jacko

I saw the Finn Air aircraft when I was at Bangkok airport recently and it looked tiny...I think it was an MD11. Also the outward layover in Helsinki of 5 hours is too much for me (ex Man). Return offers either a late evening arrival at Manchester, or sleeping in a seat at Helsinki... no thanks. Good price though.

As I posted recently in the Member's bar, I was pleasantly surprised when I went there. I wasn't looking for a barfine..... just to sit, drink a beer or two and enjoy the entertainment. Some very cute girls dancing immodestly. It's disadvantage is being so large, it needs a lot of customers to look like fun.

Agreed...but you could check with your embassy to see how many entries you can get on a tourist visa. I used to get a triple entry visa. I made an 'entry' just before the visa expired (6 months) and hence got 60 days beyond the life of the visa. I still had the option of another extension, and even an entry without visa (30 day stamp) if needed.

I guess you mean on Thrappaya, which goes from the RG to Jomtiem beach. Thanks for sharing this, everyone's nightmare when having involved procedures done overseas. Imagine this doctor performing eye operations. As you said, you suffered an expensive and uncomfortable procedure to be ultimately left worse off! Will you have an opportunity to revisit this unethical doctor and confront him with the implants? Or perhaps throw them in his face? And very dissapointing to be faced with such an attitude from an educated professional, that he can do no wrong, and by his evaluation, it was your mistake to use these teeth to eat with! What is the final position on this, since teeth are gone and underlying bone messed up, a lifetime of gaps or annoying plates in your mouth?

One suggestion would be to get rid of the nanny.......... I found that getting a job for my bored tilac was not easy. All the jobs were full time... maybe 48 hours and I wanted her back home more time than that would allow. Also the money hardly seemed worth it. In the end she went off to a school to learn a hobby or two. She did hairdressing........didn't seem to like that. Next was making clothes....this she liked and now we have some strange gadgets that make noise and clothes in the spare bedroom. She now combines an advanced English course with helping the teachers in the 'clothes making' class. The school is a Catholic church sponsored place, but they do not push religion at all. It costs next to nothing, I believe they just want to give girls and women skills to keep them out of the usual Pattaya trade. Many students are the wives and tilacs of farangs. Thai women do seem keen to offload the work of taking care of a baby, she gets sent to mama, or worse, mama comes to stay to help out. Not the way it was done when I was young, but frequent here. Yours, at only 27, certainly should not be allowed to get bored.

Are you saying that someplace in Pattaya they went ahead, and made implants for you, when the reality was you were unsuitable? Might be worth warning somebody off .... I have certainly seen this promoted a lot lately, by very cute girls who speak good English! Or is that View Talay 2417?

You might want to consider implants, which are being well promoted here. A lot more money than you are talking, and a longer, more intensive, treatment duration. Are you currently using a plate? They area pain and I threw mine and had some bridgework done. I think implants are about 40,000 baht/tooth. More involved jobs, like replacing several teeth on say 2-3 implants, well heading towards 100,000 baht and up.

Bloomberg showing $129 for Brent spot... BA are offering some good deals for Sept/Oct, the problem is you get BA service and Heathrow thrown in when they should be thrown out.

A bit of warranty might be good too.....quite a few backstreet conversions end up as charred remains.

I don't see an airline that flies from Bangkok (I guess) to Auckland via Perth. So you might be looking for an open jaw ticket. Thai fly to both cities, so you could use them in and out of Bangkok and look for a Perth-Auckland single. Might be easier to just get the round trip to Perth, only Thai direct, many choices with a change, about 20,000 baht + taxes. Perth to Auckland is likely Air NZ or Qantas..about 1200-1300 Oz dollars, nearly 24 baht 50 satang

Well I am trying the E5 diesel substitute.... can't tell any difference. I wouldn't know if service is consistent, only dealing with the one place. The mechanics seem to get on with their work and are a pleasant bunch. You have to interface with these young girls, and my limited Thai seems to make them avoid me. It is all a bit disorganised, and customer time is of no consequence, I have waited hours for small jobs. Plus the vehicle can be ready for an age before they pick the paperwork up and pass it to the cashier. There are 2 fancy offices for the managers, who are male. I have yet to see one of them in the place! I am getting the impression Toyota take better care.

