banglassie

Obviously trying to make ab example.

At rambuttei u find hige signs saying Valium (diazepam, quite similar to aplrazolam/xanax for those who not know. Benzo as benzo. Like the difference between beer and wine..)

Go to Surawong and u wil gind pharmacies with signs like "here u can buy some medivine wiithout prescription (a way to say "we have valium, xanax and coldalgine/tylenol 3...".

Surawong is owned by maffia. So nothing will change there.

Its all about showing their "hard work" while they still make generics in the country.. comolete bs... unlucky guy might have had a tad too mucj though....

Somchai and tran srey pov I guess...

Hey all you guys bashing the Thais for being "weak", use you ducking heads, the Thai live in a warm climate of 80-90 Fahrenheit if you guys need calculations to Celsius just let me know, there bodies are used to warm climates, they never have never had to deal with cold climate before so there bodies go into shock, last year during the cold season, same time as this, I had to ride my bike with jeans, 2 shirts, my North Face Vest and Jacket and gloves while I rode, and it was only 74F, I have lived here for 13 years and that was <deleted> cold for me, my daughter had to wear a heavy jacket to school since they all stand outside for the Kings Anthem and all the other kids where wearing heavy jackets and hats.

So stop bashing the Thais that is all this board does is bash Thai people and Thai women, this is basically a looser board from what I read everyday, I rarely post since I have a life and no time to play slap and tickle on the net with you trolls.

USA? (just thinking of the F, but I know there are others out there using the same system). If so it does explain how you might have easier to relate than some here since (if that is) your nation, has really cold winters up in Seattle or or Chicago, while nice weather year around in Florida and Southern California, as far as I have understood(?) Never been there so can't say too much.

Anyway, completely agree, what is "weak" anyway? I would like to see many of the people here working in a rice field in May without being soaked in sweat. While Thais do sweat most don't even come close to the pools of body-liquid we exhaust in the heat. My wife sweat around her nose and that's about it. I sweat everywhere until I get soaked if I work outside a hot day, and I drink about 3-4 liters water more than most of my fellow men (some of them don't even touch water for the day and stick to Lao-Khao "vodka". Very bad decision from a health perspective I would guess, but who am I to judge. As long as they stay drunk on the fields while working and not on the roads in traffic I see no harm, except personal harm, but that's up to each and everyone, at least that's my stand).

(reading all the bashing is part of the fun here though, in a sad way. It's just baffling how so many people can be so negative and find so many wrongs in the people around them, and in the same time complaining on being called "farang" or similar stuff, claiming it is pure racism against them)

(420? haha )

i bought the wifey £2000 gold necklace plus a £120 karaoke system this year, i didnt get so much as a simple thankyou or peck on the cheek on christmas day. hence my flight is now booked to go back to pattaya alone for few months !!

count yourself lucky, you got a good woman there !!

I didn't get nothing for xmas as well, nor did I expect too. Is your gf Christian, Bangkokian or Hi-so enough to remember this insignificant day here?

I did however mention it was Christmas eve (we celebrate 24th and not 25th in Sweden..), to which I got a "oh really!? and a surprise dinner later. Her mom called in later and the wife tried to have her say Marry Christmas, it was a funny project indeed since she never in her life uttered those words before.

Do you remember when it's 'Makha Bucha' Day etc? Or do you take your gf to 9 temples at the beginning of the year for a good and loving relationship for the coming year? Do you give alms with her to monks in the morning of her birthday/your birthday or remember other days that might (or might not) be significant to her?

For all I know your gf/wife/gig could as well be Christian and Mon or of Chinese ancestry etc. In other words, I'm not trying to say you are wrong in any way, but just putting out the possibility there that a cross-international relationship also means cross-traditions and the need for deeper understanding of each other to make it work long time.

This case shouldn't be too hard to see through, as many has pointed out.

Chronic illness

Booze until he passed out outside

A body not used to the weather.

Although it's not really cold anywhere here exept doi inthanon, it's still cold enough to get sick. I have catch a cold as well and haven't put on the fan even here in bkk.

And i am from Sweden. I know what real cold feels like... But there is a huge difference since whole of Sweden, including all buildings, are pepared for cold, not for heat.

