Cowboyshoe

Siam Sato is what Thai high-schoolers drank in the days before alco-pops.

Krabi is a big province Hagler, could you be more specific?

Good lord, are you sure you would rather put your post in the other thread running in the General Forum - something about being to bitchy lately?

Excuuuuuuuuuuuuse me.

I thought the title of the thread was "Central World Bangkok - what do you think?"

I had no idea it was really "Central World Bangkok - what do you think? - But nothing negative please, cause frankly I don't really want to know what you think of it, I just wanted to start a thread expressing my love for this gargantuan eyesore and really have no interest in dissenting opinions as my mind is already made up."

I've never liked Central World. Before the renovation it was a dinky, dark, low-ceiling-ed maze filled with an odd assortment of uninteresting shops.

I can't believe after the 'billion baht' renovation it was exactly the same, only bigger and more maze-like. If it wasn't for Mos Burger I'd never set foot in the place.

Also Central World is probably the worst environmental offender of all the shopping centers - walk through the plaza out in front of the mall and you can actually feel the exterior air a few degrees cooler because every single mall door will be stuck open, pumping AC into the great wide open. They should either fix the doors so they don't stick when opened wide OR tell the doorman (of which it appears there are 6 or 7 at any given moment, standing around, staring at girls) to shut the dam_n doors!

Humbug!

Turns out Andaman Times is reporting TWO dead, from the SAME guesthouse.

Andaman Times

Does anyone know the name of the guesthouse - It might be worth posting it. I have my doubts that the Police or the Guest House owner are going to great lengths to inform new or existing guests about possible dangers.

Ran out of things to complain about at home.

If you like to gripe, Thailand is a gold mine!

I second Huggybear's advice. Get down to AoNang, take a cheap bungalow and start driving around.

It might also be helpful to ask about for the opinions of local expats. Unfortunately that might mean spending a good amount of time traipsing from bar to bar...

Wow, lots of bitter folks in Ao Nang! Can't a guy put in a request for a decent burger without being pilloried as a culturally insensitive barbarian?

OP - Burger King ALWAYS microwaves their burgers, even back in Farangland. They grill a bunch of them at once and then store them in a warmer until it's time to nuke it and serve it to you 'fresh'. The one you got most likely seemed more obvious than others you may have had previously because it had probably been in the warmer for hours.

Have you considered Koh Lanta?

Not as crowded and definitely less expensive. Plenty to do for 4 days.

For me Phi Phi is too touristy and Railey too cramped and quite expensive - but then again that's just my opinion!

Pretty simple really, just took over management at a resort and the refrigerators in the kitchen are in bad shape.

Is there anyone on the island (or in the Provence) who any of you would recommend for repair work? I'm sure I could find plenty of work (not just with my resort) for somebody who's good with a wrench.

My advice? The further south you get the better it gets. I prefer Kantiang Bay, as it's more secluded, yet not completely removed from the rest of the island. When you're there try the Drunken Sailors coffeeshop - amazing food! Best burgers on Lanta too.

I've never enjoyed Long Beach myself as it always seemed either crowded (with Scandinavian families mostly) or deserted - depending on the time of year. Still I know many who swear by it. It's also the location of the Red Snapper restaurant, which is a major redeeming quality.

Do yourself a favor, wherever you stay, rent a motorbike and ride the island. The roads are good all the way along the east coast, and most all the way down the west. A nice lunch in Old Town is always one of my recommendations.

Howdy.

Just took the car ferries (from the mainland to Koh Lanta Noi to Koh Lanta Yai) today (Feb. 06 - 2009) - No wait at either ferry.

It's been fairly the same for every trip I've made this season. I think it's mainly due to an extreme shortage of tourists.

No, I'm not asking for which place serves the biggest - there's a new delivery place called Big Pizza and apart from the menu they stuffed in my mailbox (which the maid disposed of) I have no idea how to get in touch with them. All I know is they are around Sukhumvit.

Anyone have the number? I'm dying for a beef and onion!

BTW - for those of you who haven't tried Big Pizza, you're missing out.

Howdy Y'all!

Happy to say I'm still here, working (if not posting) and pleased with what I've found.

