josephbloggs

Whenever I've seen the video I've always seen my bag.

Take your car. There's loads of spaces.

I parked there on the 30th and came out on the 2nd. Car park was busy but could park on 6th floor quite easily. They gave me a ticket going in with date and time on it.

Coming out was a nightmare. Took me 45 minutes to get to the exit. Only two out of three booths were manned. When I eventually got there and gave my ticket in with 1000 baht ready in my hand, he waved me through and said, "free". Not sure why.

On one side of the barrier the water is 4 foot deep.

On the other side of the barrier it is dry.

I can't help but think it would be fairer and have less economic impact for the water to be 1 foot deep everywhere.

With water 1 foot deep life can go on as usual for everyone,

But the rich like the poor to suffer the most in Thailand.

I fully agree. It would have been better to open sluice gates from the very beginning in order to allow the water to flow into the sea, even if major parts of Bangkok would have become inundated. The flooding could have been kept in check, reaching perhaps 30 cm in places instead of the 1 or 1.5 metres or more as it does now. Bangkok can deal with 30 cm of water even during a prolonged period. And if those fine khunyings with their stiff hairdos feel impeded during their weekly trip to Emporium, so be it. Not everybody in inner Bangkok is insanely rich and drives a BMW, of course, but it wouldn't have hurt if we all would have shared the burden. It's still dry as a bone at my place (Ramkhamhaeng), although I am used to flooding even after a heavy rainstorm. What an irony.

Great, another water expert on TV. Please tell me how the volume of water now backed up equals 30cm in Bangkok. I'm pretty sure Bangkok has many levels. You've obviously done your homework so I'm intrigued what your calculations are. And you get a bonus 10 points for using the Emporium cliche. 97% of the people in Bangkok are not insanely rich believe it or not.

If you think releasing water to an average of 1ft across Bangkok at all will BE then 1ft on some average is inane - see the topology map and notice that some areas will be under 2-3m while others are still dry. By no fault of their own. Or the government.

One could be forgiven for thinking that those who bought low lying houses built on a flood plain, should shoulder part of the "fault" themselves.

Using the same logic: And those living outside flood barriers should not?

I don't (didn't) live in a flood plane. My area was turned into one to protect people's right to live it up at the malls on Sukhumvit.

I think the people who have been flooded have a legitimate grievance and if I was in their position I'd probably want to smash down the barriers and dykes too. But your last sentence is ridiculous. If you honestly think the people in the "dry zone" are whooping it up and buying Rolexes in celebration then you are sadly mistaken. Unfortunate as it is, this government (who are the Reds - the rural poor remember?) has taken the decision to try and save Bangkok at the expense of others. We had no part in that decision. Most of us would agree to take on water to alleviate the suffering of those outside. But Bangkok is a city of 10 million people and it powers the economy. If it were to flood Thailand would be crippled. Tens of thousands - maybe hundreds of thousands - would be out of work. It would take years to recover and that would affect all Thais. Right or wrong, that is the truth of it. So please take your self righteous divisive nonsense and stick it your dyke.

When it first opened, the Bangkok skytrain was a clean and fast alternative to the streets below, high quality travel.

Now it is dirty and overcrowded, almost as bad as the LRT in Manilla.

Dirty? How on earth can you say that? From my eyes it is pretty much spotlessly clean. Trains are clean, platforms are clean, stations are clean.

Why do so many people want to bash something that is genuinely excellent and worthy of praise? Especially by making ridiculously outrageous claims. Dirty? Really?

Maybe there's a larger story here, but it amazes me that he allowed himself to get to that stage (if he really did).

Because where he comes from there is no accountability for your actions, get yourself in a bind of your own doing and go bleating to a goverment department....poor me, not my fault..you have to do something....and has applied the same approach here....I have spent all my money, so British Goverment must fly me home, its not my fault.

IMHO...he is playing the system, same as people do in the UK all the time.

Too true too true, your forgetting one thing though (assuming you actually know in the first place). He is British! This means the British government will do sweet F A for him. Had he been of other nationality residing in the UK the they would have swept him up and flown him back first class.

Wow, so how does the Daily Mail subscription work in Thailand?

I normally use the public buses to travel around Bangkok, but occasionaly use taxis. This morning my fare came to 108 baht. I had a one hundred and a twenty. Driver told me not to worry about the eight baht as he didn't have change. This happens often. I pay less than the fare.

