THAILIBAN

Never see UDON-CM - what airline?

NOKAIR

TRUE is able to control your complete traffic in and out while using Proxy! Which means they are able to control what you do on the Internet and what you down- and/or upload!

so how can this be avoided then ?

Hello Ladies,

I hope u dont mind a male intruder here, but I thought it is appropriateto to post that here in this sub-forum.

I will soon return to my home-country in Europe for X-Mas and will have the pleasure to see my new-born nephew (2 months old then) for the first time.

I want to bring a small gift, maybe something "typical" or "useful" or just "funny", which my brother and his wife can not find in Europe.

nothing of a big value (as my Brother is making tons of money over there), just something nice and unique.

can be clothes, a toy, just anything......

any suggestions what to buy and where to find ?

thank you....

From the post I would say the direct bus service to Vientiane from Udon requires that you have your visa as they do not want to wait for those without to process.

correct, and it was always like that, its not a new rule.....

I've flown with AirAsia about one hundred times over the past several years. I would say that 85% to 90% on-time performance sounds about right to me.

Yeah I agree with that. I did fly with them about 20 times this year only, but since the other budget airlines moved back to Don Muang, they have NEVER been late, no matter if it was an AK or FD flight number. in about 30% of the cases, they were even AHEAD of scheduled departure time.

I wonder if those reports by other TV-members are actually experiences year 2007, or long time before....

things have changed completely since opening Suwannaphum and the other airlines moving back to Don Muang.

In many cases, delay is not the fault of AirAsia (or other Airlines), its just that a few stupid morons show up late at the departure gate and the plane - already prepared to take off - has to wait for them

In Europe, it still seems to be possible to get a 1-year-multiple B with just a recommendation letter from a Thai Company , or even a Foreign company doing business (tourism for example) in Thailand.

At least in the honorary consular offices it seems to be possible, while at the embassies it might be very difficult....

though, didnt hear any new reports about that matter in the past few months.....

Philippine Airlines, the only logical airline to use as Manila is your mid point.

PR is for sure not the logical airline to use. He asked for a CHEAP airline, and a one-way ticket on PR costs u a fortune, its usually more expensive than a discounted return-ticket with them.

Cebu Pacific is a much better and more economical option, and is actually the REAL only logical airline for those destinations, if u want a CHEAP fare and a ONEWAY-TICKET.

they are flying both BKK - MNL as well as MNL-Shanghai

a one way one PR will probably cost u 3 times as much as on Cebu Pacific.

and, by the way, Cebu Pacific has the youngest airfleet on the entire planet....

Hi!

Have to travel from Nongkhai to Chiang Rai / Chiang Sen. Is there a regular bus service (or from Udon/Khon Khaen to Chiang Rai)?

Cheers from Samui,

Claude

yes there is one from Chiang Rai to Udon, (therefore, it is very much likely that this bus goes in the opposite direction as well.....).

not the luxurious version, though, must be something between 1st class and 2nd class..... not very comfortable for a Farang to travel 10 hours....

in 2005 I sent a Thai friend back home from Chiang Rai to Udon, and even he was just 165 cm and small body, he did not like the journey very much....

if money is not too much an issue for u, why not fly UDON - CM and then take the VIP24-Bus to Chiang Rai from there ?

Made the journey to Birmingham today fellas and i was very impressed. No appointment was made, I was met in the reception by some chap who collected my passport, application form, 2 photos, A letter from my family gauranteeing my repatriation and a fee of 105 pounds, I stated on the application that i was visiting thailand for tourism/buying a car. The guy nipped off upstairs with my documents and within 10 minutes he was back with my 1 year multi entry visa and i was on my merry way. It was beauracracy made simple!!

so what you got was a non-IMMI-O or non-IMMI-B ?

if i read that right from ur ID, u r born in 1979 ?

if they give non-IMMI-O so easily, that would be really amazing....

many of Bangkok's big Sawngthaews plying the routes not suitable or served by BMTA-busses can be rent for a couple of hours, or - in ur case - for short trips. if you know some locals in BKK, they should be able to help u with that matter......

i dont know which area u r going to, so cannot give u more advice....

there are many websites who DON'T do that.