How much is the postage?

A bit like selling aeroplanes. Sell them first, struggle or miss on the promises later. I'm still using my Edge.. the router flashes away in the corner trying to get a connection.

They did fix the seat belt for free once. Gary, I believe you live in the sticks, so probably not using the Ford dealer on Sukumvit near NaJomtiem?

Yes I might be on a shared line with 19 guys who video conference and download movies overnight. I got my hardware, pleasantly cheaper than I expected. Plenty of choice, finally got a Belkin from the big store at the top of TukCom. Splitter and a bit of telephone extension too. What fun unpacking it, wiring it together and programming it. It was surprisingly straightforward. All the information I was given by TT&T slotted in. Of course it doesn't work. The Pattaya office refuses to answer the phone. Other numbers I call, if they answer, tell me they will call back,but never do. Welcome to the world of dealing with the Thai telephone companies.

This TT&T offer is advertised under MaxNet at 2M/512 590 baht 3 is 790 4 is 1000 Increase the upload speed to 1048 and there is another higher range of prices. It is only when you press them that you 'learn' you share this 'speed' with 20 other users, or 10 for Premier Class. Anyhow, I have yet to get it to work so the proof will be in the pudding when I get into it. Joe...a great informative reply......

I didn't get any packet. TT&T said they had routers, but not wireless. I paid money, I received a printout with some details and password, no new line involved. Advertised as MaxNet. The office told me it will be ready Monday at 5pm. I was also told I could get my own hardware. I don't believe I need a modem. Does anybody know if I need a splitter ...... perhaps easier to just go to to Wattana on Klang, I hear good things of them.( I am the worst, someone with a bit of an idea, but hardly knowledgeable.)

I am giving up on my Edge Internet, so now I have to go buy a wireless router, I was guessing Tuk Com, but is there anywhere else in the Pattaya Area....? If it is only Tuk Com, which floor and does anyone have a stall/shop they would recommend? Will I also need to buy a splitter to separate the Internet from the phone line, or is that incorporated in the router?

That's not a layover, it's a stopover. A city tour, hotel and breakfast should be included.

More of what Joe says...... Keep in mind that whilst 6400/day may cover a room at the Dusit, it is somewhat less than the room only charge for the hospital you mentioned (BKK-Pattaya). Check if the insurance includes the more reasonable places in Sri Racha or the Sirikit in Sattahip. But, as you say looks comparable. What is the maximum liability the policy offers? Is the 6,400/day broken down....eg for the Expats Club Group Policy there is (up to) 4000/day for room, 2000 physician fees and a few other sundries (hospital general expenses.) The policies make it difficult to fully understand the maximum cover offered, and different companies use different categories making it hard to compare. I am still looking for one that says..'whatever the bill is, we pay it 100%', and offers disability payments too. Appreciate the feedback and hope to read more. An important topic for Expats.

Does re-finance mean borrow more money in a climate of increasing interest rates and a bad property market? Sounds a little risky and impetuous......OWEN needs to comment.

Free servicing (labour only.... you had to pay for parts) came with my vehicle. I think it was the first three services or up to 2 years. That was with Ford. That said, you have to watch them and read your booklet as they fix the car. I took mine in for a 'strange noise from a wheel'. They replaced a part, charged me for labour but not the part. When I said it was still under warranty, they told me this 'not include'. I re-read the warranty and it was 'bumper to bumper'. Point being, they don't know what they are talking about and the inclination is to get money from you.

Only from Aberdeen and London offered..... Last 'cheap day' 27 Nov.... if you need a one way out to LOS Sept-Nov,, you could buy a return for £632,... which is less than a one - way ticket (£789). Can anybody tell me how it is to transit (domestic-Int) via Terminal 5 these days. Dare I reconsider BA...............

Sorry no help wrt the furniture, just my commisserations. The little sods got most of my kitchen cabinets! Spraying only controls them..... I was told not to spray, so that the guy could put put down some bait that would be taken back to the queen and kill her off. Monthly checks now have been clear for some months.