jacko

I don't know, I can't see it.....

I went fishing yesterday and darn the back of my neck got burned... a baseball cap only protects the eyes and forehead, and it increases the risk of cracking one's nut on the Thai - height boat. There is a hat popular in Oz that looks like a hood which keeps the sun off all round... sure looks daft though.

Well my rent is more, my internet less, but I really mess up on the 'Misc'

I would say that in Pattaya, as opposed to being in the middle of a 100 acre farm in Ohio, boredom can be alleviated more easily, if you have a bit of cash in your pocket, and don't mind transfering it. Simply having a better climate, and the sea nearby, offers diversions. There is always the pleasures of an airconditioned GO-GO or massage parlour on a hot afternoon.

No problem as long as they go outside to use them.

A baseball cap works well enough when I am out on a boat..... on the right way around! I carry a small towel to wipe the brow now and then.

Good guess, well if you have seen other posts of mine, probably not. Tell me, here, http://www.scb.co.th/html/exchange/bk-txtexchange.htm, what does T/T represent? Now where did I put that biro and Xerox copy?

The States is one of those countries that went against the flow wrt cell phone standards. So if you do buy one there you need to be sure it supports the system in Thailand, GSM. Also it might well be locked to a particular provider. Buy one here, plenty of models available, only annoyance is the Thai characters on the keys making them hard to see. Not sure about video games, everything seems to be available in Tuk Com... my bet is you will be into outdoor pursuits due to the climate and indoor pursuits with company, would not likely be playing games. Your plan on accommodation sounds go

The commissions on travelers cheques can be cancelled out by a slightly better exchange rate. But it is not really a method I would use if residing here, they are for tourists. An ATM card with a bank that does not have charges (both upfront and hidden in the exchange rate) can be a good way to work. Nationwide is often recommended. For me, open a Thai account and telex transfer money into it (an internet instruction to my UK bank). Quick and easy, if the amount is over £4000 the telex charges are covered by the slightly better rate for telex transfers.

Lot of questions mixed in there.....I will take on a few. Plenty of golf clubs, and plenty of bars that use it as their 'raison de etre'...The Caddy Shack, The Golf Club, Travellers Rest, Bowling Green, Outback Bar.. for example. They organise golfing days once a week or more. That is daytime covered... £20,000 pa to live on....103,000 baht/month...I would say a fair figure for a quieter person, I manage on a little under that but big ticket items can hurt the budget (car, insurance, motorbike, TV explodes, computer packs in, flight tickets, sick buffalo, TGF runs off with safe!). If yo

Yes free drinks. Not sure about IFE and food. If you fly in and out of Doha with Qatar, you will have been checked in for both flights in the UK. Delays leaving the UK are a more likely concern!

My idea of the new phone was for whenever (if ever) 3G internet connection becomes available. The Hutch modem comes free with a one year unlimited (download) subscription for 12500 baht. But I don't wish to shell out on something that might go away or I cannot get positive feedback on.

Yes. pretty sure (Samsung SGH D900)..there is a small Icon showing 'E' when an Edge network is available...sometimes, in other locales, it switches to 'G' for GPRS available. Not sure wrt class. I used GPRS with my previous D500, and to be honest, I don't see an improvement. I put it down to the network being busy and getting full here, plus my cheap package having a low priority. If 3G is on it's way perhaps I shouldn't pay a 1 year Hutch subscription...especially if coverage is limited. I will likely get a new phone in the not too distant future.

I use AIS Edge here, just on the East side of Sukhumvit in Pattaya. It is super cheap, at about 200 baht (+tax) for 50 hours usage in the month. Extra usage is charged at 1 baht/minute. It is useless, no worse than that, an exercise in frustration. Easy to get onto the network, and have my time deducted, but frequently unable to access internet, particularly outside of Thailand and very slow, the rare times it does work. I have to avoid peak periods, 7-9am, mid afternoon and all evening! I get the impression that access to the internet is prioritised, with my name at the bottom. F

This doesn't work for me, I just get redirected to the same error page.... http://www.scb.co.th/errorpage.html

Is there any flooding concerns in that area ? Seeing the flat land around made me wonder. My GF likes the style with a house on stilts.....up on concrete posts. Seems they like to gather under the house, next to the rusting out-of-order motorcycles, chatting and eating. Plus it is up out of the way if there are floods.

I am having similar problems from within Thailand.... I guess they are upgrading their webpages and it might take time to get it all right. I can't read Thai so I will have to wait for someone to post the new URL.

Do you get blinkers issued with your passports in the USA......? To better protect the value of their services, perhaps they should be charging in Euros?

I can plan my whole week around buying milk! Do-it-yourself jobs around the house. Internet. More TV than is good for me! Fishing. Off to the shops... got to get that milk. Evenings are dinner out, a boys night out once a week, dinner at home with TV/DVD a few nights a week. I enjoy early mornings, cool and sunny, a big beaker of coffee, watch the news, feed the menagerie, spray the garden. She sleeps on. Visa runs and trips back to the UK break up the time, and uncover the car and tour the north for several days....... It is very easy to get lazy and sloth-like, but, I s

My you are full of contradictions. Happily married, would mean that and mongering would be limited. Trust me, as you age and live here longer the girlie scene becomes less and less of your life.

Well they are from Taiwan actually.

Thanks, that should be easy to find. I notice that by June departure, Qatar fares will be up to 95,000 Baht + taxes. Honeymoon over?

Cheshire Tom....yes about matches my findings on the internet.(Baht 71720+12k taxes ex BKK, Qatar Airlines website.) It seems to still be widely available. Only competition to that would be China Airlines. I noticed Massic Travel no longer include Qatar in their Biz Class section, Pattaya Mail full page advert. This agent you mention, is it on the same side as Greg's? How far down ......beyond Bangkok Bank? Not sure where Skytop is despite another BM's frequent plugs I still have 2 KLM tickets to use before I will try Qatar. Let me know about Heathrow T5 if you experience it, dar

Save it for the mosque touristman.

Flying with 30K of luggage is bad for the environment.... Could you not find 4KG of crap to unload and dump, or transfer to your hand baggage? Sure am glad I wasn't in line behind you in Manchester....oh, I would have been in the other line, where 30 KG is no problem.