OldAsiaHand
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Posts posted by OldAsiaHand
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jbaldwin speaks the obvious truth.
You wouldn't seriously consider putting money into a Cambodia bank for a margin of about 3% over the international interbank rate for THB would you? That's only an additional $300 per year per $10,000 for all that risk. You'd have to be crazy to take a risk like that for such a small return.
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Another choice may be Bourbon street, quite family friendly, a gathering place for their holiday buffets....
With the greatest of respect, I think that is a terrible idea. I like Bourbon Street as much as the next man, and the owner is even a pal, but it's hardly a place for a quiet, up-market dinner with one's wife. It's more like a hang-out for sex tourists on their night off or a place to take the kids on Sundays.
You need something like Philippe's (20/15 Suk Soi 39, 0.2259.4577). It's a world class French bistro that draws a classy bunch of high-so Thais and a few scattered farangs who know a great place when they find it. Other good choices would be Lord Jim's at the Oriental or, if you're big meat eaters, the New York Steak House at the JW Marriott.
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...Why doesn't Thailand 'fight' more and harder for their own people and workers and try to ATTRACT investors instead of sending them away?....
Why is it so hard for foreigners to understand that those with power in Thailand don't give a darn whether they invest here or not? Those people are far more concerned about protecting their own position, power, and primacy than any possible national achievement. 'Thainess' is vastly more important than success or accomplishment.
Have you ever heard this exortation: 'There is no limit to what you can achieve if you do not care who gets the credit'? In Thailand, the sentiment can be expressed thusly: 'We do not care whether anything is actually achieved as long as foreigners don't get any credit.'
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All these reports remind me of when they were building the Sky Train in Bangkok. Remember those big signs they hung from the overpasses at all the major intersections?
"Designed By Italians and Built By Thais!" they said.
I could never decide whether that was supposed to be a boast or a warning label.
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I'd stay at home mate,they'll eat you alive.
Second that. When you start out this naive, you've really got no chance at all.
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The Oriental.
Need you say more....... As long as they have been rating hotels, the Oriental has been Number 1 in the world or darn close regardless of the poll or publication or travel show.
My vote goes to the Oriental as well. There are a large number of fine hotels in Thailand, a remarkably large number, but only one Oriental on the whole planet.
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I'd like to write a reply to the post above, but I'm laughing too hard to type......
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The Bourbon Street Christmas buffet is a very family oriented deal. A great many locally resident American families make a tradition of it and the kids always seem to have a great time.
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I just sent my Thai telephone bill that the Irish Bank accepted
Only a year later did I discover it wasn't in my name!
This has got to be a set up for an Irish joke......
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Bangkok IS the best city in the world. The Thais are the best people in the world.....
Good Lord.
As my old pal John McEnroe used to plead with so much energy, "You cannot be serious, man! You cannot be serious!"
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There are, alas, no internet bookshops in Thailand that offer the kind of general interest material I assume you are looking for. There are a couple of local internet merchants who sell the kind of locally printed books that appeal mostly to sex tourists, but none that offer a general range of international books. Singapore, yes. Hong Kong, yes. But Thailand, no.
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.... I'm really looking forward to moving there becuase everyone who has been there has loved the experience....
You haven't been reading this forum very long or very carefully, have you?
I respectfully suggest that might be a good start for you. There are two distinct schools of thought represented here. You should know what they both are. Then you will be in a better position to face the future realistically and make up you own mind as to what you think.
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Books dont' have duty so that shouldn't be a problem.
brit is right as usual, but there is a limit to how many can be sent in for free. I believe that it is up to $150. US worth of books are not taxable.
If one brings books into the country in large quantities (a bookshop for example) the tax is quite high on both used and new books.
Yes, Thailand is about the only country I know that charges duty on books in any quantity, but it's true that at some level of value they do attract very high duty here. I've never heard the figure of USD150 as the breakpoint in value before duty is charged, but that well might be it.
I can only add that duties claimed on shipments that I know about have always been...uh, negotiable. The 'fee' actually paid, generally in lieu of duty, has ended up in the neighborhood of 10% of the amount of duty charged.
