MMan

This is a small & classy new upscale international restaurant, and I've been very favorably impressed both visits I've been there. It is in the Kantary Terrace plaza (2nd floor facing soi 12) in front of the Kantary Hills hotel.

I had an excellent grilled Norwegian Salmon filet that was fresh, good size portion, and came with potatoes and sauteed vegetables for 380 baht. Very good bread and chive butter is served complimentary.

Added a tasty Green Salad (a house specialty - with chopped apples & yellow mango + red bell peppers, various types of greens and a green balsamic vinagrette dressing) and 3 glasses of the house wine (also good), and the total bill after tax was under 850 baht for 1 person.

Great service too. Has tables inside and outside. Sit outside on the balcony and enjoy the planes taking off directly over your head !

I stumbled upon it by accident when I was unable to get service at the Kantary Hills restaurant on Valentine Day due to a big crowd (and uninterested staff) there that night - turned out to be a good problem as the Green Table is much better for food, atmosphere, service and value for money.

They were not at all busy on a Thursday night, maybe because they are not well known. Hope their business does well as there are not many classy upscale international restaurants in Chiang Mai, especially with the quality & value for money of this place.

I have been sending my return to the IRS on A4 paper for the last 5 years with no issues. It is processed and any refunds due are sent to my bank account promptly, so I think A4 is OK.

Note: Taxpayers living outside the US are instructed to send their returns to the Austin, TX IRS office. I assume their automated reader equipment is designed to handle A4 since the majority of overseas Americans do not have ready access to 8.5 x 11 paper. I always send it EMS Express Mail through the Thai Post office, and they give you online tracking info so you can track it all the way to Austin.

Smog or not, golf's Asian Tour still promoting the hell out of next week's Chiangmai Classic. http://tinyurl.com/byalbhx

Yes I'm sure the TV pictures from beautiful Chiang Mai of the golf tournament will make everyone want to come here. The course is near Lamphun with beautiful mountainous surroundings, however it won't look good this time of year. I've watched several golf tournaments on TV from China, and every one seemed to be played in a constant 'fog'. Great looking courses but if the air is like that I would not want to go. An Asian PGA Tour event in Chiang Mai is a great idea - just not the timing.

Today is by far the worst day of the year for the haze in Chiang Mai. 'Clear' visibility today is about 200 meters and while you can still easily see for 2-3 few blocks, things start to get noticeably a bit fuuzzy looking after 200 meters. Yesterday I could at least see a vague outline of Doi Suthep. Totally gone today.

I know there is no 'true' 3G service yet, even though various companies are providing service using 3G technology.

I've had a True 3G air card for well over a year. In Bangkok (Sukhumvit area) it works pretty well. In Chiang Mai it was 'ok' until late November. Since then service has been slow and dropped service is a constant problem. During the evening hours you are lucky if you can stay online for 15 minutes without being involuntarily disconnected. Maybe this is related to High Season with all the tourists in town. (I live in the Chang Klan Road area not too far from teh Night Bazaar). Or maybe because of all the publicity around 3G in recent months and True's aggressive marketing to sign up new customers.

Recently I got BBB Broadband service from my condo. It's not super great, but it is definitely better than True Move.

I was thinking about maybe trying DTAC. As they have a smaller subscriber base perhaps service is better than True Move.

Anybody else with similar experiences / suggestions?

Chiangmai Highlands and Alpine are by a wide margin the best courses in the area. Unfortunately they stay packed full on a daily basis from mid December through the end of February.

Alpine will be closed the entire month of March to prepare for the Asian Tour's Chiang Mai Golf Classic the last weekend of the month. By the way, Alpine is owned by the Thaksin Shinawatra family and his youngest daughter is Executive Director.

Green Valley in Mae Rim is good too, though stays full on a daily basis year round.

Many people included me like Royal Chiang Mai and it is usually not as busy as the above courses. They have though raised rates significantly this year, at least for High Season.

Inthanon and Gold Canyon are a long drive (an hour or more) though less expensive. Mae Jo is close and a decent course - though the design will not appeal to all (many sharp doglegs and you need to know how much to cut off or else risk driving through the fairways).

