edwardandtubs

The agent doesn't take that big a cut. The price is determined by the airlines who own most of the online agents. Do you think some travel agent has some magical way of getting cheaper flights, or can undercut the airlines own agents? Flight Centre (telephone only) guarantees a cheaper price than any online agent. They do this by simply undercutting it by £1. Just go to one of the many price comparison websites. There's no secret way of getting much cheaper flights unfortunately. Some online agents quote prices that are no longer available. The available tickets are pretty much the same price from all the major online agents.

It's true that the margins are quite small if one is comparing the same flight with different agents, though I have often noticed differences of £20 to £30 in the past. However, my point is that sometimes a lower cost flight will come up that isn't on most of the data bases (even Kayak) and needs to be snapped up. For example today, the two cheapies that I found for the Christmas period were Oman Aviation at under £500 and China at just under £600, both out of Gatwick (didn't fancy either though because the connections were not ideal). This compares with over £800 (for Qatar, Royal Jordanian etc) showing up on the price comparison sites. Both these flights seem to have disappeared this evening. It seems to me that the argument that all the agents give roughly the same prices and you can therefore just go to the one website will mean you probably don't tap into these opportunities.

I bet you that if you'd actually tried to buy the cheaper ticket it would have told you that it's no longer available and offered you the higher price.

Then of course, there is the opposite issue, when it seems like every shop I walk past has exactly what I need, in my size, in my colour, etc etc - or so say the overly ambitious staff yelling "take a look please", and trying to drag me in by the arm. I can barely walk into some shops without being harrassed by shop assistants the second you pause. Young Thai ladies and effeminant guys are probably the worst. After Indian tailors of course.

I like shop assistants to keep a discrete distance (ie far enough away they can't keeping touching me plus, say, another 5 metres), and not hold up every single thing I might just possibly be looking for. If you stare at a shirt for more than 5 seconds, you'll have one person holding it against your back insisting that it "fit good naaaaaa farang size import jing", another one on your arm trying to sell you a belt or a clock or something, and a third one shoving a calculator in your face with a price on it, all without you saying a word. So many times I just walk away. Over-eagerness / poor staff training costs these businesses as much as under-service. If I need assistance I'll make eye contact, trust me. Thais don't seem to like the hard sell either.

Equally annoying in places like Robinson or Central (home of the permanent 30-70% off sale) is that the sales assistant working in the shoes Brand 'X' area can't or won't take you over to see something more suitable in the shoes brand 'Y' area. I assume they only get commission on sales in their area.

It's not just clothes shops of course. The guys in the big screen TV/whitegoods departments are like corgies on yabaa. I guess shop assistants are like dogs and cats - if they know you're scared or allergic they sense it When you need one they scatter like rats, or pretend to be deaf and dumb.

You make very good observations that reflect exactly how I feel. I hate shop assistants who just can't take a subtle hint. I smile and try to politely ignore the attempt to "present" the shirt to me but she starts "presenting" other shirts. I feeling like shouting "YES I CAN SEE THERE ARE 50 SHIRTS ON THIS RACK AND I WANT TO LOOK AT THEM ALL BEFORE CHOOSING WHICH (IF ANY) I WANT TO BUY BUT IT WOULD BE A LOT QUICKER IF YOU JUST LET ME GET ON WITH IT". Instead I just walk to another part of the shop but the shop assistant follows me like an obsessed stalker looking at my every move. You say it might be poor staff training but I've seen it so many times (in Korea also but strangely not in any other country) that I think they are told to do that to try to "make the sale". It never works with me. I usually move to another section of the department store or the next shop until I find a shop with polite assistants.

Another pet hate is in Carrefour and similar places if you ask where something is the assistant will thrust her hand out in a sort of sideways fascist salute as if to say "this direction!" Of course that doesn't help in a large supermarket and you have to be very assertive to get the assistant to take you to what you're looking for.

The agent doesn't take that big a cut. The price is determined by the airlines who own most of the online agents. Do you think some travel agent has some magical way of getting cheaper flights, or can undercut the airlines own agents? Flight Centre (telephone only) guarantees a cheaper price than any online agent. They do this by simply undercutting it by £1. Just go to one of the many price comparison websites. There's no secret way of getting much cheaper flights unfortunately. Some online agents quote prices that are no longer available. The available tickets are pretty much the same price from all the major online agents.

Aren't "Moneylenders" and creditors the same thing? I think it should read "Moneylenders attack debtor".

I stand at Pattaya Tai and 2nd rd and ask the driver if they go to Naklua. Often it takes a few before one will say yes, by that time there is often a couple of Thais waiting for the one to go to Naklua. Only in the evening will they wait for a load of customers.

