KED

Perhaps it's just in American English that "a gay" sounds awkward - also, this phrasing is used in the U.S. primarily by prejudiced people, in my experience.

First thing is make a reservation with the U.S. Embassy to renew your passport - you are no longer able to walk-in without a reservation.

Once you complete the renewal application, submit your photos and pay the fee - you will keep your current passport until the new one is received.

I believe you have the option of having the new passport mailed back to you - I live in Bangkok and picked mine up.

If you travel often in SE Asia and your passport is filled with Visa stamps, it may be best that you request a new passport with extra pages -

I also think the article was well-written and very positive towards Chiang Mai. Good that they also included a few of their perceived negatives. I think travel writing should be more balanced and include the good aspects along with the less than desirable as well.

Good job.

As a side note, I find the wording in title insulting :

"What Would Thai Wife Do If She Found Out Her Thai Husband Is A Gay ( Or Bisexual ) ?"

This sounds much less offensive

"What Would a Thai Wife Do If She Found Out Her Thai Husband is Gay" NOT "a gay"

is this just me that is bothered by this?

I am thinking of installing a water filter at my condo in Bangkok but would like to get the water tested before and after - any ideas where I can have the water tested in the Krung Thep area? thanks

That explains why the trains need to travel so slowly.

Regarding the high speed trains, the technology available now to determine construction requirements are just a little bit better than those from a century ago.

I don't think people have a problem with the new and even old technology. The lack of confidence is in the government adhering to these standard practices. Too often, short cuts and cost cutting comprise the initial construction. And don't get me started on maintenance once the project is completed.

Many airline inventory systems sell more economy tickets than seats if the business class cabin doesn't have a demand. So, if an aircraft has a capacity of 70 in business and 230 in economy, they might only sell 40 in business and as a result offer up to 280 or more in economy and just upgrade like mad. For the upgrades, frequent flyer status is the key; however, on certain routes, there just aren't enough high level flyers - but it is a lottery and rarely if ever does a request get granted just because they asked.

I was on a BA flight from LAX-LHR many years ago and a male passenger asked the flight attendant if he could be upgraded because he had a sore leg; the flight attendant quickly and loudly replied "if we upgraded everyone with an ailment, all passengers would soon have ailments."

Great to have more options, but the fare is way more expensive than flying to Udon Thani and taking the van to the border. I like Bangkok Airways but their price structure is expensive for leisure, price-sensitive travelers.

Hey look, America isn't the only place with retarded hillbillies.

but America is the only place where there are states/provinces which legalize these relationships - In places like North Carolina / West Virginia - you can legally marry your cousin -

This is definitely a step in the right direction, albeit months overdue. The BTS and MRT are instrumental in the development of Bangkok; i just wish there was more planning and more efficient implementation of needed expansion and improvement. I fear corruption has blocked so much of these projects.

I have tried to transfer money from two of my U.S. accounts via Bangkok Bank in NYC. One bank refused the transfer because Bangkok Bank would not allow charge backs from the originating bank and they considered that too much of a liability should a problem occur. The other bank was able to do transfers without a hitch for one year - and I transferred living expenses and the purchase price for a condo without a problem. Then about 8 months ago, I attempted another transfer and, all of a sudden, Bangkok Bank refused the transfers because the name was not an exact match. I checked with the initiating bank in the U.S. and nothing had changed. It seems that my U.S. bank uses a transfer system which limits the characters on the account name and Bangkok Bank had flagged this. Bangkok Bank finally relented and allowed the transfers to continue but I had to sign a release form.

Not sure what your problem is and it is so difficult to get answers between two financial institutions to resolve the issue.

I am not judging others, but fast food burgers are one of the things I don't miss about the West. I am glad for those who want a Carl Jr's that there will be that option - but with KFC / Pizza Hut / Starbucks / McDonalds on every block - Thailand is starting to be indistinguishable from any city in the U.S. - not my idea of paradise.

I am definitely not supporting farang/thai pricing, but I do think the mass transit should serve the entire Bangkok community and it should not price itself out of the reach of the average Thai worker. Supply and demand should not be a factor because the BTS/MRT mission should be to move people around the city, not to create a luxurious environment for the rich to travel - of course, it would be great if they could combine the public service with more trains and reasonable cost.

I do feel the 20 baht proposal is just political pandering.

It is sad that he loss of life is not more valuable than the lure of corrupt baht. Don't they recognize that these continued failures of Thai infrastructure will slowly undermine the tourist business they claim to want to attract. Nightclub fires and fatalities , highway accidents and deaths, unchecked criminal poisonings and mugging murders, hotel guests dying of undetermined causes - on single incident will not affect tourism but when potential tourists begin researching Thailand and all of these deaths are found - people will begin to avoid visiting. No amount of smiles, cheap food and beer, and beaches is worth a life.

