JayF

Since end of 2007 you cfan even lear to fly Glider (Sailplane) in Thailand. The Nok Aviation Flying Clup 12 sm SE of Chiang Mai has an Blanik L13 for Glider training. Maybe you take a look at their Website HERE and you can even get an PPL via that Club. It's nothing in flying which can beats the silent flying in an Glider (Sailplane)

Does anyone know if the Gliding Club in Chiang Mai linked to above is the only Club in Thailand? A quick Google search didn't bring any up, but I thought I'd check on the bottomless well of knowledge here on TV.

I was flying gliders in Dunstable and Rufforth in the UK for a couple of years. I had to give it up when I moved back to Spain. I'm now in Thailand and would take it up again, but Chang Mai is a bit far.

I am currently on a three month extended holiday in Thailand. I have to go back to Spain and look for work this month, but I plan on getting my TEFL qualification while I'm there and coming back long term in 6 months or so.

For the last three years I've been working in Marketing in the online poker and sports betting industry and I plan to carry on when I get back to Spain. I realise that gambling is obviously illegal in Thailand. Does anybody think that having this on my CV this might hinder me when looking for work?

Also, I have heard various figures as a starting salary for English teachers ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 baht, depending on who you talk to. Is anyone able to give me a realistic range for a 24/25 year-old, newly qualified, native English speaker in Bangkok/Pattaya. As a side note if anyone knows a reasonable figure for Shanghai that would also be appreciated.

Thanks

I don't really know Bangkok too well and I know this sounds stupid, but is there a shop close to the embassy that does photos? They likely get plenty of requests and should know what you need from experience. If you have a digital camera and computer you could always do them yourself.

This is Thailand, you're lucky if you get the meal you ordered, let alone something like passport photos.

Some people believe breathing in Talcum powder can cause lung cancer.

Also, I remember reading, many years ago that talc can block the skin pores, which can lead to skin cancer.

Pretty much everything causes cancer these days. I used to work in the hazardous waste industry in the UK. Some of the stuff we had to put through treatment due it being carcinogenic was laughable. Burnt toast and dead seals were two of the things that come to mind as having carcinogenic levels of organic carbon. What do you think's worse? The air in Bangkok and tropical sun or talcum powder? If you life in fear of cancer you'd never leave the house.

I for one would rather have a sweet smelling, chaff free knackers than worry about sack cancer. How many of us are nicotine or beach addicts I wonder?

However, I've been fairly impressed with the Doctors here. Haven't had any major health issues, but when I have been sick, they were very helpful. My only complaint is their habit of overprescribing antibiotics. Antibiotics should not be given for a cold or flu (they're viruses, not bacterial infections) and overuse of them can unbalance your internal system (they do kill the 'bad' bacteria but they also destroy the 'good' bacteria, which plays a major role in maintaining your health).

My non-professional advice is that if you are proscribed antibiotics, try to make sure it is for a bacterial infection. How do you know if you are sick because of a bacterial or viral infection? Hmmm...ask your doctor ; )

I agree. When I first got here I came down with Tonsilitis (which I get at least once a year). Shortly afterwards, I came down with an eye infection. I did some research on the internet and found that certain viruses can cause tonsilitis and conjunctivitis together. I sneezed one night, which burst a blood vessel in my eye (crying blood = pain and panic). I went to the hospital late at night, they numbed it, patched it up and gave me an appointment with an ophthalmologist the next day. Great service.

I couldn't help but question the doctor when he told me it was a viral infection and nothing too much to worry about, it should clear up on it's own, but still prescribed (sold me) me a course of antibiotics. I didn't complain too much, two trips to the hospital cost me a bargain 1,800 baht.

Her name was "Lek"

Yeah I agree. She was great.

Since you are still getting your head around the culture, I might point out / remind you that people laugh for different reasons here.

Often it's out of embarrassment. So they are not actually laughing AT you the way Western people might.

Yeah I understand that, which is why I don't take offense as I might if somebody in the West were to laugh at me in the same way. I just let them get it out of their system, or join in the laugh. I really don't take anything too seriously over here. I'm here to have a good time (only 3 weeks left, dreading going back to reality. Give me 6 months and I'll be back teaching English I reckon) and I'm not going to let something so minor offend me. Like I said, I understand it's a different culture and was more curious about it than anything else.

I think you mean stolen stuff. Thai music MP3' cd's are about 100 baht to buy (genuine ones) so why bother with downloading it for 'free' and thereby damaging the industry. Artists here do not make a fortune so don't make it any harder for them.

