josephbloggs

56 minutes ago, RAZZELL said:

This is probably why!

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2219641/Businesswoman-masterminded-9m-luxury-car-fraud-funded-lavish-lifestyle-moated-country-house-flash-holidays.html

 

RAZZ

I'm interested - did you know this already?   Or did you go digging on his upbringing looking for dirt, hoping to find something?

Be honest.

On 11/23/2018 at 5:42 PM, Formaleins said:

These formidable crime sleuths can trawl away through hour after hour of pretty indiscriminate video online and elsewhere and bring up remarkable results that lead to the arrest of evil criminals having secret sex in Big C but try ass they might they are unable to capture that prick from Red Bull who is hiding in plain sight, I wonder just what the difference between the two suspectss involved might be, I wonder if luck comes into it somewhere or is there something else I might be missing here? Surely it must be time to send in their new infallible crime fighting weapon, the ever smiling Wyatt Earp of Thailand, Big Joke, he will bring them home dead or alive.

23 replies before the first mention of the Red Bull son.  That's very disappointing for TV, I think you can do better than that.

13 minutes ago, Olmate said:

This whole post tells you a lot about some expats.Get out a bit more might help!Fancy the nerve of Thais wanting to tell this story.

Yep, it is exceedingly sad.  The director is half Thai and not a farang, therefore no one will take it seriously etc etc.  It's a "boring story".  What??  One of the most globally captivating events for a long time is boring.  Right.

Some people on here live truly depressing lives.

4 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

I feel sorry for the actor who will play the coach; he will be attacked at the local coffee shop by idiotic fans of the kids.

Yeah, that will certainly happen.  Poor guy.  Those idiotic fans of the kids hey - what are they like?

????????????

7 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

Will international railway contractors OUTSIDE of Thailand and China be allowed to compete - I BET NOT!

Yes they were.  Many are competing.

You are wrong.

Quote

4 minutes ago, sjaak327 said:

No it was not, it was scrapped because due to maintenance problems, they were unable to let five trains per hour ride. The express line was all they boosted about of course, and it would have prevented the real lugguage problem I was referring too. Again, try it yourself and see what I am talking about. Downright nightmare. The ridership is so high because it is being used as a way to get into the city. At BKK the trains are half empty, they start to fill up in the stations further down the track. As such it does not serve the purpose of an airport railink at all, it serves a purpose to transport people from Lat Krabang, Hua Mak and others to get to the city centre. Fine with me, but it did not fullfill it's intended purpose, due to sheer mismanagement. nothing more and nothing less.

 

Incorrect.  It was scrapped due to low usage.  You may be getting confused with maintenance issues with the trains overall, but the Express was scrapped due to low ridership figures and those trains were put to use on the City Line to increase frequency on that service.

And I don't need to be told to try it myself - I use it several times a week.

Quote

 

It is, especially with luguagge, maybe you did not notice the lenght of the station, and the fact that you have to go down several flights of stairs to even get to the ground. It is anything but convenient. 

Ah, the station is too long for you.  Next time they should make the station shorter than the trains to help you.  And the elevated rail system is too high - future elevated rail systems should be at ground level.  They do have escalators and lifts, they might help, although they don't have conveyor belts for the length of the stations unfortunately. 

Seriously, they make the stations long enough for future purposes (otherwise you would be screaming about a lack of planning), the trains stop in the middle, and the station could not be nearer the road.  It is not more than 50 metres from the station entrance to Ramkhamhaeng Road.  How would you propose it be closer?  

Quote

I never said they were a failure, I said the ARL is hardly a success. Do not put words in my mouth. I mentioned legitimate criticism on the state of public transportation in Bangkok. And as a frequent vistitor to Paris for instance, which is a comparable city in terms of inhabitants, it does not even come close to the efficiency and comfort of that mass transportation system. A system build in a few years about a century ago I might add. 

I have to disagree with you about Paris.  It is filthy dirty, the ticketing is confusing and there are not enough machines in operation.  Signage is very confusing too.  Bangkok is far superior in all those respects.  Comfort?  Paris metro trains are comfortable?  Compared to BTS or MRT or ARL trains??

48 minutes ago, sjaak327 said:

 

Quote

Oh my god. In terms of ridership ? Is that really the only measure that counts ? It's not hard to obtain a high ridership when there is virtually no competition. The ARL does not do what it was suppose to do, namely a comfortable express train to BKK. in fact, the express train has beens scrapped due to maitenance problems. All that is left is three trains per hour. Did you actually try to take it from BKK to say Ramkhamhaeng with luggage ? Downright nightmare. We made a run for the doors one station earlier already, and still had to take a few Thais with us, just to get ourselves and our lugguage near the door !

I think ridership is a good indication of the success of a transit line, yes.

The express train was discontinued due to a lack of ridership, so in that respect that part of it was a failure.  It was too expensive and offered little benefit over the much cheaper City Line.  

And there are generally five trains an hour, not three.  In peak times more than that.  It is still not enough though and it is overcrowded.  

