WinnieTheKhwai

First dropped a lot, then when getting (too) comfortable gained a lot. Then just had to make some diet changes (cut carbs, etc.)

Weirdest thing by far would be blue cheese.

Clue: "Bias" is not the same as "Opinion"

Here is an excellent new article that you would never read in any Thai publication.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/238161

Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was thought to be a populist demagogue. Actually, he was the high-water mark for Thai democracy.

In case anyone is thinking of heading over to Tesco Khamtieng to withdraw cash from an ATM, save yourself the trip. I just returned from there and not only is Aeon and Kasikorn closed but almost every ATM in the shopping center gives the message "Sorry, banknotes not available at this ATM". I tried 4 of them downstairs with no luck and when I went upstairs there was about 25 people waiting in line at one (that I'm sure will be out of cash by now).

Speaking of banking (and ATMs) I found the banks at the Hang Dong Carrefour VERY convenient.. There's all the typical machines for deposit and withdrawal, and nice branch offices that are a bit larger than what's normally at department stores, but are open on weekends. (Bangkok Bank, SCB, Krung Thai, and I think Kasikorn Thai inside the Carrefour building). Overall this is a very nice shopping area, with a very good food center. It's pretty far out in between Hang Dong and Sanpatong though.

That's not Larb Issan. It's more likely to be 'Kho Moo Yang' (grilled pork neck), which many Issan restaurants have. A safe recommendation in the Old town area would be Kaen Chai restaurant, opposite the old Siam TV building.

Can I say something sensible:

There is another reason why a comparison with Deep South or Al Qaeda style terrorism isn't valid. Namely that those groups claim to be fighting for goals that are completely unacceptable to just about anyone outside of the extremist core. There is no way ever that 'the free world' will give as much as in inch in any kind of negotiation, nor is 'compromise' a goal for those groups.

The Red movement by and large, which by the way is made up of many different groups, loosely want things that are VERY acceptable to the majority of Thai people, and if not for a hand ful of nut-jobs they would have accepted Mr. Abhisit's very reasonable compromise proposal two weeks ago. The issue was that the Red Shirt protest had been reduced to the absolute most hard-core fringe; those were the guys still there in Bangkok. Compare that to an overwhelming majority of people in the 'red heartland' who were pleased with Mr. Abhisist's road map, and were appalled by the stubborn, violent and irrational way things unfolded.

So, the Al Jazeera reporter's angle was that 'underground struggle' is now all that's left. It's not. It's MUCH more likely that 'the Thai way' will prevail, and elections will take place late this year or early next year. Meanwhile all the groups in the red movement will have to do some soul searching and decide who they want to be: socialists, democracy activists, Thaksin-fanboys, or Phua Thai Party-elite.

Clearly some people will have questions.. For example just how far into the Darkside can you live for it to still be counted as Pattaya. What if you live in Bang Saray, or further along the coast, etc.

It's interesting to read that police was actively stopping vehicles. Up in Chiang Mai they never bothered with that, and the curfew is largely ignored. (though bars do go about it a bit more quietly than usual)

I think it'd be good advise to just bring your passport, and perhaps prepare a plausible reason why you'd need to be on the road at 2am. (Not that hard)

Any kind of oatmeal would work I think? Quaker brand, for example:

http://www.quakeroats.com/products/oatmeal...l/original.aspx

Don't feel bad, it's me. I suppose Honda Dreams et al were just as girlie with the silly little basket in front. But I don't consider those girlie because I've seen what some hilltribe folk can do with those things going up mountains.. Incredible. Anything that goes well in mud & dirt is by definition not girlie.

No rain in Doi Saket yet but just returned from Meechock Plaza, had a few showers there.

At the DIY home improvement store you mean?

Another scorching day.. But VERY clear air, it must be said.

Does anyone know where that coffee shop is that was in the video?

Te coffee shop is called RED'S it sets in the sw corner of the parking lot of the Maninarakorn Hotel on Sridonchai Road. A friend of mine is married to a pass owner of the establishment. She sold out about 6 months ago.

Thanks!

