jacko

Tess Harper...

Ooops

Billy Crystal.

Well I take the point, but there are some similarities that come from being in the same country.Prices are heading Bangkok ways. The girls talk the same lingo... What your name, where you come from I go with you, get your finger out my ass fat falang.......................who slipped that in?

I would jusst like to chuck in a good result. I bought a LCD TV which was on sale in what was then Carrefour. Damned thing kept turning itself off (I have a Philips DVD/Audio centre does the same). I was miserable with the prospect of carrying it up the escalator looking like a berk, until I realised there was an LG service centre on Suk. Into the back of the truck, they seemed to know about the 'ploblem' there and sent a guy to carry it out for me, and I got it back fixed without charge after 4 days. I had suffered the problem for over 2 months.

Not really, I doubt they would cheat me in there, but the 110 did look like 140. I have seen this before else where with a screwy 1, funny how the leading 1 looked normal. The total was correct at 185....(+75 baht for a happy hour bottle). Who knows for sure eh?

A fairly damning indictment of that place. Quite astonishing and horrifying.

There are a lot of Thai people and Thai food restaurants, hookers and GO-GO bars and traffic jams! Road signs in Thai language, didn't see many of those in Lima, nor London. You can buy edible bugs on the street. I don't think that Pattaya is particularly like London nor Lima, haven't been outside LA airport so cannot comment on that.

Orthodox Judaism?

Quite sure I only paid 110 in Champions only Thursday. I recall as when I first looked I thought it said 140 and was corrected by the staff after the smelling salts took effect.

You seem to know your way around!

Another little impact for us in more fortunate areas...... There are loads of empty shelves, I just did a visit to a Tesco and no canned sardines and instant (Pot) noodles to be had, likely all sent down to Bangkok as they are easy to prep items. There was some tinned salmon though....yummy!

My TGF has a phone with 2 SIMs, they are quite common here. In fact I met an old friend who thought there was an opportunity taking them to the UK, as they are rare there. Everyone gets a free phone locked to their network I suppose.

Good to hear. My thoughts were old ones based on a review of what he had on offer some years back. Mind you, the one he has listed for 90,000,000 baht wouldn't suit everyone.

Comparing prices to establishments in other countries is a poor defence. Compare them to nearby/like, and compare them beneficially. And you are retorting to people complaining about high prices, by quoting and complaining about.... high prices. How much is a bottle of beer and a LD at Windmill then, seeing as how you are recommending them.

Beware if you do need to go to the airport that there is no parking available. Guess where many cars have been put out of harms way.

Perhaps TQ1.

Well by that methodology the bad bars are getting custom so why should they be out of business?The effort is to get you in there in the first place, you being a newbie tourist.

Alan Arkin

That's good news and I have been asked which banks! I suggested if he needs to, to approach his financiers and explain the situation. Overall I am quite impressed how the Thais are helping the Thais in these troubled times, sometimes when you see a pathetic soul you wonder.

If it can create a spark that will jump over a cm, I don't think I would play with it.

You are right. The once famous Thai smile is seen less frequently, certainly in the GO-GO bars. Mind you it was often the case in some of the Asian oriented 'Baby' places, like porcelain dolls up there. But now you are more likely to see a bored expression. I wonder what is behind it, westernisation of the Thais in general, more pressure on the girls with quotas and the like, fewer girls and hence longer dancing stints? The respectful 'wai' has been relaced with an open palm looking for a tip. But now and again, catch a girl's eye and make her smile and it is like the sun coming up.

I suppose you mean wear......Please define many, more than 3 or some sizeable percentage of the total 800,000,000 Muslim women? 100 Million of them live in Indonesia and choose not to wear Burkas. 60% of them live in Asia where dress codes are not so severe. Define 'cover up'....we were talking Burkas, which of course has nothing to do with religion, nor is it a religious costume. I would be interested to see an Islamic costume, I don't know of one. I think the definitions in Islam are:- (1) The BEST garment is the garment of righteousness. (2) Whenever you dress , cover your chest (bosoms). (3) Lengthen your garment. I am not convinced that enforcement of wearing Afghanistan style Burkas would be accepted by many in Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey, Malaysia etc. I suggest the line quoted above is a fabrication of your mind.

Are you bringing your own laptop? Why not just buy a feww days of Edge/GPRS from your telephone network.

Yes and in that sentance is something important. If you don't pay your debt, you forfeit the property or land.There are a lot of people out there picking up bargains from people who cannot service their debts and need cash. Of course you can borrow money from Thai banks using your land/home as collateral. Interest rates are low at the moment and hence a loan looks attractive. What will you do with the money? Will it be used in some venture that will generate a better return that the interest teh loan costs you? Home improvements, buying an adjacent plot for example etc Listening to Thais regarding borrowing money is not a good approach, they understand borrowing, but are absent minded when it comes to repayment and rarely think of the future.