montrii

I think the red shirt business is a new one . . . probably of political origin, tho not sure how that would work. The traditional method of scaring away the << Thai script removed, this is the English language forum >> (phii mae maai) is to place huge phalluses, sometimes piles of them, in front of the house, so the lusty widow-maker will be distracted by those and not take the man of the house. Here's an illustsrative link from occurrences in Khon Kaen: http://www.xn--b3ct2b9a1h.com/16317/.

geriatrickid, on 2013-01-16 11:51:10, said:

Carpet bombing.

Win their hearts and minds by handing out chiclets, pens and soap.

Napalm and defoliants can be used as well.

Too bad General McNamara has died, because I bet he'd have this war won in no time.

OzMick, on 2013-01-16 12:52:16, said:

Can you explain why it's OK to use the military against citizens from the South, but not those from the North?

@OzMick:Puhleez! The geriatric kid was using irony, OK? I-R-O-N-Y, look it up. Remember, the US didn't win that war? Remember, universally recognized as one of the biggest screw-ups the US ever made? Perhaps you are not a student of history.

Aye, but give credit to the author, please: Songkran Grachangnetara, who has lived extensively in both the Thai and Farang worlds. He's Thai and "wouldn't have it any other way." Kudos to people everywhere, of every culture, who are able to laugh at themselves.

I should add that you also know you're Thai if your name is "Golf." Or "Bank."

I did gigs with other groups on the same bill with them back in the SF Bay Area decades ago. They are good, and have stood the test of time. Working as a duo with just one rhythmic and chordal instrument is no mean feat to pull off, and they do it with style.

Hi, guys, don't give too much credence to nay-sayers . . . there are plenty of authentic experiences to be had. I live here, and have had many decades of experience with the "real" Thailand, ever since being tossed (Peace Corps) for two years into a town where no one else spoke English. Just got back from a cycling trip along the Mekong, that's one way to do it, but maybe a little too advanced if you've never been here before. I just wrote a piece, though, in The Nation, describing a great outfit in southern Thailand which started as a tsunami relief group and now works to promote "responsible tourism," largely through volunteer opportunities. This is Andaman Discoveries, based in Khuraburi, Phang Nga Province. They work with orphanages, for one thing, and also construction projects. There are other groups, as well, as other posters have mentioned . . . this just happens to be the best one I know about. Good luck, and enjoy.

My daughter, who is a helluva cook, taught me that you should soak them overnight, yes, but then discard that water, and use new water to cook them. This keeps the fart factor way, way down, and does not diminish nutrition. It works. If you don't believe me, try it each way and see how you feel after 5-6 hours of each!

Also when cooking them I also use bullion, and various flavorings. Do it right, they taste great.

For just riding around the city, don't spend a lot. Pick up one of the Big C or Lotus bikes, not the really cheap ones, and you should be fine. I have 2 quite nice bikes, one worth over a thousand dollars. I have always used U locks, and over 5 years have not had the hint of a problem. The chains, though . . . don't go that way. And the really good one I try to keep near me all the time, plus run a thick steel cable through the wheels besides the U lock. The other one I've left all morning and afternoon sometimes at BTS bike racks. Also, Lotus, Big C, and most other big stores have parking areas mostly for motorcycles but also for bikes, and you can usually lock your bike to a stanchion or steel fence, and they have security there.

If you want to ride long distances, or do serious excercise biking, get something better. The GIANT bike shops are a little cheaper than Bike Zone or Pro Bike.

It's not a workforce issue, it's a productivity issue. My wife & I were eating in a burger place near Siam Center; I counted no less than 11 employees in the dining room & kitchen. We were the only customers! There were enough employees there to run 3 restaurants. If Thai workers would learn to be productive, the labor shortage would vanish.

Oh, and by the way... service was still horrible in the restaurant. o_O

Does it matter these little issues that some here complain about tirelessly is the reason many of us stay in this country. If you want efficent, rude, and self absorbed waiters get on back home and let us know how thats going

Was going to lay out on this one, but what the heck. Regarding waiters, I generally side with USRNet. Actually most waiters in the US aren't rude, if for no other reason than that they depend on your tips. It always does seem a little weird to me to see Thai workers standing around doing nothing . . . yet it does keep employment high! I don't like the 2 gals they assign to liquor depts of some supermarkets, who really have nothing to tell me about wine or anything else and have nothing better to do than stare at me while I'm deciding. Go to Robinson, or some other big dept. store, there always seem to be too many folks hanging around trying to look useful. If I've got a problem with appearances, that, of course, is my problem, not theirs, but point taken, there's a lot of featherbedding. I saw some guys filling in plaster in the side of a building once. Three of them. One guy mixed the plaster and got up on the ladder to put it in. The other 2 watched.

