jfchandler

I agree with Ulysses....

The difference in rents...even for pretty comparable housing...is very significant... especially compared to my prior home in Los Angeles... Medical care also is far less expensive even for equal quality.

And...I'd argue..it's not the difference in living a mostly Western lifestyle... it's the difference in buying from Western places....

For example, yes, if you want to buy brewed coffee at Starbucks or eat meals at Tony Roma's, you're going to pay a premium... But in my neighborhood, you can buy brewed coffee at 7-11 or at Thai places on the street for very little. So it doesn't mean you have to pay more for coffee...it just means you have to choose where to buy it...

Same thing about breakfasts.... There are hotels around my neighborhood where they offer a very nice all you can eat buffet, including most of the western breakfast choices, for 150 to 200 baht... $5-$7 and little or no tip...

Of course, if I want to have kai jeaow (Thai omelette) or cooked to order lunch/dinner Thai dishes from the local street shops and stands on my soi, I'm paying the enormous cost of anywhere between 20 and 40 baht...(75 cents to $1.25, approx.)

I do agree, though, wine is a killer... Can't believe the prices for even so-so class wines here. So... give that up for the time being... I've learned to make a new friend of Thai whiskey and Coke...

Great post, but I still say Thailand is much cheaper if you are not living a mostly Western lifestyle (which I prefer to do, I admit). Rent is waay cheaper in LOS and where can you get a decent meal for $1.00 dollar in San Francisco? You have a huge choice of places here.

I eat vegetarian Thai often for health reasons, but between that and my rent it saves me a lot of money and I still live well.

I just bought a RT economy ticket (six months) on EVA... LA-BKK-LA for a total of $1,400... ticket, taxes and surcharge all included. The first segment to BKK is for early July...during the peak season. It was the best price I could find with them...

I priced Thai Air for the same trip... best price I could find for comparable segments was a couple hundred bucks higher....

I purchased the EVA ticket online on their web site prior to May 9, when they supposedly had a big price increase coming... But I haven't gone back to their web site since....to see how much things have changed...

I believe EVA has changed their mileage benefits for frequent flyers lately, as well as lowered their free check-in baggage allotments (reducing the maximum weight of each bag, not the number of checked bags).

But, regarding lounges, once you join their frequent flyer program (Evergreen Club), which anyone can do pretty much regardless of how often you fly, you become eligible for lounge and other benefits. Anyone flying internationally with EVA would quickly generate enough miles to qualify for using their lounges... which I've found to be very nice.

The Taipei and BKK ones, in particular, include unlimited free food and drink (including fresh cooked food) and free Internet access. The Taipei one includes available showers. Sadly, the Los Angeles one is the barest of the group, since EVA there shares some kind of communal lounge with a bunch of other airlines. In Taipei and BKK, EVA has their own individual lounge.

I'm a Gold Card member with them... the next to highest among their four levels -- and benefits include priority reservation service, priority ticket selection on wait listed flights, a free/extra third suitcase allowed for check-in luggage, and the ability to check in at any of their airport counters (business, first class, etc.) even when flying with an economy ticket.

The seats are significantly inferior to business class. They are both narrower and with less leg room, but are superior enough to economy for me to pay the difference.

I was going to make them my standard for LHR-BKK, but they messed me around over frequent flyer points and have a crap web site, so when I found a cheap business class ticket on Thai, I tried it and will use them if I can ever get a similar deal.

The main drawback for me with Elite class is that you still get the same treatment on the ground - no fast track and no lounge

try tokyo joes sukhumvit soi 26, jf chandler recently wrote an excellent review of the place in this forum.

Thanks for the plug... I went back a second time this past Saturday night...and had identical experience to that of the week before...great music and too few customers.... (PS... I'm just a music lover...no connection with the business...)

Here's the link to the review... I like this place quite a bit..and it's an easy walk from Phrom Prong BTS...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=187160

I pretty much only fly EVA between BKK and Los Angeles, and have flown both economy and Evergreen Deluxe with them multiple times...

I'm big and tall.. mostly tall at 6-7.... So, the ED seat is more comfortable, and the legroom is better. And, as someone mentioned, the side aisle seats are done in pairs of two, vs. trios in regular economy.

However, the food and the service and entertainment options -- whether on a 747 or 777 -- are pretty much the same in the two different classes of service.

As a member of EVA's frequent flyer program, I sometimes get the option to upgrade for $100 or $150 or a mileage deducation for the trans-Pacfic segment, when checking in at the counter. Or even better, sometimes a free upgrade if economy is overbooked. When I get those options, I'd always take Evergreen Deluxe...

