gerryBScot

Hey Bruce Mangosteen thanks for posting about your situation. I can see some merit in the suggestions to try a non-tourist part of Thailand and see how you get on there, but you sound as if you know what you want to do and I respect that. I'd be interested to hear about your experience if/when you make it back to the US of A. I think many of us might find ourselves in a situation like yours when for whatever reason we decide it is time to head home to what we know. So whatever you do, keep posting. Thanks.

A few years ago I did an evening Thai course @ London University that was taught by an American, of WASP stock as opposed to mixed race. He was an expert in S E Asian languages and he was an excellent teacher as well as being a real source of knowledge. They could do that there and no one would get bothered. I imagine it would be a little bit different here in LOS! I reckon it was a pretty wise move on LU's part especially for a beginners course where they taught reading and writing - I reckon LU understood the somewhat divergent approaches to education and learning in our respective cultures and decided new Western learners would respond more positively to a familiar approach.

This lovely Uhu...is too far to catch a sharp picture, she or he is in Hua Hin Tree...

That's an Asian Barred Owlet which, as you can tell, likes to stare at you - very small and hard to see but really beautiful.

To be honest, I'm not sure what you hope to achieve by posting photos. I'd just put it down to experience and get on with enjoying your stay. You know next time to not try to agree any fare in a BKK taxi.

Yeah this is good advice. Time to move on. Get over it! This happens everywhere in the world and it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. I was a hack driver once in London UK and I never tried any funny stuff with customers. I charged what was agreed, when a customer was down to be taken to an airport link station I didn't try to convert it into an airport run; the fee was agreed by my company and that is what I charged. I never tried to alter their destinations or do anything to increase the price. I got my customers to the destination as efficiently as possible. I made a lot of money on tips because I did the job properly.

Put it down to experience. Say meter, and if the driver doesn't agree get out the taxi and get another one. I've never had problems with taxi drivers at the airport or in Bangkok. I have had huge problems in other countries like the Philippines even when travelling in taxis with my filipino wife. I used to say to her before getting a taxi, if there is no meter we're getting out, no negotiation, no discussion, we're getting out, this guy lost the job - and we started doing it, inconvenient as it was travelling with a baby and baggage, and I was adamant - you lost the job mate, **** off, as prices came tumbling down. There was never a problem getting another taxi.

But yeah it really sucks when this happens and most people aren't usually thinking ahead after a long flight other than getting to their final destination.

I'm in my fifth year teaching here, aged 55. I'm not sure there is an ideal age. I definitely think you could be too young. I say this simply on the basis that the one thing you can't beat is classroom experience. By good luck I resolved early on to be reflective, meaning to problem solve my lessons and to try to identify things that worked and things that didn't work. I say good luck because there is no support available in my place, no process for discussing issues, few meetings, no concept of development, no will to do anything positive, no real interest - I'm not sure it would be much different anywhere else.

I've signed up for some online courses which I have to say have been incredibly helpful. If, like me, you're not a qualified teacher but interested in your own development, I would suggest you get into some of this stuff. However it wouldn't be of much value to me without the classroom experience I have now gained.

My whole approach in the classroom has changed a lot since the beginning in part because of self-appraisal and in part because of continuing professional development. I don't think it is really about age but rather about attitude, focus and outlook.

I liked Pathumwan House. Studios or 1br apartments. Good location near skytrain and MBK mall, reasonable.

Craig thanks for this. Looks good. We generally drive in from the west. Do you know if it has a car park?

Any recommendations for a family friendly Bangkok hotel/serviced apartment where 3 adults (mum, dad and granny) and 2 kids, under 5, can get a decent room and some facilities preferably with some breakfast in the 2000 - 3000 Baht range: we would ideally like somewhere in the Sukhumwit area.

Hey, Bangkok Blue, whatever you do, as this day nears its end here in LOS, I wish you well. I hope you and everyone else who is on the trudge got through today without drinking and I hope you all do the same tomorrow and the day after that. Keep it simple, one day at a time. Check in here again tomorrow, share it, it helps me and judging from the volume of posts it helps many of us. I'm feeling really grateful tonight because I've been really physically ill these last few months, it's been one thing after another, and for the first time I'm starting to feel a wee bit healthy again. I haven't considered drinking as a solution but have had a fair few dark moments. My spirits are raised when I come on here and read about the folk like you who are giving yourself a chance again. Keep well and keep strong!

Good luck, be strong. I am against AA because seems to sub one addiction for another. And like most religions, based on idea you are a "hopeless sinner". I would strongly suggest finding an incompatible substitute behavior. There is an alternative to AA, this one not faith based: http://www.smartrecovery.org/ You might get some help from them. BTW, I should be an alcohol abuser: everyone in my family is. Guess the joints during those formative years got me through the vulnerable stage. Remember drinking is a choice and a behavior. Not easy to stop. Different choices, different behavior.

As an AA member I am very comfortable with alternatives/complements to AA. But I don't like your anti-AA stuff which doesn't seem to have any basis in reality. Please say more about how you reach these conclusions - personal experience or what?

