chicowoodduck

A couple of questions about having servants in your home.

1. Doesn't it feel weird to have a non family member in your home and personal areas and spending large amounts of time around your family?

2. Doesn't it feel weird to order someone around and have them below you? To be honest, I feel strange just going into a restaurant and spending 5000 baht when I know the person serving me makes that in a month and will never be able to afford dining in the same restaurant. I guess that is the nature of the world and I am not going to pay 5000 baht for him to eat dinner with me, but that constant reminder of how bad some people have it that would come with having servants living with you... it seems like that would get depressing.

This brings me to a third question. I am only 22 so maybe I have more learning to do but....

Whenever I go to stores or restaurants or just walk down the street and see people doing minimum wage type jobs, or the types of jobs a monkey could do, or the type of job you wake up and go to for 40 hours a week until you die, the types of jobs that 90% of the people on earth do it depresses me. I don't know these people do it everyday. So, I am sort of cynical towards them like "What is wrong with you that you can come here everyday and do this?"

It felt weird for about a nano second and than I got over it! After all, I had my my brothers and sister doing most of my home chores while growing-up anyway. Just enjoying the family extention now.

So hi rollers dont have credit cards and ATM cards these days. Hardly a problem, and what idiot travel with that ammount of cash nowadays anyway?

Who travels with twenty grand? I guess that would be the guy next to me on the last plane trip with the BIG bag!

I am sure they will just take the digital print of all fingers at their scanners and not just the index fingers. No really any more intrusive because already providing the index finger so what's the big deal about providing the other 8 as well.

Not that it will do any good...just more CYA activity by the Homeland Insecurity Department. Like OBL (or any potential terrorist) is going to purchase a first class ticket on a flight to the USA (he is from one of the richest families in Saudi) and try to enter the country thru an airport.

The requirement is no big deal as most agencies now do a "live scan" which takes all of ten seconds to complete (less with fewer fingers). Of course, you still have to do some form fill-ins, but isn't that the norm these days?

That's OK but my premise is that US citizens are indeed treated DIFFERENTLY than you furners. And not always BETTER either.

Knock on wood, but in the 30+ trips across the pond, I can only recall one time when I was given the "hard line." Must be my policeman haircut?

I noticed no one is selling portable space heaters yet. You could corner the market.

If you listen carefully to Al Gore, it's not the space heaters you will be needing in LOS, it will be snorkles and fins!

To me this is a no-brainer: If you have a relationship, you don't screw around on the side. If the relationship is not good, then rather end it before you go to someone else. But that is just me, your mileage may vary on this.

If you can do it, you probably would also make a good criminal........lies and deceit have no business in a loving relationship, unless of course you have no brain.

I love to use chopsticks. They have a sense of elegance. My Thai GF is rubbish with them. I keep telling her she should learn to use them so as to integrate better into Asian culture (She appreciates my sense of irony :-))

I mostly use them as a weapon as I'm chopsticks challenged!

Well, Thais like to pick their nose too. Is this impolite?

I believe the word would be "gross!"

Sooner than later you are bound to hear, "It's up to you!"

My first trip to LOS was part of a package tour that also took in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines.

That was 1978 and it was my first trip outside of Australia.

In Australia I had lived through the free sex days of the seventies where an average looking guy only needed to snap his fingers to have a one night stand with the girl of his choice. In those days my fingers snapped quite a lot.

Bangkok was the second leg for our tour group and we were booked into the Indra Regent Hotel for four nights.

An older Australian acquaintance on mine was a part owner of the Kings Group of go-go bars on Patpong and he took me under his wing and showed me around.

There was no need to snap any fingers, swarms of girls were all over me. I thought that all of my Christmases had come at once. I was a kid in a candy shop.

Over the years, Patpong hasn't changed much, except for prices, but I do feel that most of the women there are now much harder than they were in the late 70's.

The development of Bangkok over the years is nothing short of amazing. The transport system, shopping centres, high rise hotels, business etc. has more than kept up with the times, in many respects it has exceeded it.

The following year I returned to Thailand but went to Pattaya and Phuket for the first time.

For me Pattaya was so much more relaxing as it had developed from a small fishing village and was being built around the beach scene.

Short pants, singlets and thongs were the dress of the day, as they are today.

Open beer bars took my fancy as I could actually have a quiet conversation with the girls rather than having to shout to be heard in the Bangkok go-go bars.

Bar fines were 100 baht and a girl for the night cost between 300 and 500 baht.

The AIDS scare did not exist in those days but other STD's were floating around.

Girls are girls, they are just as pretty today as they were twenty years ago. (More tattoos today though)

I often wonder where some of the girls from earlier years went to. Every now and then I see some of them walking around Pattaya with their kids in tow.

Pattaya's night scene centred around Walking Street (as it is now known) with mostly beer bars, the Marine Bar being the main beer bar. Marine disco was number one and a few go-go bars were operating. Outer areas were still developing and the bar scene was expanding. (and it seems still is)

Etty had just opened The Buffalo Bar on Third Road but it was considered too far away from the main action.

Take a look at Third Road today and the Buffalo Bar is right in the middle of that action.

The former Royal Garden Hotel was probably the main Pattaya Hotel but other high rise hotels were starting to spring up everywhere. Now the Royal Garden Shopping Arcade occupies the site.

Over the years, accommodation has improved in quality but room prices generally are still relatively cheap.

Most of the Indian tailors have now moved out of Walking Street (probably because or rising rents) and the number of beer bars has increased.

The big improvement is food outlets. So many restaurants now from which to have a meal.

When I first visited Phuket, there was only one high rise hotel with others in the process of being built. We stayed in beach bungalows. I virtually had the whole of Patong Beach to myself.

