crazygreg44

20 million tourists in Thailand? So what? Take Berlin, Germany -, last year 8.4 million tourists visited Berlin. Try to google results for London, Paris, New York. You would be surprised. Germany got 140 million visitors in 2011. What's so amazing about 20 million arrivals per year for a country that sports some cozy beaches which slowly are taking downward turns regarding infrastructure, waste management, cleanliness and yet unsolved scams?

when my Girlfriend visited me in Germany, on one day we went to the "Kaufhof", kinda lookalike shop to "Harrods". In the jewelry section, she admired the fine workmanship of the gold necklages & bracelets. She asked me if this was similar to Thai Gold. I explained to her that this jewely was 14 K or 18 K Gold, thus containig not the same purity of gold as Thai Gold. Her next -sure logical question - was , "can I give it back to them?" , and when I replied, no, you can't - she was awestruck and said she would never buy this kind of jewelry.

Actually, if you buy a piece of brass connected to pure gold ( Thai Visa members, excuse me but i AM A DENTIST and such very familar with gold & other precious metals) we call it Brass , even if it is 750 or 585. Fact is, in the West if you take Grandma's jewelry to the pawn shop or the Bullion buyers, for 750 you get about 20% of the price your Grandpa paid for said piece, with 585.

There are a many poster who have pointed you onto the right path, regarding this topic. Thai gold is more seen as an investment, rather than a showpiece of design, craftmanship and durability. When a Thai Gold necklage tears, you can still go back to the shop and get the day trade price in return, 100 % and cash on your hand on the spot.

My girlfriend, by the way, when leaving the shopping mall, actually asked me " who is so stupid and buys this crap?"

I love my tattoos ! I have a multitude of them and each of it tells a story of where I achieved it and what it means to my life. I don't care about if it was top notch or a crude temple tattoo. I did my tattoos for myself and not for your opinion.

I should have minded the hygiene,. but it is as one monk sad when I asked him if the works were done in a sterile manner: "Good Luck!"

Bulling usually does the trick for those hard-to-remove sticker glue traces.

Take one coarse cloth and just watch the telly or the wall or something for a while whilst you rub the offended object (sans boot polish, naturally). Apply just enough pressure for the friction to generate some heat.

It works - eventually....

I'm building up the courage to tell the store to remove the stickers when I next buy the dam_n thing!

Dab cooking oil on the stickers and leave for half an hour - comes off easy then!

AAAHH! Superb Tipp ! The TIPP OF THE YEAR on ThaiVisa ! I always tried nail-paint-remover, and kept wondering why it did not work on the Thai glued stickers ! I promote the Idea to suggest you as the TIPPER of the Year on Thaivisa !

To the OP . . yes it is a heck , too, in my area. The provincial town shops are fulla cheap and low quality crap, as this is the only stuff the people living here can afford. If I need better quality tools and machinery, I need a hour-and-half drive to Ubon Ratchathani, there is a BIG hardware store among two more Home-Pro's which sells both the higher priced good quality tools and cheap stuff. For electric appliances, the Tesco assortment is OK so far, however like many posters are correect, the improper handling and the harsh environment will shorten the life of most. Improper handling - I observe many Thais handling their tools in a rutless manner, also they never oil them against rusting. So what do ya expect. They don't even oil and grease their tractor gears and equipment, just use it as it goes. So when you buy a set of proper quality tools, stock them in a strong box locked with an even stronger padlock, or you loose all the goodies to the family cowboy mechanics.

I thinking tipping 50 baht on a 9000 baht bill is over the top.

it was 50 Baht each, the OP wrote, so a 100 Baht tip for a 9000+ Baht restaurant bill is KHEE NIEOW !!! VERY annoyingly small a tip for those who worked all night to keep your mood in full swing !

I use to count how many staff are whizzing around to serve our table and never give less than 40 BHT for each of them on a diner the OP described.

Rubbish - this is half a nights wages - this ain't the USA.

50 baht is a very nice tip.

so what is the minimum wage in Thailand since July this year ? It's 300 BAHT per day. 40 Baht each Staff is "half a wage" ???

