crazygreg44

the noose is so poorly and faulty knotted, it comes to my mind that only a Thai 'knotwork specialist' would be able to fail at this ! Shirt over the face (?) and then jump blindly off the motorbike seat, then police must have found foot marks matching his on the motorbike seat, but no mention of it. Anyways, how did he get up that tree to fix one end of the rope securely ( it looks like a well trained Thai coconut picker actually did it!). Climbing by himself should have at least left rashes on the inside of his hands. I don't buy the 'apparent suicide' story, sorry BIB, but you have failed, again, obviously, back to school please!

I had a similar problem with my feet. The best high-over heel supporting shoes which would also serve as office wear as well as outdoors, are the Reebok's Ex-o-Hi Fit.

I don't know if adding a link is allowed here, so I try:

reebok.com/en-US/products/classics/footwear/exofit/black-j93807/

the Travelex charges are one off. No extra charges apart from the 150baht ATM fee.

I have tried Travelex once and the exchange rate was where they make their money. Well down on the cash FX rate . I cannot recomeded them at all. Apart from good old $100 notes to save space in my wallet ,I am now using a pre-loaded 28 Degrees card ,issued from GE Money. Good exchange rates and no fees apart from the ATM withdrawal fees in Thailand. As long as you are using your own money it is great but if you use their money on credit it is at 22%.

Best advise here so far ! A pre-loaded credit card is the trick. Regarding the 150 Baht ATM fee, do not pull small amounts but draw 20,000 Baht each time. The chance of getting robbed is close to zero, given the OP does not flash around his money everywhere. Paying hotels and guesthouses in cash also saves on fees and is much safer (card fraud!). And needless to say, 2500 US$ is probably not enough for a 90 day stay. OP should calculate an emergency fund, to enable him hospital care and change of return flight date plus all such expenses

.. "only 15,4 inch small screen" ? Where have you been looking? They sell notebooks in Thailand in virtually ALL available screen sizes. You can buy a decent notebook at IT-centers all over the country for the same price you pay in Europe, then why risk having to pay import duty tax and the over-hefty postage fee? It will cost you a lot more than buying a good brand notebook in Thailand.

me thinks, when it comes to allegations of abuse by work in Thailand, we have seen and heard nothing yet . . . . so many abusing throat cutters out there, it is unspeakably disastrous . . .

Thai smog reaches record high!

Thai repossession of cars reach record high!

Accidents reach record high!

That's the good news! Thailand, hub of ... ...

...... the hub of repossesed cars !

wherever we go, wifey and me see used cars literally piling up at the dealers yards. With prices for a 5 year old, 50K km car just 100,000 less than a new one, I have always and still wondered WHO will buy these stockpiles of cars. And the sheer amount of them is surprising . . seems to grow at alarming speed. Well who cares . . . the old owner still owes the bank, the used car dealer has a cheap car sitting in the yard . . . who is winning in this game, can u explain?

wow they are not poor, they have a rented room and motorbike.

Thai is living large, what a good man you are

You forget, the motobike is not fully paid for ! They ASSUME they can pay for it, but sometimes forget that filling fuel also costs extra. There is little planning, and when the wind starts blowing in their faces, they give up

many from the farmlands are being brought up this way. As children, they have to help with nothing. In school, they have to do nothing. When they are old enough to work, they still do nothing. The onlt time in the year when they work is the bringing out of rice and later the harvest of the rice. That is done in two months out of 12. In the rest of the year's time, they still do nothing. They do not even clean their front yard, but sleep and eat in it. While the trash piles up, they still do nothing.

.. did you say you were ranting? I tried hard not to follow in your steps. This is my mellowed-down version of the reality.

what a backward topic ! However, I agree with most here, the hygiene a bum gun delivers makes it first choice over any smearing toilet paper. And it helps saving trees and reduces cost & installment of wastewater plants. Bum guns should receive much more attention in the West.

I think that we have heard the same story thousands of times before. As long as the sellers keeps paying to the BiB, pirated goods will still be available.

To the Intellectual Property right owners: Please do not forget to provide us the possibility to buy the original stuff, which is very often impossible to find in Thailand !!!

Last week I wanted to buy 2010 Windows Office Home and Student. In the whole of Pattaya and Jomtien, I searched for three days! Not one shop had a legal copy of the program. Everybody is selling counterfeit products out there.

