smokeyjoe2008

How should we know what the future holds? It could get worse it could get better.

Yes i know none of you can read the future, but many of you are so immersed in this topic, live in Thailand, keep up to date on these things so much that a lot of you maybe have an idea or a hunch of what could happen....

I dont deny that if could get worse..... shame..

news in england are advising to steer clear of parts of bangkok and pattaya.so what little tourists there was left travelling will soon start panicing.cancelations even less tourists.great for thailand!!

I think we all know the Pattaya local economy has been helped considerably

by our Russian friends in recent times but with these developments ( below )

I'm curious if anyone thinks this will dramatically reduce the number of

visitors and possibly even investors from a part of the world. After all

their recent wealth was based almost entirely on oil revenue which has

been slashed.

Russia's Government yesterday threw a $40 billion (£27.6 billion) lifeline to its banks as the rouble suffered another pounding, prompting further speculation that the country would be forced into a formal devaluation.

In London, Alexei Kudrin, Russia's Finance Minister, hinted at budget cuts as his country grapples with high inflation, a depreciating currency and the collapse in value of oil and gas, Russia's main exports.

The dollar value of the Russian currency fell to within a few kopecks of 41 roubles, the floor at which the central bank is committed to defend the currency by selling dollars. The rouble has plunged by almost 40 per cent in six months, despite the expense of hundreds of billions of dollars in foreign currency in its defence.

oh what a shame!!join the rest of the world up the creek with no paddle.

I learned of farangs married to Thai women who are shot and killed during an apparent break-in, but the Thai wife was mysteriously away shopping or visiting somebody when it happened. Greed and life insurance proceeds are awfully tempting to many Thai spouses, particularly those who sprang from the lower economic strata..

nothing new there!!!

//bangkok.craigslist.co.th/cas/1004077668.html

I'm guessing it was from this craigslist ad. I have been wondering how long it would last......

damm does this mean the pattaya ones off this weekend?

Thanks for the great respones!!

I have learned alot by opening my eyes and seeing more then sex.. My wife is amazing women and i am sure the guys who have a GOOD thai wife know what i am talking about and i am a idiot thinking of sticking my BIG ONE(HEHE) elsewhere.. take just tonight for instants.. she cooked a great meal and as i am typing this post she is taking a wet cold cloth and saying i am hot and need to cold down.. Yes i am a idiot but perhaps now since i know how good i really have it i am smart????. Ok i will watch some tv and let my wife clean up the place after diner and get my bath ready ! dam_n i am a lucky idiot

Thanks again for your help

Oh i gave her parents 300k when we got married 3 years ago and she is 35 and i am 48.. she looks like 19 and i look like 48.. a good women who was a virgin when we got married..

Hmm! A 35 year old Thai virgin?? Dream again!!! Or wake up!!!

he he ha ha

2000 Euro per day withdrawal from a Thai account in France by ATM sounds rather high. I even wonder if it is possible.

the OP claimed "2,000 Euro each time" which is also not possible with any european card even if the card has a high limit. the actual limit per withdrawal is set by the ATM no matter what other limits are set by the card's issuer. until end of the '90s some ATMs at Frankfurt Airport had rather high limits (5,000 Deutsche Mark) per withdrawal, then it was reduced to DM 1,000 and presently most ATMs in Germany dole out a meager €UR 300 per withdrawal.

very true.my lloyds tsb gold current account card has a 500 gbp limit.most any atm will ever let me have is 300 gbp.

This morning I went from Jomtien Complex to the beach to get a newspaper, and every bar is open and several people were already openly drinking beer at 11:00 AM! Country Road and KR Bar are usually very sensitive to the wishes of the police, and will down shutters at the first suggestion of closures, but they are both open. So it looks like a normal day (in Jomtien, at least) where we can celebrate the King's 81st in the style we would like to.

Anybody got further *reliable* info on the Walking Street area, and what the GoGo's will be doing tonight?

asked in a few gogos last night said as normal tonight.oh and i just had a beer on soi13 .walked up from walking street along beach road.people drinking everywhere.

