JonnyF

Good opening post...

Not many things really annoy me in Thailand but when I walk into my local restaurant with my long term girlfriend to be greeted by some (usually middle aged and slightly sunburnt female) tourist giving me the "I know what you're up to and I think it's disgusting" look, my blood starts to boil. I'm waiting for my first derogatory comment, if only witness my girlfriends retort which I have no doubt would be priceless

Anyone know of coverage of this network? I know that it started in Phuket but has it gone nationwide? I looked on the catcdma website but it is all in thai and doesnt appear to have a coverage map.

I was told by the staff in the Phuket office that it works "everywhere" except for Bangkok. Not sure if this is accurate but I'm off to Samui on Tuesday so fingers crossed...

I sometimes see problems with bike breaks, this is mostly not enough or to much break liquid or the brake pads are serious in need of replacement.

I think the major reason for front wheels sliding around is the amount of oil and diesel on the roads, combined with a lot of rain at the moment makes the roads deadly on a bike. I'm also really cautious with the front break in Thailand whereas I used to hammer it at home.

Fullfilled, happy people, who have responsibilities don't take drugs only the losers wish to escape into fantasy.

Is it not funny that all the junkies come out to type and start wanting to legalise drugs.

Marajuana has been shown to produce psychoses in habitual users!

Regarding the death penalty, that is up to the conscience of individual nations, not to drug takers.

Your logic is poor.

You assume that people who believe drugs should be legalized are junkies. In that case, do people who believe suicide should be legal hold that belief because they wish to kill themselves? Of course not.

Some people just believe in individual choice and responsibility. People should be allowed to do as they wish with their own bodies as long as it does not harm anyone else. I choose NOT to take the drugs that are currently illegal for many reasons but I believe that I should be allowed to make that choice for myself rather than have it made for me.

Many people who rant and object so strongly to "drugs" are addicted to nicotine and/or alcohol themselves, highly addictive and both killer drugs in their own right.

Of course drugs should be legalized and taxed, but whether this taxation money would go into education and rehabilitation in Thailand is doubtful. I think it would probably go elsewhere...

Governments around the world sell to the weak minded by supplying smokers and alcoholics with drugs, but these killer drugs are legal so that's okay, but if anyone else sells the illegal killer drugs then they can be executed, right?

Having said that (putting aside the debate about whether they should be legalized or not), these drugs are NOT legal in Thailand so an opportunity is there for anyone who is prepared to take the risks to make large sums of money. Therefore, if they know the risks and are crazy/stupid enough to gamble their lives on a daily basis then it is difficult to have sympathy for them when they are caught.

Tokays have a jaw that locks similar to a pitbull.

That said, in the 18 years I have lived in Thailand, with tokays in my bedroom (well --only one) I have never been bitten or attacked. But then, I tend to leave them alone. I get my husband to catch them and remove them. And, since he knows what he is doing, he never gets bitten either.

They will move back btw.

Thai people are told as small children that if they aren't good the tokay will come and bite them and I have yet to meet a Thai woman (and lots of men) who aren't fearful of these creatures. Personally, I like them. The poop is annoying but a small price to pay for a creature that helps keep my house clean of roaches and mice (yes, mice).

**edit** I have to add that I just remembered that young children are told the tokay will come and eat their liver if they aren't good. Not just bite them. Sorry

Not too sure about the Tokay, but the notion of a pitbull having a locking jaw is a myth. They have the same jaw mechanism as any other dog but the strength of the jaw muscles has given rise to the myth.

Really interesting thread, I wonder if the Tokay really does have a locking jaw? I've never seen one but they look quite scary!

I feel sorry for the guy - he may have been a bit foolish but it probably took him a long time to earn that money and he doesn't deserve to lose it through one bad decision.

I hope he is wealthy enough to write this off as an expensive lesson and move on with his life.

Good luck fella...

There hasn't been many of these lately. For a while it seemed like a couple a week.

A bit strange though that she remembers the exact words that woke her up.

Well I for one known the Answer most Farangs can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

Farangs are such fools that look to far over edge to look at beauiful Thailand. Many are too cheap to buy good glasses.How dare think someone pushed them. That is nothing but

racists talk.

Are you being sarcastic? Or did you really write that post and then use the final sentence to accuse somebody else of being racist?

It's a serious question - I'm curious (fair play if it's a joke because it made me chuckle)

yeah i dont really see the point of this, people think one way, fine, its their country so you have to accept the way they do things. just as if they came to england they would have to accept the way we do things. not worth fussing over in my opinion.

You may see flaws in their logic but its that same mindset that gives them that lovely laid back attitude that people (like me) really like.

Yeah, because everyone who comes to England fully accepts the culture and blends seamlessly into society!!!

