WinnieTheKhwai

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.

How many of you came to Thailand/chiang mai for a vacation but decided to move for good?

Nope.. Not in my case.

diet / suger free sprite or 7 up as well

Diet 7Up = Soda water + Lime + Equal Sweetener.

Easy, and probably better, too.

I notice no change whatsoever.

Credit where credit is due, here's a move I LIKE a LOT!! It makes a lot of sense because April 16th is a Friday. So you create a larger holiday period.

( AND they managed to announce it in advance, instead of like the evening of the 15th to announce that 16th is a holiday. )

I enjoy Songkran a lot, too. BTW, a longer holiday period you can actually fill in as just that, an extended trip to Phuket or somewhere else where people don't celebrate for more than an afternoon or so.

Why all the negativity? Are you (you in general, you know who you are) really so depressed to not want to see others having a longer holiday?? Please.

Clown government... Does anyone still think it was only a particular politician's "Social Order" campaign that was at the root of this BS? It clearly runs (and ran) deeper.

Nuff said.

Highlght:

" mouth of Soi "

Their "Tinglish" skills are ever advancing.

(Amulets aren't really Buddhist)

Though obviously many superstitious Thais who are Buddhists do believe in amulets. The news article merely reveals that Abhisit is one of them.)

If ever there's a reason to have kids then it'd be that it gains you an excellent excuse to by a slot car set.

(I'd get a Carrera brand one of course, as it's obviously superior. )

Guesthouse,

I think there are two main rather easy-to-understand reasons why people seem to be upset at stridently and farcically negative views on Thailand.

The first is the "convert syndrome." People who embrace something new, be that a religion, new job, new lifestyle, new country, tend to be a little more evangelical, if I can use that phrase, than people who have been in the same camp all their lives. They take ownership in the new situation, and want to be the biggest supporters. And some people coming to live in Thailand fit this bill. They feel they need to justify their decision by defending Thailand at all costs. So they get upset, as you put it, when people post negative things about the country.

The second reason is that some people are just wedded to the truth,as they see it. It is not in their nature to let falsities slide by. If someone posts that Udon is the largest city in Thailand, for example, and I know I am making an extremely simplistic example, there will be posters who will quickly and adamantly post that this is incorrect, Bangkok is the largest city. This has nothing to do with being upset that Thailand has been "wronged," it is just a correction of facts. So when the same posters corrects a slam at Thailand, such as a comment that all Thais are lazy or some such, it is still a correction of fact, as the poster sees it, rather than a defense of Thailand or a case of looking at Thailand through saffron-colored glasses.

And there you have it. No holes, perfect and complete answer. Guesthouse will be happy I'm sure.

Well, a key concept of Buddhism is impermanence. Can't cling to the physical stuff too much.

For Chomthong district you will need high power in teh winter months. Don't even consider anything lower than 6000 Watt. If it's at all in the mountains then electric may not even cut it and you would go for gas. Where you buy doesn't matter much, all electrical goods stores have a good selection.

(Though a 10,000 Watt one may be harder to find).

Also, keep in mind this is pretty high power, so it will need to be on its own breaker cirtcuit, and the cabling needs to support the load.

That's a good choice. Best though I think are D.K. Book Center on Kotchasarn Road South of the intersection with Loi Kroh, and Suriwong Book Centre on Sridonchai Road, before the intersection with Kamphaeng Din when coming from the South Eastern corner of the moat.

Then there's Robinson's at Central Airport Plaza; more English language books there, at a price. This is the best place for toys, too.

For cheapo coloring books I think D.K and the above mentioned stationary store are just fine.

In retaliation we had one killed and ate it for supper, but a tougher, stringiest peice of meat I've never eaten.

The little children were a delight though,

They were less stringy?

I don't get this post at all.. Surely the expat community in Thailand must be among the most politically INcorrect you could ever hope to find anywhere?

Or is this post taking issue with efforts to sanitize a commercial forum? That's just common business sense and has little to do with political correctness.

And, in case you hadn't noticed, there are some restrictions on free speech in Thailand, but not sure if that was what you were hinting at either.

So in short, is there anyone who can make some sense out of this topic?

Oh oh. A news article with numbers.. Lets see:

this year, annual domestic car sales reached 540,000 cars which was 40,000 cars higher than predicted.

The total car sales this year was 139,400 units.

Burp.

Oh, and then the nice positive headline 'top expectations' but the fact of the matter:

it was 30 percent less than last year.

Cheers mates.

Takki looks so ugly and is a fugitive criminal and apparently too poor to afford plastic surgery!

(Apologies; I just wanted to make an empty superficial post myself; see how it feels. )

Guesthouse seems to care a great deal about what people on this forum think?

To be honest I rarely see a post that's critical and also adds something new or interesting that's worthy of discussion. Often I notice comments that border on looking down on Thai people AND are factually wrong at the same time. You just know that type of person that crap is coming from, but I would agree it's hardly worth replying too. They're not the sort of people I'd hang out with IRL so if they just foul up a forum then I'd just count my blessings that it keeps them off the streets.

Thing I miss is the cheap prices and happy, smiling, carefree people. Thailand has indeed changed and I wish I could up roots and move somewhere new. The part of Bangkok I am in is now getting so dirty that quite a few of my neighbours are trying to sell and move somewhere nicer to live (Thais). In the UK alot of things are now cheaper than Thailand (example: my garmin GPS is half the price it is here). So what happened to the beautiful, cheap, carefree Thailand we all loved?

Chances are that you changed as much as Thailand, if not more. Chances are when you first came to Thailand to experience the smiling carefreeishness, you weren't spending your days in Fortune Mall looking for electronic gadgetry. If you were, you would have found it expensive back then, too. Imported electronics were always quite expensive in Thailand. If anything prices came down a lot.

Wow, this topic sure brought out the cynics! Interesting.

Btw Johpa: there IS an alternative to getting rid of the rice stubble: just plough it into the ground! That's actually better for the soil than burning it.

Um, not to be overly pedantic, but who changed the title if this topic to slash & burn?? I agree the original poster's title was ridiculous, but whoverer changed it either doesn't know what slash and burn agriculture means, or doesn't know what goes on around Chiang Mai. (or both, of course)

Google it.

Or, the same "<deleted>!?" but expressed in a factual numerical format:

Please dude.

Winnie, where did you get those numbers from, are they available on a daily basis? Also, any idea why there is only a PM10 figure for CM and no others fields contain data, is there a reason for that?

Yes, numbers are available (almost) every day at www.pcd.go.th Click English, then 'Regional Air quality". There's lots of cool graphs as well.

Note there are three stations for Chiang Mai. The others do show the other columns.

All the more appreciation for Air Asia who done away with all the surcharge BS. What you see is what you get. They do add aiport tax, but that's a small amount (domestic)

Who would be good female Thai role models then? I imagine Dr Khunying Porntip aka "Doctor Death" may be in there.

I find the whole concept of a "role model" a bit weird.

I wasn't too offended by the article though.. Ok, a blogger with a hang-up against Disney Princess or Hello Kitty.. Big deal. If you had to force some common sense into each and everyone of those loons you'd have more than a full time job. Live and let live; they can have their rants, and my daughter can have her Princess shirt.