mauiguy90

What's Kai Bae beach like? Nice? How does it compare to the other beaches on the island? I'm thinking of changing my holiday destination to be here rather than White Sands. Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Dan.

As Scooby Doo would say "Rots of rocks..."

Vultures circle over Federer as new champ is crowned

By Ossian Shine

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - With a new grand slam champion crowned at the Australian Open, the vultures are circling over Roger Federer's head.

The Swiss, though, is adamant that he is still the top man in world tennis.

The world rankings bear out the Swiss ace's assertion but, make no mistake, there is a new pretender to his throne and a very credible one.

Not only did Novak Djokovic oust the world's top-ranked player from the Australian Open semi-finals but on Sunday he took the Swiss champion's crown.

It seems to sit comfortably on the amiable Serb's head and Federer must now look beyond Rafael Nadal when he is searching for danger.

Djokovic certainly provides that.

While not quite kryptonite to Federer's super-powers, Djokovic's game does cause the Swiss problems.

His victory over Federer was no fluke. It was as hard-earned as it was comprehensive.

Not since Federer lost to Gustavo Kuerten in the 2004 French Open had he been beaten in straight sets at a grand slam.

DEFT TOUCH

Djokovic is as close to a brick wall as top-flight tennis gets. Metronomic in his rallying, he rarely makes an unforced error.

But he is no one-dimensional counter-puncher. Powerful off both wings he possesses a thunderous serve and a deft touch in the forecourt.

He is not short on confidence either.

"I've been working very hard in the past year and a half, so it's paying off right now," the Serb calmly told reporters after dumping Federer out in Melbourne.

"Obviously, everybody was trying to figure out the way they can win against Roger.

"I knew that I had to believe in myself in the first place, and I had to be positive on the court, not nervous, just to stay with him all the time, and be aggressive. That's what I did."

Djokovic says his emergence is good for the sport.

"I think the dominance of Federer and Nadal... was just amazing the last couple of years. So I think it's great for... tennis lovers all around the world, to see something new."

Federer, though, is quick to remind any doubters that he suffered a viral illness before the Open and that his crown as world's best is not in danger.

CREATED MONSTER

"I'll definitely reflect on what happened," Federer said after his defeat to Djokovic. "You know, considering my illness, I'm sort of happy with the result here.

"Of course, I've created a monster, so I know I need to always win every tournament. But semis is still pretty good. I didn't play my best throughout the championships, but it was pretty solid, so it was okay.

"Winning every other week, you know, lose a set and people say I'm playing bad. So it's my own mistake, I guess."

"I definitely didn't play my best on big points. That's been sort of something that's stuck with me throughout the championships maybe. But, look, it happens. I've done it so many times it went my way. It's okay. Unfortunately it goes the other way, too, sometimes."

Lleyton Hewitt's former coach Roger Rasheed agrees.

"I think we just see one result, then decide to paint a certain picture, but I still think that Roger is the best player I have ever seen and he will go down as the all-time greatest," Rasheed said.

"It's a blip here but all credit goes to some other young guys who are putting their hands up and wanting to join Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal at the dinner table."

Took this with a sony Cybershot 8.1 mp, more photos available at www.imaginationdiving.com

Great shot!

Djokovic's Open Win

Novak Djokovic has overcome injury to become Serbia's first Grand Slam singles champion, claiming the Australian Open men's crown with a four-set win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Melbourne Park.

Having not dropped a set en route to the final, the world No.3 had to do it the hard way, firstly rallying from a set down and then also battling a hamstring strain that he suffered early in the fourth set to beat unseeded Frenchman Tsonga 4-6 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7-2).

With Djokovic's movement restricted after he sustained the injury, the decider looked headed for a fifth set for the first time since Melbourne Park's first men's final 20 years ago when Mats Wilander beat Pat Cash.

But while Tsonga tried hard throughout, he was unable to capitalise on Djokovic's ailment despite enjoying more support from the packed centre-court crowd, with the 20-year-old Belgrade native digging deep to capture the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.

Both players began the match nervously, with Tsonga dropping his serve after his opening salvo went long by about a metre, only for Djokovic to likewise surrender his own first service game.

Both players came close to dropping their serves again, firstly Djokovic in the fourth game and then Tsonga in the fifth, before Tsonga served three straight aces to hold in the ninth game and then broke in the 10th to win the set with a forehand winner and then a lob.

Games went with serve early in the second set until the seventh game when a couple of errors from the Frenchman and then a reflex, defensive return from Djokovic for a winner led to the break that eventually gave Djokovic the set.

With Tsonga's unforced errors piling up Djokovic upped the ante with another break in the third game of the third set and then finally broke again in the ninth game after Tsonga had saved six set points.

