FarangCravings

I think more attention should be focused on his 1st class insurance company that is not doing what they are paid to do

Name and Shame them and let them know we Farangs are watching them and will boycott them as a business if you pay for 1st class insurance they should od there job

I would not leave passport with any rental companies. Know a few people who rent out motorcycles (small operations), they make copy of passport and return it while you wait.

Instead of taking the passport they should just take out the Arrival/Departure form as that would suffice and discourage doing a runner as that would be a lot of hassle I would presume.

Well obviously someone is making Bazillions of Baht as they are opening shops all over town and in some cases just a few doors down from each other,

POP rentals have popped up all over town within the last 2 years and have all new bikes in each location adding up to literally Millions and millions of Baht during the same 2 years tourism and visitors has dropped dramatically in Chiang mai and Thailand so this massive expansion of POP does not make sense

Also they are opening shops just a few doors down from another POP rental less than 150ft away

Anyone else see something might be a bit dodgy here ?

I personally wont send anyone there due to a situation a mate got into renting from them but that dont change the fact that they are expanding at a rapid rate in an economy that cannot sustain an investment like that.

POP will do you a better bike (more modern), but will probably cost a minimunm of 150B a day (insurance included) and a 2k deposit. I have an arrangement with someone local to me for 80B/day any time I need one (regardless of the timespan), so you may find somewhere out of the way that will do it cheaper, but watch out for 'broken bike' scams. You will find you do tend to get what you pay for - want a modern bike and comrehensive insurance, then it will cost.

Last time I went to POP I wanted to hire a D-Trakker but they wouldn't do it with insurance.

To the OP, check out the small print with regards to insurance. Sometimes it's cheaper just to replace broken parts than pay excess on some of these policies.

I've found that leaving passport is the norm in most places to be honest, not much use if you need to do a visa run lol

I've heard some dodgy things about POP and had one mate locked up after renting from them Im not going to elaborate but I personally would never rent from POP

Just out of curiosity - Does anyone else remember a small kebab booth located by the DK Bookshop. They used to sell kebabs, falefel and other various snacks. They seemed to have closed over-night, at a time when there was still many tourists. Wonder why?

Not much interest for most of you, but for those who live out my way - Hang Dong My wife has just returrned with a big bag of mini-samosas from Hang Dong market. Apparently they cost 2 Baht each. It seems the vendor is on-the-right after you turn up the one way street, on the left side of the market, from the main road.One-way-street meaning - going up. Not bad. Any port in a storm!

GREAT I am in Hang Dong so have to get the missus to go searching just one clarification once you have turned into the one way is it on the right or left as you turn into the one way street. You did not say if they were good or not

'According to the wife (Thai directions!)' Once you turn right off from the main Hang Dong road, the vendor is a little way along the one way street, on the right hand side. The wife brought back vegetable samosas, admittedly they were small, not the usual size, but they were hot and I thought quite a tasty snack. What's that expression -'The only saloon in town'. I would like to go along with her next time to see what other goodies he may be selling. Off-topic but as a by-the-way, a little further along the same street, on the left, is a computer repair shop run by a guy called Eviang (?). He is very competent, works fast and cheap. Above all it saves lugging your hard drive into town. He is also a presenter on Radio Talad Hang Dong, and the studio is next to his shop.

CHEERS Gladiator thanks for the info

And another point obviously there is a BUG in the forum as the way my post appears with Html etc should not be showing like that

<br>While this may be true that the foreign press don't get it. The fact is Thaksin's foot print is all over what happened in Bangkok. The question should be, does the current government have the will to track him down, and extradite him back to Thailand to face charges, or do they feel this will make a martyr of him. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.<br>

NO what they fail to see is what the Thai government wants them to see instead of seeing and reporting on the true facts which they did, The governement has proven they can control the Thai media but THANK GOD the world media see's the real truth of the matter.

As for Mr T I see there terrorism charges really stuck and Interpol has tracked him down and extradited him ""

I said it at the start Interpol dont get involved with trumped up political charges and I was proven right cause they ain't done S#@%T

Just out of curiosity -

Does anyone else remember a small kebab booth located by the DK Bookshop. They used to sell kebabs, falefel and other various snacks. They seemed to have closed over-night, at a time when there was still many tourists.

Wonder why?

Not much interest for most of you, but for those who live out my way - Hang Dong

My wife has just returrned with a big bag of mini-samosas from Hang Dong market. Apparently they cost 2 Baht each. It seems the vendor is on-the-right after you turn up the one way street, on the left side of the market, from the main road.One-way-street meaning - going up. Not bad. Any port in a storm!

GREAT I am in Hang Dong so have to get the missus to go searching just one clarification once you have turned into the one way is it on the right or left as you turn into the one way street.

You did not say if they were good or not

Chiang Mai is a great place to live spent 25 years living literally on the beach loving the city life but Im moving your way back to the beach later this year

NOT AO NANG cant afford the beer there

O.K., well, maybe you can consider what I do, I buy a couple beers out of the 7/11 on the beach road and enjoy the sunset on the Ao Nang beach wall.