Waiting near Thais and getting on the same bus they get on is definitely the best thing to do if. Either that or get on a bus that already contains other passengers. One can avoid all problems described in this thread if one follows this advice.

Jakrapob - this guy really has to resign by himself or get kicked.

He even did not express any excuse, so time is over for him.

Bored with these idiots who think it is cool to talk against the Thai Monarchy. Where would be Thailand without the King?!

Have you read the transcripts of what he said or were you at the speech he gave on Democracy and Patronage in Thailand? If not how can you judge whether he's "talking against the monarchy"? What sort of democrats are the PAD that they run off and make police complaints about a political speech?

Why should they accept a live TV debate? Why would a party of government give free publicity to the political nonentities of PAD? In some countries (like the USA) live TV debates are the norm but in others (like the UK) they're seen as tacky. The PAD need to start talking to ordinary voters more than some gimmicky live TV debate.

has anyone noticed a huge change in attitudes with younger thai girls of late towards them? i am in bangkok now and it seems like every 3rd shop i go into there is some 20-something girl who can barely be roused from her soap operas to flounce over with a deadpan, cheerless stare- and before your question is even finished she blurts, "no have" and goes back to her show with no attempt at further assistance. there have also been numerous other cases of totally out-of-line rudeness in the past week, not just to me but to other female friends as well.

is it because i am female? is it because i am farang? is it because they are miserable in their jobs?

older thai women love me. thai men generally love me. it's just younger women who have this problem and i don't know where it is coming from. i swear the next one will get a tongue lashing from me though.

They key phrase I use if they dont have what I want is

"mai mee? mai pen rai" "oh you don't have it, no problem"

smile. walk out.

You completely misunderstand the nature of the "no hab" expression. In no way does it mean that the shop doesn't have the thing for which you've asked. It's a way of telling a foreigner to get lost. For example in a Blisstel shop I asked for a sim card and one month unlimited GPRS to which the reply was "no hab" (translation: get lost, I can't be bothered to assist you). I replied "yes hab" and pointed to the sim card and the 999 baht for one month unlimited GPRS offer that was written on a sign right there on the counter.

You shouldn't smile and walk out because you're just affirming her belief that treating customers with total contempt is the easy thing to do.

Watching the live coverage of their protest all I saw was some weirdo ranting like Hitler and a bunch of hippies with guitars singing crap rock songs. Why don't they focus on issues that people care about like health care, fair loans and education? It's no wonder most poor Thais support Thaksin instead of this bunch of out-of-touch middle class hippies.

The PAD has some real issues that they support. You can't always go by what you think you see on TV.

I don't but this was live coverage from (I believe) their own channel or at least a channel covering the rally non-stop all day. They may have "real issues" that they claim to support to try to win them some support but the reality is they're a single issue protest group for middle class hippies with nothing to offer ordinary people but their redundant "Stop Thaksin!" slogans.

I get on a baht bus and the driver is called Barbara. He proceeds to snort yaba from his own breasts and then does a goatse wink through the window at the passengers. I ring the bell in disgust but he proceeds to take me and the other 26 passengers to Nong Khai where he proceeds to beat us with his manly baton. I call the police but they are conveniently non-observant. I walk back to Pattaya with Barbara in hot pursuit shouting abuse all the way home.

Watching the live coverage of their protest all I saw was some weirdo ranting like Hitler and a bunch of hippies with guitars singing crap rock songs. Why don't they focus on issues that people care about like health care, fair loans and education? It's no wonder most poor Thais support Thaksin instead of this bunch of out-of-touch middle class hippies.

What's the standard price of laundry over here? I always get it done at my apartment for 10 baht per item or 5 baht for my "smalls". It seems good value to me but I've seen higher and lower prices elsewhere. I think some Thai places charge by the kilogram which may be better value but a false economy if you end up with shrunken t-shirts and someone else's socks.

okokok.....her's another one:

we are four of us, getting out at Tim's Beer bar. 20 Baht for the driver.

Driver follows into the go-go bar, making noise. I tell him in Thai that we the fare is 5 Baht and that 4 tims 5 equals 20 and that there is no way ripping another Satang out of me. The girls around us start giggling and the driver gets red ears....running out of the bar.

priceless...

I found, If you treat the driver with respect he'll accept any amount of money you tender.

What I do is have the money ready, walk up to the passenger side window, smile, bow with my hands clasped together in front of my face and say, "Korp khun krap", which loosly translated means "thank you".

My response everytime, is to receive a beaming smile of acceptance as if from a friend.

I then hand over the 10B or more if I feel like giving a tip.

You bow and wai a baht bus driver when giving fare - been in Thailand 5 minutes have we?

