Mekong

ZZZZ If you only started coming to Thailand you DO NOT remember the old Thermae days. The old / original Thermae was located next to Miami Hotel on the corner of Sukhumvit 13, That closed in 1996 when it relocated to the basement of Ruamchitt Hotel about 50 Meters away. It is the one that was located next to Miami Hotel which is referred to as the Old Thermae

It is down to system used in the UK BACS (Banking Automated Clearing Services) transfers enter the system on day one, processed on day two and cleared on day three. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacs

As I previously mentioned in This Post http://t2.thai360.com/index.php?/topic/61919-thai-junta-sets-plan-for-fast-rail-links-to-china/page__st__10#entry1420069 China does not need railways

There is an echo in the room

I missed this Cheers Limbo I will throw my hat in this year, Just signed up with a default team at the moment but won't fine tune my team until Friday 15th August the transfer market is too volatile at present to select a team. The URL is http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb.html top right hand side there is a link to "Fantasy League" just register select Private League Copy and Paste the code limbo posted and straight into Thai360 Private League. It's been years since I was sad enough to waste my time in Fantasy League but I should have some free time over this coming season. I think the last time I was involved when it was NanaPlaza League and we all gambled real money on it, one of the Friday Meetings in Woodstocks (Shite Peter Sold up in 2005) old BM's such as Long Gun (Changed his name to Long Gone when he moved his Thai Family back to Sunderland) and a few other Characters. That must have been 2002/03 Season since I vaguely remember it taking place just after the Japan / Korea World Cup 2002

WF. China already has the infrastructure it needs in place in Myanmar the Sino-Burma Oil and Gas Pipelines http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Burma_pipelines They offered the Burmese a token gesture to import Gas from the Shwe offshore field with the motive of having a west coast of SE Asia Oil & Gas Terminal for cheap imports from the Middle East, a damn sight easier to sail North East across the Bay of Bengal have a terminal at Kyaukphyu on Ramree Island and a Pipeline to Kunming than to sail through the Malacca Strait around the tip of Singapore and then up the East Sea (South China Sea) then up to East of China where the deep sea ports exist. Not only an extra few days by Sea but also the ports would be further away / longer pipelines required from where the Oil and Gas is required in China, in Yunnan South West China. A nation that controls the Hydrocarbons controls its own destiny.

Your Geography is a little suspect Myanma and China share a 900+ KM common border

Steve My understanding is that it was Harry J. Anslinger who crimilised pot http://www.csdp.org/publicservice/anslinger.htm

Not a pissing contest at all, 6 x 330 ml is approx 4 Pints (Imperial) not exactly a copious amount to consume, whilst I accept it puts one over the Drink / Drive Limit (or DUI as the Americans call it) it is hardly drunk. Most evenings after work I will go for dinner with my colleges and consume equivalent of 6-7 bottles per evening over a 3 hour period and up for work at 5:30AM the next morning without ever feeling drunk or having a hangover. Different people have differing tolerance to alcohol, and in my case 4 pints does not get me drunk, I wish it would, it would save me a fortune.

Firefox is Netscape Navigator

I disagree, the standard recommendation would be get a Mac

I hear ya about warm beer, it seems to be a Vietnam wide problem, they just can't seem to grasp the concept of setting the fridge to "Arctic" and filling with beer. Fortunately for me the local bar and restaurant owners are now getting the message "Bia Lanh" (Cold Beer) it's only taken the best part of a year to bring them up to speed

Drunk on 6-7 beers Light weight

Read post 11 in this thread and I said very much similar (as in why are you meaning) am I considered a pedantic old twat such as oneself? I will wear this badge of comparison with pride. Kong

Welcome Back FJ I never realised that formation drinking had been adopted as a commonwealth games sport, but maybe like the Olympics they allow the host nation to have a guest sport. My first Pint was 26 Pence back in 1977 as a 13 year old whippet, "Deaf Peggy" the landlady didn't give a flying fark about underage back then, spit and sawdust pub "Bottom Bridge" There is a Bridge on one of the main roads in my home town over the Bridgewater Canal (Th'Cut to us Northerners) Bottom of the Bridge was the Bridge inn aka Th'Bottom Bridge and on the other side at a higher elevation next to BICC Cable works was the Bridgewater Hotel aka Th'Op Bridge", I had to wait till 1979 as a 15 year old before I could get served in Th'Op Bridge. It would have been even cheaper at Th'Miners Club, Labour Club or the Allotment Society but since I was underage never had a membership card. Amazing that over 35 years later I am paying less for a Pint of Bia in Vietnam circa 2014 than I was paying in 1977 back in grim Northern England as a school kid who used to run the single cigs mafia on backseat upstairs of the school bus to finance my lifestyle, Oh the innocence of youth.

