prigas

I love how the owner of the place throws his injured customer under the bus...

"He didn't follow instructions," Pearce said. "He jumped with his feet first, panicked and kicked his way out of his harness. In 17 years we've never had anyone jump like that before."

As Ron White says, "You can't fix stupid."

Spot on. I was thinking the same thing. We should then conclude that if anyone who attempts a bungee jump and does not strictly follow instructions is likely to have a fatal accident.

I enjoy reading (technology-related, health and nutrition, and fiction), listening to heavy metal (Up the Irons!), exercising (jogging daily), and watching movies. I spend most of my time at work and browse around various shopping malls in BKK during the weekends.

If anyone enjoys jogging or knows of a jogging club in BKK, please let me know. I just hate jogging alone. Also I don't mind joining with friends to a nice pub with cool rock music.

Although this sounds great, I always worry about my weight when it comes to eating bread. Can I assume this is good for a healthy diet? I need to watch my calorie intake but would certainly appreciate any advice (or a recipe) for baking "low-calorie" bread? Any such recipe?

Wow I definitely need to try this. Thanks for the recipe.

I think the salaries in the private sector are higher. I understand if you are a good teacher, you can make even more money on the side as a private tutor. The big money is in Bangkok.

If you work for an International School in Bangkok and you're a native English speaker, you are likely to earn anywhere between 40K and 60K per month - which is also dependent on your years of experience and organizational tenure. A headmaster earns around 90K in some schools.

I must add Issan (North East) food is wonderful as well. I've always enjoyed Kwaichap (Issan noodles) and Lap Ped (minced duck with chilli, green onions, mint, and fish sauce).

I've stayed at the Peony there a couple of times. Good location and, while I don't remember the price, it wasn't too bad. See if you can get a first floor room right off the pool. I would note that the furniture there is rather spartan.

Thank you Bob. I'll check it out.

Very useful information. Just one note though. Many banks allow you to withdraw more than 20,000 THB per day (up to 100,000 THB in some banks) as long as you arrange for it with the bank. I have a Kasikorn bank account and I have no problem withdrawing any amount up to 100,000 THB per day (in multiples of 20Ks).

What sort of visa are you under? I believe you will have to leave the country when your visa has been revoked and not your WP as you mentioned.

I recently have been to the new location just to explore the place before I really am obliged to go. I hate getting lost especially if driving there.

If you've been to the Ministry of Foreign affairs, it is right next to it. You could always park your car at the MOFA and walk a couple of hundred meters to the immigration office. Hard to get there by the MRT or BTS unless you go to Chatuchak Skytrain station and take a taxi for 120 baht or so.

If you're driving from the tollway and taking the Eastern ring road, you should exit at the ChaengWattana Road sign (U-turn curve), drive straight for a couple of kms and then another U-turn to the MOFA.

I usually get one month after which they renew it to one year. We have to present:

1. Pictures of myself and my wife in our place of residence (in and out).

2. Copy of my passport

3. Copy of my wife's ID card.

4. Copy of my wife's house registration.

5. Paperwork from my place of work (you do not have to submit those if you have a minimum of 400,000 THB in your bank account and can show proof of it). This is in case you're retired or not working. Otherwise, they would like to see your PoNgoDo 91 for proof of filing income tax.

Is anyone familiar with a good and economical lodging in Hua Hin for a couple of days? I'm planning to head out there with my wife for a weekend. Please advise.

I don't see why there'd be any problem with getting a retirement visa either in or outside of Thailand as long as you qualify (50 years of age and have the appropriate income or bank account amount.

I don't know diddley about work permits but thought they were totally separate from visas (although maybe they can somehow be combined). But I do know your retirement visa gives you no right to be employed.

I think 800,000 THB in a bank amount should guarantee you a retirement visa. Also as mentioned above, if you have a regular monthly income, you should have no problems.

Another useful piece of information is you could always (as a foreigner) get a bank loan in your wife's name. In other words, you apply for a bank loan with you as the guarantor. Loan to Value for a foreigner is usually 70% in most banks.

What's sad, at least to me, is the increasing number of chubby Thai kids over the last decade. Ten years ago, I almost never saw anything other than your typical skinny Thai kid but I've remarked more and more the last 5-6 years that there are "little buddhas" popping up all over the place. And some of them are actually rather huge at 10-12 years of age.

