coralia

Thanks, taiwangirl!

Yes, my companion can walk, we just take the wheelchair along because she gets tired quickly... It's a lightweight wheelchair (10 kilos). I don't think we need a van. The prices you quoted (1200-1500 Baht) sound good to me. I don't know why I thought it was much more expensive than that... Are those prices fixed, or do I have to "bargain" with them?......

Thanks again.

I'll be arriving in Bangkok with an elderly person + a wheelchair, and we'd rather not take an ordinary taxi... especially since I haven't been to Thailand in more than 4 years . Are there other options? I seem to remember that there was a Limousine counter somewhere in the arrival hall, but I never thought I would need it... I suppose that it's safer than an ordinary taxi? How much would they charge us for a trip to Bangkok (Silom)?

Please advise! Thank you.

Fire cracker versus a Missle, lets keep it in context. You take my land, you take my family and I will fight till my last breath,me with my Bow and you with your Gun.

What land are you talking about? Israel has no intention of "taking" Gaza. If you're suggesting as does Hamas that Israel doesn't have a right to exist, then you're right, that's going to be an endless FIGHT. Because Israel isn't going anywhere, mate.

Golda Meir once said: there is only going to be peace when the Palestinians will love their own children as much as they hate Israel.

Sadly, that is never going to happen.

Under the new censorship laws in Thailand, expect to hear that many more of the supporters of the past government that the Junta wants to remove were all drug dealers and expect the anti-democracy cheerleaders on TVF to fall for it.

I never thought I was ever going to say this, but for once I'm glad I'm not in Thailand...

And I used to boast to my friends that when I'll be 50 I'll move to Thailand!

Well, hopefully things will get better by the time I turn 50...

The dirty laundry is coming out not by the day but by the hour.

Carry on the good job boys and girls

Some comments remind me of my distant youth in a communist country...

eight traffic problems... nine rainy season diseases... begins to sound a lot like China......

I was on a flight from S.Korea to Bangkok in November 2008 (before the airports were closed by the yellow shirts) and it looked EXACTLY like this.

@iPrahin This morning's TG flight from #HongKong. About 14% capacity. #thaicoup

From polls to reality, it's a highway to hell...

wow, never seen anything like this. Cheap tickets now then?

I'm planning to travel to Bangkok with someone in a wheelchair. Could anybody tell me if Sky Train stations have elevators?

Thank you.

On rte 1 frm tel aviv. East j-m is for occasional shopping.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Oh, I see! I thought you were in Amman or something...

Well, they live a bit further west... in Tel Aviv.

I am genuinely worried about them... I haven't heard from them since they left. And 42 degrees in Kanchanaburi today!! Is that ANYBODY's idea of a pleasant holiday???...

Spelling problems not lack og knowlege. If they are close to 'there' where is there? Since I AM there...15min. away actually by car...just curious

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

15 minutes in which direction? just curious

i can arrange a visit in east jerusalem during ramamdan if they want... armoured cars (antibullet glass made by my kibbutz factory) etc....

and i will sit and eat lamb every evening while they cower in their armoured rooms....

Ramadan, not ramamdan .

Thank you very much, but that won't be necessary. They have already been there. In fact, they live close by.

I guess I haven't made my point quite clear: my friend has booked this trip to Thailand without consulting me; she doesn't know anything about Thailand. She was not aware that April is the hottest month, she was not aware of the pollution problem or of the political trouble, and she has no idea what Songkran is about. I tried to tell her but she doesn't believe it's going to be that bad... I guess some stupid travel agent offered her some discounted tickets and she thought it would be a good idea to go to Thailand... She is definitely not the sort of person who would appreciate having water thrown at her!!! Her little boy is a fragile 4-year old. I tried to convince her to cancel the whole trip but she won't . At least she seems to have booked herself good hotels/resorts... Someone please tell me if they can go to the Zoo and Doi Suthep? Is there any chance that there will be lunatics throwing water in those parts of town...? And should I advise them to wear face masks?

Thanks again.

Relax for goodness sake. Many nice places and things to do. They throw water...so what it's hot. Kids love it. Stay away from the moat. Go to an outer village where it is not so busy. Get wet and have an experience to remember. As for political problems ??? Where in Chiangmai??? It is a happy time and if you dress for it , cover your valuables just simply go and have fun. If you are so agaist it you can always hide in your room and watch t v. YUK

Yes, well, they are in Bangkok right now and I haven't heard from them.

They'll be going to Kanchanaburi next and I see the temperature there is 43 degrees........

I know they'll be spending most of this "holiday" holed up in their hotel rooms... at least they'll be in good hotels. But it's a pity she spent so much money on flights.

Yes, Songkran in Pattaya is horrible. I was there about 10-15 years ago too. Chiang Mai is much better for many reasons.

