THAILIBAN

Pantip Plaza in Pratunam is ground zero for anything IT in BKK and that's not too far from Sunphlu. There are dozens of repair shops in there.

Very close by the tallest building in BKK - Bayoke Tower II. Perhaps you can see it from there.

and it as well is the most likely place in the entire kingdom of Thailand where are non-Thai will experience a giant rip-off when it comes to purchasing or reparing anything.

as for EKKAMAI Bus-Station: get off at ON NUT BTS-station when coming from Pattaya by Bus, and problem is solved.

Thonglor police are not nice to deal with indeed, I guess they have the worst reputation together with the Silom-Brownies

Stayed at Thipanetr-Market a year ago or so.

English is (same at other B2-locations, as I know from my research) virtually non-existent, and the staff are rather unwelcoming to non-Thais. In fact, they were the least friendly of any hotel-staff I encountered in Thailand ( and I have seen 200+ Hotels in Thailand).

The

rooms at the Thipanetr-branch were surprisingly big and ectually quite nice. cheap finishings though, expect those hot4els to fall apart wiothin 10 years. but for the Thipanetr-B2 I paid just 500 THB which was great value.

free WiFi too, even though their password- system is annoying and the front-desk staff are not flexible with it at all.

other locations are less convenient, but the Thipanetr-Branch is great and therefore, fully booked almost every day.

there is another one, recently opened, in convenient location near Nimmanhaemin in a small Soi behind the Kad Suan Kaew. But I understand this is a "B2-Premier" and will be more expensive.

12th of Nov: walked straight to the officer at around 23.15 hrs (who then tried to cheat me and stamped in only 30 days instead of 90 - but as I always have a look at my passport after leaving the immigration desk, I quickly discovered this and went back - the lady just had closed her desk and wanted to flee, but I was faster )

THAI SMILE is basically just THAI AIRWAYS with a new livery painted on their aircraft.

90% of the "new" flights are not new, those flights they have just taken over from Thai Air.

You can even earn miles on all domestic routes and fares, and on international routes the THAI ROP-rules apply.

I thinkt they don't know what to do with that useless and unwanted hybrid-model. And yes, they are VERY expensive, just 5% or so less than the regular Thai flights.

they should BURY these THAI SMILES again, and let NOK AIR grow naturally instead. NOK has quite a smart management, not making big waves or headlines, but producing solid financial results quarter by quarter.

Hope they will be flying internationally again one day, to kill the monopoly that expensive AirAsia enjoys on many routes

How can you blame Air Berlin for charges levied by Etihad ??

A little research on the subject would have yielded all the answers.

I cannot understand how anyone can expect to pay only one luggage surcharge when flying 2 flight legs with 2 different companies.

And if your friend's German or English was as clear as in your post above, I can understand that phone inquiries resulted with different answers.

Some companies have greater luggage allowances, even greater when flying business.

I think 43 Kg would be no problem flying business with Oman or Etihad (and maybe even Emirates since they recently increased their allowance to 30 Kg in Economy)

It was most probably not "two different companies".

such itineraries usually carry the flight number of only one Airline (interline agreements / code-share) , e.g. if you book on Air Berlin, both of your flights will have an AB code, even though the second leg is operated by EY. same goes if you book on Etihad. then both flights will carry an EY code, even the flight out of Germany might (or might not, as EY itself operates from several airports in Germany too) be operated by AB.

about your comment on the English skills of the OP:

How pathetic of you....... how many languages do YOU speak ?

nuff said

I moved a couple of weeks ago from Huay Kwang to Asoke, so similar distance to you. I paid 4,500 baht for a large truck (mattress, washing machine, lots of boxes, exercise machine, tv, etc). They charge 1,500 for a pick up size truck.

I'll post a link later...

http://www.phara-tra...o=10&art=377261

I used P3.

They charge per trip.

did that rate include 2 helpers to carry your stuff ?

on their website they prominently display a mobile-number - do they speak English (at least the Manager) ?

I am looking to rent a unit in an older Condo anywhere in Bangkok. The reason is I need SPACE and most units of new Condos only have 25-35 sqm at ridiculous prices.

Found an offer at Commonwealth Condo, 72 sqm at 12K, which would suit my needs.

Is the place any good ?

or any other suggestions for other inexpensive Condos in the same price / square category ?

Thanks

to follow up the topic and share with others who might be looking for the same thing in the future:

Went to my Tesco Lotus (Bangkapi/Happyland). there was no LOTUS pharmacy, but another quite big pharmacy called RX PHARMACY very near the cashier counters.

