surface

Get rid of 50% of the Private cars in Bangkok, not only will that improve the pollution problems, it will also lessen the traffic congestion and give more room for the cleaner taxi's to operate. Tax the sh*t out of them, double the price of petrol for private use, triple the toll way prices for private transportation

Hi all,

it's nice to see, that no one is willing to learn from out actual problem with our climate.

I like to see all af you in 15 years, when our climate is dramatically change and you have then the choice to swim or to take a boat.

Very nice people, like the American government, nit thinking the future, only thinking there own actual moment, the rest - not interesting them.

Good luck and good swim

Cu The Cat

It's YOU not thinking of the future my friend. Sell your car and ride the skytrain, MRT, or NGV taxi like most of us and stop polluting our city!

Supposedly they have some deal where you can get a life time membership for a 1 time flat fee of like 20K.

I am assuming they would then cancel your membership through some loophole after the first year though...

They may let you keep that (for a few years anway), but it's probably a combination of the 3 or 4 day a week plan AND the off-hours only plan. Neither of those worked for me. The 21k for 2 years I worked out with them came to 875/month, which was better than the 12 months + 3 free from True.

Just need 30 days before I leave again for a non-imm visa, and don't want to go to Poipet. Are Ban Laem and Andaman Club the closest options? I rather not have to purchase a flight out at the moment, even though I will likely be getting one for my next visa run, but I'd rather wait until closer to my departure date as I haven't decided where or when I will be going to get that visa.

I hear that at Ban Laem they let you buy a 200 bhat bus ticket to cover as your departure ticket. Is that the case?

Are Myanmar crossings just a close by bus, and could I get away without needing a bus ticket or air ticket when using Myanmar?

Does Myanmar charge the same 1000 bht for a visa that Cambo does?

Ideally it should be one of the closest choices from Bangkok, does not require air ticket, and cheap over all... in that order.

I know all of this info can be found here, but I searched the first 5 pages and couldn't find what I was looking for. Also have painfully slow connection from my apartment this past week so it's taking way longer than it normally would to find the answers.

Thanks.

To save me going down there does anyone know how much the yearly fee is for california wow?

Thinking of going to the asok one. thanks. Even a rough amount would be useful.

I joined at Asoke at 19k for first year with option to renew at 2k for a second year. It took a while to get em there, and as this was my second time back, they got an attitude and wouldn't honor the price they gave me on my first visit, which was for 15 or 18 months. I originally went to True Fitness across the street, and let CW know that. I also let them know on my second visit that if they weren't interested in working something out I was ready to go sign up with True Fitness that moment. They clearly try to get as much up front as possible, but since I'll be here for a while it's fine by me.

While I think True Fitness may have better facilities, I joined Cali because there are more locations which is convenient if I want to move and need to change clubs.

Recently the music level there has started to annoy me as I like to use my ipod. They play the typical dance type gym music, but it's almost at the volume you would expect in one of the studios, not on the main floor. It's impossible to drown out the repetitive, bad music with my ipod up as loud as it'll go without hurting my ears. In the states everyone has an mp3 player and the music in the gym is much lower, but I've noticed here that most people don't have mp3 players on them, so I think my request for them to turn the music down a bit will not have much impact. If this could be a concern for you, bring your mp3 player, go upstairs, and see if it bothers you. If you think it may, you should check out True to see what their levels are like.

Also, make sure your phone has call blocking if you plan on joining as they will call you several times a week to try and sell you some crap. If I couldn't block their calls I'd be VERY pissed by now.

Glad I came accross this as I am going to Sunbelt tomorrow to get the business paperwork started, so I will definitely bring this up. As I received my last TV in Penang, and HATED the place, I was planning on going to KL, SG, or HK to apply for my business visa. I guess I'll talk it over with Sunbelt as they may know from past experiences if any of those places are a problem, but if anyone here has been to any of them for a business visa please let me know how it went.

FYI, I stayed at Bananna Guest House in Penang and used them to get my TV. They were very friendly and no problems in getting the visa. The owner was very up to date on the situation there regarding Thai visas. I would never have used them though for a business visa, regardless of what Sunbelt might say on the issue. That is something I would want to be there in person for incase they had any further questions, wanted clarity on certain things or additional information, forms filled out incorrectly, etc. If you had gone in person you surely could have gotten a reason for the refusal and perhaps might not have been refused at all.

Could you send me the name of the lawyer you are working with in a pm? Thanks.

I don't picture them trying to rob a well built 6'4" guy. You sound like a real hunk and they were probably trying to get an early morning (late night for them) piece of your fine ass.

It's hard to understand exactly what you are looking for. Could you clear a few things up for everyone here?

1) What happened to you? Did you have an accident on a rented jetski?

2) Was anything stolen from you by the jetski owner or staff?

3) What do you want from the police? Was there any crime committed? If there was no crime committed, all the police can do is make a report. If you feel you need to sue, you will have to get a lawyer and take your case to court.

Typically when you rent a jetski, you sign a waiver saying the jetski owner is not responsible for any injuries you may suffer while using the jetski, and that you are responsible for any damage to the jetski

Edit: I just noticed your other post, so I guess my first question is cleared up, but if you could answer the other two it would help me understand your situation.

