A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand

[spotter542]

Long lunch today traditional Thai food

Nice spread

Thia herbs meat balls

Mango spicy salad

Hot and spicy tomyam

Great lunch, time to go

Long lunch today traditional Thai food

Nice spread

Thia herbs meat balls

Mango spicy salad

Hot and spicy tomyam

Great lunch, time to go

Don't mean to offend you in any way Pii but the phuying looks delicious also

 

[Froggy]

Don't mean to offend you in any way Pii but the phuying looks delicious also

Why offend? Yes very aroi mak mak indeed.

 

[yinyang]

Yesterday's news.

 

[rotikosong]

Long lunch today traditional Thai food

Great lunch, time to go

I laughed when I saw lunch served with a microphone

 

[Froggy]

Just finiahed a 3hr Thai traditional massage near home

The shop

Modern design

Clean and zen

Feet washing

Reclining chairs for foot massage

Private room, all bedsheets and pillow cases change after each customer

3hrs Thai traditional massage, loosen up all the bones and muscles, paid 870 baht or $39 (gave masseur 300 baht or $13.50 for her excellent service)

Courses

 

[Semaj2357]

I laughed when I saw lunch served with a microphone

the owner is a thorough businessman, as it's served together with the last dish - to holler "checkbin"!

 

[Froggy]

I laughed when I saw lunch served with a microphone

I also wonder what it was doing there

 

[Froggy]

Nice restaurant at https://goo.gl/maps/YwMj7uP4K5rkQFYV6

The Brasserie at Crystal Park
https://goo.gl/maps/YwMj7uP4K5rkQFYV6

Can get almost any alcohol and wine you like

Spacious and nicely decorated

Simple dinner

This pasta

Barramundi

Super fresh

 

[yinyang]

I laughed when I saw lunch served with a microphone

Simply, you got distracted over the femme fatale guest (just like rest of us)?

 

[yinyang]

Protests against the new enforcement of old TM30 (daily declaration of all foreigners)

 

[yinyang]

 

[Froggy]

Kway Chap in Bangkok



The shop

The stall

Lunch - kway chap

 

[yinyang]

New Phangnga airport plan welcomed
New service to boost tourism in 'Andaman Triangle'

Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 5 AUG 2019

PHUKET: Airports of Thailand (AoT)'s plan to construct a new international airport in Phangnga will help ease passenger traffic at nearby airports and boost tourism in the "Andaman Triangle" of Krabi, Phangnga and Phuket, say local tourism business associations.
According to AoT, the plan has been approved in principle for the fiscal years 2019-2023, with a budget of around 60 million baht.
Under the plan, the new airport will be located in tambon Khok Kloi of Takua Thung district in Phangnga and is expected to be completed by 2025.
Nantida Atiset, president of Phangnga Tourism Business Association, said the new airport will help relieve passenger traffic at Phuket Airport and Krabi Airport, which are heavily congested.

Last year, Phuket International Airport handled 8.4 million passengers; Arrivals to the island are forecast to rise to 9.7 million this year.

Meanwhile, Krabi International Airport welcomed 4.23 million passengers in 2018.
Ms Nantida said the new airport could serve both Phuket island and Khao Lak, which is north of Phuket island. As a result, travel time to the Khao Lak tourism area in Phangnga's Takua Pa district will be reduced by about one hour and create a broader tourism market.

Once the new airport is completed, each province in the "Andaman Triangle" will effectively have its own airport.
Tourism business associations in Phuket and Phangnga yesterday also proposed that the government improve other infrastructure such as roads, piers and public transport in their respective provinces.
Meanwhile, entrepreneurs in the Patong area of Phuket have also urged the government to extend the closing time for bars and nightclubs.
Mr Pipat will meet tourism business associations, local hoteliers and tourism professionals in the three provinces on Aug 25 to listen to their concerns.

 

[yinyang]

 

[Froggy]

Early lunch today or rather had brunch at 10.30am at a very nice Thai restaurant



Start

Green curry with lots of veges

Chicken winglets

My $16.80 meal

 

[yinyang]

Dropping yuan will affect baht, Thai exports: economists
Aug 07. 2019

The Nation

The depreciation of the Chinese yuan will affect the baht and Thailand’s export values for the rest of the year, which will force the Bank of Thailand to come up with measures to manage the currency, economists say.

“The baht will fluctuate and even depreciate when foreign investors take their money out in response to the Bank of Thailand’s move to bring down the balance in non-resident accounts from Bt300 million to Bt200 million per person. However, the currency should appreciate again as Thailand is a safe haven for investors due to its high-foreign currency reserve and a public debt that is only 40 per cent of the gross domestic product,” Dr Somchai Pakapaswiwat, an economist and independent academic, told The Nation on Tuesday.

