THE DRINKS PAGE

GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS?

"I cannot BELIEVE it!" rang out the voice behind me, the Scots accent stronger and fresher than a durian fruit in Sompet Market. "I just left five thousand baht on that bloody seat and it's STILL there! Oh yes! There IS a God! Thank you, thank you!"

It's a rare scene alright, and as the young man went down on the floor of the Full Monty Pub, Thapae Gate, two weeks back, prostrating himself and bowing deeply to the assembly, the boss and I agreed that the seat's new occupant - whom we knew - would certainly have handed in the notes folded up behind him had he seen them. But how many others would?

Across the moat in December Bar a few weeks earlier, some Japanese tourists left early evening, and minutes later Khun Ot noticed a little video camera on the seat. He put it safely behind the bar - and there it was 45 minutes later when a breathless man rushed in asking "Camera? Camera?" Just as German Joe was locking the doors that night the man reappeared, pressed a 1,000 baht note into his hand and ran off! Honesty brings it's own rewards. Sometimes.

Mobile phones, especially when they were so big you needed both hands to drive them, didn't fit comfortably into pockets and were often left in watering holes, even the front baskets of Honda Dreams. "Pray it doesn't ring!" yelled a forgetful soul to his sweetheart as he suddenly sprinted out of The Red Lion, all the way across the car park to his bike. It hadn't rung - so no-one had noticed it.

Some folk are not so lucky. About to use the hong nam in a local saloon, a friend had 3,000 baht in notes fall from a pocket. He placed them carefully on the water tank behind him, and there they stayed as he washed his hands and left. Realising his error he dashed back in under 3 minutes - but the cash was gone. Maybe 60 seconds would have saved it?

So transfixed by their different surroundings (and by the almost ever-present Thai smile and tolerance), folk get careless on vacation and neglect commonsense precautions which are second nature back home. Flashing too much cash, carrying wallets in back pockets, shoulder bags casually swung along narrow sois late at night - all mishaps or thefts just waiting to happen. Keep your wits about you and your valuables (the minimum required per trip from your abode) close to you. There are many very poor people around here and desperation breeds dishonesty. Don't be a loser.

It's from Saraburi, it's CP-MEIJI pasteurized milk in blue & white plastic bottles, and it's the only one I've found locally that stays drinkable up to and past it's sell-by date.

BUT I DON’T GIVE A CLUCK!

Incoming fire, not drugs, closes the border at Mae Sai

David Hardy

The Danish Royal visit marks 100 years of friendship

Gomase Theenanon

Chiangmai and the North

My Chiangmai

David Hardy

The Drinks Page

Night Fowl

Letters

Heart to Heart

CHIANG-
CYBER-MAI?

Dr Rom (yes, really!), director of the Software Park Thailand project of the National Science and Technology Development Agency, has been holding talks with software firms interested in building a "cybercity" in Chiangmai .(...).

MISS THIPAPORN. I am 28 years old and single. I am only 155 cms tall and weigh 45kgs. I don’t smoke or drink alcohol. (...).

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