mikebell

Aged 82 with a very slow Spanish internet connection it took me at least an hour with many false starts. The form would not accept my Thai telephone number so I made one up eventually. 'why are you here in thailand,' I've been here 20+ years with a number of friends and a son who has a successful business in Bangkok - that's why. Vietnam tourist numbers are climbing exponentially. I will be having my 5th trip there in January to take advantage of their cheap cost of living and wonderful natural beauty where most of the local population speak English and are grateful for the tourist trade. 'Duong Global Business Consulting' - In less than 4years, Duong Global Business Consulting Group has become the #1 and fastest growing international business & law firm on Facebook in Vietnam! What does that say about your source?

Meanwhile on the roads they do nothing.

I bet he's useless at his other job too.

And they make it easy to enter by keeping things simple. No unnecessary TDAC for Vietnam.

Any movement on protection of Bar Girls' Charter. A good letter in Bangkok Post Bag this morning highlighting their plight.

Thank you.

Thanks to the on-line 90 day reporting, it is ages since I did one in person. However I believe after a holiday abroad a personal visit is required. I have forgotten what else is required besides the above completed form. I need to go to Soi 5 Jomtien.

I play table-tennis 3 times a week. The Ambassador Hotel Na Jomtien has turned its nose up at our 600 baht and shut down its A/C. We moved to Royal Garden Pavilion; less convenient but cool. Last week they too shut off the A/C so we have gone to Mike's Shopping Mall - cheaper and no fuss about parking.

In Bangkok too. My usual is asking for 30% more; I've gone with another hotel opposite. Thai economics is senseless. 'Our profits are down, let's punish the few remaining customers'. Will the last tourist please turn off the lights on their way out.

The raid would never have happened had the brown envelope been sent earlier. I wonder which members of the public carry enough clout to cause a police raid? 'Acting on complaints from the public,'

Well done. Culprit caught in under 24 hours. No wonder the cop has allowed himself a sneer of satisfaction.

'Costing approximately 1.5 million THB,'-- How many new police could this buy?

Did he not remain at the scene? Were there awkward questions that needed answering?

Bang Saen has fewer policemen even than Pattaya. The whole town is lawless every weekend.

My money was on the monkey who harvested them.

Euphemism meaning; what's the easiest, most rewarding path to take?

Typical Thai non-logic; make things difficult for the 5% who have proper, well earned licences from their own country whilst ignoring the 95% Thais without one or who have bought theirs.

Some cracking imagery. More applause; keep 'em coming.

Spelling correction in my post - 'stationery' = paper goods. I meant 'stationary' = not moving. I was not moving when two helmetless tearaways ploughed into me at a U-turn doing 90kph. The police adjudged it was my fault for crossing a major road even though I had completed the manoeuvre.

So much bickering and nit-picking. It is a story; literature. Some of it may be real; some/all fictitious. Quit carping over whether it's been raining or not; whether there's football on TV. Enjoy or ignore. The writer has a distinctive voice, a decent stock of images and his stories are often topical.

Because the police don't. It's always the farang's fault even when he's stationery.

Warning to the long suffering clients of The Ambassador Hotel Na Jomtien. Yet again this vast white elephant has shut its doors to the only people who use it; clients of the Sports Facilities. I have been a regular customer for over 15 years, first as a Squash player and latterly as a table tennis player, yet I experience disgraceful service seemingly on a monthly basis. Despite assiduously filling in our contact details of email/telephone numbers we are often denied service for a variety of lies without notice. 'Gym closed for refurbishment for two days' - it re-opened over two weeks later with not a trace of anything new! The most common fault is in the A/C system which works or doesn't depending on who's on reception. One manager confessed that the 'hotel' cannot afford to run the A/C as it was too expensive. It is an unguarded secret that the site is earmarked for Thailand's first casino. Thus they have no interest in penny-ante clients paying 600 baht a week whilst employing two redundant people to stare at their phones all day. Until Thailand understands the Service Industry; brand building, they will continue to lose tourists to Vietnam.

A perfect time to introduce TDAC. Keep It Simple Stupid - Vietnam's recipe for success.

Yesterday Sattahip police were practicing robbing banks; now the Armed forces are preparing for disasters. What do they know? Will Sattahip become a safe centre envied by the rest of Thailand?

So the driver fled the scene but returned voluntarily once police had detained him? His offer to compensate the victim's family presumably is dependent on his insurance which may decide not to pay out. His willingness to accept responsibility (eventually) is admirable!