kenandlat

I'm considering buying a new 4 door sedan and wondered if any member here is well versed in all the available brands and tax situation for those built/assembled here within Thailand. As I understand it, those models that are built/assembled locally within Thailand have little or no taxes involved in the sale while those imported carry quite large tax burdens along with a higher "sticker price". Could someone tell me the 3 largest 4 door sedan models made here "in-country" and what the total drive out price might me for a "loaded" model? Ken

Howdy all members, Wife and I will be playing tour guide for my sister + 3 other relatives who will be visiting from the U.S. Oct 31-Nov 14. We need to rent an air-conditioned 8-11 passenger minibus for a one way trip from Pattaya to Hua Hin on 7 Nov. Any member who has access to agents/companies/friends who might be able to provide such a bus/driver on 7 Nov, please e-mail me at kenandlat@gmail.com Ken/Rattana Bower Chiayaphum Thailand 06-090-8686 kenandlat@gmail.com

Howdy, I just booked the Royal Twin Plaza Hotel which sits accross the street and back a block on Pattaya 2nd Rd from the Royal Garden Mall for my wife and myself. A friend and I walked through the building last Oct when we were both in PB and were very impressed with the lobby, restaurant size, and swimming pool but I've never stayed there. Any member here actually stayed there? What was your impression? Ken

IF I were looking into staying within "striking distance" of Pattaya, I'd only consider Ban Chang, Sattahip, Rayong, and Chantiburi as possible locations for living although I DID love Sriracha back in the 70's. With the new hospitals completed near U-Tapao, and in Rayong and the one in Chantiburi being almost fully equipped/staffed, anywhere along the Eastern shore would be adequate NOW whereas probably not just a couple of years ago for full time living. I hear that there will also be a new hospital completed in Trat by next year's end. I always liked the Trat/Klong Yai area. Ken Bower Chiayaphum

Rex, They have ADSL available here, as well as Satellite ISP coverage IF you are willing to pay for it. As time is what I have the most of and $$$ is what I have the least of, I chose to just deal with only having dial-up but then I rarely use the computer now for anything more than reading and answering e-mails so I find dial-up totally sufficient for my needs. I had 500 channels available in San Antonio Texas B4 I moved here but seldom found any more channels of interest than I do here with UBC Platinum ( at a greatly reduced price from what I had btw). I have a homephone line and a cell phone so I can call worldwide with reception far better than I ever dreamed when I started seriously considering living way out here in the deep boondocks. And the best part of all is that IF I wake up in the morning and feel a need for socializing with other farangs, I can be in Bangkok in 5-6 hours or Pattaya in 7-8 hours. (But rarely get that urge anymore). I can also easily go to Khon Kaen or Korat in about an hour and a half or to Udon Thani in 3 hours. With Tesco-Lotus already here and rumors of Big C coming (which I have yet to verify), and Foodland and many hi speed internet locations in downtown Chiayaphum, just 12km away, any needs not handled at home can be met. Today, I bought a new refrig and new stove/oven at a local store with prices LESS than Tesco-Lotus btw. My bedroom and bathroom are fully air-conditioned and as of today the giant living room is just cooled by fans. That IS sufficient now but in late March to the end of June (the hot, dry season), I may have to change the living room windows and put in air-conditioning. We have a 20-30 ft. by 12-14 ft. cemented front porch which is quite nice for "lounging" during the day or just reading a book or listening to the stereo and nearing age 70, that seems to be enough for me. I don't forsee anytime in the future ever needing to stay up past midnite or sleep in after 6AM. But that's just me, everyone has their own lifestyle. I have everything I need right here and NO MAN ever has everything he "wants" so.... Ken Bower Chiayaphum Thailand

