FarangBuddha

No worries, I'll be chilling on the riverfront in Phnom Penh this weekend

slightly off-topic:

I am looking for a sour, sugar-free lemonade.

At the moment, I am fed up with these sweet zero/max/diet cokes.

I want something new.

Any recommendations?

It's not lemonade but Chang has a new soda water "Blue" that has an interesting taste. It is soda water with some type of flavoring added which adds a nice taste to the stuff. Available at all the usual stores.

drink good fresh water

And where do you get it from? (Except the imported stuff)

I only know this "reverse osmosis" water. (same what you can get from these "water-machines" all around town)

It's ok for coffee and cooking, but far away from "fresh".

Aura, Minere, and Mont Fluer brands are all local and claim to be mineral waters bottled from natural Thai springs. I believe Big C Extra also has both "mineral" and plain old filtered well/tap bottled waters. They all provide a mineral content -breakdown on the bottles and all have a nice taste compared to plain U-V/R-O filtered bottled tap or well water brands.

A couple of kids arrested, they are really cutting into the heart of the operation LOL

How about this: The cops caught another Brit with coke, ganja and amphetamine he bought from a bar girl in Bangkok. They forced him to empty his ATM account which held 40.000 Baht. After payment he received the drugs back. When he refused to take them of fears to get busted again as soon as he leaves the police station, he was told: No problem you can keep because you paid already for this. If another cop catches you tell him to call us…

Assuming, arguendo, that the story is true, what's your point? That there are corrupt cops in the world...that drug dealing is ok because you can sometimes buy your way out of trouble...what?

If you can't afford "The Life," ...GO HOME!

They will not. A good friend hit rock bottom here and was clinging to just about everything to keep him here in Pattaya. Finally a couple of friends chipped in and give him the money to pay for this airfare and taxi and everything else (among other things paid the money he owed in rent).

If we hadn't done that, I think he would be still here and would be wandering the streets or ended up in a life of crime.

Now he has a decent low paid job back home, but in every email he sends there is always a small remark how he misses Pattaya and wants to get back asap.

Nice you were in a position to help. Hopefully your friend will enjoy Thailand as a tourist in the future.

If you can't afford "The Life," ...GO HOME!

I know things are tough in Blighty these days but a council flat and the dole's gotta be better than Chonburi remand and being called "Mary."

You handle is quite fitting...did you not even notice that the wavy sculptured elements of which you speak do not enter the plane of traffic?! I mean, contrary to popular perception here on T-V, Thais are not that daft. I drive this road to and from almost daily, and in the right lane too, and have yet to loose the roof of my SUV

Ever considered that motorbikes or cars,and that applies especially for Thailand,may get of their track due to certain traffic circumstances?As the OP said those steel sculptures are at head height and right above the concrete road border.It will take only very little distraction for a motorbike or car to get in touch with them,for a motorbike driver this can be fatal.

You can try to save the op all you want but you have completed twisted around what was said. The wavy elements were described as "protruding" presumably into the roadway (why else would they be dangerous) presenting a hazard to traffic. Even the swimming dolphins were deplored for supposedly distracting drivers. Now, if one is in the habit of driving up over the curb and onto the traffic medium, then yes, there are dangers in this approach...like the lighting poles and street signs that have always been there. And as for the Dolphins, I was taught to keep my eyes on the road when driving a vehicle...and again, if one is in the habit of ignoring this and gazing at interesting sights while driving one is more likely to end up in an accident.

You handle is quite fitting...did you not even notice that the wavy sculptured elements of which you speak do not enter the plane of traffic?! I mean, contrary to popular perception here on T-V, Thais are not that daft. I drive this road to and from almost daily, and in the right lane too, and have yet to loose the roof of my SUV

That's a lot of Cashew nuts right enough!!

some people hate cashew nuts in their food. i do!

Always makes mine creamy

Might have been interested until I saw it was one of those outdoor Thai affairs...I don't want to deal with the heat and mosquitoes thank you.

Seems like a good plan...but is a 7% return "conservative"? Is this based on long-term (at least 10years) performance of the fund in question?

The tax compliance act — the newer law — asks foreign financial institutions such as banks, hedge funds, and private equity funds to provide the IRS with information on U.S. clients.

If you are American and want to effectively escape the IRS, you have to be wealthy enough to pay smart tax/cpa advisors and do it right.

If you are poor you may escape their radar, but when they catch up with you they will truly make your life miserable and no one will have any sympathy for you.