The reason why I am challenging you is not for controversy's sake but because people come on here in desperation seeking help. As many say here these folk are showing courage and bravery by opening up. Please don't put them off one of the most accessible and free resources for people with drink problems unless you have solid reasons.

I also think you are being irresponsible in glibly dismissing AA as "susbtituting one addiction for another" and being based on a concept of being"a hopeless sinner". I have never heard any of these concepts in any meetings I have attended on four continents over the last ten years. If AA was based on being a "hopeless sinner" it would have crashed decades ago. Sober alcoholics as a general rule don't want sinfulness and conventional religion even though many of us, myself included, find ways to re-connect with religion as we get sober.

AA is by no means perfect - <deleted> it's a bunch of drunks - but it works, it's there, and it's free and it is worth checking out. Its longevity and truly international scope is proof of its efficaciousness.

Good luck to you, I did a similar thing some time back, also started exercising regularly (nothing heavy, just walking) and eating healthier.

It completely changed my life.

The first couple of weeks were the worst, as I had to find things to do to fill up the time I had been spending either drinking, being drunk, sleeping it off or walking around with a hangover. Amazing how much active free time I had on my hands.

Still have not managed to quit smoking though yet!

Cam

Yeah the smoking thing is truly mind-boggling. I last quit 8 years ago and have been off it since then but the first two years were absolute hell - I wanted to smoke every day for those first two years. Then the madness left me inexplicably and it has been plain sailing ever since.

I really need to do same but weak. i even think i am now allergic to alcohol

sounds like you're allergic to lack of alcohol

that's not allergic - probably withdrawal symptoms!

Long time ago I quit drinking for health reasons. It was affecting my breathing. I quit for almost 3 years. I must say that I felt great and I got back in shape. My work life improved and my personal life improved. i still went out but I became the evening driver for running my friends to the bars.... Hahaha. They never pushed me to drink and all were surprised but very supportive. I have since started drinking again and drink too much too often. My health is starting to suffer again so I might be joining you and stopping soon. I got really ill from drinking recently and I have not had a drink in 5 days and I am feeling great. Just wanted to tell you that you don't have to drink to enjoy your life and everything will improve. Maybe join you soon ! Good luck !

Thanks for this - I have never heard a person say they started drinking again and it was better. Virtually everyone I know says in no time they were back to where they were when they quit and soon after that it got worse .......... good luck, glad you are in contemplative mode.

I really need to do same but weak. i even think i am now allergic to alcohol

Yeah I am definitely allergic to alcohol and the general rule for normal people is you avoid things that cause an allergic reaction. Not so with alcoholics! I now understand there are a whole pile of things that just don't happen anymore in my life because I don't drink.

Well done on your moment of clarity. That's all it takes, a simple moment to recognise this isn't working and that something is wrong. Well done on being brave enough to recognise the solution isn't to try to drink smarter or in a different way, but rather to quit. For some of us quitting is the only solution that works. You might find it helpful to get involved in AA as the solo route is generally acknowledged to be very difficult and problematic. If you are in BKK there are plenty of meetings. I promise, you'll be allowed to leave on your own and will not be taken hostage! AA might help because there is a very strong possibility, in all likelihood a certainty, that you'll identify with a lot that is being said in AA. Good luck and please share your progress.

I should also add that my goods did not attract any customs duty either so I am mightily relieved about this too - back to the wardrobe!

I need to eat humble pie. My parcel came today and there is a story to tell. It is not shipito's fault and it isn't the local provider's fault either. It is in effect my own fault. My sister had taken the post office notification of an undelivered card over a week ago to collect the parcel from the local post office and then forgot about it. She picked it up today when she was sending a parcel and called to say my books were here!

I am pleased I finally got the goods.

I'll now crawl into the cupboard and hide myself in shame. Apologies to shipito and the Thai postal service. Apologies to you good people whose feathers I may have ruffled.

I'm not interested in blame, that's right. But if I worked for Shipito I would want to keep my customers happy. How can Amazon and their contractors get a book to me from the US in 6 days and this mob, using their own sub-contractors can't come anywhere near it? This parcel has been in the USPS system since 3rd September, it cleared Thai customs on 15th September and the last entry is on 17th September when it says I can't be located. I think some of these people are in the wrong job! There have been some interesting suggestions made about what might be happening from other people who haven't described a stellar experience - underwhelmed springs to mind. I don't care about the goods. I'm prepared to write off the money and the goods. That's right. I might have used the service for something expensive and/or important. But I won''t now. However I'm keen for the many people who might be interested in using such a service to be aware of my experience and that of others so that they can exercise their judgement. I fully accept that some people have had a positive experience. So far this has not been so in my case.

Contact Information

UPS Parcel Delivery Service Ltd.

Head Office

16/1 Soi Sukhumvit 44/1

Sukhumvit Road, Prakhanong, Klongtoey

Bangkok 10110

Thailand

Tel.: 66 2728 9000

Fax: 66 2712 1818

Have you called them?

