jacko

If you Swift over some GBP to SCB this morning you get 37.97875.

I am cautious to get into bank account discussions with USA guys, as you are forever under the sword of Damocles, ie the US revenue dept.

So you haven't grasped that this is an Internet forum and not a daily red-top? The date posted appears under the title. Just the two so far.

You seem overly excited on this. I live in Thailand and to me the Thai Baht to GBP is what I focus on, the USD is irrelevant to me beyond a passing interest, to see what is really moving things around. Who gives out passports and whether you think they should qualify is not going to happen. Let us all agree, for many Nationalities, we don't get as many beer tokens as we used to! I often stop my bike on the way home, walk to a TT exchange, and simply take a pic of their TV screen of exchange rates and post it for info to those not here, as others do too. We then all have a barstool moan and groan about it. It really is that simple. Frankly some make me think I waste fuel.

No I have never been there, but do go to the Friday one at the Mercure. Actually that venue you mention, at the Holiday Inn, is a perfect place to ask your questions. I believe a lot of USA guys go there and you seem to have particular issues with Banks etc us UK ones do not. If what I posted was confusing, just rephrase the question, MLC was harping on about dormant accounts, not a situation I expect you to get yourself into. I was focused on using a USD FCD to qualify for a retirement extension. Acceptable to Immigration (Jomtiem), but you need to watch exchange rates if you sit close to the line, around $26,000 currently.

Of course, if you use TT cash exchange you will do better. But SWIFT your money to your Bangkok Bank account, or Siam Commercial one, for GBP, well it is testing the 38 line today. (38.0025).

Yes you do, as of course, you remain in dollars. What you have to look carefully at is the terms of the Bangkok Bank FCD. I believe it is a good vehicle if one wants to say have the 800,000 baht equivalent to cover a retirement extension. You of course, have to watch the exchange rate whereas 800,000 baht in a FD account is correct if left alone. I recall looking at a Sterling Account with the Bangkok Bank some years ago and something in the terms 'put me off'... damned if I can remember exactly what it was. It might be that the only way to release the money, is to convert it to baht, ie you could not simply transfer it back to the USA as USD readily, or it had extra cost involved. You could not get USD cash issued at the bank directly from it. Sorry I cannot be more exact.

I think you are way off mark there. I used to do programming of controls and making modifications is not always so straight forward. A programmer has to understand the overall system to make changes in one smaller subsection of the strategy, there are frequently knock on effects of what might be completely different ares of the strategy. Managers and bean counters often make cost-saving decisions without implementing safeguards. I recall some bright spark introducing Chinese made flanges, as they were substantially cheaper. The QC then broke down, the Chinese did not see the reason for a spec requiring them to be cast as a single piece, so didn't, and welded them. QC failed, the parts were utilized in a lubrication system, subsequently failed, causing catastrophic failures. It may seem elitist, but I would not have trusted some of the people I had to work with to do the job competently.

Yeah I was wondering about that too. I personally haven't been there for ages but I like Spain and had no idea it was in dire straits. I have a few friends who live there, it still sounds OK. Even a few regulars to Pattaya are considering packing it in for Spain, go buy a condo there!

Off topic posts removed.

