chaihot

I know this is an old post, but I was looking for dates for 2016's event and couldn't find anything about the event being held again. This page shows the event as inactive.

... Somebody told me that the Hilton really does an excellent (but expensive) Thanksgiving dinner. If you ate there last year, what is your opinion? ...

I didn't eat there last year for Thanksgiving, but I just called Hilton Edge Buffet to ask about it ... Thursday is "asian" food special but both lunch and dinner will feature fresh carved Turkeys ... Lunch is same price at 520 and dinner is ?950b (I can't read my handwriting!).

Does anybody living here seriously use a Foreign ATM card anymore when there are so many other cheaper ways of obtaining cash

Does anybody living here seriously use a Foreign ATM card anymore when there are so many other cheaper ways of obtaining cash

I sure do...my cards are no foriegn transaction fee cards that also reimburse ATM fees. I also get the full Visa exchange rate which is plus or minus a few stang the Thai bank TT Buying Rate used for incoming wire transfers. With no foriegn transaction fee and ATM fee reimbursement that's referred to as free. You got something cheaper than free?

Absolutely! I use the Schwab card for ATM use and I track my rates monthly. Schwab refunds the ATM fee in full each month.

Using Debit and Credit cards, I get BETTER than Street rate most of the time. Plus when using credit, I get rewards. I live in Thailand and have for many years. I don't know what I would do if we couldn't use our cards!

Debit and credit cards have allowed me to not be tied to "cash" in local currency. My money is in the US, so it is ultra convenient that I can obtain BETTER rates than the street and then pay my bill easily from my US account.

BTW, yes I have local accounts and can transfer money through New York BB. But I don't get the reward points or miles; and there is no benefit to using cash.

Who pays 300 baht for VOA ??? Never heard of that.

...

Visa on Arrival is not the same thing as "30 day permission to stay" that most visitors get. 19 countries are allowed to get the VOA ... the most popular of which is CHINA.

We have been experiencing horrible international bandwidth again. Technicians were at the house yesterday (unrelated to bandwidth) and I showed them the speed reports while they were here. They just shrugged and said ... in effect ... Thailand doesn't have a big enough pipe for international connections.

Here are my speed tests tonight .... What are the results of your speed test for INTERNATIONAL locations right now?

Seattle Test Node

??

Singapore

UK

All tests taken at 6:30-6:50pm, from THREE different speed test sites.

TO JohnnyJazz

Here are two other threads where alarms and security were discussed ...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/380659-which-home-security-system/?p=3760315

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/613383-wireless-security-systems/

IMO, the key is to make your house look "difficult" and "too much work". And the way to make it work is to have a security PLAN rather than just a security system.

Received a reply from CAT. NOW it makes more sense. If I am reading this correctly, Thipmanee and CAT will still be together, but Thipmanee will handle all billing ... so we will truly be a Thipmanee customer and not a CAT customer. I think. (!)

First time till now you have signed contract with CAT but
Thipmanee made line to customer house.
CAT pay money to Thipmanee for line and after service
every months.
Starting from 15 May Thipmanee using only CAT internet
signal. They will make line and billing by themselve.
Customer who using CAT before have to sign contract
direct to Thipmanee. Because we do not have line at your
area.
I ready asked Thipmanee about your contract. Will you have
to pay install and how much monthly fee.
They will answer me soon.
Enclosed please see cancellation form. After you have
contract with TMN you have to sign cancellation form and
send back to me.

I haven't had any problems with my internet service for over one year (http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/602432-thipmaneecat-continued-service-failure/) so I was shocked to read that soon things would change ...

FROM CAT:

"Date April 30, 2014

As you are using CAT internet service provided by Thipmanee Cable TV group, we would like to inform you that the contract between CAT and Thipmanee Cable TV is going to be terminated on 15th May, 2014. If you are willing to continue using the internet service, you should contact Thipmanee Cable directly for [sic] renew the service contract. (Numbers provided)

Since CAT is going to stop providing services for Thipmanee Cable TV Group, we would like you to urgently contact them for changing the contract by the date mentioned above. Anyhow, it would protect your business and keep on running smoothly in such matter. Please be informed and process any appropriate option. Thank you."

