Thaimo

What an incredibly stupid thing to do. I can't imagine what this man was thinking. He must have prepared his little bag of powder at home before even going to work. Did he believe everyone would have a good laugh? There are some real crazies in this world.

Yes.

I think they are not targeted because they pay large amounts of money to the police so that they will look the other way. Maybe this is one bar owner who failed to come up with his payment, but I think even more likely he was arrested because somehow he became the target of investigations by the FBI and the French police. I don't know why the FBI would have been involved in a matter between a French national and Thailand, but you never see many of these arrests unless there is such involvement and publicity too. I doubt that this man was the only bar owner who runs this kind of operation. It will be interesting to see if more bar owners, including Thai bar owners, find themselves in a similar predicament. Several years ago I discussed this problem with a Thai bar owner. His rationalization was that these under age boys come from the rural provinces where sexual involvement far younger is not uncommon with local villagers. He said that these boys come from families living in poverty. The only life they can look forward to is life of poverty on the rice farm. It is very attractive to them, he said, to come to these bars where they can get away from the rice farm, live with their own peer group, have food and a room provided for them, can make more money in one day than they can in weeks or even months on the rice farm, and can even become involved with a foreign boyfriend who will support them financially. He said he feels he is helping these boys, not exploiting them, and no one is really being hurt. In some ways I can almost see his point, but one thing he forgot to mention is that since this kind of activity is illegal, viewed as a serious crime, and considered unacceptable by society, then what he is doing is exploitation and there are many ways to help these boys without exploiting them in this manner.

Actually, it's not much of a problem. If you seek employment, but are in Thailand on the wrong kind of visa, the immigration authorities are usually happy to change your visa from your current one to the kind you need, for a fee of course. I know this to be true because I have personally gone to immigration with people a few times when they needed to do that and there was no problem at all as long as they had the required documentation and paid the fees.

That is correct. It is also correct that all of it is at the whim of the immigration officer with whom you are dealing. The officer is at liberty to grant the full extension, a partial extension, or deny an extension. He is not required to justify his decision. The common denominator is that just about anything to do with visas is going to cost 1900 baht.

This is all very interesting. The part that interests me the most is the fact that a thread about comparison shopping in Thailand has turned into a thread about shaking hands with a drunk who just finished urinating.

I am one of the people disappointed that a Republican won, but I really don't see how the fact that he posed nude should disqualify him to be a senator. If nothing else, it gives a whole new meaning to transparency. Bill Clinton didn't inhale. Meanwhile he turned out to be one of the best, if not the best, of the modern presidents.

For your friend's sake, I'm glad he decided to make the smart move. I too am sure he would not have been granted more than ten days at the most.

Yes! That's it. I couldn't remember the name. Have you tried the breakfast I'm talking about?

There is a good one in Jomtien. I can't recall the precise name of the hotel, Danemark Hotel, or something like that, but you can't miss it. Between Soi 7 and Soi 8 on Jomtien Beach road there is an unmarked soi. The yellow hotel sign is easily spotted on Jomtien Beach road. It is an open air restaurant all the way up the soi, on the right. If you get as far as the parking lot, you just passed it. They have unlimited everything! Several different kinds of breads, Thai dishes, potatoes, bacon, Danish meatballs, several different kinds of cereals, an egg cook who will make all kinds of different omelets or eggs any style. They even let you cook your eggs yourself if you prefer. In their refrigerated case there are several different kinds of sliced ham, salami, cheese, a pickled fish that is quite similar to pickled herring, pate, and a couple different kinds of yogurt. You can choose whatever you want and eat it as is or you can have the omelet cook incorporate your choices into your omelet. They also have unlimited juice choices, coffee, and tea. I don't know what time they open, but the breakfast goes on until about noon. They are open every day. The price is 160 baht. I think it is well worth a try.

That is correct. All of the telephone companies do that. There really is no reason why they shouldn't. Only a few years ago mobile phone numbers in Thailand all had to transition from 9 digit numbers to 10 digit numbers. There are so many mobile phone users in Thailand that they simply ran out of numbers. If they don't recycle the numbers, then it won't be long before everyone will have to transition to 11 digit numbers. Sooner or later that may happen anyway.

I think you meant to say the highest deficit in the history of the US.