If all these crackdowns announced were coming true, the governemnt would have to close down MBK center and a millon streetstalls selling mobile & computer stuff. Almost everything out there is a copy from China. It gets sold to Thai people who are not able to tell the difference.

I finally found a legit Windows Office at IT-City in Pantip Plaza. But on the way there- i went past several stalls that sold the copies openly

My workers earn 20,000 and over a month and am 7 short. Jim

My guess is that these workers have some kind of special skill.

Skill yes, school no. rubber tappers. Husband and wife team last month made 45,000 Baht. You would think I would be over run by people looking to work. Not so, happy to work for a week, make 5,000 to 10,000 Baht then swing in a hammock for a month or 2. Jim

I always thought rubber tappers get employed only for a share of the rubber they tap, never for money per hour or day. That's how employment of rubber tappers works here where I live. Some get up to HALF of the rubber worth they tap.

I got AIS 3G unlimited prepaid package , 3 Gigabyte download - then EDGE speed, one month for 799 Baht, for my iPhone 4S. It works like dream and I use it for tethering in combination with my laptop. Works anywhere in Thailand ( in some areas 3G will be downsized to EDGE but in most areas 3G is available by now). Why settle for less ?

go quickly move into a guesthouse, have your rental address i.e. the guesthouse recorded on the receipt slip. This should serve as a proof of residence !

After your renewal, you and your girlfriend should try to rent something new, with proper rental contracts etc.

buy 4 round Steel or plastic trays, place your bed posts into them and fill them with water. Spray your bed with some anti-ant chemistry by the morning, so by the evening you can sleep in it, again.

Ain't no swimming red ants in Thailand, so just watch the water level and keep refilling when low.

It looks as if RayBan are the ones to look for.

Thank you very much for your help everyone

Cheaper to buy online in uk than in thailand

I've bought a few watches from this guy much cheaper than in Europe so I guess his RayBan prices are quite competitive too. 100% genuine in case you were wondering!

http://www.winnieboi...1754511-th.html

you buy confidently from someone, whose identity and address cannot be found on this website ?? Along the sunglasses offers (RayBan's from this site costs exactly the same price as in a German online store, not any cheaper like you stated). However there are these unbelievably low priced watches. "100% genuine in case you were wondering! " Probably same goes with some other items. I have seen some VERY well done copies, glasses and watches alike, which leave no reason to complain. If the screws on your Rayban have not rusted yet after one year in Thailand, you can call yourself lucky. On an original one, they never rust. Please check.

Rayban / Oakley here in Thailand always more expensive than in the UK / US and rest Europe.

I would never buy on Ebay ! In many cases all you get is a good copy. Too many scammers on Ebay. The grade of the glass' UV protection might be poorer than that from the glasses of the original.

Make sure you buy an original. If the price offered is too good to believe, it is always a copy. Originals you can only buy at the Central / Robinson stores , never on street stalls. If it costs much less than it costs in US / UK / Europe, it is definitely a copy.

There is a trick on how to check the quality of the UV grade of the glass, but I forgot what it was about. Maybe there s a reader here who knows.

To have UV-resistant glass in your sunglasses is VERY important for the health of your eyes. You never get proper UV protection from 200 Baht glasses. Don't be a fool on a shopping spree for cheap junk.

Some great comments in this string, I thought I’d give the view of a professional real estate agent who has lived in Asia for twenty odd years, with the last six being in Thailand, split between Bangkok, Phuket, and Samui.

I think that people don’t recognize the success story that Samui has become: the much acclaimed regional wellness/detox center, a magnet for tourism, but without the traffic, prostitution, crowds, pollution, and blatant corruption seen elsewhere. While Phuket is clearly THE Thai island, with multiples of tourists and locals as well as services and amenities when compared to Samui, Samui is clearly the island of choice for Thai tourists (and many others) looking for a true island feeling, which is absent in Phuket with its main highway being down the middle of the island (in contrast to Samui’s ring road, with its near constant glimpses of the sea) and even being connected to the mainland via a bridge.

The air links, while obscenely expensive, have had the effect of keeping the island from overheating, as the infrastructure can’t even keep up with the current population. Although certain services are overpriced, like Taxis, the problem is miniscule when compared to these problems in Phuket.

