Gonsalviz

I wouldn't give you 10 cents for the Harley dealer in BKK. I take my RK to a local scooter shop in Nong Bua Lamphu. They can do work like you describe. I have a book for my bike and can do the work myself if I had the tools. But these guys listen and do what you tell them. Need a translator tho'.

Well actually, what people might not have even thought about is following:

Kids not only get fatter because they play too much computer,... because they are sitting on their asses all day in School or university, Both institutes ending up at 3 to 4 pm or later, that's a lot of time to be wasted sitting around... and in addition to that Kids get too much homework which aren't relevant to their lives...

So too much school and homework is IMO another cause of increasing obesity...

BS. Healthy eating will keep you well until the 50's. Then you have to work at it.

When people stop preparing their meals at home from fresh food and depend on processed/prepared food then they will get fat and less healthy...period. I didn't get these jowls from eating broccoli.

You handsome devil you. I hear the Thais do waxing real cheap.

I am quite pleasantly surprised by the amount of fresh produce consumed by my family but they are out in the countryside. Always gives me a little satisfaction when I see them eating salad and fruit. Satisfaction that we do not live close to any fast food outlets.

Although exercise is important, do not dismiss the relevance of having a very high fibre content in the diet, exercise maybe good for the heart, lungs and muscular elements, fibre contibutes to the well being of the digestive tracts and associated areas. Too much processed food is just not good for anybody.

So no matter who is deemed responsible for the current eating habits of the Thai, Good that the government is making people aware.

Same here, my wife's family eat very healthy and so do I when I stay with them. I think it is mostly the Bangkokians that eat the crap.

What 'salary scheme', they seem to be postponing, backtracking and internal party agreement appears lacking. As some member mentioned on another topic, 'watching a slow motion train wreck'. Politicians seem to have a knack for putting their foot into their mouth, I doubt this group will be different. Just get out of the way when they think they have clear sailing, and are going downhill, as the resulting crash may be horrendous.

When the economy in Thailand goes to hell on these schemes it will be good for me and you right? If your money comes from outside the country. My main concern is how bad the US economy will get.

My wife has eaten it at an Indian restaurant. She didn't say much about the lamb but didn't like the curries. I suspect she would like a leg if I cooked it on the barbi. Rosemary and whole garlic.

I actually prefer goat. Less fat. Muslim Thais know.

It amazes me that people insist on perpetuating this myth that you can't run a bar in Thailand without getting your arm twisted by the boys in brown to the extent that it puts you out of business. What a load of nonsense. If you are running a legit small bar, you're not high a profile go-go or nightclub turning over fortunes, you're not running girls out of the place or looking to attract the late night crowd and extend your hours beyond the drinking curfews, you have all your licenses and permits in place, you are highly unlikely to be bothered at all.

You may get an initial visit from the local cop who tries it on but if everything's legitimate, and your Thai "spokesperson" (wife, business partner, manager or whoever) is switched on enough to know how to handle a situation like this, then u just stand your ground, but you do so in a nice way so that he knows he can always swing by for a coffee or game of pool (on the house) and is always welcome but he's not getting a month;y kickback just because he asks for one, nor is he coming down after work every night with all his buddies getting a free booze-up.

What you will probably find over time, however, is that you encounter some kind of incident - work permit infraction, fight in the bar, disgruntled ex-employee etc. etc. at which point your local cop comes to the rescue (and I'm not saying it's necessarily staged) and you decide that it's probably not such a bad thing to send a couple of quid his way every month so that you know who to call when the next incident occurs, and also so that if the name of your bar comes up in conversation with his colleagues he can let them know that "you're taken care of". If it's a small bar with small margins like you're suggesting I'd be surprised if you'd pay more that 1,000 - 1,500 per month. If that puts you out of business, well, he's probably done you a favour.

You are contradicting yourself.

Contradicting myself how exactly? I've opened by saying that in my experience everyone tells you that the amount you have to pay to the BIB when you open a bar will cripple your business and that in my experience this is a load of nonsense. Show me where I've contradicted that viewpoint.

Ok, Details, details. Wouldn't it be nice if the BIB were interested in doing their jobs without extra compensation? In fact, they go for the easy mark rather than actually doing their job.

And how would anyone know who is on drugs so as to keep them out of the bars?

I think those on drugs would be sensible enough to leave on their own once it was announced that a raid was imminent.

You would be correct 'if' they know the raids are imminent. However, I was commenting on your statement of "How would they know...............?"

Maybe you have been in Thailand too long?

I think he is just bored. Maybe that comes from inactivity in Thailand.

It was explained to me that the only effective way for this to work is have the milk thistle in a liquid for dispensed into a light alcoholic drink.

The tablets do not work or not nearly as well.

" It was thought that many of the bars had been tipped-off prior to the operation taking place which was frustrating for senior officers who allocated resources which could have been used elsewhere."

