just_Elaine

I had a great meal at SoupaSteak last night. It was their special for the night - duck breast with orange sauce, potatoes and green beans for 199 baht. It was really good food at a very good price.

I got one last fall at Kasikorn Bank on Chang Klan Rd just past Shangri La hotel

Thank you. We may have to open another bank account.

Unfortunately you will have to sign up at your bank and wait. We did and we are with Bangkok Bank. It took about 3 months.

We have Bangkok Bank too. At which branch did you sign up? Thanks.

Does anyone know if there is a bank that has safe deposit boxes available? Our bank told us that they did not have any available and another branch did not have any.

Thanks,

Elaine

We went to Guitarman last night. It was pretty good, but the bands at Brasserie Pub & Restaurant are more our style so we went there. It was terrific. Boy and his band then Took joined in. Later, Took and his band played. We loved it and will try to make it there again before we leave!

I think it is called Santi Music School. Here is a link from an article in Chiang Mai News: cm news article.

I am taking course in Kad Suan Kaew on the 3rd floor. They instruct children and adults. I really like my instructor, Khun Keng (nickname). They charge 100 baht registration and then 1400 baht per 4 week period.

Wishing you a speedy recovery...

Thanks for the recommendation. We went to eat dinner there. We had duck curry, eggplant salad (yam makua yeo), stir fried beef dish with fresh green peppercorns (can't remember the name), rice bowls, 2 large Singha beers for around 800 baht. The dishes were very well prepared and presented. We were stuffed by the time we finished so we haven't tried the pastries yet. They did look delicious.

Elaine

I was overcharged at Carefour for some sale items. I just scanned the receipt and remembered the price for the items because I bought them because they were on sale. The clerk asked me to fill out a form and they gave me the items for free and refunded double the difference. It was a nice way to settle the issue, but I rarely remember the prices so they could have overcharged me many times in the past. Because of that, I really don't have any confidence that they don't overcharge often and I don't shop there any more. It's a PIA if you have to check your receipt every time you shop. I think it's just the result of sloppy procedures rather than a scam, but the result is the same.

We were overcharged for something on sale too. However, I remembered the price and then went over to customer service. They checked the item's price in the aisle, found that it was correct, gave me the first one (I bought two) for free and charged me the sale price for the second one. So if you discover this before you are out of the store, go to customer service.

We've bought (I can't remember where) dried thyme and rosemary in individual bottles. However, we use fresh basil here. It is plentiful and available in local markets as well as at the grocery stores.

Good luck on your search.

About the fee... I think this is the breakdown: (car) 505 + (smart card) 100 + (change of address) 50 = 655 baht.

If I compiled everything from here and another thread correctly, it sounds like I will need the following to renew my 5 year drivers license:

Passport

Copy of passport

Copy of visa page

Residency Letter (from Immigration or Embassy)

Current License

700 baht

and I will probably get the color-blindness eye test and have to watch a video.

For those experienced in this, does this sound correct? By the way, someone stated that Medical Certificate was not required and someone else stated that the Thai version of 5-year to 5-year renewal does not have a Medical Certificate so I think I will try without it.

I think I messed up though because I thought that one was supposed to wait until after expiry to go renew a drivers license, but it sounds like that is not the case. I will try to renew my 5 year drivers license about a week late. I will post if I had to do anything else......

I did renew my 5 year driver’s license yesterday. I got my Residence Letter for driver’s license at Immigration the day before (2 photos, copy of passport & visa, copy of a couple of pages from my lease, a form that they gave me to fill out and 500 baht). I dropped by the office about 3:30pm to see if I needed anything else. It is on the 2nd floor. I asked information and they directed me to one of the numbered counters (#22 for me). They took the paperwork from me with my license and an application and stapled it together. Then they told me to come back at 10:00am or 1:00pm the next day.

I went at 10:00 am. They directed me to #28. Many people were at this counter. The guy had me write my full name on the application and showed me where to sign it. A bunch of people were directed to an area. We were given the color blindness eye test. After the eye test, we were given instructions for a test. It was in Thai and I didn't know what they were talking about. Anyway, you sit in a chair that has a gas and brake. In front of you, there is a box with a green and red light and something equivalent to a speedometer with accompanying green and red lights. I think that you hit the gas and brake before the speedometer hits any of the red zone speeds. They let me do this several times. After that, you are directed to the table to pick up your paperwork.

