Nerone

The world is going crazy......

Went to Mamma mia few times. So far much cheaper than mostly Italian restaurant downton. Food is also over average and there's a selection of thai food, which suits my thai wife tastes. The only Italian managed restaurant that I found in San Sai / Mae jo area. We Will surely go back again

Albanians...people you can rely on!

You can contact Lek at "La Villa" Italian Restaurant in the old city... Chiang mai. She has a T'shirt factory with the Husband in Chiang mai

Classic!

Does it translate correctly? I can't quite follow it with my limited Thai.

nO

And then disadvantages to both caravans as well as the (baby)motorhome: When you use it outside or January in the North, you'll be running the engine all night to power the air conditioner.

Ever heard of a generator?? They can also include those in the package if requested as I recall..

Engine, generator.. either way you're burning gas all night. Don't know why that's better than a cheap but decent aircon hotel or resort.

A cheapo option for the winter months would just be having a tent cover and mosquito net over the bed of a pick-up truck, with a mattress in there. That'd be like camping without having to deal with spiders. I hate spiders.

Nice one! Is the way I am enjoing the nature for 10 years, and with a 4wd pick you can really reach nice spots. If you need all the comforts why bother with a 2,000,000 baht camper here. renting an hotel room is a wiser option...

This is 2nd only to the new BOI spot going on on Asian and even European Channel, to attract new investor in the country:

"Our reliability is the key of our success!"

Pity that this one is real! I laughed for 5 minutes

Woo now I know why the red shirts are here. It is too hot back home

Hope they go to protest more south when the Tsunami comes...

Thailand.... wasting my timr dince 1999

It's an ashame that people are treated as bag to carry. Company should act with these people (that sometime have health issue as well) as human being.

They should be treated as "hadicapped" people and have some bigger seats for them on the plane and be allowed to book such seats in advance . This way is an annoyance for them and the other travelers.....

Ok, so Tiger Beer should be cheaper...

What other brands will be coming in?

Tiger, San miguel Heineken are made in Thailand. If they keep making them here It will not change the price and the (low bottom) quality....

It seems to me a kind of joke compared to the real problems of the country.....

Being 22 is bad enough but also being pregnant unfortunately shes not gonna see the light of day for a verylong time...

Shame real shame

Under Malasyan law she is certainly going to die

Here is an etiquette question: After moving to a new job in a different organization a few months back, I will still have occasional meetings with my former colleagues for follow-up on ongoing projects. As we are not colleagues any more, shall I wai them or not?

Knowing that:

- My departure from the former job was on friendly terms.

- When working together and seeing each other every day as colleagues, we did not wai each other.

- We are in the same age range (7 years between the youngest and the oldest).

- I was one of the youngest in the team, so if a wai is advisable next time I meet them, the initiative should come from me (hence the question!).

- Hierarchically I was at the same level as them, not in a higher or lower position.

Thanks for any input or experience,

Wai them first, Invite them for a party, then try to screw all the women, expecially the engaged and married ones and then put some fenoftaleine in the men's drinks... Have a good fun .. ops wai them when they leave of course....

If a person should overstay long enough to attract the maximum fine which I believe is 20,000 Bhat, what are the immediate consequences and further what are the consequences in relation to later entry visas to Thailand?

Thanks,

Bob

Best way to behave in my opinion, if the police ask you the passport:

Keep a copy of it with you (only the first page, not the visas)

If police or immigration ask you the passport say that is in your embassy because you finished the pages on it and you are waiting for a new one.

Light a candle to budda, God or Allah as well....

Beore passing judgement, it might be prudent to consider what the condition of the patient was to begin with. Was this patient already suffering from pre existing medical conditions? What were the exact instructions given to the hospital? Were people constantly coming in and demanding transfers or specific treatments be given? With multiple hospitals involved there are flat startup fees applied at each facility, why is anyone shocked at the cost? There are worse horror stories involving tourists in car crashes. The cost to care and then medevac someone can easily exceed 5million baht for just a week's activity.

The fact that some western countries national health plans pay for some of the cost so the procedure seems free is a misconception. There is a cost and if a patient is in ICU for several days, the cost to the state, i.e. the taxpayers can run into tens of thousands of dollars/euros/pounds. This was a bargain in comparison to the west. What do you think the cost is for ICU care in the west is? 3million baht is what? $1000,000 Aus/$95,000CAd/$90,000USD/48,000 UKpounds? That's nothing. This is why the health care systems in the west are so tattered. The costs are not seen or understood by the general public.

Maybe the patient and his family was ripped off, but 2million baht is still a fraction of the actual cost of an ICU course of stay in the west.

Ok, so you say, but this is Thailand, it should be cheaper. Why should it be cheaper? The equipment and supplies are sourced from the same manufacturers and suppliers as the west. E.g. Scalpel blades from India, hitech equipment from Germany, and the USA, cotton bandages from China, etc. Everyone pays the same list price except those that get the bulk discounts or that use lower end suppliers. The only key cost variable is that of labour and overhead. (Don't even bother with malpractice issues, because with the exception of the USA, malpractice costs are neglible component of healthcare costs in in the west.)

