simpsonc510

rizzuto
That's easy! You just take a few bites here, a few bites there, and you eat about 5 tiny meals a day! LOL

Kathie

guenmai, I'm delighted to hear your review of Bed. It's on my must-do list for November.

glorialf

Kathie-- you haven't been to Bed yet? You'll love it.

kuranosuke

rizzuto; we both share the same goals, but it looks like a daunting task to have five meals a day, with an occasional dalliance with street food(for me at least)

Gpanda

Rizzuto-23 is not divisible by 5, so I think you're required to have 25 meals for simplicity.

Just got a flyer on an Exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem. MA. It says that "The Kingdom of Siam: The Art of Central Thailand 1350-1800" will be there through October 16, 2005. Any GTG'ers from out of town can pop up there to see it.

Torture (tor-chur)n., lunch, dinner and a tour of Boston with Robert Kimball.

hobbes

Attendee in spirit, Hobbes, here...Guemai, glad u enjoyed BED, one of my all time favs - did u make it to MahaNaga or Face? Thanks for the report re the Four Seasons - I am prob in Bkk late Sept and we are booked there...will look forward to checking it out. We stayed at the Oriental last time which I enjoyed but this time I want to be in the hub of things - esp as shopping is high on the agenda!!

rhkkmk

"Torture"---you ain't seen nothing yet...wait until you see what we have in store for you...!!!

rhkkmk

HI---the hands...yes i remember the hands....and now i need to look for fine embroidery....but the pronounciation???

simpsonc510

Hobbes
I shall also be in BKK last 10 days of Sept. but I won't be staying at the Four Seasons. I will probably be at the Omni Tower apt on soi 4. Might run into orgy7 at the Brunswick!
(Ming's chili awaits!)
Carol

Guenmai

OK...so many questions...so little time, but as for the weather question...it's perfect. Clear skies, for the most part, and not a drop of rain...yet. As for the condo, I called the realtor yesterday, but no one answered. I think they only work M-F and tomorrow is my last day. Maybe I'll have the concierge handle making an appointment with the realtor for in the morning. As for me and finding a serviced apartment for my 3-week vacation...check the "Paging Hobbes and Hawaiaan Traveler" thread. I just posted there. As for food, I don't want to see anymore. Yesterday, I just skipped lunch because I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off looking for a serviced apartment among other things I HAD to get done. So, I just grabbed two pieces of cake at the cake restaurant on the top floor of Emporium Mall. I love their cake especially the coffee flavored one with coffee flavored icing and some carmelized, liquid candy stuff on top. I usually am not a dessert person, but this cake is an exception. Then I went down the escalator to Greyhound Cafe for some REAL food. I've eaten there several times before. Oh, big news...Jim Thompson's main store is closed for renovation...I've been told by the staff at the Emporium store(my favorite store)... which sent me livid since I wanted to buy a piece of the new Jim Thompson luggage that I saw in one of the fashion magazines. That's why I didn't bring along an extra luggage piece from home to carry all the stuff I've bought back in. Well, the luggage is only sold at the main store and when they closed the main store they sent the luggage, along with all of the other merchandise, to a huge warehouse. You would think that the luggage pieces would have been sent to some of the other stores in town. So, I don't know when the renovation will be finished, but not by the time I leave on Tuesday. So, I'll have to wait until the December trip. Well, I've got to go. My e-mail bill has reached about $14.00 for an hour and I've been on the forum now for half an hour of that time. I'll try to post tomorrow. I'm off to the Ascott-Sathorn serviced apartment building today. And Bob...you are demented! I'm laughing hysterically at your comments. Happy Travels!

Guenmai

Oh, Gloria...Part of the Oriental is under renovation. There was a letter to the guests stating that the Verandah, small pool, gym, and tennis and squash courts were closed. Bummer! Happy Travels!

