clinique

Reports on here have always advised to change passports in the air.

the rule as i understadn it is,,

youmust enter and leave any country useing the same passport, when you get to your next destination you can use another passport.

but you cannot enter a country on one passport and leave on another.

anyone know any different.??

to answer the quesion posted, in todays markets the trend is up.. due to economic conditions, investors looking for safe havens, central banks buying, and producers slow to catch up to demand.

just take a look at the graphs on www.goldprice .org

or the World Gold Council website,

which countries are buying / selling reserves etc...

wonder where all the lost millions / billions from Wall Street went ..hum !!

hi,

im in the prcess of buying some land to build a home for my wife in kra nuen....there is 2 lots for sale...each lot is 5x10 wah so two lots is 10x20 wah...the lots are beside/on the road as far as i can gather,not a very busy main road just a normal road in a farming /villiage area......the thai people want 100-000 baht per lot 200-000 baht for the 2 lots together....is this a good enough price,,i think thais hear the word falang and they immedialtely ask triple the price.....so what is a reasonable price i should pay?? i also want to know how many metre is equivelent to 10x20 wah...the land is unprepared and only soil/paddy at present....

thanks guys

If you have two lots that are each 5x10 wah, then the two combined are either 10x10 wah or 5x20 wah (you only double one of the dimensions since the other dimension will remain fixed). As was stated earlier a wah is a linear measurement equal to 2 meters. A talang wah is an area measurement (I assume talang means "square") equal to 4 m2 (meters squared).

Thus the total area is going to be 100 talang wah or 400 m2 or 1/4 of a rai.

Each lot will be 50 talang wah or 200 m2 or 1/8 of a rai.

In my wife's village, a lot the size of 5x10 wah will go for no more than 100,000 baht. Personally, I think the price is too high, but it really depends on where it is.

I also assume talang means square. I checked on Thai-language.com and they have square as dtaa^M raang^Mตาราง

you assume correctly,, talang wah, talang met (metre) = square.

1 talang wah, 4 square metres (talang met).

1 rai, 400 talang wah, 1600 square (talang met) metres.

Why is wine that expensive in Thailand, is it a combination of import taxes and demand ? At home (not in France), supermarkets offer a huge selection of perfect drinkable wines in the 300 Baht range.

And seems to have become much more expensive recently as well. You used to be able to get some fairly decent offers in Villa and the like (buy one, get one, buy two get one) which meant the price per bottle was reasonable. My last trip there did not see even one offer, and individual bottles mostly up above 500 baht per. Even the local Lotus has little below 450 per bottle.

And Thai "wine" -not the fruit stuff, just the stuff they sell as "wine" - undrinkable.

i just had a glass of wine with the head of the largest wine importer in thailand, he told me the import duty for wines was 430%

i'll stick to chang.

430%??? You sure that's right? Foodland sell bottles of Jacobs Creek in the 800-1000 baht range....so they are less than 250 baht before they get here? That can't be right surely.....

could be, saw on the news not so long ago that Aus was swimming in wine becasue the Europeans had gone off importing Oz wine.. and wine prices had suffered, some producers were (reportedly) giving it away or throwing it away...

Do none of you understand jealousy?.....think the Thai people do not possess this trait?.......I have lost count of the number of 'farang houses' built in villages.....new ute outside.........all alongside dwellings of Thai farmers who have worked hard all those years on the farm for next to nothing......what effect do you think this imbalance has on the villagers.....really?........and when this new found wealth comes to the village and is not shared a little.....what effect do you think that has on Thai opinion of foreigners?......and when the farang ignores a blind beggar........

So my advice, expect to experience some anti foreigner feelings, and learn smile and live with it!!

Very sensible post mate,i agree completely.

Improve farang reputation?

Maybe remember that we are guests?

agreed, that was my point, use your best manners and a lot of respect, and think before you act ,, as a guest!

Like to know how she gets on if you dont mind feeding back. Cheers.

Cheers.

If she gets the details I'll let you know.

cheers, good luck

I spoke this morning with the Thai owner of a 7/11 near my place, different to the gut i spoke to before..

If i was Thai with 2 million i would seriosly investigate their franchise.

According to the lady ( she is 27) there is no way to lose money,, she also has gotten back her original invetment and now lives very well thank you very much on the monthly income..

I thought 7/11 was 3 million for a franchise, (2 million for Familymart) and you need to provide the premises too, although I may have been misinformed.

I have never checked it out myself. But the Thai I spoke to today said she invested 1.5 million and she had to rent the 2 shophouses. The rent on the shophouses - being Chiangmai is total of 12,000- per month.

Mind you this was 2 years ago ? So yeh maybe 7/11 has increased franchise fee - but still worth getting you Lady frien to check it out, me thinks/ It may also depend on the size of the store ! 7/11 has all the stats for locations, population density, shop sizes in different locations. Bangkok probably more expensive too.