Being used to 25+ year around here it's not hard to see how people in the north complain on weather between 10-15c I went to Chiang Rai a few weeks ago and had to buy a jacket after one night out...

It amuses me to see the kind of relationships some people have here (as well as how some people think in response).
How could so many end up with someone they can't trust? I wouldn't stay a day...

My wife is 3 years older than me, but we are both in our 30's. Never had any problems with suspicion. And we both have about the same economy, so be both give about the same value of gifts, and even if that would not be the case I would not care, since it's about the fact that someone wants to buy something for you (or you for her), if that rises suspicions then obviously something is wrong...

I think, as always, it depends on a few factors. i.e:

how long was those previous over stays
What's the mood of the official (yea, shouldn't matter, but does)
How did you react to the situation
Did you come without a visa?

I have a few overstays, 2 of them less than 24h and one a little more than 24h (500 baht), all due to miscalculation (bought onward ticket before I returned to Thailand).

I asked about them, but they said they where fine and no problem. In other words, the official where in good mood.
Other times they seem more annoyed (no wonder, not the funniest thing to sit and stamp in hordes of people, but it's a job and there are no excuses although I can see why some get annoyed with other annoyed arrivals who claim their rights over and over).

Finally I have my non imm "o" Visa and since then all seems fine, they don't really care, they seem more to care about the fact that I have a multiple entry visa and that I since then haven't done anything bad. They haven't scrutinized my passport while on arrival, maybe I'm just lucky, maybe it's because I usually land at Don Meuang? I don't know.
But I'm sure many things are what results in the outcome for most.

All the people speaking about people not stopping to help and equals that to "Thainess", Thais and how awful people are here:

This is a world-wide phenomenon.. Take a few minutes and watch some social experiments on youtube if not from the US, UK, Scandinavia and what not. You can find all from people faking having a stroke, getting a Seizure, Just laying "dead" in the middle of a walking street. And the majority of every major city will in general just ignore you... This is sad, but holds true to humans everywhere.. And I don't think it's all about not giving a shit (although many cases are...)

As an example, although it's a different story, I once observed a guy jumping down in front of the Metro in Stockholm just before the train came, I hardly saw him, but heard some other people scream and looked over at the same time as the train came in trying to break in vain. The first thing that stroke me was how the total atmosphere changed, there was some silence over it all although some girls was still screaming, the face of the driver was pale (I feel really sorry for him..) and what did I do? I still stood there, ready to get on that very same train, for what felt like a minute or two, but probably was no more than 10 seconds, before I realize this train is not gonna go anywhere and the situation started to hit me.

Unless you have been in combat (or at least combat training) or faced some accidents before most people will just get into shock. Which was me an my friends case, only when the staff came to clear the area and police came rushing down the stairs as we walked up we started to grasp the seriousness of the whole situation. We where still quite young at that time, 19 years perhaps. So our reflexes worked without a doubt, but we had just never faced death before.

Same shit when I sat in a taxi in Vietnam and motorbike on the other lane flew over the fence in the middle doing some somersaults before landing. We where already a few meters ahead of him, and although the taxi seemed concerned shook his head over and over and tried to look in the back mirrors as what was happening we where already in the "go on" zone, where one would expect some of the million other drivers coming after us to stop instead of us stopping traffic and run back. I understand the drivers choice but it's still sad that the first thing that strikes most people when something is happening isn't to run over and help. Most will just stay a bit away and look or ignore with fear for their own safety...

And yes, it's sad, it's bad, it's a terrible side of human nature probably stuck in our outdated R-complex brain part.. But it is not generally Thai, it is not a Thai-thing, it is not limited to Thai behavior... I promise you who think so that if you would live in HCMC you would do nothing but speak about the VN behavior, probably even pulling parallels to how "those savages are probably straight descendants from high ranked Viet Cong's" or some other stupid irrelevant answer that gives you a chance to bash the people instead of the driver/drivers or those who actually are at fault.

So much hypocrisy... Constantly blaming Thais for being so xenophobic and racist while in the same time putting them all together in a group as soon as something bad happens... I'm glad the grumpy negative attitude that always seems to hold majority here (probably cause most don't give a shit about your posts, read and then ignore cause they heard you complaining so many times there is no need to say anything..) is not the majority on the streets and that while the world looks doomed (or in this case Thailand) while looking at comments here sometimes I still meet great people every single day of all kind of nationalities, the majority probably being Thais for the simple fact that we live in Thailand...
Ok, enough about that.