The one thing you will find with about all the Chiang Mai courses this time of year... packed full of Koreans. Gold Canyon Golf Resort has it's own bus, with the wording on the sides of the bus in both English and Korean. The Koreans are golf crazy, and draw many complaints from western golfers. Mainly about slow play and lack of course etiquette. I assume it is because their golf experience comes mainly from going to the driving range rather than playing on courses, as the courses in their country are few and extremely expensive.

Best American Breakfast I've found is at Butter is Better on Chang Klan Road. Home made breads and everything made from scratch. Their suasage is so-so, however everything else I've had is great. Pancakes are among the best I've had anywhere - normally pancakes in Asia have no flavor other than what you put on them, but their's are great (whole wheat, buttermilk, buckwheat, blueberry, etc). Very good coffee too (though if you are a Starbucks fan, which I'm not, you might feel otherwise).

Texas Bar B Q in Chiang Mai... I wish !!!

Duke's has a good Cajun Chicken sandwich and many other decent American comfort food items as well. The buns they use for their sandwiches are top notch.

With direct CNX flights now trom Taipei, Hong Kong and Singapore plus growing numbers of tourists from the PRC... there are certainly a variety of Chinese coming here and you cannot stereotype them just like you cannot stereotype all the farang tourists (some are backpackers, some are 5 star golf tourists, etc).

Last year the floods scared many tourists away (international media made it sound like the whole country was desparately under water).

Before that the political unrest scared many tourists away - particularly Asians and especially Chinese (the PRC was one of the first to issue travel warnings about Thaialnd and one of the last to withdraw them, so tourists from the mainland were nil then). Western tourists do not find political protests so threatening probably because they are used to them in their own countries.

And before that there was the international financial crisis which hit Korea hard (many people see Koreans and might think they are Chinese). Chiang Mai is very popular with Koreans and especially Korean golfers. The Chiang Mai golf courses are close to fully booked for the entire month of February and Koreans make up a signficant portion of the golfers.

I booked Thai Airways flights recently using United Frequent Flyer miles. Very easy to do so IF you do it on United's website. I checked several destinations and found a really good deal on using miles to book Business Class flights on Thai Airways, Bangkok - Jakarta and return (depending on supply and demand they sometimes allow deep discounts on the miles needed for Business Class). As I recall the difference between economy and business class miles wasn't much on that route for my dates (not true on other destinations I looked at).

Just login to your account on United's website, and enter your point of origin and destination. If United flies those routes that will be the first option, if not it will be a partner airline such as Thai (assuming they have a Star Alliance partner serving that route).

Took about 5 minutes and I got instant confirmations on the flights

Don't know why anybody would go from CM to Vientiane for a Visa run. That has to be around 20 hours round trip (more if you stop for meals & breaks).

You can get a bus from Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Station to Mae Sai on the Myanmar border in Chiang Rai Province, which only takes 4.5 - 5 hours one way. Walk over the bridge, do a Visa on arrival, shop 15 minutes at the border market, walk back over the bridge, have a meal and return to Chiang Mai.

For farangs interested in a Disco with some action, Bubbles was the place to go . In true Thai Disco style, the music was blaringly loud. However the worst thing was the smoke was always heavy. After 20 - 30 minutes I would be desparate to get out to get some clean air in my lungs.

Will be sure to check it out though my next trip to CNX. The pics look good, and I'm assumiing it will now be smoke free (banning indoor smoking is the best thing the Thai government has done in my 5 years living here).

Usually fly EVA between Bangkok and the USA, and have never been charged for my golf clubs, though they combined with my luggage are usually over the stated weight limit. I've always flown either Premium Economy or Business Class though, and am a EVA frequent flyer club member so those things may help. Airlines have their stated polities, though ultimately it is the check-in person who makes the on-the-spot decision regarding whether you will be charged. Smile and be pleasant with her/him - yes it can help. Also airlines are more likely to ignore you beign over the weight limit if you are a member of the FF club.

Regarding the Domestic Airlines in Thailand when flying Domestic Routes:

THAI AIR - I have NEVER been charged for golf clubs by them, and have never heard of them charging anyone else either, even though clubs + luggage will almost always put you over the company's stated limit. Have flown them to many times to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket and Udon Thani over the years, almost always with golf clubs.

