THAILIBAN

Maybe this will put Don Muang back in the running as a full time budget terminal.

thats what I am saying since the first day Don Mueang reopened..... and it WILL happen within the next 12 months......

Don Mueang will be the Hub of the Budget-Airlines, be it domestic or International, and the CobraSwamp will be the one for the big carriers, Alliances and connecting flights.....

and at THAI AIRWAYS they will be very happy as soon as the new government makes such a decision, because then they can go back to the CobraSwamp Airport without admitting one of their biggest mistakes of the past decades (which was returning to DMK with most of their domestic flights and loosing tenthousands of passengers to AirAsia), and therefore, not loosing face.....

I am always surprised to learn, that even travel agents in Europe still think Thailand is such a safe place, compared to other tourist-destinations in the area, such as Vietnam or Malaysia.....

one of the biggest problem in Thailand is the lazy and corrupt police, and I am sure they wont do anything to address this problem there in Phuket, until they get a Kick in the A.R.S.E by TAT or a local tourist association, when they feel that the tourist-Dollars are going to be spent at some other destinations....

I wish that these cheapies would include Manila in their schedules also

Indeed I was always wondering why ThaiAirAsia did not yet start flying to at least Clark/Angeles, its 3 hours from BKK. From KL they already fly there, though its a a slightly longer distance and almost 4 hours flight time.

One reason might be that all those new Chinese destinations are more profitable, and that CEBU PACIFIC, which (and that as a budget airline!) has the youngest airfleet in the world, is already plying this route.

CEBU PACIFIC has frequent promotion-offers where the one way to BKK is 1.499 or 999 Pesos (about 1120 / 750 Baht), it even was 1 Peso sometimes, plus Taxes.

Cebu Pacific is reliable, allows 20 KG of check-in luggage and allocates seats.....

did use them domestic in the Phils all the time.....

Flying to Indonesia from Thailand was a quite expensive experience in the past, and THAI AIRWAYS INTERNATIONAL being the only carrier offering non-stop-flights to either Denpasar (Bali) or Jakarta.

though Garuda flies directly too, but not non-stop, making a time-consuming stop in Singapore (and I am pretty sure most people - including myself - would want to avoid too many touch-downs and take-offs with them after their nasty Yogyakarta-Experience last year).

Budget-flights to Indonesia did not exist until now. the reason might have been that it is quite a long and fuel-consuming ride of 3.20 Hours to get to jakarta, and even 4.00 hrs to Bali.

but finally, such connection exists. AirAsiaIndonesia is flying non-stop to Jakarta, starting 1st of November (hopefully Bali will follow, which for sure would attract a lot more leisure-travellers).

Well thats the good news, the big surprise is: Almost NOBODY in Thailand is aware of this new connection, as it is not advertised in any way by THAI AIR ASIA on the THAI website.

its only advertised heavily on the Indonesian website (both in the Bahasa Indo and English version).

It makes me wonder how those three existing different Air-Asia's are working together, or if there isnt any kind of co-operation....

no wonder, the fare to and from Jakarta in November is still extremely cheap, almost all week-days are to be had at their promotional fare of 380 Baht plus Taxes (remember, this is a 3.20 hours flight!).

so far, the cheapest was Garuda, but costing u more than 10.000 Baht incl. Taxes....

okay, just wanted to contribute these news in hope it may help someone to save money on his travelling-plans...

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......

why did u fly via Macau ? if u booked a return-flight anyway, it would have probably cheaper using HONGKONG EXPRESS and save the money from/to Macau.....

its a shame that HK still does not have those superb Chinese budget-hotel-chains such as homeinn or 7daysinn, where u can get a great room (with free WIFI and 100 tv-channels or so) for less than 1000 Baht even in downtown Shanghai, beijing or Guangzhou....

Photos, I have. I'll post them when I have more time.

I flew via Macau because the total price of a return flight with Air Asia was 5969 Baht.