That is correct if, and only if, you are dealing with immigration authorities. If the 'regular' police check for any reason, there's a certain creek you can find yourself up not only without a paddle, but without even the boat. If you want to risk it, but something goes wrong, you can't say I didn't warn you.

That's not a good idea. He will pay the fine, yes, but he will also have, in big bold letters, the word "overstay" stamped in his passport. Also, if his passport is checked by the police, then even a one day overstay can easily result in arrest, a stay in the hell that Thai prisons are, followed by deportation - at his own expense. For the 1900 baht it would cost him to keep everything legal, the risk, though minimal, is a serious risk. If Murphy's Law comes into the picture, he'll find out the hard way just how serious a risk it was. Thailand does not play games with immigration violators. For his own sake, I hope you will try to convince him to get the extension and keep himself legal.

The chances of getting a 15-day extension are quite remote. The maximum number of days normally granted for this sort of extension is 10. It is possible that he can get 15 days, but unlikely. He needs to be prepared to do a visa run. If he can't be bothered to get a tourist visa before coming to Thailand, then he'll very likely have much more of a bother, qalong with much more expense, once he gets here.

First, I have to ask you to watch your wording. Getting personal and insulting other posters is absolutely not acceptable on this message board. I don't want to lose you as a poster here, but I issue this kind of warning only once. Second, I consider myself reasonably intelligent, well educated, well read, and well rounded, and I too have never encountered the POTUS acronym before. Does that also make me "dumb as a post"?

I am somewhat surprised that Jimmy Carter was not asked to help. Carter is usually among the first to try to jump in and do what he can do. I realize he is 86 years old now, but as far as I know he is still going strong.

I found a good size conversion chart for you at this link: http://www.healthyfeetstore.com/shoe-lengths-for-us-and-european-shoe-sizes-with-sizing-chart.html

Why? The outdoor markets are selling new shoes, not used shoes. I can't imagine buying shoes anywhere without trying them on first to make sure they fit and are comfortable.

I don't know about the sizes, but there are plenty of good, brand name shoe shops in Pattaya's shopping centers. The best ones are probably to be found in Royal Garden and the new Central shopping malls. Even if you don't know the sizes, the clerks can measure your size and you can try on the shoes until you hit upon the right size.

While this story is sickening, I'm sure it is only one example of a great many similar such things that go on not only in India, but in third world countries throughout the world. If you have never seen it, I recommend seeing a Patrick Swayze movie called City of Joy. The story takes place in India and shows just what this kind of corruption is like. It's hard to watch this movie without getting angry. It is quite realistic.

The agreed upon fare was 150 baht. The Canadian tried to change it to 100 baht. So, he gets into all this trouble and hassle to save himself 50 baht. Not the brightest bulb in the chandelier if you ask me. He agreed to pay 150 baht and that's what he should have done. If he felt that he was being over charged, then he would know better next time, but raising a ruckus and trying to get out of an agreed upon fare was a truly stupid thing to do, as he is now finding out. Also, if things start to unexpectedly heat up, swallowing your pride usually defuses the situation. I've had it happen to me. The most recent was about two weeks ago. I was driving and it was night. When I turned to pull into my driveway apparently I cut off a motorcycle. He didn't have his lights on and I did not see him. The driver stopped and began yelling and cursing. I could see this was not going to be good if I let it escalate. I simply told him I'm sorry. I didn't see you. It was my fault. That was good enough for him. His fury changed instantly to a smile. He said "Mai pen rai" and drove off. All he was looking for was an apology, whether he deserved it or not. He got his apology and the incident was over. Most of the time that works and puts an end to the problem.

One more question. For the fish and chips I know that cod is the preferred and traditional fish, but it is expensive and I can live without being a traditionalist. Does it really matter all that much if a Thai fish, or something less expensive is substituted? If you know of a decent and inexpensive fish to substitute with, what do you recommend?

Now I have to ask you about Panko. I know what it is, but I don't know where to get it. Do you? If it isn't available, sometimes I see tempura batter mix. Is that a suitable substitute? If not, what would be best to use?

Lvdkeyes, your recipes are wonderful. Now I would like to have some fish recipes if you have any. I am especially interested in good recipes for salmon and I would like to be able to make my own fish and chips. I also love lobster thermidor, but I don't want to spend the money for lobster. Do you have a recipe for it that can be done with fish or crab meat instead of lobster?