Slogger

What could have been a nightmare was a joy

Hope the repair lasts a long time

As I have said earlirt today on another thread, there are three or four quite good ones about half-way down Thepprasit - South side, opposite Soi 10.

But make sure you emphasise that you want 1 1/2 widths or they will do the Thai thing of measuring a window and making the curtains the same widrh.

I have used one on this road recently - did a decent job and also put up the rails and the pelmet and very quick and reasonable price. I can't remember the name but it if u go up Thepprasit road from Jomtien beach direction, about half way up on the left side you come across a row of newly built shops painted in vivid colours. Directly opposite on the other side of the road there is a double fronted curtain shop on the corner. I would recommend it very much but don't know any others.

Got two printers. Both don't do their job well. Went to repair man. Come back home. Same problem. Go back to repair man. Come back home. Same problem. Go back again to repair. Guess what happened once at home ........

Both printer I got from Computer plaza. One is an Epson C58. This one worked well on the small cartridges. I changed to the big storagetanks stuck next to the printer. Since then only problems. Usually that the inkt doesn't go through. Repair man also at computer plaza. Don't think he knows what he's doing.

Other printer is a Lexmark with scanner and copier. Paper tends to get stuck. And the brand new black refill cartridge is full with black inkt but the computer tells me it's empty. Went back to computer plaza, then to the Lexmark shop on the Huay Keaw road. They did a scan and printed it. Looked good. Now I print at home and it says again the black cartridge is empty.

So, who oh who can advice me a GOOD repair man for printers?

Thank you,

Nienke

I can't speak about the Lexmark, but I know the problem well with Epson... It's two-fold. Basically speaking, you usually can't run them on the bulk ink you buy in the Chiang Mai ink supply centers, and even more of a problem if you have a high end Epson printer. It's as simple as that. I'll explain.

Epson printers use a print head (the part that sprays the ink onto the paper) that is mounted in the printer as contrasted to an HP printer which has print heads built into the cartridge. Every time you change an HP cartridge you get a new print head. With Epson, because the print head is in the printer, if you don't use the printer several times a week the ink tends to dry inside some of the ink head ports and you The higher end models have smaller ink nozzles than the lower end models and clog more easily. You have to run the cleaning utility before you can print properly. Nothing you can do about this except run a 'cleaning page' every day or two. (I made one with several color blocks and a paragraph of text.) You waste ink, but less waste than you'd get running the cleaning utility. Obviously, hot weather dried out the ink faster.

This brings us to the bulk ink, or even refilling ink for an Epson. The generic ink just isn't usually as fine quality as Epson brand ink, and often has larger pigment particles in it that tend to clog the print heads. If you purchase high quality bulk in over the net from the US or Europe you won't run into this problem as often...

The problem isn't the repair person. It's the quality of the ink AND the model of Epson that you are using. The higher the quality of the printer, the smaller the nozzles are in the print heads and the easier it is to clog. A cheaper Epson won't clog as quickly as the top of the line models. I had the top of the line Epson for my photo printing and I had to use it daily or face problems. When it worked, it worked beautifully. But if I let it sit for a week I had to run the cleaning utility a dozen times before it would print correctly.

Thanks for this. I've used the refills in both a high-end Epson and a mid range Brother and the refills always lead to breakdowns that I cannot fix. I now need new printers, but even the cheap ones need expensive cartridges (that's how they make money). Guess it is best to buy new printers with cartridges included than just the cartridges.

I hope he likes Reggae

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNew...ory_299891.html

'The British embassy sent an email message to all airlines operating from Bangkok on Friday that the British authorities had revoked the visa for Thaksin and Pojaman,' he said.

Why only those operating from BKK? He's not been here for months. I think this item just shows you how contagious shit news really is - I'm surprised and dismayed how the international media are copying each other without verifying, or even quoting, reliable sources. All I can see form all these reports is that it emanates from an unnamed airline official. Load of crap if you ask me.

Has this topic finally come to an end?

No. it's just started all over again.

I hate rice, tasteless and bland, in fact I hate all Thai food, fuc_k knows what I'll eat when I move there.

