niagarekoja

i heard there is a big baht bus that runs from phuket town to the beaches.  can anyone fill me in on where and when to get this ride and how much this one costs?

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Songthaew (bus)

These (Blue) buses run daytime (7:00 - 17:00) between the beaches and Phuket Town (Terminus,Ranong Road near market) and cost 10-30 baht. However, these buses do not travel from beach to beach, instead, you must first go to Phuket Town and then change to a bus with your final destination. To stop a songthaew on the street you should wave with your hand or wait for the bus at one of the stops (huts) along the road.

I'm tired of drinking lipton and twinings swill is there any good tea available?

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The Deli on Rat u Thit in Patong sells Tetley tea..When I was in Patong last week I was introduced to an english guy who was selling Tetley tea to the restaurants and bars.Whether he was legit or not I am unsure, but he has lived in Patong for. a good number of years. So yes tetley tea is freely available !!

Anybody know anything about the murder of a farang on beach road by Ocean earlier this last week.

Am told it was a someone involved in the Junk Ceylon project but details seem to be in short supply.

Comfortable, affordable, BG friendly and nearish to Patong.

Cheers.

T.

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In Patong I can recommend Family Mansion 2 around 500 to 700 baht depend on length of stay.Good air con rooms clean,tv,fridge etc and very good food in restaurant Definately no problems for guests.Notice I say guests!!!!Family Mansion com

Probably get best rate at desk and not net booking.

Isn't there a ban aready?

Personally I prefer open air bars to sterile air con places so it wouldn't affect me.

The way I see it is that I have to put up with peoples exhaust fumes they can put up with a bit of cig smoke.

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Well said professor .This whole subject makes me angry.

Having been a pro driver for over twenty years.Exhuast fumes 12 hours a day sucked in throught car vents is a whole lot more dangerous than cig smoke.

Good air ventilation/ extraction fans in bars should keep cig smoke at a minimum.It`s that simple! Speaking from experience in hotel management.

You c an commit suicide a dam site faster with exhaust fumes than cig smoke.This is speaking of experience and suffering from exhaust fumes.Many cab drivers endup suffering from respiritary deseases through this.Standing traffic is by far the worse.You want to see the black dust that collects on cabs!! A lot of this is inhaled Pure poison!

Though the medical proffession is loath to admit this.

What they going to do?

Ban everyone from driving .

Yes lets do that!

They cannot as easily ban cars/trucks etc as ban smoking

You cannot ban cars,buses and truck though, "Can You" ??

Political correctness gone mad!

Lets go back to horse and cart.

"Oh sorry"

They will be complaining about the s*** in the street .

Unhealthy Arrrgggg

Maybe it's Kuan Yin

Known as Drolma to the Tibetians, Tara in Sanskrit and Kuan Yin to the Chinese. She is a Buddha or Bodhisattva depending on how you define these things. The Tibetians say she is associated with active or quick compassion, she helps quickly in times of imediate danger. The vegetarian festival that is going on at the moment is strongly associated with her.

Yes that`s the one. Thanks for the information always wondered.

Can`t understand where they get the pratanum from though. Perhaps I i misunderstood

Can any one tell me what my amulate is ??

I have an amulate given to me by a Thai friend many years ago.It appears to be a woman stood on a dragon (dragon boat) .Most Thai`s who see it are impressed

I am told it is a Chinese bhudda who flies through the Air ?

And you cannot eat meat (must be a vegeterean).When I have asked the name I have been told pratanar pratanum or something similar. I have searched google but nothing came up.

This thread is related to hotels in thailand and my interest is Phuket.

come on guys and girls where is all this information URLs you have hidden away in your favorites.

For budget Patong,Phuket my favourite nomination is ::Family Mansion 1 & 2 !

Etihad Airways is the new and official national airline of the United Arab Emirates, based in the UAE's capital, Abu Dhabi.

A cat died and went to Heaven..... God met the animal at the Pearly Gates and said, "You have been a good cat all of these years... Anything

you want is yours for the asking."