Being overseas you are basically exempt from paying unless your total income is over $90K - I bet very few people worried about these issues fall in that category.

You just have to file each year and there's no problem listing all your foreign bank accounts, being honest 100% will keep you out of trouble, anything else is just asking for major headaches down the road.

For those claiming "it will impossible for them to find out" such advice may be in practice true today, but not necessarily tomorrow - the trend is for greater and greater transparency all around the world - and all it takes is one knowledgable and disgruntled "friend" or family member to land you in jail.

Face it the US tax burden is among the lightest in the world, IMO total misdirection of resources to structure your life around trying to avoid it.

<deleted>...what's low about 50% total tax burden (federal, state, local, property, payroll, excise)? If one is overseas, there is often also local VAT and income too if employed! And for what, NADA...not ever free passport passport pages and certainly not Medicare.

In Pattaya Best Foods Grocery Store (by Dolphin Circle) and Friendship Grocery Store has Diet Coke .... the bottles of Coke light were at Topps (Central) the other day. Seven Eleven and Family Mart doesn't seem to have them ...(or has a small quantity of them).

R

You gave up my secret source...never mind, popped in this morning at best for my Max. They don't have any Light but Zero and Max still have.

Please read about Gift Tax, before saying

until a spineless banker turns over their client account details to Uncle Sam like what UBS did a couple of years ago. Naam, whatever you want to believe is fine but when Swiss bankers decide to give up their prime selling point - secrecy - after a bit of arm twisting, then I'm pretty sure the IRS could find out details about the financial accounts of Americans anywhere. That is unless you want to kept your offshore financial assets with the Bank of North Korea.

for the record:

-until now no names / account details of U.S. clients where handed over by UBS. i don't deny that it will happen sooner or later.

-the IRS can only get details of assets linked to U.S. citizens. unlinking/detaching assets is the game. the latter is not easy and it gets more and more difficult with every day that passes, but it is not impossible...

example:

-if a U.S. citizen liquidates his assets and uses the cash to buy his Thai girlfriend a bar in Pattaya or Phuket or builds a mansion for his in-laws in Nakhon Nowhere the IRS is a toothless tiger

Agree, another vehicle is to assemble a portfolio of Thai real-property assets (either in one's own name or in a corporate structure) and live off the rental income. The USA tax authorities would find it next to impossible to find/trace such assets/income. It can also be run as a cash business, with minimal to no official records making it virtually impossible to tax in any case.

Um, I guess you've never heard about Gift Tax ?

http://www.irs.gov/b...=164872,00.html

I don't follow you...what does assembling an income producing property portfolio in Thailand have to do with federal gift taxes?

until a spineless banker turns over their client account details to Uncle Sam like what UBS did a couple of years ago. Naam, whatever you want to believe is fine but when Swiss bankers decide to give up their prime selling point - secrecy - after a bit of arm twisting, then I'm pretty sure the IRS could find out details about the financial accounts of Americans anywhere. That is unless you want to kept your offshore financial assets with the Bank of North Korea.

for the record:

-until now no names / account details of U.S. clients where handed over by UBS. i don't deny that it will happen sooner or later.

-the IRS can only get details of assets linked to U.S. citizens. unlinking/detaching assets is the game. the latter is not easy and it gets more and more difficult with every day that passes, but it is not impossible...

example:

-if a U.S. citizen liquidates his assets and uses the cash to buy his Thai girlfriend a bar in Pattaya or Phuket or builds a mansion for his in-laws in Nakhon Nowhere the IRS is a toothless tiger

Agree, another vehicle is to assemble a portfolio of Thai real-property assets (either in one's own name or in a corporate structure) and live off the rental income. The USA tax authorities would find it next to impossible to find/trace such assets/income. It can also be run as a cash business, with minimal to no official records making it virtually impossible to tax in any case.

"Pattaya City To Urge Higher Limits On Foreign Owned Condos"

Translation: We have a seriously over-built condo market and we need to find more foreign suckers to bail us out!

My ranger's making a rattling type noise at low rpm's I just noticed it.

Is that normal for a diesel engine?

Very...why do you think they call them "clackers"?

