fiddlehead

I was surprised that the John Carradine death investigation allowed the US FBI to come in and observe and perhaps help with the investigation.

If only that was allowed in this case. I'd bet it would be solved fairly quickly.

Obviously a cover up for someone to save face IMO.

Well, I've had the opposite problem of the OP and i'm not really complaining about it.

All too often, i go into a shop looking for a particular item that i know they have.

I can't find it so go to one of the salesgirls who are usually very busy with their mirror in their face and plucking their eyebrows or picking at a zit or something like this.

I try to explain what i want and they quickly say "MY MEE"

I say, "But, i bought it here before"

Again, they say "My Mee"

So, then i go and hunt it down and find it myself.

I bring the new one back and show it to the girl (still working on her face) and say "My MEE huh?"

They just shrug their shoulders.

That used to bug me but, then i went back to the states where i went to a salesgirl who could help me. But she was at least 100 lbs overweight with no makeup and didn't even comb her hair that day (or so it seemed)

So, i realized that i prefer shopping in Thailand.

You may not get much help, but the girls sure look a lot better!

I think the biggest problem now is the location.

Many want it further north as the last few have been in the south.

Unfortunately, i can think of a 2 or 3 good places but they are all in the south.

For those up north, how about some suggestions.

The only thing suggested so far was in Jung Ceylon and i have to agree with whoever said that a party in a mall is not my idea of a night out and i certainly wouldn't want to take my wife there ($$$)

Thinking out loud: How about Phuket Beach Meridian (expensive i'm sure, but centrally located)

Merlin Beach resort near Patong.

Watermark bar and restaurant? (boat lagoon)

Laguna's private beach north of their complex???

I realize most of these places are very expensive but who knows this time of year what kind of deals they'll make???

also:

I know of a nice, big restaurant right on Nai Yang beach although i don't remember the name.

The problem seems to be that it's more touristy in the north and thus, more expensive options IMO.

Reading through this thread has been fun.

I'm not a "rah rah" go USA type of fan at all.

But still must say that the USA bashers need to be realistic in that the sport of football, or soccer as it's called in the states, is the 4th or 5th most popular sport in the country. Meaning the best athletes go to the other 3 (or 4) first.

It may be an artistic game to some but determining the Champion of the World with something called a penalty kick is a sad way to determine the tournament.

On the other hand, i do like the way the game unfolds without commercial breaks and has some continuity to it.

But i really get bored watching a zero zero game. (call it a draw, a tie, or whatever, it is still called "boring" to many)

Now, we did beat the supposedly no. 1 team in the world so, give some credit where it is due.

We're going to miss you and your entertaining problems.

A little late now, but you could've insured it.

YOu must have found a great market to buy your food.

When i last checked, meat, local produce, fruit, is a lot more expensive in Phuket than Issan.

Last time we were up there, I bought my kid a few pairs of shoes, price: 49 baht.

here, i can't find them under 99 and mostly they are double that.

But good for you that you seem to find everything the same price.

The OP has 2 posts and is asking about a free BBQ.

Pretty much sums up TV BBQs in Phuket.

All newbie free-loaders and bugger-all regulars.

Oh, the last one wasn't like that at all.

I had a great time and got to put names to lots of faces.

I didn't see anyone abusing the drinks or food and it was all friendly.

Got to meet George and Buckwheat (RIP), as well as many of the regulars on here. (even Don showed up from Don's Mall)

Perhaps some didn't come because their posts are too negative and they were afraid of some feedback??? That'd be my guess.

I'm looking forward to another one for sure.

I agree with Steelpulse that perhaps some kind of social game or introduction might help mix things up a bit.

I think this is possibly a troll post. (OP)

It is very hard to believe, unless it's some kind of sick training scheme as someone mentioned.

Has anyone else witnessed this?

Do you mean the construction going on just to the left of the dam breast?

I thought they were just putting steps in.

They've been working there for a few months but i have a feeling you are talking about something else.

Where exactly is this water park going to be?

Unfortunately, when reading your post, i thought that most would say "don't say anything"

I have found that i seem to think a lot differently than others and often don't care what others think about me.

I probably would've told him.

BUT, it may get you killed if you are not very discreet about it. (and very careful about how you do this)

So, you have to think: Is it worth it? probably not.

I have a situation now where they have built these townhouses near where i live. They were designed and built by the owner (Thai).

It is laughable with one floor being only 5 feet high (when asked, he said that would be the babies room)

Other things are just as laughable and i doubt he'll ever sell one of them because of these kind of faults in his design. (anyone ever see the movie: "Becoming John Malcovich"??

Luckily, i don't have to say anything as anyone can see for themselves how ridiculous some of these things are.

YOu gotta give some credit to Thai people here.

They do go out and protest against blatent mis-doings in their system.

We (both Thai Visa posters and my home country's citizens) tend to just bitch about it but do next to nothing.

Their way works better than ours IMO.

Yes, the WHO is crying wolf again (after SARS)

One regular poster on here has most of us dead by January.

If the Thai government remains true to form, they'll see this report and simply change the visa upon arrival length to 7 days.

I went to the Gibbon rehab center in the center of the island about a month ago.

The guy at the gate told us (2 farangs, one Thai adult and 4 Thai kids) that we would have to pay 400 baht.