Now your talking I guess I am a cheapskate where beers are concerned lol almost fell over when I went to singapore $10.00 a Beer &lt;deleted&gt;

At the time, I was more concerned about the twirl than the song.

Although your points are valid.

What was wrong with the twirl ?

I have not found what I would call very tasty Indian food in Chiang Mai yet and have only tried a few of the places mentioned. Indian food is my second favorite next to Thai food so I do try to find both Thai and Indian restaurants wherever I travel.

I visit San Francisco at least once a year and still find excellent Indian restaurants there plus Berkeley over in the East Bay has many good ones as well. Even though I have eaten Indian food in quite a few countries I have only been to Bangalore once so it is hard for me to know what is authentic.

I have also eaten quite decent Indian food in several places in the UK but so far the best Indian food I have had was in Sydney. When I visit there I eat Indian food at least once a day. I prefer Indian curries quite spicy and in Sydney they don't seem to be afraid to spice it up.

So do any of these Indian restaurants in Chiang Mai serve up a real spicy curry?

at New Delhi on Ratchwithi you can choose your level of spiciness, spicy is the top level and its spicy but not blazing or anything. But you can tell them to make it spicy enough so you hate yourself in the morning.

Spicy is the top level on the Menu however if you want the hottest curry you will ever taste then order a Chicken Fal, Ravi (the owner) only does it on request as only the most seasoned curry eaters can take it

MEGA HOT

Based on that picture I dont think it would be a problem it dont look that big no bigger than a French bread stick which can easily be downed now if you do a burger like this I think I would struggle

Yup ^^^ things have changed somewhat since this thread was started. Withdrawing to a Thai account from PayPal works just fine (at least to Bangkok Bank).

You need a proper Thai credit card in order to fund though, don't seem to be able to fund directly from a bank account.

Thai credit card will work of course but most ex pats cant get a proper credit card so a B1st will work and also a Kasikorn web shopping card works fine

As for people saying you cannot take money out of paypal to a thai bank account that is wrong you can but you have to have a thai Paypal account and then you can withdraw to a Thai bank but your cant fund the account from your thai bank only withdraw to it, you fund it using your Thai credit card (kasikorn web shopping card works as a credit card)

I have had no problem with paypal I even contacted them to offer to supply my details and advised them I wanted to do so as I had heard lots of bad things about accounts frozen etc they said no problem we dont need it only if we see unusual activity on the account we will ask for it.

If you not doing something dodgy you wont have your account frozen if it is frozen just provide the info they request and they will open it up, most that are mouthing off about there account being frozen could not produce what they wanted which normally is call you on your registered tel number provide a recent utility bill, provide copy of passport..

So if you want to use PayPal open a thai bank account get a thai kasikorn web shopping card, make sure you have a proper address and can get utility bills at least one in your name and then sign up for a THAI Paypal account

If the telecom comapnies benefitted financially in any way, which they certainly did, then there is corruption afoot... but will anyone pay?

Please explain how the telecom companies benefitted financially

Because they got paid for the Sms messages did they not ?? not sure if they did but I don't expect they did it for free 17 Million SMS messages costs money so someone either made that amount or saved that amount.

Man you got to love PT love for its people.

All PM did was introduced himself, which is a nice change, yet here they are looking for corruption and abuse of power.

What and how exactly did PM gain financially from sending sms?

Because he did not have to pay for them himself so he made a huge savings

Almost as Pathetic as throwing a PM out for hosting a cooking show but HEY according to whakos on TV the law is the law I hope he goes down n in flames like his predecessors he is hunting for corruption

Corruption is Corruption no matter if you think you are doing good

There is a shop in the north west corner on the third floor in Pantip plaza that might be able to help you.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Which side is the north west? Would that be under the Mexican food place basically?

Apologies if you have tried this already....

check fuse in the plug...obvious I know.

The battery might be dead. So... If possible get another Toshiba power supply and try that first, it might just be that has blown and not the laptop.

I have a Toshiba and the power supply transformer gets red hot. Yours could have died. I also notice that the power supply socket on the laptop can be a bit flakey and you have to make sure the plug is fully seated in the hole.

I hope its not the P.C. - best of luck

Have tried many outlets already.

What battery are u talking about? If ur talking about the laptop battery, i think the light would still show charging, but it also has a light that shows when it's receiving outlet power. All are black. Is there a CMOS battery in these laptops? It's about 4 years old, maybe that went out and could be the problem? I've removed the battery and still nothing even though it should still run. BOTTOM LINE: It is NOT receiving power at all.

What you are saying is really identical to what happened to my old toshiba satellite, it was about 4 years old and computer would not start I too thought it was fked

Change the power cord

my power cord comes in 2 pieces one is the plug with a plastic thing that plugs into the black box that has the cord that plugs into the computer, its the black box that is fried by the sounds of it

check your cord really sounds like that's the problem

even if the battery is dead is should start up with the power cord plugged in I used mine for ages with a fried battery

Check the cord

By the way I was so happy with the Toshiba Satellite I bought the exact same brand from Pantip and Im still well happy with it handles the heat real well as most of the other Laptops I had fried in the heat of the tropics .

