tomcat76

Doesn't Thailand have a minimum wage? (Which I realize is only what, TB150-200/day?)

Actually, there is another way to look at this, If you're a waiter in a state with a higher "direct wage", then to you, tips matter more, since the higher direct wage already puts you closer to surpassing the minimum wage. In any case, I suspect that this is how the 20% tip came about in the first place. When the "tip credit" was introduced, I think (strictly a matter of my opinion here) it worked to the detriment of wait staff because employers were now able to pay cash wages less than the minimum wage. IOW, where a waiter USED to get min wage plus tips, now they got some amount less than min wage plus tips. So, in response, restaurant workers boosted the "normal tip" to 20% to make up the loss. (It took time, but remarkable that they were successful in propagating that, even though many do still refuse to accept it.) Again, I can't support this, but I'm wondering if this all happened at about the same time the feds realized they hadn't been collecting tax on tip income and put some of the burden on employers to track & report it... Now able to demonstrate that the total wage including tips met the minimum wage requirement, they invented the "tip wage". The bottom line is that I'd hate to see all this American tipping practice, mature to the point of having been institutionalized as discussed, imported to Thailand (or anywhere else). Eventually, it just becomes something else to tax.

Says you. Calm down.

Are you the enforcer? Does it really matter that much to you? Isn't it possible that tipping practices in other places might have something to do with tipping behavior in Pattaya?

From the DOL website (http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/wagestips.htm and http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs15.htm): "A tipped employee engages in an occupation in which he or she customarily and regularly receives more than $30 per month in tips. An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 per hour in direct wages if that amount combined with the tips received at least equals the federal minimum wage. If the employee’s tips combined with the employer’s direct wages of at least $2.13 per hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Many states, however, require higher direct wage amounts for tipped employees." Are you saying, that waiters in some states don't make the federal minimum wage? Per the above, don't they have to? (I have added the boldface, but it's otherwise a direct quote.) Some of the google items from your link, do muddle that up a bit, but the above is the law and I think we can safely consider it authoritative.

There is no place in the US not subject to miminum wage laws: the national minimum wage is $7.25/hr. Here in California the state min. wage is $8/hr. Wait staff do not depend on tips for their income since they all must by law receive at least the minimum wage. The tip credit is the means by which employers factor tips into one's wages. The employer must make up the difference between tips and the minimum wage level. In THAT sense, you're really tipping the employer when you tip. That said, wait staff may depend on tips for what they make or expect to make beyond the minimum wage (simply because many employers pay more than the minimum wage), but even then, I'm not sure how tip sharing or pooling dilutes that. Again, before anybody starts - I'm only talking about here in the US. "Tip jars" have been a fixture here now for several years, in everything from fast food restaurants to auto parts stores, and it seems to me I've even seen a few of them here & there in Thailand. I'm not sure who actually puts them out, the employers or the employees, but they don't seem to see much action.

Yeah - same for me. If I see the 10% service charge, then all I'll leave is a few coins. 20% is an American aberration. I don't leave that much anywhere, not even here in the US unless the service has been truly outstanding..

I thought it was provolone they (at least used to) use in Phlly Cheesesteaks. Maybe swiss in some places. 'Can't actually swear to the exact meat that was used, but I don't remember anybody ever using cheese wiz. (Then again, that was back in the 60s & 70s - cheese wiz maybe came along later.) These were sub shops - usually italian-owned. Hard to imagine them using cheese wiz...

I don't remember it being hard to read, but I THINK I remember the MS saying even SHE couldn't change a bill, and actually paid me the cash (not sure I remember now exactly what transpired in that regard - I know she made it right, but can't remember how she got around not being able to expunge it from the bill). I think maybe I just "caught up" the bill and she added the amount in dispute to my change.

'Had the server in Babydolls ask me for a LD as I was buying a couple for the two girls I was sitting with. I made it a point to clearly say No (cause I was pretty sure I knew what was going to happen next). Sure enough, she got one for herself anyway, and when she put the check in the cup I lifted it out immediately, saw that I'd been charged for it, pointed it out and asked to have it removed, and initially just got the "confused" look. I simply handed it back to her asking her to please fix it, whereupon she said she couldn't change a check, and went to get the Mamasan. MS set it right, but she made sure I understood that SHE would have to pay for it - about which I could've cared less. Stuff like this hasn't happened to me very often at all, but you do have to watch.

BTW - and I apologize in advance if this seems like a silly question. I checked the timetables, and this didn't appear to me to be true, but I was told by a fellow who claimed to ride the trains routinely, that in order to travel by train from Hua Hin BACK to Bangkok via 2/C aircon, one had to actually take the train one stop in the WRONG direction first and then catch the train to Bangkok from there (i.e., could not catch an aircon train from Hua Hin to Bangkok). True? Don't remember the name of that station in the other direction from Bangkok, but he insisted you had to go there first (and it wasn't a trivial distance).

All I ever used it for was the trip to Hua Hin. Checked it off my bucket list, and don't need to do the train thing again...

