samuibeachcomber

cleaner beaches,safer roads yes,but i like bangkok airways,reliable and friendly services,Samui is or has gone higher end market but you can still find places for 700-800baht a night.

detox would be a good start.

no alcohol,coffee,tea(green tea ok)do not cook with oil,steam vegies are good,a little fish and chicken breast,rice ok.no chilli's,no spicy food at all.Diet really important.

Am not a big fan of hospitals here either,and usually try herbal remedies first but have n't been able to find any really good detox here so send for herbal detox liquid from my naturopath back home in australia.Like another poster suggested go back home to get this thing cured,6 months is a long time to be still having trouble,and yes stress will make the symptoms worse.I wish you well.

The rainy season has finally arrived on Samui,last 2 days we've had torretial rain and temps are cool too.

yes as a mark of respect i agree but what about tourist areas?do they still want tourists?Anyone coming on holiday and find the place shut down for three days is not really the way to go imho.A compromise of a one day closure maybe way to go(although the authorities dont have to compromise)and you can bet your life there'll be small bars (thai's)in the back streets still open.

If they want a tourist industry they have to stop all these closing days,am thinking mainly of the days they close for electoral voting.

I thought arsenal were the better team on the day.Man u. looked tired and lethargic,where was their defense?Arsenal looked sharp,especially Nasri.Thought Bendtner played ok but like Berbatov is generally lazy.And Rooney's shots on goal were just hopeless.............yes man.u if Rooney had scored early on could have won it,even Ronaldo looked a beaten player.Just one of those days,i'm a Chelsea fan,but dont hold it against me!

khunandy,what did you mean by"i could see her developing a few western habits i did n't like",interesting,care to elaborate pleasr.

yeah omron is good but make sure you buy the long life batteries like duracel.the manual blood pressure kits maybe more accurate theae are the ones that you pump up yourself.

150/100 is not that bad depending on age,if you around the 50 age mark most doctors accept 140/85 as normal.Try and relax before taking the test yourself and you will be amazed at how much it comes down.Hope this helps.

I hear so many times from TV posters about the attitude of Phuket police and also problems with immigration,has it always been like this?I visited last in march 2007 and was not aware of this attitude although i did find the indian shop keepers and even thai traders more aggressive towards tourists in general.

Official Announcement:

No Entertainment from Friday 14 November 2008 to Sunday 16 November 2008 due to the Cremation Ceremony of Princess Kalayaniwatthana and a way to pay tribute to the Princess.

Friday 14 November 2008: The Ceremony for the Crematorium Complex

Saturday 15 November 2008: The Cremation Ceremony strated at 5 PM - the Real cremation started at about 10 PM

Sunday 16 November 2008: The Ceremony of collecting ash and the remainings of Princess to put into Royal Urn and the crypt box whcih will be eventually interred in the Royal cemetory within Wat Rajbophit temple. The urn will be kept in the 3rd floor of Chakkri Maha Prasart Building.

I presume this will be fairly heavily enforced, and anyone wanting to flout it should keep in mind the shooting in Pai last year.

I this ban just for changmai whole of thailand?

Is this the monroe doctrine?

As far a what businesses are "owned" by foreigners, this is the information I asked for earlier.

Don't forget that bars also make money on prostitution. Girls taken out are done so after paying a "bar fine," or so I am told...

By the way, the bar fine in Lamai is 300 baht (200 baht some places). If you are in the Combat Zone in Taipei, however, you'll be paying the bar the equivalent of 7,000 baht bar fine!

'or so i am told".for someone who is implying they dont partake you seem to know a lot about it!

well theres a lot of poor quality houses in bad locations which i think has a lot to with it also I think thailand property market went down the pan after the coup and has never really fully recovered since then, the financial crisis is just another nail in the coffin.

there are loads of poor quality houses in great locations too!...bottom-line, Samui is sunk for the next few years like the rest of the world...I look forward the better place it will after that...then dealing with the ripcurl when all the scum returns

you having a bad day thaierless?

I for one wish Obama well but history has proved good people who would like to help the less fortunate do not last long,remember john and robert kennedy.

