spidermike007

14 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

Just had a quick trip over to Samui for a night. Stayed in Bophut next to Fisherman's village. Our hotel had 22 rooms out of 54 occupied !! Not sure what their usual occupancy rate is at this time of year but nowhere was overly busy...

 

My guess is that their normal bookings would be in the 75% range for this week, and from Dec. 20th, to about the 4th of January they would be at 100%. 40% occupancy is, way, way below normal for peak season. But, I think the flooding had alot to do with that. There must have been 1,000's of cancellation due to the timing of that natural fiasco. It was a real tragedy for the local tourism industry, which would normally be enjoying a real boom this time of year. 

14 hours ago, mcfish said:

Any body who has spent 5 minutes browsing TV Will know it's the most hateful forum in south East Asia or maybe the most hateful forum.. Period!
I would honestly go with the TAT before taking advice from a forum full of hate.. But that's just me

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Nah. It  is simply a forum of expression. Some do not like the freedom of expression. We need a place to vent. Some have thin skin, and take that personally. Many of us love the country and it's people, but see it's foibles, and like to discuss them. It would be the same anywhere. There many be some hatred on here, but relatively little.

2 hours ago, mcfish said:

It's easy to make the assumptions your making as an anonymous poster . The usual statement starting with 'all the people I know"
Is about as meaningful as the the TAT statements.


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You said one thing that could be debated all day long, when you said it is about as meaningful as the TAT statements. Nothing on this planet is less meaningful than what that agency says. No truth ever emanates from that organization. That is for certain. 

1 hour ago, mcfish said:

Not at all but they could be shitty bars. I was in walking street last night and it was pounding and the beer garden had no seats around the bar and a waiting list for tables even though it was freezing on the water.

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And poor five star hotels? And what about the outstanding restaurants? It is always busy around the holidays. But, in years past nearly every resort was booked solid. In many restaurants is was nearly impossible to find a table. The bars were packed out. Things have changed. Many people are hurting now. Ask around. Ask people who are in the tourist trade how this season compares to many precious seasons. I am not making this stuff up. I do not have an agenda here.

2 hours ago, DDBKK said:

There's a couple in BKK that I wouldn't recommend hanging around especially if you've had a drink. 

 

To the left of the main road (Ratchadamnoen Klang road) down by khao san/grand palace. There's a neighbourhood there that's pretty sketchy at night. 

 

Klong toei also has a reputation although I've never personally heard of anyone encountering it. 

 

In saying that I've foolishly ended up in some random locations in the early hours of the morning after a hard night out and never felt in the slightest bit threatened anywhere in Thailand. 

 

The Thais do tend to have a "you don't <deleted> with me and I won't <deleted> with you" kinda attitude. Which is nice. 

 

Oh, almost forgot. Kho Tao is a worthy mention. Clearly some VERY dangerous people in charge there.

I agree. I would say Dark Tao is clearly the most dangerous place in the entire country. Many shady mafia types that run the island, and the police are in their employ.

Hun Sen, the despot strongman does not like competition. He has made it nearly impossible to compete against him. The West does nothing, and just stands by, while continuing to shower him with billions in foreign aid. 

16 minutes ago, mcfish said:

It's easy to make the assumptions your making as an anonymous poster . The usual statement starting with 'all the people I know"
Is about as meaningful as the the TAT statements.


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Do you work for the government? Are you trying to justify your position? What accusations did I make, that cannot be backed up with reams of evidence? Bring it on. Let us see what can and cannot be proved. I know many owners of restaurants, bars, and several GM's at five star resorts. They are all saying the same thing. Did you just presume I was making this stuff up?

Has anyone noticed that all of the people who are being investigated are former officials? Does anyone know if any officials in the current administration, or in the army or police are currently being charged? Easy to go after your political enemies. Far more challenging, and far more honest and righteous and fair, to go after your own people, who are guilty of corruption. To close to home perhaps?

This may not bode well for the strongman leader, Hun Sen. He has used the media to fabricate stories, and lie to the people about the regular assassinations that he commissions to take out rights activists. He is a despot. And one who gets away with calling his nation a democratic country. 