Guenmai

Oh, Bob...as for the pronounciation of my screen name...Guen...it's like pronouncing,"win", but only with a "G" instead of a "W". Happy Travels!

rhkkmk

YOU ARE SIMPLY THE "G" WOMAN TO ME!!!!

do you know guen that sheraton grande on sukhumvit has a long stay rate that is very attractive for stays over 14 days...?? no washier etc...

rhkkmk

guen---where are you?? are you stuck in your biscotti choc. cake??

Guenmai

Thanks a lot, Bob, for the above info... Now, for the report of yesterday's escapades...Well, my Thai friend dropped by the hotel.It was her day off. She's learning a lot about Bangkok from me....Smiles...She lives, with her parents, in the outskirts of Bangkok. I tease her that it's time to leave the nest and get her own place...she's 29 with a career and university educated, but an only child who's absolutely adored by her parents and boyfriend of 12 years.She's the nicest and most patient person you'd ever want to know. We know each other from when she was living in L.A. and going to university there. It's good to have her when I run into the language problems, plus she's such a great friend and a LOT calmer than I am. I move and think VERY fast and have to remind myself to slow down. So, the goal yesterday was to check out two condos and one more serviced apartment building. Oh,Carol, we went to Bumrungrad Hospital...I went to get a medical card...in case I get hit by a tuk-tuk or something then they'll know where to send me for treatment! Anyhow, we ate at the Italian restaurant and the food was GREAT. I had the first pasta dish on the menu called tagalilini or something like that and with tomato sauce and basil. My Thai friend had chicken on a skewer with veggies and potatoes with a red-colored barbecue sauce. She said it was excellent. And it's great that there's an Au Bon Pain bakery next door to the restaurant,too. Anyhow, after we left the hospital area, I said I wanted to jump back on the skytrain there at Ploenchit and go back over to the Emporium mall to finish the shopping. So, we did that and then stopped in at the cake cafe...upstairs... to have a fast piece of cake(fuel) for the condo searching wild goose chase that was to come. Then we were headed for the first condo which was The Lofts at Yennakart which according from the info I had xeroxed at home was launching May 2005. I had the concierge here at the Four Seasons to call over there... early yesterday morning... and check things out before going out to find the place. He said that the guy who answered wasn't very nice and said that all of the units at The Legend at Saladang...the other building by the same builders.... had been sold out...except one penthouse. So the concierge asked him the size of the penthouse and he said, " I don't know...200-something sq. meters". So then the concierge asked,"Well, are we talking like 201 sq.meters or 299 sq.meters upon which the reply was," Well, somewhere in the middle I guess." So, we just laughed and the concierge said to me to just be prepared for about anything. I told him that I'm VERY used to dealing with such craziness so it would be alright. So...later that day... after leaving the Emporium mall, we thought it best to take the skytrain from the Emporium Mall over to the Chong Nonsi stop...faster than a cab..and THEN jump off the sky train and flag a cab to find this... The Lofts at Yennakart... building. When we got off at the skytrain, my Thai friend asked someone working in the skytrain station where the name of one of the streets was and the person immediately said, Are you looking for The Lofts at Yennakart?". My friend was stunned. How would this person know that's exactly what we were looking for? There must be a lot of people looking for the same place. Well, we were told we'd have to take a taxi. So we left the skytrain station and flagged a taxi and got a very sweet driver...an elderly man who was great so I just hired him for all of the driving. He'd go to place one and then on to place two and turn off the meter and then wait for us and then when we got back into the car would turn the meter back on and we'd continue to the next place.So off we went to the Lofts at Yennakart...we drove and drove and drove...and went down alleys and backstreets and jungly looking streets probably inhabited by tokay lizards...yuck! Anyhow, we FINALLY after a good 15 minutes and 57 baht later got to the address only to find an EMPTY lot. Oh, this is where my Thai friend's calmness came in handy. She and the driver just laughed while I boiled, meditated, and THEN just shook my head disgustedly and laughed. There was only a sales office on an empty lot. In that area, there are a LOT of condos and townhouses going up, but I wouldn't even