After a couple of times you get used to the maze. It's the Air Asia virgins pay who pay with blood (forgive the horrible pun). It takes me about 5 minutes now from logging on to signing off with my itinerary in hand.

And I wouldn't knock them for trying to make a buck. All considered they're heckuva deal; moreover, on-time, a great safety record and the cutest crews on the planet.

I don't have a problem with a business making a buck or a baht - but I do resent when a business tries to trick their customers for that buck or baht.

I'm not sure how old you are now - but since you are concerned about your finances in your 60's, now is a good time to start to make plans and save money and check on insurance. Enjoy your time in Thailand now but also make plans for living in Thailand in the future.

Sad that the hilltribe people are treated so badly within Thailand. Good luck in getting it all sorted.

It is sad to see how the majority always take advantage of minorities within society.

You would think that knowing how some overseas Thai workers are taken advantage of by richer nations, that Thailand would not do the same to hilltribe / Burmese / Cambodian / Laos workers.

I know it is not all Thai citizens; however, these practices are allowed to continue in this country to the economically disadvantaged by Thai officials both locally and nationally.

It won't help in your situation, but at least this serves as a reminder for all to check the validity date of your entry stamp when returning to Thailand. Unfortunately, yours is not the first mistake I have read here and heard from friends.

Good luck in fixing the problem with minimal difficulties, I agree that you should either 1). Go back to original entry point and politely request a correction. 2). Arrange a flight out of Thailand and pay the THB 20,000 fee or 3). if in Bangkok, check with Chaeng Wattana to correct the mistake.

A child traveling with a UK passport without a return ticket or holding a return ticket exceeding the 30 day visa-exempt entry will need a visa or the airline will not allow travel.

I moved here 6 years ago and rented for 3 years and then bought a condo. I didn't really buy as an investment - but I felt confident that Bangkok would be my home for a long time - if not the rest of my life.

The advantages for me was the ability to really make my condo my home - buy he furniture I wanted and even paint the walls in colors I liked - not beige. Also, with interest rates at 2-3% on savings and the stock market so volatile - I felt better spending some savings on a home.

Hopefully, I will keep the condo and live in it for many years to come - but I don't regret buying -

In my experiences of traveling, it is always best to convert Thai baht to Euro or USD within Thailand and then exchange in other countries when traveling. Even a with all the high-rolling Thai's who visit Macau - I think it is very difficult to get a good exchange rate for THB in any country except in border towns.

Also, even with ATM fees - this is a better option than exchanging baht outside of Thailand.

I wish there were some pro-active, investigative news reporting on the reason for the long delay in this opening. I moved here in 2006 and the tracks were all complete - how can it possibly take 6-7 years to open this? My bet is that influential sources wanted to develop KrungThonburi and Wong WIan Yai land and condo projects before opening.

Once these stops are opened, land prices in the shadow of the original BTS will lower as more condo opportunities with lower sqm prices exist along the new stops. It is just sad that not one politician cares enough for the public good to get the Bangkok infrastructure in place.

It may be a little pricey - but you can try one of the many Starbucks and also there is a Verasu on Silom - it is in the newly renovated white building - I don't know the building name but there is a True coffeshop and Citibank in the same building - If you walk away from Lumphini Park on Silom and pass the McDonald's - it is located in the second building on the left. Silom Center is still closed until October -

I love both Indonesia and Thailand, but I live in Thailand because I have a Thai partner.

All my Thai friends don't understand why I prefer Bali over Phuket or Koh Samui, but there is just something magical for me there. Once I get away from the Kuta tourist area, I just feel more relaxed and free to explore without being hassled. I find the Balinese culture very interesting and the peoples to be very sincere.

Of course, no place is perfect and there is a large influx of Javanese people who are there simply to make money off of farang (bule in Indonesian) and these people can be overbearing with their incessant call for "transport" "massage" "girl, girl" - but when I am in these areas - I just wear an Ipod with earplugs and ignore them.

Also, in the Kuta / Legian / Seminyak area there is a huge number of Australian tourists especially during the Australian cold months and during holidays. I don't mind them as individuals but the large number distorts the natural balance of things (like Russians in Pattaya).

But I find so much about Bali to be enjoyable - I think the beaches are less developed than other popular areas and not covered every inch by rentable beach chairs and umbrellas - I prefer to just relax with a beach towel and don't need to be pampered. Also, the vendors stay 50 meters away from the beach in a tree-shaded area, so if you want a drink or massage - you can move up to that area, and if you want to be alone to relax, you can experience that also.

I enjoy Ubud very much and the views along the rice terraces are amazing.

In your review, you mentioned that Indonesians cannot differentiate between Thai and Indonesians - but I assure you that every Indonesian friend that visits Thailand is first spoken to in Thai - it is just the natural assumption.