AIR ASIA - Will always definitely charge for golf clubs, separately from other checked luggage. Currently the charge is about 800 baht (seems to go up 100 baht or so every year). The most annoying thing though is that you have to go to a separate counter to pay for luggage, and usuallly wait in a que there, after you already had to wait in que at the check-in counter. Then after you pay they give you a receipt, which you need to take back to the check-in counter you were at earlier, and then that person will give you the boarding pass after you show the receipt.

BANGKOK AIRWAYS - Usually (but not always) charges extra for clubs. If you do not belong to their FF club, be prepared to get hit with a hefty surcharge. If you are a member though the charge is reasonable (maybe 600 baht).

Thanks for the info. This website seems to be about the only way to get good reliable info sometimes.

I've had Sprinkle M Water Company service for 4 years and have been happy with them. Every Saturday AM they arrive to my condo and replace the empty 18.9 liter water bottles I leave in front of my door with filled bottles.

10 days ago I get an SMS message from them that they have ceased production and delivery until further notice, I'm sure because of the flooding. Don't know where their production facility is, if it is flooded, or if just access to it is cut off. Their website home page only says that they have temporarily ceased deliveries, with no further explanation or info.

Anyone know any details of their situation, and how likely it is that they will resume service anytime soon?

I'm wondering if I should be looking for a new water delivery company. Hate to kick a good company when it'd down and I'd be happy to deal temporarily with the inconvenience of buying and carrrying water home from nearby stores for a short while, though if they are out of business for the forseeable future need to start looking for a new supplier.

Fotunately have enough Sprinkle water to last about 6 more days, and am hoping finding store water will be easier by then (my nearby Foodland only has Evian and Perrier available most of the time these days, unless you get lucky enough to be there just after the water delivery truck comes).

Last time I was in Chiang Mai I had a great steak at Duke's restaurant in the night market area. There were promoting on their blackboard about the Grain Fed Austrailian Fillet, so I thought I'd give it a try. I've had the expensive grain fed fillets at JW Marriott NY Steakhouse and the Landmark's RR&B in Bangkok many times, and I have to say the quality approached that, but for a lot less baht! The steak wasn't huge, but it was thick and big enough. With salad and fries I think the price was about 800 baht.

A couple of years ago I had an Aussie fillet at Duke's riverside location in Chiang Mai that was OK, but not nearly as good and nothing to rave about. So I don't know if the above steak was just a temporary special on Grain Fed or if they've upped their quality.

You need the Visa to get the Work Permit, but not having a work permit does not invalidate the visa... just means you can't work or do some other things like get a drivers license or open a bank account (generally speaking though I've heard of exceptions).

If you are no longer employed (terminate the contract), I believe the employer is required to notify the Labor Bureau and your work permit will automatically be cancelled. But you can still do the visa run and come back in on the 1 year Visa. However if you have not been working for some time (and thus not paying taxes !), you will find it difficult to renew your Non-I Visa.

The 9 hole course in Lamai is fairly new which is why it isn't in the guide books yet. Haven't been there myself though I've heard its like a so-called 'executive' course with short par 3 and 4 holes.

Santiburi is the only 18 hole course. Spectacular views of the sea from almost every hole. The course is built on a steep jungle hillside with native areas bordering the holes, thus if you're like me and your tee shots tend to stray you can lose a lot of balls while incurring a lot of penalty strokes. Buggies are comulsory (1 golfer per buggy) and only the caddies are allowed to drive because the cart paths are very steep with sharp curves (if golfers were allowed to drink & drive there would be some ugly accidents). It is unfortunately one of the most expensive golf courses in Thailand, and being the only 18 hole course on the island they have no competition. Due to the terrain and land prices it's just not practical to develop courses on Samui.

I concur with Tenderloins on Sukhumvit Soi 33. I've tried a few of their steaks but like the tenderloin from Argentina the best (better than the one from Australia IMHO). Price around 800 baht includes salad, a decent roll and your choice of potato or vegatables. Good wine list too (I always go with the house wines which are better than most house wines). Great service from friendly girls and the managers are very nice too. It's actually a combination sports bar and steakhouse. Have '2 for 1' drinks all night every Tuesday (anything you want, beer / wine / whiskey).

Can anyone please recommend a good place for a steak dinner tonight. Just nice steak and chips will do but please not mega bahts.Thanks in advance (please give directions).

Keithkarmann

A good steak without spending baht maak maak in BKK is hard to find.

