packhike

Go here Asia Travel Click on Bangkok and then click on the interactive map for the Sukhumvit area to find hotels close to Soi Cowboy. Then go here..Trip Advisor and paste hotel name in to search box for the latest reviews of the hotel. Click on Solo Travelers reviews for said hotel to get an idea if hotel is guest friendly. Here is an example for a hotel about a 5 minute walk from Soi Cowboy. Solo travelers reviews of hotel close to Soi cowboy from Trip Advisor When you have finally decided on a hotel then go here to book said hotel....Agoda Agoda tends to have the cheapest prices around.... OR you could try the following two hotels that I have stayed in. Both guest friendly and just fine accomodation wise. About a 10-15 minute walk from Soi Cowboy. There are also beer bars on the Soi that both places are located at. Both are on Soi 22. One is a hotel the other is a hotel/long term place. Both in a good location and convienent to many things/places. Regency Park Hotel Bourbon St BKK Personally I would recommend bourbon st. Nice owner, well run american establishment with great service and no problem with how many guests you want to bring back....

Well considering that Buddha was around about 500 yrs before christianity I would say the merit/karma/giving idea was theirs before the Church of England... As to giving to charities and doing good for others. I would say why is it necessary to post what you do or the reactions that you received/perceived? Not a dig at the OP but if you wish to help people then do so from the heart and never ever expect anything in return......I am glad the OP tried to help out but also realize that not everyone donates to every charity that is in existence....We never know what others have done or where they have contributed....I would venture to say that lots of girls sent home what they could to their family, personal village, etc.. but who really knows..... There are lots of celebrations, events where thais give generously....There are the ceremonies where money is donated to the local school (money tree) same thing with giving money to the local temple, the giving of alms to the monks every morning, donations to other temples, etc......All done anonymously. Everyone gives in their own way and own custom... Just my two satang.

They have the stewardess working on those busses?

I know when I used to fly Thai air along time ago they are partners with UA. So I would fly UA from SFO to LAX and then hop on Thai The UA ticket part ended up just costing me an extra $30.00 so might be worth it to check out a travel agent or consolidator.

Ok Will do..I have seen on the vayama website that they will allow me to purchase the low cost ticket for air china although it has gone up $30.00 already..Got their website off of one of the companion ones that kayak shows..

Looked at going in April from April 8th-16th via EVA Economy Elite...Totall was $1800 WTF??????? So went to the trusty Kayak.com and found Air China for $913 all in. Economy though anyone ever used Air China? Flew China Air once and never again....Also Cathay Pacific was about $1040 and saw in 2011 they are offering Economy Plus..... Also tried this website and found some cheap airfares..vayama

I'll throw my vote in for the train as well. Much more relaxing plus you get the vendors coming board selling beer and such as that... State Railway of Thailand

Then all 3 of us are in the same boat don't know crap when it comes to gems If he's in BKK or Pattaya he can't go wrong with the place I mentioned. And by that I mean he can hae them pick him up and take a look around. NO high pressure sales (which is an instant I ain't buying shit from you for me) and they have price ranges from cheap to fuck me how much is that? Plus all the prices are on the pieces.....and local will be sapphire, emerald, or ruby. In the states there is a big jewelry company called the Shane Company and in one of his advertisments he is always saying how he goes to Bangkok and buys direct there passing on the savings to the customer in the states although I am sure he jacks prices up to cover his nitetime shopping duties.... Give me a day or 2 and I will post some pictures of the stuff we bought from there....