I don't know what Hong Kong Express is.

HONGKONG EXPRESS is a HKG-based airline which offers return-flights to international destinations, including BKK, at very competitive prices, but can only booked through agents. surprisingly, even many travel-agents in BKK dont know them.

it certainly would have not been more expensive (and less hassle) flying HONGKONG EXPRESS from HKG airport to BKK.

I dont know the reason why they still dont offer online-booking directly on their website, I only can assume they do this because they wanna expand their business through being a loyal partner of the local travel agents, which makes sense in a way..... so they avoid to be just another "me-too" - company in the huge market of budget airlines....

that may happen when one cheap booking class is full, then the next available booking class will be displayed on the website. it can as well happen, that somebody (who had a cheaper seat before) cancels a flight, then this seat on a cheap booking class will re-appear until somebody else books it again.

when it comes to intercontinental flights, it is in 95% of the cases cheaper to go through a travel agent or a big booking website than use the airline's website itself....

from Portugal, u could fly as well Air France or BA or KLM

What I ended up paying in Hong Kong.

Actual cost of Macau Airport to HK Airport.

Bus AP1 3.30 HK$

Ferry 140 HK$

Bus A21 33 HK$

Total 176.30 HK$ = 775 Baht

Actual cost of HK Airport to Macau Airport

Bus E11 14 HK$

Underground 5.60 HK$

Ferry 172 HK$

Bus AP1 3.30 HK$

Total 194.90 HK$ = 857 Baht

The difference in ferry price is principally due to travelling to Macau at night which is pricier, I believe.

Accommodation in Hong Kong.

3 nights @ 160 HK$ = 480 HK$ = 2112 Baht.

This gets you a very small room with air con and a bathroom.

Money changing

Thai Baht to HK$ in Thailand cost around 2.2%

Thai Baht to US$ in Thailand then US$ to HK$ in Hong Kong cost around 1.5%

Using Thai ATM card in Hong Kong cost around 3.8% + 100 Baht charge per time.

It can be seen that the convenience of the ATM card is somewhat negated by the extra cost. It is also worth noting that the rates of money changers and banks in Hong Kong can vary greatly even when they are next door to one another so it's worth shopping around.

Hope this helps somebody.

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......

why did u fly via Macau ? if u booked a return-flight anyway, it would have probably cheaper using HONGKONG EXPRESS and save the money from/to Macau.....

its a shame that HK still does not have those superb Chinese budget-hotel-chains such as homeinn or 7daysinn, where u can get a great room (with free WIFI and 100 tv-channels or so) for less than 1000 Baht even in downtown Shanghai, beijing or Guangzhou....

The California Taliban have ruined the place.

You have to walk on eggshells and be carefull not to say somthing that will offend.....sombody.

Can't blame the guy for wanting to leave.

u have the California Taliban over there, here you have the THAILIBAN (former a civil THAILIBAN, now a military THAILIBAN organization) with the strong wish to humiliate expats. is it any better ?

OK, so this was indeed much more serious than downloading legal adult porn and saving it on his computer.

there is no legal adult porn in Thailand. if u have a topless pin-up girl as a screensaver on ur Comp, you are a criminal and a threat to the country and will be subject to prosecution and deportation.... those are the REAL problems that Thailand has, isnt it ?

I hear the sound of a thousand delete buttons being pressed all over Thailand!

pushing DELETE button doesnt help a thing..... then it's still on ur Comp, and can be easily found by even not-so-sophisticated investigators....

I assume 99% of the computer users here in Thailand do not really care much about deleting files or any private or business data on their computers properly.....

seems like they dont even have an english HOTLINE anymore. I called the 1175 yesterday, and then, after a voice told me "press 2 for english" everything continued in THAI, asking (in Thai) to press some more numbers, depending on the type of inquiry u want to make..... when I pressed such a number, it again continued in Thai only..... tried several times but to no avail..... did they really CUT the english hotline ? well, i wouldnt be surprised if they done have anybody who is able to handle calls from an english speaker.....

if you want to fly there CHEAP, or u only want to book a one-way-ticket, you can fly from BKK to Shenzhen by AirAsia, from where its a short 75 minutes ride by train to Guangzhou.

oh, and Guangzhao is a nasty and intimidating place, but thats another story....