It all depends on what one is looking for in a gym. If one in primarily interested in cardio-work and/or resistance work, WOW might fit the bill, as that's basically all they have. They have lots of aero-machines, a couple studios for group work, and a good selection of machine weights (can't remember if the free-weight offerings were extensive or not from my tour). But that's it - there is no sauna (from memory...I could be wrong on this), pool, tennis, squash, spa, grounds to relax. It is also usually crowded (plenty of machines but space is very limited so you are hemmed-in on all sides by other people/machines. It also self-selects for a rather down-market crowd but if that's you or you don't mind such an atmosphere then it's fine. Also, the locker/shower facilities are small.

Fairtex, on the other hand, is a complete fitness facility/resort, with all of the above mentioned facilities, and more, like a rock-climbing wall and badminton. It is also more upscale and is never crowded. There are several membership plans and the fees are surprising low considering what you get. There is also full towel service, which I can't remember if WOW has.

Many things you say about California Wow are spot on....

but upmarket, down market? Give us a break. There's a huge "upmarket" crowd of Thais at California Wow who never break a sweat and sit on machines while operating the latest smartphones... and helped along by their personal trainers so they can pretend they train.

Fairtex may have a good variety of other things to do, but people who really workout don't judge gyms on their rock climbing facilities, swimming pools and saunas. I want to see their dumbbell rack. I walked out after seeing their small weight area. That's all I needed to see.

Each to their own.

I think it's pretty hard to break a sweat no matter how hard one is training if the air-con is set at 22 or 23 as I think someone reported As to the comparisons btwn WOW and Fairtex, they are really two different products serving different markets. For the OP (and other ST visitors), who just want to continue a regular exercise routine while on vacation in Pattaya WOW may fit the bill, as they do have a decent selection of both aerobic and anaerobic training options available and these type of people are likely to have pools back at their hotels. WOW may also suffice for a local who is centrally located or doesn't have their own transport who again is satisfied with the limited training options and facilities WOW has on offer.

For the person looking for a more complete sports and recreation experience, where they can do all of the above and much more in a relaxed resort like atmosphere then Fairtex is a better option. (Forgot to mention they also have basketball courts as well.)

I too do allot of resistance training so a gym's weight selection is important to me. I can't remember specifically now as it has been some time since I toured WOW but my general recollection is that the weight-training equipment was pretty standard but nothing exceptional and that it was very crowded (machines/benches/lifting areas cramed together) and it would be a challenge to do a complete workout in a safe manner. While the training area at Fairtex may not be as large as WOW, the machines and training areas are properly spaced apart for a relaxing and safe workout. The selection is also very complete, including: 2 squat-racks, 3 bar-bell benches (flat, incline, and decline), the standard selection of machines based rack and pulley systems for shoulder/back work, and around 5 free standing benches (both flat and incline) for seated bar-bell work. As for the dumb-bell selection, it's complete up to 100 lbs, with double-sets up to 25 lbs. I don't know how many sets of weights you require for your work-out but I'm sure this would suffice. There is also a complete circuit of weight-machines for those who use these in their work-out.

Sorry but those of us that know of secret supplies of these rare liquids would be foolish to reveal them! During this time of diet soda drought, it's everyone for themselves

but just can't get my head around playing music so loud to even consider what they have to offer.

The music is not very loud, but if you were focusing on your training it wouldn't even be a consideration - or do what a lot of people do - bring your ipod.

if you were focusing on your training it wouldn't even be a consideration

Please,,,,you must be joking.

Why would that be a joke? I never joke about gym related subjects.

If music distracts you, you don't have any drive. I don't even notice the music in California Wow even though I may not personally like the music choices. You need to work on your powers of concentration instead of making excuses. Once upon a time I too used to complain about loud music in gyms - so I understand the problem. You can adapt.

Anyway, it's not like there are dozens of gyms to choose from with good cardio equipment, good air-conditioning and your choice of music.

It all depends on what one is looking for in a gym. If one in primarily interested in cardio-work and/or resistance work, WOW might fit the bill, as that's basically all they have. They have lots of aero-machines, a couple studios for group work, and a good selection of machine weights (can't remember if the free-weight offerings were extensive or not from my tour). But that's it - there is no sauna (from memory...I could be wrong on this), pool, tennis, squash, spa, grounds to relax. It is also usually crowded (plenty of machines but space is very limited so you are hemmed-in on all sides by other people/machines. It also self-selects for a rather down-market crowd but if that's you or you don't mind such an atmosphere then it's fine. Also, the locker/shower facilities are small.

