jfchandler

Came across this pretty good resource show the locations and details of dozens of pubs, clubs and discos in the Ekamai and Thong Lor areas...

http://www.mikesbarguide.com/2007/01/compl...ar-listing.html

I think it's not entirely up-to-date, but is generally current at least through late 2007. I think it's a great introduction to this busy nightlife area...

If anyone else has similar resources to offer, please add them to this thread...

1) Molly Malones, about 400 baht nett, Sunday 3pm to 7pm, carvery buffet with roast beef/lamb/pork. (Very dry roasts though! Not good...)

I'd make a correction on MM's above... I know from personal experience and confirmed by MM's web site, they start their Sunday carvery at Noon and then continue thru 7 pm...

Actual price is 349 baht, half price for children, and includes a free desert and glass of red or white wine...

I really like their Sunday meal...It's a great value for the price, and the food is tasty. It's nice to have lamb as well as pork and other roasts... They may be a bit dry at times, but plenty of au jus and gravy available, as well as mint sauce for the lamb... Usually a couple different kinds of potatoes available, sliced/creams and roasted... Often cauliflower in cream sauce and steamed broccoli... Good service... comfortable atmosphere... Clean place inside. And they also have typical beer drink specials available during the same period.

It seems as though they've done a re-do of their web site lately...much better looking and with much more info on specials and such than before...including a ref to the Sunday carvery on their home page...

http://mollymalonesbangkok.com/index.htm

PS... as a piece of good general advice....

Any time I go thru Thai immigration at the airport, after my arrival business is finished, I stop and carefully check all the new marks and entries in my passport...to make sure everything is what it's supposed to be...

I always figure, if I ever happen to be unlucky enough to be the victim of a goof, it's probably going to be easier to remedy it there on the scene...either with the officer who handled me or with their supervisor... rather than having to take it up later at Suan Phlu or elsewhere... with folks who had no original involvement.

I've had back-to-back mult entry, non Imm B visas...and never gotten a USED stamp...

After the first one expired based on time, I went to my consulate abroad and got a new visa for the subsequent year... They didn't touch the prior year's visa or change it in any way. Just put the new visa stamp in my passport with the new valid until dates...

When I returned back to Thailand with the new visa..likewise, the immigration folks didn't touch the prior year's visa stamp... They just looked at the latest/current multiple entry stamp, and then stamped my passport and arrival/departure card with the correct 90 day mark.

It certainly sounds like someone goofed... assuming the time remaining on your visa hadn't expired by the time you went thru immigration, and/or it in fact is an M (multiple entry) version...

I was trying to figure out if there was some supposed connection between the two episodes.... But...alas... after having scoured the details of both...I couldn't find any.... except.... that people were dead!

I bought/brought a couple of power converter units (110/220) when I moved here... Carried them in my airplane checked luggage...so no extra customs fees... The low watts ones, 100-250, are pretty small and light and fine for single items or typical AV equipment. Among otherws, I use one for a portable stereo unit from the U.S. that has radio/CD and tape desk... I also brought some higher watts ones... 1000 and 2000....for computer stuff... Those are a bit heavier and larger... It was nice to be able to keep most of my original electronics gear...and not have to worry about disposing of my U.S. stuff and then buying new stuff here... But... I didn't have to pay any extra customs fees for doing this... So that was an advantage.

Now... after living here...I can know the same kind of 110/220 converters are available for purchase here in BKK. But not at any cheaper prices than I found in the U.S. I ordered mine online in the U.S. from some shops that specialize only in those products... They have a very large selection, with all the different watts sizes and different feature sets... I haven't seen quite as broad a selection available here... or any any lower prices.

I'm confused here.... There seem to be two different episodes mentioned above...

The one, just before this post, refers to a Thai newspaper reporter ( single victim) being shot to death at his home...

The original episode cited in the post talks about two bodies being found shot on a very public street in BKK and then quickly whisked away...

Oooops..... meant... JACK DANIELS!!!!

Thanks.... I've got a 2/3rds remaining bottle of Jim Beam awaiting me there...

PPS... About the doctor fee...even if it is not included..... usually that fee (which in the U.S. we'd refer to as a consultation fee) tends to be around 500 to 1000 baht at hospitals in BKK....

I've been to Bumrungrad and BNH for office visits... And the doctor fee in each instance has never been above 1000.... But... for the record...those were for routine outpatient office visits.... not in connection with health checks...

