Miscellaneous Informational FAQs

  Trink

For decades, Bernard Trink wrote the "Night Owl" weekly column in the Bangkok Post. His employment was terminated at the end of 2003. Initially, Trink's column mostly covered the bar scene and assorted "extra curricular" activities associated with it. Over the years, due to changing times, that approach virtually disappeared and was replaced with what some regarded as a column that was banal, poorly written and largely consisted of jokes and misinformation from the internet.

Other readers continued to support him to the very end, based on his willingness, especially early on, to be frank and say what he thought.

His primary legacy rests with the letters TIT - standing for This Is Thailand - a somewhat cynical statement referring to things one considers absurd but unchangeable about the country.

  Luggage Storage

If you do not want to drag one of your suitcases around Thailand and would like to store them someplace, probably the most convenient is at the hotel you are staying at.

Most hotels are fairly secure in this regard. Some inexpensive guesthouses are less secure. In either case, you should not leave anything of significant value. There is usually a small fee for this.

Another option is to leave your extra bag at the airport. Chubb Aviation (owned by Guardair) offers what is reported to be secure luggage storage and they are open 24 hours a day.

In Bangkok, they have outlets in both the domestic and international terminals. They can also be found at the Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hat Yai airports.

The fee is Bt 90 per day for up to three months.

  Litter

Thailand has a problem with littering, but the situation is improving as litter ordinances are being enforced more routinely.

In areas frequented by tourists, you sometimes find "litter police." If they catch you littering - and note carefully that this includes throwing a cigarette on the ground - you can be fined up to Bt 2,000 on the spot.

Some expatriates claim that westerners are singled out and that the fine can be negotiated downward. It is best to avoid the problem altogether and look for a rubbish bin (sometimes difficult to find) to throw your garbage in. In the case of a cigarette, grind it out on the top of the bin, make sure it is out and then dispose of it.

It is probably unfair to generalize and claim that Thailand is dirty. Two particularly clean cities than come to mind are Mukdahan, in the Northeast, and Hua Hin in the South. The Thai government sponsors a Clean City Contest every year and both of these cities have won in the past.