Yes, I have lived in SoCal during my lifetime. First visited SoCal in the 1950's and thought it was Shangri-la back then. Then moved briefly to Glendora and Culver City while in the military, and spent some time at Ft. Ord while in Army Basic training. Immediately upon retiring from the Army in Feb 1975, I moved to Westminster CA for a year, then into our new house in Fountain Valley CA until 1978, then to W. Covina, and Montebello, then Santa Ana for short periods of time B4 being transferred by the AAA to San Antonio Texas in 1981. Returned to Fountain Valley and Irvine for short periods of time after I returned from 5 years in Saudi Arabia, while working for McDonnell Douglas in the late 1980's. Then lived in San Marcos for 3 years (1988-1991) while working at Tri City Medical Center in Vista/Carlsbad/Oceanside CA. As all my kids/grandkids/great grandson live in SoCal, (son in Costa Mesa, daughters in Anaheim, Buena Park, and Oceanside, and granddaughter and great grandson in Fountain Valley, I do know Orange and San Diego Co. well. Would probably live there if it were possible on our retirement pay but all the info we streamed through indicated that it is impossible to live in Orange or San Diego Counties for less than $68,000/yr. and as I am nearing age 70 and my wife hasn't worked since age 21, we just cannot afford to live there. And I truely believe that I am happier living here in Chiayaphum than I would ever be living in SoCal with all it's urban problems. Ken/Rattana Bower Chiayaphum Thailand http://www.mgnewman.com/kenlat/

We live in the small village of Ban Sakanam, about 12 km from downtown Chiayaphum. While Chiayaphum province has a total population of over 1,000,000 people making it one of the largest provinces in population, the capital is somewhat small. It just got a mall 3 years ago and just added Tesco-Lotus Dept. store last year. (it is doing a boom business btw, always overpacked). Chiayaphum is 1 1/2 hours drive NNW of Korat or 1 1/2 hours drive SW of Khon Kaen, in the heart of Isaan. Almost everyone in the province is employed in the rice farm business. My wife and all of her brothers and sisters have adjoining rice farms, but they are ALL farmed by one sister and brother-in-law. One of her brothers moved to Udon Thani province and has a water buffalo and cow farm, another brother has his own rice and tapioca farm near Ubon, one sister lives up in Sakonnakorn, and her other sister not in the farming business lives with us and is married to a brit who is visiting here now from London for seven weeks. We get on very well and I really enjoy having him around to speak English with and have someone to watch all the NFL and BNA games with (even though I occasionally have to struggle through a soccer (fake football) game in return. I do not think I could ever be happy living in Bangkok, even though I really enjoy visiting there a couple days/month, nor in Pattaya full time, but really am enjoying living in the "real" Thailand. With us now having a phone line in at the house, allowing us to have computer hookup right here at home, and having UBC Platinum CCTV, along with a source of unending book loans, I have plenty of "activity" to fill each day here, without dealing with the hoards of people, traffic, smog, noise of Bangkok and Pattaya. Our village, Ban Sakanam or Chiayaphum, Village II, has at best 100 families, and the largest of the 9 villages in our "barrio" has about 300+ families. We "socialize" with almost all the neighbors on a daily basis, and I like everyone in our neighborhood. All are hard working families, just working the fields for their existance. In my 36 trips to Thailand, I'm glad Chiayaphum finally got the infastructore necessary for us to really enjoy life here (i.e. mall, Foodland, high speed internet cafes, a Danish Restaurant and a new American/Thai Restaurant that just opened next door to it, and just enough stores in downtown to provide us with our meager needs). Retirement life is so much more fulfilling and enjoyable here than where I lived in the U.S. (that would include Lafayette Indiana where I was born and raised for 18 years, Denver Colorado, Ft. Walton Beach FL, Alamogordo NM, Kokomo IN, Dover DE, Glendora CA, Sierra Vista AZ, Springfield VA, Westminster CA, Fountain Valley CA, W. Covina CA, San Antonio Texas, Yuma AZ etc). I feel I'm home to stay here. Ken Bower Chiayaphum Thailand http://www.mgnewman.com/kenlat/

