joekicker

I have a reverse osmosis setup, largely at the instigation of the minister of finance, who has a yuppie gene. It's OK, and here is why I say that. The water is bloody clean, no doubt about that. But it's TOO clean, you know, like distilled water? I kind of like the bottled stuff better. I drink this stuff because it's right there, and there are always a bunch of bottles in the fridge. If you want REALLY clean water, I can recommend it. But next time, I'll go for a normal filtration system. As you note, it's cheaper, too. I do like to have a filter because all other methods are more work. You can boil water, have it delivered (you run out sometimes) drive to the store to pick it up as you do -- all are more work than having a filter with a tap on it right in front of you.

Hello Duster/dusters, welcome to Pattaya Talk. I think, just jump right in, there are a zillion open conversations and you can start one of your own if you like.

Absolutely right. I did not read the title of the thread properly. My error and sorry for wasting Mr Broth's time. My post is for people coming to Thailand, not England. I must say it'd be great if "in" were spelt correctly.

Mr Broth, you simply are not going to get rigid answers to this. The fact is that in Thailand everything is negotiable, and what happens to a man discovered to have two extra cartons of cigarettes is totally, completely, absolutely unpredictable. You will NOT be fined based on the price at Bangkok airport. That is a certainty. But you may not be fined, or you may be fined or you may be fined without a receipt if you catch my drift. It is completely arbitrary. MOST people who bring two extra cartons of cigarettes get a finger wave and maybe a warning. A few, it ruins their whole day. But there is NOT one result that applies to everyone. That's why some people love Thailand. That's why some can't cope.

No problem in Bangkok. Pantip, Fortune City and the open-air market across from the Royal (Rattanakosin) Hotel down by the Grand Palace all would have them for sure. Example: http://www.shop4thai.com/en/category/?cat=70 I think you'll find those prices are baht, by the way. Their doofus software probably makes them use US$.

Now THERE is a straight line du jour. In the toys' section at Mike's. On any go-go stage after 6 p.m., during the day at a soapie. Between your legs. Here: http://www.thaiwebsites.com/chaomaetuptim.asp OR if you prefer here: http://www.pleasuremenow.com/index.asp?Pag...mp;Category=548

Great story, Gary -- and by the way a great story about your wife and her friend with cancer, good for her and you for telling about it. The thing to remember here is that actually you are not allowed to open an account unless you have a non-immigrant visa or above -- BUT individual bank branches will open one for you if you go looking, and keep a smile on your face. The thing to remember here is that this is Thailand and everything can be done no matter what the stupid laws and regulations happen to say, because there is ALWAYS a loophole. For those who believe strongly in the rule of law and are willing to take a stand on that -- please open your bank account only after you obtain a non-immigrant visa. Thank you.

Well, Songkran is specifically and unchangeably on April 13 every year and parties usually last until around the 15th in most of Thailand. But exact partying days depend on the timing of the long weekend. HOWEVER in Pattaya there is a second (Mon) New Year on April 20, and the two compact into one, long water festival. This year, the actual new year's days are on Sunday, so figure April 21, maybe 22 or EVEN 23 as the last of it in Pattaya because of make-up holidays.

Yes Thailand has a student visa, roughly as described. It is meant for children and people studying religion, i.e. living with the monks. (The government's Buddhist department is under the education ministry.) I would be very careful dealing with this organisation. Maybe they can do what they say, but in my experience Immigration is very careful about who they give student visas to, and it has never been an option for mongers. Caveat emptor here, heavy on the caveat.

All the more reason to abandon the big old airlines and fly the modern skies. Air Isaan for example. http://www.isaanair.com .

So tell them you're buying land AND a home, what a coincidence, give me my discount!! Ask for $200 because you're doing both. It sounds 110% weird, but 100 bucks is 100 bucks, if they offer it, take it and run.

For classified adverts in English, Pattaya Mail and Bangkok Post are pretty well unrivalled. For display advertising, you should be a bit more digging into what your target audience reads, and consider some Internet ads as well. In Thai, the yuppies are very much into Manager Group (Poodjadkarn) especially online, Sanook.com online, Post Today newspaper (the Thai language sister paper of Bangkok Post) and for a mass audience of that group probably Matichon. But it's a specialty service, and by such advertising you are going to cover a lot of people who haven't any interest in your service. Wedding dress stores would carry your brochures for a small fee or a cut, I'm sure. I see a lot of photo services, however, prefer direct advertising, particularly handing out brochures at the malls and like that. There are also marriage/wedding sites (in the Thai language) on the Internet, but I have no idea how many views they get.

Have to agree it's one of the best looking British women I've seen.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is quite proud of being known as the cleanest of anything in the government. Like anything anywhere, they have their bad actors from time to time (including a drunk ex-ambassador who literally sold the entire embassy in The Hague!!) but they don't take little under the table "tips", at home or abroad. The first guy in this thread, I'd bet quite a bit he was making an ironic joke that he hoped the OP would understand.

This sort of "unpopular" (non-Thai) stuff, always try Villa Supermarket first, preferably the main one between Sois 33 and 25 on Sukhumvit in Bangkok. I don't remember ever seeing sourdough bread for regular sale (a few specials) but I've seen dough for do-it-yourself in Villa. As you've found, peanut oil isn't popular either, although bottles pop up here and there. Soy, palm and (lately) corn are what you'll find in 99 per cent of stores. "Middle-class" supermarkets like Big C won't stock much that doesn't move REAL fast with Thai housewives. Villa does.

For good, solid (if often stolid) dependable service, I really have become a United fan over the past five years. I have seldom successfully seduced a stewardess or hostess anyhow, and rarely tried, so the pulchritude these days doesn't really bother me. I find the old United bags generally friendly -- or at least ready to return friendliness. And the frequent-flyer stuff is really well done, way better than others I've tried over the years. Good report, Emil, informative and readable, thanks.

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Currency rates are just supply and demand. Currency is just a commodity like salt or girls. It's possible high season could touch exchange rates. I've never heard that one, but why not?

The election didn't affect it. The actions of the new government starting next year will probably affect it, and make the rate go either up or down, unless it stays pretty much the same. Seriously. It's government policy, the Thai economy, the US economy and the world economy that will affect the rate. None of these are knowable. If people could answer your question they would be down at the currency-futures market getting rich.

Does not compute. If you actually have sympathy with their cause, then you support a strike, I presume. Either that or you have some method by which they get everything they want from management without any action at all that we can see. "The paying public" is the specific target of any strike by a service company. The entire, whole, unique only purpose of an airline strike is to target, inconvenience and harm you -- yes, you. How else would they boost all that sympathy you have with their cause? Who else COULD they make suffer, except you? FWIW I don't support them. But what they're doing, and what they "have to do" is clear as new crystal.

Very good stuff. Some of them are actually new, I think.

BUT TOT is the only one that gives you wireless out of the box, plug-and-go. If you're a full-on laptop person, you should look at TOT, and find out the level of service in your neighbourhood.

torrenova, not bad but you must be faster than the stamp of an eye-glazed bureaucrat. Requires care, caution and explanation for sure.

jacko You may be right -- but I think you need an onward ticket for anything but (non-) residency. Still, it's basically moot since these days it seems it's rare to ask, and having a visa probably means no hassle. What you say about separating the "use by" and "permitted to stay for" is important to grasp, though. No matter when you use a tourist visa -- the day of issue or six months later -- you will get permission to stay 60 days. A lot of travellers mix these up.