crazygreg44

For culture's sake, I would recommend a trip up north. Start with Bangkok, stay 3 days, see the National Gallery, Wat Phra Kheo and a few other temples. Make a day-tour to Ayutthaya ! Then either fly or take the train to Chiang Mai. Relax in CM for 2-3 days of leisure. From Chiang Mai, start a few day-tours, for example an elephant camp, Doi Mae Salong, The Golden Triangle. Or just do the the Mae Hong Son / Pai loup for 3-5 days, which is a fantastic journey !

From Chiang Mai, one can buy a Bus Tour to Luang Prabang, Laos. Stay around 2 days in Luang Prabang, then head back to Chiang Mai. From there he can fly to Phuket or Krabi.

However, you said they will arrive by June, this is the monsoon season for all coasts south of Chumpon. You might not be able to get to Koh Lipe by boat in June ! You might hit fairly good weather on the eastern coast ( Cha Am, Chumpon, Samui, Ko Chang) but not so at the western coasts (Andaman sea).

Maybe he should better fly back to Bangkok from Chiang Mai ( or again, the train - stopover at Lopburi suggested!) ) and from there take bus, train, or taxi to Hua Hin for the rest of his stay on chillout at a beach.

Three weeks seem short but you could do all of the above within this period without any stress.

Them being first-timers, I would not recommend the use of a rental car. Way dangerous because they are not familar with the way the Thais drive. However, up in the northern hills, it may be a good choice. Being able to stop at will for something interesting on the Mae Hong Son and Pai loups, it's a great way to see the place.

also here near Pattaya : http://www.silverlakevineyard.com/

I cannot find a working link for the Samut Prakan vineyards but they definitely exist . . .

check their site at http://www.huahinhills.com/hhhsnw2/

in the mountains, west of Hua Hin, there are vineyards producings reds and whites. They even won one medal in a german contest. The initiator of these vineyards is a lady from Germany.

There are local growers of grapes in the Pak Chong region, they also sell grapevines (ready to plant). But I still have to locate them. Some sell at the roadside of the highway number 24.

In markets I have seen grape juices, whose labels said that they come from the Samut Prakan area.

yes, there is vegan food out there, you need to find it. By the way, how do you like your Vegan vegetable Curry, with chicken, with beef or with pork ?

( because this question will eventually rise when ordering a vegetarian dish in most restaurants !!)

pom gin jee, krap

The best vegan dishes I ever ate in Bangkok, was in the small side street paralell to the Thanao Road (at the east end of Khaosan Road) . This soi is actually behind the Burger King . . . . there is one really good vegan resto !!

Where to buy . . well most supermarkets have quite a good selection of nuts (I prefer Tong Garden varieties) and fresh veggies , fruits , soy products , tofu and soybean sprouts. There's a range of Muesli's and there's a wide range of soybean milk. You've got to find out, however, which brands didn't get overloaded with extra sugar . . .

did you turn off the automtic update mode in your settings, and does that help ?

I see no problem in resisting any updates and stick with the original version that was on the device when you bought it ( as long as everything works fine, that is )

As a bar / company set up owner, you will have to employ 4 thai. Don't forget that the minimum wage is 9000 THB per month (for which you might not even find anybody willing to work for!) and that they have all rights as labourers according to Labour Department law. If you fire a person, you will have to pay salary for another 3 consecutive months (or they can sue you), along with the risk that firing people makes them loose face and puts you in a "vulnerable" position.

I don't see what having to pay rent (15 - 20,000 a month) , salaries ( up to 40,000 per month) , utilities, electricity etc (up to 12,000 per month) monthly costs calculated against your yearly 40,000 poop ED Visa has any advantages. And of course your living costs will still be existent, your health insurance needs to be paid et cetera. Added the very very downfall of this business plan is that you might just make any profit at all during the high season and a minus during the low season. I think you are not even aware of what it requires to run a bar. You mentioned you worked in a bar already, if this is what you base all your assumptions to, you should have been able to check their cost/income turnovers records ??

the motobike taxi riders or a motobike rental will know a lockpicker who will be able to make a doublette key from just working on the lock.

I needed the service once with a rented bike in Hua Hin . . . I asked the guys from the rent shop and they sent a lockpicker to where I had parked the motobike. It took him close to 20 minutes to make a perfect spare key.

