Theyreallrubbish

Nokia shop in Chiang Mai Airport Plaza says the 26th and same price 23730.

Is it really possible to negotiate in the official shop?

What a wonderful experiment The Elizabethan Room was - home made English food from the Elizabethan era - but bad luck and bad timing ( and a pretty bad location) certainly put a stop to that.

Yes, I though it was very good. But unfortunately I went 5 times but it was closed on three of those occasions, even though it wasn't a day they shouldn't be closed. And the sad thing is, I took two local expats there twice and both times it was closed, so they obviously never went back.

I know a lot of mixed families that live in Thailand and go to Pattaya almost every vacation because it is such a bargain.

The truth is that most adults realize that a lot of bargirls are prostitutes, but children have no idea. If they don't go into a Go-Go bar, all they know is that there are a lot of freindly Thai girls in Pattaya who make a fuss over them. Most beach resorts have a lot of pretty girls with a lot of skin showing.

Don't let small-minded, Puritanical types ruin a wonderful place for the rest of us!

I go to Pattaya twice a year to do a "restaurant tour" of my favorite restaurants and meals. Its reasonably priced and great variety of Western food.

And I agree its not compulsory to sleep with prostitutes. Pattaya has other attractions.

It is quiet at the moment. I stopped for a coke at one of the big bar beer complexes with the Thai boxing ring in the middle, about 20 largish bars around the ring and saw a total of about 15 customers in all the bars. This was about 8 o clock at night.

Also, I had a couple of beers in the beer bars on Soi 8 and both bars I went to charged 160 Baht for a lady drink. Needless to say I quickly left and never returned to that soi. 160 Baht in a bar beer is just ridiculous. I wonder if they'll connect this to customers not returning.

Another thing, where have the pretty women gone? Maybe I'm spoiled by living in Chiang Mai, but the average age of the women working in the bar beers here seems to be around 30 now, and they're rough looking, overweight and badly groomed as well!

16 years and carry photocopy of passport main page only but never asked for it in Bangkok. The only time I've been asked is at the check points they have on the roads around the Burmese border.

Once you get away from the border, even if they stop you they don't ask for the passport anymore

"Members are granted five-year visas, which could not normally be bought even for Bt100 million or Bt200 million."

From this comment we can see a sample of the mindset behind the visa regulations.

I think you're exactly right. The arrogance and belief that Thailand is so wonderful and special that its worth millions of dollars to be able to come here for a few years.

Someone should point out that Thailand isn't the only 3rd world nation with awful traffic and pollution. Perhaps Cambodia could advertise that they're even more backward than Thailand and therefore a 5 year visa will cost BILLIONS of baht for the privilege of visiting and spending your money there.

This might help, Suggestion, but don't tell them I sent you.

I have a buddy who's family has been building real estate for decades. he was building condo projects that sell out in 3-4 months and last year he asked all the banks for a loan for a new project. He was willing to put up 50% cash on the deal and wanted a loan for the other 50%.

All the banks said no!

They just said that construction loans were not being given to anyone, by order of the Board.

Smart by the banks, but terrible for businesses

I'll summarise my trip.

Parked near the bridge and went across around 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

There were maybe two other foreigners on the bus.

No line at the Laos visa desk. Paid the 1500 Baht and got the passport back in under 3 minutes!

At the Embassy the next morning there were perhaps 20 people in line at 8:30 when I arrived. Took about 20 minutes for my number to be called then on to the next building to collect the receipt which took maybe another 30 minutes, so I was out in about an hour.

In hindsight, turning up at the 8:30 opening time was a waste of time as I saw that people turning up later were getting served immediately.

The next day, I stood in line behind the same 20 people or so. Then misunderstood the system so got a ticket after everyone else, but it was still only a 20 minute or so wait and recieved a double entry tourist visa for no fee.

Went straight to the bridge and there were maybe 5-6 foreigners there at that time and on the Thai side the lines at the emmigration desks were never more than about 4 people deep, and I had to fill in the arrival/departure card, so I lined up behind just one person.

I was struck by the difference to my last trip where the lines at the bridge immigration points on both sides were 20-30 minutes up each way.

I was referring to the fact that I think that Shangri-La had their market right before even though @ 169b, lunch may have been a loss leader. The place was always quite busy with both Thai, Asians and foreigners.

I wasn't referring to the companies' choice of location. Aparently the land became part of the Shangri-La's property portfolio about 15 years ago. True?

regards Bojo

I think one or possibly two members are confusing Shangri La with Le Meridian. With regards to Shangri La, I believe it only opened in late 2007 - of course I may be wrong. But I recall going in there on Christmas Eve 2007 and meeting the General Manager, an American guy, who told me that it had just opened that day or the day before. He told me the rate was USD $300/night and I knew it was destined for doom! I guess its possible the land was purchased 15 years before. Hard to imagine the company planned that far in advance.