They had exactly that "ethyl alcohol" from the link lopburi3 shared with us.

bought two bottles at 43 THB each (even though there was a pricetag printed on the bottle by the manufacturer saying it is 52 THB each).

I would have liked to attach a pic, but no idea how to do that. when I click on "image", the Forum-system asks me for a URL ? Huuuuuh ?

nevertheless, thanks to those who helped me with the matter {"~_~"}

Yangon:

The Traders is a good hotel, if you are willing to spend US$ 300/night. Last time I stayed at the somewhat cheaper (but in in walking distance) Park Royal, a mere US$ 200/night. My customer now told me about the Summit at US$ 85/night, near Shwedagon Pagoda, but I haven't seen it yet. I'll try it next time, will report back.

As far as the gay scene is concerned, I haven't seen anything. Maybe I didn't have the time for it, maybe I'm just not as attractive as IJWT. Ladies for the night were offered to me at US$ 50 to100 though. Which shows a bit with regards to supply and demand.

well, now as the "Mainstream" discovers Myanma (why so late - the regular people would have been happy if many more visited much earlier), prices are indeed becoming ludicrous.

So the Park Royal is 200 $ now in low season ? Well, I paid 63 $ in August 2011 and it was indeed a nice place to stay with a great Pool, very professional staff and a decadent BF-Buffet that made me feel guilty when I was thinking under which circumstances the average Myanma citizen lives.

Traders would have been 75-80 $ in August 2011 (still have the 2011 hotel-pricelist of the entire country here on my table, which my Yangon travel-agent-buddy gave me). I loved the Traders for it's very Central location and the big Coffee-Shop / Lobby lounge, where the WiFi was fast by Myanma Standards and free if you spent at least 5$. I spent hours there several times a week to do my work, with barely any other guests around. they had a "afternoon-snack-buffet" too (in the Philippines they would call that MERIENDA), it was 12 $ if I remember that right, a lot of small bites that could easily go as a late-lunch, plus coffee/tea as much as you want.

SUMMIT PARKVIEW, a decent 3-star with a quite okay BF-buffet, very near to Shwe Dagon Pagoday but not near to anything else (except the great but expensive Myanma-style "FEEL MYANMA FOOD"-restaurant , cost 38$ in 2011 (stayed there too in 2011) - ah so it's 85$ now, well, good on them, they have only doubled their rates within 1 year, not tripled as the other hotels.... 55555+

In low season of 2010, I stayed at the SEDONA in Northern Yangon (with one of the nicest Pools I have seen anywhere in a City-Hotel in Asia), which was 55$ that time, now 250$ if I remember that right. I met the CEO of Sedona-group (Singaporean company) during the ITB BERLIN 2012, but didn't dare to raise the topic ;-)

Let's make no mistake about that - MYANMA has transformed to one giant RIP-OFF-destination in less than 12 months thanks to the skyrocketing demand and the greedyness of the hoteliers there, only topped by BHUTAN. Dual Pricing (more than double for foreigners) for food has long been a standard in many Restaurants - as they can not read the Myanma-language Menu, and even the numbers can not be read by the average visitor.

More and more Airlines are suddenly "discovering" Myanma, shuttling in thousands of tourists on package tours, but the Hotel-inventory is still the same, so prices will continue to rise (even though the new government finally realized the problem and set a limit for each category). I am really really grateful that I was able to travel to this country while it was in its early stages of transformation in 2009/2010/2011. I would have wanted to go there in 2012 too, and my Myanma-friends (yeah I found real friends between the locals there in a very short time - unthinkable in Thailand even after 10 years living here) where inviting me more than once, but I gave it a miss in 2012. now it's only for those who don't care to pay frivolous amounts of cash. and staying at a private home as a foreigner is still illegal - though this will probably change rather sooner than later.

Oh, but I wish the people of Myanma all luck of this world. They are so lovely, welcoming, open-minded and smart, and have been going through so much hardship over the past five decades.

I believe the rules and regulations are according to international standard. However, they are not being enforced.

Who is responsible for this? The mayor (governor) of Bangkok, or the chief of police? Shouldn't this be brought to their attention?

