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Nice day for a bike ride, so took my mtn bike out to Mabprachan reservoir to see if it was now low enough to ride across. Entered the bike path around the reservoir on the SW end. Compared to the pic from last month, the water level at the overflow outlet looks to be down another meter. Pic from today. And from 10 Nov Imagine the volume of water lost from the reservoir. The high water mark is the dark patch of concrete about 6m up from the water. The new and quite a bit larger beach on the NW end. Unfortunately my hope of being able to ride across the lake bottom was dashed when I encountered numerous channels that blocked me from my goal. And no, I wasn't about to cheat by using this "bridge". Still an island, but not for much longer. Same view from 10 Nov With another 5+ months to go before the next rainy season, there's a good chance this island will look like it did on 7 Sept 2015. The birds don't see to be bothered by the low water level. But this guy can no longer cast a line from his front porch. Same view from 10 Nov I'm now on the north end looking south when I noticed more and more of the birds taking flight. I use to fly sailplanes for fun and I'm pretty sure what happened is my riding the mtn bike across the dry ground on the north end kicked loose a thermal. Use to see that quite a bit when I flew in Wisconsin. When I was getting low I'd look for a farmer plowing his field and it was almost a sure bet if I loitered around the area for a few minutes I would be rewarded with a thermal to gain back altitude in. Anyhoo, the birds probably saw a few of their friends having fun in the thermal and soon the whole extended family joined them. They might have to soon rename the reservoir to Mabprachan Desert. These guys standing around in the middle of the reservoir demonstrate it isn't that deep in parts. This is another marker of how low the water level is. Soon the outlet channel will be higher than the water and this part will turn into a stagnant pond.

A man walks into the bedroom with a sheep on a leash and says... "Honey, this is the goat I make love to when you have a headache." The wife, lying in the bed reading a book, looks up and says, "If you weren't such an idiot, you'd know that's a sheep, not a goat." The guy replies, "If you weren't such a presumptuous old goat, you'd realize I was talking to the sheep."

Yes, here is a pic......

Today I tried one of the Saturday specials, the Philly cheesesteak at 199 baht. Here's the pic from RH's Facebook page: It looked very similar to what I got on my plate, although maybe the portion was somewhat smaller. It was even the waitress in the pic who served me. According to the RH Facebook page, the sandwich consists of "Slow roasted topside of beef, sautéed green peppers and onions, melted cheddar cheese, garlic mayo, toasted baguette," with a side of "French fries or sweet potato fries." A Philadelphia-born cheesesteak purist wouldn't approve, but the Robin Hood's sandwich was close to some cheesesteak variations that are served in Philly. And most importantly, it tasted good. The beef was tender and full of flavor. The baguette was fresh and properly toasted. The fries were crispy. No complaints on my part, especially when it cost 199 baht. One curious thing: the cheesesteak special wasn't on the menu, nor did I see it on a sign inside the restaurant. If I hadn't read about it on the RH Facebook page, I wouldn't have known it was on offer. I'll be back to try more of the Robin Hood menu. Evil For reference, this is what a Philly cheesesteak without Cheez Wiz and green pepper slices looks like in the U.S. The cheese is provolone and the pic is from the Net.

I usually have my main meal of the day in the evening but, yesterday, I'd had a bite to eat in the afternoon, so was looking for just something light in the evening. I was walking through The Avenue and noticed a blackboard from The Robin Hood Tavern, and thought the Lite Bite Special might be what I was looking for. Unfortunately, the menus I was given did not include the food on the blackboard - a point management needs to address. However, the waitress knew what I was talking about, and the order was duly placed. The food arrived in a reasonable time, and was delicious. I'd go as far as to say it was the tastiest food I've had in a long while. The prawns were fresh and juicy, and the sauce was soooooo good. I shall be returning!!

I assume some of you have noticed this video: I think all of his points are valid. Are Expats now unwelcome in Thailand? Let's face it, no matter how you sugar coat it, it seems as though there is a concerted effort underway to rid Thailand of all the pesky Expats. For example, the TM-30 requirements. Why treat nice retirees like criminals? Or the crazy financial requirements? Most retirees just want to live in Thailand quietly and spend money. They don't want to work. What's wrong with that? And the medical insurance nonsense. "Signed and stamped"? Where, in the civilized world, do they "stamp" things these days? I could go on. In any event, some countries actually welcome expats with money to spend.

All the information you need can be found here: https://www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com/expats/docs/ExtendingStay.pdf

The paperwork is easy, should just do it yourself if you have the required funds seasoned properly in a Thai bank.

Along 3240 on the north side of the reservoir they're laying and connecting new water pipes. There's also a notice a lot of the darkside will be without water today. Although I saw a post on another forum that said the water outages have been happening for a few days now.

