jacko

My first ever trip to Thailand I think there was only Singha, normally big bottles. Never mind no preservatives...it had a definite chemical taste and smell, formaldahyde maybe! Was strong and gave the nastiest hangover. Then along came Klohster...advertised by Rod Stewart looking young and soppy. Better hangovers..... At last Carlsberg arrived and I was good for a decade! So many things loosen bowels in Thailand, you yanks eat and shit too much anyhow.....one shit a day should be enough. Try Mango salad if you want to shit.......

I like the taste of Chang, but I have had 3 incidents of being very ill after drinking it.....(not every time I drink it note).....so I gave up on it. Cheap Charlie contest.....bring it on! I send my lady out on the motorcycle to bring back a case of Archa from the nearby shop as it is 30 baht more if I go there. Farang factor....... I nearly had her send some over with her friend coming over from Korat until she found it 10 baht less here.

It isn't that great, but I started ordering it when in restaurants where a large Heinekin was 180 baht, a Singha 160...or a Chang at 70! Don't trust Chang so I noticed this Leo stuff about 80 baht and started drinking it. As I have said, you can get used to a beer unless it is really crap.

I was a Carlsberg drinker for a long long long long time...used to peel and fold the foil top wrappers into rings for the girls. Not sure what constitutes a man's drink from another though? I sort of feel that your favourite beer is the one you get used to.....unless it is basically crap. The old aquired taste syndrome....Guinness when I am in the UK, Labatts when in the USA....then there are some I just cannot handle, Tiger is one sadly, seems to send me daft, I get crazy drunk. My father warned me off it from his time in Malaysia in the army....maybe 1950s. I never listened and first cam

Glad you like the phrase, off the top of my head and bottom of a beer bottle -honestly. But you know someone once said 'an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite number of typewriters will come up with a Shakespeare play eventually' ...maybe that was my moment! Coincidentally I was sat on a friends balcony recently enduring an overly loud Karaoke nearby....I HATE karaoke......although my girl likes to sing a song! Can't be doing with all that adolescent rushing around to do as much as possible before I die! You only get so many allocated heartbeats, use them sparingly.

I have no real idea about work visas...but I believe it would be a non imm B type, 3 month validity. When I worked here (ages ago) it was short duration and hence visa runs not an issue. As I stated, with a retirement visa you do not have to do visa runs and leave the country. But are required to 'register' every 3 months to confirm where you live etc. The initial visa is actually an extension of your non-imm visa taking it to a total of 12 months validity. I do not have a retirement visa, but a tourist visa. (this is not what you get at the airport, but is issued outside Thailand)

Now we have all seen those guys drinking Chang infront of the 7-11. Maybe me in a year or two...... But for those of us who don't go out as much as we used to, but still love a cold beer after tilac has cooked a nice spicy meal, (that sure has developed a beer only thirst)...what is our tipple of choice? Heinekin is good, but overpriced..... Singha isn't that good and hence also overpriced..... Chang makes me throw up now and again, I think there is some quality control issue. Tiger sends me daft if I drink one or 2 above the norm..... I found Leo tolerable at restaurants, but

I would hardly call them demeaning.......just a day out with duty free included. Retirement visa allows you to stay 1 year, but you have to 'register' every 3 months, a visit to the immigration dept or you can do it on-line. O Visa lasts 3 months... 'crim on the run'...... You could apply for permanent residency or citizenship! Not so easy. Better still make a trip to Cambodia and stay.. have some fun there for a few days. I had a very nice stay in Laos too. A long weekend in Singapore....

I am going to sound a bit of a whiner here but....... Do I have to go to Hull? I have been outside of the UK now so long that I would never request any of my old friends to supply such a committment. I suppose my mother might! Thanks for feedback.

Laziness perhaps. I always felt that I would be bullshitting to get an O visa. Not married here...... category O...visit friends or relatives....No does not apply. category B....business, nope. Having to prove some financial status, hate having to tell anybody anything in UK. Whenever I get the form in UK, the tourist visa requires very little, the Non-Imm seems more complex, my time in the UK is limited, and normally return trip is booked. I would appreciate advice on this..... Retirement would be next logical step on.