Glad the guy is ok.

I for one would be interested to see other peoples feelings about this topic instead of the usual smartass replies. I've spent a long time in the Philippines and to be fair, Filipinos are in a completely different league. Go into a shop or restaurant and you will experience first class service and politeness, not some sullen face stuck in smart phone. I came to Thailand with a view to settle but I'm having second thoughts. I would welcome others experiences of Cambodia and Vietnam.

I need to know the places to go in the Philippines, as you seem to know it well, as that is on my mid year calendar for 2015. I am thinking about Manila for sure and Cebu? I have also heard about Boracay and Subic bay.I have never been and am keen to hear what awaits me. Good luck.

I would just chip in Baguio as an alternative to visit while on Luzon in Phils. It's kind of a hill-station so nice if you prefer some cooler weather while traveling. Lots of Koreans seems to love the place for some reason.

Sagada is nice as well, but far and secluded. Hard to reach and not ideal unless you want to get away from city-life.

Well it feels like in nazi germany already with all this stop and search and pee tests and where you go questions...

Oh for F sake... Don't compare Thailand with Nazi Germany. That makes you even worse than the director all are bashing on...

It would be more fair to compare it with the police in NYC raiding people for no obvious reason more than etnicity in most cases, all to keep up the quota, not necessarily to defeat crimes...

But you have to be extremely ignorant to compare the two like you just did... I'm sure you lived in Nazi Germany in those days...

In NYC they don't wear swastikas do they. And gov don't makes nazi movies...

And the Junta wear Swastikas?

And the movie depicts Hitler in a good way as a great leader?

Non of those statements debunks the fact that you just compared the way of living in Thailand with the way of living in Nazi Germany. Stick to the point you brought upon yourself...

Even Kasikorn Bank has not clue what this... Insane... Fyi Kasikorn can issue your ATM card with your choice of picture. Simply disgraceful.

Yes indeed Thai are very sensitive when it comes to their own Culture and History (even though most of them do not have any clue of their own history before the Siam Empire). But when it comes to other cultures and major historical events, they do not care, do not respect and do not give a s...

image.jpg

You obviously don't know the Origins of the Swastika sign. Perhaps before you start throwing "mud" at Thai culture, you should do a little research on the matter before you launch into your "Thai Bashing."

There is however a difference how the Nazi Swastika and the Hindu/Jainism/Buddhist Swastika is represented... This example is clearly not the later.

Well it feels like in nazi germany already with all this stop and search and pee tests and where you go questions...

Oh for F sake... Don't compare Thailand with Nazi Germany. That makes you even worse than the director all are bashing on...

It would be more fair to compare it with the police in NYC raiding people for no obvious reason more than etnicity in most cases, all to keep up the quota, not necessarily to defeat crimes...

But you have to be extremely ignorant to compare the two like you just did... I'm sure you lived in Nazi Germany in those days...

(EDIT - seems it got solved anyway)

I think it's scary how so many who have not seen more than the article on thaivisa comes out to scream everything negative they can about Thais, Thailand and Thainess.

Yes, there is no excuse for t-shirts with nazi swastikas or Hitler portrayed. There is also no excuse for T-shirts with Mao, Lenin, Che, KGB or similar. Many of which are considered pop culture by the European leftish teens. And yea, many don't know anything about what these guys did, more than that they where "on the right side" for all they care...

This is simply a movie trying to use a strong example as a negative portray. Perhaps too strong if you see how people react here, but it's not like the movie suggest hitler was in the right..

So much speaking of insensitive Thais here by just as insensitive ignorant westerners with no sense for looking up what they are actually outraged about..

It all always boils down to Thai = ignorant, backwards, stupid, blind nationalism etc.

There is no wonder why many here would look down on many of 'us' bashing them over and over in their country. Imagine an Islamic minority web forum in lets say sweden or UK bashing on everything Swedish or British.. People would be pissed....

To educate is good. It brings change. Can't give credit for that to this board though.. Good examples are tv-shows like "paa pai tiow" or the railway journey from bkk to london by Ray MacDonald where he visit Auschwits among others. And for you who dont know Ray is half Thai and the show is made for Thais in Thai..