The additional revenue will be spent on Health and Education, I trust?

should read the bangkokpost quoting about this topic. The government is using 11 billion BAHT from the expected extra 14 billion Baht revenue, to subsidize diesel fuel ! So the revenue actually goes back to the people who need cheap fuel.

You can find tigers in every parts of Thailand, such as Tub (Thab) Lan national park, Kao Yai national park, Mae Wong national park,... or you can check this site: http://wwf.panda.org...edia/tigermaps/

REALLY??? in Khao Yai ? Live in the wild, or are they barbiturized like the ones for the shows ? I always thought Tigers were extinct in Thailand . . .WOW .. i gotta change & upgrade my opinion on that. Thanks for the map to the WWF infos !

After reading this persons dilemma I looked on the National Parks website and found this advice for persons wishing to stay in the jungle.

There has been an increase in person/wild animal confrontations. The National Parks Department would like to issue this advice. The main issue we are having is with large pythons and, in some areas, wild tigers. For all travellers in this area we advise the following actions.

Pythons will not normally attack humans as we are too large for them to swallow. Tigers are different so it is important that people take precautions .We advise that if you are staying or walking in the jungle you should wear small bells on your clothing so that a tiger knows there is a human coming and will generally move away. You should also carry pepper spray in case of an encounter.

It is also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of python or tiger activity. You should also be able to recognise the difference between python and tiger poo. Python droppings are small and elliptical and contain some small bones and rodent fur......Tiger poo has little bells in it and smell like pepper.

We hope that this is of assistance.

guess this National Park posts are from the sixties of the last century ! And my second guess is, before you 'll ever have the chance to smell Tiger poo or Phyton poo, and make up my third guess, you will have been eaten alive by the mozzies !

the announcement does not make much sense. "alcoholic drink less than 80 % " ???

I love to sip a MARTINI ROSSO from Makro, from time to time. It already costs around 780 BAHT as it is 14.4 vol%.

Does the new law implicate I now got to pay 400 Baht on top of the old price?

Very confusing . . best, don't panic, wait for what happens. Can't get a clear info on what this news release really says.

Wait for Happy Hour. There will always be happy hour. Even with Lemonade mix Lao Khao. Cocktails are the solution.

Beers will, according to these news, not rise by any means. So why bother, sailor.

You will see living costs in Thailand constantly on the rise until the end of time. Our dependency on raw materials and

oil and basic foodstuff is spiralling upward mode. Blame it on not using condoms.

I got twacked in my butt and pushed in my back by a monkey on the rock of Gibraltar, for a buddy welcome. When I turned around, the molester turned away and gazed up the sky as if saying " I didn't do it" and I almost imagined Cheeta Gibbon start to whistle a mellow tune, Wanna do monkey?

Reading the OP's story, during the first lines I thought it was the Soi dog/ bicyclist encounter. When I lived in Cha Am, I always carried a club along on my rides to defend myself in attacks. I have seldom seen a place more infested with Soi dogs than Cha Am.

Where I live there are no more monkeys, too much rubber and rice fields, nowhere to hide. Very sad.

just ONE buffalo dropping can earn 20 Baht. Add earth, make it a nice 10 kilo hump-bump, sack it and bag it. Sell it to the next flowershop, plus-forte-fertilizer. A Buffalo literally shits money!

You would think then that some enterprising Thai would have a herd of buffalo........especially in light of the economic benefits pointed out earlier by CWMcMurray and others....forgive the pun but it looks like it's a cash cow right up to the day it's turned into a nice new jacket and matching pair of shoes.

never in India, holy cow!, and in Thailand only for export and the discjockeys with their outback stetsons . . . .

Thai farmers actually herded their cattle in the rice fields for fertilizing reasons, plants grow where ya drop. Each pop means rich crop.

Buffalos used to get sick, a good cash-cow when the story was spread over freshly-wetted sheets. Now only tractors - a broken tractor is not as good an argument. It wakes your do-it-yourself attitude, not the spending heart.

just ONE buffalo dropping can earn 20 Baht. Add earth, make it a nice 10 kilo hump-bump, sack it and bag it. Sell it to the next flowershop, plus-forte-fertilizer. A Buffalo literally shits money!

You'll need to edit your first sentence it's not very clear......