Then someone asked if I speak English and I said yes and they directed me to room 2 (I think). I handed my paperwork to the women there and she sat me down in front a computer and started a video. It covered about 15 subjects and took about 45 minutes. I picked up my paperwork when it was done and was sent back to the information desk. She gave me a number. Then I went to the counter when my number was called and paid 655 baht. They sent me behind their counters. There is a waiting area with seats. Then someone signals you and you sit down, get your picture taken and then you get your license.

It took awhile, but everything went smoothly.

Yes, past Tesco Lotus (Hang Dong). It is on the same side of the street as Tesco Lotus. I look for something painted purple and pull into that parking lot.

I'm obsessed with food. I like to eat all kinds of food including Thai food. I'm happy others are obsessed with food.

I don't read topics that don't interest me.. Maybe you should do the same...

If I compiled everything from here and another thread correctly, it sounds like I will need the following to renew my 5 year drivers license:

Passport

Copy of passport

Copy of visa page

Residency Letter (from Immigration or Embassy)

Current License

700 baht

and I will probably get the color-blindness eye test and have to watch a video.

For those experienced in this, does this sound correct? By the way, someone stated that Medical Certificate was not required and someone else stated that the Thai version of 5-year to 5-year renewal does not have a Medical Certificate so I think I will try without it.

I think I messed up though because I thought that one was supposed to wait until after expiry to go renew a drivers license, but it sounds like that is not the case. I will try to renew my 5 year drivers license about a week late. I will post if I had to do anything else......

Read somewhere about a barbeque place "across from Airport Plaza" operated by a Thai family. Can anyone give me more specific directions??? I need a barbeque "fix".....Tried Sizzler yesterday but only partially saited the craving.

Salsa Kitchen has pretty good ribs..

i love sai u up in a bun with beans and tabasco and cheese, cost me 20 baht all in.

otherwise mikes chilli cheese do when you insist on all the stuff is great.

roti murtaba is indulgent tasty and full of goodness

Where do you get roti murtaba?

Thanks for the info on Su Casa. It may be more convenient than the Mi Casa location although I like the ambiance of the Mi Casa restaurant. I may have to go there again for my birthday!

Sorry, I got interrupted before I finished this post. I wanted to mention that they had someone dressed as Santa who did some magic tricks, they passed out some balloons and the dessert we ordered had cute 2" sugar Santa on top! Merry Christmas!

The festive menu at Mi Casa is delicious and a good value too! I think they have the menu for the rest of the month...

I can confirm, from expensive personal experience, that Fujian is very good, but charges for it !

And to clarify about the Fujian, I went there fully happy to pay top dollar for dim sum (and the prices were on the menu, so no complaint there).

It was the 480bt pot of tea that pisses me off. They should have mentioned that the way the did for ktizo.

So I talked to the restaurant manager today about the price of tea...

And he thanked me for the advice of telling people in advance how much it costs. He is going to tell the staff to always do that.

And he pointed out that the tea I ordered Pu Erh was of the finest quality and was the most expensive tea they have. "Not fresh" he said, "aged 10 years".

Now I don't know that much about tea, but I do know that there are some incredibly expensive teas in the world. And their tea was very good - I must admit that!

The general manager is going to call me in a few days, perhaps to offer some compensation. We shall see.

I do feel a bit mollified. Maybe they are not so greedy- just a little cavalier about other people's money.

And I will say it again - the dimsum there is great.

That is TOO, TOO much for a pot of tea!

Lanna Antiques on Thapae Rd. sells Rain drums also.

Thanks. We will try to get out there.

We have eaten at Salsa Kitchen a few times in the last month. The food was very good each time - well prepared food and tasty. I like the beef in the red chili sauce (can't remember what it is called). We also really liked the salad that came with our meals. I have not tried the ribs yet this year, but plan to soon.

Personally, I used to look at the food threads quite a bit. I would start at the end though and go backwards because the thread is too long and the information in the front is too old to be valid. Anyway, I on occasion peek at that thread to see if anyone has bothered to update it. I appreciate people's input on where to eat. A change to the food portion would be nice.

Thanks,

Elaine

I've only been to the Palaad Tawanron restaurant once, but it was during the day. I get the impression that Thais like this place. It it up on the mountain. It may be a little on the romantic side. Maybe others who have Thai spouses can chime in on this?

Nancy Chandler's info on the restaurant

Top 20 CM Restaurants per 1stopCM

Great views after dark - if you can get a seat outside, which isn't always easy. The food is overly expensive for what you get and pretty mediocre. You're just paying for the location. Romantic? Maybe. The last time I ate there, there was a band wandering around playing American country music which wasn't romantic in the least.

Thanks for the reply.