islandguy

Ancient City certainly best on a cooler day, maybe get a guide or at least someone to read the signs for you (sounds like you have the latter).

If you take the subway to Chatuchak the exit that goes to across the street from the market puts you right at the famous fruit market (AwTawGaw?)where rich people buy each other presents. Great variety and quality from all over the country, some free samples and some good prepared food stalls. When you get out of the subway on the Chatuchak side you are next to the used book section. Lots of big picture books ('coffee table books') at much better prices than new. Vendors will usually let you unwrap them to take a look. Have a foot and leg massage while the keen shopper shifts into her second gear New Cultural Center near the Jim Thompson (make a reservation for tea at the cafe) house usually has some interesting modern art exhibits if you like those, and is air conditioned.

There is a newish woodworkers supply shop in Lamai across from the gas station (and a second location on the ring road past Hua Thanon heading towards Nathon). Farang partner gave me solid advice, products were good. Good place to check for such things.

Last time I went to Surat from Samui I paid for a bus ticket at the Seatrans ferry office at the dock in Samui, checked that it was a large bus. No problem. In Surat I had a taxi we had used before meet me and take me to the airport. I think the cheaper option from near the market where that bus stopped was a bus (Air Asia? bus) that was not in very good shape. The people that took that bus were fine also. This was this month.

Quite an end play to the weeks of action. Is this an example of the unique nature of 'Thainess' beyond the easy disdain of TV members? I am certainly feeling like much of what happened today would not have been possible in many places I have experienced.

On another note, there sure do seem to be a lot of comments implying the posters great knowledge and experience of what is happening in Thailand with only a few dozen prior posts by that named poster.

If you use a box with a separate top you can wrap the box top separately so that it looks just grand closed but customs can inspect the contents by merely lifting up the top of the box without tearing off the gift wrap paper. This method is especially good for when you take gifts with you when flying back. I would also wrap the whole thing in plain paper for mailing as well, which they would cut open if they wanted to inspect it. This can be done by the staff of most department stores.

I used to live in London.

As an antipodean I had some knowledge from my school years.

Understood the significance of the Battle of Hastings etc.

But I really liked the UK, so I wanted to know more ... so, in between working in the Pub,

going out and getting rat-assed, I managed to read the history of England from 1066 up

to WW2.

Thanks to the OP for reminding me that I haven't done that yet for Thailand.

Anyone have any good recommendations?

Anyone else read the book mentioned in Post #3 ?

Thanks ...

recommend 'Lords of the Rim' by Seagrave (parts of it significant regarding Thailand, main parts about the Overseas Chinese)

National Park tent camping on Surin island is fun and cheap. Often a lot of Thais but easy to walk past where most of the campers hang out, they are real city people. There is a restaurant there, all you really need is a sleeping bag and snorkel gear. Snorkel day trips there are in a shared boat of 10, cheap, and quite good. The nearby town of Kuriburi (Kuraburi?) on the adjacent coastline is pretty empty, mostly a jump off point for the islands, and has vast expanses of beach and mangrove estuary. If you really want to get away from everybody, that is your best bet. It is possible to stay overnight at Ang Thong marine park, all the many tourists on the many boats leave pretty early in the afternoon. Khao Sok is quite different, full jungle rainforest, be sure and see that one.

Boy's organic coffee in Tong Krut, across from te 7-11. K. Boy is a talented barrista and the coffee beans are good, well roasted, and ground right there.

One study I came across said that ingesting MSG will mask the taste of salt in foods. This means that you may be eating more regular salt in your food than you would otherwise eat if the food had no added MSG. Many people (not all) are sensitive to large amounts of salt and respond with an increase in their blood pressure. Long term uncorrected high blood pressure from any cause is a health hazard. Since we seem to be genetically predisposed to favor salty foods, this effect of masking high salt levels may also explain why MSG is a 'flavor enhancer'. By the way, one of the goals of my Uni studies was to be able to read and understand the studies published in scientific journals regarding nutritional topics. The reports on these kinds of studies in the popular press tend to gloss over weaknesses in many of the studies, they just want a catchy headline.

Hi Carlos, I was responding to Churchill's comment:

"Duty Free Wine , never seen it ...even in BK I think the prices are the same as outside..

Samui duty free I think they add tax rather than deduct"

When I mentioned the Samui and Phuket airport shops. As far as Surat as a gateway (dare I say 'hub') to Indo, the Air Asia flight to KL gives access to lots of flights from there into Indonesia. More time, more trouble, but a lot cheaper than Bandit Airways to Singapore and then South, and the Air Asia flights out of Don Muang are not that convenient either.

All of the above are reasonable comments and I am not surprised to hear them. However, I think there is a very real savings possible on bottles of wine at both Samui and Phuket airports between Immigration and customs. Small shops but they do have wine.