But I pretty much never book an outright ticket as Evergreen Deluxe and pay the much higher ticket price. For that much extra, they'd need to do better for me than just have a somewhat bigger seat. And, as also noted above, the ED seats have fixed dividers between them, so they cannot be raised. The economy seats have dividers that can be raised and allow one to lay down, if no one is sitting in the other seats... Sadly, on the LA to Taipei flights...that rarely is the case.

I had three sinus surgeries (all FESS - Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery) in the U.S. (Los Angeles) over a period of about 5 years, each at a different hospital and doctor. In each case, it was outpatient surgery, go in in the morning, and go home at the end of the day...after some hours in recovery, with the staff checking to make sure everything was OK... In one case, the doctor said he'd like me to stay overnight for free if I wanted... But I felt fine...and preferred to rest at home instead. In all of the cases, I felt fine after to go home by the day's end.

Side note: there is an older form of sinus surgery where instead of FESS, which involves going in thru the nasal openings, they used to do a surgical incision inside the mouth/gum to get at the sinuses... I think that's pretty out of date now..but.. I could certainly imagine someone undergoing that procedure needing a longer post-op stay in the hospital.

Since relocating to BKK, I also went to the Bumrungrad Hospital ENT location for consultation, but just for treatment not surgery. I wasn't overly impressed with the doctor I saw or treatment I received... although...they have quite a few ENT docs on staff there. Subsequently, a nurse friend suggested I see a doctor (Dr. Thavornant) at the smaller ENT unit at BNH Hospital near Saladaeng BTS on Soi Convent... I've subsequently seen him a couple of times, and been very impressed with his knowledge and treatment methodology...and willingness to do a full endoscopic exam (something Bumrungrad never did) and tests as required...and not just automatically prescribe antibiotics...

In my case, even after the U.S. surgeries...I kept having problems and symptoms... And all the docs in the U.S. and Bumrumgrad would do was prescribe antibiotics. At BNH, based on my talking with the doctor, they also ran a different test (one I'd been asking the other doctors to do for a long time, but they never would) for a fungal infection. That test at BNH turned up positive, even to the doctor's surprise. He subsequently put me on an anti-fungal medication (and off antibiotics), and my sinuses feel so much better just in the past week. I tell that account not because you may have the same thing, but rather, to illustrate the quality of care and diagnosis I got at BNH....

I'd certainly suggest you get a second opinion...and think Dr. Thavornant would be a good one to consult.

More broadly, there are some physical conditions with sinuses that no medication will solve... deviated septums, polyps... etc etc... Those have to be dealt with via surgery. But there's a whole range of other issues...infections...swelling... allergic reactions, etc etc... that are amenable to non-surgical treatment.

With or without surgery, one of the most universal recommendations is regular rinsing with saline solution, if your sinuses are bad, then up to 3 or 4 times a day. There are several different ways to do sinus rinses, if you don't have experience with that. You also can enhance the benefit of those by steaming your nose/sinuses for about 10 minutes prior to rinsing... I use a ConAir personal steamer, which comes with a kind of adapter that channels the steam to your nose. Adding a couple drops of pure eucalyptus or tea tree oil to the steam reservoir also helps.

Beyond those suggestions, the field of treatment for sinus problems is a minefield of different and sometimes conflicting recommendations about treatments and medications -- other than doctors who consistently will prescribe antibiotics and, when those don't work, will recommend sinus surgery... Sometimes, though, surgery alone isn't going to solve the problems.

Good Luck...

Tokyo Joe's blues music on Sukhumvit Soi 26... Saxophone Pub for jazz near Victory Monument...

too put it bluntly those who make money give it up for it! no different than being bargirl! ex. of previous poster.

surely they aint making a living just giving legit massages. not enuff customers!

Well, since I'm the previous poster, I'd beg to differ a bit about the comment above.

The massage ladies with sponsors that I know are NOT doing the same as bar girls, at least, I'd argue it's distinguishably different... Although, I'm sure, there are an infinite number of variations of how different ladies and their men handle these things.

In any number of cases, the sponsor farang is living outside Thailand, but still sending money every month. Then, for the one or two times that sponsor comes to Thailand each year, he knows in advance and expects he's going to spend most or all of that time with his sponsored lady, and she's going to take off work for that time to travel or do other things, as desired. He's going to pay for those activities (hotels, food, outings, etc), but not pay for sex per se...