Hoteltravel.com for example, will only charge u a few days before ur actual arrival at the hotels, no matter how early u booked.

and other websites dont require full paymennt upfront.

for example, in Malaysia you can book with AWD (kl-hotels.com, for example) and they will only charge u 10% deposit at the time of booking, the rest u pay to the hotel directly upon check-in.

many ways lead to Rome, obviously.....

i had something to do at lower Sukhumvit, 3 days ago, and decided to treat myself a subway sandwich for the first time since many months..... went to that branch next to LANDMARK HOTEL, and indeed it was MUCH SMALLER than any subway sandwich I ever had before (even at that specific branch). will not go to Subway again....

oh, by the way, arent these Sukhumvit branches owned by one of the sponsors of this Forum ?

strange tactics in marketing..... they may know a lot about VISA and LAW in Thailand, but sure somebody needs to teach them on marketing-issues.....

What does the size of the sandwich have to do with the marketing campaign implemented by it?

very simple:

people dont come back..... no more revenue.... the place was already kinda deserted, and it was prime time for food around 6.30 p.m.....

this topic can actually be closed now after they have been bought by TUI INTERNATIONAL. certainly a lot of things will change there soon.... and one thing for sure, this French guy with a dubious reputation in the tourism-scene made big bucks selling his company to such a "big player" as TUI....

I need a cheap return for Brussels - BKK - Brussels.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

I personnely I flight TURKISH already 4 times because of the convienend with connections BKK-IST waiting time about 2 hours the IST-BRU theis aircraft BKK-IST are airbus between IST-BRU they are pity only old boeings 737

p.s. there price is not too bad srevice aboard is so so

flight times BKK-IST about 9 Hrs

IST-BRU about 3 Hrs

gdk

I agree with that. I was reluctant to fly TURKISH, due to their bad name and poor safety record (rank 50 out of the 50 biggest airlines), but when I finally did fly with them, (cause the schedule was extremely convenient from my european home town, and they allow 30 Kg check-in-luggage for ALL passengers) I was surprised how good it was. short transit time at istanbul, and both aircraft quite new, an A340 on the IST-BKK leg, and a B737-800 to my European home town.

food was very good on the short-haul-flight, but it sucked a lot on the IST-BKK flight (some nasty and tasteless cold platter only, no warm meal, and then a poor breakfast).

if their discounted one-way-fares would not have been going up 30%, I would probably fly them all the time, particularly now, as they are about to become a full member of Star Alliance, starting 1st Jan. of 2008

went to subway today and sandwichs are half the size they used to be.

(and please have some self respect for yourself and dont make a 6inch/12inch joke)

i had something to do at lower Sukhumvit, 3 days ago, and decided to treat myself a subway sandwich for the first time since many months..... went to that branch next to LANDMARK HOTEL, and indeed it was MUCH SMALLER than any subway sandwich I ever had before (even at that specific branch). will not go to Subway again....

oh, by the way, arent these Sukhumvit branches owned by one of the sponsors of this Forum ?

strange tactics in marketing..... they may know a lot about VISA and LAW in Thailand, but sure somebody needs to teach them on marketing-issues.....

since the other domestic airlines moved to DMK, AIRASIA is almost always on time, mostly even AHEAD of scheduled time (as they are extremely strict when it comes to check-in-times, means if you arrive 43 minutes before departure, the check-in-counter will most probably be closed already).

but: there is a huge risk flying ANY airline if u only leave 1.15 between the flights, particularly as u connect from domestic to international. I would leave at least 2,5 hours between the flights. in your case, as u fly 1st class on BA as u say, it may make sense to contact BA beforehand and tell them that u might be late, and ask for a phone number of the airport-office.

so, if u realize ur flight departing CNX is leaving late, u could call them and tell them that you are a first class passenger and will arrive late. I am sure they will try to make everything possible for you.

but again, what is 4 hours transit compared to the danger of missing an intercontinental flight. Suwannaphum is better than its name, and there are PLENTY of decent coffee-shops or restaurants on the floor between departure and arrival halls, where u can easily spend ur time, reading the BKK Post or buy an english Mag...... and u fly first class, so u will have - even much more convenient - access to the first class lounge, with free flow of drinks, snacks abound and comfortable lush armchairs....

yes stey stopped the KHONKAEN route as well..... again..... its already the 2nd time they started flying to Khonkaen and then stopping after a few months (last time was in 2005, if I remember that right....

it's a pity that they stopped Langkawi, but I have been on this flight myself and that was already a few weeks after they started flying to there..... it could be foreseen that this destination wouldnt last long....

another destination which they cancelled silently was Bangkok-KotaKinabalu..... which is a pity too, as it was the only non-stop connection to the wonderful nature-destination of Borneo.

its obvious that they will concentrate on CHINA in the near future, as this market offers almost unlimited growth at the moment..... the Malaysian Mother-company already announced flights Hong Kong few weeks ago, as well as Guangzhou.... Kunming will certainly follow in the near future....

