bangkokburning

Ouch! Ripped on all accounts, but great write up.

Anyone have a number of a taxi for the Poipet-Siem Reap run? Wife and I thinking about a long weekend in July if monsoon not to monsoony.

Thx

Guys, I don't mean to be rude, but all stores on Sukhumvit belong to Indians. First, the OP specified he wanted a Thai tailor. Second, Indians located on Sukhumvit have no sense of fashion at all, no matter who good they speak. Third, most of them will delegate their work to other guys whom car repair would be their forte but not tailored suits. As a result, they deliver a low quality job, Rajah included. At least, Thai designers have a sense of fashion. Just go meet them. But please, don't talk about Sukhumvit anymore.

It isn't safe to generalise. They Indians may have been there for generations and call nowhere else home. Not all of them are tourist traps that farm their work out to the same sweatshop. Some are professional operations and do good work. Stick to the busy ones, usually run by Sikhs, and skip the ones that have touts outside and always look empty.

Those Indians are Thai and have been here for generations, their touts are usually from places such as Nepal.As for those places on Suk or tourist trap joints, why do I never see sewing machines or machinists sewing away and stitching up suits on the premises?Most of these places are nothing more than material salesmen with the material being sent to some sweat shop at the back of the tobacco factory to be sewn up.For the OP, go to a Thai place and you will see the staff on the premises, these places always have Thai style uniforms in the windows, its where the Thais go for made to measure clothing.

This is true. All that crap in the tourist areas farmed out to a few "sewing factories".

And you really need to be careful about them swapping material and shoddy labor.

I think the barriers really state the issue plainly. If the road was not fenced off it would be breached with impunity by every motorcycle and Mercedes in the capital.

How much are spent on the walls?

Yes, what an expensive mash of transit! I think even Singapore is cheaper.

Fai Thong and similar egg yolk/sugar concoctions

Moh Gahng - custardy thick square. I do not know contents in entirity

San Kai Ya - essentially, flan.

Tapioca sweets, little balls o jelly in sweet drinks

Pandan - coconutty tasting paste/custard made from grass

Khao Dem - above

Coconut ice cream

Khao Niew with Durian or Mango

Khnom Buurung (look like little tacos) - marshmallow, fai thong, crazy sweet

Sugar cane and lime juice

Lime juice and salt

I do not like jellied cubes, Thai love em.

Those are my fave sweets, not snacks.

Really the shot across the bow. BOT will announce QE measures is my guess.

Thailands exports could vanish overnight.

"Stuff" can be sourced anywhere. The world is awash in stuff.

Thailand better wtfu and fast.

Costs time, money and effort to tesource as well. Once vendors move, they will not simply return on price unless its a huge difference. Seems trend here is up not down as well so Thais can kiss export markets good bye.

I wonder how automobiles are priced being shipped abroad. THB or Yen?

We have a standard AC unit in our flat. Like every apt I had rented in past 15 years, its broken. So...

The ac unit is stuck on maximum cold and fan to medium. On this unit the dial literally does not work and switch to fan low renders it inoperative.

Purely from economics and energy savings, is it better to flip the ac off and on every 20 or 30 minutes when we are freezing or let it run and put on some clothes?

The outside condenser is some oldish thing and inside we are sporting the quality "Unimaster" brand.

Thx!

Why does Thailand even allow Africans? I think many trickle down from Lao which may have more liberal requirements with former French colonies. Dont know.

In all my 20 years and travels I have never seen them in any area frequented by tourists anywhere in SEA. The only time I really do see them is when they are in transit (Vientiane) or on the border areas (Issan). I do recall from lives past they frequent and mix in the Arab area down on Sukhimvhit. I have a few up near me as well. Everytime they pass me they always try to stop me and either bum money off me or tell me about God (presuming to thrn bum money off me).

Any Sub Saharan African engaged in commerce save for rice and fruit woild be in China.

I just assume they are all up to no good. West Africa is fairly stable so forget the upper class refugee notion. Heroin, email scams, people smuggling...

Thailand is in a real bind insofar as its currency.

If it lowers rates, it will fuel inflation, building, financial and consumer bubbles.

If it prints money, the currency is for all intents debased. The US, Japan and UK can get away with this but not dodgy third world financial systems. Thailand is known throughout the world as a pretty sketchy place, its one saving grace at current is its currency. If it toys around with it too much, it will look like Philippines, not Malaysia. Having said that, I think the BOT will eventually go the QE route and the govt will use it fir public works. If the govt cronies pocket the cash and use it for real estate or it leaves the country that would be a problem. If the BOT uses the Fed method in which much of it ends up in stock market, that will also be another bubble and another huge issue.

BOT cares not a wit about us expats. What they care about is exports, tourism which is 7-10% gdp and jobs in general.