Thanks, Winnie, I hope you're right... Since you seem to be the most knowledgeable person on this forum, could you just tell me if you think it's safe for them to go to the Zoo and Doi Suthep?... I'm afraid they're going to spend their four days in Chiang Mai holed up in their hotel (or resort, whatever). I can't imagine people splashing each other either at the Zoo or at Wat Suthep - but then, with Thai people, you never know...

Thanks again.

Actually, given that it's the main religious event of the year too, I would definitely recommend they make it out to some temples (any temples) including Doi Suthep. The key though is leaving very early especially when going to Doi Suthep because traffic will be very challenging especially when coming back. For Doi Suthep think leaving at like 6am. Virtually nobody will be hurling water at that time (perhaps some early-bird kids) BUT... it's going to be 38 degrees C out there.. getting a cooling splash is hardly the end of life as we know it..?

But anyway, traffic will be the issue coming back from Doi Suthep. Tuk tuks or red bus songthaew drivers will know of ways to get back though, mostly likely cutting through CMU and then Suthep Road (because Huay Kaew is blocked) which is still navigable until noon or so. After that the only way to get into town is through the airforce base (whcih doesn't require tags during songkran), Aom Muang Ring road and then up Chang Klan. (No need to remember this, taxi / tuk tuk drivers will know nad manage)

Zoo is in the same area so a very similar story. So yes it's very possible.. Catching the temple events (not necessarily Doi Suthep) is a really good experience, lots going on and lots to see. Some tours will also still go on, so they could book something that involves tigers and elephants. Will they get a splash or two (or more) : absolutely. But.. cooling down from the insane heat is pretty nice! You sometimes sound like they're throwing Sulfuric Acid around.

Thank you very much, Winnie! I'll try to pass all that information on to my friend... Hopefully their hotel will be able to arrange an air-conditioned car (not a tuk-tuk or a songthaew) for them, so they'll feel safer and perhaps they'll keep dry... Booking a tour also sounds like a good idea.

Thanks again.

Yes, Songkran in Pattaya is horrible. I was there about 10-15 years ago too. Chiang Mai is much better for many reasons.

Thanks, Winnie, I hope you're right... Since you seem to be the most knowledgeable person on this forum, could you just tell me if you think it's safe for them to go to the Zoo and Doi Suthep?... I'm afraid they're going to spend their four days in Chiang Mai holed up in their hotel (or resort, whatever). I can't imagine people splashing each other either at the Zoo or at Wat Suthep - but then, with Thai people, you never know...

Thanks again.

I suggest having her view some youtube videos so she can see what songkran in Chiang Mai is all about. It may very well not be to her liking. If she doesn't want to get wet, she needs to go everywhere in a car. This town is madness at Songkran. The best stuff in Chiang Mai (in my opinion) is out of town anyway, so she needs to plan her days spent here carefully.

I agree with others that the pollution problem is overblown and has been far worse in past years, and most likely even less of an issue at Songkran.

Unfortunately this good friend of mine has no time or patience for Youtube, Wikipedia, or even leafing through a travel guide... Besides, she's leaving tonight for Bangkok (just in time to catch some lively demonstrations tomorrow...). I'm glad to see that most posters think all the problems are overblown and are making fun of me... hopefully they are right. I have been to Thailand about 20 to 30 times (can't remember exactly), and I have had quite a few unpleasant experiences there, although I had read the Lonely Planet in depth and tried never to do anything silly... I was caught up in Pattaya during Songkran 10 years ago, it was disgusting (though I understand from the Pattaya forum that it's much worse now). I remember that we spent a lot of money changing our flight tickets to get out of Thailand immediately. I can only hope that Chiang Mai is not as bad as Pattaya...!

Hopefully the political trouble won't affect them either... I was in Thailand in November 2008 when the yellow crowd occupied the airports, it was not fun (though perhaps they thought otherwise... nobody wants to prevent Thai people from having fun, of course...). I'm probably paranoid but I'm afraid that it could happen again: I remember that it was a remarkably efficient method for bringing down the government. Oh, and I had some unpleasant experiences in Chiang Mai as well: a close relative of mine was hit by a car on a pedestrian crossing, right in front of Kad Suan Kaew. Broken leg, four days in hospital (Chiang Mai Ram is lovely - better than any hotel!), six weeks with her leg in a cast. All because of her bad karma, of course... I hope my friend and her little boy will be able to avoid crossing streets... perhaps they'll levitate instead!!

I apologize for being so grumpy... I suppose I'll feel a lot better when they'll be back home safely!!

Thanks all for answering my post.

By the way, what happened to the Downtown Inn?...... I may want to stay there if I ever visit Chiang Mai again. I missed THAT experience!!!