I did a similar check recently...as part of a survey I posted here on TV comparing the daily room charges of the major-farang oriented hospitals in BKK....

I looked at the web sites of Bumrungrad, BNH, Bangkok General, St. Louis and Bangkok Christian... I believe each of their web sites, somewhere on the site, has a package of annual checkup programs listed in some detail, including detailed listings of each service provided in each package.

Most of the above hospitals had 4 or 5 different packages at each hospital, ranging from the simplest employment type checks to the most thorough...with cancer checks, exercise stress tests, mamography (for women), etc etc...

Based on prices and services provided, I found the best value offered (price and services provided) seemed to be one of the middle packages offered at St. Louis Hospital in Sathorn...

http://www.saintlouis.or.th/program/pdfe/p...hkup_07_eng.pdf

http://www.saintlouis.or.th/program/show_d...p?Package_ID=73

PS... I'm not sure how to interpret/translate the line at the bottom of the pdf file that talks about doctor fee.... Someone above suggested the posted prices would not include doctor fees. I'm not sure the language cited means that or not....

Ya... no shirts... no memorabilia for me... 420 baht...maybe.... $420 dollars... HARDLY!!!!

Of course, I'd personally never go to HRC for Thai food.... But occasionally, one finds oneself with a female companion who ONLY wants to eat Thai food along with their drinking and dancing....

Did anyone answer above... where are the Johnsonvilles available for purchase in BKK???

Does anyone know...both in theory and in practice...do the current protections and those planned under the coming law apply equally to foreign bank depositers.... and not just Thai citizens????

That's interesting Kiakaha... I had a Thai friend, not my GF who went with that night, who had previously told me HRC had Thai food on their menu... So I had assumed that.

But when the TGF and I stopped by the other night, their main menu had all farang food, except I think for one Thai item... pad thai.... We were there from 9:30 pm until closing time...

If there was a separate Thai food menu, we didn't see it... And they certainly didn't offer it to my Thai GF.... Guess next time... we'll have to ask....

Vagabond, you're talking at the end of your comment above about your local (NZ) banks charging you a flat transaction fee (a couple bucks) for using a foreign and/or non-home-bank ATM machine... Yes, those are pretty common among many banks, but not all...

When your home bank is charging you a flat transaction charge for using someone's ATM other than their own, yes, that charge is likely never going to appear on your Thailand or SEA ATM receipt... because... the SEA ATM has no way of knowing the fee policy of your bank back home... I'm assuming those charges would, however, show up separately on your monthly bank statement.

That's the same like BofA was doing to me when I first started traveling here... Hence, I quickly put my BofA card away whenever staying (or now living) in Thailand.

Desi, et. al... How's the burgers there???

After our good experience with the BBQ the other day, it really gave me hope that HRC might be a competitor in the quest to find a seriously good hamburger here in BKK...

What say those...who may have already tried an HRC burger?????

Vagabond, I have some experience with the question of PAYING fees... but not as much as others perhaps, because I've always tried to avoid them....

But speaking from personal experience, when I first was traveling to Thailand, I used to use a U.S. Bank of America visa debit card. And whenever I'd use it for a purchase or ATM withdrawal, I'd get up to three separate charge entries on my BofA statement: 1 for the purchase/withdrawal amount itself, 1 for the foreign transaction fee (1% or 3% at differing times), and then 1 reflecting a flat transaction charge from BofA (I think $1.50 or $2.50 at the time) for using a foreign ATM. That was enough for me to swear off ever using a BofA card abroad.

I can't speak to how every other U.S. bank handles these issues.

But, for example, I did see some communications direct from HSBC, I believe, lately where they talked about their assessing I believe a 3% fee on foreign purchase transactions, and then mentioning that of that 3% fee, they were keeping 2% and passing the other 1% onto Visa....

I have another U.S. bank account with a visa debit card. In that instance, every time I withdraw cash here from a Thai ATM, I get two different statement charges, one for the withdrawal amount, and then a separate $1.06 foreign transaction fee, regardless of the withdrawal amount. However, for that account, all my ATM fees are reimbursed at month's end. But I definitely see the fees assessed as separate items on my account statements.

Likewise, I have another U.S. credit card, that I rarely use here, that if I do use here, I also get two statement items for every purchase, one for the purchase and the other for a foreign transaction fee (3%) I believe.