Thailand has always been a destination for a cheap holiday. It will remain so in the grand scheme. It will though lose all its luxury business. Thailand becomes in competition with Greece, Canaries, Carribean, etc... With usd nearing 10k to 1 Bali is a great value close to home for Ozzies and Kiwi's. My personal opinion on torism is the last five years numbers are bolstered by Chinese, Iranians, Indians and Arabs. Not big spenders and not repeat customers. Russians have been the latest cash cow replacing the swarm of UK comers. The political problems of last decade, rising baht, huge economic issues at home will leave Europeans and Americans non plussed about a return holiday here. Thailand is no longer exotic, its a holiday destination and so competes with every resort on the planet.

BOT must act, but I think it is trying to wait as long as possible to see China's move.

One thing sure, buying others currency always a dicey move. In todays world potentially perilous action to lower ones currency. Maybe its time to buy that submarine?

If you think Thailand has it bad, Phils peso is now 41+ to usd. Lucky they have no exports. Anyone thinking Phils offers better, you will be in for a horrible shock setting yourself up and living there.

It is indeed a race to the bottom and Thailand is in a real bind.

Google water wars - read

I thought this insanity was put to bed.

Welcome to neo-serfdom

Nestle....maybe if they had privitised water in Africa, they would not have killed all those infants years back.

I'll be boycotting...just to easy.

The irony being is that everyone has visa problems. No one save Elite card remnants have visas good for over a year. So we all hang by a thread, the whim and good graces of a tenous government.

Why does evryone have a need to pass judgement of me based upon their arbitrary financial stamdard?

The other irony is that if all you non deritui had any real money youd be back in your home countries or in the Carribean or Southern Europe.

Most of you are a bunch of working class stiffs with little or no formal education. You had a crappy babbit of a job or worked in high paying but back breaking manual labor. You divorced your wife, left your kids and moved around the world to spend the bslsnce of your days in a culture wholly foreign to you, which you secretly dislike and dont understand. You stay because its cheap - as are the women, which you rent by the hour.

The retiree brigade always clings to money as their anchor to claim expatriateship. Having failed for not even trying when it came to language, culture, integration, food, etc...

We all doin' fine bro. We will be the last to leave, not your lot - mark my words. You came late and will leave early from the party. Typical ingrate guest.

Id be shocked if a dozen people on this board were worth over 5 million usd each.

And good luck with your stupid pensions, unfunded liabilities and all that...

You need a description or name of each place

Are these your photos?

Im.sorta done handing out my shots

Yeah bro - whats up with paying for a shower and a place to crash. Free inside ICN.

2nd cl fan sleepers in Thailand are becoming as rare as hens teeth

I love the SRT but the trains are falling apart by the day. Train to Trang two weeks ago, 2hrs late typical.

Trains are running very, very late these years

Id take the train to Butterworth, then switch to bus. As I recall catching the train was inconvenient, required changing in KL and was very slow (painfully).

What might have been adventure 30yrs ago, now just a bore.

Assuming your certificate is locked up somewhere, can't someone get a copy from the state registrar and just send it to you?

The permitted to stay stamp. 15 30 60 90 days. Not the stamp in which the entire visa expires (disallowing entry after such date).

I have never had any serious issue coming in on a visa. I have had lots of hemming and hawing and shufgling about and wadting of time when I used to do runners and often crossed for the two week stamp repeatedly or have really convoluted history in my 48 to 96page passport. I had felt in some circumstances that the only tbing that "saved me" was being from a high profile country. In other words, if I was from Serbia or Israel, Id have been hassled.

I have personally been fined at the following places thru the years but about five or ten years back for xing on the day stamped in my passport: Nong Khai, Pedang Besar both 2x. Once in Ranong and at Aran. Few times I tried to stretch it out, few others after learning just bad luck. Once or twice pure stuidity on my part. After about 2005 I just made a hard fast rule - cross the day before. So after about that I really dont know. Cant think its any better.

One time a real ass of an immigration agent at Pedang Besar spent five minutes counting the days I was in country and comparing that nit to the must exit date, but the entry date. He tried so hard to screw me, hoping that the date was off by even a day. So he would fine me for being X days over despite me leaving a day before the stamp in my pp. I really, really hate the cops in Sadao. Contrary, on the other side the Malays are perfectly lovely.

Ranong is pretty greasy as well, not crossed there in years.

Aran has really cleaned itself up on both sides.

The crossing heading for Pailin, not done that in years.

Mukdahan ok on Thai side. Guy I met had a funny thig happen to him though. Savan side also really greasy.

Now when I come in on my Non O /marriage esp living in BKK and exch pleasantries in Thai, Im treated better. Thai border in Nong Khai and Mukdahan both cordial+

From my years of experience on all land borders save for NW Thailand you must cross the day before the date stamp in your pp.