Pure, complete, and utter fabrication, as usual from the TAT. From everyone I talk to, tourism is way, way down for this time of year. Many resorts are not sold out for the peak holiday season, as usual. Little P. and his tourism minister continue to do a tremendous job of sabotaging the once lucrative tourism industry. Go ahead, and continue your inane policies. There will be entire strips of vacant hotels, sooner, rather than later. They have done such a great job of discouraging the high spending Western tourists. Now, they are busy discouraging their sacred Chinese tourists. 

At a time when the neighboring countries are doing a very good job of improving their facilities and offerings, and making it easier for tourists to visit, Thailand continues to lag far, far behind. The lack of english skills, the kind of knowledge and experience to satisfy true five star tourists, who demand sophisticated F & B staff, and world class wine lists, the lack of cultural offerings such as great jazz, theatre, ballet, independent film, and other forms of intellectually stimulating entertainment, just do not exist here, nor is there any desire to bring them here, or offer them. 

Thailand is truly at a tipping point. On alot of levels, they are losing their way. The once great tiger of SE Asia, is becoming a minor pussycat. Do the authorities even see this? If they do, will they acknowledge it? And if they do, will they have the creative juice to do something about it? So far, the answer is a resounding NO. The current leaders and band of ministers appear to be in way, way over their heads. 

There are many good reasons why the educational system here is so inferior. And the majority of them have to be intentional. If the powers that be really wanted to improve the system, there are dozens of things they could do, to make sure that is accomplished. There is a feudal mentality at the top. They want to keep the masses dumb. They do not want Thai students to excel.

And as long as face exists here, it will be nearly impossible to improve things. A student simply has to be able to question his teachers. Teacher, you are wrong. And here is why you are wrong. Lastly, they simply have to be allowed to issue F grades, and to be able to fail students. From what I understand, from my teacher friends, it is nearly impossible to fail a student in Thailand. That is inane, churlish, immature, and unreasonable, to say the least. 

13 minutes ago, bandito said:

Just read a story, 5 minutes ago, about a 18 year old girl in Italy who fought off her assailant, who tried to rape her, and bashed his head in with her shoes needle heel and he died.

She will be charged with murder, how about that?

The mind boggles.

Italy has become a very weak society, straddled with socialist and super liberal ideas about the law, and justice. Fighting off a rapist should always be considered self defense. If he must be killed, it should never be considered murder. Medals should be awarded to women who defend themselves in this manner. Italy should hang it's head in shame over this.

Beautiful. Lovely. Sweet. A story like this warms the heart. No man ever has reason to force himself onto a woman. It is an act of insanity or desperation, or the projection of power. There are some lines in life that should not be crossed. Once you cross those lines, you set into motion a variety of variables. Losing ones life over a rape is completely justifiable, and a really good thing. Just think, he will never have another chance to rape another woman. The air feels fresher today. I doubt if even his own family will mourn his loss. 

Personally, I consider face to be the greatest act of cowardice, that a person can engage in. It is the complete inability to deal with a problem, and face the world. It is the equivalent of a turtle putting his head into his shell, and pretending there are no problems in the world, and that you have not been the cause of any problems, grievances, or troubles. It is the complete polar opposite of anything Buddhist, or spiritual. It is the opposite of reflection, introspection, or looking within for the source of the problem. It is a scourge on the face of Thailand. It solves nothing. It is an act of an emotionally undeveloped child.

I despise face. It holds this country back on so many levels. Face up to your problems. Behave like a man or a woman. Grow thicker skin! Stand up. Fess up. Admit guilt. Take responsibility. Be a responsible citizen. Who cares what people think, anyway? 

It is very typical of Little P. to jawbone all day long about how he is cleaning things up, when in reality very little is being done to move Thailand forward. Slavery is allowed to continue. Human rights abuses continue. Trafficking continues. Alot of money is being made. Was the owner of this fishing boat arrested? Is the company being pursued for it's crimes? Does anyone care? Did Thailand really ground it's overseas fleet? I highly doubt it.