THINK of living out there. My Thai friend looked around and commented that she wouldn't even live out there. It's not a nice area. They are taking a not-so-nice area and then buying up the land and turning it into a planned community type of place. So, I told her that I didn't want to even go into the sales office. We then took off for a serviced apartment building called the... Ascott Sathorn... on South Sathorn Road right at the Chong Nonsi skytrain station. We went in and looked around. It's beautiful, but the "feel" wasn't right for me. I was told that all of the studio apartments were booked solid as they usually are since people who are working in Bangkok rent them out for a long period of time. I was shown a two bedroom one which was absolutely beautiful, but it didn't have anywhere near the effect on me that the Emporium Suites had.It was kind of a ,"cold" feel to the building. So, then we left and our taxi driver was waiting and just smiling away and asking my Thai friend how it was. Then we drove on to the second condo by the same builders as the non-existant first condo...hoping we would find a building on THAT land.Chuckle...chuckle... So, we drove down Saladang soi 1 and couldn't find it. We passed the Siri Sathorn which looked very nice and I remember it on my serviced apartment building list, but I didn't stop in to take a look. I was pressed for time. But, it would be GREAT to live on that street and then if friends or relatives came to visit, just put them up in the Siri Sathorn serviced apartment building on the same street. I liked this street, it looked like a REAL neighborhood similiar to what I'm used to...tree-lined and all. Anyhow, we got to the end of the street when there we saw The Legend at Saladang building. So, we jumped out of the cab and stepped over a lot of construction stuff and were lead into the lobby by the security guard and then up the fire escape...elevators not working yet...and into a two-bedroom model condo which has already been sold. It was beautiful. I could live in that building. When I got the computer print out of the building around May 2005, 85% of the condos had been sold. Well, now there's only ONE penthouse condo left. I was given a price list. There are two price lists. One price for the condo...empty...without any fixtures in case you want to put in your own kitchen...bathroom fixtures etc...and the other price was the finished product which is ready to move into. I asked for the finished product. I had a list of questions to ask. The saleswoman mostly understood me, but I had my Thai friend do a little translation for me. OK...1) The monthly maintenance fee is 45 baht per square meter according to the size of your own condo unit...I asked what this money was going toward and was told toward the upkeep of the building and the pool maintenance and security guard and system etc...but NOT to the maintenance of each person's individually owned condo. So I asked what if the condo unit has a major problem like plumbing...leaky roof...etc. Well, I was told that all that's covered the first year of ownership and then after that the owner is responsible for his/her own maintenance.Sort of like owning a house at home, I guess. 2) I asked about property taxes of which I was told there were none. My Thai friend had told me this,too. 3)I asked what the cash price discount would be and was told there was none...same price for cash or financed 4)I asked when the building would be totally finshed and was told at the end of October. 5) I asked about how much deposit had to be put down and was told 30% and then the additional 70% would be due at the completion date of the condo building 6) I learned that Thais buy condo units before ever seeing them. They buy from a projection condo plan...before the building is even built...which is VERY difficult for me...I like to see exactly what I'm buying before buying it 7) I also asked if this condo project was a leasehold project or a freehold project and was told that all of raimonland.com's projects are freehold...which is what I was looking for.I'll explain the leasehold situation which I researched at home...The leasehold condos are mainly located on super prime locations where the majority of the land belongs to the Crown Property Bureau or the Privy Purse. These condos generally have a 30-year tenure.They used to offer a 50-year tenure, but this wasn't very popular so they cancelled that type of program. The price on the leasehold condos is about 30-35% below the cost of a freehold condo. Some buyers like this since if he/she deposited the 30-35% of the savings into a fixed account at an interest rate of 3.5% per year, then he/she would get 100% back at the end of the 30th year. If the