msg362

why have an expensive camera when you are in Thailand walking around in Songkran , maybe its you who did not think.

Exactly. The subject could just as easily read, ' what kind of moron brings a $2000 video camera out on songkran '.

There are definitely a number of "celebrants" that are just looking to annoy someone, but as someone who knows absolutely nothing at all about cameras, I would assume that no one would be crazy enough to bring one into a water fight unless it was waterproof. Maybe things are not as negative as they appear.

It was protected, see my later post

why have an expensive camera when you are in Thailand walking around in Songkran , maybe its you who did not think.

Exactly. The subject could just as easily read, ' what kind of moron brings a $2000 video camera out on songkran '.

No it couldn.t, rad the earlier reply, it was in a specially designed rain proof cover , that is why there was no damage. Only the lens was exposed. And read my post, it was £ not $

Just came back from a quiet night out. No issues, very dry. I also noticed the traffic was remarkably civilized, I was expecting a lot of crazy driving but most drivers almost seemed more careful than normal. (As was I).

In the Thapae / Loi Kroh area there were a couple Farangs who didn't really know when things end, but they were mostly playing between themselves. Of course it only takes one idiot with a bucket, but overall I didn't encounter anything untoward. And that's Thapae/Loi Kroh; if you go to a non-Farang area (i.e. just about everywhere) then you're virtually guaranteed a civilized experience.

Agree, it was as we were walking back to get the car around Taphae. Loi Kro that this happened. Nearer Wat Pra Singh was fine.

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why have an expensive camera when you are in Thailand walking around in Songkran , maybe its you who did not think.

I'm taking video, it is allowed you know and it was in a specially designed rain cover, that's why the idiot didn't harm it. I did think. The point is Thais respect you, idiot farangs do not

Songkran around the moat in CM and you will get wet!. But carrying an expensive video camera ( it was wearing a raincoat), almost all the Thais, when they saw the camera did not spray directly at it. Admittedly some did put ice cold water down my back, but that's OK. They looked and saw and smiled.

Now the farangs, a different story. One deliberately tried to squirt water into the camera while I was trying to put it away, another, from about 50 cm squirted water directly in to my face. They do this with an inane look on their face. Others did similar things. Not all farangs, but many of them. What goes on in the head of a 20 year something farang grinning inanely and trying to ruin a £2000 video camera?. Why squirt from 50 cm?

Others, wearing just shorts, walked wet into the cafe I was stopping at, dripping everywhere, with no regard for the owners. ( he was upset)

You could see the look of disdain on the face of Thais.

A real pity

The parade was great!

No idea, but I stayed in Ao Nang Villa and the wireless internet was very fast and reliable ( about twice as fast as my ? 8 Mbps here in CM). Maybe ask them who they use?

Thanks for the information. I can understand why the OP would be worried.

However, I am just paranoid enough to only use my ATM card during business hours. It there is a problem I can get someone in the know to help me. All it takes is a little PRIOR planning. I actually plan ahead what I am going to need BEFORE I travel. I've been to enough ATM machines to know they don't always carry enough cash to make my transaction.

You can get through money VERY quickly in Ao Naang!

It's actually a brain scanner. I bet you touched it didn't you. Big mistake. You should have worn your tin foil hat.

Wow, have you thought of becoming a stand up comedian? ( Advice- don't give up your day job)

that protruding card slot is suppose to deter card skimming, an anti skimming device. instead of using that secured one, you had choose to use the other one.

now you should be really paranoid, there must have been cases of skimming in that area to have such device installed, but you choose to use the one without it. good luck

Sorry, we are not all as intelligent and up to date as you clearly are. Humblest apologies, sorry for asking and bothering you.

I was in Krabi a few days ago and went to an ATM ( BKK bank)

The Second picture shows a green 'thing' over the card insert. Being neurotic about scammers I went to another close by ( picture 1) this was normal

Anyone know what this green thingy is?