Good point and taken in full. I've never bought (or downloaded) Thai music and don't know anything the Thai music industry or the prices. The way I look at (or justify to myself rightly or wrongly) is that I don't like music enough to spend £10 - £20 on a CD. If I couldn't get the odd CD for free, then I'd listen to the radio more. However, if Western music (farang, not Country & Western) cost £2 per CD then I would be much more inclined to buy them.

But you're right thai3 I guess in a different part of the industry where the artists aren't making hundreds of millions for their work and piracy has a bigger impact, it's only right to buy genuine.

Also, according to Wikipedia, they prefer some people over others due to the levels of carbon dioxide and other compounds in your sweat.

Thats interesting. Its very very rare that i get bitten by a mozzie, but ants love to have a go at me usually. I figured it must be something to do with some kind of body excretions that they like/dont like, but never looked it up.

Yeah I didn't know that either, and I guess it lends some credibility to the wives' tales about eating garlic, etc. to fend them off. Certain foods are excreted through your sweat glands (hence my garlicy armpits after last night's Chicken Madras and Garlic Naan), so I guess if they don't like certain compounds in your sweat they'd avoid you, as would your wife.

Solution: cover yourself in garlic juice (or mozzie repellent if you have a wife).

Sorry I can't add much anything in the way of advice not already posted and I'm not trying to make this political, but it has to be said.

It sickens me that decent, seemingly hardworking British citizens like the OP are treated this way by our current government, while at the same time they are letting all manner of scum come crawling through the channel tunnel and welcoming them with open arms, asylum they don't need and benefit packages based on how fast they can spawn. This young girl has a British Father and a British Passport and her Mother is married to a Brit and it doesn't sound like they are living in the best situation, apparently through no real fault of their own. They should be helped to get here and welcomed to Britain, not impeded. How about turning back a few truckloads to Calais, or cutting off multi-billion pound aid packages to countries with space programmes (India) and spending the money on British people and their families genuinely in need of assistance while money is tight around the world? Or is that too politically incorrect? God it makes my blood boil. Sorry, rant over.

I really feel for you Chris, I hope you manage to sort things out for you and yours soon.

All the best.

Does anybody know how much the cards are ? as if I buy it at Pattaya it usually costs about 50 baht

About the same. I picked up a True card on my way out of the airport a couple of months back. Not sure if it was 39 or 49 baht. Certainly not much different.

It won't stop you getting bitten, but if you get bitten again, try rubbing a slice of lemon or lime on the bite. The itching should stop within a couple of minutes. We get a lot of mozzies in Spain, the lemon trick is pretty common practice. In your case it'll have the added bonus of giving your feet a citrusy aroma.

I have the same problem.... Interestingly they don't bother my Thai wife at all.

Anyone know why this might be?

I used to get eaten alive by mosquitoes in Spain when I first moved there when I was 13, but now they don't bother me. It's just a theory, but I'm thinking your immune system develops a tolerance to the bites. Also, according to Wikipedia, they prefer some people over others due to the levels of carbon dioxide and other compounds in your sweat.

Sorry neverdie...I've never been banned.

...

Isn't it ironic that those were his last words before joining the group "Banned"?

Nice work Daffy. I'm new to posting on this forum, but I've come across some invaluable information in it a few times in the past, just from Google searches. I'm sure your contributions have been appreciated by plenty of people like myself, so thank you. Ignore that bell-end.

Has to be Dentists and street vendor meals/fruit. Of course the hostesses are always a nice-to-have.

Not a bargain as such because I've never bought them, but the fact that you can buy: crossbows; retractable batons; knuckle dusters and knives from hel_l, and various (probably) illegal electronic stuff such as: mobile phone jammers; covert cameras and police sirens for your car, from any respectable shopping centre (MBK, Bangkok/Tukcom, Pattaya) always fascinates me.

I wouldn't say so. This is just how I've always looked.

I'm not sure of the legalities of this in Thailand so not sure this topic is allowed.

Google is a great resource when you need this kind of help. A couple of search terms to get you started are:

uTorrent software

Pirate Bay website

Again, you can find plenty of information on the net on how to use these tools (on the above websites and elsewhere). It's not too complicated, you should figure it out.

Welcome to the world of free stuff. Have fun.

Hi JayF, Just read you post, and just asked the wife….. Remember this is the LOS! She says, they are probably laughing out of embarrassment, as a gap in the teeth, top or bottom set, means a short life, So, don't marry! You don't say how old you are? From talking to her this seems to be an old Thai thing, and being Thailand no one will ever tell you, I have my own views having talked to her about this, but draw your own conclusions.

