monkeycountry

It just amazes me that people carry these unnecessarily large amount of money around with them, especially in Pattaya at night. It's not like they're out to buy a laptop or a TV late at night. According to the article, the money was in the woman's purse, so it was hers, I guess. (Actually, ignore that last line. I just noticed that the "news" source is PDN, so it's not likely many of the facts are accurate.)

Many threads discuss the amount of money necessary for a night out. I think we all just have to accept the fact that for some people 2k is a full nights partying, and for others, 2k just covers a couple of drinks for one self, a couple of lady drinks, a couple of 100 baht notes for the dancers and a round of tequila for oneself, a couple of girls and a buddy or 2 in a random gogo on WS - so an hour of partying! And few people want to hit the ATM every hour all night long.

Unless he was a sober undercover cop, which I highly doubt, then odds are he was just one of the many thai male idiots carrying a firearm while out partying, and if that is the case, the world is ultimately better off without him!

"She instructed provincial governors to urgently explain the rice policy to the people in the wake of conflicting information perceived by the Thai public, allegations of corruption and public concern regarding the government’s overspending."

In the meantime, can those of us who can actually add numbers together without having anyone explain them, such as Moody's, please have all the raw data regarding the rice scheme (and any other scheme) published? There can only be one reason why all public financial data is not published in it's raw form, and that is if those in charge of it has something to hide!

I think the academics and engineers should be quiet on this matter. The government has already asked 10 million farmers, none of whom know anything about flood management, economy, integration or anything else that has any relevance for the projects, and they all agreed that it is a great plan!

"In related news, Somsak said he had met with Japanese Ambassador Shigekazu Sato and apologised about the lack of progress in the investigation of a Japanese woman's robbery and murder in Sukhothai Historical Park in 2007, with the killer still at large."

Due to cultural differences the Japanese Ambassador failed to understand the real meaning of "lack of progress". What Mr. Somsak tried to say in a polite way is that no one has paid him por the police to do anything about the case, and that it has therefore been indirectly closed.

"She said tough disciplinary, criminal or civil action will be taken against corrupt officials in the scheme."

Bla bla bla bla.

Ms. Yingluck, when you have made sure that just one corrupt official has been punished reg the rice scam, even if it is just a single low ranking official, then I will be happy to listen to another press conference on the subject. But until then, please be quiet and stop embarrassing yourself. Thank you.

And no, transferring someone to an inactive post is not considered "tough action" by anyone!

Thai men are collectively the biggest pussies in the entire world. I have seen plenty of fights in Thailand, and plenty of wannabe tough guys, but not once have I seen a fair one on one fight involving a Thai man. Either they are 5 to one, or they need a gun or knife to gain an advantage - usually both

Anyway, as far as I know, the actual penalty if a Thai beats someone is a 500 baht fine, and since the gun was fake, I assume he will not be charged with anything else, so that will be the end of it - if he is convicted at all. Unfortunately we will never know, as noone is going to follow up on this

Are you really spending your time discussing if a taxi should be 65 cents or a dollar? :-)

I don't worry that much about the smoke in bars myself, but the staff are there all evening every evening, and especially for those on stage it is a problem as the smoke accumulates up near the ceiling, and many bars have low ceilings. I can just leave, but the staff are stuck there unless of course they quit their job, so for that reason people should refrain from smoking in bars and other indoor places.

I do not know how it is in your home contry, but in Denmark

you pay more for a home in a good area with stunning mountains,

lovely beaches and wonderful sea, and wages are usually a little

higher in disse areas and the food a bit more expensive.

So you get what you pay for, I think, and the same with Phuket

and Pattaya, I would never be in doubt about whits location I

would choose, and if that means I have to pay a small Amounts

more for a few things, I will do it as I have come to Thailand

for the beautiful scenery.

but I will just conclude by saying that

prices of food and vegetables in general are the same on local market

both in Pattaya, Phuket and a small dusty village in north-east Thailand.

and by the way, my wife hat 15000THB in starting salary and will then

increase two 23,000 after 3 months to sit and take phone in an office, and I

also know several massage places where they earn minimum 10000THB

in low season and 20,000 in high season, and 15000THB to work

in a resturant incl. free food and drink, 13,000 to 20,000 THB in language

schools, this is the wages I know of here in Phuket, and I know many men

and women from the north east Thailand which really want to go here to

Phuket to work because of the good salary and the lovely scenery.

Continue to hav good day all of you out there.

"but in Denmark

you pay more for a home in a good area with stunning mountains,

lovely beaches and wonderful sea"

When did they get mountains in Denmark? Last I checked the highest point in Denmark was a hill less than 200 meters high located in the middle of nowhere, so can't imagine property prices being high in that area?

I think it is funny that someone (the PTP ministers) are incapable of making a simple balance sheet, but still wants to borrow 2 trillion baht.

Imagine a company where the CEO and CFO (Yingluck and her finance and commerce ministers) tells the shareholders at the annual shareholder meeting, that they have no idea how the company is doing, or how much has been lost so far, but they would like permission to borrow 2 trillion baht for yet another project, even before presenting the shareholders with a budget for this project.

