ZZZ

Can't say I've heard the need for a Thai 'Captain' before thought that was for commercial use.If it is right maybe I can get round it as it is very likely there will be at least one Thai on board who could be nominated captain.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As I don't have a drivers license I will give this strategy a try when renting a car in Bangkok but not sure they will go for a "nominated" driver.

They do issue Helmsmans Licenses to falangs in Phuket. Have anyone had a license issued in Pattaya or Bangkok and if so where was this done and what were the requirements?

At least the UBC Supersports channel got to be better than the Eurosport &lt;deleted&gt; they had before. UBC Series is also not bad. All in all an improvement, at least for me.

Would be interested in the Banglamung cable if someone have details on this.

Good point WW. Many of the cheaper brands of aircleaners produce a lot of harmful ozone.

The Elanra negative ion generator I mentioned produces 0.01ppm ozone which is well below the recomended maximum of 0.05ppm.

If it is the air that is the problem I would go for Sharp's Plasmacluster air cleaner. This thing will remove most bacteria, virus, allergens and odours as well as produce a healthy ionised athmosphere. The ozone production is less than 0.01ppm. I have seen it in some department stores in BKK.

Treat everyone as you would like to be treated. The purpose of life is to be happy.

That’s all the religion I need, all the rest is just man made ritual and cause problems and misery all over the world.

Chang fits in well with the purpose of life.

Another problem may be a lack of negative ions. In cities and especially when the air is polluted there is a very low concentration of these ions.

The highest concentration of negative ions can be found near water falls and near breaking waves. The high concentration of these ions on the beach is the main reason why a few days on the beach is so invigorating.

There is a lot of info on this on the web, search for “negative ions”

To remedy this you can get a negative ion generator. Keep it in your bedroom for good relaxing sleep and wake up completely recharged. One of the best ion generators is supposed to be one from Elanra. This can be bought online and they will ship to Thailand.

Just about all water available in Pattaya, tap and bottled, originates from rainwater collected in reservoirs. This means the amount of electrolytes (minerals) is very low. The more expensive brand name bottled water usually has minerals added.

Additionally, some purification methods like reverse osmosis and distillation removes most (if not all) of the minerals.

The long term problem with this is that if you drink a lot of this water without taking in enough minerals with you food or in supplements you can get various mineral deficiencies. Initially you will feel tired and have headaches but more serious problems will occur.

The main short term problem is if drinking a lot of this water after heavy perspiration you will reduce the electrolyte concentration in the body. If this concentration is reduced enough electrical impulses will not be able to travel as they should in your body, this can result in the heart stopping or in cramps. This is what happens when perfectly healthy athletes suddenly drop dead from “unexplained” heart failure.

If you need to drink a lot of water always add some electrolytes, can be bought at any pharmacy for a few bath. Also good as a hangover remedy, preferable taken before going to bed but who can remember that.

Seems like this changed to a bandwidth competition thread?

Anyway, suggest that everyone who got scammed get in contact with the “Office of the Consumer Protection Board”, these are the people who are supposed to look out for us consumers.

It’s a government agency so not sure if it will help but sometimes they surprise you and do a very good job.

They have a website, www.ocpb.go.th, but it was down when I tried it.

Their email is: [email protected]

No, thats from to much chillies in my somtam

There used to be a few oxygen bars around BKK, give one of them a try and see if it helps. If nothing else the reaction will give your doctor some additional clues to work with.

The problem is the same all over Thailand, you can never tell if there is a construction or a demolition going on. The whole place mostly looks like a dump.

In most countries the construction companies must make sure the site is safe and neat and this is properly supervised by the client (Pattaya City Council in this case). In Pattaya it seems like someone’s cousin gets the contract and the job goes on supervised.

Not sure why this is but it seems like anything private is taken well care of but when it’s public no one gives a &lt;deleted&gt;.

I did drink the Singapore tap water for 15 years, no choise as the only bottled water available was imported Evian and that was more expensive than beer.

It's only the last 10-15 years people have started drinking bottled water in Singapore, the tapwater is still perfectly good to drink.

Still, Pattaya is not Singapore so I agree and stick to the bottled stuff there.

Stop short of drinking it,but clean my teeth,and cook with tap water in Pattaya, with no problems.

I remember a few years ago they tested the water in Bangkok,and it was cleaner than most bottled water.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Although the tap water goes through a treatment plant in Pattaya there are hazards from treatment plant to reaching the tap including poorly repaired and broken pipes allowing infection of the water.