Now there's the answer I was looking for. I was sure it was some kind of superstition/traditional belief, and not my humorous appearance/flying low/trapped sunday roast, which I don't have, thanks Original et al . I'll probably get round to getting it sorted at some point. Maybe with a new set of shiny white knashers I'll live a long and happy life.

I take it we're talking about the way bar girls are reacting? If so, wouldn't worry as they're not representative of society as a whole here and your average thingamajig is probably knocking around with a handful of brain cells at most, so with that in mind it should be easy to see why stuff like that would amuse them.

Yeah we are talking about bar girls, and I honestly don't worry about it. It was more curiosity and trying to get my head round the culture as much as possible while I'm here. I take it all in the context of Thais not having the same inbuilt inhibitions when it comes to offending people as westerners (and also, as you say, by nature they're not the most well-educated people, though I have met a couple of smart (ish) ones). I've never had people in shops, pharmacies, the airport, etc. laughing.

That's pretty much answered my question, anyone else have a take on it?

I've seen girls caking themselves in it to the point of looking white. I thought it was maybe something to do with the fact that lighter skin is considered beautiful. Like a quick fix bleaching moisturizer some use.

David Beckham... Wayne Rooney !?!

Nice chavs references

Haha, cheers. Just some names that came to mind to make a point. I don't even follow football, but do know how to spell it, hopefully that's enough to take me out of that bracket.

I just asked my wife about this.

She can't think of any reason why people would be giggling, unless they're shy or embarassed about something.

Or, maybe you look like someone else - one of the Thai slapstick comedians, for example (not saying you do).

Are you sure they were giggling about the gap? You hadn't forgotten to zip up your flies had you?

Weird. I can't see why they would be shy or embarrassed. I get it a lot, I can walk into a bar and get the normal "sexy man" treatment. As soon as they see the gap they giggle. It's not like they make a big deal out of it or anything and it's not all girls, just a quick laugh at my expense and then they're fine. I'm certain it's about the gap, I tend to just join in the laugh and a joke about it, but they won't explain. I got similar treatment when I had an eye infection, but then they just stuck their tongues out at me, was guessing it was some similar superstition thing, but maybe not.

There's nothing else that could be seen as amusing about me, I don't claim to be a David Beckham, but I'm no Wayne Rooney either. Just a normal 24 year old bloke.

the

Do you expect to get a serious answer??

Not really, meant it to be fairly light-hearted with hopefully an explanation thrown in somewhere.

Evidently, some women think you look funny. Cosmetic dentistry can probably fix the problem.

You know maybe it is big ears, dodgy hair, broken nose and wandering eye that does it.

I don't think so though. I'm young, (fairly) presentable and, by Pattaya standards, an Adonis. No I'm pretty sure it's specific to the gap. I'm guessing it's one of their superstitions or something. Just curious more than anything. As for cosmetic dentistry, like I said, it doesn't really bother me, just want to be in on the joke.

Just look at me, I'm practically perfect.

Just tell her you've got a business meeting about some new idea that could earn you millions on the other side of the country (use your imagination). It's going to take a few days, but you promise you'll meet up with her as soon as you can. When you meet her tell her it fell through. In the meantime, the idea of earning millions will be sure to keep her patient for a few days, leaving you free to see as many other girls as you like/can, or go see the kids if you like.

You're obviously prepared to go to some lengths to cover it up, so getting on the computer and fabricating some letters and email correspondence shouldn't be too much trouble. Certainly easier (and safer) than playing with RTP or immigration officials.

Good luck and have fun.

I've been in Thailand for a couple of months now and I'd like to think I'm getting to grips with some of the everyday quirks of Thailand. But there's one thing that I just can't figure out and I'm hoping somebody here could shed some light on it.

I have quite a noticeable gap between my front teeth. It's never really bothered me, I'm not self-conscious about it or anything, but I can't help noticing girls openly giggling at me when I smile at them. I've asked a few of them why they find it amusing, but they just do their normal question-dodging smile and nod, no indication of whether it's good or bad, nothing.

This doesn't particularly bother me, but it would be nice to know what it's all about. I've asked a few expats in passing conversation and they don't seem to know either, likewise I couldn't find anything about it on the internet.

Can anyone put me out of my misery and let me know what the big joke is? Anyone else get the same? Otherwise, feel free to just point and giggle if you don't know either : )