Doing a visa run.

Anyone stay at either? Both are in the same area that I prefer, Bukit Bintang.....

But not sure if Corona has TV no mention on the website. have heard it is ok but have not heard about Fortuan.

Thanks!

FORTUNA is mostly catering to middle-eastern tourists, and even their restaurant is an ARAB restaurant. it's also more expensive than the Corona.

the Corona is much smaller, and its a 10 minutes walk to Bukit Bintang LRT-station, whereas its just 2 minutes walk from the Fortuna.

as far as I know, the Corona has a nice buffet lunch, when I remember that right.

both places are okay, as long as you get a good deal. KL is expensive these days (room rates up 60-70% compared to 2003). about the TV and cable, there is such thing as GOOGLE now in the ages of internet. if you serach for Corona-Inn Kuala Lumpur, you will then find the following:

www.coronainn-kualalumpur.com and from there, you will be able to obtain all informations u need, and if not, there will be a phone number where you can reach them for further inquiries.

oh and yes, by browsing their lovely cute website u will easily find out they DO have cable-TV indeed

and because you did not want to GOOGLE urself, I could not go to sleep and instead had to assist u, while its 4.03 a.m. already.... ...... good night krab

I'm actually in HK having a Coke Light Lemon - and actually it's very good! Not available in Thailand

oh yeah, now that u mention it, I remember that I had that too, much better taste than all other DIET drinks ...... but it MUST have been HongKong where I came acros that Sprite Light.....

but its true that all those ASPARTAME's and SACCHARIN's of the world are not the nicest things to consume frequently..... I guess I have to buy Apple-Juice (so expensive! why?) and SINGHA's Soda-water in bulks during my next visit to MAKRO and make a nice refreshing and healthy MIX in the future, instead of letting the ASPARTAME-army invade my body.....

I am going online in a couple of minutes to chat with my (new) Thai boyfriend on MSN. I am going to ask him for his thoughts from a Thai perspective but I am after advice from fellow farangs as to what to do.

Basically, I had a 3 year relationship with a young Thai guy. It started in June 2004 - when I was considering retiring in Thailand. We had a mostly long distance relationship - with me in Australia and him in Thailand for 3 years. It ended just after he returned to Thailand after obtaining a 3 month Tourist Visa to stay with me in Australia.

I ended the relationship and told him that it's all over and suggested he get a new boyfriend. The problem is he doesn't want the relationship to end. I haven't sent him any money since we broke up. He could have returned to bar work and the easy life - but he decided to stay home in his Issan village - cutting sugar cane. It's hard work - manually cut 10 canes, bundle them up with twine - get paid 1 baht per bundle. A big change from the 30,000 baht a month he was getting from me.

He phoned me early this morning - he needs 500 baht to go to hospital as he is very sick. I know the call is genuine as we promised each other a long time ago never to tell a lie to each other. I could send him a few thousand baht via Western Union - but my heart says no. I have feelings for him - quite a lot of feelings after 3 years of knowing each other - but I no longer love him.

I have known my (new) boyfriend for around the same amount of time - about 3.5 years. New boyfriend holds a responsible Government position, is university educated and 30 years of age (ex-boyfriend is 22yo). New boyfriend is everything I want in a relationship - quiet, sensible, careful with money and very loving and caring.

I don't want to jeopardise the relationship with new boyfriend by being seen to help my ex-boyfriend. In fact I don't want to visit ex-boyfriend again. Sure - I miss his parents who are lovely people and really care for me and Issan village life in general - but that part of my life is over.