What?? And you wouldn't just give him the 120 and sacrifice 12 baht for a tip? That is shameful if you ask me, and it is certainly nothing to be proud of. But you feel good for yourself for "often" paying less than the fare. Well done you!

Chaun was the best PM this country has seen in my 24 years here. I may be crazy, but I believe that he is an honest man.....

I'm not sure about that, although he wasn't too bad. I'd say he was the John Major of Thai politics. ie. shit, but not dislikable.

No you were not being scammed.

It is the normal procedure to not charge overstay for the 1st day...but that is at the option of immigration on your exit.

It is not a requirement for them to do that, it is their OPTION not to charge you a fee...and they CAN charge you for that overstay...because you are in fact 1 day late in leaving.

And as another person pointed out...even if you are not required to pay for a 1 day overstay...at their option...you will have the overstay info written ibto your passport in Thai.

So if you do that more than once, and then enter again on that same passport, the immigration will see that you already have a one day overstay on a previous vist.

How long do you expect them to let you keep entering and then leaving one day late, before they have had enough?

You are flaunting your violation of the immigration law in front of their faces...why shouldn't they be angry?

Yes, just another all-too-typical TV post shouting about being "SCAMMED" when nothing of the sort was happening. The sort of person who thinks it's clever or funny to call Thailand "Lieland" is probably seeing/imagining scams left right and centre. I find that kind of attitude a little bit sad.

Try overstaying in the UK for a day and see what type of send off you receive. And then see if they let you back in next time like they do here.

I will be using the Emirates Business Class lounge next month for the first time.....what can I expect? Foodwise,Alcohol, internet.... showers?

thanks in advance

Foodwise they have hot stuff, cold canapes, soups, cheeses, chocolates, loads of goodies.

Boozewise they have beer, wines, spirits (lots of), champagne.

They have free wifi and quite a few dedicated internet PCs. Pretty sure they have showers too but I can't remember.

Compare to the TG Business Lounge where you can have a stale cheese sandwich and not a lot else.

I think you won't save alot of money this way, the airport link is expensive

No, you probably wouldn't save a ton of money, but you'd definitely save some - maybe 100 baht depending on whereabouts in Pattanakarn you want to get to. Not worth it to most people but the OP specified without using a taxi.

But you say the ARL is expensive??? It's about 35 baht from the airport to Ramkhamhaeng - how can you call that expensive? It is incredibly cheap!

Anyone know any other transport other then TAXI that would go from Air-Port To Pattanagan Street?

You can take the Airport Rail Link (ARL) City Line to Ramkhamhaeng station. This station is pretty much right at the start of Pattankarn Road. You'll probably have to take a taxi from there to your final destination though.

blah blah blah , I think... blah blah blah......I'm guessing the tunnel they built is too low....

This sums up TV for me. Blame the Thais, make yourselves feel better.

Out of all the people pontificating and passing judgement on this problem - please tell me how many of you work in the rail industry or even know what the problem is with these carbon brushes. How many of you had even heard of carbon brushes before? I'm guessing not many.

Please tell me what caused this problem, what your position is in the industry, why it happened.....and then I'm all ears. For all the rest of TV know-it-alls/know-nothings please stop wasting bandwidth. Seriously, do you not realise how sily you look? How smug?

You really do annoy me....

I've just searched back 2 pages to see what comments or thoughts YOU have on the matter..Nil

All these idiotic comments are what people feel is wrong with Seimans-or Express trains, naturally ,unless we are lucky, there isn't an expert to tell us in one sentence who takes the blame. forum is about one's feelings on the matter and to express what they think and to discuss. You said you are all ears, why not tell us what your thoughts are on the said subject ???

Your not trying to get brownie points, and trying yourself to look good are you ??? if you so want look up facts on the internet if posters BOTHER YOU. (but I do agree there are some that annoy)

You won't find any thoughts or comments on the matter from me because I'm not into pontificating and speculating on things that I know nothing about. I like trains but I know nothing about carbon brushes or why they've worn out or why there's a lack of spare parts to hand. However, what annoyed (still annoys) me is the fact that at least 95% of people posting here and blaming the "incompetent Thais" ALSO know nothing about carbon brushes, what they do, why they've worn out or why there were no spares to hand, but they simply say things like, "this is Thailand, what do you expect", or blame corruption or - quite ridiculously - the taxi mafia.

I've lived here for nearly 16 years and have a business employing more than 30 Thais so I am more than familiar with how things work here and I am not some wide-eyed newcomer. Yes, some things get cocked up in Thailand, but they also get cocked up where I come from. I just get annoyed when people who know NOTHING about the issue in question automatically sneer at the Thais and assume it is a result of their incompetence. It is not fair and reflects badly on the people passing judgement.