I've always been a committed Cheap Charlie. Recently took it to another level when thb clearly crossed <30usd line.

Im married and share expenses, about 60/40.

Second month living on b15k and incls a trip South camping for a week. I have 11 days to go and have about 2000b to spend .

Thought about starting a blog and a board about cheap living in Thailand. Then I realize all the work and no benefit to me.

I think a forum of likeminded CCs would be great! This board is now so dismissive and arrogant toward the frugal. There is a definite type of expat in Thailand now, "the retiree". Very different mindset then all us lovable eccentrics decades prior. He has also come to dominate the board.

If you dont spend x a month, you have no li

If you dont have y visa then you should just go

If you dont z like me - farang restaurants, wasted money impressing women that think you are still fat and ugly, wine, serviced apt, visa services, etc... (life in Thailand 1-4yrs) , just kill yourself.

I'm always surprised at the people that choose to focus on the negative.

There's plenty of threads and posters on this forum committed to nickle and diming to make their meagre income stretch a few satang further, if you care to look for them.

SC

I totally agree and ptetty much drifting away from this forum.

Things are tight, but ok.for me now. But Im budgeted till Im 90yrs old. I'm not complaining about my situation nor do I think it an especial hardship. I want for naught. I am pretty sick and tired of the new money and retirees telling me how MY life should be, how I don't measure up if I am some stupid and life of rich foods and comfort. I made a decisipn decades agontontrade money for freedom. I dont regret it despite the US Federal Reserve making a hash of my currency.

I do not begrudge people with money assuming it was made legitimately. Why do people always have to bag on others financisl situation?

Im stuck in BKK out of choice, I married. This has radically changed my life. Other than than that Id be still tripping around Asia albeit not at 15k a month.

What in your live do you have that I should feel so inadequate about not having?

What adventure have you had that I envy?

What are you eating that I am such a lesser person without?

Who do you know that I am witbout such great friendship for lack of association?

If I felt my life was lacking, Id spend more.

Ironic that my life seems to be the envy of the bulk of my xxx Facebook friends, despite being such a cheap loser.

What is pathetic, sad and negative is all the (divorced) single men that have washed ashore in the last decade+. Trying tonregain a youth they never had.

The three worst things that ever happened to Thailand:

Viagra

Air Conditioning

Western toilets

Eat at KFC with a drink for 95 Baht..Thai food is expensive~~

Buy your coke in 7/11 and take it into KFC - they don't mind.

If this is your thinking you are already fat and lost

Soda

KFC

Eliminate both, save money and your life.

Why did you move to Thsiland again? Oh yeah the food and the culture.

This sort of happened to me.

Years ago in states, Khmer gf's sister would sign up for cc's that came in the mail to my former gf (gf name). She maxxed them out and ruined her credit. Oh, I felt so sorry for her she was so lovely and so conservative and prudent with money.

I demanded that she clear the debt before I would marry her.

Required going to police and obviously serious problems for her thief sister who was driving an Audi A― model.

I had to leave her and it broke both our hearts.

Go to a lawyer with evidence

Talk to wife and see how far she is wiling to take it

Be willing to leave the country

When sis realizes wife isnt going to do a anything, she may go full tilt.

Cut your losses.

You simply must get legal assistance to stop this.

If sis does not repay gambling debts she is as good as dead. People get beaten for next to notbing here to keep debtors in line.

Koh Samui is legendary for BS with Immigration.

Phuket and Lanta are only islands in technical sense. Phuket is BS as Lanta, plus Lanta is hot!

Koh Phangan - endemic theft

Koh Chang, not been since 97 but might be ok

Koh Tao - not for me, ugly, boring but people do live there.

Koh Lipe - too small, too packed with tourists

Koh Panyi - no drinking

Koh Phayam is my vote

All the rest of the islands are seasonal or require too much hardship for you for me to recommend. Evidence of this isthat you are asking this question.

For me, if I could Id pitch a tent on island ---- all season.

Amazed (not really) how many of you live in Thailand, how little you know about Buddhism. That goes for half the posts Ive read.

This is the stupidest thing posted to TV all week

Indoctrinated (into the Buddhist philosophy)

The entire doctrine, the sum total of Buddhist teaching is to free oneself. Startlingly ignorant.

We also would like to visit. American + Thai wife living in BKK.

4 wks not very long so see and do in NZ.

Thx for sharing

Apprears emigration NZ not at all easy. Forget Oz, too expensive, too heavily taxed.

You cannot utilize a visa overland

You should apply in bkk prior

You can extend in Myanmar now but...if you buy a ticket based on 30days, its in the bin.

*I think you can buy a ow ticket, there has never been req for ticket out but maybe this has changeld in last few yrs with all the protests. I forget when we applied if it was req, we had tixout so not relevsnt but recall I could have flown in without or just changed my ticket many yrs ago.

Hope this helps.