Quote

Of course, when you exit the train, it is a massive hike to even get to Ramkhamhaeng, just to get a taxi to our intended destination (Sukhumvit, between 38 and 40). Rest assured, it was the first and the last time I ever took that train. Yes it is great for people in say Lat Krabang, or hua Mak to get to the city centre, it might even be of service for people that go all the way to Phayathai with their lugguage, it is a downright nightmare for actual people with luguagge that need to get off in any of the stations in between. Compare it with say the airport link in Hong Kong, and see how much lacking the BKK ARL really is. 

It's a massive hike to Ramkhamhaeng?  The station is right on Ramkhamhaeng Road.  It is literally right on the road with a bridge going to the other side.  How much closer would you like it to be?  

If you are coming in to the city at morning rush hour that could be a nightmare, but at other times of the day it is not that bad.

Quote

Ridiculous or not, I am a very frequent rider of the BTS, for as long as it existed, and it now comes to a point where just taking a taxi in rush hour is quicker. The system is absolutely saturated beyond repair, and nothing is being done about it. No longer trains, no increase in frequency and they keep extending it east and north, without proper measures to actually make it a feasible system. 

Taking a taxi in rush hour is not quicker.  The BTS is very busy at rush hours, but it is still the best mode of transport.  News just in - mass transit in all major cities is very very crowded at rush hour.  They can't have more frequent headway from what I understand at rush hours.  Could they or should they have longer trains?  Probably, but really it is not that bad on the whole.

Quote

I am not bashing, I am giving legitimate criticism based upon being a loyal customer of the BTS for 20 years. I understand, some people seem to believe that criticism is equal to bashing, of course it is not, the criticims is uttered in the hope that things will improve. And let's not kid ourselves, when it comes to how these system are operated, they cannot even come close to what Singapore or KL are doing, nowhere near to be honest. Yes the infra is there, and yes it could have been operated so much more efficiently, and that is just a fact. 

Population of KL, Singapore?  They are efficient systems in much smaller cities.  Bangkok should have integrated ticketing, that is a massive down side, but to call the mass transit systems a failure is ridiculous - they are clearly not.

2 hours ago, sjaak327 said:

Actually, some of these projects are hardly a success, such as the ARL, which is a downright mess. Even the BTS could be much better if they employ some critical thinking. Such as for instance, why after several decades do the majority of vending machines still don't take paper money ? Even the new vending machines currently being introduced do not accept paper money. SO people have to queue endlessly to even be able to get a ticket. Go to Asoke on a weekday around 18:00 and you see exaclty what I mean. 

 

It has nothing to do with Thai bashing, and everything to do with reality. 

I think you need to get some perspective.  The ARL has been a massive success (in terms of ridership).  I use it very often and couldn't imagine it not being there.  It is badly run, it is undoubtedly badly run, but it was built, it got done, and it works.

The BTS has also been a resounding success.  Yes, the machines not accepting notes is very stupid - it always was.  It was explained in another thread the reason why, but it is still stupid.  I agree with that.

But look at where Bangkok was 20 years ago and where it is today.  And look at where it will be in another 4-5 years in terms of infrastructure.  What Bangkok is undertaking is actually unprecedented in all but a few countries: simultaneous construction of a comprehensive mass transit system with numerous lines.  

Look at Manila, look at Jakarta, look at HCMC.  And look at Bangkok.  You are nit picking at little flaws in an otherwise excellent overall plan.  I would call that bashing.  Saying what exists is hardly a success is just ridiculous.

1 hour ago, holy cow cm said:

So they awarded the movie to someone who has only been in the thai movie are a and no relevant awards in the international arena. They should have thought of the kids future welfare and not ego and tourism. Shame 

What are you talking about? Who is "they" and what has ego or tourism got to do with who's directing it? 

What a strange post. Desperate to bash but not sure why so thought you'd just go ahead anyway? 

14 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Keeping the Passengers Safe - Episode One

 

With the impending opening of the BTS past Samrong on December 5th final preparations, staff training and testing is in progress under the watchful eye of the ICE (Independant Certification Engineer) who has the final say as to whether the railway actually opens.

 

Today's scenario - Train breakdown needing evacuation between stations.

 

9.30 AM The victims (actually most of BTS's admin staff) await their train at Samrong station.

 

 

 

We take a short train ride to about halfway between E16 and E17 where the train "breaks down". There was a pause at E16 to let off a "real" passenger who had managed to get past the security chaps directing them to the "real" train on the opposite side of Samrong platform. 

 

After a wait to ensure the power is off everyone exits via the evacuation ramp at the front of the train.

 

 

 

Then we get a nice walk down the track.

 

 

 

 

 

and a head count to ensure nobody has been left behind.

 

 

 

Test pass ????

 

Very cool - thanks for sharing!

1 hour ago, HHTel said:

20 years as a film director/producer and he's pictured in a uniform!!

That's not him.  That's the actor who plays the governor.

20 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

The money would be much better spent sorting out the service in the existing airport, which must rank as the world,s worst with horrifying delays going through immigration. In Singapore the average time checking passports is around 30 seconds, compared to the up to 5 HOURS spent waiting in line in Bangkok. Totally unacceptable in a supposedly modern airport ! This creates a totally negative impression to any tourist entering the country, right from the start ????