The cat thought for a moment and then said, "All my life I lived on a

farm and slept on hard, wooden floors... I would like a real fluffy pillow

to sleep on."

God said, "Say no more." Instantly, the cat had a HUGE fluffy pillow.

A few days later, 12 mice were simultaneously killed in an accident and

they all went up to Heaven together. God met the mice at the Gates of

Heaven, with the exact same offer that He made to the cat.

The mice said, "Well, we have had to run all of our lives... from cats,

dogs, and even from people with brooms. If we could just have some little

roller-skates, we would never have to run again."

God answered, "It is done." All the mice had beautiful little roller-skates.

About a week later, God decided to check on the cat... He found her

sound asleep on her fluffy pillow. God gently awakened the cat and asked, "Is everything okay? How have you been doing? Are you happy?"

The cat replied, "Oh, everything is just WONDERFUL... I've never been so happy in my life! My pillow is always fluffy . . . and those little

"Meals-on-Wheels" that You have been sending over are delicious

It was autumn, and the Indians on the remote reservation asked their new

chief if the winter was going to be cold or mild.

Since he was an Indian chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets, and when he looked at the sky, he couldn't tell what the weather was going to be.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he replied to his tribe that the winter

was indeed going to be cold. He told them that the members of the village

should collect wood to be prepared.

Being a practical leader, after several days, the chief got an idea. He went

to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service, and asked, "Is the coming winter going to be cold?"

"It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold, indeed," the meteorologist

at the weather service responded.

So, the chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more

wood, in order to be prepared.

One week later, the chief called the National Weather Service again "Is

it going to be a very cold winter?", he asked.

The man at the National Weather Service replied, "Yes. It's going to

be a very cold winter."

Again, the chief went back to his people. This time, he told them to make sure and collect every scrap of wood they could find.

Two weeks later, he went back to the phone booth, and called the National

Weather Service, just to be sure. "Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?", he asked.

"Absolutely!", the man replied. "It looks like it's going to be one of the coldest winters ever!"

"How can you be so sure?", the chief asked.

The weatherman replied, "Because the Indians are collecting firewood like crazy."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Airport to Patong is 550 THB if you take the official airport taxis.

If you book a taxi from one of the travel agents in Patong to go back to the airport then it will cost about 450 - 550 THB

Does anyone know if there are any regular busses that go from Phuket Town to the airport!

No regular buses from Phuket City to Airport.

No regular buses at airport either. Only mini buses,taxi`s, limo`s and meter taxis.

Did you see this in the Gazette Issues and Answers?

Why no Karon-Patong bus?

Why is there no songtaew bus running between Karon and Patong?

Monday, May 10, 2004 Alex Thow.

“In 1994, we established a public transport route linking Patong and Karon. After just three days, however, the driver was pulled from his vehicle and badly beaten by competitors.

We would still like to have an investor operate a songtaew along that route, but since 1994 nobody has contacted us about it.

They are probably worried about having similar problems and losing their investment capital. Public transport in Phuket faces many problems of this nature. ”

Monday, May 10, 2004  Teerayuth Prasertphol, Deputy Director, Phuket Provincial Transportation Office.

Saw that,just posted that on another forum.I was trying to find the article in the gazette that actually has the fare scales going out of Patong but couldn`t find it.

There is a set and agreed fares list,but not FOR within Patong for some silly reason.They can charge what they want. A few tuk tuk have this fare list posted up somewhere,that`s if they haven`t stuck something over it. There are all supposed to display a number,many still do not.

Also,sure I read somewhere that they were going to charge more for going up hills because they said it used more fuel.!! Never mind they freewheel down the otherside. :D TIT.

signed

I bought my wife a mood ring for her birthday.When she's in a good mood, it turns green. When she's in a bad mood, it leaves a red mark on my forehead.

A small Kentucky Wild Animal Park had acquired a very rare species of gorilla. Within a few weeks, the female gorilla became very "in the mood," and difficult to handle.

