jacko

The chaos or the 'reports'....?

They have these annual events in and around Pattaya, this one recently happened at my end of town. Quieter than it has been in the past, but making enough noise to make paying a visit an alternative to simply hearing it. Free entrance and plenty parking. Despite being banned in so many places, a cold one available here despite being on temple grounds. One for me..... The safest ride in town.... You have to catch these fish with a 'net' made of tissue paper..... not as easy as it looks. They haven't been fed and look exhausted, and 2 died in the plastic bag. These guys were whizzez at the cork guns, knocking off tiny toy after tiny toy....... hold the stock so the end of the barrel is inches from the target! I think they were there to tempt you as they were at it a long time, perhaps given guns with more puff in them! Freshly cooked quail it suggests... maybe.... not many mynah birds about lately. Hot roasted chestnuts, candy floss and many more Thai delicacies! No happy ending here, and 250 baht for a body massage, ouch, they are strong these old girls!!! After walking around, sit and watch the entertainment, and pay 10 baht to dance with one of the surprisingly appealing girls. A katoey for Gonzo too..... Chang on tap in 3 foot high dispensers delivered by a chunky chang like girl. Where are the pretty long legged Leo girls in short skirts? And if driving in Pattaya doesn't do it for you, there were bumper cars too!

My Mrs reported that right turn off Suk onto Klang was closed off Saturday. Police watching things. I confirmed that on Sunday, the Suk/Klang lights were off so right out of Klang and in, both 'not available'. Although quite early Sunday I was able to make a right turn off Suk, somewhat riskily, I used a truck as cover. Soi Siam Country Club is still 2 way and the lights are operational again, so a right turn onto Sukhumvit there to head north possible.... unlike last week... I wish they would at least be consistent but one can't know from one day to the next what is open or closed off! Returning Northbound on Suk I thought the Klang junction would be easy with the lights being off, but no, the Soi Siam Country Club lights had taken over as the main impediment, adding to reduced lanes and a gang of idiots on bikes deciding that was a good spot to regroup into a convoy, as they are scared to ride on their own. Northbound Sukjumvit. Soi Siam CC Open. . Southbound Sukhumvit. Klang closed, sort of.

Thanks again Shilo, much appreciated.

According to my calendar, 13, 14 and 15 April are the official holidays. Pattaya will have its crazy day probably 18th.

Yes, possibly there is, whether it is worth the expense is another matter and varies from person to person. Some don't have the spare cash,some do, others may not be computer literate, or even literate. For me that expense was too much, I have a computer, a printer and a scanner, all of them proved necessary to prepare the paperwork. I also took some advice from friends who had gone through the process before. The Visa companies have done this many many times and I would like to think have learned what works. They may also have a few connections at the Visa outfit, I doubt these connections give any preferential treatment with regard to acceptance, but could be of some use. The ones mentioned above are a little more than 'hole in the wall'......judging by the way one person dresses perhaps more of a gold mine!

Spicy fried frog?

If one likes lady-boys I am sure you are correct, but tell me this next time you try to get to the airport!

Was it registered, getting the number back is one of the advantages? Why wait? Good chance that someone threw away the SIM and kept the phone.

Well Paul King, Easy Visa, advertises 50,000 baht if he can't get you a visa. Another well known agency is Key Visa , the owner is a straight talking guy. I don't know how much each charge. I did it myself about 3 years ago, not a big deal if you can handle a computer, rather a lot of effort.

Sometimes the police take control of the cycles and they seem to favour 'long ones'......... For some reason they will keep the green on for anything in the distance, and the other junctions seriously back up and the turn streams get wider and wider. When they do move of course the volume backs up across the junction and then the caterpillar effect takes hold (ignore lights, just tail vehicle in-front). I have actually avoided Suk/Klang junction twice already this week (unnecessarily as they are still open), using Nua and 3rd/Beach, and felt traffic was OK. Thanks 4 update.

I too have a few months before I need to 'test' this out. As to your other comment, I often felt the 90 days reporting could be skipped by basically leaving the country to reset it, belatedly, but this may well become risky as the Thai immigration computer system gets more efficient...... last time I was there I got the impression my 'record' and 'details' were pulled up in real time. Hint... before I put my passport away I plug a 90-day report reminder into my Yahoo calendar.

Better benefit to reassign the personnel and space to make the busier desks more efficient.

Wish You Were Here.

I rarely went in the lounge on the Europe bound trip, not enough time and didn't want to be going out of my way. Always ended up in a rather shitty little area in Sciphol for the Manchester connection.

Because your passport number is written on it, and your address. You can now use the website, pay your bill and all sorts of useless extras....... there is even a smart-phone app and my 2 SIM cards, the cable TV and Internet accounts are all there in one spot.

I have often wondered, if a government wants to monitor the internet usage within it's country, a good place to start might well be known VPNs.

Seemed OK for me with Firefox..... just that they sow the seeds of doubt.

I think the one time I was downstairs it might have been a 747-Combi and hence why I didn't like it. Or perhaps they still had a First Class then in the nose. The cabin was only 1/2 width, the rest taken up by the galley. Seat-Guru will give you a better impression. Now I see the nose is Biz and might be a better option, no drunk pilots coming in and out. You get a better view higher up!

Oh don't get me wrong, if it becomes available and functional I will be very happy to make use of it instead of wasting a day going there and back. Not good for the Jomtiem soi 6 businesses though!

I guess you mean Japanese SIM/ network. Can't see why it would not.

Must be right, I have 2 True lines and an AIS all registered and working OK.

I always went upstairs when I flew Biz with KLM. Best seats are the emergency exit as lots of space. The lower deck Biz Cabin seems claustrophobic. Upstairs is quieter, less banging around over your head, and since they stopped taking kids and big kids into the cockpit years ago better still!

I am always dubious of on-line things in Thailand. Many hotels do not respond to internet queries, many sites do not function, are incomplete, or under construction..... slowly. Even today I was required to find my local council web-page as recommended by a letter I received, my wife gave up after 10 minutes and said site- stupid.

As Tyler said in Fights club, 'what she needs is a good wash'...... The town known for it's night life is not so good at cleaning up after itself or trying to look good. It is often just downright messy........ Behind the white sign is a hotel, turn right after the rubbish tip....... name that hotel? And the sky is dominated by a building still under construction and getting bigger...... It looks quite out of place........ where was I stood when I took this? Nearby, this appears to be a camping area, short time under the canvas... what is it? If you can't read the bill prior to paying it, this lady can help! Where are we? Time for relaxation, a location for special jobs. Are you familiar with this place? What is worse than one unattractive building.......? Where was this taken from? Got rubbish to dispose of..... apparently on my route home it is not a problem. Out of sight unless you take the train....2 different spots.