Western food is easily available here especially in the cities where tourists frequent. I love Thai food because the ingredients are always fresh and tasty and the dishes usually include copious amounts of stir fried vegetables. The only problem with Thai food is the high sugar, fat and salt content of many dishes, and maybe the pesticide content of the veggies, and spices if u don't like them, but the other factors I mentioned make it a healthy option. I don't eat rice at all now - having cut out most staple carbohydrates as part of my diet. For me thai food is great with just the meat and veggies. I used to love bread and potatoes and noodles but seldom eat them now and don't really miss them. I have puddings instead - couldn't do without them!

Check to see if your condo is connected to the municipal water supply. My condo now is, since the beginning of this year, but before that we relied on trucked in swamp water. I would have to clean the ceramic filter daily sometimes, the toilet water was often a fashionable beige, and sometimes the smell in the shower was enough to make me gag. All that has been taken care of now that we're on the municipal water lines.

I actually saw a tanker truck, suspiciously similar to the one I used to see at my condo building, parked along the side of a soi with its hoses plopped into a roadside sewage pond filling up.

You do know you can scrub the ceramic (white) filter and renew the water flow, no? Just use a stiff bristle brush or a Scotch-brite pad when the water flow starts to slow down.

Thanks, but as I said the water looks and smells fine - municipal water. I tried cleaning the filters and it improved the flow but then after a few days it was back to a very slow rate. I've tried everything and don't have any answer.

"Sausage, Egg, Beans, Bacon, Toast (Wheat), Fried Bread (Wheat) and Black Pudding.

or Cornflakes. (Wheat)"

Hmmm. Wonder why ther are'nt called wheat flakes??

Ummmmm,

Ahh.

I'll go for a helping of wheatabix then!

However, not to forget that a great part of northern African population is relying on millet (couscous) as for their staple diet.

Nutritional value per 100 g Rice (3.5 oz)

Energy 370 kcal 1530 kJ

Carbohydrates 79.95 g

- Sugars 0.12 g

- Dietary fiber 1.3 g

Fat 0.66 g

Protein 7.13 g

Thiamin (Vit. B1) 0.070 mg 5%

Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.049 mg 3%

Niacin (Vit. B3) 1.6 mg 11%

Pantothenic acid (B5) 1.014 mg 20%

Vitamin B6 0.164 mg 13%

Folate (Vit. B9) 8 μg 2%

Calcium 28 mg 3%

Iron 0.80 mg 6%

Magnesium 25 mg 7%

Phosphorus 115 mg 16%

Potassium 115 mg 2%

Zinc 1.09 mg 11%

Manganese 1.088 mg

Nutritional value of Wheat germ crude per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 360 kcal 1510 kJ

Carbohydrates 51.8 g

- Dietary fiber 13.2 g

Fat 9.72 g

Protein 23.15 g

Thiamin (Vit. B1) 1.882 mg 145%

Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.499 mg 33%

Niacin (Vit. B3) 6.813 mg 45%

Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.05 mg 1%

Vitamin B6 1.3 mg 100%

Folate (Vit. B9) 281 μg 70%

Calcium 39 mg 4%

Iron 6.26 mg 50%

Magnesium 239 mg 65%

Phosphorus 842 mg 120%

Potassium 892 mg 19%

Zinc 12.29 mg 123%

Manganese 13.301 mg

-Wiki-

Guess this is about "brown" unpolished Rice and Wheat!

At first glance wheat does have a much higher nutritional value then rice, but then in tropical climates people do not need as much calories, nutrients then in colder, temperate climates!

However, I prefer a good mix of it all, some Pasta, Pizza, whole wheat bread, Rice, Couscous, Nan, Roti, Nachos, Tortillas...

You have given some percentage figures without explaining them - they could mean anything. I suspect they refer to the daily requirement of each component in wheat and BROWN rice which means white rice is much less.

I also doubt that people in tropical climates have less need for calories and other essential nutrients - remember many are in developing countries where undernourishment is rife and alternative sources of essentials are not available to them. White rice is a very poor staple for them, but it is all that many have.

Sorry, if you don't understand, it's self explaining, it says clearly Nutritional value per 100 gr.

So it looks that the "King of Cereal" in nutritional terms is clearly wheat.

The problem with undernourishment is access, NOT The quality of the nutrients, NO access to enough nutrients, and/or very poor resources, climatic conditions!

Yes and the consumption of brown rice would be highly beneficial to the consumers, but is the same irrationality in western societies with white flour, bleached sugar, salt... with much of the highly questionable processed, industrialized foods.