Seriously, calm down.  World's worst?  You obviously don't travel much (I suspect you don't travel at all, just read an article about a delay once and that was enough to catapult you into hysteria).

We don't wait up to 5 HOURS waiting in line.  My usual experiences are a few minutes up to 25 minutes.  I did have an hour queue on a recent flight from Sydney which wasn't pleasant (especially as it was 3am) but it was rammed full of people and most desks were open.

And yes, Singapore is good, but again, you obviously don't travel much if you think it is 30 seconds.  I go there once a month for work and sometimes the queues (both inbound and outbound) are pretty long.  

This is off-topic but I was mightily impressed on a recent trip to Sydney.  Lots of machines on the jetway as you leave the plane.  Scan your passport, you get a ticket.  Then you get to immigration and you pop your ticket in a machine and it lets you through.  From aircraft door to passing immigration was about three minutes.  Best system I have seen.

19 hours ago, steve187 said:

do some really wait 5 hours

No.

It happened once due to several issues.  Once.  And that was at Don Mueang so he's not even making up stories about the right airport.

1 hour ago, BobbyL said:

I will definitely visit. The old one was great as it seemed so quiet and serene. The only negative is that definitely can't be recreated on Soi 11. 

Somewhere like Soi 8 would have been nicer, down the quiet end.

14 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

Exactly, that is my point. I would assume that every passenger, irrespective of time of flight, can be without food for an hour (give in 90 minutes with pre-/post boarding). If they would hand out plastic cups and serve plain drinking water from bottles and collect the cups just before landing it would be more than enough - and they would save zillions. But I am not too sure, if Khon Thai can be without food for an extended period of, say, 90 minutes ???? 

Ah yes, I see what you are getting at, and I think you're right.  ????

I think they feel they need to include some kind of "meal" to avoid being bracketed as a Low Cost Airline.

19 minutes ago, Charlie1 said:

You're totally wrong mate. It's a shark (Rincodon Typus) and belongs to the shark family!

Yeah, there's a clue in the name.  

2 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

If it is the same crap as being served domestically on TG and WE then I wish all those hungry guests good luck. Tasteless blue sandwiches with some undefinable spread, plastic foil wrapped in a small cardboard box and the lash being affixed with a scotch tape. This box, together with a small bottle of RO water by Chang, a paper napkin, refreshment towelette and a tooth pick being packed in a rather rigid paper bag with string handles. An environmental disaster befitting the content of the food box. 

So what would you expect on a 50 minute domestic flight where they may have 15 minutes to get everything served and then collected again?  Fine dining?  

Seriously, a domestic flight is so short, what do you really expect?  

What an utterly ridiculous article.  Great to see the usual outrage on here though.

Look at it another way.  Onnut to Victory Monument is 44 baht.  Onnut to Sanam Pao - one stop further - is also 44 baht.  You can even go on to Ari for the same 44 baht.  Shock Horror, hold the front page!  The BTS has given billions of baht away in free rides!!

It's a pretty clear pricing system and no, they haven't pocketed billions from fake stations.  

And not sure who mentioned the promise of building the two stations from the revenue they would collect from selling tickets to those two stations but that is a clearly ridiculous statement and there was never any such "promise".

2 hours ago, Bob12345 said:

Starts looking for the 2 guys as soon as she can use them for a money making documentary....

Horrible, unnecessary, spiteful, and completely incorrect comment.  What a pitiful thing to say.

On 11/9/2018 at 10:42 PM, coralia said:

I am confused about all this Makkasan thing... I don't know where Makkasan is and I don't want to get off there. Does the Airport Link take me all the way to Phayathai BTS Station, where I can change trains and go to Chong Nonsi? Without changing at Makkasan?....

Thank you all.

Yes.  You can take the Airport Link from the airport straight to Phaya Thai.  From there you can get the BTS to Chong Nonsi although you will need to change lines at Siam station.

From Phaya Thai go two stops to Siam.  Change to the Silom line and take a train bound for Bang Wa.  It is three stops to Chong Nonsi.  Very simple.

3 minutes ago, stanleycoin said:

Wahey,  sorry you have no seance of humour.

and want to dazzle everyone with your knowledge. 

Please bring on the next total hand job. 

 

 

Oh, I see.  Sorry, your post was hilarious and not at all looking down on Thais, sorry, Somchais.  It was just brilliant and I should have recognised it as humour.  My mistake.

On 10/27/2018 at 4:40 PM, josephbloggs said:

Thank you that's interesting as I am leaning towards a trip to Sydney, but not if that is the case.  Do you know if that is the same requirement for a single entry?

 

On their website they don't mention that, only that non-Australian or non-resident applicants need to show an Australian e-visa.  https://thaiconsulatesydney.org/en/visas

 

 

Well, I'm in Sydney and applied this morning, only to be told that they only give Non-Os to Australian residents.  That goes contrary to what it says on their website about non-resident applicants only needing to show an Aussie e-visa.  But ho hum, no non-O for me.  Instead I will receive a tourist visa.  It'll do the job for now, but just thought I would report back here in case the info is useful for anyone else considering applying in Sydney.

Edit:  I was applying for a single entry non-O.