Howdy, B4 I moved permanently to Ban Sakanam, Chiayaphum Thailand this year, I had travelled to many places on this planet. Due to my work, (including installing Satellite Communications and Microwave Commo Stations, and working five years as a Personnel Administrator for McDonnell Douglas), I have worked in, lived in or visited 39 countries and all 50 United States. For the last 10 years or so of my working life, I started looking around for where I might retire. I considered Florida, Texas and California in the United States, Thailand, Philippines, Portugal, Greece (islands), Cyprus, and Macau. At the time of my retirement I'd already made 30 trips to Thailand and it seemed the logical place to retire as I love the people here and the way of life. Now, I'm NOT the typical expat in that I don't drink or smoke and really never did whore around as some expats do "occasionally"....lol As luck would have it, on my first trip to Thailand after I retired, I met my present wife, (Jan 1995) and by Sept, we were married. We moved to San Antonio Texas and then Yuma AZ, then returned to San Antonio spending 10 years living in the U.S. B4 moving permanently back to Chiayaphum on my 36th visit to Thailand. Truthfully, I could NOT have moved here even two years ago because there was not the "infastructure" in place for me to have enjoyed life here on a permanent basis. But now, with the advent of having a mall in town that includes Tesco-Lotus, having Foodland here now, having many ADSL internet cafes available, and our village (Ban Sakanam) having reliable electricity, running water etc. it has become "quite livable". In fact, I wouldn't think of living anywhere else. Now, that said, we do retirement a little different than most expats w/Thai wives. We spend about two weeks/month in Chiayaphum and travel throughout Thailand/Asia at will the other two weeks of every month. (Just returned from Christmas Shopping in Singapore) and we spend time each month in Bangkok, Udon Thani, Korat, Pattaya, and other locations at will. I guess it took me so long (36 trips) to Thailand to make up my mind to actually retire here mostly because I knew Bangkok was NOT an option for retirement (love Thailand/hate Bangkok) and Pattaya Beach, where I spent the majority of the first 35 trips, also does not offer the lifestyle I wanted for my retirement years. Sure would love to hear from other expats, who like me, decided to retire in Isaan. Would love to hear what steered them to that decision. Ken Bower Chiayaphum Thailand http://www.mgnewman.com/kenlat/

Thanks Bigmofo, I would prefer to ONLY look at properties WEST of Sukhumvit as getting accross Sukhumvit to the beach side from the EAST at age 69 could be a "lifelong" experience. You are right to recommend Fair Properties. I've known about them for years. I know I'll find something once there. I was hoping that my posting would lead to an "owner" replying with a deal on somewhere I was already familiar with that would be becoming vacant in Oct. Ken Bower Finally making the move I should have made in 1972 after my first year in Pattaya...lol

Well, It's time to start searching for a long term lease apartment, condo or home in Pattaya Beach. While we will more than likely still use Lat's home in Chiayaphum as our permanent resident and will most likely be spending more days each month there than in any other "single" location, we will for sure be spending more time in Pattaya than any other location outside Chiayaphum. As as that is a given, we have decided it may be cheaper to find an apartment, condo, house in Pattaya to take on a long term lease (under 12,000 baht/mo. but better if under 10,000 baht) and sign a year's lease, than to pay 1,000 baht/night for say 10-12 nights/month. That way we will have a place to leave some of our clothes and "stuff" and be able to really travel light on all trips back and forth. So, here is what we'd be looking for. A one or two bedroom apartment, condo, house in Pattaya (west of Sukhumvit) or Jomtien (west of Sukhumvit) or Naklua on the beach side of Naklua Rd anywhere from N. Pattaya Rd, (dolphin circle) to Wongamat Beach. If any of our members know of rental property that "may" suit our needs, please advise. Ken/Lat Bower San Antonio Texas (for 110 more days)