Kinell!!!

Wow, was that really necessary? This is a public forum you know.

They have a store in Emporium, so possibly in the other large malls as well.

I checked out Emporium this Saturday - there is no Tommy Hilfiger on their shop index and I was unable to find the brand in any other shops there. When did you see the shop the last time and where exactly was it located?

Sh1t dude, really sorry about that! I got it confused with the Nautica store. Must have mixed up the urban baggy jeans brands together in my head.

I haven't seen anyone wearing Tommy gear in BKK, so I'd assume from that, and the fact that they don't list anywhere in Asia on their website, your not going to find any around here.

Before I came to Thailand, the doc told me you have to get help within 24 hours or you WILL die. He said there was 1 reported case of somebody living after not receiving treatment within 24 hours, in all of recorded medical history. I don't know how fast it takes hold, but if this happened last week and you don't have symptoms yet you're probably okay, but get to the hospital ASAP regardless.

This doctor was trying to sell me a rabies vaccine, but would a doctor at a reputable hospital in NYC lie to me about this just to sell me a vaccine? I didn't get it though since it was around $500.

Edit: I just noticed the OP is a week old. I hope you and your cat are okay kankaroo!

Went shopping at 10 pm last night to Carrefour Suka Saam, Ramkamhaeng Road, saw some nice Krathongs for sale at the Bakery section, but alas they had foam bases! I thought these stores had a conscience re. environmental issues, even selling Environmentally friendly shopping bags etc now.

Has anybody seen any of the others selling Them? (Tesco Lotus, Macro, Foodland, Big C etc)

I had the impression these guy's were trying to set a good example!

I bought this nice Krathong bread from Carrefour Rama IV.

Does it have to be toasted in order to float?

And much of the money is sent back to the family! My gf used to work a day shift from 8 - 5, then a night shift from 5:30 - 1:30, then attend two university classes on the weekend. With this money she takes care of herself and two sons (with occasional help from the father), and the extra is sent to mom to take care of her three nephews from her sister who doesn't help up but feels free to hit her mother up for money whenever she feels the need (and even put a black market mortgage on the mothers house without her consent/knowledge).

Many people here seem to think of most Thai's as lazy, drunks, etc., but there are clearly just as many hard workers out there sending money to those lazy types to take care of them and their children.

While the caricatures of Thai locals appear to look human, the caricatures of 'farang' are small little alien creatures with oval heads and big almond shaped eyes, and look identical to something one would associate disembarking down the ramp of a flying saucer at first contact.

A subtle message perhaps?

Never saw one myself. Do you know of any places where I'd be able to see one of these?

When I have pointed out to Thai people that the majority of European countries are not English speaking, that many States of the US have more Spanish than English speakers and that there are millions of Asians, Africans, Hispanic people, Afro-Caribbeans, etc living in the Western world, they look blankly at me.

The word seems to be based on an ignorance of the world outside Thailand. Not that this is their fault. But why do we have to adopt the word?

So why do we use it?

Looks to me that you answered you're own question. BTW, you can't assume all Thai people assume anything based on those We Love Farang stickers as I beleive Thai's refer to all caucasians as Farang, not just english speakers. The stickers are pretty offensive though since most foreigners here (Arab, Indian, African, etc) speak english, so saying you love Caucasians and dismissing the rest of the world is not cool.

Tim207 is currently sipping a fine bourbon that was aged for 100 months and then bottled in the year of his birth in 1969 where it patiently waited. He will be leaving in the morning to return to Thailand after 8 months of exhile. The question on his mind is, does he dare leave the remnants of this ambrosia where it will surely be discovered and wasted by a cretin (Tim207's brother) or should he spend his last night in Frigidia drinking from the cup of knowledge which has been awaiting his attention since the year he was brought to this consiousness?

I am sure I have more to say but, well, I think the decision has been made for me by a glass that is screaming at me that it is thirsty and a thirsty glass can not be denied. Sadly, a full glass demands to be made thirsty and a vicious cycle ensues. The real question seems to be, will Tim207 make his flight. Will the flight attendants be annoyed when he demands his 4th airsick bag? Will there be a problem when he insists that he knows how to fly better than the pilot and claims he is more sober than the pilot? All these questions will be answered in just a few short hours. Stay tuned.

put it in your luggage and give it to the first girl you pull ......

The airsick bag or the bourbon?

240/hour to use the table?

Yes

do you have to buy drinks with that?

No

thats kind of expensive, isnt it?

Compared to what? Snooker tables at 80 baht/hour? You can't really compare 40,000 baht snooker tables in some low rent snooker club to 300,000 baht Brunswick tables in a well decorated, high rent, premium location, about 6 steps from BTS and MRT stations in central Bangkok. The same in NYC would run you $25/hour (850 baht) on nights and weekends.

If you're comparing to other pool halls in the area, Ball In Hand charges 240/hr at both their Times Square and Soi 4 locations. Players, which is between this place and BIH Times Square (and is nowhere near as nice as either of them) charges 240/hr as well.

Are the prices the same in the morning as the evening?