I wonder if the shareholders would approve, or if they would fire the CEO and CFO and sue them? What do you think?

Realistic price breakdown for the average lowlife like me.

1. 2 star hotel in Hwai Kwang 600 baht

2. MRT to Soi cowboy (and back) 50 baht

3. Random street food 300 baht

4. Overpriced beer on Soi Cowboy 120 baht per bottle

5. Lady drinks 170 baht

6. Lady drinks for her 'sister' 170 baht

so, one round of drinks is around 500 baht with tip.

7. Barfine 600 baht

8. ST for lady 2,000-2,500 for a looker

9. Crappy st room with inevitable drinks, 400 baht

10. dinner and a movie for two 1,000 baht

So, that 5,000 range will get you minimal drinking, but will get you laid, food, sleep, and even a movie. Not bad.

Booze is the wallet breaker here. Far more than the cost of getting a girl.

15,000 seems to be a really fun night out. Partying on a budget gets to be a drag.

your in wrong part of los,3 large tiger,or leo,or chang classic, 155bht, bar fine 300baht, lady drinks 100baht, all nighter, 1200baht,beautiful thai meal or itialian 100baht.pretty hard to spend 2000bht,a night

Add together your own numbers, and you will notice that you are only buying your all night lady 1 drink. But don't despair, I know people who don't buy any at all :-) The girls have a whole dictionary of words to describe those guys :-)

i dont want a piss up,i want a leg up,and i can assure you i very very rarely in 14 years in los, if ever bought a b/g a drink,i might take them out for a meal and a drink now and agian,but i want to f-ck them not feed and water them.

Just try to remember, they are human, not cattle!

I don't pay much mind to these sorts of surveys.... their idea of fun is doing the same sort of crap one does "back home". So why leave? Now, cheap Charlie (which I prefer to "dumb farang"): 4. Overpriced beer on Soi Cowboy 120 baht per bottle 5. Lady drinks 170 baht 6. Lady drinks for her 'sister' 170 baht so, one round of drinks is around 500 baht with tip. 7. Barfine 600 baht 8. ST for lady 2,000-2,500 for a looker 9. Crappy st room with inevitable drinks, 400 baht This looks like 3500 for a short time. If I wish to indulge, hit the freelance independent contractors. 1000 for the night, and maybe 70 baht for my coke. What you trying to impress these girls for? So they will like you???? Saudi would be cheaper than others mentioned, as you could cross that bottle of wine off the expense list, I think....

Most guys are really happy if they end up with a girl who really does her best to please him. Likewise, most girls are happy if guys give them drinks, tips or whatever. For some guys making sure everyone has a good experience matters, other guys won't even let her take a coke from the minibar after they are done :-)

Realistic price breakdown for the average lowlife like me.

1. 2 star hotel in Hwai Kwang 600 baht

2. MRT to Soi cowboy (and back) 50 baht

3. Random street food 300 baht

4. Overpriced beer on Soi Cowboy 120 baht per bottle

5. Lady drinks 170 baht

6. Lady drinks for her 'sister' 170 baht

so, one round of drinks is around 500 baht with tip.

7. Barfine 600 baht

8. ST for lady 2,000-2,500 for a looker

9. Crappy st room with inevitable drinks, 400 baht

10. dinner and a movie for two 1,000 baht

So, that 5,000 range will get you minimal drinking, but will get you laid, food, sleep, and even a movie. Not bad.

Booze is the wallet breaker here. Far more than the cost of getting a girl.

15,000 seems to be a really fun night out. Partying on a budget gets to be a drag.

your in wrong part of los,3 large tiger,or leo,or chang classic, 155bht, bar fine 300baht, lady drinks 100baht, all nighter, 1200baht,beautiful thai meal or itialian 100baht.pretty hard to spend 2000bht,a night

Add together your own numbers, and you will notice that you are only buying your all night lady 1 drink. But don't despair, I know people who don't buy any at all :-) The girls have a whole dictionary of words to describe those guys :-)

I just got back from Singapore, I nearly gave up drinking when I noticed it was 12 SGD per bottle, basically 288 baht, if you want the good stuff that is going to cost you closer to 400 baht per bottle. I went out on a relatively quiet night but it was really good fun. Met a bunch of Singaporean guys there who showed me a little of the town, it was a most welcomed change to the usual nights in Thailand. We actually, paid rounds etc etc.

I really enjoyed myself there, I wasted about 80,000 baht though with not much to show for it to be honest but the experience was great and it's so much more efficient than Thailand. They have a lot of history there so I say it's worth the experience really, I needn't have spent so much money really but I was on holiday so....

I got back to Don Muang and had to queue for the taxi, though the taxi ride was cheaper than in Singapore, Singapore really did beat Thailand in terms of professionalism. The taxi driver who drove me back home I am 99.9% certain was high on Yabba at the time as well, with all the face movements he was making, that was really unnerving.

So yeah Thailand and Vietnam are cheaper but I think the sometimes it pays to pay a little more for a better time in the end.