Like to know how she gets on if you dont mind feeding back. Cheers.

Cheers.

sorry forfot to say she told me the shop takes in between 50-60,000- per day average (unconfirmed - her words not mine) With purchasing costs, rent, staff, and franchise fee I would say based on that she is making between 180,000 - 300,000 per month. ballpark i know, but with all their differne tmargins and servcie fee income, id say its pretty close.

I spoke this morning with the Thai owner of a 7/11 near my place, different to the gut i spoke to before..

If i was Thai with 2 million i would seriosly investigate their franchise.

According to the lady ( she is 27) there is no way to lose money,, she also has gotten back her original invetment and now lives very well thank you very much on the monthly income..

I thought 7/11 was 3 million for a franchise, (2 million for Familymart) and you need to provide the premises too, although I may have been misinformed.

I have never checked it out myself. But the Thai I spoke to today said she invested 1.5 million and she had to rent the 2 shophouses. The rent on the shophouses - being Chiangmai is total of 12,000- per month.

Mind you this was 2 years ago ? So yeh maybe 7/11 has increased franchise fee - but still worth getting you Lady frien to check it out, me thinks/ It may also depend on the size of the store ! 7/11 has all the stats for locations, population density, shop sizes in different locations. Bangkok probably more expensive too.

Like to know how she gets on if you dont mind feeding back. Cheers.

Cheers.

Me and some mates knew a guy, who before running away from Thailand for legal reasons, used to live in a world where everything he did was based around the sum of $10 000 USD. By this I mean, he would impress us with new deals he was making, new business ideas he had sold at profit, or new investment he had convinced someone to give him for a project, and even though the scope and size of these projects, ideas, creations etc was always very different, in each case the amount of money involved was... $10 000 USD.

think me and my mate met him also, he was sitting with another farang, supposedly a lawyer.

said he was investment banker ! from Singapore i think, or maybe Oz, cant remember now.

Op refuses to state where girl got money. Its his money!

Refuses?

If you had read through the thread you would have seen that I did say where she got the money.

If it was my money why would I bother to hide it? You seriously imagine I would care what people who don't even know me think about me?

This was simply a thread started in the hope that someone might provide some inspiration, so why some people see the need to start pointing fingers and making silly accusations based on no evidence is totally beyond me.

I spoke this morning with the Thai owner of a 7/11 near my place, different to the gut i spoke to before..

If i was Thai with 2 million i would seriosly investigate their franchise.

According to the lady ( she is 27) there is no way to lose money,, she also has gotten back her original invetment and now lives very well thank you very much on the monthly income..

what do you mean tod? Arent those men actually extremely handsome in the eyes of the refined young Thai lady? Actually those men you described may well be the men who think that all Western men think the same way as them, come to Thailand for exactly the same reason, and think there is something wrong with men who dont. Plus, my being a Western female, if i was in that train and even glanced at them, im sure they would be thinking how terrible it must be for me that i cant get a date with them. (Of course, thats going on the assumption that they were indeed sex tourists, for all we know they may have been just been on their way to meet up for a bible studies class..lol..er..)

Ah..but one thing we Westerns in Thailand seem to be guilty of (some more than others, and grated occasionally its deserved), is putting down other Westerners (which i just did) (talking down about Thai people has already been mentioned). I think that cant be great in the eyes of the Thai here. If I met a Thai person in my own country, and they were constantly putting down their own countrymen (or their women, in the same way some Western men talk about Western women) I would feel very uncomfortable. We may not like how some Westerners behave and of course at times we should do or say something, but constantly down talking about them just makes a person seem bitter and mean. Who wants to be around that?

well said eek !! good for toy.! there are too many farangs here who are self opinionated and like putting down everyone simply because their opinions dont agree,, and Just becasue someone gets of at nana station makes them a sex tourist..(???)

dumball & tod-daniels;;

thanks for your input.. as for me I am replying to the original post.

Ive been here over 25 years and most of my friedns and business associates are Thai. And the list is what I both hear from them and have learned by observation over the years how thye react to certain behavious not only from us farangs but from other Thais also. Breach of their inbuilt societal rules loses respect fo the offender be they Thai or foreign...

At no point was I suggesting you lose your own character , or let them get away with murder.. it is HOW you go about resolving that matters, and if you do it their way you will get a lot further..

As fro being dragged up.. well

Yes the language is aproblem for all new arrivals.

Ive been here 20+ years. I took night classes for a year before coming here, then on arrival I had a tutor come to the office twice a week for 2 hours each. Also I mixed (and still do) mainly with Thais, this forced me to listen and learn. Now most Thais I meet tell me I speak like a native, on the phone I am pften assumed to be Thai.

Learning the language is a paramount - i dont know how people can live here without it.

Farangs who live in Farang style pubs talkngto their farang mates !! they could do that at home.

As for finding clothes - I dont have aproblem in Chiangmai - can find everythin I want, good quality, cheap too.

