jon46

If you have an locked IPhone 6 and are looking to have it unlocked, you can go to eBay to a number of services, some are as low as $1.99, to unlocked your phone. You have to identify the carrier (Verizon, ATT) and provide the IMEI number first. I had my phone (not an IPhone) unlocked using eBay and in Bangkok bought a local SIM card for my phone.

yeah, like a higher airport departure tax for leaving Thailand...lol

I have a cleaning done when I am in Bangkok and the cost is 500 baht which is reasonable. Done by a dentist which is a departure from the states

Not being an expert and as an "old timer" having seen movies where people inflected were sent out to some remote place, I was worried. I have no idea if the man was been treated but suspect that he wasn't.

Personally, I do not think the death sentence fits the crime! Here in the states (except in Texas and a small number of states elsewhere), capital punishment has not be the law of the land for a very long time. Posing for a photo by a high ranking military official with the person who is sentenced to be executed is something that is ofitself beyond the pale.

During my stay in Bangkok in Jan/Feb 2015, I rode the pickup truck bus for a short distance and a man got on board for a shortride. This man looked like he had leprosy from his face to his elephant hand. It was a scary moment for me as He was sitting across from me in the open air bus and being glad he was on the bus for a short time.

During my 3 weeks in Bangkok, I visited Chatuchak every weekend. Normally, I go there early around 9:30am to avoid the afternoon crowd. The market being so large is a maze of shops and at times, if I see an item I like and don't buy it, I can't find the shop when I try to buy the item on coming back to the shop. I can see why the rents are higher in those locations versus inside where shops are hard to distinguish their locations to shoppers. On my return visit to Bangkok, I plan on visiting Chatuchak again.

I don't think so.... A Florida teenager has successfully undergone the world’s first penis reduction surgery, doctors at the University of South Florida claim. The unidentified 17-year-old’s “massive†phallus was “too large for intercourse,†according to a report published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Shaped like an American football, it was almost 7 inches long and had a circumference of 10 inches when flaccid. “It sounds like a man’s dream — a tremendously inflated phallus — but unfortunately, although it was a generous length, its girth was just massive, especially around the middle,†Dr. Rafael Carrion, the urologist who treated the teen, told the Daily Mail. The well-endowed patient, who “reported inability to penetrate his partner,†had asked for the operation after the shape of his penis also restricted his ability to play competitive sports, the study says. “There comes a time in every urologist’s career that a patient makes a request so rare and impossible to comprehend that all training breaks down and leaves the physician speechless,†Carrion reportedly said. The well-endowed patient, who 'reported inability to penetrate his partner,' had asked for the operation after the shape of his penis also restricted his ability to play competitive sports, the study says. Since he was 10, the teen, who has a history of sickle cell disease, had three episodes of priapism — a medical condition in which the penis stays erect for hours — that “progressively†led to his penis deformity, surgeons said in the report. Doctors were able to make it symmetrical. USF did not return calls for comment, and Carrion could not immediately be reached. The average length and circumference of a penis is about 13 and 9 centimeters, respectively, according to the study.

Shaped like an American football, an unidentified 17-year-old’s 'massive' phallus was 'too large for intercourse,' according to a report published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Florida teen undergoes world’s first penis reduction surgery: study The unidentified 17-year-old’s 'massive' phallus was 'too large for intercourse,' according to a report published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. It was almost 7 inches long and had a circumference of 10 inches when flaccid. His penis before surgery was the size of a football.

During that period, the Brits refer PM Blair as George W Bush's poodle. I liked that description of Blair!

good thing I came back earlier from the weekend market on the BTS where I transferred to another line at Siam station.

well, at least she did not take up seats where passengers needed to sit down as I noticed empty seats in the photos.

I read that the subway system is so good in Hong Kong that it always runs subway system in cities for other countries (in Europe, China, Australia) and the head of the HK subway is a person who formerly headed the NYC transit system. He might be a Brit. I know that the subway system in NYC is on a fixed fare of $2.50 no matter if you go for a stop or from end to end of the line. Also, there are some discounts involved to bring this fare lowered if you purchased a higher amount. But in the states, the transportation system is subsidized by the government. The fares are not enough to cover operating expenses as well as for capital expenditures.

yes, on Friday, at ICBC in Chinatown, the exchange rate US $ at 32.50 baht. Just days before, I exchanged US $ along Silom Rd at 32.38 baht.

