californiabeachboy

Just a quick story here.

I live in the US, but on my first visit to Chiang Mai I was staying in Chang Puak area. About 500 meters North of the Chang Puak gate there is a pedestrian crossing for Chang Puak Road with red/green lights. But it is for pedestrians - there is no cross vehicular traffic.

When the light for me turned green, being a rookie, I started to cross. About half way I realized I was in trouble. Some of the cars stopped, but none of the motorcycles. One of them almost hit me, but then he nodded his head in apology. They knew that since there was no vehicular cross-traffic, they had the upper hand.

At first it was a bit interesting, exotic culture and all.

But after trying to cross many times it became annoying.

That is when I realized - I am a short term visitor to Thailand, not the place for me to live.

Cheers.

Agree that with United you are boarded based on your fare class/ticket price. Last month I returned from Bkk to California. When I got to LAX, after 16 hours of flight, the United attendant declared that my puddle jumper from LAX to San Diego was overbooked. When I asked her where I was on the "bump" list", she said "you will be the first to be bumped". I appreciated her honesty, but I didn't like her answer.

What? after a 16 hour flight? But apparently because I had booked the ticket on CX (including the LAX-SAN segment), I was at the bottom of the fare class. I begged, I pleaded, but to no avail. She said "we bump based on fare class", and I was in the absolute bottom.

I was lucky, because a group that already had a boarding pass didn't show up at the gate, so I got on. But it is very important now to be aware of your fare class/ticket cost in terms of your place in line. Showing up early means nothing as far as I can tell.

So if you said no, he is not hard working, what is your next job??

A fun read here. One thought - is language a problem for the Philippines? (in reverse).

I have been to Thailand many times, and while I have not been to the Philippines, there are so many Filipinos here in California that I feel I understand a bit of the culture.

Maybe one of the problems with the PI is a "brain drain" as a result of their skill in the English language. I have a good friend here in California who is a Filipina - she is smart, hard working, and speaks excellent English - and she left the PI because she had good options here in the US.

There are some Thais here (mainly in LA) but nowhere near the numbers, and they mailnly tend to open Thai restaurants. Maybe some (certainly not all) of the smart, educated, hard working Thais decide that the best option for them is to stay in Thailand.

Craig's spot on with your Samsung S5. You'll need to get it "unlocked" which with some U.S. carriers, like AT&T, I think, can be a real pain.

Might be possible to get it unlocked here in Bangkok at the MBK Mall, but best to check if you can do it in the U.S. ahead of time.

Mac

Sure, I'll check on that. I'm with T-Mobile. But, I can clearly take out the Sim card and replace it. Are you saying that, even if I replace the Sim card when I get there, my phone will be locked?

- William

I have t-mobile and have been to Thailand several times with my phone (LG). Just being able to physically take the sim card out does not mean you will be able to use the phone - you also need to unlock it. T-mobile is pretty good about allowing that, I have done it several times - you just call them and they will give you a code to input on your phone. You must meet certain requirements (i.e. current on your bill), but just call them and they will tell you what you need.

As others have said, I understand some stores in Thailand will unlock it for you, but I have never tried that - as long as you can do it "officially" through T-mobile that is the way I will go.

Good luck.

I just got back to California from three weeks in Thailand, so bit groggy from that crushing flight, but I need to make a comment about In-and-out burgers.

Sorry, but those wimpy, skinny fries just don't do it for me.

I have been gorging myself on Mexican food since I got back - wonderful carne asada tacos, lard-infused frijoles, and some Mexican beer. I can feel my cholesterol doubling as I type this.

So give me some voluptuous Mexican food and not those skinny fries. But according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the granddaughter of the founder of In-and-Out is the youngest female American billionaire, so I am obviously in the minority.

Cheers.

People from Great Britain, which includes Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are British (not Brits, unless, for example, it is acceptable to call Americans "Yanks"). Irish people are Irish, Ireland is not part of Great Britain.

I know that, that is why I said "Great Britain and Ireland"

Not trying to offend anyone here, just trying to get some info.

Cheers.

I have been coming to Bkk for several years now, and really like the Ari area - great food, nice mix of locals and visitors, etc. But I have not found a good place to just sit and have a drink, maybe a chat, maybe some people watching, or even some farang sports on tv (including rugby). I spend most of my time immersed in Thai culture, but every once in a while I get homesick for a bit of Western culture.