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Just to afirm that a U.S. notary is only good inside the United States or it's teritories. Outside the U.S. you have to have it done at the Embassy. In Thailand at the U.S. Embassy it runs 1200 baht or $30.00 if you pay in U.S. Dollars.for the first document and a reduced rate, for each additional document.
Barry
Absolutely correct.
Don't fall for some guy with a rubber stamp who claims to be a US notary. The embassy is the only game in town and, yes, they charge a lot. Mostly, I have always suspected, to discourage people from asking for the service unless they really must.
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The farangs who would like Thailand to stay a haven of corruption are for Thaksin. Those of us who would prefer to see Thailand to move away from the things that have kept the majority of the people down are against Thaksin.....
What simple-minded rubbish this is, and how well it illustrates the kind of foreigners that always have been and apparently will continue to be drawn to Thailand.
To return to the OP's question, a lot of foreigners that come to Thailand are desperate to feel they belong here. The I-am-more-Thai-than-thou crowd brings a new energy to the concept of political correctness. They embrace whatever they think most Thais want them to say and shout it more loudly than anyone else. Thus the outpouring of scorn and even hate for a political leader about whom they actually know little or nothing.
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Yes that is the router, by the way one of the reasons that most people read and don't ask questions is to get answers like yours. Am I to get down on my knees to your great god given answer or do you just like to flame people. If you don't want to help don't answer!
I find it much more amusing when posters like you ask naive questions, get accurate answers in reply, and then attack the person who tried to help them because they don't like the answer they got.
Instead of parading your arrogance for everyone to laugh at, maybe it would be better for you just to go back to reading. Thowing bricks at people whose only offense was to try and answer a dumb question in a helpful way isn't much of a contribution to the board.
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Property prices in Thailand seldom if ever fall. Even in 1997 when the economy effectively collapsed, prices didn't fall significantly across the board. While I have no doubt that a few people sold property for less than they would have liked during that period, most sellers simply stopped trying to sell at all. What resulted was a sharp decreased in activity but, on the whole, little change in prices when some property actually got sold.
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Maybe it's looking for a bribe to go away.
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I can only speak of my own limited experience when buying my condo; and that was through David Gray of East Coast Real Estate. I found David to be extremely helpful and pleasantly devoid of the usual bullshit; and his helpfullness extended long after the deal had been closed.
I agree. I've met a number of so-called real estate agents operating in Pattaya and it is all too easy to understand why there are so many bitter posts on this thread.
David, on the other hand, is a real professional and a nice guy to boot. You shouldn't even think of working through anyone else.
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BANGKOK, Thailand - Tata Young is Asia's version of Britney Spears.....
Jesus, what a horrible thing to say about anybody.
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I fly from Bangkok to NYC. I pick up my luggage in NYC. I then check my luggage again on the next flight to Chicago.
When I fly back to NYC from Chicago, am I supposed to pick up my luggage inside of the airport again? Am I supposed to tell them that my Chicago-NYC is a transit flight?
You can check it through to the final destination. Your ticket will reflect the transit. It is only when entering the USA that you have to clear customs at the point of first entry.
How will the domestic airline know that i have a connecting flight on different airline?
I think you can only check it through to destination where all the legs are with the same airline (or ones that work together, like code sharing). If not you have to collect baggage and go to check in again.
totster
Absolutely wrong.
Airlines have been interlining baggage (the standard term for the practice) since Charles Lindbergh flew for them (well, more or less). You check in your bags at your point of origin and they are tagged all the way to your destination. When you get to your destination, if you are lucky, they will even arrive with you.
Too many people on this board, in my view, are very quick to answer poster's questions when they have no idea what they are talking about. Actually knowing something is generally seen by most people as a prerequisite for giving advice to others.
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Ditto for me, so it can be done. Our building installed relays on most floors and now we even get service inside the lifts. It works like a dream for AIS, but I have no experience with any other carrier.
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There you go.
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Surin has been frantically campaigning, to the interest of absolutely no one anywhere, for several years. I think this is what can generally be referred to as 'throwing the guy a bone.'
Landmark / J.w Marriot
in Bangkok
Posted
I would beg to differ. The Landmark is utterly second rate compared to the JW Marriott and attracts a far less up-market crowd. It's the kind of place, as my wife says, where Arabs try to look up your dress.