thaisomchai

Thanks for all the replies and responses to my OP. Many of you seem to understand the situation as i presented it and the suggestions . .especially of the Rotary Club and the possible men's group are excellent and I will follow up on them. ( Heading home from Bkk tomorrow and I will do this on my home computer)

Just to address another comment . . .as a very long time resident, most of my friends here ARE Thai . .and i love them all dearly. But you will know if you have been here that if any two Thai people are put together for five minutes . .anywhere . .they will talk Thai. Which leaves me pretty much out of the conversation.

Also . . .I have expressed myself in terms of negatives because I have had an incredibly varied life so far with more interests at one time or another than I could begin to list. I have tried before throwing out interests . .but they tend to just attract flak. (You try finding others who like poetry, birding, music, theatre, reading, waterskiing, singing, history . . .whatever . .and see how far you get!)

I envy those of you who have a "poker night" or a monthly dinner or a Sunday gathering at a friend's house every week or two.

Fair play to you Bill, it is obviously something you are passionate about.

To me it sounds like a crutch for weak individuals and/or those with a poor support network of friends and family...but perhaps I am a cynic.

What I would say is that you really need to brush up your pitch, because you have pretty much failed to explain to me what it is this group offers and why I would want to join. I'm not sure how you will form a group larger than one if you are unable to sell the benefits of such a group to your peers.

Best of luck with your imminent move over here.

OOB

Doesnt sound like a crutch to me. . . .and getting a network of friends here is just not that easy you know. I have been at it for years now. No luck yet. ..hence this topic.

And i am going to be satisfied with a group of people who meet for dinner once a month!! My only criteria so far are that the people are friendly and that the main topic of conversation is not sports! ( Or bargirls !) And the main purpose in meeting is friendship, & good conversation . . . . .not getting smashed on Chang.

Men's groups may be popular or necessary in the west where men are on the run from PC harridans, feminazis and hostile divorce-court judges. I doubt there's a need for men to circle the wagons in Thailand. That said, lots of instant friends can be found in bars. In fact, a brand-new best friend can be had for the price of a small Chang. But beware, many are ex-SAS and CIA Special Ops types. 555

Intstant friends? . .found in bars? . ..I think not. Not here anyway. I am not a "hanging in a bar" kind of person . .though i drink when out with friends . .no problem. But thats where the Brit footballers hang out . .and/or the bar girls. I happen to walk up bintabaht street every few days on my way to the gym and I have never sat down for a beer.

The majority of farangs in these bars are passing Swedish tourists anyway . .so this is not a solution at all.The thing about Hua hin is that the majority of resident expats are British and they form a fairly cohesive social group around certain bars . . .so I understand . . .and they get along great with their football and pool and shared pints. Just not my scene for a number of reasons.

Bangkok Bill I will PM you . .I am looking for some kind of social group that might fit my needs here. Lets talk.

'Guest' is normally used by the Thaier than Thai / Thai apologist element to describe us.

You said it Jack, totally agree

The old way of describing such a person . . .usually with a negative spin . . is that it is an element among us that has "gone native"

I'm not offended at all. I just don't like the word guest to describe long term expats.

I agree with you. A guest is someone who is " hosted" . .that is, taken care of, supported in some way, fed, entertained to some extent . . .

Long term alien residents are usually supporting themselves ( and often half the village) . . .not "guests" at all but really more like hosts.

"Gotlost" . ..exactly. But given the number of expat farangs here, there must be at least a few who are not golfers or football fanatics . . .

Are there any real life groups of farangs in Cha am/ Hua hin who get together for a meal once in a while or for book discussion or anything like that? It would be nice to make connections in real life but not around golf or football. And it would be nice to just chat with locals from time to time

This is the kind of information I would love to have about Hua Hin and Cha am. There are so many huge construction projects going on and mostly rumors about what they might be. That old Satukarn Sq. I have heard several different versions of what is happening there . .and some people have mentioned a Carrefours coming too. Be nice to know about these happenings.

Until now the Military have not been able captured any of these black clad terrorists.

I also haven't seen any pictures of dead protesters with guns.

Uhhhh they changed their shirts?

Just a guess . . .other protesters wanted to use the guns?

Welcome home to the terrorists and arsonists. They claimed they wanted early elections. They won them, then threw it away. Then they burned Bangkok. Good job reds!

Well said. I have yet to have a red shirt explain how burning down your own town hall furthers the cause of justice.

Or how looting and burning a store furthers the cause of justice.

They have a noble cause, anyone can see that . .but they did it all the wrong way! If they had stuck to "peaceful" they might actually have won . .but they chose violence and that was it. Stupid move.

Maybe devaluate the bath?

I know you can take a bath but devaluate one?

This is a new one on me . .please explain.

And can you devaluate a shower too or just a bath?

Thanks Samui . . .but I am still traumatized by that last experience!