Not sure if this is a serious question but I will answer as if it was. She wanted to work, more for something to fill time than the monetary need. Not so easy to find as she does not have qualifications and at 32 is 'getting on' in Thai terms. Part time jobs are scarce as hen's teeth. She had interviews at supermarkets, one place called back, but I answered the phone and that put paid to that...have farang means not need job. The reality was that any job she got would be paying only about 4000 baht, she would be working 6 days/week/48 hours. I thought it a waste of time for 4k, als

And here.... Pattaya Expats Club

Saudia used to allow you to have a bottle but that was if you boarded outside the Kingdom...they would give you mixers and dispose of your empties. Wouldn't fancy wandering around in Riyadh airport as a transit passenger with a couple of bottles of scotch in my carry-on. I was told that the Kuwait customs would let you bring a bottle into the country when I was working there and doing a visa run to Bahrain. But bring 2...he keeps one, you keep the other....he took both without so much as a word! Yes Kuwait and Saudia flights are 'dry'.....the other Arabian Penninsular countries airli

That is certainly cheap.........don't know how they do it? Hate transit in the Middle East though, used to work there, travelled a lot, seems to get under my skin now.

Can't speak for Soi Buakou, don't get around there much but yes they are common. Tsutaya chain are in a few places, Big C and Carrefour Malls. There is another chain called ...shit the daft cow has took the card..sorry..will add later. You have to 'join' and the price is more if you want DVDs. She is back...where else would you keep the membership card but under the motorcycle seat?....VIDEO EZY...web page is useless. They don't change their selection too quick...

Well I only had a couple of glasses so far but please don't make me drag this out. I am planning to get as plastered as you. Something electrical is rated at say 2kw....not 2 kw per hour.....if you use it for 1,000.000 hours it is still using 2 kw...if you use it for 0.5 seconds, it is still 2kw. A KW is a measurement of power not energy. Your electric bill is based on the average power multiplied by the time (a month actually)...they could use kilowatt-months, kilowatt-days...I am trying to say it is kilowatts multiplied by time (or integrated over time), not per which means divi

A very valid thought too.....I would be thinking 'stay away from these cheats!' Subtle inclusion of a link I was going to post too!

You need only say 0.75 to 2.0 KW.......adding per hour does not make sense. A kilowatt is an 'instantaneous' measurement of power and not time related......it is the current times the voltage. The cost is related to the power multiplied by how long you use it.....let us say you run a 2 kw device for 2 hours, that is 4 Kilowatt-hours. If you are paying 3.5 baht per KWH, let us say you sleep 8 hours with an AC using 1.5 KW on average.....8x1.5 kwhx3.5 baht/kwh=42 baht. Not worth sweating over and you got the cost right! Apologies for being a know all.......but having some major ele

Well no answers so I guess you should ask Western Union yourself.

Hagley Road.....that takes me back, used to live off there when I was student at Univ B'ham in '75.......what a dump! Mahan Air has been coming up on a few searches Biz class from Manchester. I don't think Tehran will be a good transit since they stopped the dancing Mullahs show.

I think we can do something between your return and my departure. PM me. Tirac wants me to make you an offer on one of your bikes!

Thanks for link to map. Was it you that posted about some of the ST places East of Sukhumvit a while ago? Yes I have looked around over here, but tried only 1 place to eat. I am up for it before I go to UK...Tilac off to her village next week.....I need to take care of house so cannot go.....yeah right. So got a free week, name a place up Soi Siam CC on your map. Be nice to go out for a beer and not worry about getting back over that crazy highway.

Bloody well done Torrenova. This link explains the mysterious ways of PEA, and how my bill works out. What a great way to tax the rich, electricity costs go up depending on consumption....by 65% per kwh for >400 kwh. If you use less than 5 kwh...it is free! I need to find a neighbour consuming under 150 KWH/month, run a cable from his house and pay his bill along with mine and save money! I have unplugged my water cooler after catching tilac filling pans for cooking with chilled water!

Do you really mean videos? Sony or VHS...... DVD rental places are all over...well VCD, seems to still have a grip.

Just 51, and live up Soi Siam CC about a km. 2000 baht/month would save me a grand...I am interested but GF wants us to buy one. I have a UK trip in 4 weeks and might contact U when I return. Multiple Tourist visa....trip to Cambodia, one entry and 60 more days, cost 2k. Extension for 30 days, save 1 entry but 1900 baht. Visa only has a life of 6 months......as I go back to UK soon I will just get another, cost £25/entry. Border run makes more financial sense......get me some duty free too! Visa Info....thanks to Pattaya Expats Club