirement visa), you must have a stamped marriage certificate from your relevant embassy, and the bank account must only be in one name - either the husband or the wife. A joint account is not acceptable.

American Citizens, you will need to show proof as well as your declaration of income at immigration. This can be pension letters or proof of income i.e bank statements etc. If you do not have any proof and only a sworn statement you may be refused a visa.

I'm not an American citizen, and my embassy is unfortunately quite stringent on what proof it requires to issue a paper

stating my income, but for the last two years I have had to produce additional proof regarding my income. I was quite surprised the first time since I had not seen it mentioned on the visa forum, but was better prepared the next time.

Nope - I had a pizza last night at the very popular American restaurant (the one with burgers, steaks, chilli poppers, etc). Usually considered the best of the CM American-style pizzas, I won't have one again. No sauce, flavourless crust, and boring cheese. There is a NY style place in town, but he is way too variable - sometimes pretty good, and often pretty crappy - just not consistant. Mad Dogs, UN Irish, Paradise, etc - adequate only.

Which restaurant are you talking about with the 'crappy' pizza?

Duke's probably. Wouldn't say the pizza is crappy myself, but pretty consistently average, if that can be said when the

choice of that style pizza is somewhat limited around here as far as I know.

I prefer Italian-style pizza myself, and most of the Italian restaurants I've been to in the city centre serve a decent

pizza most of the time. Can't remember ever getting any crappy pizza.

Sometimes, if I happen to be in the area, I go to Pizza and Pasta, whose pizza's are better than decent, but too far away

from me most of the time. Seems to be quite popular with the Thais too. Think Pizza and Pasta serve

a thicker style (similar to Duke's perhaps) pizza too, but never tried that. Probably good too.

Sorry to hear about your problems, wjmark. I have a friend here in my apt bldg who also had problems with a misdiagnosed engine problem at Nat, that almost had him sell his bike to a wholesaler for peanuts- it turned out he needed a minor part to make it right.

I bought a CBR150 in 2006, a Wave 100S in 2007, and a CBR250 in 2011 from them. Had all serviced regularly there, and have never had even a minor problem or complaint, scratched wheel, etc.

I guess it is just the luck of the draw when it comes to these things. I've heard horror stories similar to yours from people going to some of the other majors as well.

To me it sounds more like the shop does not have too much clue, and as long as your bikes have no problems, which

I guess has been the case with your bikes, they will service the bike fine.

The problem is that if there is something wrong with your bike, be it a malfunctioning ECU, clogged carburetor, or

faulty electric wiring, you need somebody with a clue to look at it, rather than a clown repeatedly clicking the

"start" button until the battery runs out. I can do the latter just fine myself, thank you. ;-)

For CBR and up, I'd recommend Nat at the Piston shop. While he unfortunately does employ "junior flunkies" too,

he himself is both competent and honest, in addition to speaking English fluently.

Not sure if they service the smaller scooters/bikes though. Never seen any of them being serviced there, but perhaps somebody here with such a bike will ask and report back.

My experience shows that the Customs Officers at CNX seem to be far more interested in looking through passengers luggage than they are in BKK. I've never been stopped in BKK in 28 years yet it seems that at CNX I have to open my bags about 50% of the time.

Best deal is to have only carry on and as Paagai said, wander on through domestic arrivals.

No experience with being checked at either place (perhaps I look more honest), but perhaps the amount of people passing through customs in CNX is small relative to the customs staff, compared to BKK. Guess it's something one should

keep in mind, and perhaps take the hassle of doing an extra check-out/check-in in BKK on occasion.

well, interestingly enuf, i had 2 friends come in from USA, via bkk, with direct transfer to CM... 2 different airlines arriving in BKK, but both coming into CM (thai air).... this happened this past december.

both had completely different experiences, both in BKK and in CM. One of them was escorted and clear customs in CM and their baggage was at international section (in CM) as was their arrival terminal. The other person was lost in BKK, finally pointed in right direction, went thru immigration in BKK (a special one, he noted) and then his baggage was in international section here in CM but his arrival was in the domestic terminal - HAHAHAH... go figure that one.

Not hard. The last one walked the wrong way.

When arriving, there are signs pointing to domestic, and others to international. Next time, choose international

if your luggage was checked in outside of Thailand.

Any of these Christmas buffets according to past years include smoked salmon and other seafood?

La Meridian

The Duke's and the Holiday Inn usually have these kind of goodies.

IMO, the best deal in town for those on a budget is Gecko Garden. Christmas dinner is only 50 baht more than their normal Sunday buffet, but with Turkey, stuffing and other holiday fare (350 for Xmas) The food is good and there is plenty of it. It is short on atmosphere, but for that price, who cares?

Depends on what kind of atmosphere you want of course ;-), but after reading the many favourable comments about the Gecko Garden

here, I too have been eating there on occasion the last few months, and can only concur; the value for money is good, and both

staff and owner seem pleasant.

As far as I remember, the serving was at 18:30 and they were taking reservations.

When is your 90 day report actually due?

I ask as in the past they have waited until the due date to process mailed reports

Assuming that they are actually late. You should simply mail in the EMS receipt number with a polite request for a followup. Give them a chance to find it.

Your 90 day report will not effect your renewal so you can relax at worst you have to go to the 90 day report window and have them take care of it.

Good luck - let us know what happens.

They received my report a few days before it was due.

I am concerned about what the process is for someone that didn't receive the receipt by mail. A few years ago when the receipt fell out of my passport i had to go to a police station, pay them and it was a hassle.

I will never send another 90 day report by mail, very irritating.

I can only say what happened in my case. I did not get the receipt, and a few months later I went to get a one year extension.

They asked about the 90 day report, I said I had mailed it in, but did not receive any receipt. They looked through

their papers and told me they had mailed me the receipt, and that was the end of it.

I would thus suspect that in particular since you have the EMS receipt, there will be no problem whatsoever, but who knows.

I would definitely not lose any sleep over it however; worst thing that can happen afaik is you will have to pay

the 2000b (?) fine, but that seems highly unlikely with your EMS receipt.

Regards,