M

MTV [Music Television]. Popular youth-oriented all-music cable station, available through UBS, the sole – but "We’re-not-a-monopoly" – provider of television cable service in Thailand.

Mahbookhrong Shopping Center: One of Bangkok’s best-known shopping centers, this is an amazing collection of hundreds of shops spread over several storeys right in the heart of the city. It is well-known as an inexpensive source of textile products, mobile telephones and accessories for them, toys – well, really, just about anything, but especially those categories.

Mai: "No" or "Not"

Mai Dee: "No/Not Good"

Mai Mee: literally, "No have" or "Not have," as in "We don’t have that"

Mai Pen Rai: "Never Mind")

Maids: Maids are readily and cheaply available, for both day service only and live-in. For the expat community, one popular way of recruiting maids (and other household staff, for that matter) is to check the bulletin board at the Villa Supermarket on the corner of Sukhumvit Road and Sukhumvit Soi 33/1, and to advertise in the same place. (Villa charges a nominal monthly fee for posting advertisements.) There are some factors to know. First, get recommendations – if possible, from other foreigners you know and trust. However, the competition for truly excellent maids is keen, so you likely will have to ask an applicant for references. Check them. Second, some expat employers require household staff members to deposit money in one way or another as a warranty of services, and this is not a bad idea, though one has to remember that given salaries are relatively low, the amount required to be deposited may seem low, though for a Thai employee it is, in fact, a substantial sum. Thirdly, in the case of live-in maids (and any other live-in staff), you have to be on guard against finding yourself hosting – and supporting, to considerable extent – a veritible village. A maid may ask (or may not even bother) if her relative can come stay with her "a few days," a time period that turns out to be endless. You don’t want to deal with the legal system, if you can help it, in this instance – it’s far easier just to move, and leave no contact information, though this in itself can present legal difficulties should the maid complain to the government’s Labour Department. Fourth is time off. Anyone who has been here any length of time comes to realize that the Thai notion of time is much less exact than that to which Westerners are accustomed; Noi, you lovable new maid, may ask for a day off only to disappear for a week or two, then to show up, ready to work – and utterly bewildered should you object to her absence. She is not being difficult; it’s just that obligations concerning time – and timing – are considerably less important here than in Western countries – even businesspeople may very well be quite late to a scheduled meeting, or cancel at the very last mniute, or simply not show up.

Mambo Cabaret [Washington Square.] This offers a katoey (transvestite) cabaret dance show nightly – 2 shows, the first at 8:30 P.M., the second at 10:00 P.M.

Manat Travel Service. Owned by brothers Manat and "Travel Agent" Charlie, this is a popular travel service among expats. They offer competitive prices on airline, railway, and bus (coach) tickets, as well as on hotels and tours. They offer a full range of travel services, including ticket delivery, passport pickup/delivery (in central Bangkok only) to get visas for you. If you are coming from another country and will be going on to either a Thai domestic or another foreign country, they often can save you substantial money on the onward or onward/return travel. [For example, if you are coming from the West and want to travel from Bangkok to Singapore then back to Bangkok, they often can get a ticket for that portion of your trip for much less than you can ge it in your home country.] (Charlie passed away in April, 2003.)

"Mekhong" Kurt [One of the creators of this site, and the sole one since the beginning of 2003]. Kurt is one of the two original creators of this site. He is one of the original founders, together with "Doctor" Dennis [See entry for "Doctor Dennis" above], of The Washington Square Tattler [See entry for "The Washington Square Tattler" below], the irregular and irreverent newsletter for "Squaronians" from which this site evolved. Kurt is a teacher by trade, but is currently retired, other than in running this web site.

Mia Noy: literally, "Wife Small" – the meaning is "Mistress," and mistresses are extremely common in Thailand

Mia Neung: literally, "Wife [Number] One" – meaning one’s "real" wife, whether through Thai-style or official marriage

Mobile Phone Rental [Don Muang Airport, Bangkok, Thailand]. Go to http://202.183.251.250/fonerent/maps.html

Monet Club [Sukhumvit Soi 33]. This hostess bar [See entry for "Hostess Bars" above] is a personal favorite of one of this site’s creators. Originally started by the owner, Narong, as a place to entertain clients of his other businesses, this bar has proven popular with expat businessmen resident in or frequent visitors to Thailand. Many of the ladies speak varying degrees of English, and all are quite attractive. Has a long bar along one wall, a small bar around the D.J. booth, and a long sofa with cocktail tables along part of two adjacent walls. Also has karaoke upstairs. One of the original "Great Painter Bars" [See entry for "Great Painters Bars" above]. Happy Hour 4:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M.; prices start at 80 baht for beer and standard drinks; premium drinks (Jack Daniel’s, Johnny Walker, etc.) run 100 baht during Happy Hour. Lady drinks are 90 baht during Happy Hour, and 130 baht after; alcohol lady drinks are 150 baht all time. 12/17 Sukhumvit Soi 33, Bangkok 10110 Thailand. Telephone (+66) (+2) 258-5694, 260-3508.

Mondrian Bar & Pub.  Another bar joining the growing group along Sukhumvit Soi 33, this is the 3rd bar in a matter of just a few months to open in a Soi 33 sub-soi, the same home to Big Shots and Blu-Bar-B-Q (i.e., around the corner from Wall Street Bar, which actually fronts onto Soi 33).  Located on the opposite side from those two bars, Mondrian is also a hostess bar.  A bar with a spacious feeling, this bar has a U-shaped bar coming off the left wall as one enters, with tables and chairs scattered about elsewhere.  The target market for this bar is unclear, though perhaps the hope is to draw high-income Thai businessmen and/or Japanese ones -- the bar has no bourbon whiskey, instead serving scotch whiskey, which is very popular among the two groups mentioned above.  As is true of all but one other Soi 33 bar, Mondrian offers a Happy Hour 4:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M.  12/4 Sukhumvit Soi 33, Bangkok 10110 Thailand.  (+66) (+2) 662-3108.

Monsoon Season. [See entry for Rainy Season below.]

Moore, Christopher G. [Local Author]. [See entry for Christopher G. Moore above.]

Music Television [MTV]. See entry for MTV above.