Try 536,870,912. Day 1 is one baht day 2 is 2 so in a 30 day month it would be 229 25 days (224) would be 33,554,432

Bottled Beer either Bia Ha Noi or Bia Sai Gon 15,000 VND for a 450 ml bottle thats approx 22.5 THB state controlled price. Both a decent drop 4.2% proof Normally stick to Bia Hoi, local brewery "Fresh Beer" that is 15,000 VND for a 2 Liter pitcher which equates to 5 THB per 450 ml.

Thai Farmer retires THB 4,000 / Month an expat wants to retire THB 80,000 / Month go figure.

Are you sure it is as much as that even? I had a replacement screen on an iPad about 18 months ago and I am sure it was less than 1,500 THB, that was at MBK.

Same could be said about Iran Air Flight 655

Or Catholics refusing to sell Condoms

Flash To be honest I do not know the various certification for an English Teacher within each country since it is not a career path of my choice. What I have observed over he past few weeks is the increase in forum traffic from experienced teachers, mainly from Thailand but also from S. Korea asking about obtaining a Work Permit with only experience and a non degree qualification. I don't read every post I just speed read the daily update email I get from the VN expat forum and I see the keywords TEFL, Work Permit and TEFL, I have better things to do than get in deep with the threads since they do not concern or interest me but there are more topics I just breeze over lately. Maybe ASEAN has some part to play in this, what I find surprising is the lack of discussion about ASEAN, Open Borders and Freedom to travel etc on the majority of SE Asian forums, the biggest change in History in SE Asia and not many people discussing its implications. Not that I am worried, nowadays I just look out for myself and family I have wasted too much time on others.

Being a pedantic prick, as is my right, may I just point out that "where for art" does not mean "where are you from" but more like "why" When Shakespeare used "Romeo, Romeo where for art Thou Romeo" the question was not Where are you but "Why are you?" as in a Montague whereas Juliet was from the Capulet clan, Why do you have to be from the opposition. This story was retold in the 1950's bernstein musical West Side story but this time between Irish Catholics and Jewish immigrants to the Lower East side of Manhattan in the stage play later to become Jets (white Americans) and Jets (Peurto Rican immigrants) in the Wise and Robbins in the 1961 big screen production Yes, I admit I had a rather strict education in a Catholic School, where Religious Education, Shakespeare and Latin was forced fed me, whereas I had a penchant for Physics Maths and Chemistry. Alas later on in life I realise I was right to ignore religion the classics and latin and concentrate on the subjects which put a roof over my head and rice in the bowl. Rice in the bowl, typical Asian saying, I need a decent Steak washed down with a couple of large beers. OK to answer the question based on its intended meaning Originally From North West England Had opportunity to work / travel to S.E. Asia when in my mid 20's 26 Years Later still in S.E.Asia Even though I have thought of Thailand as home for the past 23+ years I am not always there. Working in Contract Engineering one tends to gravitate towards where the work is rather than wait for it to come to oneself, currently I am getting "Back Home" 3-4 times a year which is OK since working in a Neighbouring country (which is a lot cheaper) I don't know what percentile of Thai based foreigners are Contract Engineers, in my eyes it is many since we work globally and I always meet 2-3 guys who live in Thailand wherever I go to work but maybe those are the type of expats I choose to hang out with.

In the Peoples Socialist Republic they have recently relaxed the Work Permit requirements for native English teachers, before it was degree plus 5 years experience whereas now they accept TEFL plus 5 years. There is a lot of chatter on the Vietnam expat forums about this and from what I have seen whilst casually browsing it does appear many are coming over here from Thailand

Limbo, I can only mention the experience I have of Vietnam as a surrounding country, and trust me it is far more difficult to obtain a work permit over here than it is in Thailand but once issued life is a damn site easier. What happens here is once the Work Permit is issued ,it took me over 9 months to obtain mine and that is working for a foreign company with registered office in Ha Noi seconded to a Socialist Peoples Republic of Vietnam Company, one can then apply for the Temporary Residency Card. TRC replaces the need for a Visa and passport is not even stamped exiting / entering VN. Valid between 1-3 years, depending on Validity of Work Permit and no requirement for 90 day reporting. Furthermore Mrs Kong can also get a TRC based upon my W.P. As stated as rare as rocking horse shit to obtain but once in ones sticky mitts something to be treasured. Flash Last time I renewed Non Imm-O (Family Support) the 400K THB was only required in the Bank for 90 days prior to the application and I am sure the same rules still exist, I have not renewed since Jan 2013 since my trips back to Thailand are for less than 30 days at a time so I just get a 30 Day Visa Exemption stamp upon arrival, no point in wasting time and Money at Chaeng Wattana for a Non Imm-O and multiple exit re-entry stamp. Now if the mooted 1,600,000 THB / 160,000 per month rule came into affect that would hit a lot of retirees hard, not many retirees have $50,000 they have lying around or a pension of $5,000 per month, I know many expat retirees who have purchased property and can happily live on $3,500 per month with is above the current $2,500 minimum but the increase would price them out of Thailand. One thing I have never been able to understand is why a single retiree would require twice as much income as a married / supporting children person, it just does not compute in my mind.