Some time last year I met the manager of the Shangri-La. He was a very young guy and not American. I think he'd been recently transferred from a hotel in Indonesia.

He told me that their business plan was based on weddings and functions rather than guests per se.

I was kind of skeptical at the time but didn't say anything. (I wanted to ask why then did they built so many rooms!)

I heard as a rumour that they closed one wing and that at one point in February they had exactly one guest

Americans are indeed often loud, often very loud. So people are often conditioned to react, loud people, Americans. That means you don't even NOTICE the super quiet Americans like me. Same difference with flamboyant homosexuals. People NOTICE them but don't take into account that most are not flamboyant, you don't even notice them.

I have many American friends. Fortunately, none of them are bellowers. Although I have had to say on occasions, "I'm sitting right here, I can hear you fine."

Having lived in the US I know its a minority, but its a large enough minority to be very noticeable outside the US

Americans are indeed often loud, often very loud. So people are often conditioned to react, loud people, Americans. That means you don't even NOTICE the super quiet Americans like me. Same difference with flamboyant homosexuals. People NOTICE them but don't take into account that most are not flamboyant, you don't even notice them.

I have many American friends. Fortunately, none of them are bellowers. Although I have had to say on occasions, "I'm sitting right here, I can hear you fine."

Having lived in the US I know its a minority, but its a large enough minority to be very noticeable outside the US

Have to agree with the booming American voices thing. What is wrong with you that you have to bellow at someone sitting just a couple of feet away?

I've had meals ruined everywhere because I can't hear my fellow dinner guests because of some American sitting several tables away.

I was once asked by a Thai woman why Americans speak so loud, while another meal was being ruined, and I replied, "Because they come from a big country", but all joking aside, its incredibly rude and there should be a sign in restaurants ABOVE the No Smoking sign, telling Americans that if someone is sitting just two feet away you don't need to shout at them.

Many times while dining in restaurants I've heard Germans, Czechs, Italians, etc. be rude and shout or speak loudly, so that's rubbish that its an American only thing.

At no point do I say it ONLY an American thing.

Its just much, much more common with Americans.

I notice you don't deny that Americans are often too loud, just try to say that other nationalities are as bad.

I've found HSBC Premier in the UK to be excellent. I decided not to set up a Bangkok HSBC account because while I was trying to set it up they were so idiotic and unhelpful I decided to pass. Even the UK rep who was trying to help me couldn't believe the crap they were telling him and told me flat out, "I don't believe what they are saying"!

I do find that you have to spend time on the phone to get anything done, but they answer very quickly and its always a Scottish person on the line.

Have to agree with the booming American voices thing. What is wrong with you that you have to bellow at someone sitting just a couple of feet away?

I've had meals ruined everywhere because I can't hear my fellow dinner guests because of some American sitting several tables away.

I was once asked by a Thai woman why Americans speak so loud, while another meal was being ruined, and I replied, "Because they come from a big country", but all joking aside, its incredibly rude and there should be a sign in restaurants ABOVE the No Smoking sign, telling Americans that if someone is sitting just two feet away you don't need to shout at them.

Disconnecting battery can lead to problems with the entertainment system.

Driving a Fortuner at 160 is travelling way over it's limits. Even 110 is probably to fast. Try not to kill anyone....including yourself!

Mine cruises fine at 180 and even at 200, feels stable and the engine isn't straining.

I do tend to keep the speed down to about 120-140 though for safety reasons, but occasionally if you aren't paying attention you look down and notice you're doing over 180 without really noticing, which is testament to the car.

Have to say, I'm very impressed with the power of the 3 liter diesel engine on such a heavy car.

Anyone else noticed that the longer the car is running the perkier the engine gets? It can be a bit tractorish when starting, but feels like a petrol engine after some time on the highway

Women are the same all over the world

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_an...icle6336625.ece

"I haven't had sex with my husband since he lost his job and I no longer find him attractive"

Its just that the Issan women are naive enough not to try and hide it behind obfuscating language.

Check out any personal ad in the west. Every woman wants a man who is "successful", "generous", "ambitious", "likes to travel", etc. All code words for having money.

I had a falang in the neighborhood that bought a restaurant for his wife/gf.

It was open two months per year when he was visiting her, he worked in falangland.

Rest of the time she went back to her old job in the bar.

Works much better if you live here.