I'm not sure how a U.S. bank could be charging you fees, without having them show up on your statements... Are you saying... if you make a $100 withdrawal or purchase here in reality, you only end up seeing a single bank statement item for $103 or whatever the added fee amount is???

No.... I have to say... I think Don has a point here...

You heard didn't you... this year's Summer Olympics has added kangaroo boxing as an event...

So... his home team is sure to gold medal in that...at least!!!!

I'm not a big sports fan, and I almost never go to pubs to watch sports, except for the Super Bowl game last year... (thanks Bourbon Street).

But I wouldn't mind watching a bit of Olympics coverage from time to time with English language announcing (though seeing the rest on Thai TV at home is just fine for me).

So, now that we've satisfied our flaming quota for the day, can anyone recommend a bar/pub/locale around central BKK where this Supersports thing is provided -- assuming the prior post about them carrying Olympics coverage is correct????

Hahahahaha... yes... "hopping" music is the kind that much older farang guys do...when they can no longer dance hip-hopping... (Just making this up, of course)...

My meaning was more along the lines of, music that had the place and people inside hopping... just like... the Bunny Hop... remember????

As for last night, the TGF and I emerged from our BBQ meals with no intestinal problems... So maybe the abovementioned problem at HRC was a bad night...

As for the bartop dancing, yes, there was some of that last night at HRC also... A couple of the waitresses got into the act downstairs, and then one very active farang guy (in front of the band all night) joined them above, along with a lady guest or two....for one or two songs... It was kind of fun to watch, particularly if you're not sitting at the bar and having to worry about your drink landing on the floor...

On that subject, a week or so back, we spent the night at Boss...dancing around one of their circular large tables where they have come coyote girls and guests dancing table top... Almost lost our drinks kicked to the floor there 3 or 4 times, before I gave up and moved our drinks and us to a different resting place.

If you're going to run that risk, at least do it at the Magic Table on Suk Soi 7-1...where the table side view is more entertaining...

i never complain to my wife. i just tell "do or don't do!" and she always complies. she does or doesn't. the same goes for our dog. he is very obedient. if i tell him "are you coming now in or not?!" he will come in... or not

Naam, sounds to me like you've found the solution to domestic tranquility... Hahahahaha.... Would have never thought to take that approach.

Interesting that you're using the same method for both your wife and your dog!!!

Oh My God! - Having re-read the post I now feel guilty about telling my g/f not to use SCB again as long as she has breath in her body. Actually, she did not need me to do this because once she saw that the ATM had deprived her of one meal she did what any Thai would - voted with her feet

Hahahahahaha.... you are right!!!! I was talking above about a month's worth of SCB fees equaling a nice farang food meal. But I should have added, or, the price of an ENTIRE Thai food meal...

Except, on my soi, the main streetside cafe has lately gone from 20 to 25 baht per dish.... I'm outraged!!!!!! But, since I'm saving my 20 baht payments that otherwise would have been going to SCB, I feel I can be a bit generous with my local Thai food purveyor... and not gripe too much about the latest price increase.

As an English major and professional writer, I'd opine...

"Many men" is simply the common, normal, modern reference to a large number of men, whether together in a group or at large... It could be, for example, "many men like women..." meaning they not have to be in a single group.

"Many a man" is a bit of a poetical/antiquated reference. In truth, it also would typically be used to mean many men.... Another way to think of the meaning here would be to translate it as "many individuals" .....

Since the original person inquiring is Thai, the advice would be, "many a man" is an antiquated phrase, not typically used in modern English writing or speech...unless the person is a dramatist or speechwriter looking for a poetic flourish.

A non sarcastic observation.

20 baht IMHO for the convenience of what you need is a small price to pay, if you do it in one go.

Then again I always plan for tomorrow and spend accordingly so maybe my way of doing things differ from yours.

marshbags

Marsh, I have no inconvenience at all... I draw my funds from Thai bank ATMs (using both U.S. and Thai bank cards) when and where I want, anytime, but simply choose to use banks and cards that charge me no transaction fees.

And, I likewise always plan my finances for tomorrow, which includes not wasting money on things that have no purpose or value... like unnecessary bank fees.

There's absolutely no reason to do otherwise. My life and spending/habits haven't changed one bit...except now instead of using SCB, I use others.