I agree and disagree. First I don't know my jeweller. As in if you had ever been to this place you would understand...Have always had a different salesperson. So I have no "personal" relationship with them. They are ISO 9002 and ISO 9001:2000 certified which I am told is a good thing. ALL JEWELRY IS CLEARLY MARKED WITH THE PRICE ON THE PRICE TAG. Hence the only "haggling" you can do is asking for a discount off the price that is marked. Do not go in there and ask for half the price or anything like that YOU WILL NOT GET IT just ask for a discount and you should get 10%...They have been in business for a long time...And like I posted early I buy my jewelry not as an investment, not to make money, but just for what my wife likes and thinks looks good...If your buying jewelry to invest in or to "save" money in your going to get burned except for the possibility of gold.....I have also sent other people there, as well as taken other people there and they have had the same experience as I have had...There are probably more then 50 salespersons working here. There is no "sales pressure" to buy anything. If anything it is worth a trip even if you don't buy anything. When you arrive you are greeted by a few ladies dressed in traditional clothes, you are handed a drink, then you are given a tour of where some of the jewelry is made. You actually watch them making it, then you are led into the sales room which is huge and has massive fish tanks everywhere. I have seen many people walk around (with your salesperson/tour guide) and just look at what is in the cases and then say thank you and leave. Again I have never felt ANY pressure to buy while there....nor have I ever seen anyone pressured to buy while there....There is also a small cafe where you can get any type of drink for free. Now don't expect a full size glass of beer but you will get a small glass. I have sat there for 2 hours while wife shopped and just kept drinking beer after beer at no cost. I have also seen people who walked thru the sales floor with out buying anything still sit down and get a beer and such for no charge....This place gets tour busses and such going to it....There probably are cheaper smaller shops but since I don't know shit about gems I stick with this place as again I have been happy with the price and what I have purchased there. This why I recommend World Thai Gems Gallery due to the NO PRESSURE environment and I say stay the hell away from World Gems Collection because they are the exact opposite with a huge sales pressure tactic...Also we have spent 3,000 baht one time and spent shall I say alot more and always been treated with the same respect know matter what spending...This is a company that actually does it right. Hence my recommendation for them....You can go see some stuff and then leave or buy UP to YOU...Also my wife (thai) has been extremely pleased with the way they have treated her and such (but then again she is buying jewelry and what women doesn't have orgasms doing that). There are plenty of other companies in Thailand and this is the only one I recommend...but then again remember you are taking advice from a stranger on a message board.....It's up to you.. As to the small diamonds you are correct. Looking for a stand alone diamond look elsewhere but when it comes to diamond "chips" and such like that used in inlays then they are a great deal. The majority of the items my wife has bought has had diamond chips used as an inlay..... By the way this company makes their own jewelry and can custom make any type of jewelry you want. Everytime we head down to bangkok we stop in there to get our jewelry cleaned and it is always taken care of quickly and efficently at no charge...... Ok enough of my sales pitch.....

Have always bought gems for the wife and my daughter at World Thai Gems Gallery. World Thai Gems Gallery They have 4 locations from Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and Phuket. Call to have them pick you up from your hotel for free and when you are done they will take you where you want to go. They do OFFER DISCOUNTS but you must ask and be PERSISTENT. Nothing major wife gets 10% off. They have great customer service have even brought in Jewelry purchased in America and they have fixed for free. Although we did purchase items at the time.... Have bought Sapphires, Rubies, Jade, Pearls, Topaz, and Emeralds from them (all done in rings, necklaces, earrings,) Have had it appraised in America and all the jewelry has received high marks and been appraised for much more then what I paid.. Even brought back some garnets from Thailand and had one jeweler in the states actually want to buy a bunch from me. He said it was the best quality he had ever seen... As to Diamonds my advice would be do not buy in Thailand. Most Diamonds are imported into that country. This has been backed by several different sales staff at different stores who advised my wife not to buy as they were very expensive. Pretty much I have found the price to be a bit more for Diamonds in Thailand.....Stick with Rubies, Emeralds, and Sapphires... There is another Gem store in Pattaya that has a name very close to World Thai Gem Gallery Its called World Gems Collection both WTGG and WGC are on the main road that has the roundabout on it in Pattaya. AVOID WORLD GEMS COLLECTION AT ALL COST.. IMHO...Basically to figure out if you have the right location make sure they have locations in Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai then that is the right one. WTGG is actually past WGG on the right side of said road if you were on your way back to bangkok.... Prices range from 800 baht on up to 10,000,000 baht.. Depends upon what you buy, pearls seem to be the cheapest..They have a huge selection of everything and the place is HUGE think Tesco Lotus size (maybe a bit smaller but still frigging big..) whoever owns this chain makes a crap load of money.... I know crap all about jewelry. I don't buy it for an investment or anything like that. If I like the piece I buy it....(or more likely if the wife likes it ) I don't plan on reselling any of it and am not about to try to figure out the clarity, cut, carat.. I go into those stores with a certain amount I will spend and thats it. Like I said supposedly I have done good for what all thats worth..If you really want to learn about buying gems and such visit here....How to buy gemstones from the GIA Some will disagree with the way I purchase jewelry but it works for me....