We showed him our Thai drivers licenses that proved we lived here.

He said we had to pay the farang price of 200 baht each (the sign also said Thai's 40 baht, kids 20 or something like that)

So, we figured, since his math was way wrong, it was negotiable.

We said, how about 200 baht for everybody.

He insisted on 400 baht even though the sign gave all the prices above.

We said, no thanks. Then proceeded to drive around (you can drive some back roads and get past the ticket booth)

I know we snuck in but didn't feel guilty as it was pretty obvious to us that he was going to pocket the extra money anyway since he wasn't going by the prices listed.

But usually, my Thai drivers license gets me in at Thai prices.

There are so many like you said.

I believe you get what you pay for.

How much do you want to spend?

1,000 baht will get you a basic room and probably not much else.

2,000 baht may get you a 4 star hotel with breakfast these days.

I just searched a bunch of them and ended up with Majestic Suites for 1200 baht. (includes breakfast but not free wireless internet)

Got a good laugh from todays Gazette and a story about the spraying of insecticides on Bangla and vicinity.

They interviewed one of the workers who said “If it were hazardous we wouldn’t be allowed to spray it"

Yeah right!

At the very least, Thailand is getting a good cleaning.

Saw in Bangkok they are washing all the curtains on the trains and skytrain etc. I wonder when the last time that was done?

Or it's a troll.

I don't think it's a troll. IMO

I like saneroad's answer #2 above.

There's good and bad people everywhere.

or else she just made a comment that she didn't think about the consequences of what she is said.

At school, we generally use the nationality of the person as the indicator of whether they are a native speaker. If they aren't then they need to take a language proficiency test such as (TOIEC).

My son is 4.

He is half Thai, half American.

He can speak both languages equally well.

I would consider him a native English speaker.

I guess it could be debatable. Hearing him speak would most likely end the debate.

What went wrong...take your picks ???

Aiport takeover, tourists stranded

Economic downturn in the World

Bad Press

Health issues...flu of 2009 & chimichanga mosquitoes

Closing hours

Beach cleanliness....not even to mention in the waters

Prices raised, not lowered to make up for lack of

2 tier pricing

Tuk=tuk fare

Murders

Visa costs

Bighting their own foot,to spite themselves

and everyone's favorite Politics

All the above.....plus a few others we probably forgot !!!

Yes, you listed 12, i could add a few more:

Chickenkunya (or whatever it's called is a new one)

Box Jellyfish

3 or 4 people drowned in the past 2 weeks alone (lifeguards can't swim)

Pollution (both air and the Thai habit of throwing up into the air whatever it is they are finished with)

Crime rising (yanking handbags from women on motorbikes is the latest it seems)

Inflation (Thai people seem to simply raise the prices when things go sour)

Now, there is also good news coming out of Thailand: traffic is way down, real estate prices are down although we are not allowed to buy any or even lend our wives money for them to buy, food is good and healthy,.....................sorry, that's about all i can think of.

and Karon Cafe

4 kids, and herself (possibly husband?) air fare from Australia to the states, accomodation, tickets for Disneyworld, food, etc.

Looks like she could have afforded to buy that bar mat.

might have saved her a bit of trouble.

Does anyone have any experience mailing boxes to the US. I am wondering if there will be an import tax. I am shipping back 2 boxes with about 200 dollars in gifts and personal items (clothes) in each box. I am sending them to my mom and am wondering if she will need to pay when they arrive. Also will I need to declare a value or itemize the boxes at the Post Office here in Thailand. Has anyone had problems with boxes being lost/stolen enroute?

Thanks -

I have often mailed back similar boxes via the Thai postal service.

Just put on the form it's value in baht or dollars and my family back in the states has never had to pay any thing.

If it's over $1,000, or for business purposes, perhaps things are different. I wouldn't know about that.

Very reliable also! (100% so far)

The red flags fly every day of the year.

I only really frequent Nai Harn but the above statement is not true at that beach.

The red flags go up around April 1st, and stay there until about December.

It is too bad that on some days, the sea looks very calm, yet the red flags stay up.

It just makes most people not take them seriously.

But I imagine no Thai people would want to take the responsibility of a decision like this.

With 4 or 5 deaths in the past week or 10 days, something should be done.

I tried to set up a business for my inlaws.

I thought i had a great idea.

Everything went wrong.

I was at a big festival and saw this Thai guy that i knew. He had one of those stands where he sets up a bunch of beer bottles and soda bottles and people buy 7 rings for 20 baht and try to throw them over the bottles.

He was sitting in the back drinking and letting his 8 year old kid rake in the money.

I thought, this is easy.

I tried to set up a stand for my inlaws.

First they broke the water main running through their alloted space.

They fixed it by throwing dirt over it.

The stand turned to mud.

They made a little money but then it rained.

Their stand turned into a lake.

They drank all profits and then they drank all the beer that was there for the props.

I got laughed at (and toasted to a lot) for their mudpit being a disaster.

Never again. Let them eat their moldy food and throw their garbage in their yard. It's what they prefer.

Sapin Hin in Phuket Town has 4 courts.

Sometimes they are reserved for lessons.

But, i've played there a few times and no charge. I left when the lessons started.