Guest zzrichard Posted April 7, 2008 Posted April 7, 2008 Every once in awhile while I was still in the States I would read a topic here about what is missed from a persons home country. I am soon to be here 90 days and so I guess that I really miss nothing too much at all. The only tangible item is Secret deodorant (made for a woman, but strong enough for a man) LOL. The intangible is the lack of quick response of service for internet. I was down for a week and in the States that would invoke yelling on my part, but here I just played the quiet game, complained daily, but with a smile and I am up again. Richard aka namjai Quote
Gaybutton Posted April 7, 2008 Posted April 7, 2008 Every once in awhile while I was still in the States I would read a topic here about what is missed from a persons home country. When I first moved here, I started a written list of the things I miss. So far, I'm still looking at a blank page. Actually, that's not 100% true. There are a few things I wanted that I can't find here, but Villa Market has solved most of that problem for me. I still do ask my friends to bring some small items for me when they come. I remember a few months ago I asked for some packages of dry Lipton Onion Soup, which I use for cooking. Now I have so much that I think I'll be long dead and gone before I ever use half of it. Also, several months ago I mentioned that I missed my bread making machine, from the USA. It was too big and bulky to bring over and I couldn't find one in Thailand to save my life. One poster here was kind enough to offer to get one for me and put it in a shipping container he was going to send over here. Before I took him up on his offer, someone posted that they thought they saw some for sale at Paragon, in Bangkok. I went to Paragon and sure enough, there they were! The even had the same brand I had in the USA and the fact it was being sold here meant that I didn't have to worry about electricity differences. I bought it, of course. I haven't bought a loaf of bread ever since. I just make my own now. It's just a few small, hard to find items that I miss, but nothing more than that. Other than that, everything I need and everything I want is right here in Thailand. Quote
Guest Posted April 7, 2008 Posted April 7, 2008 Did anyone ever find that Secret Deodorant. Strong enough for a man but made for a woman? I looked and looked for it. I ran out the first month I was there last time and I used a spray the boyfriend got me called Axe but it is no Secret. Perhaps my odor is what drove all the farangs away? Quote
Guest stef Posted April 7, 2008 Posted April 7, 2008 Did anyone ever find that Secret Deodorant. Strong enough for a man but made for a woman? I looked and looked for it. I ran out the first month I was there last time and I used a spray the boyfriend got me called Axe but it is no Secret. Perhaps my odor is what drove all the farangs away? Spray doesn't work at all. You are better off using a real Deodorant stick Otherwise when I am in Thailand.. I for sure MISS THE HIGH SPEED internet... Quote
Guest JoeM Posted April 7, 2008 Posted April 7, 2008 I will be in Bangkok and Pattaya in 2 weeks. Would you like me to bring you Secret deodorant? Quote
Guest laurence Posted April 7, 2008 Posted April 7, 2008 I assume the question is "tangible item"? Not things like clean air, clean streets, traffic control, pedestrian crossings and on and on. Actually the foregoing are what I do miss the most. But for tangible items beyond any and all doubt is "decent wine at a decent price". The lack of good wine is enough to drive me to drink! Quote
Guest luvthai Posted April 7, 2008 Posted April 7, 2008 Nice to see you posting again Richard sorry we didn't connect on my last trip. When I was staying in thailand a couple years ago the only thing I missed was the variety of TV channels that were available. I was not one to go out every night and I enjoyed just watching a good tv show so I ended up with a large collection od dvd's. Quote
Guest zzrichard Posted April 8, 2008 Posted April 8, 2008 PM'd Luvthai and JoeM Laurence, living in Las Vegas for the last 12 years I find the air, streets traffic control, etc. on about the same par here. But it is nice not to read of the drive by shootings on a daily basis. So even with its' faults, I prefer Thailand very much. Now as far as the wine is concerned, I was at Lotus yesterday and picked up a bottle of Thai wine. I am sure it will not exactly be a Chardonnay Marisol. but I will let you know. I will also admit that I am not a wine expert either. Quote