At first, when this happened I was going into my 'bloody unions' speech. Strange as I was a bit of a unionist in my youth, was even a rep for a while in one job. Then I sort of realized I was working to make money and it was often counter productive to jeopardize the very survival of the company you worked for. I felt this particularly in public services. I got angry if British Rail had a dispute affecting me, the annual French Air Traffic Controllers dispute in the midst of holiday season too! So Butch's comments has made me feel something was badly wrong in the way Eva treated their staff. But stranding someone far from home is a heinous consequence of the dispute. I don't think I ever flew Eva. China Air a few times. As I go to and from Manchester there are never any direct options, I have a hate of Heathrow Airport (and BA), after many miles with them of slow deterioration. So, with a connection obligated, I have choice a plenty. Never a good idea to mix carriers so Eva from Amsterdam never happened. Eva might even go belly up because of this, mainland carriers will be very happy. I don't find BA competitive, for me their timings are bad. They land in the UK a bit late in the day, you are trying to get the last shuttle up to Manchester. By that time it has accrued a good bit of delay. Shuttle passengers get treated like sheep at Heathrow. What use is arriving in Manchester at near 11pm with 25 more miles to go, I am going to get mugged! Packed on a little bus at LHR with Eastern European holidaymakers and having to walk in the rain to an ancient 777, queue on the steps, and that is Biz Class. Why would I even think to try that, rather than the wonderful Emirates A380 from Manchester! Straight from lounge to wide seat and a glass of bubbly. A choice of timings. No, a reputation of long delays and the odd cancellation will keep me away from EVA. A pity, I remember those Taiwanese stewardesses were cute and attentive.

When I first read the post I thought hell, Pattaya and surrounds are packed with these types of houses for sale or rent, can hardly give them away. Got a few near me. Then I saw it was a short term holiday rental, which actually is not allowed unless registered as a hotel. I believe the Sheraton offers villas for rent which have their own pool. Plenty of the usual agent sites come up with options. https://www.thailandholidayhomes.com/pattaya/pattaya-villas.html?bedroom=3&arrival=05%2F08%2F2019&departure=13%2F08%2F2019 Got one next door to me sitting empty. Usual problem is they are off the beaten path!

Should have been inconvenience but that works good too!

Sadly I agree. It was a huge amount of effort and certainly incontinence, done in a shabby, poorly finished way. It looked more like where a bomb had hit than a construction site.

I'll take the rap over the Glaswegians.

It should also remove debris that would cause blockages downstream. That is the theory....

Well sadly, considering the way things are in Pattaya at the moment, planning that far ahead may be optimistic!

Sounds exactly like my home town Butch. Although you missed the scrounging beggars, gangs of Romanian thieves and congregating Somalies.

I believe a bar there recently got raided. Coming Bar.

I feel the tourist industry will survive, but not as we know it. What the farang comes for will become less and less of the scene. Pattaya is turning into a huge, traffic choked shopping Mall. Places like T21 and Central Festival are beyond the needs of the small town, yet there are more. Harbor Mall is a fail, location is poor, although as a Mall it is OK, but always empty. The Avenue, misguided, nobody wants to shop in 34 degC and near 100% humidity. Walking St, well I will give it a check out this week but I wonder how many of them will survive. The overheads must be staggering, mainly I mean the rent. Greed will kill it off. I have almost forgotten the existence of the over the sea eating places except the Beer Garden. I fear their prices and dislike their antics to get me to spend. I must take a look from that very beer garden to see how they are doing. Another well established farang eatery has gone, (Pig and Whistle). The remaining ones struggle, offering the same menus and to be honest, poor selection, of food. A few shine out though, by being cheap. Farangs, you are going to be part of history. There will just be a few lost souls wandering around, wondering what happened, likely names that have been here posting a while like myself. I am already starting to beat myself over the head over decisions I made soon after arriving here in my early 50's, with stars in my eyes, flush with 65 baht/ £. Oh well, I can go and get pissed.

OOps, 'scheduled maintenance is required'..... Thailand don't do maintenance. If it works, don't fix it, if it's broken, it's too late.

I have also heard of hotels refusing to undercut an agent such as Agoda, a booking I made March Agoda was better! The reason being the hotel can lose the listing.

Walkways in Thailand look like that (the latter one). Here is Soi Pothole!

They had me until I got to the list of ingredients!

I was not a fan, the 500 baht joiner fee did it for me! The room was rather small for the price too I recall. Good spacious grounds and pool area. Later times I was a fan of a small place up a small alley on Beach Rd, near Walking St, where McD is (Lido Beach). The Merlin I seem to recall stood empty and derelict for a spell, before HardRock renovated it and it became the type of place I was unlikely to be seen in.