It is an uphill battle finding film work here that isn't already dominated by a number of skilled Thais, but it is possible. The best bet seems to be finding similarly minded independent artists and producers and working your way up through the low budget saltmine.

The bummer is that most productions here (no matter the budget) don't seem to strive for anything much past the mediocre. It's as if getting the film done is all the accomplishment that is desired. If you're hoping to make high art - you're barking up the wrong tree here.

Why on earth Koh Lanta needs the biggest marina in Asia is beyond discussion. The infrastructure will take years to develop on this island. Of course, there is no timeframe involved - so perhaps, in 20 yrs, the vision may be entertained. In the meantime, Phuket will be the centre of marina growth.

The proposed marina is not for Lanta island, but rather for Muang district on the coast of the mainland.

Thanks guys.

Unfortunately the Embassy says they do not answer questions about visas via email...?

TT - Your response was slightly confusing (maybe that's why you noted it was off topic) I'm looking for a visa for Thailand I can get issued in Japan, not a visa for Japan.

I'll keep trying tho' - maybe a phone call today.

Thanks!

Lucky me - getting to answer my own post!

Just got off the phone with Sunbelt and they said Tokyo only issues non-imm B visas to Japanese citizens.

If anyone knows differently please speak up.

Hey folks!

Off to Japan next week and was hoping to get a Non-imm B visa from the Thai Embassy while I was in Tokyo. Hoping someone out there might have some first hand experience you're willing to share. I'm familiar with the various applications and letters, I'm wondering which are required in Tokyo.

Do I need the massive amounts of paperwork currently required in Penang or will a properly prepared letter of intent do?

Any idea about the cost for a visa?

Is it possible to get a one-year instead of a 3 month?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Whatever you do, DO NOT host with www.hostingbangkok.com!

They continually shut down my site for "spam abuse" - the only problem is that the spam is coming TO my site - not coming out of it. Of course this is beyond their support staff's abilities to comprehend ("why do you not just get less spam?" ) and their technical staff has no idea how to handle it ("maybe you can just forward it to a gmail account?" )

Finally after going back and forth with them I asked for a refund.

I guess it's true what one of their support staff said to me - "We host thousands of accounts, they don't care about your little one, you don't pay them enough."

Pattaya is a sewer. This is just further evidence of it. Man, a place in Thailand that isn't even as safe as the states!

Everything you've heard is true!

If you haven't come to Thailand yet, please stay away!

If you're here already, go home!

For your sake, hurry, before it's too late!

PS - Don't forget to post your apartment vacancy for those of us who are not cowardly, gulible or stupidly and hypocritically judgemental.

I've had an interesting problem for the last few months. Friends will call my cell. I can hear them but they can't hear me. They instead are talking to some poor Thai lady (who I can't hear) and who is confused as to why she keeps getting my calls.

Funny sure, but hard to explain to certain people!

"Why Thai Lady answer your phone? You have another girlfriend?"

I also noticed that service and reliability in general started to slip around the same time Taksin started having his problems - of course that's just crazy talk, it's not like the Prime Minister of a country could have any influence on the telecom industry...

FYI - The mobile phone company booths in the international arrival terminal at Don Muang will do the registration, as will the various "service centers" at Zen World Center near Chit Lom.

Ah! A brilliant business strategy - not to promote the zoo, but to keep expats in the internet cafes all night long blathering with righteous indignation.

I really don't see the problem. It's legal, right? Sure it's disgusting and offensive to most, but hel_l so are most things you read in the paper.

As for those who cry and moan at the thought of a 'noble' institution like a zoo doing such a horrible thing they need to make a reality check. Maybe if someone shot you full of tranquilizers and you woke up in a room the size of a walk in closet, where you were expected to spend the remainder of your life you'd eventually develop a preference for being served up for lunch instead!

Jackson,

Thanks for your reply, but maybe I wasn't specific enough. I'm looking for places either in Silom or the Lower Sukhumvit area. Your places sound great and have quite low rents, which makes me think they are not around Sukhumvit.

Thanks anyway!

Why not higher taxes on lighters and ice? Or ashtrays and straws?

Come on Thai Government - time to start thinking out of the box!