Well, it's an interesting scenario, but in my mind there's a huge difference. In the case of the bike, or some other "stand & deliver" scenario, I'm just not going to submit to it. Probably a stupid POV, but a matter of being stubborn, possessive, and someone who doesn't handle intimidation well. In the case of the car, I guess I've been too well conditioned to shenanigans from other drivers here in CA, and I don't waste any psychic energy on common everyday things like being cut off. It happens all the time, and is a matter of carelessness or ineptness on the part of the other driver, not an outright intent to threaten, intimidate, injure or commit a crime. I actually have a BMW I value, and am very protective of it on the highway. Another driver cuts in they cut in: if I react at all, it'll be to let the lead foot take over and demonstrate to the other driver what a crate they're actually driving. (You'd be amazed how often it turns out to be some totally unaware woman in an SUV on her cellphone.) Oh, and secondly, I never rent vehicles in Thailand. I did rent bikes years ago, but decided it was just too risky. So, despite this very anti-social attitude of mine towards intimidation, I'm actually very risk averse and make a reasonable effort to avoid most of life's confrontations. Esp. overseas, I go out of my way to avoid touble with Thais. So we're down to talking about what happens if despite my efforts to NOT be in the wrong place at the wrong time, trouble manages to find me anyway. In over 20y of trips to Thailand, it's never really happened. 'Had an incident in Cambodia once though where a motobike driver (on another bike) pulled alongside late at night & attempted to get me to stop by pulling a knife on me. I kicked his bike out from under him and kept going. 'Didn't stick around to see how badly he might've been hurt. His comades ('think there were 2 others) pursued for a few minutes but then turned around. 'Was told by others later that I'd been very stupid & should've just stopped & handed over my wallet. The other drivers might've pursued & ganged up on me or even had guns, etc. etc. etc. So, some guys standing in the road threaten me with a gun, will I yield & surrender my bike? I really don't think so, but you have a point: I guess no one can really say for sure until they actually find themselves staring down the barrel.

Yes - am looking at the following sites and seeing that the UK evidently does have much more extensive reporting requirements than the US or Canada: http://www.goldsovereigns.co.uk/identification.html Here in the US, unless it's a purchase of over $10K, any identification required by the vendor would be strictly a matter of verification on the check (personal checks being the media of choice for most individual purchasers - the IRS DOES impose reporting reqts if other kinds of checks are used). In your case however, since you're concerned with the proceeds from an entire business, I guess it'd be difficult for you to avoid the reporting reqts anyway. ETFs get a lot of bad press, but IMO it's a matter of how bad things actually get As long as economies aren't actually blowing up and we're not into one of the doomsday scenarios you can read about right here in these forums, and as long as the govt doesn't start to move toward another confiscation program, I believe ETFs are a practical means of investment for at least part of a precious metals portfolio. I would monitor such an investment continuously & carefully (but that's pretty much true of any market investment). If things really go south, then of course all bets are off, including physical possession of the actual metal itself. In that dire event, bottled water, canned food, and a well-maintained firearm are probably going to be much more valuable than gold coins...

Not true - not all such purchases - not in the US currently anyway. Easy to research what the reqts actually are on the net. Here's one source: http://www.usagold.com/cpm/privacy.html I believe Canadian reqts are similar. On the other hand, that doesn't mean the reqts can't change down the road!

Actually, Kruggerands carry a slightly lower purity rate: 91.67% I believe. The kruggerand, @ 22 carat, actually contains one oz of pure gold (since the coin itself weighs slightly more than one ounce); but isn't of the same purity as many other well known gold coins. The Mexican gold peso is similar. Coins such as the Maple Leaf and Austrian Philharmonic on the other hand are .9999 pure, considered 24 carat, and there are some special issues of the ML that are .99999. The kruggerand & peso are somewhat less vulnerable to damage & flaws, being harder, while anything that's 99.99% pure gold is going to be "soft" and more vulnerable. If you buy these 24 carat coins, you should buy plastic capsules or something to store them in, and be pretty careful handling them.

Black spot or blind spot? Small spots, not necessarily "fixed", might just be "floaters", which are unfortunately sort of common past a certain age. I don't think there's much you can do about them except at significant risk of making things worse (some people swear that staring at the full moon can actually make them go away...). Over time, you lose awareness of them. I have a couple myself. A larger fixed blind spot in the middle of one's vision however definitely sounds different and more serious. In ANY case I think getting a 2nd opinion from someone you trust, as you propose, is definitely in order.

While I accept that riding an expensive bike around is probably akin to waving a red sheet in front of a bull and something I probably wouldn't be doing in the first place, I wouldn't stop and just hand over my stuff. The gun MIGHT be real, and MIGHT be loaded, and they MIGHT actually be willing to actually shoot me over the bike, and MIGHT actually be able to hit a moving target, etc., and I therefore MIGHT wind up dead........but they would have to go through with it because I wouldn't stop. Not common sense? No, probably not... Then again, I suspect most of the perps in these cases are just plain cowardly punks. 'Can't live one's life always turning over your lunch money to the schoolyard bully. That's just me though; none of what I'm saying about this is intended as advice to anyone else.

Have stayed at TB - 'liked it. (No joiners under 20yo.)

Yeah, me too. Loved his brand of humor.

'Have been glad-handed a few times and either pulled away my hand or pushed away their's, sometimes with a no-no finger wave. Only had one ever step out to block my path, I maintained course & speed, resulting in his being shoved a bit, and just kept going. Also had one reach out and put a hand on my arm once: I abruptly turned to face him full on, he dropped the hand (as well as the grin...), and I continued on my way. 99% of the time all you have to do is just avoid any eye contact and pretend they don't exist.

I wonder what would happen if, while visiting the police station to report such an incident, you mentioned to them that you were offering a "reward" for the bike...

Can someone please verify this: IF your cellphone has an "MEID" (14-digits) instead of an "IMEI" (15 or 17 digits; the number you provide to a 3rd party in order to obtain an "unlock code" for your phone), then it's not GSM-capable and you probably won't be able to use it overseas. Both are identification numbers, but GSM-radio equipped phones will always have the IMEI while CDMA phones may have an MEID instead (often found on a sticker under the battery). see http://www.wikihow.com/Find-the-IMEI-Number-on-a-Mobile-Phone (scroll about 4/5 down the page) (I have a Samsung Alias2/SCH-u750 which has an MEID and, from all I've been able to find, is not GSM-capable.)

Some of the rooms on the top floors had no safes at all.