General Reports

[Daring Mood]

Thanks guys for all the extremely helpful comments and PMs, much appreciated

Member #2041 your point about this being an "international hooker board" is what?


Daring Mood

[Phantomtiger2]

Buying Gems in SEA are "buyers beware", bring along an expert or you WILL get cheated--either in price or in fake gems.
But, there is one large gem store in BKK thats run by the govt (the name escapes me but its near the Kings Palace-- and it garantees ALL gems to be real, but prices are not cheap(mainly because of the high govt taxes) except for one -two days a year that they offer all their gems tax free, then buying the gems are a bargain. The tax free days are usually in late Oct or early Nov.

PT

[Member #2041]

Daring, Dinghy is correct. if you REALLY know what you are doing, and are qualified to examine the stones and know how to tell fakes or seriously flawed stones from good ones, the answer is Thailand. If, however, you do not have this expertise, I am willing to bet that you will get scammed. And Myanmar is even better still than any of the countries you listed. But again, it is purely a buyer-beware type of market, and buyers lacking in expertise in what they are buying will almost surely be conned.

BTW, the only stones that are best to purchase in Thailand and Myanmar are Rubies and Sapphires, as those stones mostly come from this region. Diamonds mostly come from Africa and India, and are traded in Belgium and Israel. Emeralds mostly come from Brazil and neighboring South American countries.

Of course, if you actually knew what you were doing to the degree necessary not to get ripped off, you would already know where these markets are, and not need to ask on an international hooker board.

[Dinghy]

POSTED ON PHILIPPINES, THAILAND, MALAYSIA, CAMBODIA, CHINA FORUMS

Guys
I want to buy a ring with one of the above precious stones (don't ask me why?).
In your travels can you advise which country / city in your experience offers best quality / prices?

TIA
Daring Mood

What do you want cut rocks or finished product? There are gem markets for ruby over near the Mayanmar border (Konchanaburi). If you go to Chantaburi (between Rayong and Trat), there is a gem market FRI, SAT and SUN (just ask at the bus station - they can tell you where - BUT I WARN YOU - you had better have more than a passing knowledge of gems before you try to buy in talad ploi (gem market) - synthetics abound. One more thing - not much action in Chantaburi - they seem to close up the town about 10 or so. Not much in Cambo - they mine sapphires in Paillin area - not much cutting activity (almost all there is cut in Thailand). Don't waste your time trying to find diamonds (ploi pet) - the availiability is in INDIA. So... IF you want a ring, just go find a nice store and buy it. (That part is easier than finding a chang tong IF you want to be serious about gemstones, the equipment cost will be in the $1000 range (just to get started - and that's as a NOVICE)

[Retired Army]

Easy... just go the the Erawan Shrine and stand on the street corner looking like a tourist. One of the helpful local citizens, probably a doctor, policeman, lawyer, etc., will be more than happy to recommend a shop owned by a relative or friend of theirs who just so happens to be having a special sale. They will even arrange transportation for you.

[Daring Mood]

POSTED ON PHILIPPINES, THAILAND, MALAYSIA, CAMBODIA, CHINA FORUMS

Guys
I want to buy a ring with one of the above precious stones (don't ask me why?).
In your travels can you advise which country / city in your experience offers best quality / prices?

TIA
Daring Mood

[Nutso]

Alistair - check out the publications section of Tilleke and Gibbons' web site. It has just about all the information you need on doing business in Thailand. http://www.tillekeandgibbins.com. In particular, check out the one titled Lex Mundi - Guide to Doing Business in Thailand.

Now a rhetorical question: A comprehensive guide, website or other where I could get fully acquainted with all the laws, options, dos-and-donts of buying your own business in LOS?

Thanks

[The Traveler]

A very trusted friend of mine has proposed to me to open a bar in Pattaya,

Alistair,

seems he doesn't earn your trust.

[Phantomtiger2]

Alistair, Stickman has some thoughts on that. You might have to search his site, but I remember reading about it.
or you could just send me the money you were going to invest, coz you'll never see it again. Not trying to be negative, but you don't have a prayer. You will lose it all. Dozend of guys have done this, and still lost their shirt, even though they were on site. You being gone...............
Do yourself a favor, and get that idea right out of your head!

Agree here.
Bars are hit or miss (mostly miss). Better chance of losing money than making any. Most will barely break even---meaning you'll be working for free (nothing to show for it).
I've been to many beer bars (patts and CM) and come back year later some will have changed hands already.

PT

[Alistair]

I know Stickman's website by heart, chapeau to him.
He does however say at some point that some make it happen, despite the odds.
Anyway, I am definitely aware of the riskiness of the situation and your advice was much appreciated, thanks.

[1Ball]

Alistair, Stickman has some thoughts on that. You might have to search his site, but I remember reading about it.
or you could just send me the money you were going to invest, coz you'll never see it again. Not trying to be negative, but you don't have a prayer. You will lose it all. Dozend of guys have done this, and still lost their shirt, even though they were on site. You being gone...............
Do yourself a favor, and get that idea right out of your head!

[Alistair]

A very trusted friend of mine has proposed to me to open a bar in Pattaya, the money is not what you would call big money and he seems to have the “right” girls to place, my concern is: none of us will actually settle there (at least for the immediate future) and I wanted to know if anybody has tried this. Farang not there, the till is always open and we will have to assume that petty theft and rounding will be done on a daily basis. Nobody opens a bar with the purpose of getting rich, but still, waste money is not my aim either.