Why? My guess is it parallels the growth of the burger joints, Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut, KFC, and all the crap food of the west. Over the years, you see more and more Thai kids and teenagers frequenting these places.

I totally agree with your post. Not only the above-mentioned restaurants, but also the number of bakeries has increased exponentially. And Thais are buying more and more bread these days - more specifically Thais in Bangkok. If you're looking to start a business in Bangkok, I suggest a Thai Bakery.

I used to live in Muak Lek Saraburi. Khorat is around 119km away from Muak Lek. A few things to stop by as you drive towards Korat from Saraburi are the following:

1. Chokchai Steakhouse/Farm: nearby PakChong area around 20 Km North East of Muak Lek.

2. Siam Mini Village: opposite the new Tesco Lotus in PakChong. You'll enjoy the shopping there.

3. A number of fruit markets alongside the road. You're in for a huge bargain there.

4. Pasak Jolasid Dam: you'll need to drive around 30 Km from Muak Lek if you wish to visit the dam on your way to Khorat. You could pass by a number of Sunflower farms or even a couple of vineyards.

Foreigners cannot obtain financing for a car in Thailand. Your options are to pay cash, use a credit card if you have enough credit available, or buy through a Thai citizen.

cc ThailandVisa.com 2009

I would check the validity of this further. I think you can obtain financing for purchasing a car in Thailand if you qualify: that is:

1. Salary letter

2. Work permit

3. Bank Statement for last 6 months

I have a friend who just bought a second-hand Toyota VIOS and is paying installments for a 5-year term.

What kind of work is there for foreigners without a degree? Anything that would pay enough to live there for a little while?

If you're a native English speaker, you do not need any formal university education. I'm sure you'll be able to find a number of English teaching jobs. You could complete a 1 week certification class in teaching English as a Foreign language.

Simple. From the experience I've had in Thailand, many Thai women are not very well respected by their Thai husbands. Usually Thai wives are most active in the family and perform most of the work with regards to providing income and raising children. Hence, their impression of foreigners is that of respect. That is, if they get to meet a foreigner, they're more likely to meet someone who may be in many ways different from their previous husband - that is more respect, more dedication to the family, and more commitment and responsibility. Their attraction to foreigners and their focused attention is what attracts me most. They're willing to be with you and go with you anywhere as long as you give them that respect and commitment that they rightfully deserve.

I'm still using the Dopod 818 Pro. Although it's quite old, I still use it for browsing the net through its WIFI access. I find that very useful especially during travel at airports. I am considering an upgrade to an HTC HD though not sure yet.

A question comes to mind, especially after I see the phrase "police assumed" in the article: How do they know this was a matter of spiked drinks, rather than, say, an overdose during recreational drug use? It's too soon to have lab results on the bottles/glasses back yet showing the likelihood of one scenario over the other, and the surviving friend could simply have given police a self-serving statement, rather than admit they were all four partying and taking drugs.

Very well said. There is something to this story that does not make sense. Though having lived in Pattaya for a short while, I truly believe there's a number of dangerous transvestites who roam around the beach area near Mike Shopping Mall. I've been approached by a number of them and they certainly did not look that friendly.

Who are parents here, or who knows people with kids? Do the kids have compulsory English classes or do they attend separate ESL lessons?

It depends which school your children attend - be it an international school or a Thai local school. All my friends send their kids to an International School on Sukhumvit soi 71. The primary language of instruction is English.

In Siam Paragon, on the bottom level, all the way to the back, hidden from the world is Tony Roma's. There are actually several great places to eat back there if you wander back. Tony's is known for its Ribs. They are good and the place has a nice staff, good food and a nice ambiance. The price for the ribs is about 650 baht for a full-slab. They are juicy and tender and taste excellent!

The deserts are not worth the money at all. But, the rest of the food is pretty good!

Although it is quite expensive, I still love the place. Spare ribs are the greatest. Starters lovely as well. I certainly recommend it.

In Thailand, the older you are the more experience you have and the more respect people owe you. Remember not to question a senior person at work.

What I love most about Thailand is it is not a sectarian country. All people are welcome here and no one asks you: "what is your religion?" "What is your name and where do you come from and which area do you live in so as to determine your religious background. All people are welcome here no matter where they come from and what religion they belong to.