niva103

Since a majority of the people on this forum used to be or is still a tourist, I'm looking to hear your perspective in this situation. So, my family is opening a guesthouse/hotel around Khao Sarn road and I have been put in charge of making the lobby floor be more financially productive. They were saying something along the lines of a restaurant, internet cafe, coffee shop, etc(nothing involving alcohol) but I was trying to think of something that was a bit more innovative. So now the questions I wanted to ask are: What does the average foreign tourist want or need in Khaosarn? Do tourist farangs eat western food in Khaosarn or do they only munch on Thai food? What do you guys think would work? Thank you ahead of time for your inputs and advice.

try washing the papaya after you peel it. there are acids left from the skin.

Oh btw, his studio/coffee shop closed down ages ago. If i remember correctly, 1-2 years ago and no he's not gay. Most upperclass male teenagers are metrosexual so they might look gay to westerners' eyes.

My friend went to school with Oat during high or junior high I forgot.

I thought for sure it was Oaf. We really need to get this issue settled...

Yes, its at the top of the list in my life priorty too......how can I go without sleep for another night?

His name is Oak not Oat or Oaf.

consider sending your children to Leuven/Louvain, Belgium.

When I was a kid we had American students staying at our house studying for doctor (medical), my dad was medical professor at that university.

I understand it was cheaper for Americans to come to study at my home town than pay tuition at USA universities, they definitely came from lower social classes and benefited from financial help (bourse d'etudes) Not sure who granted the funds though (USA or Belgium) But since your family obviously makes a lot of money I doubt your children would qualify for financial help

My son came to Bangkok to attend MBA at Siam uni, he paid 400K baht tuition fee. Maybe you can tell us how much a Thai national would pay?

Not sure why an MBA at Siam University is that expensive. It is not even a well known institute. I think your son should have gotten his MBA from a better school in Thailand such as Chula, TU, ABAC. I know a MBA program at ABAC is around 200k so I don't see the reason why an MBA at less known university is more expensive. lol....by the way, i dont have children yet. I'm still only 19.

I would recommend Bangkok University. It is probably the most well known private institute in the tourism management field with an international program. ABAC also offers at BBA program which you can specialize in hotel and tourism management. Chulalongkorn and Thammasart University do not offer and international tourism management program. Best bet would be ABAC or Bangkok University.

The Thai person that pays less than you has pay a lot more taxes to their government more than you ever will.

Want to bet? Foreigners with proper paperwork pay tax. It's that simple. I pay more tak on what I earn than my wife's family pays on their entire farm products. Try again.

Yes, sure I can bet with you. My family owns a chain of department stores in Thailand which our grandfather started. I think my family pays "a lot" more taxes than you. I don't whine when I have to pay $30k more than the average US citizen for college education.

I don't undestand about all the fussing whining about foreigners having to pay a higher price. Of course, Thai people should get a lower price than foreigners. I mean the Thai people have been paying taxes to their government probably ever since their great great great grandfather excluding recent chinese ethnic Thais which in their case probably their grandfathers. So I mean yeah of course the government would give them a lower price because its "their" country's treasure. It's like if you're a watch seller. Are you going to sell a watch the same price you sold your customer to your brother? Of course, not. So stop whining and live with it. The Thai person that pays less than you has pay a lot more taxes to their government more than you ever will. Public universities all over the world has two prices resident and non-resident so I don't see why you guys are complaining about 300-400 baht whereas I have to pay $20,000+ more than US citizens to study at a US university.

Watch AF and you'll get the idea.

Yep, AF is about the coolest thing going (among Thai teenagers) in Thailand now. My friend said he was dragged along to one of their elimination concerts and although there wasn't an empty seat left, he was the only farang in the place.

LOL, you ain't kidding - we saw you sitting in the audience a few weeks ago

However, one has to remember that AF is primarily for Bangkok audiences and those upcountry who have TrueVisions. My daughter has been twice and has a ticket for the final as well. But she still has many friends who don't know about or give a hoot about AF, and that's in Bangkok!

Mind you, this year at least they have started showing the Saturday concert on ModernNine TV so it may be gaining wider public appeal. AF is quite interesting if you follow reality shows, it's something my whole family watches, and this year the contestants are of much higher standard than previous years.

OK, OK, I couldn't hide from the cameras because of where I was sitting. It is one of the very few times I have been to a show in Bangkok where there are a lot of people and found myself to be the only farang. It was a good indication of who this show is popular with. The Saturday night concerts are well done, but I can't see how some kids watch during the week when it is televised 24 hours a day. Boring.

Just to update you guys on this year's AF. This year's AF isn't really popular. The Star stole a majority of AF's spotlight. It has been the other way around for the past 4 years. AF's decreasing popularity this year is due to the lack of talent and uniqueness of the contestants whereas. Nonetheless, theres still a lot of people watching AF just not as much as prior years.

