22 Dec -
It's that time of year when our thoughts turn to one man. A man who's actions benefited mankind and who, from humble beginnings, rose to lead a legion of followers whom eagerly waited his every move and his every word. I am of course talking about Bono. Professional Irishman, all round musical genius and I-pod salesman. Bono has an I-pod, he even has a nice brushed aluminium limited edition line with his own name on them. I don't. He also goes out of his way to help charities, even those that go to the aid of unpopular causes where the victims aren't particularly photogenic. And, errr, I don't.
So in a a bid to put me in Bono's good books, it's time for the IamKohChang.com 'Dig deep and give' Christmas charity appeal with all proceeds going to charity, in case that wasn't blindingly obvious by the time you reached the end of this sentence.
Deciding how to raise cash wasn't easy, collecting half a ton of bottletops that can be smelted down and sold to Mick the metal merchant wasn't an option, neither was a 'Bring & Buy' sale, so I opted for the online version of the begging bowl - Paypal.
Having done that narrowing down the nominees for Charity of the Year wasn't easy. Nominations ranged from 'The Association of Koh Chang East Coast Hoteliers' a barely known minority group frequently shunned by foreign visitors to Koh Chang and in need of all the financial assistance they can receive, to the 'A bargirl isn't just for Christmas Appeal'. Set up to ensure that long after their Xmas flings are over, Koh Chang's bargirls will receive a new Nokia phone and gold bracelet to lessen the emotional pain of separation. As their spokeswoman said when contacted for a comment for this site "Some man no good, promise money but not send, buffalo sick, mama papa need new house, no have phone, sister baby in hospital, many problem in my life, but no complain. I alone in a big world. You have good heart, you like Thai girl?"
Persuasive as both of the above are they didn't make the cut for the final two options. Those of you who enjoy reading this site and are sitting at home with Christmas bonuses burning a hole in your pocket read on. Have your kids really done enough good this year to justify the expense of a new Nintendo Wii? I doubt it. Does your spouse deserve that slap up festive meal or could they do with skipping the dessert and donating the saved cash to a worthy cause? (OK probably not, I'd go for the Toffee Banoffee pie over a pock marked Darfurian child too - but you get my drift.)
Here are two Paypal buttons. They accept credit card and Paypal donations. On the left is the 60GB Ipod that I'll squander any money you give to me on. On the right is a cute kitten. He's alive and well and lives at our house. If he gets sick the only guys who can treat him are Lisa and Carla from Koh Chang Animal Foundation. The Foundation exists entirely on donations and there are a growing band of pet owners on KC who are very thankful for the efforts of Lisa who set up the foundation and who has ploughed over US$90,000 of her own money into keeping it going for the past few years.
For more info on I-pods see: http://www.apple.com/ipod/ipod.html & For more info on Koh Chang Animal Foundation see: www.kohchanganimalfoundation.org. Having weighed up the pros and cons of each option . . . it's time to whip out the plastic.
| For no reason other than I'm probably the only person on the planet without one and even though I'll probably lose it or break it in 6 months it'd be nice to have. Ahh, the joy of giving . . not nearly as good as the joy of receiving. | Give a few pounds, dollars or euros to the Koh Chang Animal Foundation and I personally guarantee you'll have a warm, fuzzy feeling throughout the holiday season. Plus there's a free beer from me for anyone who donates something to this worthy cause. |
Coming soon . . . is Koh Chang ready for ultra modern, million dollar villas? One German developer thinks so and has 19 of them planned on Koh Chang's newest luxury development 'The Edge Village' near Bangbao. More info and photos coming in the New Year.
Anyone following the financial markets will have seen Thailand stock market soar over 10% in a single day. (Ok, so this was after it plummeted over 15% the previous day.) The reasons are the military government's cunning new plans to stop evil foreigners bringing cash into Thailand and tricking banks into selling them their entire stash of baht at dirt cheap rates. But this ruling has a big effect on anyone wanting to transfer money into Thailand to buy a condo freehold . . . as those buying freehold condos, will see the Bank of Thailand retain 30% of foreign funds remitted, interest-free for one year. (So you need to transfer 130% of the purchase price.) BUT, under the new rules, foreigners who want to buy a leasehold property in Thailand will have no problem doing so if they can bring in Thai baht for the purpose.
Visas . . . if you're living on KC and doing the 30-day visa runs and expecting to get 3 consecutive visas and then head off and get a 2 month tourist visa from a neighbouring country in order to stay longer, bear in mind that some people who have just got their third 30 day visa have also had a note written in their passport saying that once it expires they cant re-enter Thailand for 90 days - at all. If this happens your options are to try to get a new visa in Malaysia, if they decide not to give it, bearing in mind the written note in your passport, then getting a new passport before coming back into Thailand is your only 'Plan B' option.
Merry Xmas etc
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