Not quite sure what you are trying to say. Is it that TG is sloppy and lazy and the AA is organised or is it that there were too many people trying to fly with AA? We've just come back from Krabi to CM using AA flights with a change at BKK. ( Wish they would do through baggage tho') Very impressed, on time organised, no problems at all and CHEAPER than TG or Bangkok Air to Krabi , about 50% cheaper!

I'd have to say prostitutes of any variety.

They're the most likely to screw me.

But did you enjoy it?

Phd is a brand of protein powder.

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D

Does it help you get a Doctorate?

Speaking of things you never hear - a bar lady told me once that the girls at the bar referred to short time with a japanese men as 333.

3 inches

3 minutes

3,000 baht.

True story - I laughed my head off.

P.S. Apologies if any japanese members were offended.

Is it the three inch member you are referring to?

Went to Krabi ( Ao Nang) a few days ago. went to a BKK ATM and wanted to withdraw money.

Looked and saw this ? thing? (Photo 1) over the card insertion slot. Panicked and went to another without this addendum thingy sticking out

Am I paranoid or was this some magic thingy introduced recently in the south?

Surely the title is a joke? I was involved in a interview with a cardiologist recently. Increase in acute cardiac arrest, equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes a day and none of us have any choice. The thin paper masks many people wear are pointless and ineffective. But it's OK,some bigwig got up a fire ladder and sprayed water for a few minutes Problem solved! My only consolation is this is one problem the bigwigs can't escape from ,they have to breath the same air as the rest of us.

Lucky you (msg362)! I've written a couple of letter to the tax people (months ago) and not received any reply...

Instead I keep getting 'statements' telling me I owe them 'late tax return assessment penalties', even though my first letter enclosed all the tax returns they'd sent me (at the same time) which, didn't include one for the latest tax year...

I keep hoping they'll 'catch up', but its obvious they're not going to do so and I've got to steel myself for writing yet again.

Edit - I'm trying not to think about when the 'late return penalty fee' increases to 1000 pounds!

I send letters to pensions and the inland revenue by registered post, not expensive, reliable and fast, maybe that helps as they realise I have a record.

I sent my first letter by registered post but it could around 1000 baht for a one page letter! Hardly my idea of "not expensive"...

Blether - I'm ashamed to admit that I'm cynical enough to be sure than an MP who receives a letter from a constituent who last lived there several years ago - will be kept purely for entertainment value. Why on earth would he care?

I think you are confusing EMS with Registered post. Registered post is only a few baht more expensive than normal post. EMS is horribly expensive.

Lucky you (msg362)! I've written a couple of letter to the tax people (months ago) and not received any reply...

Instead I keep getting 'statements' telling me I owe them 'late tax return assessment penalties', even though my first letter enclosed all the tax returns they'd sent me (at the same time) which, didn't include one for the latest tax year...

I keep hoping they'll 'catch up', but its obvious they're not going to do so and I've got to steel myself for writing yet again.

Edit - I'm trying not to think about when the 'late return penalty fee' increases to 1000 pounds!

I send letters to pensions and the inland revenue by registered post, not expensive, reliable and fast, maybe that helps as they realise I have a record.

Refer your file and complaint to the MP for your local area. If he takes it up and sends a letter on your behalf then you will get rapid action.

Who is the MP for Chiang Mai?

I filled in my self assessment last ? September. In November I wrote telling them of my Thailand address. On 2nd December I went on line and got a statement saying I owed nothing so I relaxed.

Today, 30th March I get a letter dated 28th February, posted in Belgium ,transported by TNT, delivered by Thai post ( -32days!), saying I owe them £660 and interest is accumulating. Frantic phone call!( Skype is wonderful). They say I wrote in december saying I would pay it, I'm not sure about that, I think they've made a mistake and of course being on line and trying to look up documents is not easy, so I asked for a copy of the letter. "I'll email my colleague in another office but it will take up to 3 weeks to get an answer" ( my emails go a bit quicker than that). ( Incidentally the pensions lot are using the same snail mail TNT service, expect one month at least)

"Why did the 2nd December statement say I owed nothing?"- "because it takes us 3-4 weeks to read letters!!!"