Immediately I sent an email to CAT for clarification ... no reply yet but it was just sent minutes ago. After reading the letter twice, I guess CAT is letting us know that anything after May 15th is NOT their problem. At first read, I thought there was a way we could stay with CAT directly, but now I don't think so.

Had the wife call Thipmanee. Here is what we know so far (!):

We can use the service as is until the 15th.

On the 16th, someone will come to the house and change the modem (and attempt to mess up my computer settings as they program the username and password! Ok I added that part!) but they will need to come "and re-program the user/pass".

"How much is the new internet going to cost?" REPLY: Don't know.

"Who is going to provide the new internet service?" REPLY: Don't know. But I will have someone call you back.

IF YOU KNOW MORE about this CAT/TMN divorce, please post it! I'll continue to update as we get more information. Thanks.

Never mind ... I found it ..

http://www.tableau.com/index.php?pageid=products&model=T8-R2

It is part of the publicity pictures accompanying a story on the US arrest of 255 suspects for illegal porn ...

I can hypothesize what it is ... but I am looking to see if anyone knows factually.

Don't like their chances of suing a Thai.. KFC will probably get charged under the defamation laws for publically embarrassing a thai.

I can't agree with you on this one.

KFC issued a master franchise agreement to a THAI company to own and operate KFC's in Thailand. Most likely, the local would be the one making the suit as they can prove both right to sue and damage.

lemoncake, on 09 Jul 2013 - 08:37, said:

KFC in Thailand is owned by Thai. By the time they finish the owner of the shop will be on the streets begging for food

That is what I think also.

Does anyone remember the previous massage/sex scams where a "dresser" like wall closet was used? I remember it from Cambodia. The girl made sure the customer hung his clothes nicely in the closed cabinet ... where someone from the OTHER ROOM which reach through the secret door and extract all the valuables while the customer was busy?

Same-same. Nothing changes.

... The suspect was identified as Mr. Patchara Utsaha, 37, a native of Trang province. Pol.Maj.Gen. Choti said the man confessed to his actions, saying that he threatened the Russian with his replica gun out of anger after Mr. Tubaev went on a date with his wife. The police commander added that the case is now being processed by the court. ...

Did anyone happen to notice that he kept his "replica gun" in an "inside-the-waistband" clip-on holster, designed for concealed carry?

How many people with "replica guns" have a conceled carry holster for it???

Interesting way to argue against assault with a deadly weapon. Thailand won't pursue illegal gun possession or carry because he admitted it was a "replica gun".

It's on a scale that exceeds Thai management capabilities. The WHO needs to get involved and launch procedures that the Thais must follow. Tourists should take note of this added risk to a visit to Thailand. These numbers are to be taken seriously as a caution.

I sat at Shabushi one night with a foreigner next to me. He was looking for someone to converse with I guess ... and began chatting away with me.

He was "on loan" from the CDC? I believe in the USA. He was part of a group of x-number of scientists who are loaned to Asian countries each year for 2-3 months to work with Mosquito eradication issues.

In between chopsticks full of mushrooms and vegetables, he told me that his expertise was in breeding new species of mosquitos in the wild that were infertile and had shorter life spans. Supposedly males die soon after mating (poor guys) and having them mate with infertile females can have a major affect on the population.

He talked for an hour. Perhaps I should have paid more attention ... but that is all I really got out of it.

BTW, this may not affect you ... I'm only sharing because it affected me a few years ago.

Business Travelers (Including Teachers) working in Thailand and requiring a
work permit & Volunteers are restricted to a Single Entry Visa

(Please apply for a work permit or re-entry permit in Thailand)

It affected me years ago because once you got a business visa, you had to continue the process with a work permit (which you did). But, once you had the work permit, everything had to go through Thailand as "re-entry permits" rather than getting "business visas".

Again, just my comments and they may not affect you.

Also no need since he picked her up from a place on the street that is notorious for underage prostitutes, rather than from the relative comfort of a bar.