I have accessed the INS website that shows all the INS offices for North East Thailand, (shown below). Northeastern part of Thailand Loei Province Chiang Khan District Tha Li District Pak Chom District (under responsibility of Immigration Office of Chiang Khan District) Nong Khai Province Muang Nong Khai District Bung Kan District Nakhon Phanom Province Muang Nakhon Phanom District Mukdahan Province Muang Mukdahan District Ubon Ratchathani Province Sirinthorn District (under responsibility of Immigration Office of Phibun Mangsahan District) Na Tan District (under responsibilty of Immigration Office of Khemarat District I suppose since Lat and I will be living in Chiayaphum and using her home there as our primary residence, that we will be required to "report" to the "nearest" INS location to Chiayaphum in order to apply for my RETIREMENT ENDORCEMENT for our AO visas. Or does anyone know for sure that we can simply apply while we are visiting in Bangkok or Pattaya Beach or other area or Thailand? IF we must use the INS office closest to Chiayaphum, does ANYONE know which office is closest to Chiayaphum? Neither Lat nor I are "familiar" with the INS districts shown below. And if the requirement is to report to the nearest INS office, I'm assuming that we will be required to report there to file our address requirement every 90 days there as well. I thought that someone had mentioned that it is now possible to mail in a postcard with the present address in to the Bangkok office every 90 days now but if that card is "lost in the mail" (and who ever heard of mail being lost in the Thai Post Office system...lol), what happens. Do you get a postcard back after they receive your postcard that you can keep/file that assures that you are current in satisfying your commitment? I also heard that you can simply visit the Police station in your locality and submit the current address info? Can someone give us an absolute reading on this? Does INS stamp your passport each 90 days with a stamp showing you have satisfied the reporting process every quarter of a year? Please let us know the correct info and if you are in Thailand now, what/where/how you are complying with the requirement. Ken/Rattana Bower kenandlat@gmail.com http://homepage.mac.com/mgnewman/KenLat/

For the last 4+ years, I have put together a pretty good homepage containing a wealth of info directly aimed at my two target groups, those who travel to Thailand and active duty and veteran military personnel. http://homepage.mac.com/mgnewman/KenLat/ What I'd like to do now is EXPAND the homepage to include just as much info on all the other areas of the Orient and SE Asia, Australia, New Zealand. To do this, I'd like for all who read this that have favorite/bookmarked Links/Websites to send me the URLs via a reply to this message. I will review each and every URL sent, and will add each and every one that I find of general interest to those who access my homepage(only about 50/day right now), so that they can have access to all your favorite URLs as well as mine. Please help, Ken Bower San Antonio Texas (for 156 more days) Retiring in Chiayaphum, Thailand after that

Howdy, Now that Lat and I have decided to finally set a date for permanently relocating back to Thailand once again (Oct 5), one of the questions I'd like advise on is which visa to apply for. Since I am going to be 69 yr's old when my feet once again touch Thai soil, should I go for the "Geezer Visa" (Retirement Visa) or for the multiple entry O/A visa. What are the monotary qualifications for getting either of those visas renewed in Thailand after my initial 1 yr. visa runs out? Somehow, having 18,000 Baht in one of the Thai banks and/or showing that my Army Retirement Checks and Social Security retirement entitlements (currently just over $30,000/yr guaranteed for life) should do the trick right? I'd just like to have the correct requirements for both spelled out please. I'd like also to hear any/all problems the members here have had with getting the renewals, and what paperwork must be submitted with each of the two catagories of visas. And where I would apply and what timeframe B4 the current visa expires should I apply. Since my wife is an American citizen but still a Thai (will have current Thai ID card etc.) someone told us that once we arrive "in-country", she can appear at the Immigration Office on Soi 8, Pattaya (or wherever they move it too) and she can have her visa stamped for a 1 year stay where she will NOT have to do the 90 day visa runs. Can anyone tell us for sure if that is true or not. If so, do we need to spend the extra dough to get her a multiple entry O/A visa or just apply for a Tourist Visa for her and hope it will be stamped for a year as some of our friends who travelled back to Thailand on an American passport have done. Thanking you for your responses in advance, Ken and Rattana Bower San Antonio Texas http://homepage.mac.com/mgnewman/KenLat/ Homepage