I am interested in your comments - how did you move from Boyfriend number 1 to Boyfriend number 2? Were you able to make the move smoothly?

Peter

well, long-distance-relationships do NEVER EVER work...... no matter if gay or heterosexual. after I found out this, I knew I would have to move to Asia some years ago....

if you REALLY think he is very sick and needs the money for treatment, and if its just 500 Baht, then why not send him, but tell him to never contact you again after that.

would be a fair deal.

if he used to live a bar-life and does now prefer to do hard work for a small wage in his hometown, this actually shows that he has grown up during ur relationship in some way, and would act different in case he manages to find a new BF....

sadly, almost all gay relationships are not made for lifetime....

good luck for u and ur new relationship, as well as for ur old BF and his future life....

I am surprised that nobody here mentioned HONGKONG EXPRESS. they will for sure be the cheapest flying HKG - BKK - HKG. every Agent in HK will be willing to book them for you. for what reason ever, they dont have an online booking facility on their website (yet?).

seems like even those who work for travel businesses here in this bord know little about the world "outside of Thailand"

check www.hongkongexpress.com for schedules (hope it's ok to post the URL here)

if you wanna shop around for other connections and airlines:

try to get somebody from HK to send or FAX u the specific advert-pages of the SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, a daily-paper, which is usually full of ads from travel-agencies. I did bring one from HK recently (paper, not agent), it was a wednesday-issue, and its full of such ads, very helpful for future inquiries.

PM me if need further assistance.....

oh ya, I just had a look: HKG - BKK - HKG goes for 750 HK-$, plus Taxes, certainly a better deal than the 2500 HK$ offered on ThaiAir.

god, I really should - and want to - open a DECENT travel agency here in LOS.... if only I had reliable and honest partners....

I'm still surprised he wasn't beaten to death by an angry mob as is so common in Thailand, even in Bangkok.

in Indonesia and the Philippines he would not have survived, thats 100% sure...... sometimes, the Thai people are too polite.....

I know one of the Elite card owners. He is happy with the services but if he had to make the decision on the card today he would pass. In reality the public relations nightmare that would ensue if Thailand walks away from the card lead me to beleive that the worst case senario would be the return of his Bt1M. However, this is Thailand so it will be interesting to follow this card through its demise.

As someone who as had a an Elite card from its very earliest days I would agree with the comments above...

In theory, the Elite card was worth it for the golf benefits alone - unlimited playing privileges at over 40 golf clubs in Thailand for free. (Bear in mind a membership of Blue Canyon is Bt1m alone.) Then there was a free first class return ticket on Thai airways on purchase to your country of residence. Two for one business and first class Thai airways tickets, a gold card with Thai airways, 25% off domestic flights. The fast track through immigration includes a chauffeur pick up from your home and escort through immigration out of the country/pick up from the gate, escort through immigration and chauffeur drive back home on arrival. Of course there is the 5 year visa for those that need it - I am a permanent resident.

Yes thats what those moaning people forget, one of the MAIN benefits is the longstay VISA (I thought its a life-time multiple-entry-Visa actually, not just 5 years ?) which makes it the only legal way for us, the notorious and un-wanted "well-off enough, but unmarried under50 crowd", to stay in the kingdom legally for a long period.

I dont care about Golf or SPA-Visits, but I indeed DO care about an opportunity to make my life and existence in LOS more secure , without being humiliated by immigration-officers on a regular basis....

.....I for one will not be going anywhere near them......

Wouldn't touch 'em with a barge pole either!!

why ? these aircrafts are still ten years YOUNGER than the B747-Zombies that OrientThai uses for its HongKong and Korea flights.....

BTW, this new mysterious airline could indeed be an incarnation (well, arent we in a Buddhist country ?) of THAI SKY AIRLINES or PHUKET AIR......

