WinnieTheKhwai

I would be interested to know which lake in CM, as That sounds like a fun thing to do on a weekend or more. any contact number/name??

Mae Ngat lake. Part of Sri Lanna Natinal Park. North of Town.

To be honest, it's probably more hassle than it's worth. Keep in mind you can own a house just fine, just not the land it sits on. And when married the whole thing becomes moot anyway.

It's not that hard to copy those cards. Ask at Panthip or similar where they do magnetic stripe cards.

And besides, there will still be a security guard to open the thing for you. (Also to let in guests, the water truck guys, Yours Truly when going for a swim at the rather nice pool you have there, etc, etc, etc. No worries. They're doing the cards because it looks fancy, not because it's more secure or more convenient than a dude with at least one arm.

South, definitely South!

(Not Hua Hin though, I'm not going there again while I'm still breathing. It'd be a good place if you're dead, though. )

I agree with you on everything, but I have upped my tips lately when my bill is high.

I don't tip in noodle stalls either. That is where I eat when my income is down and I do not want to push prices up for myself or others.

I guess I should qualify 'pricey'.. I typically don't eat at *really* pricey places when on my own money (as opposed to company money). The really pricey ones also tend to have a service charge, so that takes care of any tip.

When it comes to bars, I tend not to tip too often or too much in places where I'm a regular. For a new place however I usually do leave 10 baht or so. I'm generous with food & liquor though. Anyone can come up to me at any time and request a som tam, meatball or sato budget. Or liquor even, on occasion, at places where they can get away with that.

There must be 'some' special significance even if it wasn't immediately clear..

All of this used to be far cheaper; we got some nice plates a couple years ago for about 2000 baht.

> non-demoninational

Always a good feature. Hate them demons bugging me.

yes many places now but its usually not the desireable Monthong variety. I did see some Monthong for sale near Spicy's but it was much more expensive at about 250-300 baht.

Monthong means Golden Pillow. The fruit has a golden yellow color and firmer texture. Most of the Durian I see now is more white color and blander taste with mushier texture. Is the whiter durian now called Cha Nee variety?

Yes, the shitty variety that you really want to avoid is Chanee. Mon Thong all the way!!

Good warning about the tea.. I think there's a couple other ones that are surprisingly high in charge, so best to ask.

Indeed when I go for lunch with not too many people then I do the 499 baht deal. They keep pooring chinese tea at no charge.

So, I guess this place requires some advance study and careful checking of the prices..

My wife has it with so much sugar it borders on desert.

I make Phad Thai myself too but it's remarkably hard to get right. Kind of like with Som Tam, another 2-25 baht dish that seems to require special mojo.

5000 baht note would be nice. I don't see the need for a 50 baht coin. Heck, I don't see the need for a 50 baht denomination at all. Just 20's and 100's are fine. (or better yet, a 25 one)

It's not about Thaksin. It's about police officers settling scores with a license to kill and a get out of jail free card. Remember, he may have said' "Jump!" but sure as heck, they're the ones who jumped. These officers deserve worse than whatever they get and should be made an example to all via a public smearing of their names and the force itself.

If it happens under his watch, it's his responsibility. He actively advertised the 'war on drugs' and this was a key feature of his policies at the time. Never mind that just about the whole country agreed with it, as a PM you're held to higher standards, or at the very least, the rule of law. There's really no way this can be spun around into anything but what it is, a blanket license to extra-judicial killings.

If there is ONE thing that I would agree Thaksin be tried for then it would be this. It's probably too hard to prosecute though, which is why they went for the silly stuff.

Do you not tip at all in pricey Western restaurants?

I usually do. Rarely over 10-20 baht though, whatever the bill is. I don't believe in percentages either. And besides, the act of delivering food to my table remains the same, no matter if it's a 50 baht dish or a 500 baht dish.

Tipping at small restaurants and food stalls is just awkward. If I liked the place then I come back, and they appreciate that a lot!

Thanks everyone, really good information!!

if you want Pad Thai that is not loaded with sugar, you have to wait for them to do some especially for you.

