Gaccha

The virtual credit card companies all seem to not operate in Thailand. So the Kasikorn bank route is the way to go. I actually today opened my Kasikorn bank account just to get this virtual credit card.

There are limitations. Some companies, e.g. airlines, want to see a card. I would be interested to know if others have recent experience on this.

With your Kasikornbank account get a debit card, you can then register it, via an ATM, to use online which means you can purchase airline tickets and have a physical card to show the airline, you can even get a card with your name embossed on it.

As a matter of interest I have used my virtual card for Air Asia, they are one of the few that say they need to see the card.

...if you have the debit card registered for online, why did you use the virtual card when you knew Air Asia wanted to see your card...? (I'm intrigued)

i bought one before in the UK, in a lovely shop called Cash Convertors....

i simply walked to the counter, paid my money, and was given the card........

no account was required and no ID was shown

is there a service like that here in thailand???

I am fairly sure it is not. The virtual credit card companies all seem to not operate in Thailand. So the Kasikorn bank route is the way to go. I actually today opened my Kasikorn bank account just to get this virtual credit card.

There are limitations. Some companies, e.g. airlines, want to see a card. I would be interested to know if others have recent experience on this.

... a more interesting point to reflect on is the concentration on the consummerist cities and areas around the World in the floor themes. There was, of course, no Dhaka floor. It would perhaps have been nice to have a floor theme on the 2.4 million stateless living the Agamben 'bare life' in Thailand.

... the translation is-- joking aside-- genuinely bad. The 'Laew tae khun' is much closer to the English 'depends on you'.

This is crucial since 'depends on...' does not leave the final matter down to you, but shows you have a sway or influence in how the decision is made.

It would be interesting to study the genealogy of 'up to you', as it becoming the 'official' translation in Thai life.

...and the ferry pier is actually at the end of the 'Wat Klong Toey Nork' street. So ask the taxi driver for this Temple. Or walk from Lumpini Park MRT station-- surely no more than a 20 minute walk.

The 'Wat Klong Toey Nork' street is simply a 100 metre footpath. There are some non-canoe boats that cross the river, so if you have a bicyle, you can take one of them.

The apartment owners/ place you stay is required on a daily basis to report occupancy by any non-Thais. It is a criminal offence for them to fail to inform the police.

The area's called Pig Gut in Thai by the locals because of the shape it makes on a map, but it's divided up into a few areas from what I gather - Bang Krachao seems to be the Northern and Eastern End, Bang Nam Pheung the South Central side and so on. Still, I've never seen the legal designations on a map and the best way to get around is just to know which wat or main soi something is near. There's been massive development in specifically the last 2-3 years, as something changed (perhaps the scandal mentioned above). There are big new roads, tons of new 2-3 story homes, new apartment buildings and so on.

>>snip<<

Now that is what I call local knowledge. Superb.

Sorry to butt in again, but I've just remembered another nice incident.

My friend-- the General's daughter-- went up to some cops slurping noodles at 5am on a street stall, and they very kindly drive her, me and a friend around town until they found the 24 hour disco we were looking for. They then-- much to my surprise-- took off their tops, and joined us for whisky and soda in the disco for a few hours.

On arrival back from abroad, my friend's father-- a general-- kindly provided a chauffeur (a police sergeant) and transport ( a very plush car) through the traffic to my place.

I was fairly sure that every topic that could be covered has been covered by ThaiVisa, but I think I found something new...

A slightly edgy thing to do in Bangkok is to head to the 'jungle' across the Chao Praya river just south of Klong Toey slum. It is mostly coconut plantations, swampland and small hamlets. And it is indeed a very strange place when you think it is a mere 5 minutes taxi drive from Silom. I recommend the large and well-kept park in the centre of the jungle. I also recommend a 6 foot staff to keep away the feral dogs that are everywhere.

... but I digress.