When, as pointed out above, there's 12 ladies sitting around a shop and lucky to have a couple of customers in any given day, there's plenty of available backup staffing to cover the shop when one or more ladies might be away... It actually works fairly well... And of course, it's up to the individual lady to decide whether she wants to accept sponsors. Many I know either do not have (although they'd like) or do not take sponsors and live just off their work.

I'd argue that kind of sponsor situation is different from a bargirl situation because, in the bar girl's case, whether short-time or long-time, she and the customer are basically exchanging money for sex on an encounter-by-encounter basis... In many cases, that's not the case with regular massage ladies who are sponsored.

Same here... that's the norm....

Unless... they've got a sponsor/sponsors...

I know quite a few, pleasant but very ordinary-looking Thai massage women in BKK who have farang "BFs" both inside and outside Thailand who are sponsoring them every month, though certainly not all Thai massage ladies are doing that. I know a fair number who make FAR more money from their BF/sponsors than they do from their own massage jobs...

I think the job gives them something to do, a way to socialize, and a kind of insurance policy, if things go south with the sponsors. And, of course, a way to meet potential NEW sponsors (since there's no limit about only having ONE...)

Or, of course, if the massage lady is doing more than "regular" Thai massage... In that case, for the good ones in high-volume/popular shops, they're making more money each month than ME and probably a good share of the people reading TV!!!!

I'm taller than EVERYONE....so... guess you know what that means!!!!

(I'm big on smelling the freshly washed...lightly perfumed hair of Thai ladies!!!!!)

Tried the MOS Burger outlet in the basement of Siam Paragon the other day... Came away impressed by their service, cleanliness and tasty french fries... But UNIMPRESSED with their hamburgers, if that's what to call them.

For the record, I ordered their "C" set of cheeseburger, french fries and drink for 119 baht, plus added a spicy burger for an extra 69 baht.

The service model was good... go to the counter, order your food and drinks, and then they give you a # tag to take to your table, so the staff can bring your food/drink there when it's ready. Drink arrived within 2-3 minutes... Food arrived maybe 5 minutes later. Everything easy and convenient.

But the burgers, both of them, were a big disappointment. For both, couldn't taste anything that vaguely resembled BEEF... Looked inside upon biting, and just found gray-colored stuff, slathered in a kind of spaghetti sauce. The "spicy" burger appeared to add only some cut chili peppers. Buns were smallish sized, normal fast good fare.

But the french fries were fresh, nicely cooked, not too thin or thick, and not excessively salted. They saved the meal... Also, mildly irked (though I've encountered it before) when I had to pay extra because I wanted my drink as iced tea or green tea, instead of the usual carbonated soft drink choices.

I might go back for the french fries, which are better than I've had from either Mickie D's or Burger King in BKK.... But for everything else... I'd say... PASS.....

Here below... is how the Mos Cheeseburger Combo arrived...

Here is how the Cheeseburger (enlarged) looks on their menu...

And here is their current menu...as of May 2008

Why not apply for Non O in Britain????

Wow Lop.... that seems like a HUGE change that would impact many many people....

I haven't seen any prior mention of that here.... What's going on...and what do we think we know's coming???

No visa allows work - only a work permit allows that. For the last year or so work permits were not issued for those on retirement extensions of stay but it appears that is about to change and those here on retirement will be able to obtain work permits.

I'm a professional with a 25-year career... and I never date with bar girls... only "regular" Thai women....

But I've been more a bit surprised at the high percentage of Thai women I've met in BKK (all 20s and 30s in age, and variously employed) who have the idea of a future relationship being either a) that they'd simply stop working and/or that they'd stop working to have baby/babies.

In my idea and life, work (within reason) is something of value that builds character and experience and knowledge, in addition to earning money. I've always thought a fair proposition for a future wife would be to say, I'll support our household entirely, but you keep working (for some time) and whatever you earn can go toward your/our savings or toward helping your family.

But that kind of arrangement seems to be a pretty "foreign" idea around these parts....

At least with a BG, you can think, they're pretty committed to keeping their "career"!!!

Some, no needed to work for whole family.., they are going to be rich, no doubt.

Farang husbands will help financial support...

So bad that nowadays, some of very young kids don't dream of being doctor, teacher or scientist anymore.

They dream of being Farang's wives!!!!

Nah....I wouldn't say idiot... just chalk it up to Thailand learning experience....and do better next time.

A couple of points... Silom is generally going to be a higher priced area, especially for nicer units.

Could you have gotten a better deal in Silom? Yes, but if the building's good and it's close to BTS, that's not SO bad....