I guess I haven't made my point quite clear: my friend has booked this trip to Thailand without consulting me; she doesn't know anything about Thailand. She was not aware that April is the hottest month, she was not aware of the pollution problem or of the political trouble, and she has no idea what Songkran is about. I tried to tell her but she doesn't believe it's going to be that bad... I guess some stupid travel agent offered her some discounted tickets and she thought it would be a good idea to go to Thailand... She is definitely not the sort of person who would appreciate having water thrown at her!!! Her little boy is a fragile 4-year old. I tried to convince her to cancel the whole trip but she won't . At least she seems to have booked herself good hotels/resorts... Someone please tell me if they can go to the Zoo and Doi Suthep? Is there any chance that there will be lunatics throwing water in those parts of town...? And should I advise them to wear face masks?

Thanks again.

A friend of mine will be in Chiang Mai between 11-15 April with her little boy; unfortunately she has booked this trip without consulting me, or else I would have told her not to set foot in Thailand at all in April... Too late for that now. I have two questions:

1. Pollution. I have asked about this already, and got the answer that the air should clear up by Songkran. In spite of that, I keep reading on this forum that the air is still very bad there. She will be in Chiang Mai in just over a week - will the situation improve by then...? I realize that nobody's a prophet, but based on experience from previous years...?

2. Songkran. Should I advise them to stay in their hotel (I think it's a resort, quite far from the centre of town) all the time? I understand that people will be throwing water around the moat, so that area should be avoided completely. But what about the rest of the town? Are there any "safe" areas? Could they visit the Zoo (I remember they had some pandas...) and Wat Suthep?

They are also planning to visit the Golden Triangle. Is that a good idea, given all these problems?...

Please advise. I have never been to Chiang Mai at this time of the year, I don't know what to tell her...

Thank you very much!

A friend of mine will be in Koh Samui with her little boy between 15-21 April. She was not aware of Songkran when she booked her trip... Should she be worried? What are the dates when Songkran is "celebrated" in Koh Samui? Should she stay inside her hotel, or can she venture outside? Is it as bad as Pattaya or Chiang Mai...? I have never been to Samui so I don't know what to tell her... Please advise.

Thank you.

I was joking about Pattaya being "amazingly safe"....... As for myself, I only ended up in Pattaya by default: Hua Hin was too expensive, and lacked a decent supermarket.....

I used to live in mainland Spain on a yacht in Puerto Banus

I have been to Tenerife many times

I like it but it's a bit Lo- so for me

So you moved to Pattaya to upgrade your "so"? Or was it for the La Grotta pizzas

I came to Pattaya to have sex with exotic women

Same way you came to have sex with ladyboys

Perhaps you should have left afterwards... I for one stopped going to Pattaya when I started reading this forum... and I wonder why I went there in the first place.

And it now seems that mentioning Tenerife on this forum brought that place bad luck... I just read on Yahoo news that three Brits were injured by an explosion on Tenerife... while Pattaya is so amazingly safe .

I have read an article in a local newspaper today saying that people who want to visit Thailand (presumable for less than 30 days - the article was not sufficiently clear, and to make things worse, I live in a country where the language spoken is not my mother tongue... ) now have to pay the equivalent of 1000 Baht. According to the article, this new rule applies to 17 countries, including the USA, Australia, most of Western Europe, Israel and the UAE. I don't understand if this means that everybody now has to get a visa, or a visa on arrival...? Has anybody on this forum heard about this?... It looked like a serious article in a major newspaper... I'm not sure what to make of it.

thanks

so much can be said

on the topic

The problem with meditation is that we can talk/write about it forever but we'll never make any progress unless we practice... Meditation is one of those things that baffle people because words are inadequate for describing it.

I find it interesting that you have started this topic on the Pattaya forum... I really hope you can get a group together to practice.

They:

-build an ill advised expressway along the beach then build speed bumps.

-renovate the beach then stack thousands of sandbags when finished.

-have a trash picking show but when you look, trash everywhere.

-promise to get rid of the jet skis thugs but they are still there years later.

-commit to boater safety but still have yaba heads overloading the vessels.

If the city manager had a brain, he would probably take it out and play with it.

Suicide is the only answer.

Are you suggesting that the city manager should commit suicide...???

I wasn't aware the city manager was in the least unhappy about anything. Are you?

In fact, I'd imagine he's doing quite well.

I can imagine him crying his eyes out reading the posts on this forum...

They:

-build an ill advised expressway along the beach then build speed bumps.

-renovate the beach then stack thousands of sandbags when finished.

-have a trash picking show but when you look, trash everywhere.

-promise to get rid of the jet skis thugs but they are still there years later.

-commit to boater safety but still have yaba heads overloading the vessels.

If the city manager had a brain, he would probably take it out and play with it.

Suicide is the only answer.

Are you suggesting that the city manager should commit suicide...???