What I found fascinating was the discovery that farangs live there to save money and to scratch by in their fantasies of paradise. The rents at 1,000 baht are a pretty good deal for such a good location. And if you can put up with snakes, monitor lizards and slash-and-burn farming then life may be pretty good. Obviously, there are no 7-11s, and no facilities recognisable to civilisation but they are a 1,000 baht for a month.

I was told they lived there in order to wait for permanent residency (PR). I am no visa expert, but I thought you needed a minimum income to get PR. Surely, if they are so financially distressed as to have to rent at 1,000 baht then PR is not on the horizon.

An Indian man told me he was there as a way to reach the West. Apparently, while the British embassy in India knows every trick to get visas to the West, the Brit Embassy is soft here and so many Indians work in Thailand for a few years to gain legitimacy to move to the UK. As he stood there in front of a man trying to catch a snake, I felt his fantasy was possibly more delusional than the farangs.

I found a condiminum-- the only building that looked designed-- several stories high with balconies in this jungle. Perhaps you can be enticed live there...

British and American universities have long had campuses around the World. This is only a development as it is in Thailand and is a British unversity. Typically, the universities take their brand reputation very seriously and so the level remains high. They usually try to recruit an international coterie of profs who will teach for a term and head home to their real universities.

...obviously this university is a very low level UK university but that still makes it tougher on standards than any local university. They will do pretty well but they will not be followed by other unviersities. The last big move was Nottingham University in China. That seemed much more logical. A massive market where the British Uni brand name is immense.

And what-- 6 months later from my last time to pose the question-- is the answer to the topic question?

(for technical reasons, in my case, it must have at least Android 2.2 and have .3 GB of SD memory)

Whatever phone it is, what price can it be got at MBK or CentralWorld?

Thank you!

Here is what you need. The basic 540 words in Thai/ Issan/ Northern Thai/ Southern Thai... and in japanese. All on MP3. If you don't know the Thai you'll have to work your way through it with an Thai- English dictionary.

It was pretty cheap as well. You can buy it in Kinokuniya CentralWorld.

The Becker's dictionary is about to be released onto Android. They are currently beta-testing it. You need Android 2.2 (at least) and .3 GB on the SD. Should be about another month of waiting.

...And Then There Was Light...

Im also very interested. Is the guy at boxer rebellion still there?

I think he died in a tragic accident about a year ago. I have not heard as to whether a new person was found to repalce him.

smg, I have no idea why you got such an aggressive response from the last poster. Weird.

Anyway, there is simply an announcement on the escalator at the Pata store ground floor stating the area is under renovation. There is no date for when it will re-open.

Here is episode 6 of the now famous animation series on the flooding. This particular episode is all about hoarding.

http://news.voicetv.co.th/infographic/22557.html

Does anyone know where I can get a *Thai* script of it.... This would be very helpful language material since the whole series is English subtitled...

Thank you.

*The* best road in Bangkok for fancy dress is Soi Atsawa Mit, which is off Thanon Charan Sanitwong. It is the road to the North of Pata Department Store, in Pinklao, on the west side of the Chao Praya river.

Most of the shops on this road are fancy dress shops. And most will make a bespoke costume for you.

I think this is awfully unfair.

It is an almighty stretch to call Atheism a religion. Take a look at Peter Berger's monumental "The Sacred Canopy" to understand just what ontological commitments have to be made for something to be a religion.

I'm an atheist and I have no idea if this is my only life. There might or might not be a heaven. Heck, there might be a heaven and no god/s. I love surprises so it's all good.

As for the Christians, their belief in heaven is supposed to nullify their upset at how rubbish their lives are in this one, and to discipline them into certain codes of conduct. Michel Foucault in 'Security, Territory, Population' masterfully shows the regulatory lengths of Pastoral Care.

And this fits into my views on the 'End of Buddhism'. This is certainly a dramatic narrative. But this narrative has arisen so many times in history before. As Daniel Dennet points out in 'Breaking the Spell', religions have survived precisely becuase of their ability to sustain critical attacks. They have a whole armoury of rhetorical techniques to counter criticism. They are like jelly. The buddhism of Thailand today has nothing to do with whatever an Indian nobleman was doing in India a few centuries back. Only the name is the same.