There is a place in the shopping center next to Ari BTS (House of Beers?) but it is the anti-pub - not particularly welcoming, 200 baht for a beer, and not the kind of place to sit and have a drink.

I mention Brits and Aussies ( and I want to include the Scots and Irish, but is there a word for all those from Great Britain and Ireland?). We Yanks are not good at pubs - we call all the beers "craft" beers so we can double the price, put in free wifi so everyone is texting and uploading photos to their Facebook account (I am at a bar!), and maybe even tweeting.

But a bit more serious - does anyone know of a place from Victory Monument up to Ari that might qualify?

Cheers..

I feel your pain. I also live in San Diego, and after a month in wonderful Thailand, I am so happy to get back home.

I think dealing with that heat and humidity in Thailand has more to deal with where you are from than it does with getting used to it in Thailand. I have been standing on the upper level of Silom BTS, not moving an inch, and with sweat pouring down, while those around me appear to be as comfortable as can be.

You have the curse of living in a nice climate, and there is nothing you can do about it. Just take the California Zen approach - embrace it!

An interesting article. I have flown CX from California to Bkk about 10 times in the last 4 years, and what I have noticed is that the prices do not change much from 2 months out to 6 months out (although they may change a bit from day to day, as the article suggests).

But what does change is the quality of the connections/layovers. Once you get within about 2 months of departure, you might end up with an 8 hour layover in LAX after a 16 hour flight from Bkk!

There was an article in the August 10 edition of the Chiang Mai Mail (online) stating that the Army was requiring fixed routes for the red songthaews, and trying to register the drivers for specific routes. Apparently those "talks" broke down for the moment, but changes could be coming. Maybe that has something to do with the attitude some are experiencing here.

Personally I would be happy to pay more than 20 baht if I did not need to have a discussion with the driver everytime I got on, and I knew exactly where the songthaew was going.

This thread has been a great read.

I am in the minor leagues compared to many here when it comes to the hippie trail - back in 1968 I did the California hippie trail from Los Angeles to San Francisco as a 17 year old to enjoy the Summer of Love and try to get a date with Grace Slick. Sadly, I went in 1968, and the Summer of Love was 1967, and for some strange reason I never got a date with Grace Slick.

But back on topic, when I was planning my first trip to Thailand 5 years ago, Chiang Mai was not on the top of the list (where's the beach!!). But I went and have been coming back ever since, and now I know why. There is a lot of hippie DNA running loose on the streets of Chiang Mai. Make Love, Not War (or something like that).

What kind of blindness are you talking about?

I have been to Thailand many times, and when I arrive I go to the 7-11 and buy some Hong Thong, and mix it with cola, cranberry juice, or anything else, and then just sleep - it is good for jet lag. It has not caused blindness for me.

But another use for Hong Thong is for the time you go to Sukhumvit, buy too many drinks with Hong Thong, and an attractive woman comes comes up to chat with you. You will still be able to see, but you will be blind.

I believe the carrot and stick approach works the best.

Maybe start with the dog food approach, but that may take several trips for them to realise you are a friend and not foe. See how that works.

I have a friend who lives in Bkk but goes out to her village near Kanchanaburi often. I went with her once and suggested we go for a walk. After about 5 minutes the dogs were up to us barking and growling. She just picked up a bunch of rocks and threw them at the dogs and they let us go.

Maybe carry dog food on one side of the bike and rocks on the other and see which works best.

I recall reading a couple of days ago in the international press (sorry, I cannot remember the source) that some have refused to provide their DNA. I am not seeing that in the news out of Thailand (I am overseas).

Just because it was in the international press does not make it true, but has anyone else heard about someone, i.e. a VIP, refusing to provide DNA ?

Another vote for Spain. I was there many years ago and I have always wanted to go back. Beautiful scenery (look at Northwest part of Spain, above Portugal), great food and great wine. Fun people.

A bit cool in Winter, but not bad. The only problem for me was that they did not eat dinner until midnight!!!

A Spain/Portugal combo would be good.

Maybe we should cull the owners of these dogs? Ok, that may raise other problems, but I think culling the dogs is a short term solution. If dogs run free, they will produce a lot of other dogs that run free.

I have gone for many walks in CM, and I see these dogs coming out of homes to chase, no gate, etc. Dogs are territorial, and the owners know that. I believe the long term solution is to make the owners, not the dogs, responsible for every bite. If the owners had to pay for every bite, the bites would stop (or at least be significantly reduced).

