tonititan

Interesting - I was in a similar situation a few years ago. Air Asia actually called me to make sure I had gotten their email, and to check whether the new flight time worked. I said no, so they offered me a full refund. I agree though...you deserve a refund if they reschedule the flight to a time that doesn't work for you!

I've tried all kinds of tricks - large amounts of alcohol, Nyquil, sleep deprivation before a flight, over the counter sleeping pills, etc. The only thing that works for me is Xanax. Up to you how you get it in Bangkok, but it's not difficult.

I would expect with advance notice like that to receive at least 50% of my money back.

Again, READ THE FREAKING RULES BEFORE YOU BOOK!!!! If you want 50% back, or a complete refund, that's fine.....but don't book cheap tickets through a budget airline like Air Asia. You get what you pay for, and the non-refundable fares are what you're paying for. They are not "scamming" you by following their own rules that are written in black and white on the website.

When will these appointments take place?

thanks for all the help guys. very helpful. since i only got 3 days to spend in bangkok ,

i will go to Lumpini Night market . by the way what time is the night market closed?

I'm pretty sure that the Lumpini night market shut down last year. The last time I went, only about 20% of the stalls were left.

Why not go a bit further to Luang Prabang ?

Last time i went there (few years ago), the place was quiet and low down.

A nice place to relax.

I've been there too, and loved it. What a great town.

I just don't think we want to spend so much time on a bus to go there and then all the way back to Vientiene. And I don't really want to spend the money to fly out of LP, nor do I want to do the slow boat trip again. So I was just looking for a place that's out of Vientiene, but not as far as LP.

Thanks for all the information. I'll look into those places. I'm not dead set on Vang Vieng, it's just that I want to go a little further inland than Vientiene, but probably not as far as Luang Prabang. The scenery in Vang Vieng looks amazing.

So I'm wondering, just how bad is it there?

Though Air Asia has some reasonable prices.. by the time one finishes "gingerly" doing the steps of booking one of their flights, one is stressed out.

Speak for yourself. I try not to let a simple thing like booking a flight (even on Air Asia) stress me out.

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could suggest a place to stay that is somewhere near Vang Vieng (or between VV and Vientiene). We are looking to just relax and enjoy the beauty of the Mekong, so I'd prefer to find a place that's away from the noise of the backpackers/tubing/parties. So, ideally a place right on the river would be nice. Any suggestions for towns, or even better, specific hotels/guesthouses? (Budget-wise, probably looking for something in the upper mid-range.)

Thanks!

I understand why you might want your wife to get a job, but I have to ask......if she goes back to work, are you going to be willing to start assuming half of the household chorers & child-rearing duties that you probably haven't had to do since marrying her?

Personally, no, I don't think you're wrong to want her to have a job. I do think you'd be wrong to ask her to get a full-time job and still be responsible for ALL the cooking, dishes, cleaning, laundry, childcare, etc. when she gets home from work. So hopefully that's not what you had in mind.

For some reason it won't let me edit my last post, but it was supposed to read:

"..not all of them speak any English OR any Thai..."

I voted for 200 baht, but it was a close one....I almost went for 500. If there had been something in between, I probably would have gone with that.

Edit: I'm talking about a 1-time deal. If it was something I bought everyday, then it would be lower....but definitely not 1 or 5 baht that would make me cross the street.

BANGKOK To TAIPEI(TAOYUAN) Take Elite Class， TAIPEI(TAOYUAN) To LOS ANGELES Take Elite Class / L

(* Evergreen Deluxe Class / Elite Class service may not be Guaranteed on the S. E. Asia Sectors Connected with the Transpacific or Asia-Europe Routes.)

This is the information from their website under fare rules.

Huh. No idea what that's all about. I can only say that I've never had any problems when booking Elite Class tickets. Good luck!

I'm not really sure what you mean. I've flown EVA Elite Class several times, and I've always gotten a guaranteed seat in that class. You get to choose the class when you book, then reserve the exact seat (in any class) starting 100 days before the flight. Where are you getting the information that you're guaranteed Elite Class if that's what you book and pay for? The only thing is that they don't guarantee that Elite is offered on every single flight. In fact, sometimes it's not....once you choose your dates, it gives you several flight options...you have to look and make sure you select the itineraries that consist of only Elite class seats.