So Buddhism in this latter narrative never existed in Thailand anyway. Just a quick reading of Weber's masterpiece on the religions of India makes it very difficult to think there is some 'uncorrupted' version out there. Indeed, it perfectly displays the bizarre twists and turns that religions take to shift and survive. Yet despite it being *obviously* nothing to do with the original aestheticism of the noble, the armoury of religion to defend against my criticism now is to state "but this is not the real Buddhism, this is the real Buddhism", pointing somewhere else. Indeed, whereever and whatever is criticised, it is never 'real Buddhism'. But this slippery nature of religions actually reveals their onotological absurdity.

So why are they all around us? Perhaps Robert Bellah's new book-- 20 years in the making-- helps to answer this question.

So to sum up, your question of whether Buddhism will/has ended in Thailand, perfectly encapsulates the disciplining nature of the tricks of religions to reassert and reposition themselves. They never grow tired and never grow weary. You join a long line of men with this same claim.

I'm sorry you find it unfair..... it is only my own humble opinion....but then life is often seen as unfair when we can only see and know the present lifetime....unaware of the consequences of past actions and those actions too.

You seem good at reading and quoting other peoples work... why don't you try thinking for yourself...

Your reply is in an oddly rhetorical style. Obviously, I did not use 'unfair' to describe my feelings but to suggest your broad criticism of those religions could not be made from your arguments. In other words, you are playing the dark art of the dialectic, and I am playing the game of logic. And since you seem to enjoy my book referencing then you might enjoy 'The Art of Being Right: 38 Ways to Win an Argument' (1831) by Schopenhauer. In his book, your rhetorical trick would fall under a 'diversion' move. You seem more keen on 'winning' than on finding insight. I am genuinely baffled, I thought the positioning of Buddhism necessarily prefers the latter.

As for your second point of criticism, all thinking is based on the thinking of others. The sign of thinking is the ability to find the confluences of thoughts and come up with a new perspective. I thought my post was a bravura argument. If you haven't read those books, you have no time to lose. Although, having said that, if you believe in reincarnation, you have plenty of time, so you might not need to hurry so much. Had you read those books you would be aware of the rich history of the narrative of the 'end of Buddhism is now'. This would and should put your mind at rest.

Nice post patient. You describe well many of the current Western attitudes.

I was talking to my fellow farang monk here yesterday and I said that so many of the problems in the West come about because of the largly held beliefs of Christianity or Atheism. Both of those religions consider that we have a single life. This causes people to consider this lifetime of extreme importance and preciousness. They have thus got to be sucessful or at least have as good a time as possible. IMHO it leads to selfishness. Christians go around forcing their religion on the world because they think it is superior and have gods given right to do so, causing untold damage and suffering in the process, thinking they are doing gods work and earning themselves salvation.

Destruction of nature with no thought of the future state of the planet is also a consequence.

Non-belief in rebirth leads to a very short-sighted view and exaggerated idea of the importance of oneself and ones right to do as one pleases without any comebacks.

I think this is awfully unfair.

It is an almighty stretch to call Atheism a religion. Take a look at Peter Berger's monumental "The Sacred Canopy" to understand just what ontological commitments have to be made for something to be a religion.

I'm an atheist and I have no idea if this is my only life. There might or might not be a heaven. Heck, there might be a heaven and no god/s. I love surprises so it's all good.

As for the Christians, their belief in heaven is supposed to nullify their upset at how rubbish their lives are in this one, and to discipline them into certain codes of conduct. Michel Foucault in 'Security, Territory, Population' masterfully shows the regulatory lengths of Pastoral Care.