Could you have gotten a much better deal in other central city areas of BKK? ABSOLUTELY, if you were willing/able to consider other locations.

When I shopped for housing originally, I looked at a lot of places on my own with Thai friends, which was a very good experience, and then also contacted a Thai agent about some condos I'd seen on their web site.

The TGF and I spent a day traveling around BKK in the agent's car, with her showing us a variety of condos. I had specified in advance I was looking for homes in the 15K to 20K per month range, all based on listings on their web site. That day, she showed me nothing less than 20K, and usually more in the 25K to 30K range...

I really wasn't happy about that, nor that none of the properties they listed on their web site that I had chosen (just a few days earlier) supposedly were still available/on the market when we went looking that day. Now, knowing more, I suppose I could imagine that many of the posted/listed 25K-30K properties she showed that day MIGHT have been negotiable down to lower levels... But at the time, she seemed to be suggesting likely downward movement of not much more than 5K...

In the end, I found a two-bedroom, two bath apartment with full kitchen, washing machine and ACs (80 sq mt. in Sukhumvit just a short walk from a BTS station) just across from where I had often stayed before as a tourist, that was better than anything else I'd seen anywhere looking all around the city. Price 15K. Found it thru a Thai friend of a friend of a friend!!!!

When I was looking, some of the best deals I saw also were at very nice condo buildings that had not advertised or listed their properties at all. Just walked into some condo complexes and asked if they had units available for rent. Typically the sales/management staff pulled out a typed or hand written sheet with a list of units and prices.

I have friends who have regular Thai massage shops in BKK...

Anytime they hire a new staff, the applicant is required to do a trial oil and Thai massage for the senior ladies who already work there. Based on that performance, they decide either yea or nae....

I keep telling them to hire some more babes... And instead, they keep hiring older ladies with whom they typically have some personal/family/past work, etc. connection...

I'm obviously a newb here in Thailand...

I thought it was the lady's polite way of telling him she had nicely trimmed pubes.....

Memo to self: always check for those C-section scars!!!!!

She stated time and again about no shaggy_shaggy ( a phrase she and a Thai friend of mine use).

That should have been a HUGE RED FLAG!

What Thai women uses the words "shaggy shaggy" except one which frequently hangs out with horny sexpats?

I asked the same question in another thread here recently, and received the answer that Hull could be expected to issue non imm Os (based on request to visit friends in Thailand) to a passport holder of any country that could normally obtain a non-immigrant visa in a foreign country (i.e., people from most countries, not just UK or EU residents).

Still looking for recommendations/referrals about this...from American folks in BKK!!!!

Hmmm... I don't have a 14 year old son... But, I'm always looking to get maid.....

OHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never met a teacher yet...who was a "mud-crawling worm"!!!!!!!

I really like that phrase... I'll have to remember that one... It could come in handy so often around here..... Kudos!!!!!

But... if I ever did find a teacher who was a "mud-crawling worm," I'm sure I'd find him or her in Thailand.... of course!!!!!

Sneezing on a lady is very bad form...I agree... Unless...that is...her perfume is very bad or too strong!!!! Then, allowances have to be made....

Ahh yes... but.. Thai ladies are SO SOFT.... inside... and outside... and .. and ... and...

Ohh ohh.... gotta go... and find a lady NOW!!!!! Got myself too excited!!!!

hehehehehehe

PS - Russian winters are too cold... And... can't see myself going for a lady from the same country as the Pope!!! hehehehehe

Gee... as Rodney King once infamously said... "Can't we all just get along????"

Here's what I know... I LIVE here... every day...and I'm darned happy to be here... So, I'm not too concerned what everyone else is doing...or thinking...

Like everyone else, I started as a tourist, and now I'm (something) whatever you call it.

This is Thailand after all, so let's get with the "mai pen rai" feeling...

For the ex pats who've stayed longer than me.. I envy them..and their experience...

For the tourists...I fondly recall coming here in the early days and not having a clue, and beginning to learn...

For those who can speak Thai better than me (almost everyone), just give me some time...

And for those who can eat spicier food than me... THERE IS NO ONE!!!!!

hahahahahahaha

Nice that you're sponsoring not just the OLD Thai drunks and gamblers....but the YOUNGER ones too!!!

It certainly means there's hope for the coming generation!!!

The going rate now with the Visa Runner service from Ekamai is, I believe, 2000 baht all-inclusive assuming you have some kind of multiple entry visa and don't need anything else. I believe it's a bit more if they need to provide you with the bogus bus ticket as proof of onward travel.