However, he said, when the baht appreciates against the US dollar, it will also rise against the Chinese yuan, which will have a direct impact on Thai exports, because Chinese products will become cheaper.

“China may also dump its products in the Thai market, especially if Chinese goods work out to be cheaper than local products,” Somchai said.

He added that since the trade war has now become a currency war, it will have an adverse effect on all countries, which is why the South Korean won has also dropped against the greenback.

Somchai believes the central bank may launch other measures to manage the baht, especially since it is appreciating over currencies from countries that are direct export competitors.

Research by the Siam Commercial Bank’s Economic Intelligence Centre shows that the baht has risen 5.1 per cent against the dollar since January 1, while the yuan has dropped 2.3 per cent.

“Recent events in the US-China trade war will definitely have negative ramifications on Thai exports,” said Supant Mongkolsuthree, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries.

He added that labelling China as a currency manipulator may lead to a further escalation in the ongoing trade war and set off risks such as the tariff impact spilling over to Thailand, a slowdown in the global economy and currency volatility.

Currently, most Thai exporters use the US dollar as the currency for cross-border trading, Supant said. Hence, he said, to reduce risks induced from volatile currencies, we must promote the use of local currencies in cross-border trade.

Recent tensions between the US and China will likely contribute to a hardening of positions from both sides, said Martin Petch, vice president of Moody’s Sovereign Risk Group.

“It also increases the likelihood of US tariffs on Chinese products to rise beyond current levels, followed by further retaliatory measures by China,” he continued. “Unless negotiations between the US and China resume rapidly, this latest development is likely to create negative spill-over effects in both China, the US and globally, and particularly in Asia.”

Furthermore, he cautioned, market expectations of further yuan devaluation may force other currencies to drop, particularly those with strong trading ties to China.

Meanwhile, the Thai National Shipping Council’s chairman Ghanyapad Tantipipatpong said the private sector was worried about the yuan depreciation, but had yet to evaluate its impacts on Thai exports.

She added that preliminary estimates show that a weaker yuan will increase the price of goods exported from Thailand by 10 per cent.

She added that the council will monitor the export market in the last quarter to see if the yuan depreciation has had any impact.

The council's vice chairman Visit Limlurcha agreed that a weaker yuan will automatically make Thai export products, especially electronics, more expensive.

Ghanyapad also said the council wants related state agencies to stop the baht from getting any stronger, because if the baht appreciates beyond the Bt30 to a US dollar mark, it will have an adverse impact in the export market.

The council has also drawn up a strategy for the government, and one of its recommendations is for the Commerce Ministry to set up a war room to closely monitor the export situation and enhance the sector.

Moreover, the ministry should look for new promising export markets and hold off on increasing the daily minimum wage.

 

[yinyang]

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30374413

 

[yinyang]

Move to hike taxi fare gets huge thumbs down: poll
National
Aug 11. 2019

By The Nation

A Nida Poll has reported that 81 per cent of respondents are unhappy with the new taxi fare that raises the immobile rate from Bt2 per minute to Bt3 per minute.

The poll conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration reveals the results of a survey on “Transport Minister Gives Green Light for Taxi Fare Increase”. The survey on August 8-9 surveyed 1,505 residents of Bangkok and its perimeter. The respondents came from a wide spectrum of society.

According to the poll, 62.52 per cent of participants disagreed with the raising of the taxi fare from the second to the 10th kilometre from Bt6 to Bt6.50 per km, arguing that the old rate was already high, the prices of NGV/gasoline had not gone up substantially, and the service quality did not merit the hike.

Of the respondents, 35.02 per cent agreed with the hike, reasoning that it could reduce the problem of taxi drivers refusing customers, while 2.46 per cent answered “do not know/are not sure”.

The great majority who disagreed with the immobile rate hike argued that driving in a traffic jam was inevitable and should be considered a part of the service. However, 18.07 per cent of respondents backed the raise, citing the same reasons, while 0.93 per cent were unsure.

The poll also explored public opinions on the hike in airport taxi surcharge from Bt50 to Bt70 for small vehicles and Bt90 for large vehicles. Some 76 per cent disagreed with the raise, saying airport taxis had already monopolised the service and passengers were not allowed to call taxis from outside the airport. They also said that the service quality did not merit a price raise. Around 22 per cent agreed with the raise, saying it was reasonable and affordable for most airport users. About 1.51 per cent of respondents were unsure.

 

[yinyang]

 

[Froggy]

Here in Bangkok around this time of the day most people who come here are retirees and housewives. Many come here to socialize too bringing food and drinks share among themselves passing time. Too time to come visit not crowded.