I've seen that as well. An English taxi driver started a small bar beer for his wife. Whenever he wasn't there her extended family and friends would fill the place up and drink for free. Inevitably his money ran out and he had to go back to the UK to earn more. Told me he was working 14 hour shifts taxi driving to send money to her.

She was just having a perpetual free party with her family and friends.

She was big ugly girl as well. You'd think she might have had the foresight to realise that she'd got lucky having a guy like this love her and try to hold on to him, but no, she just milked him as fast as she could and didn't even keep any money but gave it away in the form of alcohol to her family and friends.

Spoke to my friend in Bangkok earlier - he said it's HOT and WET. This seems like an annual problem in Thailand. Is anything done? Or just money to fix the problem ends up in someone's pocket? My sympathy to anybody flooded out of home - we have the same problem in SE Queensland now.

Peter

It used to be much much worse. The water would be thigh deep over huge areas of Bangkok.

I think they have really improved the storm drain system and my understanding is that only when water hitting the city meets a high tide is there wide spread flooding.

Whereas before, any heavy rain would mean a couple of feet of standing water.

Used to wade up and down Sukhumvit all the time looking out for live electrical wires and uncovered storm drains trying to suck you in.

These last 2 days on Trips to Bangkok in my 1 year old Fortuner Smart the engine just about died, The engine warning light came on (The transmission shaped thingy) and 80% of the Power just disappeared ? It would not rev past maybe 2000 Rpm, just flat as a fart. I pulled over on the Hard shoulder and decided to switch the engine off and wait a few minutes, after re starting it ran fine, until i hit about 160 Kph again, then exactly the same thing happened ? I tried many other ways to see if it would happen again, it does every time i push it hard and am travelling around 160 ish, anything 140 and below seems fine ? Anyone else ever had this happen ? any thoughts beofre i take it to Toyota ?

Speed limit on Thai highways is 120.

Please turn yourself in to the nearest police station before arranging to leave Thailand forever.

And if you have ever thrown a cigarette butt out the window please volunteer for the death penalty

I was thinking of spending a week in Pattaya. I do love the variety of cheap western restaurants there.

Looking at hotel prices on the internet they only seem to have come down for the high end places. The mid range places seem to have the same prices.

By midrange I mean the Dynasty Inn, which is the same price, and the Whitehouse Condotel, which seems to have reduced its price by 250 Baht a night for the low season.

Although I'll be driving there I prefer to be in the hotels between beach road and second road to make it easy to hop on a Baht bus.

Any really great deals around, as I'm not seeing them?

Yesterday, May 15, in the afternoon at Fortune Town. I want to buy Garmin software for my HTC Touch mobile phone. Legal software, not pirated.

First shop (conspiciously whispering): No problem, Sir, just 500 Baht, wait 20 min, Sir....

Me: (loud): GREAT! And that comes with an official license??

Shop guy: Shhhh..nooo....but work very well....

I try two or three more shops that look as they are selling GPS stuff, same result.

Next stop the official HTC dealer. They have also a wide range of Garmin products, but getting ONLY the software on my PDA...no way!

Smart Mobile shop: Very helpful staff, but again no software. At least I could buy a bundle, the software together with the original Garmin GPS receiver. As I have a receiver already, I don't want it.

Now comes the interesting part...I still cannot believe all this by myself, but it is as it happened to me.

The shop lady there gives me the number of ESRI, the Thai Garmin distributor and license holder. At ESRI they tell me that they cannot sell me the software just like that, I have to talk to HTC first. I tell the guy that I could walk back to that other shop and get the software at 500 Baht within 20 min. His answer is that this is pirated software and not good and yadayada...but selling his official version to me is not possible at this stage.

I call HTC Thailand.

I learn from Mr. Shinawat (nomen est omen?) of HTC (the company was called differently, but apparently they are the official importer) that I cannot just like that buy some Garmin software for my mobile phone. This would be a very unusual request and I am only the second (!!) person asking for this in 6 months...well...I say, maybe the reason is that I can get the software without questions asked opposite his official shop...naaaa...that is pirated software and I will burn in hel_l etc...

Ok, Mr. Shinawat is very helpful and explains me the lengthy process how to get officially licensed Garmin software on my HTC mobile, only interrupted by my laughter and doublechecking of the idionsyncratic process that follows now.

1) We have to establish whether the mobile phone has been imported by his company. I find the IMEI number and call him back. I am extremely lucky, this mobile was bought in Thailand. If not, mission impossible. If a grey import, see above.

2) He has to contact ESRI to get a permission allowing him to sell the software to me. If no permission granted, see above.