Huh.. why would anyone want Phad Thai that's not loaded with sugar?!

That's what Phad Thai IS : Sugar, salt (well, fish sauce), MSG, lots of oil and lots of empty carbs!

In another topic that I can't find back at the moment we discussed a famous Phad Thai shop that used to be located right on the main Thapae road but was reported to have moved to a location in one of the sois off Thapae Road.

I tried to find it today but failed. Which soi is it in?

Recommendations of other good Phad Thai shops are welcome too. (No fancy restaurants please, this needs to be 20-40 baht, otherwise you defeat the purpose of Phad Thai. Kind of like with burgers. )

I'm a caring person, but manage to express care in non-monetary ways.

Another good poll option would be "Thai wife/husband has children from earlier relationship, but I'm not raising the kids" (Either the ex partner is or her parents)

Well, I enjoy philandering as much as the next guy, but being married or having children really isn't a hindrance to it. In fact I proudly show off the pictures on my phone all around bars, etc. As many people I meet have children of a similar age, that's immediately a good topic for discussion.

They're everywhere. Most of them are good, but as they're so many of them, not worth driving across town for. chances are you'll get recommendations of places that are around the corner from where people live/work.

I know a good place that's around the corner from where I live.

Yes, Fujiian is at the Oriental Dhara Dhevi. It's in their shopping village that's on the right hand side as you enter the main parking lot. After entering the village, take a left turn.

I also heard a very credible recommendation on the Nimmanhaemin Soi 15 place, will try that soon.

If you book far in advance it's cheaper on Air Asia. If you want to book for the next couple days, it's more expensive.

if you don't like it then there's always the bus or the train. Or hitchhiking.

BRILLIANT idea. I wouldn't worry about what remains in the main Chiang Mai forum; if anything it means that 'actual' topics of interest will stick around longer/better/more prominently.

check out my classified and seeif you think it is a good price

http://classifieds.thaivisa.com/real-estat...sale-23503.html

643K per Rai for 7 rai 20km out of townin the Mae On / Lamphun area? No. Nice area, but should be a lot cheaper. anything over 400K would be very expensive, anything under 300K would be a good deal if there was less than 7 rai of it, but as it's 7 rai I think you're looking at about 200K. If you get close to half of what you're asking then you will have done very well.

It nicely underlines the original poster's premise though.

I think Chiang mai land is a mite expensivo.

I think so too, especially in the town area all the way up to the outer ring and a bit beyond. Once you get about half an hour out of town prices drop fast though.

And there's a little difference between directions; Mae On and Doi Saket seam a bit cheaper than Mae Rim / Hang Dong or straight South towards Lamphun.

What are your requirements for size / distance / price ? Asking "How much per Tarang Wa" is a bit like asking "How much for land in New York" but without specifying if you mean Manhattan or up-state New York.

"10 years ago" would be a good time to retire.

Don't worry too much about visas, there's always a way.

good question, wonder if the actual real answer will ever get posted?

Sure it will.

They're only similar in English, due to the issue of not having enough consonants in that language.

Patpong is พัฒน์พงษ์ , named after the Thai-Chinese Phatphongphanich family.

Pattaya is พัทยา, so roughly similar to Phatpong in that it at least starts with the same consonant and vowel.

Patong (on Phuket) is ป่าตอง, this really is completley different. Different consonant, different vowel, different word. It's not even remotely similar to the other two. ป่า here is paa (low tone) as in forest.

You're all very welcome. Next.

Alas, the question has been lost in translation - or something like that. The point of the question was: why do places with names prefixed with Pat attract 'sex tourists'. There i have said it

Well, there it doesn't work either because there are PLENTY places for sex (tourism or otherwise) that don't start with Pat-

Next we'll hear from someone who, while on his daily Chang-high, suggests that all postal codes of red light areas have a particular number in them..

Or that all sex workers come from some mysterious "Isan Triangle" that spans roughly Khorat - Ubon - Nong Khai.

Ooohhhh Twilight Zone....