cowboy

January 2003 I watched the superbowl on TV in my room at the westin grande sukumvit bkk. It was a live feed. No commercials. Kinda fun to watch and hear them talking when "commercials were supposed to be on. Hard part was getting up at 7 am to watch it.

united will be flying the 787 dreamliner to bkk direct.

it is still supposed to be secret but united will start direct flights from the west coast of us to bangkok when the new airport opens. problem for united right now is they don't have the gates at DM. when the new airport opens you will be able to buy 1 stop flights from lax/sfo to india via bkk.

Hilly that pretty bad to be beaten by a team that has a drunk playing with his knickers around his ankles.

A friend has been trying to buy a bar for some time almost a year. So far he has not come across any deal he feels is a good investment oportunity. The biggest problem is the landlords. He was ready to buy one when the landlord insisted that he sign a new lease even though the bar had just signed a three year lease. Landlord wanted to increase the rent by 50% and wanted 300,000 baht key money. The net effect would have been that he would have been working for the landlord with little chance of making a decent profit. from talking to farangs that have run bars dealing with the landlords can be a big problem.

promo price is 10 coupons for 1 nights stay for 20,000 baht. includes one upgrade to delux room. the coupons are good until jan 1 2007. rate does not include breakfast.

Mak, you have the wrong "large" I have 46 inch chest a 42 inch waist. When I am in coach (economy class) I am pretty much stuffed in a seat with no room to move. If I was 80 lbs lighter with a 38 chest and a 30 inch waist economy would probably not seem so bad. Since I am united prem exec I rarely have to sit with people next to me except during say xmas season. And occasionally the upgrade me to business calss with the wider bigger seats. If that was not the case I would be flying EVA delux class all the time.

I always shower in norita and change shorts and socks between planes. showers are availble in the premier lounges and the is also a place open to everyone. When I get inot bkk it has been about 9 hr since last shower. The shower helps make the trip less miserable. After being on the plane for 11+ hours to get to norita standing under a nice warm shower for 15-20 minutes feels great.

Right now United has a fare sale for FF members. Lowest fare from sfo to BKK is $724 all taxes etc paid. And you get ff miles as well. similiar fares for ord-bkk or kjf bkk or iad bkk. Actually one of the united routes that gave a $752 fare was sfo ord nrt bkk and return.

If you are going to be at an FLB party then you should bring extra cash. Trust me you will like the attention if you pick a small goup of ladies and buy them 7-8 shots for the night. But if you 4-5 lovelies around you and you pound down several pints yourself you will find that you can approach 8k baht without alot of effort. If you have the cash I would say bring along enough so that for one night or so you can be a big spender. You will have alot of fun with all the attention you will get.

blue moon party will be at FLB sunday the 27th. I want to have blue shots where the money for the shots will go to the orphanage but I have to work out the details with Ben. I need to email him to follow up on previous questions I had.\ peace cowboy

spoo, we will be in town at the same time. I am throwing a party on the 27th for another newbie that I am bringing. You are more than welcome. There is a new beauty in town. If you are fit I will introduce you.

maybe cliff notes??