The Yamaha key has a special octagonal backside, to surpass the steering lock mode . . . most lockpickers have them aboard their toolbag.

Maybe they didn't load it up the truck.. Because there's a Gps inside?

then it takes a tin foil or a lead foil around it to surpress the signal . . . making plans, anyone ?

next time they will bring a steel ramp and a motor winch with a steel cable mounted in the truckbed. It takes some time to get smart, but for 3.5 million THB I would do a bit more of planning ahead instead of poking the nose cluelessly . .

Shit! Am I going to die, as I have orange juice with my morning fry-up and 3 coffees?

Good reply. LOL. I am still waiting for someone to post that they drink the juice of 4 freshly squeezed broccoli heads each morning.

Raw food advocates do exactly what you mentioned ! One glass of freshly squeezed mixed green vegetables (broccoli, spinach, cabbage,beans) mixed with a low fat non-sweetened yoghurt. Followed by a steak for lunchtime . . . !! Lot's of peoples favourite !

Beats bottled stuff by equatorial lenghts . . . .

From the Mayo Clinic website :

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an essential nutrient. Still, it's possible to have too much vitamin C.

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that supports normal growth and development. Vitamin C also helps your body absorb iron. Because your body doesn't produce or store vitamin C, it's important to include vitamin C in your diet. For most people, a large orange, 1 cup (about 165 grams) of sliced strawberries, chopped red pepper or broccoli provide enough vitamin C for the day. Any extra vitamin C will simply be flushed out of your body in your urine.

For adults, the recommended dietary reference intake for vitamin C is 65 to 90 milligrams (mg) a day, and the upper limit is 200 mg a day. Although too much dietary vitamin C is unlikely to be harmful, megadoses of vitamin C supplements may cause:

• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Heartburn
• Abdominal bloating and cramps
• Headache
• Insomnia
• Kidney stones

Remember, for most people, a healthy diet provides an adequate amount of vitamin C.

100 grams of Oranges contain 51 mg of Vitamin C. Two oranges squeezed in the mornings is absolutely recommended. Remember, it says, all surplus Vitamin C will be washed out of the body untouched. Any Vitamin C supplement that contains more than 200 mg of Vitamin C is harmful

100 grams of Broccoli contain 69-75 mg of Vitamin C. 250 grams of Broccoli steamed in the microwave in finger high broth for less than 8 minutes will still hold 50% of intact Vitamin C.

And yes, antioxidants are responsible for your wellbeing, healthy cell structures and general organic functions. I never said they help against diabetes . . they help to BALANCE out a lot of malfunctions, which summed up eventually lead to diabetes. In the same sentence I say that you have to watch your overall sugar intake, the main culprit that causes diabetes II. I hope you can agree with this. Don't need to write a medical essay on it, it has been discussed over the internet many times. Sharpen reading between the lines and finish reading the whole text, greatly helps.

there's one on the 2nd floor of the Tops Supermarket at the junction of Pattaya Klang with the Second Road . . the shop is at the western far end of the building. Quite a LARGE second hand bookstore !

And there is a smaller one right opposite the Post Office in the Soi Pottoffees , sorry, Soi 13/1 . . . .

Looks like some chinese made factory grade 2 surplus found it's way to the U.S. market instead of ending at a shop in Thailand where nobody would care what is written on it . . . . .

Maybe on Pattaya Beach, the overstated 60% result from the beach far north of the dolphins . . . where there are no more deckchairs due to the stony beach. That would add up a good 35% of the whole of Pattaya beach.

However they count Pattaya Beach as being only 2.9 kilometers length . . . so they obviously start to count where the first consigned deckchairs begin . . .

Anyways, we all know the reporters never check their own mathematical conclusions. Winston Churchill : Never trust a statistic which you haven't faked by yourself

I thought all of this was common knowledge that fruit juices should be avoided as everyone knows you get fat from it. But given the state of the average farang in Thailand overweight and such it might not be common knowledge. But I thought it was the beer that did it for most, doubt those guys would even drink orange juice.

Please explain how someone gets fat from drinking fruit juice. Or, are you talking about bacon fruit juice?

I drink freshly pressed orange juice in the mornings (healthy!) and in the evenings, I drink a lot of beer (not so healthy!)

It is called work/life balance !

