It's based on my limited experience of Thailand and by no means a rule. I don't live in Thailand, was there for only ten days earlier this year in vacation, but of all the cabs I took only about 20% put on the meter without me asking. Maybe I look like a tourist fish but the drivers always quoted an inflated price first and only reluctantly put on the meter after being asked to. Sometimes they wouldnt even let me and my friends in the car if we insisted that they put the meter on.

I don't really mind the taxi hustling because it's still a lot cheaper than in the west. I do have a problem with tipping when overcharged, though.

To those of you who live there, what's the general experience with taxi drivers? Addressing them in Thai must help a lot I guess.

Just incase a room doesn't open up in the Bangkok poker house I was looking at housing options and I had a few questions....

1) I really want to set up a dual internet connection, is this a possibility in serviced apartments? If not, is it more likely doable in a condo type situation?

2) What serviced apartments can you recommend that you know for sure (recent experience) has solid internet? I like Grand President, they advertise 3mps shared speed which worries me-is that 3mps shared among a ton of users? I also like Sanctuary House and Bann SaranNUch which both offer 3mps LAN lines which I like better than wireless.

3) When a serviced apartment says is has direct phone lines, does that mean I could set up my own internet in addition to whatever they are offering?

I'm just really worried about the internet side of things. I have a lot going on right now and bad internet is going to tilt me out of my mind. I plan on setting more permanent housing up in Bangkok, but I need decent internet where I'm staying until I figure everything out.

If someone is looking for a room mate and already has/or can easily set up what I'm looking for, let me know. I've been a msnl grinder for a few years, although I've been having to mix in more nl200 the last few months, and I'm working on making the transition to day trading. I'm very laid back, no drama. I work a lot, go to the gym and read. I'll probably be interested in going out some, but not more than the once a week, I imagine. I'm 38, which I know makes me the equivalent of a senior citizen in the poker world.

prob has been asked a billion times-

full moon party- worth it, not worth it, how long would you stay, etc? would you stay right on beach?

Is a wifi connection suitable for four tabling while in a hostel?
I will be staying in Chiang Mai in a guest house/Hostel for a bit and was wondering if it was possible to play poker while setting up.

you should check out the fmp at least once. when i went there i ended up staying for 7 days on the beach which was way too long. If I went again, I'd probably stay for 3 nights (2 nights leading up to the fmp and the fmp). I think all the resorts on Haad Rin require you to book for at least 5 nights, so I'd stay somewhere else close by. The hotels on the other beaches are usually quite a bit cheaper and quieter at 7am too.

full moon party is awesome, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. if you go into it doing analysis of the party lol i guess you may not like it, but jesus christ just get beyond wasted and its vvvvvv fun. stay anywhere on the island, maybe book a haad rin place so you don't have a long commute from the party, but koh phangan is nice (and cheap!) in general too if you move away from the main beaches.

lol at 7 days on the beach being too long... uhhhh

of course u should stay a few days in KL. its a metropolis, the center of a bubbling state, that is growing fast. Check out the twin skyscrapers, petronas towers. and then just enjoy the city.

well when you've spent the previous month and a half on a beach they start losing their appeal

and after seven days of non-stop drinking and loud music on haad rin, you're going to want to get away.

like 95% put it on without asking if you tell them where to go before u get in. if u just get in it its prolly lower.

alot depends on where you are getting a taxi from. If you are getting one from Lumpini after the boxing has finished or from RCA at kicking out time around 2am then you are really gonna struggle to get a meter.

It's economics, a large number of people and a limited number of taxis in a concentrated area leads to scarcity so they can push for non metered rates.

However for the most part bangkok is overflowing with taxis and you shouldnt have a problem. If you are anywhere near the BTS/MRT then always take that (during the day ofc, they finish at midnight i believe)

I've been here about 18 months and still haven't been to FMP and have no intention of doing so. I may be wrong but i have visions of a really big khao san road on a beach, no ty kap.

Meh the one time we went to Khao san at night it was different from the regular stuff and pretty fun. I have been to 3 FMP's and they are a lot of fun. Massive amounts of Swedish and Israeli girls walking around.

no ty kap

alot of places in bkk seem to close at ~2am are there any good places open 24 hours or at least much later. I mean restaurants pool bars, bars, clubs, etc.

normal clubs close at 2am yes.. but then you have after hours clubs that go on
boss, bossy, spice, spicey, scratchdog, noir, KF club, are a few that come up in my mind

Are there tennis courts in BKK? If I planned to stay for 3 months should I rent a condo in advance or stay at a hotel for a few days while I look for places?

i would never rent anything that i have not seen irl yet so the latter plan sounds good

i think kallllafun needs to be visited very soon

I've seen tennis courts in Lumphini Park (you can actually see them on google maps). However I'm not sure playing outside is a good idea, with the heat and pollution. Anyone knows indoor tennis courts with AC ?

I had no idea the pollution was that bad. After doing a google search it seems people recommend wearing a face mask. Do you get used to it after a while and is that enough of a reason to look to stay in phuket over BKK?

nah it's not that bad. you don't need a facemask and you'll get used to it very quickly.

you can play tennis outside too assuming you are healthy

WTF ^^^^ read about 1/8 of it sounds like a pyramid scheme or something ban boat

As a former tennis player who recently visited Thailand, I wouldn't recommend playing tennis at all until you've gotten acclimated to the heat and humidity, depending on where you're from of course.

Thailand vs. Philippines

Okay, I posted this on the Philipinnes thread but it's only fair to post it on the Thailand thread too.

I spent three weeks in Thailand earlier this year and liked the country, but it has some issues, and maybe someone who's been to both countries can do a comparison?

For the good points about Thailand:

Very low crime rate compared to the Philippines from what I've gathered. The touts were very irritating especially in Phuket, but I never felt in danger. Phili has guards with shotguns to protect people, but away from the safe areas sounds like asking for trouble if you don't know your way around.

Both countries have beautiful women, but the p4p in Thailand was less expensive than what I've been reading about Phili.

The rents were cheaper in my experience. For instance, decent guest houses I stayed at in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai were about $12 to $15 per night. Not the Hilton, but they were okay. They wouldn't be suitable for setting up a computer for online poker though.

Very tasty food.

Good points about the Philipinnes:

A big plus is that poker is legal, online and B&M. I've never heard of anyone getting busted for online play in Thailand, but a crackdown is always possible.

English is more widely spoken and I'd have to think that Tagalog would be a whole lot easier to learn than Thai.

Freer speech - too many people in Th have found themselves in jail facing 3 to 15 years for saying, writing, or doing something that could be even vaguely interpreted as critical toward the king or royal family.

A more stable government (I assume) without the riots every other week like in Thailand which is very divided socially and politically.

Some off-the-wall questions:

How is the public toilet system in the Philipines? (If you've been to Thailand you'll know why I'm asking.)

What city/area in the Philipinnes would be most similar to Chaing Rai in terms of size, not being too crowded, reasonably quiet, with most everything you'd need easily available? I didn't spend enough time in BKK to get a feel for the city, but CR was my favorite of the places I visited. CM might have been in first place except for the smog and constant noise from the tuk-tuks, etc.

So, tough question, but which country is better overall?

Are long term stays easier in one country over the other?

Are other Asian countries good for both living in, poker, and general culture? I haven't looked into Cambodia yet, but Laos and Vietnam are both off the list. Japan would be great except that it's ridiculous in terms of the cost of living.

And last but not least - I would have to support myself by playing poker and my game isn't up to par for that. My win rate is modest even though I've read most of the books, try to learn from my mistakes, play within my bankroll, etc. Any links or suggestions about getting my game to a livable win rate?