(Bloomberg) -- The baht erased losses as the central bank kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged even after Singapore surprised markets earlier in the day by easing monetary policy. The currency traded unchanged from yesterday at 32.550 a dollar as of 4:28 p.m. in Bangkok, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It was down as much as 0.3 percent at 32.651 before the rate announcement. Sixteen of 22 economists surveyed by Bloomberg had predicted the decision while the rest forecast a cut from 2 percent to 1.75 percent. Speculation mounted in early trade that Thailand would follow the Monetary Authority of Singapore in joining central banks around the world, including the European Central Bank, Canada, Denmark and India, in loosening policy amid slowing economic growth and deflation risks. “Some investors who sold the baht on speculation Thailand would follow MAS in a surprise easing probably bought back the currency after the rate decision,†said Kozo Hasegawa, a foreign-exchange trader at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. in Bangkok. Those that expected a cut probably closed those positions, he said. Bank of Thailand committee members agreed that monetary policy should remain accommodative to support an economic recovery, Mathee Supapongse, assistant governor at the central bank, said at media briefing in Bangkok Wednesday. The benchmark rate isn’t the major factor affecting capital flows and policy makers will use other measures to manage them, he said. Finance Minister Sommai Phasee last week said the monetary authority should “in theory†lower borrowing costs, and that exports are under pressure from a stronger baht. The currency climbed to 32.48 a dollar earlier Wednesday, the highest level since Oct. 31. Inflation Target The Bank of Thailand, which has kept its rate unchanged since cutting it in March, has lowered 2015 forecasts for economic growth and exports because the recovery is hampered by the weaker outlook for domestic consumption and global demand. Inflation eased to 0.6 percent in December from a year earlier, the least in Southeast Asia and the lowest since 2009. The risk of inflation breaching the lower end of the Bank of Thailand’s target range of 1 percent to 4 percent this year has increased, Supapongse said. Government bonds fell, with the yield on notes due in 2025 rising four basis points, or 0.04 percentage point, to 2.62 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The pharmacy near Nana sells Sidegra for 180 baht and I did not comparison shop elsewhere in Bangkok to compare prices. In Pattaya, the prices range from 400 baht to 200 baht at various places. When I told one place that it should be 160 baht, the lady waved her hand as for me to go there to buy it. I have not taken Sidegra to compare with other brands but I understand it is manufactured in India.

As an infrequent visitor, I noticed that the new buses were taken out of service and I do not know why or when this happened. the old red (non-air conditioned) buses with wooden floors are ones on the streets as well as the old air conditioned blue buses. Does anyone why? I also noticed that work has begun in Chinatown for MRT stop. I hope they plan to continue from Chinatown to the Grand Palace.

When oil prices dropped during the summer months (June, July till the present time), the dollar started to appreciate against most major currencies. This is because the price of oil is in US $. It is interesting to note that the US $ has not appreciated as much against the Thai baht than say the Malaysian Ringgit or the Singapore dollar. Today, the US $ is about 32 baht versus 40 something after 1997. It was as low as 52 to the US $. Yes, Pantip Plaza is not the same as years ago and I believe it has to do with modern technology. People use laptops and tablets which are very hard to upgrade. Movies can easily to downloaded for free. I have not made my way to NEP and Soi Cowboy to comment but will in the coming days.

I walked thru Patpong 1 early yesterday evening and was surprised that many of the bars are closed and shops selling knocked off brands. Since it was early (around 9pm), I did not go in to any bars but noted beer prices posted150 baht

thank you all for your valuable input! I will be in Bangkok next week and will check it out!

Can anyone suggestion where to go for muay thai or other martial arts lessons and the cost involved?

doesn't Air Asia fly to Australia?

that's why I will be visiting Bangkok next month (Jan). It cold here in the states but so far no snow. It is strange in that "high season" and high ticket prices are in the summer when the weather in Thailand is not ideal but not when the weather is nice. I understand about the students coming back to Thailand during the summer as part of the reason.

Does anyone know the reason why the Thai Baht has remained so stable this year against the strong US dollar? Due to sharp decline of crude oil prices, which is largely in US $, the US $ has gained against most currencies but not as much with the Thai baht vis a vis other Asian currencies and the Aussie $.