Does any of you run or know someone that runs a bar from their home country or would that be perceived to be a tad too naïve?

Now a rhetorical question: A comprehensive guide, website or other where I could get fully acquainted with all the laws, options, dos-and-donts of buying your own business in LOS?

Thanks

[The Traveler]

Freeler,

true, tourism has a lot of negative sides and you can hear the very same argumentation at most tourist spots around the world but who sold the land to those hotel chains ? Many islanders made a fortune and got rich by selling their land at a price they would never got without tourism.

[1Ball]

Freeler, I went to Samui in 1982. It was paradise. I have not gone since, and will never go again.

[Freeler]

hi,

this should make clear, once and for all, that tourists drive up prices, thanks:

>>>>>paradise lost

the [CodeWord123] of samui
locals pay the price for rapid development as they were unprepared for the changes

story by anjira assavanonda


younger generations of samui residents have lost the chance to live in a beautiful natural environment with serene surroundings like their forebears, as uncontrolled tourism development has rapidly destroyed the island. — pattanapong hinrunard


in emerging as one of the country's top tourism destinations, koh samui has paid a high price.

gone are its serenity and lush green surroundings, the credentials that made the island much sought-after by holiday makers, both local and foreign.

buildings like hotels, resorts and real estate projects, have been mushrooming too quickly over the last decade. the coconut trees that once lined the island beaches have all vanished.

now that the beach-front areas are fully occupied and land developers are eyeing mountain land, concern is growing over the environmental impact.

"samui never had a development plan. we never thought the growth would be so fast and extreme, and local people were never prepared for the changes when tourism was being promoted. they never learned to manage their own resources. in the end, the power of money won, and we've seen the islanders lose their land to foreigners," said dr suvit nanthapanich, a retired physician who is a native of samui.

the two fully-developed areas are chaweng and lamai beaches on the eastern coast, which are renowned for their beautiful white sand. much of the area is occupied by foreign developers and the islanders have unknowingly lost their rights to the natural resources.

"so many hotels and resorts have occupied the areas, blocking much of the way to the beaches, which are public property. at chaweng and lamai beaches, for example, we have only one small public path each to get to the seashore," said an islander who declined to be named. with tourism booming on samui, the island these days attracts more high-end visitors than foreign backpackers. room rates have risen sharply from 700-800 baht per night a decade ago to 2,000 to 20,000 baht today.

statistics of the samui tourism promotion association show that about one million tourists visited the island last year, a 20% increase from 2004. there are currently 20-30 domestic flights a day to the island, monopolised by bangkok airways, and over 30 ferry trips operated daily by two companies, seatran travel and racha ferry.

traffic on the island has become a serious problem as well. the island's 53km-long main road is crammed with all kinds of vehicles - passenger cars, motorcycles, pick-ups and trucks ferrying construction materials that run all day. the rate of road accidents is high, particularly motorcycle-related cases.

"in the past, the road was so empty i could close my eyes and drive without hitting anyone, but today it's so busy. driving around the island today can take almost an hour," said senee phuwasetthavorn, president of the samui tourism promotion association. she said materially, samui has everything a major city would want to have - tapwater has reached even the remotest areas - convenience stores as well as megastores.

however, the islanders are not enjoying the fruits of urban development. local people are struggling hard to survive due to high commodity prices. population growth has also affected the quality of well water, a major water resource for locals, and made them more dependent on bottled drinking water.

food is also sold to locals at the same prices being offered to tourists. "the price of pork has risen from 36 baht a kilo in the past to 80-100 baht, rice to 300 baht per container. before, we could buy a fish in pieces, but today vendors prefer to sell the fish as a whole because it is regularly ordered by resorts and bungalows," said suchart ruangnam, an islander.

charges for the public pick-up truck services to get around the island have doubled in the past decade. there are meter-taxis on the island - which start at 50 baht, but drivers simply refuse to use them. a taxi trip covering half the island can cost as much as 300 baht, an unaffordable sum for the islanders.

there are four private hospitals with modern equipment and facilities on the island, but most of their customers are foreigners. most locals have no choice but to turn to the koh samui hospital for medical treatment, the only public hospital on the island, and which has only 11 doctors and 166 beds to cater to the 40,000 locals and another 100,000 migrant workers, mostly from the northeast.

dr poonsawat somboonpanya, the hospital director, said many doctors and health workers had quit their jobs because they could not afford the high commodity prices as the salaries they were receiving from the government were very low.

a large number of native islanders have sold their land and relocated to other nearby provinces such as chumphon and ranong.

"the close-knit community has been torn apart. in the past, we used to know each other so well, but things have changed with the influx of isan people. now we don't know who is who on the island," said 77-year-old fangpol boonliang, an islander and father of popular folk singer su boonliang.

"criminal and drug activities are also on the rise because youngsters have grown up unsupervised as we don't know whose children they are, and don't dare to interfere when they do something wrong. if they were the children of islanders, we would not have hesitated to inform their parents or grandparents what their children were up to, and that would have made a lot of difference," he said.

for an islander like dr suvit, it is painful to see how samui has changed for the worse. "it's like seeing our daughter being raped," he said.<<<<<