buyer bought the condo for rental income, he/she would get his/her money back even sooner . Usually the payback period for a 30-year leasehold condo is around 10 to 15 years, leaving 15-20 years free for profit taking. So, that's how it works according to the article on this that I read at home. Now, the problem is what happens after the 30 years? I asked this question to the saleswoman at condo #2 although her company doesn't have leasehold condos. She said that you technically no longer own it after the 30-year contract has expired. And that maybe you could get an extention to the lease probably at a very high price or re-buy back into it. That's not good if one plans to live in it permamently. Who wants to be in his/her elderly years and possibly end up homeless at the end of 30 years because he/she might not have the money to extend the lease or re-buy back into it. So, buying for investment reasons is one thing and buying to permanently live in the condo is another. So, I would be more interested in buying it out right and then willing it to someone in the family when I've left this earth in hopefully no less than 40+ years from now! Oh, as for the prices...I was given a price list of the penthouse condos which I'm NOT interested in, but was the only available unit(s). There's another...completed...project at the Lakes off of Sukhumvit soi 16 at the corner of Asoke... by the same builders...When I get back in December, the saleswoamn will show me those. So, at the Legend at Saladang...Penthouse Unit 1101 at The Legend at Saladang is 2 bedrooms...239.83 sq.meters big...price per sq.meter is 98,000... condo unit price is 23,503,340 baht with a downpayment of 7,051,002 baht and a balance of 16,452,338 baht. The most expensive penthouse is penthouse 1202 on the 12th floor...3 bedrooms...421.39 sq.meters big and a selling price of 42,139,000 baht. Only 49% of the condo building can be owned by foreign buyers and 51% owned by Thais. There are some units for sale at the Lakes building off of Sukhumvit and the 67 sq.meter 1 bedroom/1 bathroom is selling for 7,370,000 Baht.High price...small space. My apartment at the Emporium Suites will be 80 sq. meters. If I were to buy a condo, I would need at least 80-100 sq.meters. It seems that people buy these units for investment and maybe hardly live in them and then resell them for profit. From the recent computer list I was given, the above is the cheapest unit for RESALE at the Lakes. The most expensive one there is the Penthouse going for 66,094,500 baht... at 440.63 sq. meters with 3 bedrooms/3 bathrooms/ and a maid's room. Hope this has helped folks....I've got to go. It's over two hours on the internet at about $14.00 an hour. I don't know if I'll be back on the internet tonight as I fly home very early in the morning. So, it might be a while before you here from me as I don't have a computer at home, but have to wait until I get back to work which is the day after I arrive home.Oh, from Sept 11-18th the Four Seasons is holding its 6th annual food festival and chefs will fly in from all over the world...California...Hawaii...New York...London..Lima,Peru...Adelaide, Australia...Italy, Melbourne, Australia...and even from up in Chiangmai. All of the restaurants at the FS will have dinners prepared by these chefs. I have a whole booklet on it with printed schedules of who's cooking and at what time and in which restaurants and which times. The food fest is to benefit the AIDS project. And there's a 7-course Gala dinner including wine on Wed, Sept 14th at 7:30PM for 6,400 baht plus taxes and service...in the ballroom. Happy Travels!

hobbes

Happy u discovered the Four Seasons Gourmet Festival...my mouth is watering and I am wishing we were there right now...the year I was there I attended a Penfolds vertical tasting where they had flown in some Granges - all for the incredible price of 1200 baht..also went for an amazing chocolate tasting...anyone in Bkk during the Gourmet Festival try to book place now as it sells out fast...it is great VFM for what they provide...

Guenmai

I wish I could attend. I'd better get off of the computer now. I'm five minutes short of 3 hours of computer use. Got to go. Happy Travels!

glorialf

Guen-- thanks for the detailed report on service apartments and condos. It will be several years before I can spend more than 3-4 weeks thailand but it's something I'm definitely thinking about.

Not surprised that the Oriental was doing renovations -- they usually do it in the summer.

Hope everything worked out at Cotton House and you have a good flight home.

Guenmai

.....Where is everyone? Happy Travels!

rhkkmk

we're here waiting for more reports from you...what's new in LA??

how are those hands??