And the THAI AirAsia will try to get landing rights for these places as well, as soon they get more of the new Airbus A320.....

About Langkawi: It was my first time there and I really liked the relaxed and 100% hassle-free atmosphere, relatively unspoiled nature and low number of tourists even during peak season, but its still not toooooo difficult to get there. you can fly to Hat Yai (therefore save the international departure Tax and the higher international fuel-surcharge), then take a Mini-Bus to the Jetty in Satun, then further to Langkawi by ferry....

these people at that new agency (or whatever it is) have absolutely no clue of what they are doing. this has hurt the reputation of ThaiVisa already a lot.

u know what is the headline of their "Promotion" page ? they just list all the destinations of AIR ASIA at a higher price than when u book directly through AirAsia, and thats all about it......

I dont know what was the reason to terminate the partnership with MusicTravel (MONEY MATTERS, I assume.....) but that was a big mistake for sure......

if u know something about MARKETING, then u will be aware that "the first impression counts". if that first impression is mediocre, you will never ever be able to "repair" that..... and if, it will cost u a fortune in advertising / P.R.

they erased some regime-critical Films from IRAN from the schedule, cause the IRAN Government (or Mullahs?) was not amused, isnt it ? That kinda s*cks...... will certainly NOT go there to see any film.... I dont support oppression

so buy AOT shares my friends.

can

not

BUY,

BAHT

too

HIGH

Thanks god I did rent and not buy anything......

we Farang should not forget that most of us still have an "emergency exit" by returning to our native country...... the THAIs dont have that privilege, in case the economy declines extremely.....

I guess many Farang here (including myself) wait if there is a change in the political climate after a new government has been elected..... and if that new government is then ABLE and WILLING to address the problems (that includes the increasing crime rate).....

options:

1)

HKT - KUL AirAsia

KUL - MNL CEBU PACIFIC

2)

HKT - SIN Air Asia or TIGER AIRWAYS or JETSTAR

SIN - MNL JETSTAR or CEBU PACIFIC

3)

HKT - BKK Any Thai Domestic Airline

BKK - MNL CEBU PACIFIC

it of course depends on ur itinerary, but the cheapest is probably version 3), because u will only have to pay the international departure Tax one time. though, Bangkok with it's 700 Baht is the most expensive place for departure Tax, compared to KUL - LCCT or SIN - Lowcost-Terminal.

if you have plenty of time and still want it cheaper, take the bus to Hat Yai and from there take another one to KL, then u will only have to pay for one flight.

Air Asia (from KUL to CRK - Clark Airport) and TIGER AIRWAYS (from SIN to CRK - Clark Airport) may be even cheaper, but then u would have to get the shuttle bus from Clark to downtown Manila (about 2-3 hours).

interesting...... I was in HK too lately. did u take pictures of those infamous mansions ? I really would be interested to know how those rooms look like......

Here's the photies as promised.

There are 2 inside the cubicle-like room and 2 of the tower block itself. This is Mirador Mansion which is very close to Chungking Mansion and is supposedly a slightly upmarket version of it. The block has 16 floors, I think, and is shaped as a court so it has four sides with a "hole" in the middle. Apart from many guesthouses, I also saw other types of business activity being conducted in the tower block, namely trading companies, small-scale garment factories, internet cafes and hookers patrolling the corridors.

thanks BRIGGSY-BIRD...... it looks....ermmmmmm....... "interesting" ...... and tiny indeed.....

me stayed at the Ibis North Point just next to a subway station, booked directly through Accor Asia, small but very decent room on the 21st floor, 440 HKG$...... maybe worth the extra money..... but who knows, maybe one day the MANSIONS swallow me too

Thanks cndvic!

But I think I've to change my business cards with the new name of Samut Prakarn!!

taking over the crocodile farm ???