Lost a bottle at Swampy on a connecting flight when I opened the duty free sealed bag to get the air out, but this time I will be checking in again in KL, so figured I should be able to put it into my checked luggage for the second flight.

Yes, I know it sounds far fetched, but the last two years it seems there is a lot more duty free wine being sold at airports besides Swampy. I am going to fly from Surat to Indonesia, and wonder if that would be a better place to pick up a bottle than my other choice, KL (Air Asia terminal). Appreciate comments based on first hand experience buying or seeing what is at those airports.

Small scams can catch any of us. You take a bus and find you are left outside of town with only taxis and vans from the bus company as transport options - or a long walk with your bags. I call these situations 'being in the fish trap'. No easy way out once in, better to find a fake smile and chalk it up to experience. Bigger scams usually rely on your greed to succeed. I was caught in the - Grand Palace closed/free tuk tuk/tax holiday at gem store - scam 20 years ago (still going strong today, that one), and just lost a few hours at the Palace because I didn't think I could make a killing reselling bad quality (and wouldn't have thought so if they had been great quality) jewelry when I got home. Other things we might call scams seem to be more like extortion, like the jet ski 'scam'.

I find that the attendant usually wants to get to an even number on a fill up and will keep pumping even if gas starts to come out of the tube. Prefer to ask for an even numbered amount near the fill up level. And yes, I check that they zero it out before they start. Easy to see in a truck.

Thanks for the replies. I am going to catch a late morning flight, and haven't decided whether to stay in Surat the night before, or go direct to the airport, so didn't specify the destination in Surat. The regular minivan I find often dangerously driven and equipped, generally uncomfortable (I'm tall), and rarely honest in it's treatment of passengers (random stops for driver's friends, heavy sales efforts at office by taxis and travel agents, sometimes they finish far away from town). It is more bother than I really want to put up with these days (as a backpacker it was all part of the adventure). The regular bus (VIP?) is a lot better if it is not one of those top heavy monsters that race down the highways, and if it doesn't stop all over the place waiting for more passengers. In the past when I have arrived at Sea Trans port in Donsak late it has only been minivans. I think I have seen the bus such as SamuiJimmy describes when I have been at Donsak earlier in the day, that would be a lot better for me than the minivan has been.

Not sure what you mean by a VIP bus. Is that a large bus, 6 or 10 wheels? Or a different class of minibus? With this VIP bus are you one of a random group of people with no say in speed, stops, etc or is it only you and your friend(s)? Thanks for explaining the details.

Last time I took the minibus from the Sea Trans ferry port in Donsak to Surat I swore never again! Well, going to Surat again and the best time seems to be after the Lomhrayah ferry's run. Not had any luck finding a car or van to meet us (2 people) and take us into town in a safe and pleasant manner. Does anyone have any suggestions? Welcome to PM me.

In Ban Tai (between Mae Nam and Ban Por) there is a place called Line Thai (there is a teak furniture maker across the street). The owner makes various furniture and decorative items out of tree trunks and stumps. A few other things as well sold there. Not Lanna style but probably different than what you had in your last house

Between Nathon and Hua Thanon there is a PTT gas station (actually two, but the one closer to Nathon) and next to it is a clothing place called Samui Hot Club. The owner has had some Indonesian wood furniture for sale.

Eataly Boutique near PTT station on Mae Nam side of Fisherman's Village turn off has imported from Italy frozen cakes. Must be 12 kinds, the one I've tried so far was really good! For coffee, the guitar shop near the Dusit resort in Mae Nam has a little coffee shop with very nice freshly roasted and ground Chiang Mai coffee drinks. Whole beans also available, very nice people.

Now some weeks later, no sign of any salvage attempts, but noticed today that the plane has been painted white (at least on the side facing the road). Maybe this is where the other, larger airline got the de-identifying idea?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/657105-remains-of-airplane-moved-from-airport/

Ban Saket, September 12, 2013

Be careful refueling a hot or in use generator or you may have more to worry about than your electronics Any comment, bcgardener?

Had a friend who got rid of them when they rang the doorbell as he was about to take a shower. He answered the door as he was... ready to take his shower. They never returned.

One time some Jehovah's Witnesses came to the door, much to my surprise since our yard was so overgrown and full of salvaged materials and old cars that few strangers made it as far as the actual door. My older roommate, quite the eccentric (he owned the house) took over at the doorway after a minute and I retired to the kitchen and fantasized about just this shower scenario, and watching them flee......he, meanwhile, came in triumphantly after 20 minutes. By asking them some very pointed and specific questions about various things in the Bible (mostly the Old Testament, such as the story of Ezekial calling down bears to rend the children teasing him about his bald head or some such) he had got them to agree to not come back until they had done some homework to answer his questions. Never saw them again. That enthusiasm and willingness to engage people of different viewpoints directly made his response far better than the one I contemplated.......