The CENTRAL card is indeed the most useful one, I even get 5% discount when I buy international magazines at the B2S in Central World Plaza.

as well of use is the SIAM PARAGON card, even it is not free (it was 100 Baht if I remember that right, the yearly extention of the card is then just 50 Baht, as I found out few weeks ago when my old card expired.

it can also be used at THE MALL department stores (Bangkapi, Ngamwongwan etc., and probably Korat too) and their supermarkets......

VERY useful is the ASIABOOKS membercard, which entitles you to 10% discount (magazines usually 5%, but 2 days ago I got 10% discount in Asiabooks at Emporium on the new November issue of AIRLINERS WORLD - magazine as well). u get this card for free once u make a bigger purchase, otherwise there is a small fee (though i think they changed the rules lately and made it even easier, so better inquire there urself)

Thanks for that. I will try asiarooms.com. When I did a search for hotels in Sakon Nakhon, this hotel did come up but when I tried to do a search for their website nothing came up.

do NOT try asiarooms ! try ANY other of the many online-booking-systems, but not them. they have, for a reason, a bad reputation..... just browse this forum to find out more.....

as some other members did bring this topic back to the public, me as the OP would like to report about my recent trip which included China.

due to my itinerary, I did not apply for the Chinese Visa in Bangkok, but I am not surprised to hear positive comments about the embassy there.

KUDOS to the Chinese immigration and Consulats, everything 100% correct, friendly, quick, reliable. moderate Visa fees, speedy processing, smooth operations and modern comfortable facilities on both my entry (Shenzhen Port) and exit point (Pingxiang land-border in Guangxi province). super-friendly lady in Macau at the office of the state-owned China-Travel-Service, which others had recommended to obtain a Visa, got it within 24 hours with no extra fee.

the corrupt, rude and lazy immigration-B*stards of China's socialist brothers in Vietnam (where I arrived after China and felt like being on another planet or galaxy) could learn a huge lesson on how to treat travellers (which usually bring money and therefore wealth to the country)

arent there phones that can handle 2 SIMs at the same time ? though not BOTH online at the same time, but u can switch from one to another. I am sure such thing exists in Europe, but I was too lazy to do more research so far....

I have the same problem, but not just 2 SIMs, I have 7 SIMs for my numbers in most south-east-asian countries. and I do have 6 phones for them, which is okay when I am in BKK at my home office, but really a hassle when I have to travel around.....

I have seen SPRITE ZERO lately, but I cant remember where that was.... been to too many Asian countries in the past 6 weeks..... I think it was in a 7/11 in HongKong or Macau..... wonder why they dont sell it anywhere else.... its good....

about the Coke / Pepsi thing: Coke light s+cked as much as a drink can s+ck, Coke Zero is an improvement in my opinion, though Pepsi Max is by far the best. But: Only the THAI Pepsi-Maxxxxx. The Malaysian Pepsi-Maxxxxx for example, is HORRIBLE, even worse than the old nasty Coke Light. as an addition, in Malaysia they still sell Pepsi Light, which is not really yummy, but at least better than their version of Pepsi Max.

Whatever Airline you fly, be a member of their Frequent Flyer program.

With Thai i believe that you have to fly 10,000 miles to qualify for the basic level, which does not entitle you to any extra luggage allowance.

If you fly with Qantas, you can get an extra 10KG of you are a frequent flyer.

The easy answer is to buy your tuna and toothpaste in Australia

10.000 miles on THAI entitles u to SILVER MEMBERSHIP already (thats UNIQUE for all airlines which are in any kind of Alliance), and as a silver member, you are allowed to check in 30 Kg.

the Basic membership on Thai is already reached be filling the membership form and send it back to them....

even they only give 50% of the miles for their cheap booking classes nowadays, its still the best FF-Program of any alliance-airline in the world, in my opinion.

with no other airline I would have been able to obtain a redemption ticket Europe-Bkk-Europe as I did with THAI this year.

though, their planes are pretty old these days....