LennyW

One thing Bberg. It's not the Thai bath that has increased, it's the pound and the krone that have decreased. Which means that your problem is not exclusively related to Thailand. It is exactly the same for every country. Everywhere you will go beside your home country will be a lot more expensive to you than it was last year. In this case, it's your currency, not the Thai baht, that is to blame. The value you have lost is at home not here.

Yes the bath is (too?) strong but this is not new. It was even a lot stronger a year and a half ago if you compare with the Euro by example.

This make no sense at all! I have two diplomas in International economy, one in Asian politics and another in international trade and there is nothing so far in my years of education that explains why the Thai bath is still so strong.

To start with so is England as well as Norway standing outside EMU so their currencies will not be saved by a strong US Dollar or a strong Euro. Thailand is also not bound strong to any currency officially so if the Norse Krona and the British pound should fall to the Euro and the Dollar so should the Thai bath equally, (plus/minus some percent), but so have not happened?

When you value a lands currency you use a couple of established international models that take different key figures into account. Things like trade deposits, international debt, political stability, national levels of education, low percentage of poverty, modern industry, natural infrastructure, industrial infrastructure, import/export numbers, key export values, natural resources and so on.

Norway and England both have natural resources like oil, gas, lumber, minerals/mines, water, and so on Thailand do not.

Norway and England both have a fairly good trade deposit, international dept, national levels of education, low percentage of poverty, Thailand do not.

Norway and England both have a fairly modern industry, a good natural infrastructure, a good industrial infrastructure, good import/export numbers, key export values, Thailand do not.

Thailand's main BNP incomes comes from rice and tourism and the rice harvest have not been the best during the last 5 years time and the truism have gone down with 40% the last 2 years and are believed to decrease a lot more in the next couple of years world wide.

One thing that have always happens when a land have had big domestic political problems are that their currencies have dropped in values like a rock, (Argentina and Japan fairly recently, Spain, Italy and Portugal further back as good examples), but by unknown reasons this do not happened in Thailand?

During the last 4 month I have talked to international traders, old University professors, banking people as well as people high up in the current administration working international finance, and so far NO ONE can come up with a good answer to why those rules and models do not apply to the Thai bath.

I would love to hear someone come up with a strong and probable explanation to this!

Mancon, were they dishing out diplomas for attendance??? you story is so full of holes i cannot even be bothered to correct it!!! For someone allegedly with a diploma in international economy - i thought you would have known it is Thai Baht not bath!!!

Take sukhumvit soi 89 - Toongklom Tanman, about 4K soi 13 on your left, drive right round to the Elephant Camp, about 100m before you reach the Elephant Camp cut across the dirt road on your right (sometimes has a sign but the elephants keep knocking it down!), and you will come to it.

Or, go all the way to the end of Toongklom Tanman and take a left, about 2k's and you will see it signposted on your left!

Warning!!! Dont be expecting a big / fancy place!!

In a small village up near Suphan Buri last year the locals were up in arms at the imminent arrival of a new Tesco, now more than half the village work there!! everybody thinks it is great????? Tesco this, Tesco that........

The Twit on High Vision is from the southern end of Ireland. Somewhere near Cork I would guess because he says "Ye" when he should be saying "You". Another annoying thing about that that program is that they play muzak over the so-called interviews. Why?

Oh you of the correct grammar... don't you mean music???

I hate that cr*p! I'm surprised so many thais waste their money & pay for it! YUK Someone should launch a class action against the Americans for unleashing this on the world!

The Brits who complain about Micky D's should reach back in their memories to the days of Wimpy Bars. Compared to Wimpy's Mac Donald's is haute cuisine.

If I were going to launch a class action against the United States, I'd start with Dick Cheney.

The only reason Americans dont like Wimpey burgers is that they are not fit to lift the mighty Halfpounders!!!!!! :jerk:

raylo, i am not a agent, just asking specifics, very easy for people to say "that was expensive" but when asked "compared to what", usually they have no answer???

I know what i look for in a house, but some of the questions on TV forum lead me to think some people should not be allowed out of their mothers house, let alone think about buying one of their own???

Just past Bang Saray on Sukhumvit heading south, on your left you will see a place with excavators and trucks etc. occasionally he has portacabins on view at the side of the road with for sale signs on them. It is just virtually on the edge of the village.

Failing that, keep driving to Ban Chang and Mapthaput you will see plenty at the roadside for sale, more industrial companies there.

Good luck.

..."Charlie's" that keep whinging on and on about the cost of a Baht Bus ride!!!!