Looks like Khun Sarayut has found some where to stay for a while.

yes a nice stay in the hilton.im so pleased for him.

I would call this extreme

a step to far!!!

Tattoos dont worry me..it seems to be the done thing and I take my hat off to those who are not concerned about looking like a fool at 60 years of age.

It may even have the benefit of encouraging one to keep in good physical condition for as long as possible.

My own children included.

More immedietly threatening in appearasnce is the shaved head with 6 long dreadlocks down the back, combine the two and if the bearer is over 100 kilos and you have a person to cross the street for......unless you have a gut full of lao khao.

a lot of guys at 60 have been known to start to have tattoos,maybe they will worry about looking a fool at 80

i guess you may be right about keeping in shape ,no one wants saggy tattoos

personally im not bothered if i look a fool(to you or other tattoo dislikers) now or at 60 , il be quite happy if i last till 60 ,seriously though everyone always asks what about when your older(when youre heavily tattood),to be honest what do i care,ive lived most of my life by then and wont be looking for a job, going discos or competing with 20 to 40 yr olds......il be more worried about arthritus,cancer,heart attack etc than to worry about general public opinions.

im heavily tattood and aint finished yet....to sarge i would say that i call someone heavily tattood when they have a lot...some people would say 4 or 5 tattoos is someone heavily tattood but i would say someone who has a lot of skin areas covered but in percentage

wise even 20 to 30 percent is quite a lot as there is a hel_l of a lot of skin on us.

by the way i dont like all tattoos on people even though i have a lot...it depends on design etc.some look good some look bad,same as everything in life.everyones welcome to their opinion and im not bothered if someone does or doesnt talk to me because i have tattoos

that's your experience and it's good you share it with us. One point worth expanding on, about people who heavily tattoo themselves, say at young age, and then regretting it later on in the years. Why is it? Could that be because they faced ostracism and prejudice for years? Dunno, just asking...

right i have 2 full sleeves and some of my chest tattooed.would not class myself as heavily tattooed.i have been stopped many times in pattaya by thais.who have asked to look at my tattoos.my tattoos are mostly jap and mori they seem to like that style.many thais have tattoos and they will show me what tattoos they have.just because you have tattoos dosent make you a bad person.im polite well mannered and have no criminal record

I have been 5 times in Pattaya since 1999. Just came back after travelling again for 5 weeks in Thailand and Laos. And each and every time I am impressed with the improvement that has been made (in Pattaya and in Thailand/Asia in general).

Everywhere in Pattaya you can see huge new hotels and condominiums being build and already build (thats done with money, not with air). Everywhere around Pattaya you see villa-parks. Everywhere you see lots and lots of new cars, not the old cars like here in North-West Europe. Everywhere in Pattaya you see loads of families and couples contrary to before when the only tourists you saw was the tattood male farang, and they are not the ones Thailand likes to see. Now everywhere you see Russians, Arabs, Chinese, Indians ,Western couples etc.. And while I or you might not like them its childish naieve to actually believe they have nothing to spent, they only don't frequent the bars as often as the tattood male farang does, they spent differently.

Neh Pattaya is doing great (as Thailand does in general, travel around and you will see the improvement everywhere), tourist numbers are up for years, the city is just changing from mainly a sex destination to a more 'normal' holiday destination. And while there might be a slowdown in tourist numbers for a year or so this does not affect the course that Pattaya has taken at all. Over the next ten years the bars will dissapear from the beach road (like most did already in the last 10 years) and second road and the sois in between (with perhaps the exception being soi 7/8). The bar scene will be more 'hidden' in Soi Buakaow etc..

MBL

you are talking about Pattaya ,arnt you? just as many tattood farangs with pony tales as ever and ive lived here for years.

well i would just like to say im english,tattooed and have short hair not quite a skinhead!!i like a drink like the next man.but dont go out fighting and offending people.some of us do have manners and know how to behave in a way in which does not upset people.but when i see my fellow countrymen climbing on bars and spraying drinks in there underware.i can see why we have a bad name all around they world.

