jacko

It is a bit difficult getting through Chonburi and onto a main highway from the 'beach areas' of Chonburi city area isn't it? I always seem to get tangled up in a market area.

What has LA got to do with it?

Look on the bright side, that will deter young car thieves and joy-riders! (1min 30 sec in)

James Stewart.

Lee Marvin.

I kept the same package for donkeys years before it suddenly clicked that my calls were 8 baht/minute. Now I pay 1 b/m and accept the shorter validity. Many people SMS continuously, unless you get a large number free (inclusive), that is dumb, I can talk for a few minutes for what a text message costs me. The phone companies snuck that up on us..... Modern-day smart phones keep pulling data and that is where most people get beaten up...especially when they switch from an old style phone. PS....My phone costs me about 200 baht a month!

To get into Europe. With Iranian passport they would not be allowed to board and fly to China without visas.

Imported? Farang only item. Personally I bought a Thai one, half an oil barrel, worked pretty good.

I used to drive pre-dawn to fishing trips, the traffic was light but there were still quite a few drunks on the road. The above check of shaking the back wheel probably applies better to a chain driven bike..... fully automatic they are not chain driven. We are not in the USA here, helmets vary from near useless to crap and I regard a visor as more important to stop the walnut size bugs and stones thrown up by trucks taking your eye out......... Forget pretty much everything you learned back home!!!!

Looks to me to be the big industrial estate area called Bo Win. You can use Google Maps to get a view of the area, I see it also referred to as Eastern Seaboard Industrial area. I have been sat at the traffic lights there for many a long time, a lot of heavy industrial traffic turning as I go straight on to head towards Issarn. I see a housing development between the Country Club and Burapha Golf Club, and you have the option of going a little further NE on Rt 331 where there are more resorts and Golf Courses. Beware of evaluating from Google Map images, they are taken early morning I believe and do not reflect the actual traffic you may encounter. For example Rt 331 back to Laem Chabang becomes #7 at the motorway interchange and is an awful road...busy and undulating. Some of our regular golfers may know more of the area.

Couple near me could be had!!!

I am finding it incredulous, that in an age when Google knows you are in the toilet at Starbucks and sends you an advert, and that information is sent to NSA/CSS, that a 470,000lb aircraft with 249 people on board seems to vanish with very little information as to where it was, has recently been or is now! I was under the impression that flight information was streamed 'somewhere';. And 72 hour+ later, we know little more than the passport status of some passengers.

Robert Ryan (24hr)

I believe I heard that there was no black box signal so far. I just got up so will be catching up on this now.

I know that the 2 airlines have merged, and the HQ is now in Paris, but the Manchester - Amsterdam flight sports KLM livery.

I guess 'disintegrated' is another word for exploded...but surely that would also put some debris on the sea.

Glad to hear you got something out of the discomfort of the trip here. The 'Gold card' pretty much means you will be flying Etihad again I bet! I spoke to someone only yesterday who had a 2 hour + delay landing in Dubai (Emirates Airlines) due to fog.

Considering where you will be working you likely need to be East of Pattaya. 35,000/month is quite a lot to rent a house in East Pattaya, and fuel is reasonably priced, 30 baht/litre for diesel, 40 for gasohol. I think you need to be close to Hwy 36, the top end of Siam Country Club would be a suitable place. As for a hotel before you find a house to rent, I would suggest the Thai Garden resort, if you prefer 'in town'. Early morning an easy run to Sukhumvit and the motorway. Out of town, the Cholchan is north of town and close to the 36/Sukhumvit junction. Where in Pluak Dang are you working....it is quite big and the south side is closest to Hwy36. I live close to the North end of it.(Rt 36). This forum is a great place for you to get information. Many Pattaya residents.

That very question was just asked and avoided on a press questioning session I am currently watching on the BBC!

Yes I use that one. You can get an idea of your real speeds by selecting a server overseas, perhaps back to NZ. And then try to Bangkok which will give you an idea of how the hotel internet is working. Hotels split the access between many users, so your speed will be impacted by how many other residents are on-line at the same time.

A good summary by Reuters.

Rent the follolwing.. A Nuovo. A Nuovo Elegance A Honda Click. A Honda Airblade. A PCX150. All automatic easy to ride and of the bigger size (ie not Mio or Fino ladies size). I personally do not like a single rear suspension spring, (per Click) a common, cheaper bike approach. It may work but it inherently looks imbalanced unless you are missing a leg. Perhaps MM will lend you his idle Elegance and you can have a go around a car park!

Yes most of the stopping power is the front brake, and why you find many put a disc at the front and drum at the rear. You have to be very aware of the surface below your wheels and strong application of the front brake on sandy, wet, slippery surface or while turning can take the handlebars off you. Can't think of somewhere to go practice... is it quiet enough on the South end of Jomtiem 2nd Rd?

Yeah I was watching this on Fox.... their reporting was pretty bad but I believe went missing 2 hours after take-off putting it over Vietnam or the South China Sea, it never entered Chinese Airspace. You reminded me to put the TV back on.

Robert Stack