3) Mr. Shinawat will send me by e-mail the legal fineprint for using the software and I have to send him a mail back that I agree on the terms and conditions. He especially pointed out that the software license is coupled with the mobile phone's IMEI number and the software cannot be used on any other device after. I say that this is quite user unfriendly as I have to buy a new license if I change or lose my mobile phone. He agrees that he had similar complaints before but a company policy is a company policy and nothing to argue about.

3) After ESRI's approval, I have to transfer the purchasing price, anywhere between 2,000 and 2,500 Baht. The exact price he cannot tell me as it is rather unusual to sell licensed software to end users.

4) After receipt of the money, I will receive a CD with the software by mail.

Total duration of the process: If all goes smooth between 3 and 5 days.

Last detail missing is my mailing address. But you have my IMEI number already and I registered the mobile phone in my company's name on the HTC webpage...well...Mr. Shinawat cannot look up the HTC database. But you are the HTC dealer, I say...Yes. That's why I cannot look up the HTC database. At this point I cannot help myself laughing out loud and also the staff at Smart Mobile was already listening to my conversation with increasing amusement.

Half an hour later, ESRI calls me expressing their thanks for my interest in buying licensed software, a rather unusual request as it seems. They confirm my delivery address and promise me to send me the CD by next Wednesday along with an invoice that I can pay then by bank transfer.

I ask why he cannot send me an e-mail with a download link. Naaaa.....then EVERYONE can download his software, ALL over the world. But this is a THAI map and this is only for what he called "domestic users". If someone in the US wanted to load this software on his mobile phone as he is planning a trip to Thailand? No way....he is not "domestic".

On top of that, Garmin and HTC have an agreement in Thailand that Garmin software can only be sold together with an HTC mobile phone or other hardware bundled to it, but never alone. I say that they could sell much more licenses if they had not this agreement in place, he said that he thought about this also before....but a policy is a policy, isn't it?

This post has been sent to the Bangkok Post Database as a reader's letter as well.

I have the Garmin software as it came with my HTC Touch Pro.

Have to say, its not very good.

Nokia Maps in my Nokia N95 is much better.

A great free map service that works on HTC phones is AmaZe

http://www.amazegps.com

Who knows if its early, but God its welcome!

So much more pleasant now it cooled down.

Strangely, I look at the temperature and its still quite high, but it "feels" so much cooler after becoming acclimatised to 40 degree plus heat over the last month or two

After reading your positive story the other day... I was on my way home from a short day at the office yesterday and after the heavy rain stopped I saw a (BMW) motorist on the side of the road with the hood opened. I have been a BMW enthusiast for some 20 plus years and at one time had a collection of 16 cars (don't be impressed I didn't pay more than $7,000 for the best of them) but I like to tinker, work on them and restore them to original showroom condition, the classics that is (old junkers for those of you who don't like them), In any event I pulled in behind the 1994 323i which is a little new for my liking however they work on the same basic principal with the exception of the abomination of computers controlling some major functions. My Thai is a little rough however the driver spoke very good English, I had a look and simple enough someone decided they knew better than the BMW engineers and installed a Carbonio intake which might make a Honda go faster but would only cause a problem on a precision machine. The driver told me he had purchased the car a month ago and noticed it was sluggish (again caused by the unnecessary modification) I removed the Carbonio intake dried out the intake and the car started right up and was no longer sluggish either. I told him where to go and buy the proper factory part for a bout 500฿ and he would never have this problem again.

Well the point of my story is that your story inspired me to do my first random act of kindness in Thailand, I have always been standoffish not knowing how my offer of help would be received so thanks for the shot of courage.

That's fantastic!

Thanks for letting me know

I'm glad I took the time to post the story now.

There may not be trash bins, but there are storm drains every few meters. Just throw your butt down one of the holes.

My car battery was dead and a stranger stopped by to see if he could help. Neither of us had jump cables but we wandered around and borrowed some electrical wire and tried to jump start the car. Not enough current was going through the wires so then he decided he would take the battery out of his car and put it in mine to get it started.

I told him I didn't want him to go to so much trouble and I would call someone to come help. He offered to wait until that person came, but I told him he didn't have to.

Very kind of a stranger to go to such lengths, including offering to take the battery out of his car!

His wife looked a little impatient sitting in the car though!

Just thought I'd a relate a story of random kindness from a Thai as there are way too many stories of Thais ripping off farang so a little balance may be restored

Sorry to the OP, but I reckon there's a very high possibility the wife won't be around much longer if you turn off the money to the family.

The wife may be an angel, but you've given the family a taste of a different life and they're not going to give it up so easily.

If you stop giving out money they'll put immense pressure on her to find another farang who will hand out the money.