With the weak pound I've cut back and now have now started to look at prices. Most of the time that means not buying many of the things I took for granted, and that's on approx. 4X average UK salary being paid here now.

For holidaymakers with fixed budgets it's become unaffordable to live well here. Lunch at Sheraton today with mum - I realised I was paying over 5 quid each for fruit juices, six quid for a side salad!

In KL last week paid 4500 baht for room in 5 star hotel - same hotel in LOS now at least 7500 baht.

4X average Uk salary paid here and you are looking at prices.You must be really cheap or shop at the wrong places.

we are all finished if he cannot live on his 80000-100000 a yr

its not just pattaya thats quiet at the momment.have been visiting friends in the uk before i head back to pattaya at the end of november.have been to london,leeds,birmingham,all very quiet.no queues very empty bars and clubs,resurants nearly empty.hundreads of taxis parked up that would normaly be ferrying people around.nobodys got the money anymore.or they are worried about joining the thousands that are getting made redundant every week here in the uk.the whole world is going quiet not just pattaya.but as i said in another post.there dont seem to be many flights out of the uk at the moment to thailand.so mabe pattaya may see the return of the tourist soon

how the <deleted> did they work out he was greek??did he leave a mousaka on the bedside table??

i have just returned from thai consulate in hull.after lots of help and advise from members of this site and working out what visa i needed.walked in at 10.05 am my apointment was not till 11.30 was a bit early.very helpful lady helped me with the forms.took £110 from me.went away.by 10.45am i was back on my way home.wish everybody was as polite and helpfull as the staff there.thanks to them all and i recomend anybody who needs a visa sorting or advice to go see them.

My brother just got a return flight with Eva leaving LHR on 7 Dec for GBP660! Thats crazy cheap and less than I ever paid during december period.

Dave

i wanted to fly out of heathrow on the 20th of dec.cheapest flight i could get was £1017.changed my plans flying with jet from heathrow on 22nd of nov £457.but not many flight avalible from the uk at the moment.

i flew back in from australia a week ago, thai airways flight and it was at around 60% capacity, and a certain percentage are connecting to other international flights, so the number was low.

just booked my flight from england for november.not many flights left.lots if you want first class.

'Not dangerous' to travel to Thailand

Norway's foreign ministry isn't warning against travel to Thailand, despite massive government protests and violence during the night. Tour operators aren't refunding any tickets, either.

"It's not dangerous to travel to Bangkok," claimed Marit Grøtting of tour operator Orkidéekspressen, who returned from Thailand on Monday. She conceded there "were a lot of people at the airport in Phuket," but claimed the situation otherwise was calm.

The government proclaimed a state of emergency in Thailand after violent protests left one person dead. The army was given control of public order. Norway's foreign ministry issued an advisory this week urging Norwegian citizens to maintain awareness, stay away from demonstrations and large gatherings of people, follow media reports and listen to advice from local authorities.

The ministry isn't, however, urging Norwegian citizens to drop any travel plans. Other countries are, and Thai Airways has reported a string of cancellations in its vast network. The local head of Thai Airways in Norway, however, said tourists were not a target of demonstrators trying to overthrow the government in Thailand. "This is a conflict that's not directed at tourists," Hirai said. "The Thais are very aware of the value of tourists in the country."

There were some disruptions at Thai airports over the weekend, but flights were operating as normal on Tuesday. Star Tour currently has around 200 customers in southern Thailand, but company spokesman Lena S Petersson reported no problems. Star Tour's representative in Bangkok said stores were open and there was no reason for concern.

for heavens sake its safe 4 tourists we dont need the scando's to stop cumming

heard from a friend who works at heathrow airport.flights to bangkok were cancelled and delayed on fri sat and sun!!due to fears of saftey to passengers.arrrh as i speak bbc news have just advised agganest all travel to thailand!!!!