Same about the travel show paa pai tiow who constantly try to get by on a shoestring. Before around europe and now around Asia. Including countries like Korea, Japan, Burma and India so far. Aired every sunday a little passed 22:00 on thai pbs after the short news.

While they are questioning many things it's always followed up by written facts that makes the viewer get more understanding for the countries. And since we are in Asia it would be good if more locals watched the shows and saw the real Burma etc. Because there is much xenophobia here which cant be denied. But I would say there is quite a bit of xenophobia on this forum board as well

Hello,

My nose has a tendency to get all clogged up here in BKK. I use loads of the local "Yaa dom" inhalers, but it only gives a quick relief of about 1 minute.

I do use otrivin from time to time, but I have become dependent on that spray before, and I prefer to not get too much relief.. It always backfires with an even worse nose than before..

I have been trying to find normal salin solution, or even some antihistamine nasal spray for allergy that is possible to open and fill with your own distilled water+salt solution. But the only ones they give me at pharmacies so far are always Otrivin (boots etc. and otrivin can't be opened) when I ask for something else they seem clueless, or some seem to think I am asking for the older sprays that contained pseudoephedrine, which is now illegal, so they just quickly say "no have" or "mai mee".

I do speak fairly good Thai, but when it comes to medicine I can't say I'm a professional.

Is there a famous brand for a similar nasal spray that can be re-opened and refilled with your own (cheaper but just as useful) solution?

I have come to understand that Boots or similar big brand pharmacies are my best bet since others will either just say "no" or in some instances try to push pseudoephedrine spray on me for an overprice, something I am not even interested in...

If you know what I should ask for that will make it clear for them and easy to understand it will be much appreciated.

Thailand doesn't want too many foreigners - just look at the lengths they are going to to avoid ASEAN. Whiteys with money fair enough but certainly not Lao and Burmese and other Asians taking their jobs and being able to come here indiscriminately.

Perhaps. But the whole "Thailand don't want tourists" goes against the whole "I hate Thailand" Campaign by TAT, doesn't it?

And as for Burmese and Khmers, most Thais seems to want to have them around cause they do crappy jobs for dirt money. Which means the Thai owners can sit back and get rich.

Look at Koh Phangan, next to all workers are burmese

koh Chang? next to all hard workers = Khmer.

And the factories haven't even been mentioned.

I think this is more related to Police trying to get more "extra money". The fact that many of those who experienced this where cleared as soon as they said they wanted to go to the Police station and have their Lawyer present before they did anything else kind of shows that it's all about getting extra cash, at least it looks that way to me.

it also seems to be quite focused around Thong Lor as far as I have heard, although some say it's going on in many areas, Like Klong Toei, Asok, Thong Lor, Ekkamai and Lumpini. I would really like to hear more about the actuality of these claims, or if they where more normal random searches (the ones where police check you at night, give you back your stuff and thank you for your co-operation, the way it used to be... At least for me near special events like New Year etc).

It seems like a good idea to leave Bangkok and Thailand for until they get this sorted out, cause the last thing I want is to have some small yaba pill planted on me, or someone putting stuff in my pee-test making it come out positive...

(in fact, I don't want to pee beside the street at all, it's shameful and just too much... Phnom Penh is a real rat hole, but right now I kind of feel like going back and stay there for a few months...)

Quality this quality that. Time to move back to Sisaket and forget the world including this country..

i might have misunderstood something or my brain might be a tad slow, but I don't really get the benefits of this?

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So as I read this it would still require the applicant to get to a "Visa collection center", and in the end get a full-page visa in your passport.
The biggest benefit of the E-Visa system in Cambodia according to me is that no Visa in the passport is needed, only 2 printed copies, one for arrival and one for departure.
Except for that they will just give you a stamp in the passport which saves a lot of space. My passport expires in 2 years, but I only have 3 empty pages left due to these full-page visas... I am staying here on a Non Imm "O" multiple entry. So when I need to leave the country it will be to Cambodia, Malaysia, HK or Taiwan, only to save space in my passport.

As a Swedish citizen I can't add pages like Americans can do. I'm not sure if the Swedish Embassy will let me keep my old passport if I decide to make a new one, until my non-imm "O" runs out. Some have stated that it would be possible to have 2 passports at the same time for this case, but for all I know Sweden will reclaim the old passport when a new one is issued, however I need to look into that deeper cause this is getting ridiculous, and I don't really want to go all the way back to Sweden to make a new passport...

