ceejay

To add to "piss poor" there is "taking the piss". Right into the nineteenth century, the only source of alum (use as a mordant in dyeing cloth) in England was alum shales around Whitby in Yorkshire. The final part of the process involved rendering the alum with stale urine. There was a whole fleet of coasters, running up to Whitby, carrying nothing but cargoes of stale piss. That much it is fact. It is claimed that the captains of these coasters, preferring not to reveal their trade, would claim to be wine shippers in polite conversation and, if someone was impolite enough to take them up on this they would do so by saying "No, you're taking the piss"

Life is an adventure as you get older. There are all these new places you have never seen before.......................... that you can remember Happy birthday, Gaybutton!

For me, it's a judgement call and, since it's my money, it's my judgement that counts, so I am never wrong! There are three classes of beggars I never give money to in Thailand. The ones you see crawling along the pavement in Bangkok. I may be wrong, and I'm sorry if I am, but I have always thought they are run as a business, just for the tourists. The women with very small children you see sitting in the street in Pattaya. I am quite certain that I have seen the same woman with 2 different children in the same day. Also, the body language is wrong - I don't believe that a woman with her own child would never look at it. Farang beggars. Maybe I am hard hearted, but I have a very low level of sympathy for anyone who has organsied their affairs so badly as to get stuck in a foreign country with no means of support and no means of getting home. One class that I often will give money to - the obviously disabled, with missing limbs (the result of farm accidents? or other obvious bars to earning a living. With no social security system in Thailand, they may well not have much option. In the Isaan, people in this group are often to be found in specific places, in markets or near Wats. Two specific ones that I would always give a little to There's a German cafe in the short stretch of South Road that runs between Second and Beach. I quite often have breakfast there. For some years there's been a deaf mute guy who approaches the tables there, waits very patiently and is very happy with a gift of 10 or 20 baht. Sitting at the outside tables at Baan Dok Mai, you may be approached by a very old lady who seems to be carrying her worldly possessions around in a couple of bags. I can only guess - my guess is that she is destitute. I am actually guided by Thais in this. They know what is going on in their own area and, if you see a Thai giving to a beggar then I have always thought it a pretty safe bet that this is one of the "deserving" cases who is benefitting from what is, in effect, a system of community support in place of a largely non existent social security net. 10 or 20 baht is not a lot to spend to help make somebody's day. If, sometimes, you are cheated out of it well, you're hardly going to die are you?

Perhaps not so much a custom as a mannerism, but something I have learned to look out for anyway. One of the many reasons Thais smile or laugh is to cover embarrassment. If you are fooling around in the USA or Europe and the people around you are smiling and laughing, it usually is taken as a sign to carry right on. If the people around you are Thais, it can be a sign that you are being toe curlingly embarrassing.

That's not just Thai logic. I got the same from BT in the United Kingdom when I upgraded my broadband package with them.

That was the Eagle, Fountainhall. That takes me back a bit.

The "must see" event that took me to Phnom Penh was Bon Om Tuk. This is a water festival held in October or November each year. This year it is, I think, 19th-21st November. It is a series of dragon boat races, one of the biggest in Asia with over 400 crews taking part. For the whole three days the area around Sisowath quay is buzzing, day and night with the races by day and firework displays and illuminated barges on the river by night. A sort of tented village springs up on the opposite bank to the Quay, and there are all the funfairs, street vendors and other stuff you would expect for a SE Asian festival. The eye candy is also pretty good - 15,000 or more fit young men in wet sports kit!

You can carry as much as you like, but if the foreign currency you have with you totals $20,000 or more, you must fill in a declaration form on exit. You will probably also be questioned on where you got it from.

Hi everyone. I've been lurking on this site for a while and decided to sign up to make a contribution to this thread - only to find that by the time I've gone through the clearance process Z909 has recommended pretty much my itinerary! I did it at much the same time as him as well, because I transited Bangkok on the way back to the UK three days (I think) before the yellow shirts closed the airport. The only differences were that I spent 5 days each in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap - Phnom Penh for Bon Om Tuk and Siem Reap because I wanted to see Beng Melea and Koh Ker in the outlying temples. I also flew back from Siem Reap to Bangkok, because of my schedule. There were some relatively cheap fares to be had, but a lomg time in advance A few things I might add, though: Bon Om Tuk was my must see for Phnom Penh. Its a huge longboat festival, taking place alomg the river in front of Sisowath Quay. Over 400 boats take part, so there's plenty of eye candy in the crews. The whole town is en fete for the three days - firework displays and illuminated barges on the river at night, funfairs, outdorr music stands and so forth by day. Very friendly, very happy crowds. If you go at that time though, some of the usual touristy venues - Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and National Museum are closed. Bon Om Tuk is 19th-21st November this year. The bus journey from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. It's interesting and, if you get a VIP one, comfortable. Costs about $10. I was glad, however, that I had booked a tuk tuk from the hotel to pick me up. I arrived after dark, and the bus terminus was down an unlit soi where I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I could also have bought a tuk tuk voucher on the bus - recommended at any time of day if you haven't booked a pick up, because the drivers in Siem Reap have a reputation for taking you to the hotel of their choice - where they get a commission! If you want to book a taxi in Siem Reap, then Mr Tee is really reliable. I used him all the time I was there, and have also recommended him to a friend who speaks equally well of him: Angkor Wat Tours I stayed at Golden Banana in Siem Reap. Very pleasant place down a quiet soi, about 10 mins walk from the Old Market. Split level rooms, built around the swimming pool. I have pictures if anyone wants them. This website has good street maps of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, plus listings of things to see and do, places to stay and eat, etc. Cambodia travel guides: Siem Reap, Angkor, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville - hotels, resturants, maps, airlines and more