The momentum looked to have changed early in the fourth set though when Djokovic injured himself stretching for a volley, and he called for treatment while leading 3-2.

With Djokovic trying to keep the points shorter in an attempt to win the match in four sets, Tsonga was nonetheless unable to make the most of the changed circumstances as his own weariness kicked in.

The set eventually went to a tie-breaker after Tsonga held in the 12th game soon after calling for the crowd to make some noise, but it was Djokovic who raced away with it by winning five of the first six points and he fell to his back in delight when he sealed victory.

Match Facts

- Djokovic won 136 points, Tsonga 122- There were six breaks of serve, four to Djokovic, two to Tsonga- Djokovic had more winners, 46 to 44- Tsonga had more unforced errors, 41 to 35- Tsonga failed to break Djokovic's serve after the first set- Tsonga served more aces, 15 to 11, while each had two double faults- Tsonga won just 19 of 40 points on his second serve

Certainly glad he got his wallet back, but who would keep their wallet in a pocket in a backpack while walking down a busy tourist street in a major thrid world capital?

TH

couldnt agree more.....

At least I caught the guy who took my wallet. Since you come from "Groongthep", you apparently didn't catch the guy who stole your dictionary!

looks like theres a new kid in town,this will give others hope when they next meet federer

Feds didnt look like he put much of a fight against the Serb.

He made many unforced errors, very unusual, and in straight sets! Novak played well esp the double handed backhand return to Feds forehand, mostly winners.

To the OP- early days yet but Feds could be losing his #1 crown this year.

The final will be a good one. Hope Tsonga comes up trumps.

Wow! If Tsonga wins, that will really turn the rankings upside down. Is he a one trick pony or can he keep his string of upsets going indefinitely? If he beats Novak and wins the AO, guess his wins won't be considered upsets as much as one of a new generation of players coming into his own. Fed could end up the year as the #2, as you allude to. Its hard to imagine him lower, but even that could happen with a few tough tournaments.

Novak Stops Fed Express

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Novak Djokovic has ended Roger Federer's 19-match winning streak at Melbourne Park to book a place in Sunday's Australian Open 2008 men's singles final.

The Serbian No.3 seed, who had only beaten Federer once in six previous meetings, avenged his defeat to the Swiss world No.1 in last year's US Open final with a dominant 7-5 6-3 7-6 (7-5) victory.

Djokovic's reward for his impressive triumph is a clash with unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in what will be the Australian Open's first tournament decider between two players yet to win a Grand Slam title since 1998.

In the early stages it was Federer who looked the goods, leading with a break and the chance to grab a second at 0-30 on Djokovic's serve, but from 3-5 down in the opening set Djokovic turned the match on its head.

The 20-year-old won the next five games in a row with a pair of breaks against Federer's serve and by the time he led 5-1 in the second set he'd claimed an amazing nine of 10 games.

Ahead by two breaks Djokovic did tighten up when serving for the second set but he didn't make the same mistake when he had a second chance in the ninth game, despite a warning for taking too long between points.

The third set was an arm wrestle, with Federer having to save four break points in the third game and Djokovic two that were also set points in the 12th, before Federer made the early running in the tie-breaker.

Ahead 3-1 early, Federer again led it 5-4 but Djokovic won the next couple of points to set up match point and then completed the brilliant win when Federer netted a forehand.

Federer's last straight-sets loss at a Grand Slam came when he went down to Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten in the third round of the 2004 French Open, and the defeat was his first at Melbourne Park since the corresponding stage three years ago against eventual champion Marat Safin.

Current Match on Rod Laver ArenaRod Laver Arena - Men's Singles - Semifinals

Roger Federer SUI (1)

536⁵

Novak Djokovic SRB (3) 767⁷

Match Statistics Serve Statistics

Match Facts

- Djokovic won 118 points to Federer's 104- There were six breaks of serve, four to Djokovic, two to Federer- Federer hit 38 winners, Djokovic 50- Each player made 32 unforced errors- There were 23 aces, 13 to Djokovic, 10 to Federer

Same thing happened to me at Chinatown. Guess I didn't have my <deleted> Man Chu look down. Finally used a tuktuk to get to the subway.

During the rainy season, it happens all the time. They will turn down multiple riders and let them get soaked to the bone. Or they will overcharge fares, depending on how desperate you look.

Here's an easy recipe I use when I get hungry for chicken wings. I got it from About.com in the Chinese food section. Its quite good but sorry, no pictures...