Glenn Tilton's (united's CEO) recent address to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco Good evening, thank you Cowboy, and thank you Eric. It is a pleasure to be here with all of you punters tonight. Some of you may have read the thoughtful recent editorials in the L.A. Times and the Financial Times, supporting the need for changes in U.S. policy and regulation of the airline industry. I am pleased to see the breadth of issues currently being discussed in the EU-U.S. talks. My views on this topic have been consistent since I joined the industry, and I will be happy to discuss them in the Q and A session. This evening however, I am going to focus on United. United had a very good day two weeks ago. We announced $3 billion in all-debt exit financing from two of the most respected financial institutions in the world - JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup. The terms of the financing are excellent and not at all typical for airlines exiting bankruptcy. Which, we are now set to do in just a few months. As we do so, we are a fundamentally better company · with dramatically lower costs, · revenue performance outpacing the industry, · improved earnings despite massive fuel cost increases, · one of the best records for operational performance of the major carriers, · our world-class network is intact, · and there are sustainable improvements across the business. In sharp contrast to three years ago, when we were losing $3 billion a year. Our cost structure was among the highest in the industry and we were unable to compete in the US… and had no chance of competing with international carriers. · Our collective bargaining agreements with our employees were uncompetitive with the realities of today’s marketplace. · We had unsustainable legacy benefit obligations. Three years later, these same issues are today’s headlines - the only difference is that now it is in the larger context of legacy industry in the U.S. United has “lived†these issues for the past three years. But, by confronting unpleasant realities, we have given United the opportunity to be successful and create value for our employees and future shareholders. During the restructuring, we also resolved issues that were uniquely our own, including an impossible governance structure that paralyzed leadership and diluted focus on our customers. Confronting everything that stood between us and viability, we have done more than simply survive. We have created a competitive company that has earned the opportunity to compete for leadership in the U.S. airline industry… and is well positioned as the global airline industry evolves. We are here today because we are not in denial about what needed to be done in the past, nor what needs to be done in the future. We face facts, we call the question and we follow through on decisions…regardless of how tough or unpopular they may be. This industry will continue to be volatile and unpredictable. Those who will succeed are those who are better able and willing to respond to such volatility and unpredictability. There is no future for a company that ignores the realities of the competitive marketplace, or ignores the facts that will ultimately determine success or failure. U.S. network carriers, including United, had been unwilling or unable to deal with years and years of bad decisions…such as agreeing to provide higher and higher wages and benefits, knowing they were unsustainable … building business plans on some “hoped for†industry recovery, including the demise of United, rather than the reality of the market. U.S. network carriers failed to respond to radical, permanent changes in the industry ... the low cost carriers and pricing transparency via the Internet…both of which forced airfares down 50 percent lower than they were 25 years ago, when adjusted for inflation. The industry has lost $32 billion since 9/11, and another $10 billion loss is expected this year. Our first responsibility was to fix what was broken at United. Face the facts and restructure the company accordingly. We said from the beginning that there would be no quick fix, only sustainable solutions. By reaching a balance across the interests of our three key stakeholders - customers, employees and our creditors, soon to be shareholders - we have built a solid competitive platform for United. We lowered costs, excluding fuel, by 20 percent across the board - which will result in $7 billion in average annual cost savings through 2010. We increased productivity by 27 percent - eliminating duplication, waste and improving efficiency. Fleet costs were renegotiated to achieve unprecedented savings - of $850 million annually. Contracts with our United Express partners are now some of the most favorable in the industry. · Twice in three years, we worked with our labor groups to reach consensual agreements to bring wages and benefits in-line with market reality. · We overhauled our governance structure and leadership team.And, we confronted the fact that United could no longer afford its legacy pension obligations. As I mentioned at the outset, we are not alone. As difficult as this was, it was certainly better than liquidating the company. It preserves jobs for our 55,000 employees, soon to be joined by 500 recalled pilots and 2,100 new flight attendants by the end of next year. It provides a better return for our creditors, including the U.S. government’s Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation…and provides continuity of global service for our loyal customers. It is critical for us to continue to balance the interests of our employees, customers and investors in every decision we make at United. Airlines, including United, have rarely done this well. Employees have endured the roller-coaster of boom and bust. All too often customers had to bear the brunt of the industry’s turmoil. For investors, this industry - for the most part - has been a losing proposition. The only way to build value for all three is to achieve a balanced approach. And that is what we are doing. Our decisions are based on the facts…what is best for United, starting with our customers. Other U.S. carriers are content to provide a commodity product that meets the barest minimum of customer expectations…believing every element of their business is about cost. We start with our customers…providing products and service they want and value, at prices they are willing to pay. We have strengthened our domestic network and global connectivity because they are highly valued by our customers. Today we serve more cities and fly more routes than we did in 2002. United created differentiated products to meet changing customer demand, knowing that even the same customer wants different products at different times. The business traveler has always been at the heart of United and we will provide the travel experience they want. Against a backdrop of price reductions and declines in service in the U.S., we created p.s., our premium transcontinental flights, because we believed those customers were prepared to pay a premium for special service and a lie-flat bed. And we were right. Today United’s p.s. service was awarded “best first class in North America†by Global Traveler Magazine. We introduced explus across United Express to better accommodate higher-yield passengers. New 70-seat jets with First Class and Economy Plus have redefined standards in the regional jet experience. United is not only competing for the business traveler; all our passengers and their travel demands are important to us and to the sustainability of our network. We provide a different experience that meets their expectation and price point. The industry experts criticized our introduction of Ted, flying price-sensitive travelers to vacation destinations. Ted is, in fact, a success story for our customers and our employees and is profitable for United. So much so, that we are expanding Ted to 56 aircraft this year, a 20 percent increase. For the last 12 months, United is No. 1 in on-time performance among the network carriers and customer satisfaction ratings are running at all-time highs, thanks to the efforts of our employees. We are challenging ourselves to do better work every day…to take a fresh look at everything we do…things that were done the same way for 30 years or more. A program called FIT - for Fix, Improve, Transform - is making customer service, check-in and baggage handling more efficient and better. We have outsourced work that we cannot do at a competitive cost… restructured how we sell our product … realigned our fleet … and built new relationships with partners. We have focused on the things we do well to develop new revenue opportunities by bringing in work that we can do competitively. United Cargo has been revamped and restructured, improving service levels and international scope. It is now contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to United’s bottom line on an annual basis and outperforming its plan. Another great example is right here in San Francisco - the headquarters of United Services, our maintenance and engineering division. We are engaging technicians, engineers and management in streamlining maintenance operations. Maintenance of engines, landing gear and avionics, provided to a growing list of customers, is an expanding revenue source for United, delivering high quality at competitive prices. San Francisco is very important to United overall, and our 10,000 employees who live in the Bay Area. We know that providing the connectivity to the important economic growth areas in Asia and to global commerce worldwide is critical to San Francisco and to your businesses. We have increased our service to Asia, adding important new destinations, including Vietnam, Beijing, new service to Nagoya, Japan, and additional service to Sydney, Australia. We are determined to begin flying from San Francisco to Guangzhou, China, the heart of the Pearl River Delta, one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Together with our Star Alliance partners, we can fly you to almost any place in the world to compete in the expanding global economy. United is better positioned today than anyone thought remotely possible three years ago. We have earned the opportunity to compete and we are moving forward. All that we have accomplished so far says a great deal about who we are today: one company, committed to doing good work, focused on our customers and on competing in a way that is distinctly United. Perhaps our most important accomplishment is that we have proven, over and over again, during the last three years, that we have the ability to meet whatever challenges this very volatile industry may encounter in the future. Facing the facts, calling the question and following through on the tough decisions has become a way of life at United. Three years ago, Northwest had one of the lowest cost structures and Delta had one of the strongest balance sheets of the major network carriers. Today, they are heading into Chapter 11 as we are heading out … and many of our competitors - both in bankruptcy and out - are now just confronting the work that we have already done. United will continue to meet our challenges head-on, confronting reality with real solutions, making the decisions that are right for United, our employees, our customers and our investors.