Well obviously the thing to do is to take yourself off the jobseekers allowance thereby making yourself no longer a fraudster liable for police action.

Nothing to fear in the UK, even if a person gets caught it's no big deal, that's why so many do it.

Even if you get a jail term, so what, 3 good meals a day, TV in the cell, gym, library, and all the help you'll ever need when you come out, cos they can't leave you destitute after serving a sentence, the state has to take care of you.

It's a no lose situation for many.

glad you can call a jail term a "no lose situation"...

as mentioned above BigBroher is likely monitoring the eBayaccounts as well as the banks accounts anyway,,,

so trying to whip it out now and hide it ?????

AND asking for help on illegal activity on a public forum - !!

actually why hasnt this thread been CUT by MODs ??

Works ok for me,,

i think he is very brave writing such a piece and hope is is watching out for any dark glassed, pick ups or vans following him or pulling up outside his office.

Yes true, but sometimes you can be surprised what you find there.

I agree that those of us who have been here for a while, in this land of respect and non-confrontation, would prefer to deal with a normal and polite "Hi, how you going" or Hello, Nice day" than be referred to as a farang and wanting to know where we come from.

Some of us also know that in certain situations the word 'farang' is used NOT as aform of respect, but the opposite.

And not everyone responds (or wants to, or is in the mood to) to such greetings from complete strangers.

People who dont like , or regret being here , perhaps should not be here, or have nothing better to do than whinge on TV.com

The thing i dont like about Thailand is; farangs who come here and still apply the "colonial" rule method.

Regrets - none.

Have never had a problem using my overseas cards in Thailand.(10 years+)

Either advise your card issuer that you plan to use your card in Thailand OR make sure thye have a contact number for you or yes they may reject the transaction/freeze your card till they can confirm it is you using it.

Some places will charge you 3-5% on top of total price, for processing with credit card.

HAve your passport with you just in case (you should always carry it anyway).

Usually big stores OK but better safe than sorry; DONT let the card out of your sight, if possible (usually is) WATCH the card being swiped.

Recieve both a credit card processing slip, and a cash register receipt - check both before signing.

otherwise enjoy shopping...

Always keep your COOL.

SMILE at all times even (especially) when pissed off.

DRESS neatly and with decorum.

RESPECT Thai culture - sitting on Buddha image with a beer or a cigarette to get photo taken - not good.

LEARN some basic Thai. (more if you are here long term)

DONT raise your voice ( a bit hard for us older deaf ones)

DONT touch Thais in public

USE deoderant /perfume - more than you normally would.

BE sanook, not serious (often mistaken for arrogance)

DONT talk down to Thai people

DONT assume all Thais are on the game

DONT use Thai slang/bad language(WE dont know when it is appropriate if ever)

DONT get involved in Thai political discussions

DONT Complain.

Call the jobseekers line and ask them ! Anonymously ofcourse. Just make sure your phone line is not tapped.

brilliant, the thing is these guys keep it in words we all understand,,,,,,,,Wall st, The City, doesnt work like that,,they have jargon so they can sell stuff,,,,talk about legalised Ponzi schemes.

Just to be a little picky,,, and show absolute respect ... the eh..hum ...Birthday in December is for HM , he is not an HRH.

The number of times I have seen thais pull a "deer in the headlights" antic and freeze-up rather than make simple decisions in an office environment are just too numerous mention. Even routine things like ordering office supplies can and often do turn into an "I don't want to choose wrong so I won't choose at all..." scenario.

The all pervasive mythical and alleged phenomena known as "thai culture" (which is really just generations of mass brain-washing) is the most serious impediment to this country ever moving out of "developing third world nation" status into anything resembling a first world country.

The ingrained tendency of thais to never question someone who is older or in a higher position is a real ball-breaker. Too many times it comes back down to the "I know my boss made a mistake or forgot to do something BUT because he is the boss and I can't question him about it". I know very few thais that can actually break out of this innate "thai-ness" or the mindset they have been programmed with since birth. It is in every level of this society from the poorest to the wealthiest (although the really wealthy are educated abroad and sometimes are able to overcome this debilitating "disability").

edited for sa-pelling. ...

well said !

abiut the Aussie guy and the CIA causing earthquakes..

Funny tho isnt it, how these earthquakes keep happening off Indonesia,,, the worls biggest Muslim nation...

Man can make it rain by dropping stuff in the clouds....(and we used to think the native Americans were crazy)

He can cause epidemics by "testing" stuff in Africa which then mutates...... ( a fact..)

Is it too far a stretch,,, that someone with huge power looking for revenge/control (??) might, just might, have the know how and desire ??

Yeh, silly me !

How about a 7/11 franchise,,

ive heard thye guarantee you get your investment back within 1 year or maybe 2,cant remember.

A thai friend told me his friend (ofcourse) had bought a franchise 7/11 3 years ago and had paid back te investment and was making money everyday.