Some of you may know that American made Sriracha sauce

No they don't. The American formulation is different; very different flavour profile. They just stole the name.

Stolen is a strong word. I don't think the name of the sauce is protected very well but of course any Thai producers are free to pursue that issue in court.

As far as the flavor, I totally agree the Cock brand has a different flavor. I like it a lot with Vietnamese Pho and frankly would prefer that with Pho over any other flavor profile, probably because of a taste built up over decades.

But I am curious to use these Thai sauces more and experiment a bit with them in my own cooking. I make a boiled Chinese chicken served with ginger scallion oil. I think a really good hot (not too sweet) Thai Sriracha sauce would be great with that. Also a variation of egg foo yung that I make, Sriracha would be perfect ... just as in Thai fried foods.

I also can see how any Sriracha could work on some western dishes, like sandwiches ... but the type of western food I tend to make (like pasta with vegetables), probably not so much.

Maybe a bit off-topic, but Siracha is in a bit of trouble here in the US. See this aritcle:

http://www.businessinsider.com/sriracha-plant-shut-down-in-california-over-spicy-odor-concerns-2013-11

I love the stuff, because when I returen from my visits to Thailand I find the food here a bit bland, and siracha can can flavor to almost anything (especially soups and tuna sandwiches).

But having read this thread I am really curious about the differences between siracha in Thailand and the US. I must do a taste test.

Just to add my personal experience, I recently had a PSA of 5.3 (slightly elevated for my age of 63) and my doctor ordered a "free psa" test, which is apparently a better test to distinguish prostate cancer from BPH (but notwithstanding the name, it is not free).

I do not know if it is available in Thailand, but maybe something to check into or ask your doctor about.

Good luck.

As with others, this is horrible. But my question is, can this be posted to Youtube? As long as it is only posted to TV my guess is that the people who are in a position to stop this will not care. But if it reaches a wider audience (that is, outside of Thailand, potential tourists), it may get more attention from the higher-ups. I don't have a youtube account, but just wondering.

Back in the days before Starbucks existed, I used to have to trek up to Cafe Trieste on upper Grant in San Francisco to get my cafe mocha. It was a great place to hang out because on Saturday afternoons the owner and his family presented a free concert of Italian songs and opera selections.

I don't know if anybody remembers the old days but American percolated coffee was pretty insipid and places that served decent coffee were few and far between. I'm grateful that there are places that serve good coffee now. BTW, does anybody remember drinking Thai coffee with sweetened condensed milk? The coffee grounds were kept in a large filter-cloth bag which was hung over the glass while hot water was poured through it. I haven't seen Thai-style coffee around for quite a while. Maybe it still exists in the rural areas.

I remember that!! I would walk to North Beach in The City and stop at Cafe Trieste for a great Italian coffee. I must have listened to "That's Amore" 100 times. The Italians know how to make coffee.

Regarding Thai coffee, I have a Thai friend who goes to a hi-so Bkk coffee place and orders a coffee with caramel and a double shot of blah blah blah, and when I take a sip I only taste sugar and milk.

Then when I go to a coffee cart in Bkk and order a Thai coffee with condensed milk, again I only taste the sugar and milk. The only difference is that I pay 15 baht instead of 120 baht, and the guy at the coffee cart could not put the little squirly design (flower?) on the top.

What this thread tells me, regardless of whether the knee defender is polite or not, is how miserable long distance flights have become.

I like the fact that the knee defender is in existence, not because it's use is good or bad, but because maybe it will cause the airlines to pause, momentarily, from reducing the pitch between seats to a distance that is a problem for them (fights/arguments between passengers, having to teach the flight attendants to recognize the knee defender,etc.). We can only hope.

Calling this the result of a "school rivalry" is ridiculous. It is not a rivalry it is a murder. We need to be able to know the difference.

Already I am lost.

I love laab - my favorite dish in Thailand - as others said with extra mint, so the headine was great!

But then I got lost with the talk about a lady, rich, from Germany, and then something about white boys and a back alley - is there a connection with laab ??

Maybe it is best I don't know

I have stayed at Abloom Serviced Apartments about 10 times now (obviously I like it). They have washing machines downstairs. Some of the apartments have kitchenetts so you need to check with them,

Also Bangkok Patio across the street.

Both are about a 5 minute walk to the Sanam Pao BTS. I think around 60-70 USD per night.