Guest Posted April 8, 2008 Posted April 8, 2008 I will be in Bangkok and Pattaya in 2 weeks. Would you like me to bring you Secret deodorant? You are a sweet man. If I was in Thailand I would have taken you up on that offer. I am now in Brazil but I was in NYC for about 12 hours and went to a CVS and got 4 containers of Secret to last me for my trip in Brazil. As far as you guys that miss the wine go, have you thought of making it yourself? I went to a fabulous wine store recently and they allowed groups to come in and make the wine and the store completed the process with all the ingredients and then the group went back to bottle it and taste it. Friends who have done this had loved the wine and the experience. I think this would be a fabulous idea for Pattaya. Any entrepreneurs out there? Quote
Guest laurence Posted April 8, 2008 Posted April 8, 2008 PM'd Luvthai and JoeM Now as far as the wine is concerned, I was at Lotus yesterday and picked up a bottle of Thai wine. I am sure it will not exactly be a Chardonnay Marisol. but I will let you know. I will also admit that I am not a wine expert either. My experience with Thai wine was enough to give up drinking! But if you like sweet wine then maybe you will be in luck. My opinion is the best Thai wine is worse then the worst imported wine. But, when one is Calif, then one is spoiled by the quality and price. 555 Really, I am not a wine snob and never buy anything over $10 USD = 300TB. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted April 8, 2008 Posted April 8, 2008 But for tangible items beyond any and all doubt is "decent wine at a decent price" Totally agree. If you shop around you can sometimes find good wine at a reasonable price. In recent months I got some excellent Montepulciano d'Abruzzo in the Italian wine store in All Seasons Place and a splendid Australian Shiraz in Tops at Central Chidlom - but at Bt650 and Bt550 respectively. Not sure I have ever found a decent wine at Bt300. The problem here is the crazy way alcohol is taxed which makes spirits much cheaper and wine more expensive. Quote
Guest stef Posted April 8, 2008 Posted April 8, 2008 My experience with Thai wine was enough to give up drinking! But if you like sweet wine then maybe you will be in luck. My opinion is the best Thai wine is worse then the worst imported wine. But, when one is Calif, then one is spoiled by the quality and price. 555 Really, I am not a wine snob and never buy anything over $10 USD = 300TB. I have to agree 200 % Here.. I was in Chiang Mai and got a bottle of wine while having dinner with the owners of PJ's Place, and I almost fainted. I was just so exited to get some wine but this was a disaster. I for sure wouldn't call that wine, even Sweet WINE... I have no idea what is is but it ain't for sure Wine at all. Quote
Guest zzrichard Posted April 8, 2008 Posted April 8, 2008 First of all, I want to thank everybody for keeping this a fun topic. I will say for sure that I was not sure of posting anything because of all the responces of some assholes the last time I did. Now being an ex-hippy in LA and SF in the '60's. the wines that come to mind are MD 20-20...lovely for the perfect compliment to Mc Donald's 1/4 pounder...Boones Farm (any flavor) which goes well with almost any delicate fish entree from H. Salt!!! And as far as the rest of my memories of those days...???? Where did theygo??? lol... Forgot to say that the bottle of wine cost me 190 baht...it is Knight Black Horse 2005 (guess they could not sell it all that year) and is Strawberry Sweet Wine. If does have a cork, so I guess that puts it above and beyond Ripple.... I am planning to share it with my bf tonight, so I will let you know of its ambiance tomorrow....no...not my boyfriend....the wine! Quote
Gaybutton Posted April 8, 2008 Posted April 8, 2008 I know very little about wine. All I really know is I either like it or I don't. On the "don't" end, a few years ago a young gentleman from Laos brought me a gift. Chinese champagne. At least that's what the bottle said. It was a magnum bottle and cost about 200 baht, or about six times what it was worth. It was like effervescent mouthwash, although I think the mouthwash would have been better. Out of politeness I had to act as if I loved it. Of course, as soon as the gentleman was gone, so was the champagne . . . right down the sink. I don't think the drainpipes ever forgave me for that. I was going to keep the empty bottle, but I decided instead to throw it out. I didn't want anything around that would remind me of that so-called champagne. Well, at least the lad's heart was in the right place, but if someone ever offers you some Chinese champagne, I suggest you run, not walk away. Obviously, I thought it was excellent . . . Quote