I wish more countries, including Laos, would adopt the Cambodian visa system (or even better, visa exemptions like in Malaysia or HK..)
But I guess that will only remain a wish for quite some time to come..

The only thing I find being a problem with Yaa Dong ia that it sometimes contains loads of those red terrible centipedes, or as stated vipers and scorpions (although I have never aeen those two in any drinks except the ones sold to tourists).

But usually it seem to be made from the same stuff every time, serves with some bpai tey water (or padan leaf or whatever they are called in english) and some mango on the side.

Im from sweden, while there is no doubt people die from drinking in the winter it's usually a result from being too drunk and falling asleep outaide in the snow.

Thais may experience january cold here, be we are not talking minus 20 celsius. Of course there is always risks involved when drinking while having a cold or the flu, especially if being a senior. But this seems like quite some fear mongering.

Life is dangerous, you can die! Live with it...

must have been monkeys

Most comments and replies to this video I have seen on youtube and facebook that are not satirical seems to come from Thais who for some reason believed it was real. Now I'm not suggesting all fell for it, there where many Thai comments about how fake it was, but there where also many comments from both Thais and Westerners pointing out how it didn't matter that it was scripted cause they had all been in similar situations, and they all stressed how there are good and bad people everywhere.

Well Duh! Of course there are good and bad people everywhere! It's called humanity and to think something else is simply racist. But I highly doubt ANYONE has been in such a flawless situation where you can throw rocks at taxis or where hundreds of people go out of their way in the night to look for your bag (not to say where a monkey is the obvious thief of the bag and it is returned with all things intact.

In reality the guy would have had to make sure he get to Phuket or Bkk or wherever his closest consulate/embassy is and get a new temporary passport. Been there done that. After that I would expect him to try and get back home if he was completely black without a baht, not hang around for 2 years...

I know how pointless it is to point out all this, and someone probably already pointed it out, can't say I read all the posts.
I just think exaggerations will never lead to anything good.
A few examples: Reefer madness - tell everyone that they will go completely mental and kill their loved one if they smoke a joint, and people will likely laugh at it and not take it serious. But if you instead tell youngsters that weed probably won't kill you and it's not that big a deal, but it might make you very lazy, and while you think you are being creative you are in fact just laying on the coach eating sweets and watching comedy series... Well at least then it makes sense.

Another very serious example from my point of view is the whole mockingjay sign hysteria. If I was PM I would either do like China and ban the movie completely, no questions asked. Or I would not pay any notice to those making the signs, or even do the signs with them and laugh to not make it into such a big deal.
But by on one hand forbidding people to do the salute, and on the other hand showing the movie and handing out mockingjay symbols if you buy popcorn's, well, that just creates confusion and makes something that most would forget quickly into something big... Just my few scents.

(EDIT- oh, and the video really makes me want to puke out through my eyes and ears. I love Thailand, but that does not mean I find it a complete sunshine story...)

No EDIT on my phone. Sorry for bad spelling. Cant blame it all on beer since i never seem to get it right on the phone...

Ok. Too many beers done this evening to read all replies, so not sure if this has been mentioned.

Although a story mostly common among mahayana/vajrayana followers, i would have thought most people with insight to buddhism had heard it. Heee goes a weak try to retell it feom memory:

Two monks walk down a path. One is a novice and one an old master. For some reason a girl falls into the river along their path and cant swim (unsure about the actual story here, but the message remains), the older monk jumps into the water and saves the girl,carry her up to the shores of the river.

The both monks walk on. Bit when they get clise to their destination the novice asks, " master, how could you pick up that girl from the river? I thought monks where not supposed to touch women?"

The older monk said: "It seems you still carry her in your mind, as for me I left her by the shores of the river"....

This is not the actual story. But its told somewhat like that, and rhe message remains.

Is "the touch" the most important thing, or is it the mindset of the practitioner that truly counts?

Foe my own believes its obvious. But im not so sure its obvious to the ortodox thai society. (While i am certain some monks of some temples would agree with this story. Sad thing is I think most would be in closed off forest traditions, hopefully that is just my prejudgemental mind...