And a great post by Orang! (first of all because it is the very first of his posts that I actually understood and managed to read in full, and secondly because it's spot on. )

Boohoo.

Law, what law.. If Thailand was a country of laws, we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with. (And it wouldn't be as much fun either)

Definitely girlie.. But then I think any of the new underbone scooters (with the engine at the back) and tiny tiny little wheels are girlie. So including the Click, Airblade, etc.

Does anyone know where that coffee shop is that was in the video?

Great, so with any luck I'll be more constrained by the Mrs. than by the Royal Thai Army. And enforcement not nearly as lenient.

Most countries would have done whatever it took to disperse the protesters, but, the ones that could afford it, would start with the methods that you have mentioned Winnie.

Wait, what? Thailand can afford F16s, an Aircraft Carrier, etc, etc, but they cannot afford horses and getting a crowd control consultant in? They can afford Cobra Gold, but not to bring in some riot policing expertise?

Elkangorito sure is contributing a lot to a topic he dismissed as being done to death, and asking the OP to search. Clearly there are points to be made that weren't covered before, or else his great efforts would make no sense at all.

Simple rule: If your stuff doesn't fit in a typical carry on sized bag then you brought WAY too much. Anything you need you can easily pick up.

More than 80% of Thai Visa members who answered this poll agree that the protesters would have been crushed in the beginning in almost any other country. The PM did what he had to do to protect the economy and majority of Thai people and he did not go overboard. We are lucky to have him.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=3617555

Most democracies have been calling for a negotiated solution to the crisis, which gives a hint to how they may have handled the situation dont you think ?

That 80% proves little. Most Thai Visa members are Thaksinphobes and simply by reading through these political threads, one realises that objective reasoning is subordinate to this fact.

Right, define 'crushed' UG. If by crushed you mean a well trained crowd control force employing water cannons, tear gas (properly), horses and proper tactics then I agree in full. If you mean that other countries would have sent in the military with no other means to act other than an M16 assault rifle, then we have less agreement.

I am saying that the silence is deafening from the northeast regarding the actions of the protesters.

In all seriousness, how did you expect any non-silence to be communicated to you? From the pages of the English press perhaps? Then you will be waiting a long time, unless you're willing to read between the lines. Such as the ABAC poll that reported that 99% of respondents were saddened by recent events. (Go look up the article for exact wording and percentages). That's about as much confirmation as you will ever going to get.

( Unless of course you'd (gasp) would actually talk to people in/from those regions; clearly that's too much to expect and I apologize for even mentioning it. )

you're having wild boar curry at midnight? I wish I could enjoy heavy meal this late.

Sorry, that was before I went out, so around 7:30pm.

I'm in Chiang Mai, where curfew was never really enforced anyway. Last night I was out until after midnight, and still plenty people around. Some bars were only semi-open, with no loud music playing. There are very few checkpoints that are easily avoided, but there's no point in avoiding them as they don't stop any car or motorcycle driving past them.

Further comments on what I said below:

I personaly don't think any watershed event has taken place. People who have been here a while were probably less surprised. If it accellerated the shedding of pink spectacles for others then that may be a good thing.

For me (personally) the watershed event was the 2006 coup, and perhaps not that event itself but the realization of just how far Thailand is from a democracy, when governments can be thrown out arbitrarily. Since then I knew that something like what happened recently was on the cards, just listening to people's opinions, and the extent of their resentment and disenfranchisement. I personally wish Mr. Abhisit very good luck in trying to bridge divides, if in fact he (or more importantly, his party and his backers) are genuine in that.

Doesn't make people angry, it makes them happy.

I personaly don't think any watershed event has taken place. People who have been here a while were probably less surprised. If it accellerated the shedding of pink spectacles for others then that may be a good thing.

I do realize however that the situation was quite scary within a couple blocks in Bangkok, and indeed if you got caught up in that then clearly that's not what you expect out of retired life.

The goal of a censure debate is to get enough MPs to drop support for a government. This would depend on getting some MPs in the government/coalition side to end supporting the coalition.

If that happens, then either a new government can be formed that does have enough support, or new elections can be held.