He probably thinks you are a nutter or freash of the banana boat up the Chao Phrya

There's nothing more amusing than clueless idiots who thinking waiing at everyone is appropriate conduct in Thailand. After a couple of weeks they can then go back to England and make fools of themselves in Thai restaurants.

I'm a western man living in Thailand and I think corkman is talking nonsense and girlx and others are spot on. I usually find these bitchy attitudes of Thai girls are in chain stores like Blisstel where you get "no hab" answers when they can be bothered to pull themselves away from chatting on their mobiles or watching soap operas. The problem seems to be that they they're left alone in the shop with no manager or even supervisor and as they have no stake in the business, why should they bother making an effort? So it's a managerial issue - the girls need training and supervision. The problem is that in Thailand they seem to prefer huge numbers of small shops staffed by one or two stroppy little madams rather than smaller numbers of larger shops which are properly managed. The only solution I've found is to avoid these little chain stores altogether and shop in larger places which are well managed or smaller places where the person serving you is clearly the person who owns or at least has a stake in the business.

Many years ago, I decided to moved from Bangkok to Pattaya. Less pollution compare to BKK and it's beautiful beaches. I would tell my friends that I live in Pattaya.

I tell my friends and family I live in Pattaya. Most don't know enough about Thailand to know what that means but I'm sure they've googled Pattaya, read the Wikipedia article (which seems to be closely monitored by TAT) and know that it's the biggest beach resort in Asia with lots of restaurants and a lively nightlife and (shock! horror!) some prostitutes. Who would have thought such things could be found in Thailand? The only people I've ever met who are narrow-minded enough to have negative views about a place they've never visited are sexually frustrated, Lonely Planet carrying British backpackers.

How do you wave your hand palm down, anyway? Is it a side to side motion or an up and down motion?

Thais will signal palm down. To signal palm up is rude...it's how you would call a dog.

I find the moto taxi drivers' habit of clapping their hands very rude. It's how I would get the attention of a dog. I've never seen them do it to Thais.

Clapping the hands? Where I come from we always shout, "Here doggie, doggie" and wave treats. Cross-cultural canine-human interaction is very interesting!

I was thinking of my whippets in a field. Maybe you prefer chihuahuas?

How do you wave your hand palm down, anyway? Is it a side to side motion or an up and down motion?

Thais will signal palm down. To signal palm up is rude...it's how you would call a dog.

I find the moto taxi drivers' habit of clapping their hands very rude. It's how I would get the attention of a dog. I've never seen them do it to Thais.

Rather than do this every 6 months it would probably work out cheaper to go back to your home country for a couple of days and get a multiple entry non-immigrant 'O' visa which lasts for 15 months if you time your last visa run correctly.

Warning! Toothpaste causes AIDS: http://www.healthy-communications.com/toxi..._cause_aids.htm

Not to worry! Your own Golden Fountain can cure it! http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/urine.htm

It says so on wellness websites so it must be true!

Lots of old men and a few old ladies.

I suspect this will turn into an expat hangout rather than the freelancer bar the owner envisaged.

What evidence do you have linking fluoride to your supposed symptoms? My guess is some scammy health scare website. The web is awash with these scam websites that exploit people with limited medical knowledge. There are also websites claiming that toothpaste causes AIDS and drinking your own "golden fountain" cures cancer but do you believe them?

What do you mean by 'supposed' symptoms? Guesses I don't need. And no, I don't believe everything I read.

We can only "suppose" you have symptoms as you haven't explained what they are. And you clearly are guessing as you have no evidence that fluoride is responsible for these "symptoms". And it seems you're willing to believe most "alternative wellness" quackery, including that squirting water up your bum is going to cure everything. If that's the case why don't you just do that to cure your "symptoms"?

The Hutch CDMA EVDO will give you up to 700kbps but you need to show a work permit or Thai drivers' licence. There's a thread about the new 3G service from AIS in Chiang Mai so just do a little browsing on this forum and you'll find lots of very recent discussion.

What evidence do you have linking fluoride to your supposed symptoms? My guess is some scammy health scare website. The web is awash with these scam websites that exploit people with limited medical knowledge. There are also websites claiming that toothpaste causes AIDS and drinking your own "golden fountain" cures cancer but do you believe them?

The OP has the classic symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. None of the "cures" posted above will work (except maybe as a placebo) because there is nothing that has been proven to help IBS. For IBS with constipation the only thing proven to work is to eat more fibre (wholemeal bread, brown rice, fruit, vegetables, bran etc) and fewer empty calories (white rice, white bread, sugar etc).

Go to a good gastroenterologist who will be able to test for any underlying causes and if they don't find any will be able to help you manage your IBS.