Setting that to the side......and before the trolls rush in......you are right to be angry and disappointed. As far as I can see you were a guest at a family do, there is no way that you should have been expected to pick up half the bill.

It's a matter of simple courtesy......you were invited to meet the sister which you duly did, as you say the ambience and company was very convivial, and things were going great. When the bill appeared it would have been polite to volunteer to contribute however that offer should have been rebuffed by your friend who should have picked the whole tab in my opinion.

I have no doubt that you would have happily invited the sister, your friend and his partner out at a future date where you would have been the host and borne the cost, and happily have done so.

It's been very poor etiquette and judgement on the part of your friend, and you are right to be angered and disappointed.

Thanks, blethy, I have amended my first line.

My wife and I discussed this tonight and decided that my friend is now an ex-friend and will just let him fade away without anymore contact. If he invites us out again, we will just give an excuse and perhaps the guy will get the hint.

As for the tip, my friend decided to give 50 baht and I throw in another 50 baht. Usually I would have given more than that, but I wasn`t thinking straight from the spur of moment shock of parting with all that cash and wondering; <deleted> is happening here?

shockingly shock . . myself i might had been tempted to take his 50 Baht tip from the silver tablet and before his eyes stuff it into my wallet, whistling , "oh what a poor fellow, sorry I need to pay for my tuk tuk back home, can you take care of the tips??"

I thinking tipping 50 baht on a 9000 baht bill is over the top.

it was 50 Baht each, the OP wrote, so a 100 Baht tip for a 9000+ Baht restaurant bill is KHEE NIEOW !!! VERY annoyingly small a tip for those who worked all night to keep your mood in full swing !

I use to count how many staff are whizzing around to serve our table and never give less than 40 BHT for each of them on a diner the OP described.

one of the first lessons my close Thai buddy taught me, was, that when in a festive mood, meeting with all the family members and beyond, sharing a good time at the restaurant, as Thais love to eat and talk and eat and drink . . . . . .

the rule ist, the bill should be covered by the most respectable, elder person of the gathering. Or at least by the person who invited everyone else.

So if your buddy was the one inviting you and your wife, he should have parted the bill with the lady (she would have probably insisted on paying everything as obviously she was the most prominent, elder person at the diner) or paid the whole bill by himself- and said that a tip of 100 Baht on top of a 9000+ bill is PISS-POOR - Kee Nieow!! I would have told your buddy with the most plain straightforward face on earth that I've got only two purple bills in my wallet because he invited and you thought he was gonna pay.

I think your partner had an alcoholic-logic blackout, 2 seconds are enough to let him blush and loose face.

Here's a better idea... why not boot out all foreigners from Thailand entirely. Let's be rid of them for good!! Come on, who's with me? Let them take their 100's of billions of baht out our economy, let them close all their farrang stores and shops (KFC, Tesco-Lotus, 7-11, RedBull (oh wait, that's a Thai guy), which none of us ever use because we all go to the "thai" markets anyway) whose needs all that tax revenue anyway? Let those farrang sell all their assets such that the glut of supply dramatically lowers the value of all our assets, we don't care if our assets fall 20% to 30% in value. Let them take their billions of baht more of spending out of our shops, restaurants, bars, and hotels because Thailand does need their money! Let them leave us all alone as were were 600 years ago. We were much better off living in the dirt and the jungle. Long live King Naresuan!!

You over-estimate the issue of Farangs in this country. Actually, almost 60% go into export to China, 3%-6% into tourism, almost-to-nothing into the "wealth" retired Farang contribute to the Backwaters. What you wrote is so laughable, so outstandish. Thailand without Farang can survive pretty well. Just look up their export/import statistics. Have you ever been up north to the big cities ? 7/11 , if you see just one farang per week, you are a winner in a millions society. You must be a very important person !

The OP forgot to list a few more optional wais.

There also is a WAI between friends or aquaintances/staff one knows from recent visits.

They are being wai-ed by rising the index fingers slightly higher than the nose, and your friend/buddy/aquaintance will wai back in just the same manner. Please note that such a WAI is NOT accompanied by bowing the head !

Such, I see absolutely no offense in friendly - WAI-ing a bar girl whom you might know from earlier visits.