No I don't understand because the values seem meaningless. Explain what is meant by 145% for Thaimin. You seem to be saying that it is 145% in 100 gr. That is meaningless. I don't think you really understand do you? You have just lifted this data from the internet without thinking about it and then not explaining it. Another example is that the data for 'wheat' is for wheat germ. U know what that is? It's not the whole grain.

You also haven't understood my previous answer - I clearly implied that rice is often the main source of nutrients because there is little else for some people in developing countries. It has nothing to do with hot vs cool climates as you implied previously. It is to do with the availability of other nutrient sources in sufficient quantities. Education also plays a part. Got it now?

And the bleaching and processing of foods in developed countries is a separate issue - the cause is different (advertising, preferences etc) and the availability of other nutrient sources is greater, even for poorer people. You seem to have trouble resolving some of these issues.

Hi,

I have a condo in Jomtien and recently took my water filter system (the common type with 3 filters) from my condo in BKK where it had been working fine for 6-9 months. Within days of very light use in Jomtien, the flow rate ended up as a weak trickle. I assumed it had got too old so replaced the 3 filters with new ones. At first the new ones worked fine but again within days the flow through had become reduced to a trickle. Is this due to dirty tap water in Jomtien? The water pressure is fine (i'm on the 16th floor of a 21 floor block) and the water from the tap is very clear - no sign of cloudiness. Is it bacteria or some other component? Does anyone else experience such problems?

Apologies for the scare. I checked up and no, they don't ask for proof of date of transfer of funds. I submiited a FET last time and they just gave it back as not needed and the letter from the bank also does not need such a statement. I am surprised that they need either your having proof of an annual pension but there is no requiremnent of an 'annual' lump sum transfer.

Had me going for a minute.

I plan on putting 800k into a term savings account and leaving it there forever (more or less). Pension in another account and pay/nest egg in a different account. If I had to keep putting a new 800k into an account, what would I do with the original 800k ? Pain in the butt to transfer 800k from one account to another, then transfer 800k from yet another account back into the original.

Of course, by the time I'm eligible for an O-A (not quite 3 years from now), the rules could change half a dozen times ! Might need twice as much, and have to have it in the account twice as long !

Hope it doesn't cause another scare but you should not put the amount you need for a retirement visa into a term deposit account. It should be in a savings account (preferably with a savings book - they just luuurve savings books and sometimes have problems with just statements even if verified by your bank). However I have gone for a bookless account this time as I heard they are getting used to them now. But they seem to need a SAVINGS account not a term deposit - I know it means losing interest for 3 months but I don't take the risk. The regs also stae a SAVINGS account.

"Sausage, Egg, Beans, Bacon, Toast (Wheat), Fried Bread (Wheat) and Black Pudding.

or Cornflakes. (Wheat)"

Hmmm. Wonder why ther are'nt called wheat flakes??

Ummmmm,

Ahh.

I'll go for a helping of wheatabix then!

However, not to forget that a great part of northern African population is relying on millet (couscous) as for their staple diet.

Nutritional value per 100 g Rice (3.5 oz)

Energy 370 kcal 1530 kJ

Carbohydrates 79.95 g

- Sugars 0.12 g

- Dietary fiber 1.3 g

Fat 0.66 g

Protein 7.13 g

Thiamin (Vit. B1) 0.070 mg 5%

Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.049 mg 3%

Niacin (Vit. B3) 1.6 mg 11%

Pantothenic acid (B5) 1.014 mg 20%

Vitamin B6 0.164 mg 13%

Folate (Vit. B9) 8 μg 2%

Calcium 28 mg 3%

Iron 0.80 mg 6%

Magnesium 25 mg 7%

Phosphorus 115 mg 16%

Potassium 115 mg 2%

Zinc 1.09 mg 11%

Manganese 1.088 mg

Nutritional value of Wheat germ crude per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 360 kcal 1510 kJ

Carbohydrates 51.8 g

- Dietary fiber 13.2 g

Fat 9.72 g

Protein 23.15 g

Thiamin (Vit. B1) 1.882 mg 145%

Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.499 mg 33%

Niacin (Vit. B3) 6.813 mg 45%

Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.05 mg 1%

Vitamin B6 1.3 mg 100%

Folate (Vit. B9) 281 μg 70%

Calcium 39 mg 4%

Iron 6.26 mg 50%

Magnesium 239 mg 65%

Phosphorus 842 mg 120%

Potassium 892 mg 19%

Zinc 12.29 mg 123%

Manganese 13.301 mg

-Wiki-

Guess this is about "brown" unpolished Rice and Wheat!