Employment high, wages low, sufficiency economy. Things to be said for it. But if you want to get much done, you need an efficiency economy. That has its advantages, and also its drawbacks. Me, I had one of those efficiency jobs for quite awhile, and am glad to be out of it. I'm kind of glad to be where things are more laid back. And, for us, it does keep a lot of prices low. But there are two sides to all of this. So why did I weigh in on this at all? Maybe just to accentuate the obvious. It is what it is.

Go to any town or village hardware store and ask for a "Jop" (kind of long drawn out sound), that has always got me to what I know as a hoe.

Right. actually the sound is more like "jawp" (จอบ), long vowel, long tone, the "j" sound unvoiced, kind of like the "tj" in German "tja." But that's the closest thing to that particular non-sniggerworthy farm implement.

I'm living here for 10 years in lower north east. People are much different to those in the south/north etc..

Got a wonderful wife, her parents are farmers and I'm really accepted as a family member, not as an ATM machine.

I settled down here, because my wife's from here, started teaching English eight years ago and i really love what I'm doing. The kids' love means more to me than my salary.

I enjoy having a chat with locals and I couldn't live in Europe any more. "Isaan" is a nice place to live, I hate places like Pattaya, as this isn't Thailand.

Also the prettiest birds are from Isaan. It helps when you're able to speak their slang.Life could be worse.----

good that you can get to learn the slang.this is one thing hard to get. I dont see in many books.

Maybe you could think to start a thread on this, i would for sure follow it and like to know some also

I first came to Isaan in - get this - 1965. I taught English in Nongkhai Province, was the only Westerner in my district, and there were only 6-7 others in the whole district. Then I went to Sakol Nakon and worked with elementary school English teachers to improve their teaching methods. I fell in love with the Northeast from the very beginning, and that was back when there was no one around to tell me how good it was. People are much more easygoing, the pace of life relaxed, the slang is wonderful (I got tutored in this by my fellow teachers, like a pet dog they were teaching tricks to!) and they seem much more accepting of outsiders than elsewhere. So I'm with you on this. I've worked in the South, too, and lived for a long time in Bangkok, and Isaan is simply the best. Oddly, the people there are looked down on by many other groups in the society. Shame on them.

Speaking of Isaan language materials, go to Kinokuniya next time you're in a big city. There are some good materials there. Benjawan Becker - whose general Thai system I don't like - did put out one excellent CD and book on Northeastern Thai. So stuff is out there. Go for it. The language is the way in to this society, that's for sure.

7) Not to post slurs or degrading comments directed towards any group on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

Ah, but these were not slurs. As I have been watching them come in, the comments have been quite staccato.

There are such places for a budget such as this to be had near BTS and MRT, but likely the farther from the center of town the easier it will be to find them. I suggest physically going out and searching near the light rail stations for likely-looking condos, going into their admin offices and asking about rentals. Some condo companies haven't sold all units and are looking to rent. Others have bulletin boards where owners are looking for renters. I don't suggest going to newspaper classifieds, or - in general - Thaivisa classifieds, as the postings there are often from young farangs who are trying to make a living off commissions for rentals they arrange. You can do better by finding the places yourself without paying anyone's commission, it just takes some leg work.

The old Microsoft standard hotkeys Ctrl-X (for cut) and Ctrl-V (for paste) work as well for files as for text. Selecting a file or folder and hitting Ctrl-X to move and moving the mouse to the new location and hitting Ctrl-V will do the job.

I guess if one had been living in a cave for the last few years, not reading any news, nor able to do a simple google search then it might make sense that one had not seen any of the dozens & dozens of new stories that BTSC had purchased 35 single Siemens cars to convert all of the rolling stock on the Sukhumvit line to 4 cars.

Given the big PR splash that the BMA and BTSC made in late August when the first batch of new trains arrived, one would have expected most people would have seen something in the english press. That, and the fact that there are at least 6 threads on the issue on TV; http://www.thaivisa....00#entry5859013

Google, schmoogle. Cave, schmave. Dude! Just answer the question (which you eventually did, thank you, in however roundabout form). A few of us non-cavedwellers have actual lives, which don't allow for spending the whole day tracking down threads about Siemens, schmiemens. Again, though, thank you for the answer. And I've long wondered why BTS doesn't regularly throw on more cars during commute hours, it is getting a bit rough in there.

Be sure to let him know he can extend his stay at local immigration office during the last 30 days of his final permitted to stay rather than having to return to OZ and going through the visa process again if he wants. Only costs 1,900 baht each year and the cost of the financial documents showing 800k in bank account in Thailand 3 months or 65k income/pension by Embassy letter or combination of the two to meet 800k per year.