With Asia set to remain the global engine of economic (and perhaps cultural) growth, there seems no doubt that Samui will continue to grow. The eyesores of half built real estate projects are disappearing as forward-thinking buyers grab them before the next boom. Bali and Phuket are growing at such an incredible pace that Samui is likely to find itself in an enviable and unique position, as an island that has a strong backbone (I’m referring to the hotels, restaurants, hospitals, etc.) that has stood the test of time and has a huge legion of returning tourists, but is still green, exotic, and uncrowded. There are a large number of Malaysian, Philippine, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Cambodian (even Burmese) island destinations that are still quite unspoiled, but none that I know of, which also boast several international hospitals, several international schools, an easy to use, convenient airport, excellent ferry and boat links, as well as world-class hotels and restaurants.

So, what can we look forward to in the future? As soon as March, we will see a new electric cable from the mainland, which should stop the power-outages, at least in the near-term. One can assume that the re-elected mayor will continue his drive to improve the infrastructure, with a focus on the very dangerous roadways (and hopefully a stronger campaign for helmets to be worn on motor bikes). Bangkok Air has confirmed that they are thinking of increasing the number of flights to the island by over 30%, which would be a huge positive from the hospitality and tourism standpoints.

Going further into the future, it seems very likely that Samui will follow some of the Phuket success stories and put an increased emphasis on athletic and medical tourism, add at least one full-fledged marina, and even bring in a Central Department Store. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new country club/golf course in the coming years and I would certainly expect to see more top name hotels, continuing the gradual move from lower-priced lodgings to the higher-end. Certainly the less densely populated Southern areas of the island will see much development with this providing a very positive impact on those who live there, as it won’t become crowded, but more conveniences and variety will be available.

Will we see a new airport, perhaps near Donsak? My guess is no. Phangan is getting an airport and I would imagine that the Donsak Airport/Fast Ferry service story will continue to be used to push Bangkok Air to increase flights, lengthen the runway, and lower prices. Will Samui itself get a second airport? I would be very surprised. No, my view is that Samui will grow in a predictable, positive way, with property owners and business owners prospering, while tourism numbers gradually grow.

in other words, with all the "positive"growth there will of course be the same amount of "negative" growth. That is, infrastructure collapsing, more stinking garbage, more illegal dumps, bad water quality, i.e. all the things that will automatically come with growth.

...and I am not speaking about corruption, taxi mafai, extortions, scams, risng room rates for less quality.

Of course all of this you don't see when you lodge in a 5-star hotel with a private beach, like in a zoo.

All the positiveness that speaks from the poster must clearly be b(i)ased on his profession !

I know of one factory just outside Korat City has been hiring Cambodians (and Laotians as well I think) since mid November 2012. These employees are given a place to stay in a newly build block of flats just opposite the factory. 4 per room, 280 rooms in total (go do the math). Rent, electricity, etc. will be deducted by the employer and paid directly to the landlord.

Because they're "cheaper" than Thais...

I'm sure this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Exactly, and I would not be surprised if the "foreigners" are being charged double or triple the actual expenses. They are only there at will of the landlord. And they will make sure their magic power wands work.

when you run out of an argument proving your "watershed" interpretations as being true, yes, you can try hypnotism. But it must work on all members of the round table. I would advise the sharp eyed minister to try getting backed up by a few of these strong laser pointers which are on sale at the Sukhumvit stalls. They will lead to blindness of the opponents, thus guaranteeing the Thai side a sure win.

Oh please let me know when your nerves start to run afoul. I will back you with a monkey wrench and a few hard ranting curses!

Sorry folks, but I must say, we are wasting our time.

There IS a gorge between the temple and the Thai outpost on Moo Ee Daeng. And all the water that runs into this gorge will eventually flow into Cambodia. And all the water that rains onto the disputed 4 km area , too, is running into Cambodia.

This is a fact and could easily be prooved by shedding a few thousands of tons of dyed water onto the temple, the last stretch of raod leading to it from Thailand and onto the Shrine that the Thai army occupies. Also, all the area around the temple cliff. And also into the gorge. The gorge is not small - it is big enough to place all the temple cliff plus the surrounding outside of the watershed onto cambodian soil. And, folks, I am telling you, all this dyed water will later be found in Cambodia.