And this fits into my views on the 'End of Buddhism'. This is certainly a dramatic narrative. But this narrative has arisen so many times in history before. As Daniel Dennet points out in 'Breaking the Spell', religions have survived precisely becuase of their ability to sustain critical attacks. They have a whole armoury of rhetorical techniques to counter criticism. They are like jelly. The buddhism of Thailand today has nothing to do with whatever an Indian nobleman was doing in India a few centuries back. Only the name is the same.

So Buddhism in this latter narrative never existed in Thailand anyway. Just a quick reading of Weber's masterpiece on the religions of India makes it very difficult to think there is some 'uncorrupted' version out there. Indeed, it perfectly displays the bizarre twists and turns that religions take to shift and survive. Yet despite it being *obviously* nothing to do with the original aestheticism of the noble, the armoury of religion to defend against my criticism now is to state "but this is not the real Buddhism, this is the real Buddhism", pointing somewhere else. Indeed, whereever and whatever is criticised, it is never 'real Buddhism'. But this slippery nature of religions actually reveals their onotological absurdity.

So why are they all around us? Perhaps Robert Bellah's new book-- 20 years in the making-- helps to answer this question.

So to sum up, your question of whether Buddhism will/has ended in Thailand, perfectly encapsulates the disciplining nature of the tricks of religions to reassert and reposition themselves. They never grow tired and never grow weary. You join a long line of men with this same claim.

just heard from 3rd person removed that water is approaching Victory Monument...can anyone [that's left in bkk!] confirm?

"approaching"...

Well, there is a lot of water heading there about 8km North. It might even get there in 2 days.

In Pinklao, the situation is rapidly worsening. The floodwater levels are to around 1.3 metres and they are barely moving according to tides. There is noticeable panic among soldiers to repair the dykes.

My apartment's sandbagged, water-pumped and sealed barrier has been overrun. The breeze block wall-- just built-- is holding out at the entrances but every time the water level rises more leaks spring.

Any worse and the electricity must be switched off. Currently aiding the staff (9 people) with a desperate last stand.

The TV signal is knocked out, the water is compromised. The emergency chemical toilet has been destroyed by the flooding.

This might be the last time I can get on the internet, so I bid you good night and good luck. Situation hopeless, all is lost, we fight on. God Save the Queen.

The area of the West Bank of Chao Praya in the centre of Bangkok is now in a state of permanent flood since 4pm yesterday.

It is a vast area of about 3km by 6km. Covering from the Bangkok Noi canal next to Sirirat Hospital all the way up to Yanhee.

Here is a map:

Contrary to news reports the whole of Arun Amarin Road (the one next to Sirirat Hospital) is not completely closed, only the section north of the hospital. Be aware, that Arun Amarin intersection is a completely different road further west.

There are army vehicles trundling around to allow people to reach dry land. Large cars can still drive through. Buses sometimes go for it. Most turn around before entering.

This seems to be only overflow from the river and the vast water from the North is yet to reach the area. The water is roughly thigh high at high tide (4pm-ish).

I think this remains the only serious inundation into central Bangkok.

From Arun Amarin Bridge (the bridge next to Sirirat Hospital) onwards it is flooded to thigh height on the immediate West side of Chao Praya River.

This is due to leak points West at Arum Amarin intersection (a location some 3 km away) and a breach of the Navy Base dyke on Thanon Arun Amarin. Navy base at full strength trying to stop this as this is the location of the Royal Barges.

The flooding is anticipated to decline. Currently road is impassable to cars and all cars are required to U-turn by police block.

I would describe this as the first large-scale flooding in the central area of Bangkok. But it is tidal and unrelated to the enormous amount of water about 6km North.

The key is to think through the Political Economy of Panic.

The housewife-- the key figure in the panic narrative-- must make the decisive decision to 'shop' in a crisis. She will then head to the shops. These are the shops that narrate as part of the shopping trip.

So the key to finding water at 7/11s was to head to the ones off these narratives of shopping trips. The 7/11 near me was empty of water, the 7/11 in the university campus was stacked with even the large bottles of water and vast quantities of mama noodles.