craigt3365

I think table, chairs and sunbeds on the beaches are great! Just regulate them properly and don't let them feed the corrupt local officials. Put the revenues to good use by cleaning up the beaches, etc.

All well & good but it all boils down to the old give them an inch & they will take a mile. Take Surin for example. 20years ago it was idyllic with just a few thatched huts by the beach where you could get something to eat & drink. I loved stopping by there. I do not recall if it was before or after the tsunami when it started getting out of hand but whenever it happened the local authorities must have been complicit so why don't we hear about them being charged.

What about Nai Yang? Buildings were torn down & quickly replaced. Why is that private enterprise can operate basically on the beach similar to the one block in Patong. The beachside should have unobstructed views.

Unfortunately, the world is growing rapidly, and mass travel has hit us big time. Areas that were previously remote and pristine are no longer like that any more. Need to figure out a way to deal with the tourists as well as protect the beauty. No an easy thing to do!

I think table, chairs and sunbeds on the beaches are great! Just regulate them properly and don't let them feed the corrupt local officials. Put the revenues to good use by cleaning up the beaches, etc.

The questions are... should the beaches be allowed to return to their natural pristine condition or should the beaches suffer the damage of human interest's as a policy repaired preservation? It's the former question that I agree with, and I will tell you why as well. You may enjoy the comfort of a lounge and a table on the beach, but that's in your interest and not the interest of preserving the beach. As long as litter and damage to the beach have to be maintained according to the numbers of people using the beach, then the beach is at peril. It will never happen... Most Thai's haven got a clue, and most farangs don't give a damn. It's not they back yard.

Excellent points. But I think a balance can be made? It was out of control until recently, mainly due to corruption. But surely there's a way to handle both? Many places are able to maintain this balance. Perhaps have a section for table and chairs and another that's left empty? Along with a mandated clean up?

I don't know the details, but I think the issues were more operational, training and management related. Which of course leads to safety issues....my point was, it looks like some smaller airlines might not be in business much longer. But who knows which ones.

Please stay on topic and don't turn this into an anti-US thread. We've got enough of them already and plenty of other websites out there that cater to this sort of stuff.

I think table, chairs and sunbeds on the beaches are great! Just regulate them properly and don't let them feed the corrupt local officials. Put the revenues to good use by cleaning up the beaches, etc.

I'm not saying these guys might be part of this, but I'd be careful with some of the smaller airlines right now:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818856-substandard-airlines-may-be-grounded-states-prayut/

I'm working on this same type of project right now. I'm waiting for my preferred contractor to stop by. They were off for Songkran and probably just getting back into the swing of things. I'll let you know what I find out. I'm getting 3 quotes.

Since there is a criminal investigation over this, best we close this topic and use this one for further discussion:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/819139-net-spreads-wider-over-ufun/

Topic Closed.

If you are not comfortable with a scooter, for sure don't rent here. Not the place to learn. Hitch hiking is very rare here. Easier to just catch the baht bus on Sukhumvit to Ban Ampur and grab a scooter taxi right next to 7/11. Or, hire a taxi/driver from Pattaya to take you around. This time of year, an AC car is a great way to go. As you say, you could probably find a driver for 1000B or so to take you there and back as well as perhaps a few other places.

The visa stamp is the most important for the police. Shows you are in the country legally. It's a hassle to travel with your passport, but necessary...just in case. Lock it up in your hotel safe. Theft if very rare here. It does happen, but quite rare. Especially at the better hotels.

You can check it, but as mentioned above, stay within the limits. Liquor is quite cheap in the US.

You need to have your passport either on your person or readily accessible if you are traveling around. Sure, the odds of ever needing it are rare. But, if something happens, and the police get involved, and you can't get to it fairly quickly, you might be stuck in jail. You never know, and it has happened before.

Best to have a photocopy with you at all times. Most copy shops near immigration offices can make a copy of the front page on one side and the visa stamp (very important) on the other, then laminate it into a business card size. Great to carry.

I would never leave my passport with anybody. If they demand it, walk away and find another vendor. But, it's absolutely OK for them to want to see the physical passport so they can make their own copy, especially when renting a scooter/car, or checking into a hotel. Copies can be faked.

I'd hate to remember all those who've talked about relatives who've been ripped off from these unscrupulous B*******S. Way too many. And for many, it was a disastrous event.

I do hope they crack down on these scam artists, put them in jail, and get these poor people back their hard earned money.