Upon examination, the park veterinarian determined the problem. The gorilla was in heat. To make matters worse, no male gorillas of the species available.

While reflecting on their problem, the park administrators noticed Ed, a part time redneck intern, responsible for cleaning the animals' cages.

Ed, like most rednecks, had little sense, but he possessed ample

ability to satisfy a female of ANY species. So, the park administrators thought they might have a solution.

Ed was approached with a proposition.

Would he be willing to have sex with the gorilla for $500?

Ed showed some interest, but said he would have to think the matter over carefully. The following day, Ed announced that he would accept their offer, but only under three conditions.

"First," he said, "I don't want to have to kiss her.

Secondly, you must never tell anyone about this."

The park administration quickly agreed to these conditions, so they asked what was his third condition.

"Well," said Ed, "you gotta give me another week to come up with the $500

It`s the b****y attitude of these guys that get me.I have a B/card of a tuk tuk guy who looked after me well once, with some friends. Notice! I say once, because the next couple of times I used him by ringing him up. Once we agreed a price for half a day hire and told him where I wanted to go and show friends.Did he go where I asked did he like ######.Just went where he wanted to go.Can you imagine telling people you would show them Promthep cape and the sod wouldn`t go .Just avioded going down the right road.Wouldn`t even answer me properly when I asked him what he was doing.Said he had to get home. We had bought a meal and drink for this guy.The second time was a very similar story.

I still see the cheeky sod and he is still trying to get business off me.

No Chance!!!!!

I have no sympathy for these guys at all.They can starve for me.

Hotline for reporting transport rip-offs

Brought to you by:

The Phuket Gazette

PHUKET CITY: Customers who believe they have been overcharged or otherwise

maltreated by tuk-tuk, taxi, minibus and airport limousine drivers will soon be

able to make complaints direct to the Phuket Provincial Transportation Office

(PPTO) through a new telephone hotline number, 1584, manned 24 hours a day.

Due to go into service at the end of May, the 1584 hotline will allow

disgruntled passengers to speak direct to PPTO officers, who will launch an

investigation.

Problems associated with motorcycle taxi drivers will not, for now, come under

this new push to improve the image of Phuket’s private transport services.

This is because motorcycle taxi operators are currently exempt from rules

imposed under the Land Transportation Act. An amendment to the act is expected

to be made soon, bringing them in line with other forms of transport.

These rules state that the complaints hotline number must be displayed within

each vehicle along with – for tuk-tuks – a list of maximum fares on 49 routes

around the island, and the tuk-tuk operator’s license.

Any tuk-tuk operator found not to be displaying the fares list or charging more

than the maximum fare for a trip is liable to a fine of up to 2,000 baht.

The Chief of the PPTO, Prasit Amarapan, told the Gazette that officers

should be able to conclude an investigation within seven days of the complaint

being submitted, provided that the complainant gives them specific information

to identify the offender, such as the operator’s license number or the vehicle’s

PPTO registration number (painted on the side of the vehicle).

“Passengers must include at least the license plate number or another official

mark for us to be able to investigate the claim,” said K. Prasit.

Until the hotline number is introduced, passengers wishing to complain may call

the PPTO on Tel: 076-220791 or 076-211019, ext 6, during weekday office hours,

or 076-211019, ext 9, at other times. Complaints may also be lodged at any

police station.

We will see.Personaly I think it`s a publicity stunt. When was it? about 12 months ago when all tuk tuks had to display a number and a price list somewhere on their vehicle. There was a date by which it had to be done.But not everyone complied.

Now I know, some do have numbers on.And some, price lists. But in many cases covering up the price list by putting something over it. So people are and still will be ripped off especially the two week tourist who dosn`t know any better.

I still say they would be better operating a Pattaya type system around Patong and Kata Karon.Probably make more money that way.And at the end of the day it`s supply and demand. I`ve watched these B** outside ocean on Bangla Road refusing fares if the customer would not pay their inflated price.They would rather just hang about for an hour doing nothing.Lazy sods.

