jacko

I have used a couple of home delivery outfits while living here, TOPS was one. I used them specifically to deliver heavier items, cases of beer, bottled water etc. Simply avoiding driving the truck into town myself, what with the traffic. I stopped using one as they stopped delivering booze. The other didn't have the selection I wanted. I think many people use BigC-X and then get a Songtaew to haul them and their bags home. They also used to have a free delivery over a certain purchase level.

Sorry, used already.

Good post Bazle, I was chatting with Mrs last night about this as we heard that some factory her brother works at will be closed 4th, 5th and 6th, and she thought government offices would be closing too. Your info is more official. Bars, can't predict that. I would expect some impact, but this of course is an event that has not occurred since 1950, beyond my span.

You might want to add the sq M size, seems to be an important consideration to many.

It may seem silly but a small towel. I don't know which border crossing the 1st Class Visa Runs outfits use these days but a few times they have seemed extremely hot places to be, and nowhere to get out of it. It is hot enough in Pattaya. They show a film on the bus but if you are the type who can nod off, the eye patches might help.

Last time I used a rank taxi I got a ticket from a woman sat at a tin desk, she told me 50 baht plus whatever I arrange with driver if I recall correctly. Also as stated there was a wait as more customers than available taxis. I recall an excited cheer as my driver realized he got a Pattaya ride. But like you I drive myself there, Mrs brings the vehicle back and I now book a ride to return. Never had an issue other than the odd car sounding like it needed a few new springs.Damn sight better than Bali where I couldn't find the hotel driver in the bedlam and crowds! Thank heavens I don't bother with the touts of years ago who used to drive you just out of the airport and try to transfer you to his mate's car that was devoid of fuel! Twats.

Good feedback. I was used to the idea that a taxi from the rank had a 50 baht surcharge on the meter but Pattaya was never going to be on the meter, so you are in the reals of bargaining/ haggling. Not what one needs after a long flight. I gave up on them once when I ended up in a long Q in the rank there and was overdressed and hot. I still use Mr Toom since then. Only drag is walking to the car park.

I got feedback that Perth had it's first winter storm (19th), rather early and perhaps suggesting a long winter down there. Even the UK was getting good weather over Easter. But sitting at the traffic lights on my bike yesterday in Pattaya I sure was believing in global warming! Hopefully it will be better for your June trip. Consider the PT crawl if you can!

Yes, quite lengthy but things to learn. Indirectly, via something Boeing calls the “Elevator Feel Computer,” it pushes the pilot’s control columns (the things the pilots pull or push on to raise or lower the aircraft’s nose) downward. MCAS denies that sovereignty. It denies the pilots the ability to respond to what’s before their own eyes. And this paragraph is a good summary..... So Boeing produced a dynamically unstable airframe, the 737 Max. That is big strike No. 1. Boeing then tried to mask the 737’s dynamic instability with a software system. Big strike No. 2. Finally, the software relied on systems known for their propensity to fail (angle-of-attack indicators) and did not appear to include even rudimentary provisions to cross-check the outputs of the angle-of-attack sensor against other sensors, or even the other angle-of-attack sensor. Big strike No. 3. Thanks for posting that.

Good price. I hope the Thailand weather breaks, I am thinking to fly the other way to get out of this damned oppressive heat. Sat in a beer garden early evening with a pint as it cools from 20 down towards 10 is sounding awfully pleasant about now. (My Pattaya area is 37/28 most days).

Yes that was my thought, bring in a truck of effluent and give them a good spray. Then I thought tuft them over the bridge into the Thames, they can have a chunk of tarmac or a car door super-glued to their hand at the same time too. But another thought, anyone arrested and charged should have their benefits/ grants/ further education stopped. If you can't be a decent member of society, and rebel against it, you certainly don't deserve the benefits you derive from it. I mean, causing disturbance in the Capitol, terrible behavior, we aren't French for heaven's sake!

The OP specifically asked about Thailand, nor is he likely to be in the French 'system'. Stay on topic.

So now Samui is With me it has a reputation for rip-off songtaews!

I was thinking about this. These types of people are usually only in it because they have nothing better to do. There is little logic to their methods as it creates the very problems they are protesting against. Holding up traffic and everyone in London stopped with their engines running is hardly helping the environment. Even the bloody superglue they use is a pollutant. Stick their hands to a train door, rip it off or pour boiling water over it! Find out where they live and stop collecting their rubbish. Don't they all have jobs to go to and children to care for. It is also an incredible waste of resources and taxpayer money. The UK is in a big enough mess with all the Brexit shit, for heavens sake protesting when Parliament is empty and disrupting shopping, transportation and The City does nothing except make other peoples lives difficult, those very people struggling to bring up their kids. Pollution is all about population, human beings are the source of all pollution, fuck off to China and India where there are too many of them.

I remember MM having to have one fitted, woke up not feeling well one morning and drove himself to the hospital if I recall correctly. He posted a good report about it.

Gattaca

You just reminded me that one had to take a close look at Etihad offers between Bangkok and Manchester, or else you got an extra step to Delhi.

QR have had some competitive prices from this end too, I was looking at late June to Manchester in Biz. Last year the prices were all high.

I will tell you a story. My father was a keen fisherman and not adverse to keeping bait in the fridge, quite disgusting, maggots, casters (the maggot cocoon), and most disgustingly lug worms used when sea fishing. He even made his own maggots sometimes with some foul mix kept outside in summer. One day my sister's future husband stayed over for the first time and we were all up waiting as mother made that great Sunday tradition, the big fry-up breakfast. I still recall the look of abject horror when he was asked if he wanted 'worms' with his eggs and bacon! (Worms, was what we all called, fried trimmed bacon rind, the name derived from the way it wriggled and coiled up when dropped into hot fat).

When I pack, and finally lock the suitcase the set of keys immediately gets put into my little travel puff-bag with passport, cash etc. (Which itself gets checked for contents, particularly passport, umpteen times). This is set #2, set #1 gets clipped to my regular keys with one of those spring clip thingamabobs.I can't trust my memory, I can forget why I am looking in the fridge!

Is it all down to the midweek Manchester derby?

My eyes are not as good, can't read them nowadays.

OMG, he's back! Baht bus prices are unchanged. Nearly all 10 baht except for trips between Central/ North Pattaya and Jomtem. Twenty, not sure where the line is. Routes as before. Motorcycle taxis have no fixed price, 50 baht gets you pretty much anywhere, negotiate. Nams is popular but I have had good service from Mr Toom, who by the way is dead and his son does the business. I mostly drive myself to the airport and get Mr Toom junior back. Plenty of real taxis in Pattaya, they hang around near the entrance to Malls, add T21 to that list. They refuse to use meter and hence you must negotiate, they aren't all that bad and this time of year AC cab looks very appealing. There is also the Grab App which works very well (like Uber). I use them and pay cash.They are leery of where to pick up as there is a bit of a feud with regular taxis. Will this be the 3rd aborted trip or is my maths wrong?

Quite a difference and it would be foolish to accept that. Bringing a wad of cash seems to be the way to go these days. I used a UK Debit Card overseas recently and not only a poor rate but got hit with a £1.50 charge as well. Had that been Thailand there would have been 220 baht on top too! And that was the 'cheaper' of the 2 cards I have.

Last one from me until Songkran done with.