I believe they open around 4PM, but the prices are always the same. I actually asked again about the VIP rooms and apparently the tables in there are also 240/hr unless you call ahead to reserve one which will cost you more.

Cheers.

I also thought it was odd the one time I saw this, especially being from NYC as they'll pretty much wait until the doors are clear. I along, along with the rest of the passengers, patiently waited to the side while everyone got off, then just as the last of them were exiting, the bell rang and I was lucky to jump on. I'd say 90% of folks didn't get on and the train was less than half full. After watching that, I was thinking about the same happening in NYC. There would have been a riot, and one severly injured conductor.

Agreed Damian. I was about to say something myself but thought the mods might just delete the posts or close the topic anyway. The OP was simply warning others of a potential scam, but the responses to his warning seem to be a warning against posting anything informative to the members and lurkers here, if it can be somehow be construed as saying something negative about Thailand. The rose-colored glasses brigade is out in full force today.

Or is today your anniversary and this is just a fond memory? If so, that wasn't made clear.

"your not Thai by any chance?"

Perhaps the punchline has something to do with the spelling.

There's a new pizza place on Thong Lo, between sois 7 & 9.

Called (wait for it) "New York Style Pizza". Big orange sign, you can't miss it. I was impressed.

http://www.nysp.biz/

nb. I have no interest in the company. Merely enjoyed lunch there.

A bit acedemic really, taste is subjective. As students in NY we grew up on this stuff so I have a natural bias to New York Style.

I was at the big orange place (as aboive) last Sunday, apparently just opened. Hands down the best New York style pizza I have had for a long time, brings back memories.

Do they sell slices?

Was looking for a movie to see, and came accross Fighting Beat. I was wondering if Thais think stuff like this happens. Seems to me it's usually (always?) the other way around.

It was an ordinary night on Phi Phi Island where the usual nightlife was loud and lively overflowing with foreigners at every street bar lined up on the island. KEM and a group of friends innocently fell victim to a group of doped-up foreign kickboxing fighters looking for trouble where ultimately, KEM's father was killed on the scene.

Now an orphan, KEM moved to live in a nearby temple where the head monk became his guardian. Often blaming himself for his father's death, KEM would secretly learn Thai boxing at a local MUAY THAI bar belonging to his friend's father, UNCLE PRAOW. Time passes on and KEM grows up in the Muay Thai fighting scene. Without his monk guardian's acknowledgement, KEM learns to make a living off of rigged fighting matches where he fakes a defeat to his foreign Muay Thai opponents in exchange for their tips.

Uncle Praow's Muay Thai fighting bar becomes the local attraction for visiting foreigners and word gets out to JOHN, a leader of a Muay Thai fighting team made up of foreigners called K-1. They travel to Phi Phi Island looking to buyout the bar using the facility to set up their own Muay Thai training camp, but Uncle Praow refuses to sell his property. Displeased, K-1 assaults Uncle Praow, Kem, and the employees of the bar.

In fear for KEM's life and not wanting to repeat what happened to his father, Kem's monk guardian takes him off the island to become a student of his friend, an old Muay Thai Master.

It is here that Kem learns the disciplines of the ancient Thai boxing of Fighting Beat known for fighting bare-handedly dated back to a Thai history of battle where these techniques were used in combat distinguished by 4 different regional styles from the North, South, Central, and Eastern parts of Thailand with each style owning its uniqueness and strengths.

KEM returns to Phi Phi Island to find that Uncle Praow's bar had been forcefully taken over by K-1, the same group responsible for his father's death.

Things turn violent when K-1 refuses to return the bar and KEM is forced to use his Muay Thai disciplines in order to protect himself and his friends.

The deadliest street fight is set when the ancient disciplines of Fighting Beat Thai boxing (quick, reactive, fierce, and deadly) come face to face with a modern day adapted form of Thai kickboxing combat of K-1.

KEM is put to the test while caught up in this deadly street fight. Can he overcome his feelings of revenge and rage by practicing the disciplines he has learned of the art of Fighting Beat: Muay Thai Chaiya?.... "Victory does not mean a fight to the death of your opponent, but true victory is achieved when your opponent willingly accepts defeat."

I'm sure when 99% of people here say "paying for it" they mean bar girl. If they don't, the context is usually made quite clear. I think I've seen you post that you have gf's and don't pay for it in several threads, pretty much bragging that you don't pay (though that is nothing to brag about in a developing country), so I'm really starting to wonder why you bring this up so much.

With that out of my system, I have a girlfriend at the moment, and being in a relationship in Thailand has always cost me more over a month, year, whatever, than if I was just having one night stands or paying for bar girls. Since my gf makes about 13k a month, how can I expect her to come out with me, while I live the lifestyle I want at the moment, without treating her? I can spend 15-20k a week on restaurants, movies, pool/snooker, bars, discos, taxis, shopping, etc. When she's with me, most of my costs double. This adds up to a lot more than a one night stand (just the cost of me going out), or a bar girl (1 - 2k). I suppose if you're the type that likes to stay home all day and eat 30 baht meals or cook your own meals, then a gf won't cost much.

They have a store in Emporium, so possibly in the other large malls as well.