joekicker

Well, who can get Barack Obama's birthplace right? They don't even have the correct answer. I got 25. .

Come on bodgob. The only spelling "variations" are by people who can't spell, or don't want to, or can't find out how to. This drink by this distillery is, always has been, and always will be correctly spelt "Mekhong" in English. The word, the river and more, argue away - but the name of this drink is trademarked and in the English alphabet there's only one spelling. boobdog would actually be good. But it wouldn't be you either. .

A private basement? And probably without stairs? That's a weird first post indeed. LordFlash, I did appreciate your humility: "Good landlord - no hassles." .

It's not a visa. It is an EXTENSION to a visa. A visa is what you get from an embassy (consulate), and present to the (wo)man at the airport. Who will give you 90 days or less on that original visa. After you get 3 months (maximum) stamped at the airport, and after 3 months in Thailand, you take that along to immigration with whatever papers you need. Assuming everything's fine, and immigration EXTENDS that visa into a one-year permission to remain. Not just education by any means - business, spouse, retirement, lots and lots of different ones. The education ones advertised on those signs are ACTUALLY something of a scam, my opinion - but they are real. This means you get a one-year *stay* although the *effect* seems in many ways like a one-year visa. And once you do this, as one-year stay can quite possibly be further extended in fits and starts into a 50-year stay or more so far as that goes. But there are details you have to follow, and at least one trip to the immigration office. The original visa, issued in Someforeignplace by the foreign ministry, will give you 90 days or less. The immigration department then decides whether to extend your permission to stay in Thailand more than 90 days. There are no real exceptions to the above UNLESS you already have been through all of the above at least once, or fall into a really special category such as high-so diplomat or something like that. .

I wish there were no such thing as smoking police, and everyone was as smart and discriminating as you and simply went and found places that have smoking policies you like, without having anyone shot, beaten or imprisoned over it. .

Have a read of what I wrote, then reply to it if you wish. That way you can save time by not retyping my words wrongly and AND save face by, well, just getting it entirely right. I don't "wish" to dispute this, I flat did. I correctly disputed that the 23rd, and indeed Ok Pansa in general on any date it happens to fall on, is, as you so correctly quoted but then failed to understand, "a RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY" (my emphasis this time). It's not a religious holiday. Not on the 23rd and not on other dates. Simple fact. What made you think the 23rd is a religious holiday? Every post before yours said it isn't. Every post after it now says it isn't. I'm nosy but curious why you think it's a religious holiday? .

Well, in very rough numbers over the past couple, three years, about 60,000-65,000 Americans per month. Now there are countries that send one heck of a lot more than that, but there are a lot of unseasoned travellers in there. I think where your logic fails is that not nearly all the Americans do Pattaya, and of those that do Pattaya, not all partake of... let's say, "all that Pattaya offers". How many Americans "do" Pattaya in all its glory, who knows? My impression is quite a lot but probably in third place or so behind Brits and Russians and probably Germans. Taken as a whole, there are one heck of a lot of Scandihoovians, too. .

... in January AND July, you betcha. "Another coconut please... and make it just a touch colder this time, thanks." .

Not a holiday. Simply another Buddhist day, and lord (no pun) knows there are lots of them. Lots of folks will go to the temple for a half hour. But if it were important, it'd be an occasion to open the bars, not close them. It's as certain as anything ever gets in Thailand (i.e. definitely not 100 per cent but approaching it) that bars will NOT be closed for anything this weekend, so you can end Buddhist Lent with a bang. .

And phones and transportation. And almost all services from garbage pickup to therapeutic massage. etc, etc For an old Asian hand, that wasn't much of an analysis. .

Wouldn't Thai people normally spell the word in Thai??? In any case, it really doesn't matter. The Thai people who own and run Thai Beverage spell it one way, and one way only. I'll give them credit for knowing how to spell the name of the product they own and sell. Anyhow. ThaiBev has now announced it is "repositioning" Mekhong in the market, which apparently is a fancy word for putting on a new label, tripling the price and selling it as something very hi-so. They have done this with a couple of other brands in the past. It seems to mean that the Mekhong brand will disappear, kind of like another old whisky brand eventually became Sang Som. So yep, addicts and souvenir hunters should buy what they find these days. .

The post got cut off here, blasted Internet connections!!! How does it work? .

This is the mafia's line for sure. "I'm just doing business." "We just help with supply and demand." "If no one wanted it, we wouldn't be able to deal it, would we?" Helps them sleep, no doubt. Only government decides what's illegal, wac? No other input to that at all? .

I think I've seen at least three versions of this. I'm starting to wonder if it's a legit magazine. heh FWIW in a humour thread, no one claims their women are treated equally. They're not supposed to be. "Equal" isn't a choice. Nice and well and civilised are choices. On a pedestal and in a superior manner are choices. Obviously some of them think there are other choices, too. But "equal" is not one of them. FWIW in a humour thread. In Thailand they show them how to use guns: .

Try convincing me Italians are not African. Or for better entertainment, try convincing the proud and silly resident "Italian" that he's not racist. I failed. Crunts are clunts without reference to anything else. They just, simply, are. And they are still chunts no matter what they call anyone else -- or indeed what anyone else is. In a roomful of racists, a crunt remains a crunt. .

halfaboy has it quite well. You can easily send out Thai baht through a bank branch, so long as they believe it's legit. Carrying huge amounts of baht beyond Burma/Laos/Cambodia, you might as well carry a sign saying, "I am smuggling money". USUALLY they won't catch you but if they do, you'll lose it. Let's face it, there is one main reason you'd want to take a huge amount of baht beyond this region - and the customs people know that. Unless you're that desperate, export it through the banks. And of course if you ARE exporting to Laos/Burma/Cambodia, then half a million is the threshhold for now. Why would you want to hold the baht far overseas if the rate is so good? Buy the foreign currency in Thailand. As soon as it leaves Thailand, the rate changes quite a bit and you're in Crappyrateland anyhow. .

Exactly. My bad answer. Thanks jacko. Yes you WILL avoid the 150-baht charge, which is only for ATMs. There are other charges, perhaps, and it will take more time, and the hours are restricted, but you won't pay the specific 150 baht.

The first time I heard the Rolling Stones being piped in as the muzak on an elevator. .

Why Italian? Are they a race, then? Like those Chinee? .

Then I shall refer to you from now on as an African since that is where your ancestors came from. LOL .

No he won't. On the contrary, the 150 baht is specifically and exclusively for ATM machines. If you take cash into the teller's station, and exchange it, you will NOT be charged 150 baht. .

Yes. It went to this thread.

Actually, he's Singaporean. Yes, interesting that Liverpool simply ignored his cash-on-the-barrelhead offer. .

Jee Zeus! Lim is as "Chinese" as you are. You've heard of Singapore, I presume? There is a very, very quick way to find out if they are rich enough. If you don't use that method, shame on you! .

I just found out that Lim is making serious offers, I didn't realise that until a couple of days ago. I think he'd be sensationally excellent for the problems Liverpool faces compared with the Boston crowd. .