I thought all of this was common knowledge that fruit juices should be avoided as everyone knows you get fat from it. But given the state of the average farang in Thailand overweight and such it might not be common knowledge. But I thought it was the beer that did it for most, doubt those guys would even drink orange juice.

Please explain how someone gets fat from drinking fruit juice. Or, are you talking about bacon fruit juice?

You seriously don't know ? Ok ill explain its full of sugars. Normally when you eat an orange you eat fibers too so you would not be able to eat 3-5 oranges (that is what is in one glass of orange juice). Now you get all that sugar at once and it will cause an insulin spike. (bad thing diabetic ect), so anything you eat at that point get stored as fat too. (insulin is the mechanism that helps store food / sugars as fat).

Basically anything that causes huge insulin spikes is bad.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/17/how-fruit-juice-health-food-junk-food

I bet all the antioxidants contained in fresh fruit juices act as a balance against your "diabetic" effects. If you watch over your daily sugar intake and avoid all this oversugared stuff and 4 teaspoons of sugar in your coffee, why should the sugar contained in three oranges ruin your health ?

I love all these incoming fairy tales to the thread !

Then try my Mum's receipe. Cut the fresh broccoli into edible sizes. Fill a microwave bowl with a fingerful of water, then add a piece of KNORR broth (chicken, mushroom, vegetarian or beef, your choice) Add the broccoli, pour a little, very little bit of olive oil over the broccoli and put the bowl into a microwave, set the timer to 7 minutes. While it simmers, grate some cheese powder from a slab of Padano Cheese or use a ready to serve Parmesan. After 5 minutes, take the bowl from the microwave and top the broccoli with grated Parmiggiano or Parmesan. Put it back into the microwave for another 1,5 minutes.

Exactly, but, instead of going through all that trouble, just eat a small bowl of Broccoli, you have everything you need.

I can't recall when I last eat broccoli.........terrible thing....

You will love it, it is a great meal and the preparation method leaves a lot of all the vitamins in the broccoli. If you had ever disliked broccoli, this is the 180 degree turn of your life !

I understand that some may love that. It sounds good. But not my thing, specially as it lacks the meat. And after you heat the broccoli, it won't have Vitamin C anymore.

Still healthy but Vitamin C is destroyed by heat.

You should google your opinion further, as it's a fairy tale ! Most studies find still 50% of Vitamin C in Broccoli still intact even after gently boiling or steaming in broth, water or in the microwave. And then there are vitamins left in the liquid, which you should eat as well. And Vitamin C isn't the only healthy ingredient of broccoli. Glucosinolates that have antioxidative properties are still intact, as are Vitamin A's

100 % Juice is usually a bit more than 100 %.

Production usually: Press it (or on apple you just destroy the cell walls with enzymes which is cheaper). In case of Orange juice disable the natural enzymes else it get bitter. Extract the aroma from it. Get rid of the water and make concentrate.

Than: Mix the concentrate with water. Add the aroma back, add Vitamin C you lost in the process (doesn't need to be declared as you just fill up to the natural levels). In case of orange juice add a little bit of oil from the peel as it compensate a bit for the lost aroma.

The sugar: If you drink a glass of orange juice in the morning it won't be a problem. Also a glass of coke won't be a problem. Problem is that people drink 2 liter coke and it lots of sweet and icecreame at the same time.

Exactly, but, instead of going through all that trouble, just eat a small bowl of Broccoli, you have everything you need.

I can't recall when I last eat broccoli.........terrible thing....

Then try my Mum's receipe. Cut the fresh broccoli into edible sizes. Fill a microwave bowl with a fingerful of water, then add a piece of KNORR broth (chicken, mushroom, vegetarian or beef, your choice) Add the broccoli, pour a little, very little bit of olive oil over the broccoli and put the bowl into a microwave, set the timer to 7 minutes. While it simmers, grate some cheese powder from a slab of Padano Cheese or use a ready to serve Parmesan. After 5 minutes, take the bowl from the microwave and top the broccoli with grated Parmiggiano or Parmesan. Put it back into the microwave for another 1,5 minutes.

You will love it, it is a great meal and the preparation method leaves a lot of all the vitamins in the broccoli. If you had ever disliked broccoli, this is the 180 degree turn of your life !