Because I mentioned that I had materials things, they got mad at the Flashy American,the hate me and envy me, the tried to test me and I replied, because i stand up for what I believe in, because they dont understand how it can be that a young dude can have almost everything, because they are stuck here, not all, but most are, because to them my life is only a dream that they cannot reach, because I keep it real and I am from NY and dont take BS from anyone, no matter where you are from,because I worked my ass off and now i have everyhting and they cant understand that, cause they are old and I am young, cause they are short and i am tall, because I roll with the best in NY, because my job is exciting, because I married a Model, because I type slang ans speak slang and they cant understand, etc, because when I leave to bigger and better things they are still stuck here, should I go on? .......

what a f***ing <deleted>

A clearly disturbed Mark Amerson with head dressing following break-up with Thai girlfriend

head dressing... I though he was wearing a turban....

As for harming himself cos of his GF Whay didn't he just go out and rent another one..

32 year old.. bit young to retire ?.. What do these guys do for cash ? They can't all be independantly wealthy.. can they ?

well im also 32.i work in the uk for 6 months.then leg it back to thailand with my cash for 6-9 months.wish was independantly wealthy!!!

Nine months vacation for every six months worked? That's a hull of a job.

How do you do it?

im a carpenter.i can earn £800-£1000pw have to put the hrs in but worth it in the end.left thailand 2nd aug will be back by xmas.just rent my house out with estate agents while im way.

well will see if my plan works.i have never stayed just in thailand for that amount of time!!!

A clearly disturbed Mark Amerson with head dressing following break-up with Thai girlfriend

head dressing... I though he was wearing a turban....

As for harming himself cos of his GF Whay didn't he just go out and rent another one..

32 year old.. bit young to retire ?.. What do these guys do for cash ? They can't all be independantly wealthy.. can they ?

well im also 32.i work in the uk for 6 months.then leg it back to thailand with my cash for 6-9 months.wish was independantly wealthy!!!

Nine months vacation for every six months worked? That's a hull of a job.

How do you do it?

im a carpenter.i can earn £800-£1000pw have to put the hrs in but worth it in the end.left thailand 2nd aug will be back by xmas.just rent my house out with estate agents while im way.

A clearly disturbed Mark Amerson with head dressing following break-up with Thai girlfriend

head dressing... I though he was wearing a turban....

As for harming himself cos of his GF Whay didn't he just go out and rent another one..

32 year old.. bit young to retire ?.. What do these guys do for cash ? They can't all be independantly wealthy.. can they ?

well im also 32.i work in the uk for 6 months.then leg it back to thailand with my cash for 6-9 months.wish was independantly wealthy!!!

Right, Smokeyjoe. Seeing that you are in the UK your best choice is the multiple-entry non-immigrant visa O, obtainable form an honorary consulate such as that in Hull. Application can be made by mail. Purpose of visit: "visit friends". No invitation letter or other proof needed.

With this visa you can make an unlimited number of entries into Thailand for one year and on each arrival will receive permission to stay for 90 days. Just before the 90 days are over you make a border run to a neighbouring country and return to Thailand the same day.

--

Maestro

fantastic!!!!thats what i wanted to know.can hget it sorted now.many thanks.

Why not apply for a 1 year multi-entry "O" visa from the consulate at Hull. There were many reports of members receiving those before.

thanks but dont you have to be 50 or older???

...think i need a multi entry tourist visa them.problem i have is form says for visiting friends and fam.need to surply evidence does anybody know what evidence you need to surply.or is there away round this to get the visa...

Different consulates use different requirements for visa applications. You do not say in what country you plan to apply for the visa and what consulate's form you are talking about. With a little more detail from your side members will be able to give you more specific information and advice.

--

Maestro

thanks i will be travelling from the uk.not sure what visa i need was wanting to stay for 6-9 months.so one with the least hassale and least visa runs.many thanks