At first glance wheat does have a much higher nutritional value then rice, but then in tropical climates people do not need as much calories, nutrients then in colder, temperate climates!

However, I prefer a good mix of it all, some Pasta, Pizza, whole wheat bread, Rice, Couscous, Nan, Roti, Nachos, Tortillas...

You have given some percentage figures without explaining them - they could mean anything. I suspect they refer to the daily requirement of each component in wheat and BROWN rice which means white rice is much less.

I also doubt that people in tropical climates have less need for calories and other essential nutrients - remember many are in developing countries where undernourishment is rife and alternative sources of essentials are not available to them. White rice is a very poor staple for them, but it is all that many have.

the bell will just have to stop ringing as much

Stupid n00b question: what's with the bell?? (I've visited LOS 4 times, never heard of it before.)

Most bars have a bell hanging in them. In some, when someone rings it, it means they are buying a round for everyone in the bar. In others, it means you are buying a round for the dancers (or maybe just the ones on stage at the time). Good way to run up your tab in a hurry !

I'm grateful to the Immigration Police and their insistence that we have 800K Baht here before they will give us a retirement extension! Late last year I brought a pile of money into Thailand, including the 800K Baht, all at 68 Baht/£. I've still got that 800K sitting in my bank account waiting for the next renewal, and once that's done I can live on the money for the best part of 2009. So luckily I don't have to worry about exchange rates until September next year.

Of course, then when I have to bring in another pile of money, the rate will probably be 40/£... ...IF the pound is still a convertible currency...

Sorry for the deflation, but you have to bring in a fresh supply of 800,000 baht every year for your yearly retirement extensions - you are not allowed to use the same 800,000 baht year after year.

Why not ? My understanding is that you just have to have the 800k in the bank for 3 months before applying (although my dad got his O-A last month, and didn't even have a Thai bank account !).

I don't think Immigration is asking to see your bank statements for the last year to see if you have in fact spent 800k. Just the statement from the bank verifying that you have the funds and they've been there the required time.

Apologies for the scare. I checked up and no, they don't ask for proof of date of transfer of funds. I submiited a FET last time and they just gave it back as not needed and the letter from the bank also does not need such a statement. I am surprised that they need either your having proof of an annual pension but there is no requiremnent of an 'annual' lump sum transfer.

Just a couple of thoughts on this:

1. WHITE rice is junk food. It contains alnost nothing except pure starch. It has served developing countries well because of its high calorific content only. Almost no roughage, vitamins or minerals. However, brown rice is much better. In contrast, potatoes and bread contain much more in the way of vitamins, fibre and minerals.

2. The agricultural technologies required for producing a huge variety of foods from wheat (as you rightly mention) has been the stimulus leading to other industrial technologies and has been the starting point for the industrial revolution of the west. The earliest technologies of the earliest technological superpower (China) MAY have been based on wheat (noodles), rather than rice.

my friend who lives in thailand had many attempted break-in in the middle of the night. he spoke to a police officer and was quoted a price to purchase a handgun, the handgun, a glock he was selling was about three or four times the retail price in the USA. he has a family in thailand and four kids and was concerned. he asked me to check on line for him to see if anyone knows the procedure, or if it is even possible. thank you for any information and i will forward it to him.

Guns are not the answer to any crime problem either here or in the USA. They create more crime than they solve. Full stop. Guns don't kill people, guns and people do.

I didn't know if I should be offended with Oneman's comment on my post, but I see that others have much the same feeling I do. Gosh, I was just trying to keep the question from drifting off the 1st page of the forum, where it wouldn't get as many viewings.

Incidentally, am I the only one who can't get Oneman's "valuable" link to work? Whenever I try to click on what seems like a link to a map, I get a message about a "VHCS error Error 404!"

If Oneman had done a simple search for previous postings on this topic on Thaivisa, we wouldn't have had to put up with all his <deleted>. I suggest no-one tries to help the ungrateful asshol_e again - I certainly won't.

Anything that will cause them to lose face. That is the single most important thing in Thailand.

Yes, especially any act that draws attention to them in public, eg. exageratingly pointing at them, applauding them jokingly, joking loudly when you are with them etc - all no, nos.