One wonders at what point will Thailand start taking building safety, public safety, and traffic safety seriously. Frankly, this accident is simply another reflection of what goes happens on the Thai roads daily. Absolute mayhem, with nearly zero law enforcement, on the highway. The only time I see the highway patrol, is AFTER an accident takes place. The rest of the time they seem to be holed up somewhere playing cards. I rarely if ever see speeding tickets being given, and I have never witnesses someone being cited for either reckless driving, or fleeing the scene of a crime. The justice system here is completely broken.

Tourism is up. The quality of tourists is up. Foreign investment is up. Consumer confidence is up. The malls are absolutely packed. Every resort in Thailand is sold out for the upcoming holiday season. The western tourists are starting to return. The baht will remain strong. Nothing will effect our nation.We are above natural and financial laws and rules. We cannot be touched. We have a supreme leader, with the kind of skills never seen before. 

Yeah right.

If there is one thing for certain, when it comes to this administration, it is that there is no fight going on, with regard to corruption. He was installed to maintain the status quo, and to make sure nobody in a position of power, influence, or wealth ever gets touched, by the long arm of the law. That is for certain. So, if there is any kind of an anti-corruption fight going on, you can bet it relates only to small, common people, who are powerless, and fairly meaningless in the grand scheme of things. 

To date, how many top policemen, or officials in the current government have faced charges, and gone to prison? How many CEO's of companies that engage in slave labor, or human rights violations have gone to jail? None. Why not? Corruption, plain and simple. Someone is making an awful lot of money these days. 

He is a absolute mad man serial killer. He does not discriminate. If he does not like you, for whatever reason, you die. If his people do not like someone, they die. Back to the middle ages. Lord Dut and his messianic cult of crusaders. One can only hope one day he faces an international tribunal, and is locked up for the rest of his sad life. One has to wonder what kind of fortune he is making, for knocking out any competition that stands in anyone's way. Hey, Mr. President, another guy opened up a competing mini mart down the street. He is selling heroin. Competition eliminated the next day. 

It is simply another way big brother little P. can flex his tiny muscles, and lord over his populace. It is all about censorship, control, and the fact that it holds the country back, inconveniences the people, and keeps Thailand in the technological dark ages, means nothing to this man, who does not employ an awful lot of reason and intelligence when it comes to policy. Moving the country forward? It does not appear to be the case. Keeping up with the neighboring countries? No, you are being left in the dust. Political science professors decades from now, will teach about how far you set your nation back. 

Meanwhile, there are dozens of vendors all up and down Sukhumvit in Bangkok, selling the same items. Talk about consistent policy. A friend of mine tried to order some of these products online from China. They were rejected by customs for being morally depraved, or something of that sort. A nation with so many mixed messages, can be interpreted as a confused nation! 

Jealousy is such a silly and petty trait. Talking to a painter. Did it occur to him that it might have been, and probably was a very innocent conversation. Who picked that color? Is it a color you commonly use? I like that color in combination with the color of the trim. How long have you been working here? Do you enjoy your work? I was thinking of changing professions, and I was wondering if this might be something I could do. Where are you from? My husband is just killing time playing a video game, I am bored out of my mind by this guy, and I need someone to talk to for a few minutes, ok? 

What a loony tunes. What a half man. What a waste of oxygen. Did she not know what a loser he was, prior to him wasting the bunch of them? What was she doing with him? What was he thinking? Killing your wife, because she is having a simple conversation with some guy, wasting the guy too, and then yourself? Over what? What a loser. What a piece of crap human being. What a waste of life. 

Is this a real news item? There were no underage girls on premises. They were not working according to what was specified on the permit and the place of work was not correct either? What does this mean? Their work permit specified another location? Is that a big deal? What were they supposed to be doing? Only massage? Do any of those officials really take themselves seriously, if they thought this place was only promising massage services? Is this just a game for them? Livelihoods are at stake here. 

Can one even begin to imagine a current official here getting charged for what appears to be inappropriate charges, tax breaks, otherwise unseemly financial arrangements, or corruption of any sort? Many people seem to be getting taken down in Brazil, for sordid forms of corruption. Kudos to them, for at least making an attempt to clean things up, and not just jawboning about it, day and night.