Baked Hoisin Sauce Chicken Wings

INGREDIENTS:

• 15 chicken wings
  
• 1 tablespoon honey or syrup
  
• 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  
• 3 tablespoons warm water
  
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  
• 1 scallion (green onion, spring onion), finely minced
  
• 1 slice fresh ginger, minced
  

PREPARATION:

Marinate chicken wings for 15 minutes in a mixture of honey, hoisin sauce, water, salt, pepper, garlic, scallion, and ginger.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.zSB(3,3)

Place chicken wings on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, brushing occasionally with marinade.

Turn oven to broil and broil chicken wings five more minutes. Turn wings every two minutes to avoid burning.

To serve: Transfer chicken wings to a serving platter and serve hot or at room temperature.

Who's this guy Tsonga anyway? He's beaten Murray, Gasquet, Youzhny and now Nadal. He smoked Nadal today in 3 straight sets. Kept waiting for Nadal to make a comeback and Tsonga kept hitting aces, dropshots and winners. Is he a one tournament wonder or if he can keep winning even after the AO?

As an old bangkok hand I should have known better, but last year i was walking near the pantip area (opposite side near Pratunam) and there are areas of the sidewalk that are impassible with hords of people. I was walking with a mate of mine and noticed that my wallet was lifted, but unlike the afformentioned thief, I believe the crooks in this area are female.

Stupid as it may sound, but having a female push up behind me didn't draw my suspicion. Needless to say the Tourist police had nothing to offer other than with a chuckle "you need to be careful, this area very bad". Lucky for me I live here so replacing the credit cards, bank cards was relatively painless (except bangkok bank of course) but can only imagine what tourists go through when this happens to them.

I for one now put my wallet in a front pocket when around these types of crowds - the way I figure it, if some gal is gonna reach in there to take it, she will be the one in for a surprise.

Repeatedly I read/hear "Thai police do nothing." Now it even includes tourist police. Man o' man.

Thanks for the heads up and a reminder that the Thai Security or Police will not be helpfull when you need them.

That punk needs his face smashed in.

If you ask me, the police are here for show only. Sometimes that's good enough, but most of them time they are there to serve thai people and only thai people. Friend of mine had his apartment broken into 'cept that he was at home when it happened. When he reported those people to the police, they told him "Why you lie about these good people?", laughed at him and sent him home. In any case, the government aparrently doesn't think much of them either since they don't equip the police with cars or motorcycles to pursue criminals. Guess it might be a blessing as they might run over some of us for sport....

A long time ago, maybe 10 years ago a German pal and I walked into a disco, and my pal felt a pull, reached back just as his wallet was being passed to someone else, then someone else, then gone.......he grabbed the guy immediately behind him, who shrugged and put his hands up, "Arai, Arai?"

My lesson learned. I don't carry a wallet when I go out in Thailand. It's a clip with my cash, ID and ATM card, in my front pocket.

Hey Huggybear,

Fancy meeting you here! Sage advice from a true gentleman! (Hope you enjoyed the games this weekend!)

MG

Hey bra,

oooooyyyy my Chargers went down, best running back in football out, QB coming off midweek surgery............

Cheers bra,

HB

Huggy Bear,

They made a good run, beat the 2nd best team in the league and made Patsfangr happy. All this with a limping QB, LT out and a number of walking wounded. Can't ask more of them, if you ask me...

If they go to the 4th floor, which is the departures area, they can catch a meter taxi which should not charge an extra 50 baht airport fee, which is customary in the arrivals area. As well, there is no line to catch the taxi on the 4th floor(as there sometimes is at the departure area). Again, warn them to make sure the driver turns on the meter!

Where did you look?

Go to "My Computer", right click on your hard drive, select Properties, in the resulting dialog, select the "Tools" tab, and click on defrag. That's one way to open the windows defragger tool.

Or you can click on "Run" then type in defrag and press enter.

It is foolish to walk around with a Back Pack, in that it says, look at me I am a tourist, and don't know my way around!

Whoa!!!...Backpack sales are dropping by the thousands! Street vendors around Bangkok are closing their businesses as we speak!

On that subject, I did speak to some thai friends who said that there is increased theft in many areas around Bangkok, including thai neighborhoods, where thieves wait outside homes until people leave their homes then break in. There are also many incidents of motorcycle thieves ridding by grabbing purses and other items from unsuspecting victims including the Sukhumvit area(try telling your wife not to carry a purse!). Although it is now high season, lots of thai are out of jobs due to the economic slowdown. Coming to a neighborhood near you!!!

P.S. I travel light nowadays but still use my "shoulder pack" to carry my gym clothes and tennis gear around, as do many others that travel around the city. Have a good day!

A long time ago, maybe 10 years ago a German pal and I walked into a disco, and my pal felt a pull, reached back just as his wallet was being passed to someone else, then someone else, then gone.......he grabbed the guy immediately behind him, who shrugged and put his hands up, "Arai, Arai?"