1) no (sorry)

2) he should bring the log book (details of previous owners) and insurance details with him

3) He will need to sign the transfer of ownership document - not sure if he can do this in advance but my guess is No.

4) I was told that the car was insured not the driver but it was free (in my case) to change the name so I would do this to be on the safe side, even if they charge it will only be a couple of hundred baht.

Hope this helps although I did it in Phuket so it's possible the rules are different in Bangkok.

The metered taxis from/to the airport are fine - I use them at least twice a month and never had a problem...

As for other public transport around Phuket - it is a disgrace and will remain so for the foreseeable future - I boycott it at all costs...

I agree that it is a shame the way things are deteriorating in some areas.

I want to get my ageing parents over for a couple of weeks but my main worry is the tourist areas and exposing them to the nasty side of Phuket - Tuk Tuk drivers, suit sellers etc.

I could avoid these places quite easily, but as I want to show them around the whole of the island and not keep them locked up in a 5 star hotel it is inevitable that they will meet these idiots and have their opinion of Thailand and Thai people tarnished.

I have been expecting (not hoping) tourist numbers to go down for a while but it doesn't seem to happen - I can't understand why...

Thanks for the info - that's saved me a trip!

I'm still awaiting my 1st bill as well - I was going to go to the offices because I was worried about getting cut off but it sounds like this is normal so I'll just wait for the bill and pay however many months when it arrives...

As the owner of a 10 month old lab - this also worries me. I have no answer in terms of how to prevent this but would also be very interested to hear of any suggestions.

Sincere condolences to the OP

<br />Hi <br /> Does anybody know anything about motox in phuket? <br /> I once went out on a dirtbike with a canadian chap who also had something to do with the bungee and crazy golf in phuket and we went to a track just outside patong. <br /> This was a few years ago and i am returning to Phuket this year and would like to use my time to train on a dirtbike if i can rent or hire one for a few day a week for a month or so?<br /> Last time i was there i noticed a few of the little bike repair shops have dirtbikes and wondered if anybody knows much about the motox scene in Phuket.<br /> Thanks<br />Andrew Biss<br />

If I was you I would try the motocross/supercross track on the left hand side as you come over the mountain as you leave Patong (next to the go-cart track - there is a big sign you can't miss it). They have a track and rent bikes although they quoted me 1000 baht for 20 minutes which was a bit OTT considering the bikes were early 90's models, although if you have your own bike they quoted me around 100-200 baht (can't remember the exact amount) for as long as you like. There is also a place on the other side of the road a couple of hundred yards nearer the mountain and they organise trail rides and also rent bikes.

Is there any better feeling in this world than sticking it to any Aussie rugby or come to that, any sports fan ? maybe one, but its a close run thing

That was a truly great game of rugby - I love the free flowing game of the All Blacks but a tight/tense game like that can be just as exciting.

Well done England - you worked for it and deserved it. I hope the other quarter finals are as exciting as this one...

What a load of hassle just to buy a truck for a decent price.

I was all set on buying the New Vigo when it came out, but with all this talk about 6 month waiting lists and varying prices I might just hire the old (current) model for a few months, or stick to driving what I have now for another year - I know it's supply and demand, but I always thought that "it's easy to buy and difficult to sell". Not when buying a truck here it seems - can't be bothered with the hassle really...

what you on about, waiting lists for what?

Take a wild guess!

There is a clue is in the title of the thread, if you still can't work it out you could take the time to read the whole thread and work out that waiting lists for a Vigo are being discussed...

What a load of hassle just to buy a truck for a decent price.

I was all set on buying the New Vigo when it came out, but with all this talk about 6 month waiting lists and varying prices I might just hire the old (current) model for a few months, or stick to driving what I have now for another year - I know it's supply and demand, but I always thought that "it's easy to buy and difficult to sell". Not when buying a truck here it seems - can't be bothered with the hassle really...

I lived in Hanoi for about a year and found the people to be very warm and sincere when you really got to know them.

The Southerners are more like many Thais - outwardly more friendly but looking for a payoff and not much else.

Unfortunately I was only there for a month so wasn't able to get know anyone very well. I'd agree that the North seemed a bit friendlier than the South but by the time I got to Hanoi I was counting the days before I could get back to Thailand!!

Having said that, I still found Hanoi quite annoying - I was approached by various charlatans trying to extract money from me through a multitude of transparent schemes. It wasn't a major problem as it was so obvious, but it got tedious after a while - I wanted to enjoy the place and not spend my time talking to amateur conmen...

