jacko

The funny thing is, I mostly get up earlier now than when I did working! Early to bed, early to rise and all that....... Somewhat different if I have a night out in town though.

Yes, there are moments of boredom, but life is what YOU make of it. Plenty of things to do and diversions in Pattaya, more so than what is available to an old man back in Manchester UK! I have no return plans BUT an underlying nagging feeling that as I age, I will not be able to afford ill health out here, I have no place of my own to return to, but at this moment I could likely find somewhere to stay with relatives for a spell, that situation could of course change too. As a workaholic you may struggle, I slipped quite readily into retirement mode after a period of guilty conscience for the first several months. Enjoy your retirement, you have earned it. There are plenty of 'voluntary' avenues to pursue to occupy your energy.

I retained mine when I dumped my TOT ADSL, it only costs 115 baht/month. I figured some things still asked for a home phone number and the bill was a good proof of address document. I think I even used it as such for a bank account. I never use it and it rarely rings, and when it does it scares the bejeebers out of me. Normally some cold call seller! Actually I could get a land line from my True Internet/TV cable, one can be plugged into the back of the modem/router.

Where do you intend plugging it in? Phones in hotels tend to use different systems than what residential dwellings use. I am thinking it would work on a residential line.

Well transits in airports are never really painless and easy. You have to queue somewhat for security checks, but they aren't as stringent as London. The new airport in Doha is rather impressive but big, you can walk around and look in shops until your hearts content if that is your thing. Personally for me it isn't, I want a bathroom and then a comfy place to wait out the transit. I flew Biz Class with them and was very pleased with the BKK-DOH/ A380 legs, but as The Fiend stated, the leg to/from Manchester is a big step down. I have no choice but to transit somewhere, so mid-flight works best for me, a chance to wake the limbs up. I would never transit in LHR as it is just too horrible (memories of T4-T1 and the Connections Centre, we almost needed sheepdogs) I expect a T5 -T5 transit in LHR would be much better. I used to use KLM but the transit and crappy flight to Manchester after the long-long BKK-Schiphol leg was unpleasant, I was in a fog amidst all these crowds. We look forward to your comments on Qatar in Economy, Biz is just too much more money!

There are reportedly some other sources of water and the lake is but a fraction. That said, a month or two ago some local oink was telling us how we would not have a water shortage, apparently, more recently, a little back-peddling from the same guy, I commented on the low lake level elsewhere, after viewing it as I enjoyed a curry at The Fisherman Cafe Friday..... but thanks forcebwithu, the pics are worth a thousand words.

I had an excellent ride in Biz on their A380, May/June. The new airport, well big and spacious, very much like Emirates/Dubai you can end up walking some extreme distances!. The previous Premium Lounge was a much better arrangement. Still, security on arrival wasn't so bad in Doha, but flights seem to take forever to land and take off. I hesitate to recommend them as previously their Economy was not very good.

The dark Knight had Michael Caine in it.

Gary Oldman

Jean Reno

Vanessa Redgrave

Richard Gere.

Mathilda May

Nope....

I drive on that road now and again and you normally get the police out and about further North. Is that the area where it feels like you are in a dodgems car as the surface has been churned up by HGV traffic? I don't drive as fast as 140 here but exceed the 90 limit when I can, surprised I haven't had more tickets as I thought the limit was 120 kph! Things are actually getting better if they are stopping and fining people who really are speeding, it used to be fantasy infringements!

Who, can't see anybody!

Very good material this month, enjoyed it.

At 64, sudden acceleration can be risky! But I seriously couldn't get across for a good while, it was a steady stream. I suppose I could have walked back to the Klang junction and got across there but I didn't want to go that way.

I always thought Chang tasted great, but the feeling isn't reciprocated. Six big bottles had me up-chucking once, and a return event ended similarly. I threw in the towel well beaten!

While I am having a moan and feeling grumpy, the other pocket liner, those pedestrian crossings dotted all over town, have become completely useless (or perhaps worse, a risk to life and limb if you are daft enough to try and cross by them), Took me ages to get across 2nd Rd yesterday and this is low-low season!