My old one is still working great too, gave it to my 10 year old son good solid laptop if anyone is looking to buy a new laptop

Try taking the battery out and see if it will power up.

Tried all the tricks in the book. No luck.

I guess you tried refitting the ram too.

Tried. No luck. Took out the extra ram and just tried the onboard ram, still no joy. The power box that is with the power cord isn't heating up....I'm assuming that's bcuz the laptop isn't pulling any amps through it on the way to the laptop because there is something wrong w/the laptop (or the box) I get a spark when I plug the 3 prong into an outlet so I know the box is pulling something (plus the green light is on). But the laptop isn't charging at all.

We'll see what Pantip has to say, will definitely try a new power cord first.

EXACTLY what happened to mine and I changed the power box part of the cord Job done

Chiang Mai is a great place to live spent 25 years living literally on the beach loving the city life but Im moving your way back to the beach later this year

NOT AO NANG cant afford the beer there

There is a shop in the north west corner on the third floor in Pantip plaza that might be able to help you.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Which side is the north west? Would that be under the Mexican food place basically?

I have a toshiba satellite and had a problem like that before and it was the power cord the little square block was shot the light remained on but it would not power up so I bought a new one from Pantip Plaza top floor accessorie shop 800 baht I think, it worked in the shop took it home same problem took the thing back and changed it to the 3 prong plug and JOB DONE worked fine

Also if that dont work I bought my 2nd Satellite toshiba from Pantip 2nd floor and they fix them there but I would check your power cord first

The Montri has been completely renovated since the new owners took over. If the price is similar, I prefer it to the Imm Hotel and the breakfast is better.

If one is looking for a swimming pool, the Top North Hotel is not a bad option, but more run down than the other two.

Hey UG

Why do you prefer the Montri over the IMM I see a poster said its way noisy 24/7 at the Montri unless you get a back room The IMM was dead quiet when I stayed there cause its set way back from the road.

Breakfast was delivered to me so so cant comment on the spread but what I got was pretty good. never stayed at the Montri but would seem to beleive the poster that it would be noisy with being right on the gate.

I was not sure, but I had only heard that long term prices had gone up. I can not find any daily prices on the website (other than long term 800 baht per night - I was paying 333 a couple of years ago.)

The daily rate is probably there somewhere, but I can't be bothered to search the whole site further.

The New place next to McDonlads opposite the gate is a real nice place stayed there a night when my bro was in town brand new and it was 900 baht including a nice buffet breakfast which I though was excellent value for the quality

Cant remember the name of it

Guess i am going to have to go and get some professional advice as I have been told by several instructors this is how they get there work permits and your advice may refer to a regular Thai company NOT a Thai Limited partnership which is different

I want to get my own work permit if possible since I don't want to be tied to one specific dive shop and the new shop would be under my Thai company

Also the dive shop already has 4 work permits issued to foreigners already

cheers

I would go and get some legal advice as beleive you are getting confused, there is no such thing as a Thai limited partnership as far as I am aware, beleive you are referring to a sole proprietary type company not a limited company, but the two million set up you describe above is for a Thai limited company or regular Thai company as you call it

go and see a lawyer

Will do but the first page of the site I went to jsut now clearly shows a Thai Limited Partnership as an available choice I wont pu the link as its not a TV sponsor so I am on the right path

Ok I have an opportunity at a Dive Shop down south as an Instructor and possibly opening another dive shop and I want to get my own work permit and from what I understand I need to open a Thai Limited Partnership with a thai owning 51% of the company and me 49%

The i would capitalize the company for 2 Million Baht this would give me 2 work permits

then i would apply for my work permit with me employing myself.

Is this correct so far

I would have the missus be the 51%

Next question I have seen fees to set this company up from 10,000 baht to 30,000 baht can someone direct me to the 10,000 baht option I'm all for saving 20,000 baht

cheers

You need 2 Thai employees if legally married and 4 if not, stand to be corrected but THB 2.0 mil capitalisation gets you 1 WP not 2, and if a WP in your company, you cant work for the diveshop unless you get both establishments put on the WP

Why doesnt the dive shop offer you a WP.....

Setting up a Ltd company for just the sake of a WP is a really expensive way to go if you even manage to pull it off, and for the first two years at least, you will be visa running every 90 days and by the sounds of things it will not be a trading company ?

If you are legally married and have an "O" visa based on marriage, easy to get a WP tacked on provided the diveshop provides the paperwork without going through all the above hassles

Guess i am going to have to go and get some professional advice as I have been told by several instructors this is how they get there work permits and your advice may refer to a regular Thai company NOT a Thai Limited partnership which is different

I want to get my own work permit if possible since I don't want to be tied to one specific dive shop and the new shop would be under my Thai company

Also the dive shop already has 4 work permits issued to foreigners already

cheers