I think you have a much better chance of finding an underage prostitute in a bar, maybe it had that notoriety 20 years ago but most of the beach prostitutes are over 30 these days and they dont seem to be replacing them

Look at all the unannounced beach sweeps .... *NOT ONE* underage girl caught plying her trade on the beach in how many years??? I've been on the beach when they pull these, and officers swoop in from all over to check the ID of every girl.

If it is so prevalent like many believe, why can't the police find them? Underage sex *STORIES* are what give the police the biggest difficulties and bad press. So it follows that CATCHING underage would be a big promotional benefit for them.

Yet, they don't catch any underage girls on the beach.

COMPARE that to the bars and gogos, where NUMEROUS arrests have occurred in the past 12 months with documented cases of underage girls.

This is actually a scary story ...

1. How did they get INTO the house without making any noise? Open windows/doors?? They were all sleeping downstairs!

One victim told the Police that at the time of the crime, they were
sleeping in a bedroom downstairs, and their 2 children were sleeping in
the bedroom next door.

The officers checked around the house to find that the burglar got into
the house from the back, which connected to another house.

2. What happened to the alarm system? Unless it was one of those systems that you only turn on when you LEAVE the house.

In the video, you can see an alarm keypad, that looks like a DSC keypad.

3. There was only one camera that they had to worry about and they "covered it"???

The burglars knew that there was a CCTV in the house, at the gate, so
they used a cloth to cover the CCTV monitor, so the police could not
identify them. The burglars also took an LCD monitor used to control the
CCTV and tape footage that was installed on the wall in the house. They
also took out the hard disk too.

They had time to take the "installed" cctv monitoring system and take OUT a hard disk??????? Without making any noise?

4. know the layout:

The Police believe that the burglars know the layout of the house very
well, as they knew the way in and out, and also knew about the CCTV
cameras

Perhaps this is a subdivision house where there are 5-10-20 other houses with the exact same layout; OR this house was listed for sale and lots of pictures of the house were online?? It is a rental house .....

Getting robbed is bad. No one wants that for themselves or anyone else. But most of the "things" you will lose can be replaced.

BUT! Having a break-in while you and your family are sleeping is among the worst things I can think of, and one of my biggest fears.

...

Also since most of the company's are set up through the law firm, law firm partners or staff are usually the shareholders, so again showing this money should not really be a problem

It is rumored that DBD has now begun running cross-checks BY shareholder name (Thai) and asking shareholders (Thai) to prove how they obtained the money to be a shareholder in the 20, 50, or 100 companies in which they are listed. That is the biggest fear for anyone who allowed their law office or company-setup firm to allow their employees to be a "ghost" shareholder.

No problem from my end. The effin taxi mafia in both Phuket and Pattaya will NEVER see any of my tourist Dollars (Baht).

I think you'll find that comparing Phuket and Pattaya is like "chalk and cheese".

The "hop on-hop off" Baht bus system in Pattaya allows one to travel almost the entire circuit for 10 Baht per person. Go from Jomtien to Naklua (think Kata to Kamala) for 20 Baht per person. Even chartering a Baht bus and going to the main bus terminal at 6AM only cost 150 Baht for 2 people.

I think if you compare this to Phuket, you may find rather a difference!

And the reason why people like Pattaya - is because they don't cheat people. Nowhere is perfect, but having lived in both Pattaya and Phuket for a number of years - I can't think of one example where i was cheated or made to pay extortionate prices in Pattaya. I never saw or heard of songthaew drivers in Pattaya threaten to disrupt the regular bus services, and when air-conditioned taxis were introduced, they slotted into the big wheel of things and everyone gets along - each serving a purpose. People might complain about many things in Pattaya but nobody can complain about the Transport options. Are you listening Phuket ??

-

Two comments from these posts ... First to VBF: I don't believe it is as simple as you make it seem. Many drivers will tell you to pay again after they make they change course to return ... for example, get on royal and second road. When the driver makes the turn to go back to beach road, some drivers will stop and tell you that you will pay 20b.

As to the 150b ... there is no such thing as a standard fare. Again, try the middle of the afternoon this week or next and see if they will take you to NCA or the North terminal from Royal for 150. You will find that the price has increased.