One of the guys in my office had plastic surgery on his eyes. Doctor in bangkok charged 15000 baht. great work and he has referred several friends who are all very happy with the docs work. Same surgery 1 click down the road at baumengraud is 60,000 baht. Used to be 38,000 baht but then they were on 60 minutes and the price went up 150%. Good deals can be found in los for medical care but you have to know where to go.

Mak, that is the cheapest cost I have ever seen for the marriott. Good deal if you can get it. Best deal I have ever seen is the JW marriot in phuket. 20 nights for 36000 baht thru priceline. Shangrala in bangkok can sometimes be gotten on priceline for 2800 baht. not a bad porice for that hotel either. cheers mate

Define cheap. Cheapest rpice for a 4 star anywhere in NY is around 125 thru priceline. to get an idea of what you can get and what are successful bids on priceline check out http:/www.BiddingForTravel.com they have the info on priceline bids.

I was just in frys tonight updated prices from sale good thru tueday. ECS 945P-with Pentium D 830 3.0 ghz dual core $199 Fudin scorpio case 420wt ps with fans and lights $65 Hammer dual layer 16x DVD-r rw $45 WD 200 gig HD 7200 rpm $59 1 gig DDR 3200 ram $74 win XP pro $99 MS wireless keybopard and mouse $69 Total cost $$610 add an ATI X800xT vid brd w 256mg memory for 299 and have a blazing gamer for 909. Of course you have to put it together yourself. But I think Frys will assemble it for you for around $65 but I am not sure of this.

From Fry's ECS 945P-with Pentium D 830 3.0 ghz dual core $349 Fudin scorpio case 420wt ps with fans and lights $65 Hammer dual layer 16x DVD-r rw $69 WD 300 gig HD 7200 rpm $69 1 gig DDR 3200 ram $109 win XP pro $129 Total cost $790 add an ATI XT800xl vid brd w 256mg memory for 299 and have a blazing gamer for 1089. Of course you have to put it together yourself.

sometimes the best rate at the marriot is directly with the hotels website, sometimes with a discount travel agent. I would suggest checking both several times over a period of time. The best rate I have ever gotten at the marriot pattaya was $80 prepaid including tax and service. That was directly thru the hotels website prepaying with a visa card only. Another time I saw a similiar deal but prepaying with an american express card. I have gotten the hard rock thru booking agents for^$65 us when the htoel wasn't willing to go lower than $110. A dofferent time I got the hard rock fo $65 directly with them. So go figure.

I recommend http://www.directrooms.com/ they are the only consolidator that has ever allowed me to cancel a booking. I had travel plans that I had to change oafter already making the booking.They allowed me to cancel. I didn't get the money back but the gace me a credit which I used for hotels on the trip when I was finally able to go. Good people.The one drawback is that it usually takes 24 - 36 hours for them to confirm the booking. So they are not good for trying to make reservations on short notice.

The only reason to buy computer hardware in thailand is if you intend to use it there and you want the thai script on the keyboard if it is a laptop. If you want something to benchmark prices against then THE I repeat THE website to visit is http://www.outpost.com/ they sell processors memory hd dvd writes cases as well as the complete computers etc. they are pretty much the price to beat.

hsbc bank has branches in LOS and now USA as well. They have online banking and I want to know if accounts can be set up in US and then have direct deposits into thai baht. anyone know???

jimmac, I am throwing a party Sunday nov 27. Since you will be in town be sure to stop be FLB it will be a great blowout. peace bro

Jolly, you are arriving in thailand just in time. Come on down to -- I am having a party on november 27th. Buy a round or 2 for the girls and you can be a judge for the dance contest. If you have are ever going to experience an flb party this is the one to come to. It will be wild. I just haven't decided what to have the flb girls wear. It is the blue moon party I am throwing it for a couple of newbies. since this is the public forum I can't go into detail. But be sure to put the party in your plans. you won't want to miss it.