I quite like a Chang - decent enough, however its a bit like drinking water though compared to the Orkney brew "Skullsplitter" i kid you not, 8.5% ABV , now thats for real Scottish Men!!!

suicide city.....................must be something in the air.

A bit presumtious samuibeachcomber????

Another news report says he had a heart condition and there were no signs of foul play.

RIP.

Thats brilliant, I always hated the no right turn from Soi Siam CC - absolute nightmare trying to get across quick and then pulling a U turn to go Northbound.

This will make life a lot easier.

...provided of course the locals can get to grips with the significance of Red, Amber and Green....?

My Thai neighbour is down there armed with a metal detector at about 6 am every morning too, go see any of thes guys and i would not be surprised if a small reward got you a result!!

I have seen Thai private "agents" - and i use that term very loosely, ask people to take their "for sale" signs down prior to a showing so that they can ask for a higher price and then work their way down in "discounts". Stupid !!

What if the potential buyer already drove past and saw the price, or as you did, saw it on the net or other ads???

These private "agents" who have little or no input to the sale other than introduceing a customer, (which is usually a "friend" they are trying to cheat) are not happy with the 3 or 5% commission they would get, oh no, they have to scheme and scam to try and get more - more often than not killing a sale!! Greedy Bstads!!

If brains was dynamite they wouldnt have enough to blow their nose!!

I asked my wife why they fk around like that - the "Thai way" was the answer!!

Yeah we moved from UK and because my wife had been there more than one year, no duty to pay whatsoever and i had a lot of power tools and the like. We used Santa Fe shipping.

Fuel and ciggarettes are much cheaper here than UK, UK taxation takes the piss!!

Oh and poll / council tax!!!

I guess it works two ways too, many people here have sold their condos at the present time and sent money back to UK making an instant 25% without having to increase their selling prices.

I certainly feel a better quality of life here than in UK, i used to cringe going into the supermarkets in the UK and looking at things like coffee - same brand, being 5 times the price that it is in Thailand. Fresh vegatables in UK are far too expensive too, here they are "cheap as chips"

Give me Thailand any day!!

Yeah Tesco, Big C, Carrefour, they all have them now, dont know about the quality as some are as low as 600 Bt!

Take care!

Stupid, but not stupid enough, It doesn't qualify him for the Darwin Awards

But still he lost face big time...

Priceless!!

Most hardware stores stock them

They are rectangular in shape with a door to close once the rat is inside.

Yeah these are common for sale in the markets, when you catch the rat you just toss the cage on the fire, rat kin keow - aroy, rat moo baan -mea aroy, or something like that!

In Scotland they had a problem with rats on the farm when i was a lad, a few "methods" were used to try and get rid of them, but rats will move when they want to, a "flitting" they call it, they all just go! (when THEY want to!!)

A friend of mine thought it would be smart to catch one in the barn, cover it in petrol and set fire to it, idea being that the screams of the burning rat would drive others away, the burning rat went under his house and set fire to his house!!!!!!!! What goes around comes around!! I guess the Chinese worship them for some reason???

Anyone know where you can hire Tents and stuff to go camping, is there a store in Pattaya?

Are you taking the piss Jim??

You can buy tents in Tesco / Big C for less than 1000 Bt, and where the F### are you going to feel safe pitching them?? (Snakes as well as two legged pests!!)

Calm down man, next you will be proposing caravans, the only good thing would be the entertainment value of any of the locals trying to tow and reverse a caravan??????

With the country having an abundance of "accomodation" from as little as 1000 Bt a month - can you see a need for tent hire?????

I think i saw in advertising for the new central plaza that it would have something like 9 screens??? I just hope they are not as cold as some i have bin in here!!!!!

Sad as it may be now, the RGP is prime real estate - so i guess there will be a re-incarnation of some kind in the near future!

You need to be a little more specific davylad, a lot of variables, decor, land size, house age, house size,single walls, cavity walls, private pool (by who?), communal pool ???? security, etc. etc. ..... so many different houses and options here??

Are you talking about one property in particular or a general observation?

PM me if you want to discuss further discretely.

Well its Friday tommorow, so for those of you that have not tried it yet - get yourself off to Jamiesons for the special - you will not be dissapointed!!!!mmmmmmmm

Why not just eat a plate full of salt and a tub of fat.

Because that would be known as an Aberdeen Rowie!! mmmmmmmm.

if people stall or pull out of making their stage payments then what happens???

just so you are aware the structure of the building is not the most expensive part....

like you say it's out of your price range....go buy the lofts if you have faith

They all come on TV forum and slag off the developers!!!

Dammned sad to hear Beardog, thankfully you are ok!

Just goes to show you - if they want in they will get in - especially the yabba heeds!!

Take care.