Second to Udox: I had to re-read your post three times because I wanted to make sure of what you wrote. Do we live in the same Pattaya? As in Thailand??? Your comment about [taxi mafia] "don't cheat people" is factually incorrect. Tourists are ripped off daily because they don't know "standard" rates. I have been kicked off a baht bus numerous times because the driver stopped to ask a Russian where they were going ... after telling where, the driver throws back "OK, 1000b". The Russian ladies nod and get into the bus. They were going from second @ klang to Naklua.

I'm still stunned about your comment about not cheating people. How many times does a driver tell you (by hand signals) that he is going a certain direction, and then once a group of people are on his bahtbus, he changes course, and everyone rings to get off.

Before Aircon taxis (and that is a story on its own), we had aircon busses (circa 2005) just like Phuket. They were called "Pattaya Beach Bus". The local mafia fought and fought. They often put bahtbusses directly in the way of the aircon busses stops and turns. Beautiful, comfortable, aircon busses with drivers who kept it on all four wheels, and didn't ride the brake! We could go from Jomtien to Naklua WITH FIXED ROUTES and a fixed route map (BUT no published schedule for convenience). The busses never veered off of their intended course.

No, they didn't last, and it had nothing to do with the number of riders [although the public statements were that they failed due to lack of ridership]. During that time, I had stopped riding baht busses completely. I even went to the store one year on Songkran and stayed comfortable and dry. But the baht busses won -- better to provide crappy service where you can rip off tourists than to allow the city to mature. PS: You also received a receipt for paying on the bus - they were paying taxes. Do you think that any of the baht bus drivers pay taxes??

And finally, you mentioned air con taxis. These taxis were brought in with the very specific understanding that they would be METER taxis, and only allowed to stand/wait at certain places. The baht bus mafia fought these taxis until a solution was found -- these taxis would NO LONGER USE THEIR METERS so they would no longer be cheaper than hiring a baht bus. And after a while, they co-exist (or as you put it -- they are now "slotted into the big wheel" of things). Run that search and you will see complaint-after-complaint about price gouging and refusing to use the meters.

Try to get into an aircon taxi AND get them to use the meter. Won't happen.

"I never saw or heard of songthaew drivers in Pattaya threaten to disrupt the regular bus services, ... " if you search back far enough to the news from the times of the above changes to Pattaya, you will read about exactly what you never heard or saw.

Does anyone remember the yellow-striped baht bus? The ones that could go THE WRONG WAY on 2nd from Big C to Klang?? The other baht busses hated them! They would intentionally block the "special" lane that was created; they would even go head-to-head in the vehicles and rufuse to move, forcing the yellow-striped bus to veer into the other lane to go around. It was a rough time. And of course it is history as well.

IMO, Pattaya is as bad or worse than Phuket when it comes to the baht bus mafia and corruption.

"but nobody can complain about the Transport options" ... are you kidding???? A number of years ago I moved from the beach area to the country and only occasionally now use baht busses. But watch and listen and you will see a lot more that goes on.

I believe a true man, when he reaches a certain age of depth and wisdom, does not look upon underage girls as sexual objects, but as an entity of growth and our future that needs protection from exploitative people who only live for the moment and their own greed.

Hahahaah hhahhahhhha hhahahahaah.

Whew! wow. Thanks ...

What a post!

I am very happy I installed my insulation a few years ago.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/371250-ceiling-insulation/?p=4950281

This is my post from 2010 when I had my Wisdom system installed.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/380659-which-home-security-system/?p=4459704

I no longer refer anyone to Andre at MasterSafety Co in Pattaya.

(For clarification, I am still VERY happy with the Wisdom alarm system, just no so with the installation company).

I would like to find someone (another alarm company in Pattaya) who is both reasonable and attentive to service and maintenance for these Rokonet/Wisdom systems. There are changes and additions I would like to make.

In my experience, getting SERVICE or MAINTENANCE HELP on anything you buy in Thailand is almost impossible. Everyone wants to make the sale, but I can't get people to maintain and service what they sell or install.

It has been a month since my last post, and my internet is still working. <knock on wood>

There has been much talk lately about improving the international bandwidth to prevent the bottleneck that everyone experiences. But I have not seen any change.