Medical procedures are not always the bargain it seems in Thailand. Yes, some things are cheaper, but if you look hard enough, you will see why they are. Things like not following more expensive sterilization procedures, sourcing component parts of implants and prosthetics from Indian or Chinese suppliers and not the better quality European or American manufacturers. Hospitals that have higher standards more in line with western standards will have similiar costs and pass on those costs to the consumer.

Sorry to say that the hospital in Thailand are corporations and want to make as much as they can. Forget about The Hippocratic Oath for the doctors either and it does not mean anything over here. This is not to say you cant find good doctor. My advice is to always shop around and ask others about the doctor you want to see

FYI: Physicians do not take the Hippocratic oath in the west. Something about swearing to Greek and Roman gods that doesn't sit well with alot of people. Why would Buddhists be expected to make a promise to these pagan gods? Please read the oath.

Between the lines of "hippocratic Oath" I read ethic, morality.... Words that in Thailand still don't exist....

Hi,

Do you know if there is any place where to cross the border to Malaysia near Satun ?

As you can see on the map Satun is very close to Malaysia, so maybe it's not useful to go to HAT YAI to take a van or taxi to cross the border to Malaysia ?

http://www.asianbiketour.com/images/map.21_BEACHES_RS.GIF

Thanks for information.

Yes, there is a check point from Satun in direction Wang Thangga/ Talibanan national par. When you arrive at the old market in Satun you go left and you preceed in the big road for 15 km circa, and then right to the border.(they put a sign anyway now). Howevher note that 17:00 in Thailand is 18:00 in Malesya and they will close the border at that time. Is a very small checkpoint with a small duty free in between. If you need to make an insurance for your veichle go at least at 16:00 thai time. Good luck

It's disappointing that someone hauling smack out of the Kingdom gets life, but farang murderers here often get a only few years and serial pedophiles are frequently released so the police can extort them again and again.

Nobody point the gun to your head and says to do drugs... is an illegal commerce as it was the alchool in America etc etc... Thai laws also does not make any difference about light and hard drugs.... what a genius!!!!!!

Yes I am agree with you, murderers get away easy with three years and what about paedophile? I would hang them all if I were supposed to write the penalties...... Probably the paedophiles and the murderes doesn't endanger the monopolies of the local "economy".....

....Somebody built a fortune with drugs and even made a war to it....

What a beautiful world!

melbat

cheer up some.... lol

it isn't so bad not carrying a thai credit card, is it?

many thai banks do offer refrig, rebates, refunds and what not. but their rules are much different than those in the western world. those thai by-laws are something we detest and despite to the utmost.... to put it mildly.

most of those rules are one-sided with the advantages to the rule makers. consumers' rights and priveleges.... far and few in between.

most if not all of us farangs can have cc from thai banks, the question for everyone to ponder is--how desperate are we?

if we are desperate enough and are willing to conform to their irrationally excessive rules and regulations according to our farang opinions and experiences , they will issue one or two or three---in our names, only if we are willing to conform and pay for them.

personally, i consider myself--cheap. i even refuse to pay the 150 baht fee imposed on banks' atm withdrawal. yesterday, i personally complained to the manager of the bank and came away with 30k without having to pay the 150 baht fee and i'll probably do it again.... when i feel indignant and irrational enough.... lol

(come to think of it, perhaps i should not do it again.... my small victory might have already cost him alot behind the scene.... no, defintely not, i shall not do that again. what i'll do is to apologize to him on monday. but i still probably won't pay the imposed 150 baht atm fee though). for the next time, i'll just have to figure out some other more creative and more passive way to get around having to pay the immoral and irrational 150 baht atm withdrawal fee.... lol

almost at the end of my own wit now, i gladly welcome your creative suggestions, fellow farangs.... lol

Any Havanas to buy in LP??? Can buy at duty free out bound at the airport?

Found good stuff directly from Cuba in Hanoi, Vietnam. Shuld have a look to street vendors around the park. Chibs hsbsnos Crystal box: 25 USD- 30 USD for a box

I am 58 and live in Phitsanulok...

Perfectly agreed with what you did. If you know some thais that works in the police or at high places for the government make them call for you and ask to the "big boss" what is going on. I think it will help....

In Europe you are tourist for a week, here forever...

Anyway I never heard of a policeman in Italy targeting tourists, expecially when they speak "foreign" languages, for have a bribe, they normally close an eye when a "foreigner" is at fault...

With the thieves at London's Heathrow it's a wonder there is anything left at all the suitcases for the Thai baggage handlers to steal.

You say that because you never tried Rome's Fiumicino......YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THE REAL iTALY!

I wonder why nobody here talks about the real point of the elite card..... At the beginning it was introduced, that every member could buy 1 Rai of land with house on his personal foreign name as freehold..... if this would have happened without restrictions I am sure they would have sold much much more cards! Why not use the bad times now, reinstall the old idea, and sell houses and land to foreigners like Malaysia's Home away from home program. This would make life so much easier for so many here, and the Elite system would survive and work! Cut the golf, limo and spa crap and go for the real stuff that everybody wants: House, land and Visa ![/size]

too good to be real...

[snip]

What a stupid idea for steal money!!! Hope not many joined this....

"Thai elite"