Hello..........................er today is April 1st. Have none of you realised this?

bell bus .

from ground floor , at swammpy,

.

The OP has obviously never been to Thailand before. He registers and asks a genuine question. And you answer using this ridiculously cliquey TV term "swampy", or rather "swammpy". Seriously, do you expect him to know what it means? Who are you trying to impress? Why can't you say "airport" or "terminal"?

Honestly, this forum is full of prats. Surely we're here to help people out? Or are we just here to show off with our cliquey language in front of other TV prats?

I used to go up there for last goodbyes before flying out. Never reopened after the occupation by the yellow shirt scourge. Was a good location, but a bit expensive.

Guess they couldn't make the grade. I recall it was mostly vacant of customers.

It always had a few customers and at the prices they charged they should have been more than ok to survive. Anyway, if they simply didn't make the grade why has nothing been there since? It remains empty. Surely King Power (who control all commercial space at the airport) would rent it out to someone else or use the space themselves? Empty space is lost revenue.

I'd love to know why it is still empty.....

Because it was was raving rip off so people looked at the prices and left without ordering anything.

Ding Ding Ding!! I was wondering how long it would be before I got my first typical Thai Visa reply. I was beginning to think it might not happen because I got a couple of sensible replies first, but well done, you get a gold star! I hope it looks nice on your backpack. Yes, people like you probably left without ordering.

The place was a little bit overpriced, but it was nice with good service so it was worth it in my opinion. Great view too. I miss it.

Two years seems a long time without it being replaced by anything, hence my question. There must be more to it than it being too expensive.

I used to go up there for last goodbyes before flying out. Never reopened after the occupation by the yellow shirt scourge. Was a good location, but a bit expensive.

Yeah, it was a little bit expensive but it was a nice place for a final beer and it was no more expensive than the dreadful rip-off places once you pass immigration. Sonthi, the BASTARD! Think it had closed even before those ridiclous selfish yellow <deleted> did their bit for democracy though.

Cost of keeping power and aircon running for the few customers that used it?

Well, yes, it was never that busy but it always had a few people in it. It was rare to get a seat next to the window. If it was always deserted I wouldn't have asked the question - it was usually half full.

I have to say that your visitors were exceptional in that after a long-arsed flight, they would navigate up 3 floors with baggage to meet you at the bar before navigating back down 3 or 4 floors to finally get ground transportation to final destination. You (and them) must have been the Sky Bars favourite customers!

Well we'd have to come up to the 4th floor to get to my car anyway so it wasn't too much further to come up to the Sky Bar where they'd have a cold beer waiting. Not too exceptional when you consider the rewards (cold beer) versus the sacrifice (er, nothing).

Hi folks,

I was at the airport today and something got me thinking: up near the far check in areas there are escalators going up to what used to be the Sky Bar. I used to really enjoy sitting in there for a few drinks and would tell arriving family members/friends to meet me there rather than fighting through the scrum downstairs. Then about two (more?) years ago it suddenly closed and it has never been replaced by anything,

So, I'm really curious if anyone knows why it closed, and why that space has been empty ever since? There must be a reason.

Now I know one of reasons we chose to live in Chiangmai.

Was it really?

I am guessing from the OP's screen name that he may be of Chinese decent or ethnicity?

"a Chinese woman around age 55 wearing good make-up asked me if I was Chinese and if I had some time and I answered yes." Er.......that may also have been a clue.

I tried to comment on The Sun website regarding his illegal act, and they have refused to post my comment,

So I felt duly bound to report this illegal worker to the Thai Immigration, why should we all have to follow the rules and regulations, and this person doesn't.

Hard to tell whether you're joking or not. If you are, fair enough. But if you're not you really need to get a life.

There are several piers, in addition to the one with the public ferry, along the water front in Ban Phe that offer speed boats to whatever beach you want to go. More importantly they also offer overnight parking for a small charge as well. We have been using one that two piers before the public pier. In some 10 years of leaving the car, we have never had a problem.

TH

Similar story here. I always use Chok Krisada pier which is maybe two or three before the main pier. They have good covered parking and I've never had a problem in ten plus years. They also have a good fleet of well maintained speedboats with helpful and courteous staff. I just came back from Ao Pai last weekend and paid 2,500 baht return for the speedboat.

Not sure why it's not showing, but click the square for a pic...