Smokes: Marlboro Reds cost $ 4.00-$5.00 per pack ( B 128-B 160) and $ 42.00 for a carton. The price of Marlboros in LOS are B 55 a pack or 1/3 the price. My friends who smoke claim the tobacco in the Thai Marlboros is not of the same quality and taste of those sold in Western markets so the comparison may not be completely apples to apples but close enough for our purposes.
Condoms Finally, and maybe most important - at least in my hometown of Pattaya, we come to the price of condoms! A 3-pack of Durex condoms cost $ 6.00 ( B 192). In Thailand, they cost B 45-B 55...or almost 1/4 the price. So we can all continue to engage in maximum sanook activities as the cost of our condoms is a great value compared to what one would pay for them in America. But come to think of it, some of us may not have much use for condoms in America so their high prices would not crimp our budget much and we could spend those savings on expensive smokes instead
Orchids: There was a "farmers market" day near my hotel today and I had a look around. One vendor was selling exotic orchids. These were really exotic varieties...not the typical white or purple ones you pick up for a hundred baht a tray at Thai markets and nurseries. They were good size (8-12") and priced between $ 15-$ 20 ( B 480-B 640).
Rotisserie Chicken: One man had a very large chicken rotisserie going. It looked delicious, with the drippings falling on a pile or rosemary roasted potatoes on the pan underneath. These were very large free-range birds more than twice as big as the typical Thai roasting chicken. They were $ 11.50 (B 368) a whole bird. The rotisserie birds (not Issan style gia yaang but real herb encrusted rotisserie birds) I buy on soi Nernplubwan cost B 65 ($ 2.00). Not an exact comparison between size and quality but barbecued chickens are allot cheaper in Thailand.
Pastries: Homemade peach and sweet potato pies (Southern style) personal pies $ 2.50 (B 80). Large piece homemade coffee-crumble cake $ 2.00 (B 64). Most decent pastries and cake/pie slices available at Thai bakeries and farang restaurants/cafes are at least as expensive or more so and nowhere near as good as what I had this morning.
Had the pleasure of visiting a friend in San Francisco yesterday and do some shopping and take in a Giants game at their nice new AT&T ballpark. I can tell you one thing, it is certainly back to normal regarding the weather. It was an early nite game against the Chicago White Sox and I'm sure those Sox players were much more comfortable than the California players or fans. By the time the sun went down, it was a bone jarring (for SF residents) 50 degrees or so, with a strong wind wipping up off the bay from time to time. To make matters worse, the Giants lost 3-1 in a poorly played game by both sides. However, the ballpark is really nice and intimate and the location right adjacent to the Bay and in the fast developing south of downtown area is really great.
Earlier in the morning, we were at the Ferry Building that in recent years has been developed into a fancy upmarket gourmet food emporium, farmers' market, and restaurant row. The place was packed with San Francisco beautiful people buying up organic this and free-range that. There was one stall that specialized in fresh mushrooms and they must of had 30-40 different varieties...I kid you not.
Another had bananas at $ .90 ea (B 29 [I can usually get 4 for B 25 in Pattaya]). Another comparison I can offer was a restaurant that was basically full had on their menu "2 eggs any style, with bacon and toast" for $ 14.00 ( B 448). So basically, 2 fried eggs, a couple strips of fancy bacon and toast for 15 bucks...and the place was full. Apparently there is no recession in San Francisco!
In the afternoon, we ate lunch at a nice neighborhood bistro and the price for 2 pasta dishes and an enchilada plate, with only water, came to $ 50.00 (inc tip), or B 1600, for the two of us. AS for the Giants game, we had lower box seats along the first base side. Really great seats about 15 or so rows back from the field. These cost $ 44.00 each. Standard stadium hotdogs cost $ 4.00, sodas $ 3.50-$ 5.50, and a 3-piece chicken tenders with garlic fries and soda that I bought $ 16.00. About $ 75.00 in total for one to attend a game. Compare that with a nite out in Pattaya
.. more cost comparisons between Thailand and San Francisco page 5