So I write in November, they reply at the end of February and send a letter that takes almost 5 weeks to get here. " Can you email me a copy?" " No"

I can expect to get the reply in June!

Just in time for next year's return!!

My Thai wife does her tax return once a year, can pay on line or go to an office and pay, all finished.

I'm lost here. I'm married to a lovely Thai lady, a lecturer ,we've been married for many years and it's great. She's more honest than any western woman I've known and her family are good people. yes, she wants a western PhD for good academic reasons,they are better regarded than the Thai equivalent. But for the rest, so many people here are talking cr*p. It's down to people, individuals, stop all this stereotyping and live.

Where did you 'find' her?

Working at my firm's Thai office on one of the many trips I used to make before moving over there to join the firm.

Sorry to disappoint you.

We will get over it, Thai girls are like London bus's, another one will be along in a minute.

basically ,none for half an hour and then 3 come at once ?

That's pretty good if you can manage it all by yourself!!! Need help?

I've stayed at a number of medium priced hotels (1000 baht/night) in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand and very few if any offer free wi fi for the internet. I would think in a competitive market where there are almost as many hotels as tourists that free wi fi would be an attractor. I once had a fancy time share in Jomptien and it was the same thing... no internet. I've stayed at the Great Residence and the Queens Garden in Bangkok and neither offered internet sevice. In this modern world that is surprising. In the USA you can ge free wi fi at most any MacDonalds cafe.

Is it the same Thai system where when tourism drops, the common marketing ploy is to INCREASE prices?

Right now I'm sitting in the Hong Kong airport and it has free internet everywhere... including free wi fi.

Why don't you hong kong then next time instead of Thailand. Lol

On a serious note alot off hotels only have customers 5-6 months of the year they are not making a fortune therefor need to charge for everything they can simPle really.

My misses runs a resort had 1 laptop with one internet connection Internet charges 1 bht a minute customers are always saying why only 1 computer and Internet connection , well the dongle cost us 7500 bht then 900 bht a month then we have 2 iPhones which is another 1600 bht a month for Internet so we are spending over 2500 a month for Internet this is why it isn't frer

Why not get a landline, wireless router?

Are you away from landlines?

This is the system, get use to it or.....

Exactly. Back in the US a Thai once asked me how to get somewhere on the public transport. My response was "if you were rich enough to get here from thailand, then you are rich enough to take a taxi." I then pointed to the cab stand, smiled and walked away.

I hope he met more friendly natives later

Get the land resurveyed by the land office ( Ti Din) Here in CM it cost 1700 baht, complete with new cement markers and we were lucky, the land was bigger than we thought and we are waiting for a new Chanote

yes it will be a heavier impact but not as heavy and the implied 60kmph, the difference is forward motion as opposed to direct downward motion hiting a stationary solid object like the ground, how do you think aircraft are able to land, flying at 150mph straight into the ground is not the same as flying forward and gliding to the ground, all I am saying is I can understand how a walking or running person having a head on collision with the ground could be just as severe, it's to do with how fast you are moving towards the ground, I'm not sure that in all cases the impact on a 60kmph motorbike would be any more severe in fact the bike might at some point break your fall depending, We have two directions of motion working here, forward and down, now if you hit something solid with your head going forward at 60kmph or higher as mentioned in my earlier postyou would likely die and have more chance of dieing without a Helmet, also shoulder pads knee pads gloves etc will not save you either- that senario does not exist with someone walking or running. Ski jumping would be another example, those guys go down a ramp sometimes reaching 70mph - they hit the ground doing that speed but in a forward motion, their downward motion might be as little as a 5-10mph impact, I don't know what the skull can take on a direct impact with a solid object or indeed what a bike helmet can safely take either, maybe someone here knows how helmets are tested and what the relative speed would be before the protection breaks down, I'm prestty sure is is not as high as most think it is mute point really but I'm sure you understand what I'm getting at some reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_helmet

Is this some convoluted reasoning to say riding without a helmet is safe?