My lesson learned. I don't carry a wallet when I go out in Thailand. It's a clip with my cash, ID and ATM card, in my front pocket.

Hey Huggybear,

Fancy meeting you here! Sage advice from a true gentleman! (Hope you enjoyed the games this weekend!)

MG

Yep, congratulations Patsfangr! Your Pats have done everything they've needed to do against some great defensive schemes and still come up on top. Now they are SuperBowl bound...(in Arizona??? Well wherever) They are a very special team. If and when they win at the SB, they certainly deserve their place in history.

There are public buses running from the airport 24 hours a day. They cost 35 baht each. Check the attached link for the routes:

http://www.bangkokairportonline.com/node/56

You do need to catch a shuttle on the 4th floor(the floor above the arrival area) to get to the transport center, where all the public buses are located. Although the buses run 24 hours, you might want to wait at the airport until a more reasonable hour in case you get lost (for safety reasons). Then you can board the bus to the Southern Bus Terminal(#556), which has buses that "reportedly" leave during the early morning for Kanchanaburi (pronounced Ganchanaburi). Takes 2-3 hours. Make sure you exchange money at the terminal before you leave and be prepared for a lot of chaos at the Southern Bus Terminal (since few will speak English). See the attached link for more about getting to and about Kanchanaburi.

http://www.kanchanaburi-info.com/en/goKan.html

Hi,

I'll be going to Vietnam in March and I was thinking about buying some malaria pills in Thailand rather than paying through the nose for them here in the UK. I was wondering if anyone knew if they are good or of the same standard in Thailand than here in the UK. And if anyone knows the rough cost, that would be great.

Thank you!

I've purchased quinine sulfate for a friend in the US. (She uses it to alleviate chronic leg pain and claims it is the only drug that works well.)

The tablets cost 3 baht apiece and can be found at selected pharmacies.

I am shocked that you found a pickpocket in the Asoke/Nana area. We all know that part of town is renowned for its thriving "Arts and Culture" scene. The thought of a pickpocket there? It makes me weak in the knees...

Whats next? Reports that some young Thai girls are not the "women" that we thought they were? The horror, the humanity!

I posted this as a warning. This guy did not get my money but he did get away. I made this post so someone else on thaivisa.com would not get victimized by this guy. However, I guess some wise guys think that they are too "smart" for something like this to happen to them. When it does happen to you, maybe I'll be there to laugh at you!

What time of day was this?

It was about 4 in the afternoon. I was with 3 buddies walking to visit another guy. The pickpocket was quite bold, as I was actually using a slingpack with my hand over the main part of the bag. He didn't get away with my money but he did get away and will try to take someone else's money.

I was walking from Asoke to Nana with some friends on Wednesday when I felt a slight tug on my backpack. I then noticed that one of the zippered pockets was open, to find out my wallet was missing! Quickly turned around to see a thai guy running around the corner. I was lucky that a thai woman yelled "Kamoey, kamoey, ...." He apparently threw the wallet on the ground then strangely, walked slowly back away, as if he was not involved. My friend grabbed the wallet for me and I ran after the guy, who ducked into the parking lot of a condo in Sukhumvit 6. He stopped running again, then did that slow walk again like he was not involved. I grabbed his arm and he said he didn't take anything.

Although we caught him and I asked the security to call the police, they did nothing except growl when my friend pushed him to prevent him from running away. The security looked like they were about to jump us, so I let him go. So much for protecting the residents from thieves! A couple people outside in the soi were helpful in calling out when the incident happened but nobody else did anything, although they seemed surprised when we let the guy go.

Just a warning for those walking the area. The pickpocket apparently followed us from Sukhumvit 12 to Sukhumvit 6, according to another friend who had seen him earlier.

Hi all

We are thinking of visiting the Grand Palace tomorrow (Friday 18th) but have been advised that due to the period of mourning for the Princess, there are new rules that say we must only wear black and white clothes when visiting. Can anyone confirm if this is true or are things back to business-as-usual there now that the funeral has passed?

Thanks

P

I was there on Tuesday but only went to Wat Prakaew. There were hundreds of people dressed in black, waiting in line to get in. Can't tell you if what you heard it correct, but at the very least it will be difficult to enter due to the hordes of people.

If you are looking for someone to take you sightseeing around the city and on sidetrips closeby Bangkok, I know someone who can take you around. No sex involved but my friend is very pleasant and funny and would do it for 1000 baht a day plus expenses(day trips only).

PM me if you are interested.

Do you have to become a member prior to using their park facilities?

I'm not sure but I would think so. Call them at 02-259-2788 or 086-787-0102. Membership is quite steep!