80000bht,thats over 3 months spends in los,and includes ALL spends condo,food,car drinks,girls,tips, entertertainment, ect ect.

I know a few ppl like that. The girls really love when they service the guys for a week and they pay them with a pair of copy jeans and expect them to wai and say thank you :-)

My mate in Angeles City tells me the quality of the wildlife there is far superior to Pattaya. Is he lying I wonder?

However, I don't think the Philippines is noted as a gourmet destination. Food, that is.

Well, if the girls are called wildlife, then your mate may be on to something :-D

"Today, the government will start negotiating with the qualified bidders to try to bring down prices."

And here is the great window for officials to get their 35% "commission".

Ok guys, now you got the project. I suggest you give us our share and then we stick to a high price for the project. A win/win for everyone but the tax payers.

Where else in the world is the price negotiated AFTER the bidding has taken place?? The bidding is precisely to ensure the project owner gets the lowest possible price!!

I have just asked the girls at my office (of all ages). There is no Thai cultural thing that says who has to walk in front or behind. A couple of them have been with a foreigner, and say that when they first met they would keep their distance as they worried other Thais would look at them, but once their relationships progressed, they no longer cared.

I experience the exact same thing quite often with my GF, and coincidentially I know it is not because she is embarassed about being with me. I know this, as quite often she insists on holding hands while walking in public, even when it is crowded. I on the other hand do not like holding hands, partly because it gives sweaty palms, and partly because it is inconvenient when walking in a crowd.
The simply answer in my case is that I have longer legs, and naturally walk at a different pace than her. I grew up in a cold country, so one gets used to walking fast in order to build up body heat to keep warm and to get indoor as quick as possible. I can slow down for a short while, but I automatically pick up pace again without even thinking about it, and then I stop and wait for her to keep up - none of us see this as a problem. She on the other hand can walk faster for a short while to keep up with me, but will then automatically slow down to her natural pace once her mind goes elsewhere. Further she grew up in warm Thailand, where walking slow makes sense, as it keeps the body heat down (if exposed to direct sunlight she don't mind running in order to get into the shade).

People who have small kids often have the same problem. The kids have short legs, so the parents have to walk slow, or the kids will soon start crying.

Maybe there's a market for a private militia, you know African style, for those who really need to rent jetskis here. Like a group of armed thugs bigger and badder than the ski boys that you hire for the duration of your water sports experience. Sure it would be pricey, but surely a fraction of the cost of getting scammed. Just a thought.

You mean bigger and badder than the combined force of the jetski mafia and the Thai police (who split the profits)? Yeah, I don't think such a force will be allowed to operate in Thailand :-)

You could rent the baht bus association, bigger and more corrupt!

You may be right, but I have never seen them cause any trouble, and at 10-20 baht for a ride around town, you can't really be upset about their prices :-)

How fun would it be for us farangs to organise a 'gathering' of about a hundred of us there, all on stand-by and when something like this happens we surround them?

Just for the hell of it. Might even teach them a lesson!

How fun would it be for us farangs to organise a 'gathering' of about a hundred of us there, all on stand-by and when something like this happens we surround them?

Just for the hell of it. Might even teach them a lesson!

Did you not read what happened in a nightclub about a week ago, when a Thai guy and his friends felt outnumbered by some foreigners? I am quite sure the jetski mafia is armed too, and they know they will not be in trouble with the police should they decide to shoot someone.

Strange that police still did not sort out that scam. How many more times we will hear about it?

Depends, how often do you visit Thaivisa?

and the police were shocked.. course they were.. Same mentality as a Thai deputy Prime Minister who was being interviewed on TV vehemently insisting that there is no prostitution nor prostitutes in Thailand, he actually said, ''there can't be, it's illegal''... But this jet ski stuff is really bad, not just Pattaya but , Phuket and to a smaller extent Samui.. That and the tuk tuk bullies, mental case taxi drivers and even more mental unlicensed ones, the skanks selling trips on the road side and taking people to a totally different destination, constant harassment every 20 feet by Indian tailors - does somebody in Mumbai airport stand by the check in asking ''are you off to Thailand, here. take this tailoring diploma'' .. It makes you wonder why any tourists come to Thailand when they can go cheaper to Vietnam or Cambodia and etc.... Something should be done, it won't be but it should be..

Fortunately none of the above applies to Chiang Mai.

We have no Jet Ski's and the Tailors are far more than 20 feet apart. In fact the tailors are not all Indian.

As for tuck tucks some may give you an unreasonable price but you can haggle for a lower price if no agreement the next one along will probably agree to your price.

I agree, only downside is you cannot breathe half the time :-)

Oh, and I assume the young girls in CM just have fun with me because I am so handsome then, and that I no longer have to give them cash gifts afterwards? Wish I had known that years ago :-)

At least the jetski mafia has the courtesy of "asking" for your money, instead of just taking them :-)

How ridiculous. What next? Jetski mafia gets charity status?

If you want to quote me, then please quote the whole sentence, and not just a piece out of context. Either way, I assumed people understood sarcasm, I even put a smilie at the end to help the slow ones :-)