To be really safe, take it out of the original packaging....as much as you can, anyway. My friend just came in with 6 3TB hard drives and all sorts of other stuff. No problems at all....

Where in the world does all the pee go?

Same place it always goes...55555

We started at about 1:30. Worked our way from Soi 5 to almost Mike's Shopping Mall. This was our 3rd year and had several "newbies" along...who absolutely loved it. Including one who'd always hated the thought of it...He's now changed his mind.

Nothing like the 2 previous years. Not nearly as many people and didn't seem to be as much fun. We got into Hard Rock and many other bars easily. Previous years...no way. Impossible and no seats/tables. One bar, right on the road, was maybe 1/2 empty. Actually, most bars along the road were like that. But again, we were done by 6PM. Might have picked up after that.

But a few said they actually liked it better as the previous years it was almost impossible to walk down Beach Road. This year, only 2 places were a bit difficult...and even then...nothing like before.

Alcohol was sold on the street, just not out in the open. We finished about 6PM, with some stragglers finishing around 8PM. Everybody had a blast and we all promised to do it again next year. There were maybe 10 or us? We got a suite at a hotel for the pre-party and after party showers! LOL

Just for the heck of it ( ) decided to return via soi 6 to see what biz was like there. I'd guess 1/2 of the bars were closed? And it was the only place I saw the PVC guns. All manned by farangs sitting inside the bars and aiming at whatever went by.

That is why everyone is so shocked. But this is what the wife has said, though I was not there.

First, you need to do some research on what is ecotourism. Here's a good start:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotourism

Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low-impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial (mass) tourism. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds for ecological conservation, to directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities, or to foster respect for different cultures and for human rights.

https://www.ecotourism.org/what-is-ecotourism

Thailand seems more interested in increased numbers of tourists as opposed to protecting the environment. With that being said, survey's are against forum rules:

23) External surveys seeking information from ThaiVisa members need the written consent by admin. Please contact support at http://www.thaivisa.com/contact

Topic Closed.

According to our friends, a big wave came in and swept him out. Quite a few deaths here lately. Very sad.

I bought a very powerful wifi router in the US a few years ago. Put it in the back office and 2 rooms away, the signal was pretty bad. Not soo good outside in the pool either.

So...ran a cable off a cheap router I got from ToT to this one which is on top of my outdoor refrig. I get fantastic reception all around the house now. The cheap router didn't have wifi and I think some 400-500B.

I've also used USB adaptors and they worked very well. I had a nice one with antennas and everything.

My friends live there and they've been having bad problems for over a year now. Techs have been out numerous times.

I'm surprised. 3BB techs have always been spot on for me. Call them today and they fix it tomorrow, every time. They have a device that in most cases indicates to the metre exactly where the problem on the line is (assuming it is a line problem) and since my building ran a new internal cable to my room everything has been fine. Maybe your friends have another problem?

I think there are some problems in the building. Quite a few there seem to be having issuess. According to my friends. I don't know who the internet company is, but I've been there two times when they stopped by to fix things. I thnk it's sopphon. And from what he's told me, this has been going on for quite some time. I'm pretty sure the entire building is handled by one vendor. Or at least it was a few months ago.

A couple of ways that I can think of. First is a baht bus on Sukhumvit. Hopefully, they'll go all the way down to the turn for Buddha mountain where "hopefully" you'll be able to catch a scooter taxi. Though I've gone through that intersection many times and have never seen a scooter taxi there. Better bet would be to stop just past the lights in Ban Amphur where there's the 7/11. Big group of scooter taxis there. Not sure what it would cost.

Another option would be the train??? Again, not sure if a scooter taxi would be there or not? You could also catch a minivan that's headed towards Sattahip instead of a baht bus.

Hopefully others will come along with more suggestions!

Oooooh, General, you are keeping me in suspense...........

Can't take any more.............

C'mon, take me out of my misery

Who is it?

Sutherp?

Before it was the North.....now is the South.......wait another 2 days and it will be the East and the West.

The names begin with an "M", an "R", a "C"....55555....just kidding....

RIP. He was a good friend of one of our neighbors.

Great posts, mr WW. That pic looks like it was taken during the day time? If so, maybe a better indicator would be around 9pm???

I was at a major seafood restaurant in southern Jomtien last nigth. I haven't gone there in years due to the weekend crowds, but my friends insisted. Was barely 1/2 full. We got there at 6pm to watch the sunset. It was maybe 10% full. We left at 9:30 and it was maybe 25% full. Never seen that before. Very strange. Not even a single tour bus.