Supply and demand...a  high concept seemingly lost, by the tuk tuk mob.

Has anyone noticed there are twice as many as last year? Lured by

the promise of big money, i think they get pissed at us  that they cant make $$

  ..econ 101

So true! re tuk tuks

I have a couple of thai m/cycle taxi guys who look after me very well.Even take me and g/f when I have no small money pay next day,always 20baht each Usually give them a bottle of whisky to share now and again.They like that.

What`s it with Thailand. These stories are quite common.A thai guy walking home no money so raped a dog on way home,that was another one.

I posted a story not long ago about a guy raping a duck. A Duck for christ sake I posted in in jokes !!!

Nothing female is safe arrgghhhh.Why is there so many of these stories.?

B255 million airport upgrade begins

PHUKET: Work has begun on a 255-million-baht expansion of Phuket International Airport.

A 120-million-baht expansion of the passenger terminal – to be completed early next year – will be augmented by the creation of two additional berths for aircraft, taking the total number of berths to 27 and costing another 98 million baht.

A further 37 million baht has been allocated for improving cargo facilities.

Lt Cdr Boonchart Prompoon, Director of the Airports Authority of Thailand, Phuket, told the Gazette that current facilities are inadequate to handle the numbers of arrivals and departures, especially when two or more fully loaded aircraft arrive at about the same time.

Figures for arrivals and departures in Phuket in January topped 500,000 for the first time and flight numbers are currently about 40% up on the same period last year.

“In a peak hour now, more than 900 passengers pass through the airport,” Cdr Boonchart said. “With these improvements, we should be able to deal with 1,200 passengers an hour.”

In addition, the airport is awaiting approval of a proposal to extend the runway from 3,000 ft to 3,500 ft to allow fully-laden Boeing 747s to take off – an impossibility at present.

“We have put this proposal to the Tourism Authority of Thailand and I hope the budget will be approved soon,” he added.

The airport’s Deputy General Manager, Chan Chiamchareon, said that a study is under way to ensure the expanded airport will be efficient and staffed with enough officers to process passengers speedily – passengers arriving in busy periods currently face waits of an hour or more because of a shortage of Immigration officers.

Phuket Gazette Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Ranong: / Burma

A Visa Run to Ranong from Phuket is cheap & easy.

It takes around 10 hours (round trip) and costs you no more than 1,000 baht.

A minibus takes you to the Thai border @ Ranong. Once your passport has been

stamped a boat will take you to Burma. The boat trip takes around 20 minutes,

you get your passport stamped at Burma and you then come back to Thailand to

receive another 30 day entry visa @ the Thai border.

The visa run is easy to do and everything is organised for you including lunch.

Their will be other people on the mini bus doing the same visa run so it's a great

time to make new friends and share travel stories. There are many companies that offer visa runs in Phuket/Patong, some of them are less reputable than others.They will pick you up from anywhere in Phuket and drop you back off at home again.

With one company you can go to the Andaman Resort casino,get visa and still get back to Phuket in a day

This is immigration web site and address Phuket City Immigration and map.

Patong immigration office is on Thaveewong Road (Beach Road) next to the main tourist police station, nearly opposite the "Irish Bar"

They would probably earn more money in Patong if they used the baht bus system similar to pattaya, Doing circular routes round town.So many people walk rather than argue with them. I believe the drivers have to pay 500 baht a shift rent,so they the drivers,have to earn this first before any profit but thats not the tourists problem.There`s probably just too many tuk tuks to earn a good living.Though after saying that I have noticed that all the tuk tuks are parked outside decent bungalows when not working.

As are the songthiews !!! Even better houses.

Now, if you live in Patong, this is irrelevant to you. But I just want to let it be known that the main problem with Phuket is the  tuk tuk mafia.

My pet hate as well.Don`t use them unless I have to.They would rather go back into town with no fare than quote a reasonable fare.Biggest problem tourists have.

Something really should be done about better transport on the island if they want more tourists.MaiPenRai