The same friendship-WAI is used for all others in the round / bar : while doing the WAI, turn your head around making sure you adress everyone. Ain't any problem with this as it has nothing to do with acknowledging someone's social lower or higher status. I bet the OP looked up the etiquette inside a travel advisor. Wonder if he ever has studied WAIs exchanged between equals. No Thai would dare WAI his friend higher or lower.

Sure was easier, cheaper, and faster than doing the embassy letter thing which I had been doing up until last year's extension.

But only if you have kept 800k in such an account for previous 3 months.

Yeap...decided to keep that much in Thailand for emergencies/big buys...and I definitely get better interest in the Thai fixed account than I get from U.S. savings accounts...plus the Thai account is insured up to B1M at least. It also makes me feel good not to be forking over $50/B1600 for the embassy issued income letter. I think when the embassy raised the income letter cost to B1600 and being able to get 3.75% interest on a fixed account finally pushed me to setup my emergency money fund in Thailand to kill several birds with one stone. Cheers.

How can 800K be an "emergency" immediate fund when it is inside a fixed account at 3,75% ( hey this sounds like a big good deal!!) or can you withdraw in case of emergency immediately ?

Many thanks for all the replies

Just a quick last one, if you do go the whole distance and get your barrel and cooler, you will find that there will be a lot of wastage on the first draw of the day. It has something to do with the ambient temperature dropping just that one degree overnight. Best to finish the barrel before turning in!

Also be careful when cleaning the pipes that you have the correct cleaner and that it is diluted correctly. Apart from that, enjoy.....

Thanks for the tips. Have actually sent emails to thai bev and boonrawd to see if i can get one from them. I do a lot of entertaining at home so it will definately get used.

Love it, where do you live?

Gotta get me one of these

oh , and how do you fill the tower ? With beer from bottles ???? Where is the trick, i don't see any kegs in the photo !? Or is it only me ?

Ok whitleblower, here is the adress !! The place is called Tawandaeng, is on the corner of Naraithiwat Road / Rama 3 Road. The brewmaster's name is Jochen. Lots of Taxidrivers know the place.

I bet you will like the fresh draught beer, though it is a bit off the normal bottled stuff. And yes he has kegs & Cooler & Tap equipment.

Sad story, his note could be considered his last will and testament and doctors at the hospital should abide by it. I hope that they would do the same for me.

then please make sure you can pay for your cremation. He should at least have worn a 2 Baht gold chain, and stated in his letter that the chain was intended to cover the expenses for hospital examination, cremation and shattering of ashes.

An illness so severe does not excuse the absence of steps taken. R.I.P. fellow !

you seem to be on a rather low budget. Remember, Thailand is not cheap. The "top" locations like Krabi, Phuket, Hua Hin and Bangkok will eat up your money fast.

Go try Cha-Am, it is not as expensive as Hua Hin, I had rented a two story townhouse out there for 7000 BAHt per month until i moved on in 2010. There are some schools within reach to the Hua Hin side.

One big concern is, your northern born Thai GF will have difficulties in making ties with the local, if you try to live in the south. Exceptions bargirls with the same background. You mentioned in the Isaan you get bored after two weeks, please expect the same to happen to your Thai GF as soon as you settle at a beachside. An Isaan lady does not want to suntan ! She will never understand how you can enjoy sitting in a dirty chair at the beach, drink beer, behave lazy and most of all tanning your skin darker - as this makes you become low-class !

Don 't forget to be open ear and diplomatic in case this becomes all obvious.

Why not move into the next big town of her area ? Hey, Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, Korat . . all real good places , low budget, all amenities and more ! and schools !

I am the man you describe !

And therefore, I do not give a f....g dam_n for the rest of your excursions !

I live here and no, i am not in need of telling everybody and his grandmother on how they should treat Earth and nature. I do not want to spoil everybody's party while it lasts !

About the ethics and the morale . .well, that's quite another topic . . but because I am the man you described, why would I worry ?????

reminds me, there is a movie, in which a store located in town calls itself "the most friendly shop in Texas" . . . just before the shooting starts . . .

i can't see it, I can't smell it, I can't hear it. But somewhere out there it makes "buuble bubble bubble!"