?????? If there is only 10 meter of public space between every 100 meters of Deckchair space, how can they come up with numbers like these :

"The 2.9-kilometre stretch of Pattaya Beach now offers 1.75 kilometres of public space, 60 per cent of the total area. Jomtien Beach is now offering public space of 3.4 kilometres or about 58 per cent of the total 5.9-kilometre stretch" ????????? Whaaaat????

I know Thais are not very good at mathematics, but this does not only call for a capital FAIL in maths lessons, but a gross and rank desinformation . . . .

Example: On a 2900 meter (2.9 km) stretch of beach, 26 such 110 meter consignments are possible. This translates to 260 meters of public space on a 2.9 km stretch of beach. 260 meters are 8.9 % of the whole stretch, not 60 %

It is laughable !

Oh yes in know, dear Thai Administrators, the beach is 100% public space, isn't it ? We should be happy with 10 meters deckchairless space and thank you WAI WAI !!

that's why I drink a glass of four freshly pressed oranges every morning. I don't want to worry about what they serve you in bottles or containers.

I use a classic BRAUN MULTIPRESS from the 70's to press the oranges. It strips some of the white from the peel if I just press a bit longer, and leaves the fruit flesh intact, to be cosumed along with the juice.

" according to beachgoers we spoke with, the ban was welcomed as many are hesitant to use the deckchairs and umbrellas as they fear potential problems with the operators"

There must have been something that got lost with the translation ! Why would beachgoers have problems with the deckchair operators if they paid for and used deckchairs and umbrellas ?

I guess they said, that they feared problems with the deckchair operators if they brought their own towels and umbrellas to the beach ! But maybe this is something the Thai interviewer did not want to hear . . . .??

i'd have said, all the people dream. Every human being dreams, more or less.

everyone of us, we have a dream, We sometimes not share a dream, but many dreams are aimed at the same thing.

....it's because soft wood wooden broom handles will be eaten by the termites in no time . . .

....It's also because there is no fir or birch wood in Thailand. So all wood handles are made of some heavy medium hardwood. much too thick and much too heavy.

... it's because they think, farang wood handles for brooms suck. We make Thai wood broom handles. mutt better

....it's because they have always used rusty steel or bamboo as handles. From their grand-grandmother days thru now.

.......it's because there are no Mothers of Invention to be found in Thailand !

...update : Here is the version of the "other side of the coin" ( as always, I decline any responsibility for my post, and I affirm, in the wake of all the mongerers here, that I am NOT trying to defend using a knife in a dispute ! )

On Monday Night, the fake watcher seller, wanted in connection with the stabbing of a Russian Man outside of a Starbucks Coffee Shop located next to Pattaya Police Station, gave himself up to Pattaya Police and was arrested.

Police Colonel Supatee, the Pattaya Police Chief, confirmed the arrest of Khun Payu aged 33, a former National Junior Muay Thai Champion, who was forced to retire from the sport due to injury.

For many years he has been selling fake branded watches in Pattaya and the version of events leading up to the stabbing given to Police was different to the earlier account given by the victim.

Khun Payu claims he approached the man and offered a watch to him for 850 Baht. The suspect claims that the victim, Mr. Ivan Cherkashin aged 32, used foul and abusive language towards him and the vendor responded by saying “Russian No Good Man”. At this point the encounter allegedly became physical, during which time the suspect claims the victim threw a chair at him. Khun Payu admits to stabbing the victim but claims it was in self-defense as he thought his life was in danger.

After the alleged attack, Khun Payu decided to hide in a rented room in Pattaya and discarded the knife on Jomtien Beach, which was later recovered by Police. Eventually he decided to give himself up to Police and despite his version of events, the suspect has been charged with the offence of assault with a deadly weapon. Police also noted that the suspect has a criminal history of violence which was noted in the case files, which will now be handed over to the Pattaya Courts.

- See more at: http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/164767/fake-watcher-seller-arrested-by-pattaya-police-following-stabbing-of-russian/#sthash.3s8dgpM9.dpuf

another comment on this, which I side:

I'd say the the blame was likely to be 50/50. ignorant, rude Russian versus Thai face thing. However, no excuse for using a knife, should have been settled with fists if violence was the only option. Should cop a jail sentence for assault with a deadly weapon but will probably get away with a small fine. Beats me why he needed a knife if he's a former Muay Thai champion.