Chai is putting together a band right now to play at his place on soi Wat Umong. He is a really nice guy, Ive jammed with him a couple of times.

Slogger: Take Suthep rd, and turn left at soi Wat Umong. Continue past 7-eleven and the next set of stores, and you'll find a sign on the left side of the road: Chai house of blues. Drive in 50m and youre there. Its a really nice place, much nicer than the Brasserie, but still empty as he hasnt had a grand opening yet.

Re Boy, he plays at the Brasserie (as mentioned) but also at Warm Up and Ginger House, and will probably soon be playing at the Monkey Club.

SnareBear,

Thanks for this - I will check it out next time I am up in CM. Does Chai play there nightly? Pray tell me about warm Up, Ginger House and Monkey Club - where are they and are they Blues clubs?

This guy had all of Took's virtuosity but 1000% more passion for his music. Clearly, he hadn't spent much time playing with Took's band previously, but a few seconds of feeling each other out before each song led to some of the best jams I've ever heard,

Sorry to contradict, but I know Boy - he's Tuk's nephew and Tuk apparently taught Boy almost all he knows. I've only heard Tuk once at the Guitar Man and wow - he is far more accomplished than Boy in my opinion. Don't get me wrong - Boy is superb as well, but not as accomplished, but he is much younger than Tuk. Boy has cut a CD of some songs that he played at the Bangkok Blues festival last year at Tokyo Joe's. His act was very popular. You can or could buy them from his manager who is Nick, the manager of Guitar Man. You can (or could) download some of these from the Guitar Man web site free of charge. You can also contact Boy through that web site. I listen to them regularly, although I've regressed into original Chicago blues since then.

I must say many Thai traditional blues groups are superb and second only to black bluesmen for me. Can't get enough of 'em. Beat the pants off most farang groups I've heard who all seem to end up sounding like the Eagles. Can't take such as Led zeppellin or many rock and rollers much anymore.

I recently saw a 14 year-old Thai boy play the blues guitar in Saxophone pub and he was completely mesmerizing. I think he plays at Ad Here's Place near Khao San Road.

.

.

Thank you to those who posted some clues above.

Other posters didn't have a clue, but posted anyway.

I turned round only to find the bus you are talking about already stopped and waiting for me. sorry, not much help, but I thought I'd share my experience!

Agreed, not much help, but gave a clue to one route.

During our last visit to CM hubby and I decided we'd take a day to figure out the CM bus system. We're done this in other cities.

She has no information at all about Chiangmai buses, but posted anyway.

I've used these buses before also along Hang Dong Rd.. nice they are too..

if you can read Thai, here's their

website

Thank you, Goshawk, for specific and helpful information, directly related to the original post.

My Google search did not catch that website, because it is entirely in Thai.

I used the city bus about 6 months ago from the Central Bus Station to Thapae Gate. I asked for a bus schedule in English but the attendant shrugged his shoulders. The cost was 15 baht.

Thanks for another clue to one of the routes, and the fare.

Sadly it was empty too.

Asked for route and schedule information, but he posted an emotional response.

Sinister dark forces resist new competition in public transportation everywhere in Thailand.

It was the red bus drivers who opposed the buses and stopped them being deployed on their more lucrative routes, or else..... They have a lot of power and can threaten strikes

Always lots of irrelevant speculation on ThaiVisa.

I see the (number 6?) white bus all the time out here in the Far West (Huay Kaew Rd. near CMU).

I know local expats who use it often to go to the airport, etc.

More useful clues to routes.

Thank you.

I personally feel the red songthiew, as ubiquitous and convenient as they are, are a throwback to the olden daze when CM was like Nan, or Chiang Rai. Very inefficient and wasteful of energy for a major metro area like Chiang Mai.

Under the illusion others care about his personal feelings.

Now, here's the payoff for anybody who has read this far.

Thanks to Goshawk for posting the web site URL -- I found route maps there.

The maps are large, clear, easy to read.

The good news is they have English descriptions.

The bad news is they seem to be dated "1999".

A lot can change in nine years, especially in Thailand.

The route numbers are 2, 11, 6, and 6 again.

As for that numbering sequence of the routes, must be Thai logic at work.

Click here for the page with those PDF maps for download.

http://www.chiangmaibus.com/index.php?click=m2

-- Oneman

Hey, you ungrateful pile of crap - we tried tro help u.