By the way, does anybody know the owners of the places on Soi 2, probably of DJ Station? What kind of people are they, that they don't care about fire safety?

sorry to say, but I think you are extremely naive. Did you ever ancounter any Thai nightclub owner who would be concerned about his patrons safety ? He is concerned about the thickness of his wallet, and how to escape the law if something bad happens (and they are all well aware things can happen). That applies to all such establishments, not just those geared towards the gay crowd.

needless to say, unless things have dramatically changed, DJ-Station is one giant death-trap, particularly as it is usually packed to the guts every weekend from Friday to Sunday

Paul, I didn't go hunting for them, but I've heard that you can make advance contact with persons of the type you describe in Myanmar online.

In my personal view, as someone who has recently visited Myanmar frequently and is certainly OPEN to gay contacts- things are subtle. I tried to avoid hanging out in the most touristy areas, but on the other hand since you're only ALLOWED to stay in certain hotels, that limits things (and you must be registered with the police by the hotel).

There are some clubs- not specifically gay- where it may be possible to meet gay guys interested both in you and/or your wallet. I didn't feel like pushing my luck at such places though I certainly found them fun if you like a club/dance place. They don't have, to my knowledge, what can be recognised as a regular 'gay scene' in a Western nightlife sense- they barely manage to have a 'straight scene' in that sense.

Some people will send out 'vibes' as you encounter them. Don't be afraid to try to talk with them- many people speak English well and enthusiastically, even if it's only because their grandmother taught them. People will flirt and be willing to start talking anywhere. Don't go where you would go as a tourist, go where the people would go in their daily routine- teashops, restaurants, markets, etc. Just as in a Thai sense, guys are not 'macho'. A tall, cute, bouncy Chinese guy who said he was looking for girls kissed me goodnight in front of his friends at one place.

You'd be better off making long-term friends and perhaps things could develop from there- that's for Myanmar, anyway.

you have been visiting Myanmar frequently ?

that's somehow hard to believe.

You can stay in more or less ALL hotels that are registered. non-registered are only the cheapest rundown joints where no Westerner would really want to spend a night (with the walls spitted at everywhere and such).

OF COURSE there is a gay scene, and it is well-organized with frequent and weekly Partys at upscale Clubs (which OF COURSE do exist). Just be aware that those places are being patronized by Hi-Class-people (be they gay or not), who in many cases come from families associated with the military / Junta. Needless to say, a foreigner is not necessarily welcome there, as foreigners are being seen as a threat to their (mostly illegally gained) wealth, while they were exploiting the country. only very rich guys can afford to pay the entrance fee at such places (pioneer Club for example), which might be 5-10 $, which is almost a weekly salary for a regular worker.

those Parties / events are being published on several websites and Myanma messageboards.

outside of Yangon there is no such thing as an organized gay-scene though, maybe except for the yearly Thaungbyone-festival, which I attended both in 2010 and 2011 and was the most exotic and spectacular thing I ever saw/did in my life. Tenthousands of locals (families with children happily enjoying themselves and next to groups of gays and Ladyboys) at night, and me the only non-Asian face (there were are handfull of Western tourists during daytime, but noone at night - and it goes on 24 hrs a day for 7 days).

Myanma guys are not Macho ? Wow that's utter nonsense. They are the most Macho non-Muslim guys anywhere in South-East-Asia, same level as regular Filipino guys. And Chinese are not actually of "Bhamar" ethnicity, so they can not be really counted (and are only a small minority anyway).

Oh and, particularly In that connection you need be aware what is GAY and what is HOMO in Myanma - very important ;-)

ah okay, my Tesco would be Bangkapi/Happyland.... so we r near ;-)

it is actually quite a big Tesco and more a full-size shopping Mall, so I guess it will have a LOTUS-pharmacy there too.

Will give it a try and go there right now as the sun is shining (very rare in the past few weeks) and obviously no thunderstorm approaching

@lopburi

is that a pharmacy inside a TESCO LOTUS ? have a Tesco nearby.....

if so, never noticed they have such a thing......

((reference to removed post))

@satcommlee

yeah it was exactly these two chains who didnt have it.

@lobpuri

thanks for the LOTUS hint, will ask Dr. Google if there is an outlet nearby my (suburb-) location

and will bring a printout of your posted pic so even a non-english-speaker will know what I want

it is for cleaning surfaces that have been covered with MOLD btw..... the homework-stores only have those chemical sprays that contain chlorine which is a serious threat to health and that I definitely will not use....

I was surprised that I wasn't able to buy Methyl Alcohol / Isopropanol in the two big homework-retail-chainstores here as well as two big drugstore chainstores. I mean, it is actually rather a common item as it is /useful / needed to do some specific cleaning / desinfection jobs or not ?

any hints where to find it ?