Guest zzrichard Posted April 9, 2008 Posted April 9, 2008 the wine was red...the wine was sweet...the wine was strong...and thats all i am saying... Quote
Guest shockdevil Posted April 9, 2008 Posted April 9, 2008 Since this indeed was my longest stay in Thailand (2 ½ months plus), I found that I have been missing Quaker Instant Oatmeal variety flavor packets. I brought two boxes of the variety packs with on this trip and wished I had brought much more. The can of instant oatmeal they sell at Tops and Carrefour are okay but nothing beats the individual serving packs in the flavor of your choice each day. I also miss Log Cabin as well as Mrs. Buttersworth’s pancake syrup. The sugar syrups they provide in most restaurants just don’t make the grade for me. Hi-Speed Internet is certainly something else that is truly missed, especially in my apartment. When I return later this year for my three (3) month stay in Thailand, I will bring fewer clothes and more of my favorite items that I could not find at the stored in Thailand. Quote
Gaybutton Posted April 9, 2008 Posted April 9, 2008 Since this indeed was my longest stay in Thailand (2 ½ months plus), I found that I have been missing Quaker Instant Oatmeal variety flavor packets. I brought two boxes of the variety packs with on this trip and wished I had brought much more. The can of instant oatmeal they sell at Tops and Carrefour are okay but nothing beats the individual serving packs in the flavor of your choice each day. I also miss Log Cabin as well as Mrs. Buttersworth’s pancake syrup. The sugar syrups they provide in most restaurants just don’t make the grade for me. I'm pretty sure I've seen Log Cabin in Villa Market, although I know they don't carry Mrs. Butterworth's. As for the oatmeal, I've seen Quaker Oats at Villa Market too, but I don't think they carry the variety packets. Villa Market claims they can special order items you want if they don't carry them. However, several of my friends have placed special orders, but never received anything and it's been months. Regarding Hi-Speed Internet, I use Maxnet and I'm getting very good speed. You can get, if you really need it, a dedicated line. That will provide speeds comparable to what you are accustomed to, but it's expensive, about 5000 baht per month. I'm getting all the speed I need with Maxnet. Quote
Guest Posted April 9, 2008 Posted April 9, 2008 Regarding Hi-Speed Internet, I use Maxnet and I'm getting very good speed. You can get, if you really need it, a dedicated line. That will provide speeds comparable to what you are accustomed to, but it's expensive, about 5000 baht per month. I'm getting all the speed I need with Maxnet. Is it that cheap now? When I had a place there, the dedicated line was like 17,000 baht. And, I think that was for 512 up and down. My memory may be wrong on this but I don't think it was 5k. Quote
Gaybutton Posted April 9, 2008 Posted April 9, 2008 Is it that cheap now? When I had a place there, the dedicated line was like 17,000 baht. And, I think that was for 512 up and down. My memory may be wrong on this but I don't think it was 5k. I could be wrong. I seem to remember being told that when I first signed up for Maxnet, but I'm going strictly by my memory, which isn't exactly the most reliable resource in the world. I suppose someone will have to check with Maxnet to find out the actual price. Quote
Guest Posted April 9, 2008 Posted April 9, 2008 I could be wrong. I seem to remember being told that when I first signed up for Maxnet, but I'm going strictly by my memory, which isn't exactly the most reliable resource in the world. I suppose someone will have to check with Maxnet to find out the actual price. I got quotes from ToT and when I had an apartment it was over 24,000 a month. That was a few years back. When I had a house I think I chose a different plan and it was around 17,000 a month. The speed on both is slower than you can get anywhere in the USA for cable modem and it is also much slower than most places. So, Stef is right. The high speed options there really do suck for those of us who need the speed. Quote
Guest jomtien Posted April 9, 2008 Posted April 9, 2008 Since this indeed was my longest stay in Thailand (2 ½ months plus), I found that I have been missing Quaker Instant Oatmeal variety flavor packets. I brought two boxes of the variety packs with on this trip and wished I had brought much more. I've purchased the variety packs at both Carrefour and Villa. Villa also has real maple syrup although the price is linked to the price of gold bars. Quote