The title is incorrect. The current decline in the GBP is the biggest in 15 years, not 37.

Oh that's a relief. I was getting a bit worried there.

3rd world can expect invasion of destitute Brits now....

What u mean they will all be toddling off to Australia?

I'm grateful to the Immigration Police and their insistence that we have 800K Baht here before they will give us a retirement extension! Late last year I brought a pile of money into Thailand, including the 800K Baht, all at 68 Baht/£. I've still got that 800K sitting in my bank account waiting for the next renewal, and once that's done I can live on the money for the best part of 2009. So luckily I don't have to worry about exchange rates until September next year.

Of course, then when I have to bring in another pile of money, the rate will probably be 40/£... ...IF the pound is still a convertible currency...

Sorry for the deflation, but you have to bring in a fresh supply of 800,000 baht every year for your yearly retirement extensions - you are not allowed to use the same 800,000 baht year after year.

OK, I think it was Chai of "Chai and the Blues Maniacs". Some stuff I read oon the nnet said he was full of himself and rude, but the guy I spoke with couldn't have been nicer. Well, I'll be looking for him here or in Bangkok.

From your description it sounds like Chai alright. I haven't met him myself but a friend knows him & says Chai's a nice guy. He's opened a new place in Chiang Mai on Soi Wat Umong, called something like Chai's House of Blues. They've had their soft opening already but I think they haven't formed a house band yet. Looks like it'll be a nice spot though, once it gets going.

Yea,

sounds like Chai alright. I've heard about his reputation also but once chatted to him and he seems OK to me although maybe he's choosy. I reckon you just have to be careful about what you say - I just got the feeling he was a bit defensive about farangs. But he is a great blues guitar player - he used to play at Saxophone pub in Bangkok and his group was superb then, although he is not a great singer.

I would love to know where exactly his club is in Chiang Mai - I quite like the Guitar Man but they always seem to be pissing about with the music whenever i go there - have seldom been there when live blues was played - and Tuk is a great player but The Brazzerie is a bit far and he plays too late for me.

A year or so ago, I read about several Thai college students who were studying to be journalists. A major segment of the university course required them to interview politicians and businesspeople in Bangkok. Each student made several appointments.

Some interviewees were very late (more than an hour and a half) - whereas most didn't show at all. After repeated no-shows, the students got discouraged. All dropped out of the course.

Anyone with experience in Thailand can relate to being stood up: Indeed, people who are no-shows, often don't give any prior notice. Some slags to call within minutes of the meeting time - to say they can't make it - even though they've known for awhile that they won't make it. Also common; the other person won't call or answer the phone. More likely to happen with dates, but can happen with any slaggard.

Lessons to be learned if arranging to meeting a Thai person:

>>>>> Don't be prompt unless you don't mind hanging by yourself for awhile - possibly over 40 minutes, if the other shows at all.

>>>>> Meet at a comfortable place, like a coffee shop. If you meet at a place like a street corner, don't be surprised if you're stuck breathing smog and beset by loud traffic noise for as long as you can stick it out.

>>>> Call the other person before you set out for the meeting place. If no answer, it's a tough decision. Perhaps leave a text message and/or take a chance. Odds are about 50-50.

>>>> Set parameters for what you'll tolerate. Even if you're applying for a job, let the other person know how much tardiness you'll tolerate, and stick to it. In other words, if you arrange to meet at noon, the person calls at 12:08 and says, "sorry, I got sidelined, but I'll be there in five minutes." You can say, "OK, I'll wait until twenty past, but then, I'm off to do other things." And stick with it.

.....Some things become evident when you hear "just 5 minutes":

1. The other person didn't plan well enough 2. they don't give much value to meeting you

3. They don't give much value to your time. 4. It's never 5 minutes - but usually more like 10 to 45 minutes.

The Thai word for prompt is 'trong trong' (literally: straight straight) .....use it and stick with it.

Maybe you should educate your journalism students how to handle such situations better than just dropping out of the course. Life is tough for journalists so they need to be armed with the skills to handle it. Just dropping out of a course shows a poor course or inadequate students - so don't blame their subjects - just get over it. I was a biology teacher and if students had difficulty handling experiments with animals then I didn't blame the animals.

beware of living in a glass house: If you go to the police do you have a work permit? correct visa ect. ect. ect.

And maybe a business visa and paying tax?