He doesn't have to go back to OZ to go through the visa renewed. It's easily done at Chaeng Wattana, I've done it three times.

I think the immigration officer made a big mistake. In order to get the permit to stay they gave him he would have to leave the country and return.

He does not need a re-entry permit until after his visa expires on 15 Feb. and can do a border crossing and get another year from the date he enters as long as he does it before that date.

I believe this is closest to a correct answer. It seems odd that the Roi Et office would give him that full year, but perhaps they were as uninformed (I think, anyhow!) as Nongkhai immigration. Retirement visas (non imm O-A) have to be renewed every year at the original date, at which point another year is given . . . paperwork, including financial records, has to be done then. Giving permission to stay for another full year can only be done at that point, though it's pretty automatic. In any case he has to have a re-entry permit if he wants to go out and come back.

As I came back from a Lao visit once, Nongkhai immigration screwed me up by - without my noticing - marking my leave-the-country-date in 15 days, like a tourist visa, rather than noting it correctly, as the time my non imm O-A was up for renewal. When I went down to renew (Bangkok) they first said "oh, you've been a bad boy, overstaying your visa like that." I showed them the page with the original visa on it, and they had to make all sorts of calls and fill out all sorts of forms to correct the mistake. They even called Nongkhai and chewed them out. So don't trust either Nongkhai or Roi-Et. At least go to a lawyer. I'm pretty sure that's a bogus date and could cause you some headaches.

North of Phuket, "Thai Mueang" Beach (Thai spelling will tell you this doesn't mean "Thai city," but rather "Last Mine" - tin mining was what drove the economies in that part of Thailand in a bygone age). Check out http://www.thaimuang.com/phang-nga/beaches/thai-muang-beaches.html. Endlessly long and mostly deserted beach attached to Khao Lam Pi National Park. I've been there, seems like just what you're looking for.

Just a quick word . . . I wish you well on finding an inexpensive bike, but advise you not to skimp on quality. Any serious ride requires serious equipment. If the bike isn't up to snuff, you're gonna have problems. Even good bikes can have problems, I can assure you of that from my own long rides here in Thailand. And if your charity ride doesn't have exellent mechanical support, you may be out of luck up there in the wilds of Laos if something happens.

Tenderloins, Soi 33, 8AM-12. If you're a Romnesiac, beware, as this is organized by ex-pat Democrats.

I’d recommend Samed Villa Resort. They have quite a decent resort restaurant, and if you’re not please with it, or want some change, head up to the beach restaurants on Sai Keaw for all the choices they have to offer. Can’t go wrong

This is a good one, true. But all depends on what you want. Hat Sai Kaew is the first beach you come to coming in from the wharf; it's the longest, you can walk into town from there, and it has many, many bungalows and rooms for rent. Busy, always a bit of a party atmosphere. From there going out there are many coves, each with its set of bungalows, and the further out on the eastern side the more secluded, the smaller the coves, and generally the cheaper they are. If you take the road up to the southern tip there's the most beautiful cove of all, Ao Prao, and there are a number of resorts there, but those are generally the most expensive on the island.

For a place in the mid range of prices, and neither secluded nor crowded, I like Wongdeuan beach. Google around and see what suits you. I think Koh Samet is somewhat underrated as a good island getaway.

This is a great story. I think you should put it in actual print! Belongs in an anthology of Expat experiences in Thailand. Classic.

There are a lot of them. Just check in and ask. I'm with the fella who recommended On Nut, as that area has a bezillion places, and is cheapest in town (100 - 150 baht per hour). Not all of them have tables, but some do.

Surprised no one has mentioned the one that opened with Terminal 21, Asoke BTS, all the way in the basement. But glad to learn about the one at Ekkamai. Maybe even more convenient.

If OP riceyumm is ethnic Italian, maybe he knows his stuff to some extent, but really, you've got to be extremely careful. I've never heard of anything that looks like oyster mushrooms that gives you the runs, but remember, you're in a completely different part of the world than you grew up. Don't mess with what you don't know . . . many Lao immigrants to the US have died mistaking Amanita Phalloides (commonly known as "death caps") for the straw mushrooms they picked back home. They look almost exactly the same. I was actually hesitant to eat fresh straw mushrooms when I moved to Thailand because I was used to the other. There are mushrooms you can be absolutely certain of, and I collect those and no others. Go to experts, go to books. The old saying goes that there are old mushroom hunters and bold mushroom hunters, but no old bold ones.

even i have to say very poor attempt at trolling.

Please, please! This topic has been most successful at bringing weird and deformed things out of the underbrush about the bridge. Isn't this exactly what trolls are best at doing? The man deserves congratulations, not a put-down!