Boy try to help some people save a few baht and...... Ok heres the serious reply. Just have someone come in and build you a little tool shed in the back. Shouldnt be that much and would work....Build it with the large concrete cinder blocks, throught the tin roof on it and poof your done. Paint it whatever color you want..

17k for a mower... Go for the 2850 baht lawn mower... or I recommend this one a bargain at 152,000 baht. You also could get rid of the motorbike as well. Hit two birds with one stone...

Thank You Big D Thats what the boards are for. Planning my own little trip somtime to AC so half the fun is the research.

Try Angelscity.net. The following link list lots of hotels from "luxury" to budget class. Angelscity If you want cheap try Koala Hotel Rates are Fan-400p ($9.00 US), Aircon-900p ($20.00) Deluxe Family Room-1200p ($26.00) They have a pool as well KoalaHotel Heres some other forums to peruse some pay some free Angeles2 Angelesboard AngelesCityPortal KTVPhil PhillipineNitelifeForum PhillipineSecrets Angeles3 AsiaBarhop InternationalSexGuide Go2Phil AsianEscapades Balibago Subic Bay if you want some beach MosSubic SubicBoard

just misspelled Centara Thats the one I meant..

Yes Family noticed but staff didnt believe family in the beginning... The Marriott, Centera, New Hilton (once it opens) or most other 4-5 star hotels.

Ever here of sarcasim. As to sour grapes none at all. ANY sport that lets non-professionals play in a REAL match are for you dimwits....... And I'll state it again Soccer, Cricket, MLB 3 of the most boring, stupid things to watch ever........But looking at some of the brain power on this board I get why some of you watch them.....You need things to go slow to match your brain speed..

No as I put MLB right there with cricket and fucking soccer or as you Brits call it "football". I just addressed cricket ( a European sport and threw soccer in there as another stupid European/World sport) Now give me an exciting curling match anyday...

Thank god we herer don't give a shit about soccer or cricket. Two of the stupidest "sports" ever.... Escpecially when a "sport" lets an actor play..... "No, there isn't a gas leak in your house causing you to hallucinate. That really is actor Woody Harrelson hoisting a trophy while surrounded by the likes of Henrik Larsson, Mike Myers, and Zinedine Zidane (bald head behind Wayne Campbell) after scoring a match-winning penalty in front of more than 65,000 at Old Trafford in Manchester. Unless writing this post is all part of a fever dream of my own, that actually did happen."

A running thread can be found here.. ISG

Should of pasted the link direct to the english part of the website. English part

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh because its a short time hotel... TK resort and the 300 baht for SHORT time is for the rooms seen in the hotel link website.

Just a little bit of an update to this hotel. April 2010 was advertising 300 baht for short time...

Thais will also use cucumber to help with the burn...

Check here for latest reviews of Penthouse Hotel Penthouse Hotel Reviews Answers to Question 3, 4, and 5 3.I liked it the 2 times I stayed there. Stayed in the cheapest room they had right over their go-go bar. Never made it to breakfast. Some people like it some people don't 4. Doesn't matter were you got the girl. They don't care. 5. Means you don't have to pay to get into their club...