The water being deliverd by tankers which ultimately comes out of your tap may come from sources which are also contaminated.

So yer pays yer money and yer takes yer chance.......I`d rather pay for a bottle of water and not take an unnecessary chance.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As all the tap water is treated and have been tested to be cleaner than most bottled water it sounds like you are taking an unnecessary chance using bottled water, as well as wasting money.

Never drink the water if supplied by tanker as this water usually contains all sorts of wierd and wonderful creatures.

The safest is probably the brand name water (Minere, Singha, Nestle). All the cheap stuff is made by various more or less serious operators and the quality of this water could vary dramatically with the service cycle of their equipment, if they even do service it.

The city supplied tap water in Pattaya is suposed to be up to international standards regarding specifications for drinking water and should be perfectly ok to drink from the tap.

Having said that, much can happen before the water reach your tap.

Eating at Sizzler Thai style:

Order a main course with the salad bar, this way you get the salad bar for a much better price as they think you will not eat that much.

Ask them to pack the main course to go. Dig into the salad bar.

Re-heat the main course for dinner.

Another salad bar alternative are most supermarkets. They usually have a salad/fruit bar set-up in the vegie department. I have not checked out the price but think they charge per kg, should be cheaper than Sizzler.

KBank told me they are working on their e-web card and will have the 3 digit code soon, not sure when soon is.

You can use www.epassporte.com

They issue both a physical card that can be used in ATM and a e-web "card", just a number, that can be used for internet transactions. The card can be loaded from any other credit card.

They are selling good cross bows along Sukhumvit and down in Pattaya.

With the good accuracy and arrow heads much larger than an airgun bullet it should easy to hit those snakes.

The problem is the arrows will probably be lost in the pond, not sure how much they cost.

No idea if there is a license required but they will sell you one without.

I thought that there was a law passed a few years ago that all bars must have a sign displaying the age limit and that no drugs are allowed?

keep it covered to keep the bugs out but not air tight.

Most countries have a law saying that certain establishments are not allowed to admit people under a certain age.

Most countries also have a law saying it's illegal to sell alcohol to people under a certain age.

In both cases it's up to the establishment to enforce the law. If the law is violated it's the establishment that is punished, never the under aged as they have not broken any law.

In Thailand it seems like it is the opposite that is valid, as usual.

If you would like to live in Malaysia, they have a retirement program similar to the Thai program. The differences are:

1. No age limit

2. You can buy and own land.

3. They let you buy one car exempt from duty and tax.

I would actually prefer to live happy in a society where freedom was reserved for the law abiding citizens, not for the criminals, and the control was used to restrict illegal activity and to plan for a better future, but that’s me.

Freedom is great. but I don't understand which freedom you will have to give up because of a database, except for the freedom to do something illegal of course.

If this is giving you second thoughts about coming to Thailand you may (or more likely may not) want to know that work do not have to be paid to be classified as work. Its work if you do something a Thai could have done and this is illegal without a work permit.

By this definition you would technically not be allowed to do your own laundry, driving a car, painting your house e.g.

There are cases where farang bar owners, without work permit, have been booked by the police because they served a drink, changed a light bulb or was simply sitting outside the bar and talked to customers.

The bar owner business is a bit of a special case but you get the drift. In your case you should not have any problems at all and all this uncertainty is all part of the charm of Thailand, never a dull moment.

"Research has shown that, real live yoghurt contains more live friendly cultures and only this type does the trick! Freshly-made yoghurt contains a higher concentration of lactic bacterial cultures which help the body assimilate protein, calcium and iron.

On the contrary, non real live yoghurt, such as the frozen or pasteurised variety available in supermarkets, will NOT provide the healthful benefits nor the same value of nutrients"

As costas says all yoghurt is live. If it says live on the tub there may or may not be a higher concentration of lactic bacteria but it's mainly a marketing gimmic, same as putting "No Calories" on a bottle of water.

To get the best yoghurt mix a litre of milk (fresh or powdered, NOT UHT longlife) with a tub of plain yoghurt.

Leave it in a covered bucket (old ice cream bucket is fine) in the shade in room temperature for 24-72 hours, depends on temperature and concentration of lactic bacteria in the yoghurt you use, taste it and check the consistency with a clean spoon to determind if it's ready.

Store in fridge. Use some of the yoghurt you made to start up a new batch.

Here or there, they are all potential ball breakers.

The difference is that in Thailand they do it with a smile.