Fairtex, on the other hand, is a complete fitness facility/resort, with all of the above mentioned facilities, and more, like a rock-climbing wall and badminton. It is also more upscale and is never crowded. There are several membership plans and the fees are surprising low considering what you get. There is also full towel service, which I can't remember if WOW has.

This story has already been posted under the thread of the Royal Marine getting scammed but the points you make are scary and valid. I constantly wonder to myself why/how foreigners allow themselves to be scammed, often by their fellow nationals. Many of these cases do not even involve a venal companion but just guys doing really dumb things...like putting down 50% deposits on condos/houses that are only plans on paper! Is this normal in the UK where the people mentioned in Drummond's story come from? If not, why are they so quick to do it in a strange foreign country? Wouldn't you expect anyone to be EXTRA careful before investing/buying anything, e.g., real estate, a business, a car, in any foreign country?

I like the point the scammer in the video makes about buyers having "security" for their investment because they are dealing with a UK company and a UK company owns the land/development in Thailand. <deleted>...it's just as illegal for a UK company, as it is for an individual, to own land in Thailand!!! So right off the bat, a sophisticated person would smell the scam. I think it just comes down to many UK residents are just too trusting and are used to having a financial regulatory system that at least makes an effort to police investment markets and they assume, wrongly for the most part, that it must be similar in other countries, including Thailand.

I do feel sorry for these folks and hope that others to follow will do their due diligence and research before investing in Thailand.

Any legitimate development/developer, for a new off-plan project, would only require a purchase option deposit of 5-10k baht, even for property costing millions of baht; then, a couple weeks later, a formal purchase contract would be signed and 5-10% of the purchase price would be paid. At this point, monthly/quartely payments would be made based on verified construction progress...up to a maximum of 75-80% of the price. The final balance payment would be made upon title-deed transfer to the buyer. Any real-estate transaction for new construction that is basically not as above is a bad deal for the buyer or an outright con; if the builder won't agree to such terms then walk, no run, away as fast as your legs can carry you!

...

Yea we know the drill, no need to spell it out to us.

Maybe "know-it-alls" like you do but apparently many do not...like all those mentioned in the media reports. Should we also stop mentioning the jet-ski scams too as "[everyone] knows the drill"?

This story has already been posted under the thread of the Royal Marine getting scammed but the points you make are scary and valid. I constantly wonder to myself why/how foreigners allow themselves to be scammed, often by their fellow nationals. Many of these cases do not even involve a venal companion but just guys doing really dumb things...like putting down 50% deposits on condos/houses that are only plans on paper! Is this normal in the UK where the people mentioned in Drummond's story come from? If not, why are they so quick to do it in a strange foreign country? Wouldn't you expect anyone to be EXTRA careful before investing/buying anything, e.g., real estate, a business, a car, in any foreign country?

I like the point the scammer in the video makes about buyers having "security" for their investment because they are dealing with a UK company and a UK company owns the land/development in Thailand. <deleted>...it's just as illegal for a UK company, as it is for an individual, to own land in Thailand!!! So right off the bat, a sophisticated person would smell the scam. I think it just comes down to many UK residents are just too trusting and are used to having a financial regulatory system that at least makes an effort to police investment markets and they assume, wrongly for the most part, that it must be similar in other countries, including Thailand.

I do feel sorry for these folks and hope that others to follow will do their due diligence and research before investing in Thailand.

Any legitimate development/developer, for a new off-plan project, would only require a purchase option deposit of 5-10k baht, even for property costing millions of baht; then, a couple weeks later, a formal purchase contract would be signed and 5-10% of the purchase price would be paid. At this point, monthly/quartely payments would be made based on verified construction progress...up to a maximum of 75-80% of the price. The final balance payment would be made upon title-deed transfer to the buyer. Any real-estate transaction for new construction that is basically not as above is a bad deal for the buyer or an outright con; if the builder won't agree to such terms then walk, no run, away as fast as your legs can carry you!

^ Phl thanks for reporting back

This is just another example of how much damage drinking and driving can do. Not just for the person themselves but also the persons who are involved (either directly or indirect).

Phl, I sincerely wish you will get your Rental Bike back without too much hassle.

If the police kept/sold the bikes, might keep the lessees from renting to drunks!

Are you in possession of some NEW device which determines if potential customer is a drunk? what a silly post to make

In most cases, it's pretty obvious! Just use your judgment...it's usually correct.

Fairtex Sports Club...best in Pattaya. Google for complete info.