As I am a Thai teenager, I think I can be of some help to you. I'm currently a 19 years old male studying at ABAC. If you have any other questions you want to ask or you need help with anything, lemme know. I want to help out. *edit. I think you should divide the survey by family income amount because the answers you will receive will vary greatly depending on the social status of the surveyees.

Is the Japanese "kawai" (cute) style still in ?

The japanese style is longer "in". I think the current fashion in Thailand is not the exactly the same as Korean and Japanese fashion. It's more of a bunch of styles combined together such as Euro, Jap, Korean, etc all combined to create "Thai Fashion". For example, the skinny jeans trend right now for guys is "in" and as you can see Koreans and Japanese people don't really wear tight tight jeans like we are wearing currently. I would say that right now we are more inspired by Koreans than Japanese. Hair wise it's all about Korean style hair right now. That's for sure. So to sum it up, no kawai is no longer in.

Are Korean pop stars more the go now ?

Yes, Korean pop stars are very popular right now to Thai females aging from 12-18. People over 18 aren't really into them as much.

Where are the latest trends coming from ?

Latest trends are mostly coming from Europe and Korea. Stuff from Europe are usually brand name clothing such as Topman, Topshop, Zara, Swear Shoes, Cheap Monday Jeans, etc.

Are there any uniquely Thai trends and if so, are they being "exported" anywhere ?

Yes, uniquely Thai trends would be white leather pointy shoes worn with jeansa, skinny jeans, high waist pants and skirts for girls, etc.

Specific questions might be:

What is your favourite pastime?

Shopping, games, golf, clubbing (Nang Len, Jet, Blog 9), eating good food, cars

What is your favourite song/singer/group?

I'm gonna list groups. Tattoo Colour, Lipta, Bodyslam, BoydPOD, Potato

Favourite film ?

Dark Knight, Ironman, Red Cliff

Favourite Magazine ?

Cheeze, Knock-Knock, XO Auto, AutoMobile, RPM

Favourite website?

Facebook, eBay

How many hours per day/week do you use the internet ?

2-3/day

What is the main way you use the internet -- games/email or instant messaging/chatting/blogging/... ?

Reading the news, email, IM, facebook, forums

Do you use English for any of the above activities ?

Yes, I would say that I use 90% english on the internet. I studied abroad since very little.

If you're looking for a nice place to eat Issan food, try going to Som Tum Nua (ส้มตำนัว) on the Kaset-Navamin road. That is probably the best place for Issan food. I really don't like street Issan food since most of the stuff is really low grade. The papayas aren't crisps.

Try going to Gin Rom Shom Sapan (กินลมชมสะพาน). Here's the website: //URL removed per forum rules and below warning that it is compromised//

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You can find plenty of those restaurants around the Ekkamai-Ramintra Expressway road. Kaset-Nawamin also has loads. If you need a map, let me know I can draw you one. Waterside on Ekkamai-Ramintra is pretty good. One of my favorites restaurants for Thai food. It's really big also and the atmosphere is pretty chill.

Try Chokchai 4 or Silom(crowded as well) or RCA at night.

If they turn themselves in to US immigration, they will have to stay at an immigration jail for a 1 month and then stand trail. Then they will send them home. Regarding punishments in Thailand, there won't be any punishment but I think their passport is probably already expired so have them go consult the nearest Thai consulate in the US to try to obtain a new passport.

If the boys were born in Thailand, they must go through the drafting process sooner or later. If they don't want to deal with it now, they should contact the ROTC office at the district they have their names under to postpone the draft but in order to postpone the kids must be enrolled in a school outside of Thailand. You must get a certified letter from the school they are attending and submit it to the ROTC office. I think they can keep on postponing until they are 34 but if they don't want to bother with the postponement, they will need to bribe the military people(around 30,000 baht/person) so that they will tell you which district's drafting is full. Then they will have to move the names of the boys to that district and draft there and voila its full so you do won't be conscripted. An easier way, if they aren't planning to work in Thailand, is to just get citizenship in Finland and abandon their Thai nationality.

Regarding your questions, no the Thai government cannot extradite them.

They won't have a problem traveling to Thailand because immigration does not keep record of these matters. They only thing that will happen is they can't legally work in Thailand as Thai nationals.

I'm Thai and know pretty well about these procedures so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Yes! i'm thai and i visit the forum quite frequently but this is my first post due to my laziness to register. its quite entertaining for me to see foreigners exchange their views about everything in thailand from politics to channel 7 soap operas. anyways, if anyone ever needs help with anything in thailand such as translating, thai laws, etc., PM me. ill be glad to help!