ARRRGGGGHHH...... silly typos in the headline, but cannot edit headline :-/

MODs, pls help

.

@) madmitch

Despite being very busy, there was no shortage of slots at Swampy. New slots have been willingly offered to new budget carriers just in 2012 (such as SCOOT). as Yermanee (Ger-ma-nyyyyyy ???) said, it was AirAsia's own (wrong!) decision to make the move.

They will regret that though, as we will see on October 1st, which might create a big Chaos at DMK, as this airport is certainly NOT well prepared yet to handle AirAsia's traffic.

c) Yermanee

As mentioned, I agree with your opinion regarding AirAsia's decision.

Though I don't see "Smile filling the gap". They will just be replacing some of Thai's flight's, same as it happed with CNX, Udon etc.

I just checked their HKT - CNX flight, and THAI is ceasing to operate that route on the day SMILE takes over.

No additional capacity - it is less capacity than before !

Thai Smile only operates A320 aircraft, whereas THAI used plenty of ancient A300 (on that HKT-CNX route, for example), which accomodated 249 or 260 (depending on the configuration).

A 320 only seats 180 Pax, or 186 at most, if you are trying to give your PAX a sardine-can experience.

So the headline of the article should rather be:

"THAI AIRWAYS GROUP is dramatically reducing capacity on CNX-HKT route"

The price of 2.700 for BKK-HKT is nothing to rave about either - with Bangkok Air you can usually get a ticket on a great full-service Airline for no more than 2.500 THB, unless you book just a day before (but still even then sometimes), or unless it is peak season.

The only good thing is that you can earn THAI and StarAlliance Miles on SMILE DOMESTIC flights, as those even have a TG flight number

.

Yeah most probably it will happen like that. though I am not exactly happy to see the furniture dumped at a wasteland area, I acknowledge there is probably little chance to do it different way. Luckily I just found out that almost 80% of the movers in Bangkok are located in my district, so they may indeed agree to make some exta THB.....

Hmmmmm...... I believe there must be quite some Farang who must have had a similar problem after the floods last year. wonder how they disposed damaged/unusable furniture....

Try www.quickmovethai.com . I found them very reasonable. Good luck with your move!

did they have an English speaker at least in their office ?

Due to a water damage in my absence and the subsequent growing of mold making the furniture unusable, I need to dispose all furniture of the sleeping room as quickly as possible.

Though I have no idea whom I could call or employ for this.

I know it is easy to find a local guy with a pick-up to MOVE things, but I have no idea who to call/employ to not only take those furniture out but as well DISPOSE it. any hints / suggestions ?

thanks

Due to an incident (water damage) in my apartment while I was away for several weeks, mildew grew in and on my furniture, which I will have to dispose. the clothes did not grew visible mildew, but there might be spores of mildew on them, so I need to wash them as hot as possible to get rid of it. I don't have the space to operate a washing mashine in my apartment and always use the mashines in my housing area.

Unfortunately, I have no clue where to find a laundry that uses HOT water or has a hot water washing mashine. several years ago I already tried to find one in my vicinity as I want my towels, bed-linen to be laundered in hot water, but to no avail.

I know I could do it in a hotel laundry, but that would coust me probably many thousand THB (50 pieces or so).

so, if somebody of you knows of a place in Metropolitan BKK, then please let me know. Doesn't matter in which part of BKK as long as it inside the Metropolitan Province of BKK.

Thanks

does anybody know if it is possible to rent any kind of four-wheeled vehicle there ? something inexpensive, such as a Jeep (suzuki and the likes). or maybe a Tuk-Tuk with driver for a day as you can in Cambo (though rather unusual in Thailand).

otherwise will have to go via Phitlok and rent the 700-Baht Toyota Vios Manual from Avis at the airport there to take it all the way to Mae Sot.....

note: I definitely do NOT want a motorbike, so no need to suggest that, thanks

In most countries if not all, you need a return tickets if you are on vacation...not tit for tat..

In the Philippines YES you need that ALWAYS,

in other neighboring countries such as Malaysia or Singapore you don't need that - at least not if you fly carriers such as AirAsia, Tiger, MAS..... they will never ask to see a return ticket

Does anybody know if there will be places for public viewing of the games like it was the case in 2010 / 2008 / 2006 ?

Central World maybe ?

Will Pubs / Clubs be allowed to stay open until 3.30 a.m. during those days ?

or what about hotels ? any events at Lobby Bars / Lounges ?

it's more fun to watch in company than at home.....