josephbloggs

The unscrupulous way True Vision has treated its subscribers for years is one of the major reason why I moved out of Thailand to a neighbouring country.

Hmmmmm, righty ho.

Also I have noticed that thai's give up their ideas in a moment. you only have to go up to their stall in a market and tell them 'what a great idea, how do you make it or how is it done'. And they tell you !

My wife takes advantage of this and then opens something similar in the village. when the villagers ask tell her, ''what a great idea, how do you make it or how is it done', she won't tell them or tells them that it was my idea and they need to go ask me. End of conversation.

Oh yeah, well done you. Take advantage of someone's trust and/or naivety, copy their idea, then brag about it on the internet. Big pat on the back to you and your wife. And great idea for telling them it was your idea to put them off the case. Feel proud my friend, feel proud.

I am currently pricing flights for a trip later this month to San Francisco and am seeing some quotes for around B 85k from United, China, and JAL.

I flew to Las Vegas last year business class on United which is the exact same flight you're looking at (minus the SF --> Las Vegas leg, obviously). It wasn't as cheap as that but beware of one thing: the BKK to Narita leg is on their new business class with lie flat seats and is very good. The Narita - SF leg is on their old business class and is a bit duff.

They might have upgraded that sector since but I don't think so.

Ratchada and the Huay Kwang Area will have it. They have 100 - 200mbit available already. Try Ideo, Life, Rhythm in Huay Kwang and you will get TrueHD Plus and Ultra High Speed Internet up to 200mbit.

The 200mbit package will probably cost you more then your monthly rent..

Yeap, 200Mb "in-Thailand" speed with probably around 5Mb "international" speed.

Not sure where you live but i got the 20mbit (twenty) package through cable and my internet works flawless. I get full speed when i download from rapidshare or another filehoster.

I have it too and I get exactly what is advertised. Very satisfied with it. For the OP - you can see exactly where their Ultra High Speed service is available here: http://onlinetv.trueonline.com/ultra_coverage/index_en.html

We all know SWAMPY is one of the worst airports in the world bar none if you look at everything.

That is simply one of the most ridiculous sentences I have ever come across on here - and that is saying something!

Hmmmm, if you are talking about where I think you are talking about - impossible to tell because of the ridiculous paranoia that doesn't let you say so, if it was as bad as he says it is not libel. But if you are talking about a very tall hotel that we are not allowed to talk about then it is ridiculous to think it is 5-star. I don't believe it is advertised as 5-star anywhere. I stayed there once in the presidential suite for a weekend treat and it is 3.5/4 star. Great value for what it is though, but no more than 4 star. Don't believe it tries to be more than that.

Having said that, and especially so if you are talking about a tall hotel near Baiyoke 1 that we can't talk about, your slating of all Thai hotels is ludicrous. Bangkok probably has more true 5-star hotels than most major cities. And complaining that nobody actually went with you to where you asked directions sounds petty.

Not sticking up for the place as it is a bit run down (if we are indeed talking about the same tall hotel), but to expect a 5-star service there, and then to extrapolate and say Bangkok has no true 5 star hotels doesn't help your cause one little bit.

Be interested to know exactly what made you check out after 30 minutes, must have been a shocker.

Ok you asked for it, i wasn't going to Blurt it all out as obviously its only our perception and opinion and we are aware that others have enjoyed the <snip>,

Here's the list of things that p____ed us off, you have to remember that we were seeking a 5star experience (me the wife and our baby daughter)

we wanted a warm cosy room with 5star room facilities.

Dark cold feeling as you enter the hotel, Cold reception from staff at lobby did not help us with our bags or even say hello as we walked up to the counter. the building felt so OLD and Decrepit. (pic attached of dark entrance looks like a closed down shopping centre)

They had not prepared our reservation even though we had phoned on our way to confirm our immanent arrival, we were told to sit and wait for them to sort a room out. the reception staff looked stressed and under staffed, no land of smiles here. they kept demanding ID card for our daughter! asking her name and DOB etc, shes only 6 months we dont have any passport for her or ID yet.

On arrival in our lonely room on the 56th floor, that had probably not seen a guest for years, No alcohol in minibar! we arrived hot and went straight to the fridge for a cold one.. it only had coke and water! no snacks or chocolate etc as per normal mini bar ( NOT 5 STAR!! )

Room basic and old, not even any paintings or pics on the white washed walls! drab, and NOT COSY (pic attached of cold white washed wall bedroom)

The Room actually felt like an old serviced apartment like you can get on Sukhomvit for 1500 per night, not a hotel room. (pic attached of horrible old kitchen)

Paint on balcony was all coming off, No chair on furniture on the large balcony. (waste of space)

The shape of the room was horrible, it was Long and only had window at one end, so the lounge part of the Suite was all dark and dreary with not even a TV to relax and watch with a cold beer, the lounge was a wasted space, we were told that all of the 1 bedroom 1 lounge rooms are this shape.

We found out that due to the size of the hotel and lack of guests they have shut down massive parts of the building, its like a ghost town building, we were up on the 56th floor, and she said there was not any other rooms occupied on that floor or near. (anyone seen the Shining?) it was a weird feeling.

The duty manager was stone cold and blatantly rude to me when i called her to our room to try to cancel our booking, not apologetic "Not even 1 F___ given"

"we have your money so F you".. atitude.

This is not even close to 5star, to be high class you dont just need a beautifully decorated warm building you need warm staff to match and we didn't see either.

within 1 minute of entering the Shangri-la we felt warm and welcome the place has a lovely vibe, and amazing staff, the room is fit for a king beautifully decorated with wall paper and pictures, mahogany furniture, gorgeous mini bar full of treats, bathroom also fit for donald trump.

Tops Thonglor, Villa Thonglor. Both definitely have them. Not cheap, but they are "proper" fish fingers.

This time last year I flew UA business class to Las Vegas. BKK to Narita was "new" business class lie flats and was superb. Narita to San Francisco was old style business class. Coming back was the same in reverse. In the old business class the seats and environment were pretty awful but the service was superb so it wasn't too bad.

I know they are gradually overhauling all their planes but I have no idea if it's complete yet.

Having said that it was not a patch on Emirates, Etihad, Singapore or Cathay's business class but it was pretty good value for the money. Pretty much all the American airlines are years behind their middle-eastern and Asian counterparts (excluding TG).

And the poster above is correct in that the lounge in Tokyo will be packed, but the beer machines are super cool. They ran out of clean glasses when I was there though it was so busy.

This time last year I flew UA business class to Las Vegas. BKK to Narita was "new" business class lie flats and was superb. Narita to San Francisco was old style business class. Coming back was the same in reverse. In the old business class the seats and environment were pretty awful but the service was superb so it wasn't too bad.

I know they are gradually overhauling all their planes but I have no idea if it's complete yet.

I've never had a problem getting a seat on it, but I had to travel out during the day so the train wasn't too full.

Ticketing is incredibly easy and fast.

The walk from the BTS up to the Airlink platform is, in my opinion, too long. I'm fit and don't mind the walk, but there's really no reason for it (except poor planning maybe).

You should take the Express - the other line makes too many stops.

Never!

Poor planning?

Impossible!

Planning in Thailand is ALWAYS meticulous, and very much as wanted.

Not your wants, of course, but anyone having profit from the meticulous planning.

Too long? Jeez, some people on here will moan about anything, they really will. So tell me Mr Planning Critic, exactly how would you have planned it so the stations were less than the 200 metres apart they are now? It really is a momumental cock-up by the Thais this one, oh yes.

Seabear

What is that snarly beast very top, left??

I believe that's a Mitsuoka Orochi.

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!