A small scattering of beer bars were available to quench the thirst (sexual thirst too) but I had to walk through the jungle to get to the next beer bar.

Today it, in my opinion, has been spoilt be over development.

Pattaya will always be my choice of ideal holiday destination. It still retains much of its primitive feel, but modern development will eventually overtake it.

Great story and information.....sadly what you say about Pattaya is true......before long it will be over run by the development.......pity.

Since there has been a few too many negative threads on TV lately. As mentioned by others. I thought i'd give others aswell as myself the chance to say something positive thats happened to them today, yesterday or recently. I'll start. My folks have come over to Oz ,Sydney for the first time, my dad has tried some food(sushi) for the first time, he went fishing off the rocks for the first time. We went camping together with my wife for the first time. I have got to spend a good week with my folks for the first time since my wedding in ChiangMai but without the stress. So tell me. What postive has happened to you lately?

Reading your post......that's always a good way to start the day.......waaaaay too much time spent on the negative side with some TV posts. The best thing to happen to me today was being able to wake up and see another day......that's always a gift in my mind!

Personally I love when people come to visit, and to see things through their eyes. It's sometimes challenging, but always rewarding.

Thanks for your post. Normally after reading about one page of pessimism, negativity, doom and gloom it's time to move on.

I also enjoy having guests visiting. We have a good time and end up seeing some of the interesting things Thailand has to offer.

Nice attitude, never go wrong with that outlook on life.....good for you!

Had to come all the way from Isaan and met roughly ½ hour ago a guy in his sixties sitting on Sukhumvit street between Soi 20 and 22 with the following message in front of him:

Found Job

Need Room, Food and Visa

I leave any comments to others……

Well, one out of four ain't bad, although the Visa might be the one to get first!

They need the divorce to con the next Great White Walking ATM.

That's why I use my wheelchair and don't carry plastic!

You need to take a leaf out of the Boy Scouts' manual: BE PREPARED.

These days most travellers have email. Encourage them to do a bit of research and help them by giving them some background.

I took an Australian work mate to Thailand for his first overseas trip earlier this year. Started off in Pattaya for a few days before taking him on a road trip to Issan.

Peter

Good idea, blow 'em out of the water right off the bat and everything after that will seem like smooth sailing!

You guess it right if you guess to the nearest 1000 7-11s.

I remember when I used to think Thai's must call 7-11's Jet, Sipets ...

I know the answer, so not voting.

What could me more Thai than 7-11's?

So many that I think they are going to have to change the name to 7-12!

Swiss Park off Suk.11 is quite nice and usually to be had for around 1500/1600bt.

Yup, been there (several times) and done that, but if you just go down a few door steps check out the Presidents Inn, not fancy, but clean and friendly.

I always eat Thai food like a Thai (I am Thai after all this time), but as far as Farang (Home food goes) I can not cut steak with a spoon. But I much prefer chop sticks when eating anything other than soup.

I love that spoon...sort of akin to a shovel for me......life IS good in LOS!

thanks for the info. I'll look more into it.

I always carry one of those pocket size converters just in case. It doesn't take up any space and it's good anywhere on the planet.

Living in Thailand, it is hard to leave the house without seeing a farang with a bunch of tattoos on his body, and many many farang have choosen to get an animal tattoo. Today I saw a guy with a lion tattooed on his shoulder and yesterday I saw a guy with a dolphin on his wrist.

I figured this would be the best place to discuss this issue. I am sure you guys will have many opinions, and I would like to hear them.

So what is the best animal tattoo to get and please post a picture of your own.

an invisible one

My dad (he's 92) suggested that if I get one it should be a horse's ass, because that's what I'd be if I got one!

Is the junta really hiding in our closet, ready to take away our rights at a moments notice?

Probably not, simply because you don't have any rights that could be taken away.

I have the right to walk round the village, or go into town or go to the market. Go to sleep when I want , wake up when I want. I even have the right to leave Thailand if I do not like living here.

That's the kind of "rights" I like! Right on!

October we went to England for a holiday, on the 30th we posted 3 boxes of clothes ect to Thai, cost 198quid, we were told 10 days to 2 weeks delivery, they still havent arrived,,, we live in a village near Udon Thani, does anybody think they could have been nicked? im a bit peeved cos my full face Shoei helmet was amongst other stuff! Was with Royal Mail or whatever it is now,Parcel Force?,,

Thanks, Lickey..

My track record for small packages of stuff getting here (Pattaya City) from the US in the last three months is 1 out of 3.

Another benefit is that as a U.S citizen you can't be "deported" from the U.S. Had a friend who was a permanent resident and was busted for a serious drug offense. Suffice to say, he was deported back to Thailand and now has no chance of getting his U.S citizenship.

I think being able to travel to most countries without a 1st acquiring a visa is a great benefit of being a U.S citizen.

SKi and Goong

The travel aspect without too many restrictions is a HUGE advantage and one that should always be strived for....

3 litre engines enable cruising speeds to be maintained at low revs and that means they are working more efficiently with less stress on the moving parts and they use less fuel, and you can really blast away from traffic lights too.

Diesel engines are designed to operate most efficiently at higher rpm's than gasoline engines. Drivers of diesel engines who drive at lower rpm's will experience a buildup of oil sludge in the injectors in fairly short order. This is the reason for the huge clouds of black smoke some of these guys put out...

Plus diesel fuel is a low grade fuel....just doesn't have the capability of burning clean at high or low speeds.

Very nice to read some positive comments on the Thai bureacracies.

I think everyone's "karma" just got kicked up a notch......nice!