Harry thanks for the information. I presume these are United States Postal Service's agents in Thailand? When I got my parcel sent I chose United States Postal Service Priority International. All in I paid about $80.00 US. The package cleared customs on 15.09.13. Why should I call them? They should call me; the docket includes my phone number. I can even speak reasonable Thai. I paid for a service which I am self-evidently not getting. I am going to let this run to see what happens so I can really see how this service works or as it appear, doesn't work. Fortunately the goods are not important.

My one and only experience with 'shipito' was a total nightmare and ended up costing me almost 3 times what it would have cost by having a friend send it and taking 2X longer. They screwed it all up and I made several calls to their customer service to correct things as well as email and they just didn't listen or respond to my instructions and then tried to blame me.....but I had email proof.

Plus I had to go thru customs [and pay], which has never happened on the hundred or so parcels that I had friends send.

My guess is that it is hung up in customs office and gathering storage fees for every day they store it.

I vowed to never use that company again...............but what are the alternatives if you don't want to bother friends and relatives??

Thanks. This sounds like what's happening to me right now. Well according to the tracking log it has cleared customs; did so on 15.09.13. According to tracking I cannot be located though no one has tried to call me or attempted to deliver.

I've got problems with Shipito........ but I understand the specific problem is with UPS's agents in Thailand. When I order from amazon etc I'll be getting them to post the goods to me without using a consolidation/forwarding service. Waste of time and money. Sounded like a good idea until I used it. Nothing like sucking and seeing!

If it goes anything like my experience, after alot of pushing , a driver in a private car turned up, then tried to extort a ridiculous sum for clearance, I told them if thats the case they can ship it back, he drove off, returned an hour later and gave me the parcel.

Thanks Charlie H I've been wondering what these guys are playing at. It seems to me if you are in the logistics business then your job is to deliver parcels to customers and keep them happy, especially when they are paying for a service. Why would you sit on a parcel for almost two weeks and make no attempt to deliver or indeed contact the customer? Seems to me as if you might be in the wrong job. Your experience indicates what might be going down here. The contents of the parcel are not critical or of any value - so I'll do nothing and we'll see what happens. And I'll be wise to the customs clearance thing. Thanks again for this, much appreciated.

I am using this consolidation service for the first time and starting to think it is an expensive load of rubbish. A parcel has been in Bangkok since 17th September sent from the US via UPS Priority Mail. I accept this isn't Shipito's responsibilty but I'd like to know who to contact at the Thai end to find out what is happening and when I can expect my parcel. I live 100 km west of BKK. THe UPS tracking log says addressee cannot be located. Well all I can say is that they have my phone number (Thai) on the airbill and I haven't received any phone calls to suggest anyone is trying to contact me. Also there is always someone in my house. So what's going on? There were some issues with Shipito locking down my account which were speedily resolved after I sent them an angry email. But I reckon it would work out about the same price and definitely quicker if I just let Amazon, for instance, process the entire order including the mailing. Would appreciate any advice on how I can pursue delivery and also any comment on experiences.......and please if you are an affiliate of this company or any other please declare this.

I am drinking only about twice a week now, about 6 big Changs a week. Going much better, but I know I'm treading on thin ice! It only takes one mood swing and I'll be drunk again...I get so BORED sitting at home on my off days; no matter what chores or things I come up with to do, once I've finished with them, all I can think about is going out for a beer to relax and sit and watch people go by. I KNOW the only way is to stop completely.

Time to get a hobby or interest that does not revolve around alcohol. This can actually be a lot more difficult than it seems. A lot of sport and leisure stuff involves drinking before, sometimes during and often after. Maybe find a yoga class if you're in a city - will do you good as well as being fun.

But yeah if you quit drinking you're going to get lots of time back - not just drinking time, but recovery time - you're not going to have to write off whole days or parts of days as you get over the night before.

So you will do well to get into some things which are positive and healthy so long as you it doesn't get you back into drinking mode.

Good luck and keep it simple, worry about today and deal with what you can deal with today. You can't change everything in your life today!

Momar I have sent you a personal message with contact details in Chaiyapum.

Welcome, notbkk, to the thread. I think it contains everything you need to know about the insanity of alcoholism and testifies to the fact that some of us are prepared to pay the ultimate price due to our insistence on drinking when everything else points to the fact that we should quit for good!

It's a very fortunate thing that I ended up in AA. It wasn't a plan. I thought I'd make a phone call one morning before going out for a drink after a month or so of abstinence. That call took me to AA instead and I haven't drunk since. I kept going back because I heard people telling me about myself and also giving me solutions. There was quite a lot I didn't like but it was big enough in a place like London, UK, for me to find groups where i felt as if I was with my sort of people.

At the time I started going I was under investigation for a number of things, most pertinently a major irregular heart beat - that put real fear into me. Over the next three years of not drinking, while under medical supervision, this went and I was discharged from cardiology and taken off all medication; surgery not required. My doctor called me the miracle man.

I have no doubt had I carried on doing it my way that I wouldn't be alive or writing this post. I am now very glad I got desperate enough to do the unthinkable.

Whatever you do, good luck, and once more, welcome and as we say somewhere else, keep coming back.