But how could anyone have known that there were to be raids? After all, it's not as if they all line up in front of the Police Station just before leaving, with a load of journalists and video cameras in tow, announcing to the whole world what they are about to do, is it? I mean, that would give anyone nearby plenty of time to call all the bars in town and warn them.

If they did that it would just be silly.

And how would anyone know who is on drugs so as to keep them out of the bars?

It amazes me that people insist on perpetuating this myth that you can't run a bar in Thailand without getting your arm twisted by the boys in brown to the extent that it puts you out of business. What a load of nonsense. If you are running a legit small bar, you're not high a profile go-go or nightclub turning over fortunes, you're not running girls out of the place or looking to attract the late night crowd and extend your hours beyond the drinking curfews, you have all your licenses and permits in place, you are highly unlikely to be bothered at all.

You may get an initial visit from the local cop who tries it on but if everything's legitimate, and your Thai "spokesperson" (wife, business partner, manager or whoever) is switched on enough to know how to handle a situation like this, then u just stand your ground, but you do so in a nice way so that he knows he can always swing by for a coffee or game of pool (on the house) and is always welcome but he's not getting a month;y kickback just because he asks for one, nor is he coming down after work every night with all his buddies getting a free booze-up.

What you will probably find over time, however, is that you encounter some kind of incident - work permit infraction, fight in the bar, disgruntled ex-employee etc. etc. at which point your local cop comes to the rescue (and I'm not saying it's necessarily staged) and you decide that it's probably not such a bad thing to send a couple of quid his way every month so that you know who to call when the next incident occurs, and also so that if the name of your bar comes up in conversation with his colleagues he can let them know that "you're taken care of". If it's a small bar with small margins like you're suggesting I'd be surprised if you'd pay more that 1,000 - 1,500 per month. If that puts you out of business, well, he's probably done you a favour.

You are contradicting yourself.

Chiang Khan seems to be a really nice little town. Me and the wife had a nice lunch at a little local restaurant overlooking the river. I hear there several guest houses.

A recent World Health Organisation (WHO) report has pegged the number of female prostitutes in the country at 2 lakh.

can someone enlighten me? how much is 2 lakh.?

thaisabai

Indian counting system 1 lakh is 100,000. so 2 lakh= 200,000.

I think may an underestimation.

Try Google

You are really a pervert. Dog dolls?

Wait until next month an you will get a new bill with the total for 2 months. Yeah, I know, but the Thais do it all the time and they never lose water service.

I have a UK Visa/debit card and withdrew money from a Thai bank without problem other than having a 150.000 baht limit per withdrawal.

As stated take your passport and debit card to a bank of your choice and withdraw money over the counter.

Just remember that not all Thai banks give the best exchange rates so shop around for the best rate.

I always used Krungsri bank or the yellow bank as we foreigners know it.

Try not to withdraw money out of an ATM instead withdraw it over the counter.

Withdrawing money via the ATM machine means you will be charged per transaction which can work out expensive whereas withdrawing a lump sum over the counter can save you money as it's regarded as a single transaction.

I once had a card with Maestro added and withdrew money in both Cambodia and the Philippines.

Plenty of ATM's accept Maestro.

You will pay no matter how you withdraw money.

Is Gucci trying to break into the Thai market again?

I would say than any bike below 500 cc and 50 hp is a beginners bike, so why not.

He will off course have to show restraint and not twist the throttle all the way but take it easy in the beginning.

He is hopefully not driving in BKK, that a bit of a mouthful to start on.

I assume he have a bike driver license? If not he should get that before going anywhere, driving in Thailand without one is not very smart.

Even 50 HP is a pretty powerful bike for a beginner. CC's means nothing. A 250 cc 2 stroke will leave a newbie in the dirt when it hits its power band.

In my opinion, for what it's worth, a short stopover between flights in Bangkok would be far more acceptable than a short stopover in Seoul.

Problem is that many of the flights from the US arrive in BKK too late at night for you to be able to catch a connecting flight to CNX before the next morning. In Seoul you can get long layovers too, but at least that's a first rate airport and not a bad one in which to kill time.

The Thai non stop flight arrives in BKK around 06:30 daily.

T mobile has a 1 month plan for $30 that I use and have never run out of time. For data and talk time.

I know a lot of Thai families up north that would disagree. While none of them live in squalor or have a lack of food, they certainly don't make that kind of money.

They don't buy their food, they find the majority of it in the jungle and grow the rest. Very seldom eat meat that they buy.

I don't see that as anywhere near upper middle income.

Air Asia has too many add on fees for me. I'd rather pay full fare and be treated like a human.

Sure.

There are resorts all along Hiway 210 and 201 in the area. Mostly around 500 Baht.

Some signs are in Thai. Mostly short time outfits but they are bungalows and nobody bothers you. Some signs are in English saying resort. Others have resort spelled in Thai.

Cant say exactly what is near Nong Hin but I am certain there is one between Wang Saphung and Loei town. Heading north it is on the right and as I remember it is a bright orange place and walled in.