I like Tenderloins on Sukhumvit Soi 33. Coming from Sukhumvit it is on the left side a 6 minute walk or so from Sukhumvit, as you get near the end of the area where all the hostess bars are. Steaks from Australia & Argentina (I recommend the Argentinian Tenderloin, which runs about 800 baht with salad & chips). That's the best I've found in BKK for under 1000 baht. They also have a good selection of wines and beers plus several TVs showing sporting events.

Have been to MBK bowling center twice with some fiends and we've used a total of 4 different lanes, none of which worked properly.

On 3 of the lanes, the pin-grabbing machine that comes down to lift the remaining pins after you've bowled your first ball cannot grab all pins. So depending on what's left, the sweep bar that comes across after the pins are lifted sweeps away those pins that the pin-grabbing machine missed. The result is that the missed pins disappear after the first ball, and are counted in your favor after the 2nd ball (even if it was a gutter ball). However it can also work against you and create some nasty splits for your 2nd ball.

On one lane it never grabbed 3 pin locations. On two other lanes, it always missed 2 pin locations. The 4th lane worked OK about half of the time and missed 1 or 2 pins the other times.

Once we even asked for 2 new lanes, and still had the same issues on the new lanes.

On top of that, today the music was cranked up so loud you could only hear the person next to you if they shouted. And they have a limited choice of balls for use.

Otherwise the place is great and the nearby MBK food court is a real plus.

Anybody know of any other bowling centers close to the Sukhumvit area that are better maintained?

Do you leave a tip when eating a buffet breakfast that is

A. Included with your hotel room at no extra charge

B. Purchased by you for a set fee

I generally do not in situation A unless service is grand, though I don't know if that's the proper thing. Since a service charge is generally added to your hotel bill, and the bill covers breakfast, I suppose you could view it that you've already paid a tip.

I generally do leave a tip in situation B. I don't tip as much as I would with full service, but if the staff is friendly and keeps my coffee cup full, table clean and keeps the buffet well stocked, I'll leave at least 10% (adjusted for anything automatically included on the bill). If the staff is indifferent, I might not tip at all, or just leave a modest tip. Again, I'm not really sure what the expectations are here.

Most Thailand hotels include breakfast with the room. Since there is no bill, I'm never sure whether to tip or not. Generally I don't do it unless service is grand. I know a mandatory service charge is added to the hotel bill, so perhaps that should cover it.

Or if you be going to HH from central Bangkok, another inexpensive alternative you might consider is taking the train. The State Railway of Thailand has info on timetables and types of trains on its website that you can download. Just do a web search for State Railway of Thailand, select the English language version and click Time Tables.

I've never travelled by train in Thailand, but thought it might be fun to take the train from Bangkok down to Hua Hin for a few days golf. Yes, I know a car would probably be faster, but the train ride is cheap and sounds like fun. And there's even a wonderful old course (Royal Hua Hin, I think) located next to the train station.

My main concern is where to put the clubs during the ride. Is it practical to take along my clubs (in a rolling travel cover) along with a suitcase and carryon via train? Do you just carry them aboard with you? And where would I store them during the ride? Is there a storage closet on the car?

I travelled by train in China once and seem to recall just putting my luggage under the seat, but the clubs, suitcase and carryon would fill more than just the space under my seat.

I received a one year multiple entry non-immigrant 'B' visa issued by a Thai consulate in the U.S. on January 31, 2007. It says 'must be utilized before January 30, 2008.

I will arrive in Thailand April 16, 2007.

How long can I stay in Thailand using this visa?

(1) Jan 30, 2008?

(2) Apr 15, 2008?

(3) 90 days after my last border run prior to Jan 30, 2008?

(4) 90 days after my last border run prior to Apr 16, 2008?

(5) other?

Great forum and great advice.

I was all set to open an account at Citibank's Bangkok office thinking it would be the safest and best option for transferring money from the US and managing my Thailand finances. I now think I'll opt for Bangkok Bank instead.

I'm moving to BKK next month and be looking for an apartment somewhere near a BTS station, probably along off mid/upper Sukhumvit.

Any suggestions for a particular Bangkok Bank branch office I should go to for opening my account? Want to work with someone I can rely on who speaks English well and will give me straight & thorough answers.