There is a poster who says the road "might" lead into a "maybe there is a gorge" - I insist on this poster to shut up before he spreads Ass-umptions that he cannot back. The VERY POINT where the road starts to descend to the gorge, is THE WATERSHED LINE ! Dumb a ton of green dyed water and I will give you a truckload of best Islay Whiskey if just one drop of it will flow back into Thailand.

to "whybother":

I can show you aerial survey maps that will show your "maps" are wrong. Also, I have visited the site many times and I swear you can clearly see why the watershed is at the ridge where Moo Ee Daeng cliffs stretch. When you follow the watershed line further westward, you can clearly see where all the water flows - to Cambodia. And THAT is the definition of a watershed. It is where the water that rains down flows to either side or the other. The Thais are lying into their own pockets if they think that the temple is within their watershed.

I'll have to go back and find the maps. But it is clearly mentioned in a lot of discussion on the court decision (official discussion, not forums) that the temple is on the Thai side of the watershed, but the maps used in the decision that the Thais "accepted" show the border going off the watershed.

Sent from my HTC phone.

It would be EXTREMELY ADVISABLE for an UNO Land Survey Team to go to the area and define for NOW and FOREVER where the watershed is. I have been there many times and this View of the official discussion is CLEARLY wrong ! And yes, you say it " the Thais accepted the maps that show the border going OFF the watershed" how simply right this is: the official THAI border goes off the watershed.

There is a small gorge between Mo Ee Daeng cliff (Thai) and Phra Vihear Temple cliff (Camb). The water that runs down the gorge runs eventually into Cambodia. So please offer me an explanation why the temple would be inside the Thai watershed.

to "whybother":

I can show you aerial survey maps that will show your "maps" are wrong. Also, I have visited the site many times and I swear you can clearly see why the watershed is at the ridge where Moo Ee Daeng cliffs stretch. When you follow the watershed line further westward, you can clearly see where all the water flows - to Cambodia. And THAT is the definition of a watershed. It is where the water that rains down flows to either side or the other. The Thais are lying into their own pockets if they think that the temple is within their watershed.

Nobody cares about the temple, they are fighting over oil and gas plots offshore. Big money involved. The temple being used as a front.

I do agree with what you are saying, how ever I wont be surprised if they actually sort the gas fields out very quickly when push comes to shove, as some of the interested parties want the money from the gas in the bank while they are a big wig.

I think the "Yellows" could have egg on their face over this issue very easily. It is clear that the spirit of the judgements previously were in favor of Cambodia. It is a bit like pissing into a 25 knot head wind.

"Re-Drawing" the countries boundary though might open a can of worms down in the south though.

If they redraw the boundary based on the original agreement, that would probably go in Thailand's favour. The agreement said that the border would be on the watershed which would put the temple in Thailand. Unfortunately, the maps produced by the French went off the watershed around the temple putting the temple in Cambodia.

This is wrong. The temple actually is lying outside the watershed - as all the water that rains down onto the temple will flow into direction Cambodia. Also the small valley that divides the temple mound to the Moo Ee Daeng cliff, is thus Cambodia. The watershed starts at the Moo Ee Daeng and continues from there along the ridge which circles off westward. To state that the watershed has been drawn up wrongly by the French carthographers is absolutely not correct.

If only the Thai government would respect that the watershed is the natural boundary - THEN as a direct result the dispute would be over as Cambodia would be satisfied with such a layout. Because the temple and it's surrounding area are ACTUALLY already outside of the watershed. All good maps plus a survey to the area would proove it correct.

The guy's a clown.

If there was any chance of the tuk tuk driver getting smoked, would he really be talking on camera? I think he was just a random tuk tuk driver the guy paid to "confess".

Same with the bird; three boyfriends - one living here - sending money and she goes on camera for a Nat Geo expose?

I mean would you send that girl THB40k a month?? Not saying she was ugly but I can't imagine any guy sending her an email let alone forty large.

She was paid to invent those boyfriends for the sake of the show.

Quite laughable

Although there are BELEIVE it or not guys that would send that amount of cash I have to agree with most of your points absolutely no way would a girl be on the roof terrace of a hotel alone and be so approachable and give up so much info ...

Laughable for sure...

I feel he made several attempts to meet girls the next day and anyone who has been around unless u pay the fine and take them there and then the chance of them meeting u next day will hardly ever happen ....hence the set up meet..

IMHO

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

I know at least about one guy who sends 35,000 BHT a month to an Eesarn woman, whom he will meet two, three times a year for a few days while he is in Bangkok on business. I have absolutely no doubt that there are quite a few more spendable guys like him.