UPS actually paid for the missing bottles eventually, but only after lots of phone calls, email messages tracking numbers and all the rest . .and the actual cost is very cheap . ..its the import taxes that ended up being several times the value of the herbals.

I dont have anyone coming out from the states right now or in the near future but that is an option that I have considered . .having them buy the capsules and bring them.

But finding a supplier in-country would be the best and easiest way to go. I dont live in Bangkok by the way.

Thanks Samui . . .but I am still traumatized by that last experience!

UPS actually paid for the missing bottles eventually, but only after lots of phone calls, email messages tracking numbers and all the rest . .and the actual cost is very cheap . ..its the import taxes that ended up being several times the value of the herbals.

I dont have anyone coming out from the states right now or in the near future but that is an option that I have considered . .having them buy the capsules and bring them.

But finding a supplier in-country would be the best and easiest way to go. I dont live in Bangkok by the way.

I need to buy herbal capsules in Bangkok and want to find a store where they sell them.

I have been taking these herbals for the last couple of years and they help me to stay healthy and handle a possible thyroid condition.

Now, the first time I bought these was from a store in the US and I bought them online. No problem.

The second time everything that could go wrong went wrong. "They" opened the package and stole two bottles, the company mis-marked the package and the Thai Government taxed the hel_l out of it, the US company proved impossible to reach etc etc. It was the biggest mess.

Now I will need a new supply in a couple months and I want to find a store in Bangkok that carries:

1. KELP capsules. ( 660 mg)

2. KOREAN GINSENG capsules. (560 mg)

I have been using "Nature's Way" brand .

Boots, Watsons and the other chain stores do not carry either. An American store might carry the"Nature's Way" brand . .not sure if there is such a thing here.

Appreciate any help.

Saakura

Thanks so much for your post.

So it IS located at the las colinas address and not the other . .how long ago were you there?

How long does it take them, what do we need with a Thai passport, what is the cost?

Were you ever able to email them or find a website?

Do you have a phone number that they will answer?

Thanks Again

Thanks Beano . .thought of that.

But I have been trying to locate/ contact the Egyptian Embassy for a bit over two weeks now. Long holiday!

EGYPTAIR . .I am not really familiar with airline ops . .but surely not everyone in the company takes the weekend and holidays off!

Dont they run flights etc etc, handle advance bookings and the like?

Still trying in vain to reach somebody at the Egyptian Embassy . .and lately at EGYPTAIR. Even my travel agent has not been having any luck with the latter.

So nobody on this forum has ever known anyone ( Thai especially) who has traveled to EGYPT?

I am beginning to feel like this is some kind of weird destination like Montenegro or Zanzibar! And that nobody has ever gone this way before.

FAUX NEWS . .worth watching?? . .you must be joking.!

Conspiracy theorists, religious wackos, wildly biased reporting etc etc . . .cartoons are more informative.

This is from the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, where all the Diplomatic Missions are listed.

http://122.0.2.102/protocol/list_detail.as...e_code=11020001

Thanks so much.

However . . .I just tried this email address and it bounced . . .like all the others.

They just can NOT be contacted.

We dont live in Bangkok and driving up just to locate an office without even knowing what to bring along is a real hardship

It makes the SEVENTH email address I have seen listed and tried unsuccessfully.

You would think they could afford a website.

Even poverty-ridden Laos has a website!

The OP is very positive about a Thai getting a visa on arrival . . .but I need to know this from some official source.

MANY MANY conflicting stories and information here!!

Why doesnt this embassy have a website?

Email

or even working phones.

All this information is dead wrong.

Try the web address

email and phones for yourself.

We are planning a trip to Egypt in June and have become frustrated by the apparent absence of an Egyptian embassy in Bangkok.

Addresses listed for a couple of different buildings, no website, no email, no working phones.

Welcome to Egypt?

Well, we are on the point of canceling our trip.

We have gotten visas ( on a Thai passport) in the past from the Visa Sections of the Embassies of China, Japan, Laos, Italy, USA, Denmark and Greece. All have had some method of contact, some web presence, email, working phones and clear directions for obtaining a visa, location, hours of service, papers to bring etc . . . and many even have online forms .

Hello Egypt?

Anyone able to help?

Any Thai ever received a visa for Egypt?

I have not been able to find a list of the names of the people who died. I have been at it steadily for two hours now.

All I can find is that weird list by hospital ( on their website?) which has notes like "He is from Singapore" and "she has died". This list has duplicates, is partly in Thai and is totally useless.

Does anyone have an official list, a link to an official list or a list drawn up by some competent authority of those who died?

I have heard that a former student is among the victims but I can't find anyplace to even check her name.

By the way, "SANTIKA" means absolutely nothing in Spanish. Look it up.

"Beautiful of Nature" in Spanish would be "belleza de la naturaleza" or perhaps "belleza de la tierra"

"santika" is not even close.

"san" or "santa" in Spanish means "holy" but thats it. ( My 15 years living in Mexico gives me the background to say this)