I had a similar experience re. Vietnam. I went for a month last October and people tried to rip me off at every turn. Just a couple of examples, I went to fill the motorbike at least 10 times and they tried to shortchange me on all but one occasion. A couple of times I arranged taxis from hotels to airports and paid the hotel the fare in advance, and both times the driver tried to charge me again (even though it was obvious to both of us that I had paid already as he backed down very quickly when I refused to pay). I could give at least 20 more examples and I was there only 30 days. Much less friendly that Thailand...

Anyone who gets fed up with Thailand would do well to spend a month there, it really puts things in perspective. I rarely get overcharged here or face any real hassle but it was happening a few times a day for the whole month. I've never been as happy to be in Thailand as when I landed back in BKK from Hanoi. If there's an equivalent to TV (maybe Vietnam Visa) I'd bet the posters are even more bitter than the lot on here

I would like to transfer a fairly small amount of money out of my Thai bank account into a UK bank account. I have accounts with SCB and Bangkok bank and can use either for the transfer.

Is this easily done? What do I need to request to ensure that I get the best rate available?

Sorry if this has been answered before, I had a look around and saw the question asked in other threads but couldn't see a definitive answer.

Thanks...

Jon

Would you give over one year's earnings ? Like hel_l would you.

It's a done deal, the OP has agreed to pay.

Again, it's all down to your own personal financial situation, some people have a lot of money and 300,000 Baht is nothing to those people, others are struggling by and don't have that type of money to throw around.

My way of thinking is this, if you can't afford a measley 300,000 Baht, what are you doing getting married in the first place, you expect your prospective wife to be attracted by the prospect of living in poverty ?

And if 300,000 is a years Salary to a Teacher, then what do you do if she wants children, you can't afford to have them, think about it!!!

Shall we have a whip round for the OP, 300 people, 1000 Baht each ?

If you needed more than 300,000 baht a year to afford children then you wouldn't be seeing too many Thai children around seeing as the average monthly wage is around 8000 baht and many live on a great deal less.

I agree that he has agreed to pay so he really has to cough up now. It's not a massive amount, although I also feel that the westerners culture tends to be ignored in these types of debates even though 2 cultures are supposed to be merging into one. I wonder if they were getting married in the West whether the Thai family would happily pay for the wedding and honeymoon, whilst agreeing to waive the dowry altogether? My guess is no.

Not really about Ikea is it?

It's about foreign companies taking their business elsewhere - they'll probably end up in one of Thailand's competitors in SE Asia - boosting their economy instead of the Thai economy. Kind of sad for the Thai people at grassroots level looking for decent jobs...

People who don't give a shit what the others around them think, and do what they want to do without caring who they offend -- are often found to be unwelcome in many places, not just Emporium.

So what? If everyone thought that Canadians had no place in Emporium and found them offensive, would you continue to shop there, or crouch under the nearest stone and hide?

So what? -- you expect to behave as if you don't give a shit about the people around you -- which some would consider not very respectful -- but you feel entitled to their respect? If you don't care about what offends them, is it a big surprise that they wouldn't care for you?

To hear you, you're all budding Rosa Parks, Gandhis and Martin Luther King -- making bold strides for social equality in prejudiced Thailand. But you forget that even in "everyone is equal" farangland -- you wouldn't be well received if you brought an obvious prostitute to a "normal" social occasion.

I'll just repost what I wrote before, because I think it's apropos:

By the fact that I rarely see posters defend the dignity and rights of bargirls in other threads, I can't help but think that the offence some feel has less to do with altruistic concern for the social equality of bargirls and more about feeling judged in their own choice of mate and actions. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't see many of you (obviously I don't mean everyone on this thread) speaking up about the multitude of other social inequalities in Thailand -- should I feel impressed at your thirst for social justice when it seems largely reserved for those you'd like to f-?

You've completely missed the point - again.

Just because someone finds something distasteful does not mean that the "offending" party is in the wrong and should change, even if they are in the minority. The Nazis didn't like the Jews very much but that does not mean that the Jews were in the wrong, just the that they did not fit the Nazi's idea of what was correct. This is clearly an extreme example, but it seems that you do not quite "get" the subtle ones.

If someone does not like what I do/think/how I behave, but I feel that I am within my rights to do it, then I ignore them.

You seem to imply that because I think that bargirls/prostitutes should be treated as human beings and not be pre-judged and discriminated against, that I am a customer. In fact I have never used their services and my Thai girlfriend (who is the same age as me, before you ask) is a English teacher, not an ex-bargirl.

Therefore I argue with you not to justify my lifestyle, but to try and make you reconsider your views on someone who insults the "toilets" that should dare to shop in the same place as the people who were born into wealth.

People who don't give a shit what the others around them think, and do what they want to do without caring who they offend -- are often found to be unwelcome in many places, not just Emporium.

So what? If everyone thought that Canadians had no place in Emporium and found them offensive, would you continue to shop there, or crouch under the nearest stone and hide?