By the way, it's definitely worth it!

I recently heard that many of the vendors from the night bazaar at Lumpini have moved to a new location. Anyone know where it is, and what the market is like? Thanks!

(Sorry if this has been recently discussed. I did do a search but couldn't find any current information.)

The same is true in some other countries as well. In the US, I know a lot of districts that have P.E. 1 period (~40-45 min) per week. It seems that schools there are cutting back on or even eliminating all specialist classes, not just P.E.

www.rd.go.th

My wife told me you can be fined for not claiming a tax rebate, the fine is 200 baht.

Just do it next time around.

Thanks for the link! I'll check it out.

I'm wondering if we're talking about the same thing, though. OP, are you talking about filing an income tax report in Thailand, or applying for a tax refund due to a double tax treaty? I can't speak for people of all nationalities, but I know that for me, it certainly is not mandatory to file for a double tax refund. I've tried the process, and it seems like the Thai authorities don't want us to apply (and why would they?). Filing an annual income tax report is of course mandatory, but that's something completely different from what I've been talking about.

Then I probably can't you out much, but hopefully others can. I know lots of American colleagues/friends who have gotten the money back, but it always requires a ton of paperwork and takes a long time - months or even years for some of the people. I don't know anything about the Irish treaty, but I know that for the American treaty, most teachers I know have found it necessary to work with an agent/lawyer in order to recover the money. And it was typically done at the end of a calendar year.

I haven't yet heard about the online system. Beano, can you please specify which website you are referring to? I'd be interested in checking it out.

It's never simple.

To start, which country are you from? That will make a difference, depending on your country's tax treaty with Thailand.

Ditto above.

If it is only for a month and you want to keep them then pay them as usual. Otherwise they will need to find other work and might not return to you when you are back.

If they are loyal to you, then be loyal to them.

Good luck though whatever you decide.

I completely agree. They probably aren't going to wait around for you to get back. It sounds like they are good and you trust them (not easy to find), so I would try to hang onto them!

I go away for 1-2 month periods annually, and I always continue paying my housekeeper while I'm gone. One, it's not her fault that I come and go, and I feel like she deserves a steady job (the current one has been with me for about 2 years). Two, I expect paid vacation time at my job, so I consider it giving her the same. Three, I like having her around to check on my place periodically when I'm away. Four, I want her there when I return.....I definitely don't want to deal with finding someone new I can trust. My housekeeper appreciates that I treat her well, and in return she works hard and goes out of her way to do nice things for me.

If you can afford it, I would suggest continuing to pay your workers.

From the most recent article linked above:

He confessed to playfully biting the child and even confirmed that he playfully bit the child’s penis on occasion but stressed there was no sexual reasons for doing this.

WHAT? Now, I'm not a parent, but I can't imagine any time when a parent (man or woman) would EVER "playfully" bite a child's penis. I would think that any parent would be disgusted by the thought of that. Am I wrong?

No race/ethnic groups with attitude issues...except down in the southern provinces and that is more fanatical religion than anything else

Really? I always heard that there was extreme racism here, with Thais being racist toward certain races (blacks) & certain nationalities (Indian, Burmese to name a couple).

Thanks guys! I appreciate the tips.

Hi, I have done a forum search, but much of the information is several years old (or it only applies to specific beaches). I would appreciate input from anyone who might be more familiar than I am with all of Phuket.

I'm trying to figure out what would be the most accessible beach to stay at in Phuket - I want to pick a beach first, then find a hotel. I am leaning towards a beach on the north, west, or south coast. I'm pretty open, but I really don't want to stay in Patong. Ideally I want a place that is relatively quiet, but still has a few restaurants, etc. I enjoy places such as Kata and Karon, but I know there are many other beaches out there. The main criteria would be wheelchair accessibility on sidewalks, roads, & footpaths. It's a relatively light manual wheelchair, so it can be lifted up small curbs. Any suggestion for an area with the most sidewalks/paths? Thanks!