TT on Beach Road at 13:48 today:

Here we go.....

Philippines is one country that does. Very easy to stay long term with no immig hassles

They had one of those big tubs and a plastic cup, and fortunately for me (not for who pays the bills), I think it had previously been topped off from the electric shower. So tepid. Those run down places without water tanks, pumps and electric showers will not be seeing my custom. Oh... and I often ask for lotion....

Yes a few up soi 15 which runs between Soi Buakhao and 2nd Rd behind the Avenue, and Key Visa located across from the Big C on Sukhumvit, near Pattaya Tai. Also soi 13/2. Price depends of course how much one needs them to do for you. Rhino Tusk's remark is very true. If one has all the financial requirements, quite easy to do oneself, particularly if one has had an Extension based on retirement before. (It isn't really a Visa, but a one year Extension on a Permit to stay). The only other issue is what type of Non-Imm Visa one starts with, an O-A would also require health Insurance.

When I worked in NYC, we had about 20 people (out of 3,000) who were orthodox Jews or Muslims as well as a few Hindus and Jains who had religious reservations about meat eating. They wouldn't even use the microwaves and fridges the other employees used. They had their own fridge, microwave and eating area in a locked room to which only they had keys. It was also used as a Muslim prayer room. However, the strictest Jews and Muslims wouldn't even use that room. They only ate food they brought with them or bought in a halal or kosher restaurant. Burger King has an option for vegans that involves cooking the Impossible Burger in a microwave. But I doubt many vegans would go to Burger King under any circumstances other than to be .able to criticize it on the basis of experience. People who become vegans are often opposed to chain restaurants out of principle. I don't know if they are lying, but they must not have very discriminating taste buds. That's the intended target customer base for the Impossible Burger. It's for people who need to cut down on meat for health or ethical reasons but still want to visit a fast food restaurant. The IB isn't aimed specifically at committed vegetarians and vegans. Evil

The thread is about Robin Hood Tavèrn in The Avenue not Robin's Nest on Soi Dianne. There is no connection between the two businesses.

Time for a badly needed update. The Robin Hood Tavern went through a major crisis in 2019 but seems to have gotten back on track under new management. I don't know who owns it now, but a young Belgian chef named Max is involved on the food side and he has totally revamped the menu and food service. According to a lot of reports, the dishes there are consistently good now. I haven't tried it yet and the info below comes from RH's Facebook page. For those who favor traditional UK pub fare, the Ploughman's Lunch looks good at 199 baht: There's also a larger "Big Boy" version at 325 baht: The all-you-can-eat Sunday carvery is popular: There's also Max's Menu, which goes beyond pub food: It seems like the Robin Hood Tavern is worth another visit. Evil

My first visit to Pats was in 2001 with a pal who I had previously visited Spanish resorts - ie Benidorm, Lloret etc. We had heard rumours of Thailand and the Thai girls so on one fateful evening in a pub we decided to give it a go and booked flights on British Airways from Manchester to Bangkok via Heathrow. On the plane we got chatting to a guy who we gathered was an experienced monger and who obviously could see our inexperience. He enquired as to where we were heading for. This was before the internet was in full operation. We told him “Bangkok” to which he asked “what are you going for “. The answer was to fuck girls and drink beer. In a micro second he replied “you need to go to Pattaya” following which he gave full instructions to complete the journey and reach paradise. The taxi pulled into Pats and the driver enquired “hotel” to which we replied words to the effect of “no have - you find” . He drove up Soi 7 with us looking google-eyed at the bars and girls but could not find a vacancy there but a couple of rooms were obtained nearby at the Little Duck Hotel just off Second Road. Whilst checking In I remember cautiously enquiring about being able to be joined by our girlfriends as if we had already acquired them. The reply was positive so we embarked without unpacking for our first foray into the unknown ending up at the Tim Gogo, where said girlfriends were obtained. Our lives had been altered for ever and now 18 years later I still go to Pats but my pal only made a couple more visits, but we still talk about the fun we had long ago in 2001.

Sounds like he was in Kansas City, MO, and that the Blue Cross people thought that the form was bullshit. But they did complete it for him, apparently. I'm not sure what a guy already in Thailand would do. BCBS has a Thailand coordinator, I think. Maybe they could help.

They should market the Impossible Whopper with a non-alcoholic beer.

Ok chaps. here's some from the HDD I've had floating around. Not any particular year but a few venues have gone since I took them. They may be alreayd posted elsewhere on the forum in an age old TR, so apoligies if you've already seen them. Infamous Soi 6 Moving down to a quiet Beach Rd Pre improvement days lol. Gullivers Soi 1 end. Again, view from Soi 1 down to BR

I'll leave it at I don't watch You Tube rants.