Dark forces and greedy vicious people control this world,as an example druglords,people and children traffickers,religous extremists,and close to home the armaments industry,pentagon and not to forget the oil industry,i could go on but you get the drift.

am having to bring money over from OZ soon for visa requirements and its gonna hurt cos that really puts my cost of living up in LOS by 30%

Check your current visa requirements - immigration may have reduced/dropped some of the capital requirements for your particular visa.

As for the AUD vs Baht, hang in there if you can because the worst is probably over for the Oz$ vs other currencies - expect 25-27 Baht to the AUD by year's end.

encouranging reply jose,i hope you are right and yes i will check immigration thanks.

jeztennis and Msing i'm with you.The minute i leave thailand i miss it and i love returning home to Samui,such a brilliant airport and although bangkok airways are expensive i love their service and friendly smile.

I askd the same question at Samui immigration and was told no,that it had to be in a regular savings account,but just like the banks you get different answers at different immigration offices.

there does n't seem to be any rule of thumb when it comes to banks.I remember arriving here a few years ago on a 30day visa i got at bangkok airport,went to a bank and opened a savings a/c with 1500baht.

can you share with us the total cost?

If there is a downturn i hope its not too bad...........for the bar owners and their girls to resorts,massage ladies etc.particularly the thai workers here on Samui,life can be hard enough in good times for them and of course the people in the villages who depend on the extra their offspring send home.I will do my bit to help.

am having to bring money over from OZ soon for visa requirements and its gonna hurt cos that really puts my cost of living up in LOS by 30%..............so for example a takeaway pad kaprow at say 45 baht is now costing over 2 dollars AUD a heineken at say 80 baht now costs 4dollars AUD.Plus interest rates on savings have declined in OZ over the last 6 months by 3%..............will have to drink leo soon and buy noodles from noodle cart,then if it gets worse you will find me sleeping outside 711 in chaweng beach road.At least its warm here!!!!!!!!.

Witch 7/11, don't even think of taking over my turf.

the one near soi greenmango,see you there soon,i see the aussie govt.have just reduced the base rate by 0.75%,i maybe there sooner than i want to be.cheers.

Just another example of the shakey foundation of many marriages/relationships here. The primary motivator is money, usually. Love, if there is any, is secondary. However, there are exceptions, as I have seen a fair number of Farang men (young & old) around my city with a mixed baby in tow. If one has a solid marriage OK, if not, I would think children would only add to the nightmare.

And this would be different in the west with its 50+% divorce rate?

same same the world over.often the reasons a couple have a child are selfish ones.

am having to bring money over from OZ soon for visa requirements and its gonna hurt cos that really puts my cost of living up in LOS by 30%..............so for example a takeaway pad kaprow at say 45 baht is now costing over 2 dollars AUD a heineken at say 80 baht now costs 4dollars AUD.Plus interest rates on savings have declined in OZ over the last 6 months by 3%..............will have to drink leo soon and buy noodles from noodle cart,then if it gets worse you will find me sleeping outside 711 in chaweng beach road.At least its warm here!!!!!!!!.

my advice would be to keep paying in to your to your UK pension while working overseas although that might be financially difficult if you are working in thailand as an english teacher on 30,000 baht pm. average salary.

Nature will reclaim it lol,they are going to change the name to LE SANDS.

you can sheikh 'em here you can sheikh 'em there but eventually the sands of time will take over

Have you encountered one?

i'm swimming almost every day in the sea at maenam beach, the water is never clear so i can't see inside but i'm swimming from left to right close to the beach, i hope i won't meet one of them...

do they come close to the beach or do they prefer deep water?

i swim at maenam too and have seen small jellyfish washed up there but they were n't box jelly fish,and i was there today and got bitten by sea lice.Box jelly fish have long tentacles but you cant see them.They can be fatal if stung across the chest,i had one back in australia get me and had many welts around my arm,scared the living daylights out of me,had medication with me a spray called stingos" and was ok,sipped down a couple of VB'S and the welts went down in 2 mins.vinegar and onions good too.