Howdy all, I know Lat and I have NOT been doing much posting or reading of the posts from y'all here lately but part of that is because we have made a major decision that will effect the rest of our lives together. We have decided, along with my cousin Gene Kendall, to relocate PERMANENTLY to Thailand. Our tickets are bought and paid for, and now we are starting to throw out, give away, all our "treasures" we have accumulated over there past 10+ years. We will either drive to SoCal o/a 27 Sep and sell our 2001 Cheve Cavalier Z24 which currently has only 22,800 miles on it and has been cared for like a newborn child in California while we spend 4 nights with our kids, grandkids, and new great grandson B4 launching for Bangkok OR we will sell it here and fly to John Wayne Airport (Orange Co. Airport) on 29 Sep 2005. That decision should be made once we are sure that no person wanting our vehicle in SoCal is willing to pluck down $6,000 for it (less than low retail)with the stipulation that it be paid for in cash no later than 2 Oct 2005 and we hand over the title, and car keys to that person in Anaheim CA on 2 Oct. Let us know IF you are in the SoCal area and interested in buying our vehicle under those terms. Then in mid-afternoon on 3 Oct, my oldest daughter, who lives in Anaheim will drive us to LAX where we will launch on China Air Flight 5 to Taipei and once arriving there will continue on China Air Flight 65 to Bangkok, arriving to start our new life in Thailand at 1AM on 5 Oct. Lat's sister will be picking us up and driving us on to Chiayaphum "straight away". We plan to set up house in Chiayaphum at the house that Lat already has there. We have enclosed the downstairs which used to be open air with cement floor this past year, added an American style toilet and hot water heater for showering, air conditioning for our downstairs bedroom and are currently having the kitchen area remodeled. We are not certain if we will continue to use Chiayaphum for a "permanent" base of operation or not, but will take say 4 months or so to really get to know the whole of the Chiayaphum area, medical, prime care management and dental professionals available, level of competence at the local hospitals and clinics, and just how I adjust to life in Isaan. If we decide that a better parameter is to move full time to the Pattaya Beach area and just spend a week or so every month with the family in Chiayaphum, this looks like possibly the strongest challenge to our living full time there. Any hints, suggestions on how to make our transition easier will be appreciated. IF there are any farangs whose wives/families live in the Chiayaphum area and you frequently or infrequently visit the area, please let us know. Wish us well in our new life and IF any of you ARE interested in the Z24, let us know. Ken and Rattana Bower San Antonio Texas http://homepage.mac.com/mgnewman/Kenlat/ Homepage http://kenandlat.diaryland.com daily THIS AND THAT column

Thanks for letting me know about the Pattaya Bar Hop URL being broken. Right now, Mike Newman, who does ALL the work putting my homepage/Link up and making all the revisions has been working for many hours completing the Feb updates) we update and add newfound Links every month AND in alphabetizing all those already on the homepage. As he works full time as the Manager for the Social Security Office in Saipan, his dancecard is already very full. Then he is an avid scuba diver to boot AND he is preparing to retire and move full time to Korat in less than two months. I HAVE spent 14 hours locating all the broken/dead links within the website working on all the topic headings from 9/11 to Military and he said he will work on getting them deleted ASAP but he wouldn't have any time until at least next month to do any more than that. So I plan to send him all the broken/dead links from the topic heading Misc. to White House (time permitting to do the work involved) sometime in Mar 2005 and the Pattaya Bar Hop and other link missed by our first revision will hopefully be eliminated at that time. I am just so thankful that Mike finds the time just to do the updates/additions, it is a small wonder to me (as I am completely computer illiterate other than profecting Link surfing techniques) how we keep the homepage in any sort of order. We both are SO grateful when people take the time to notice that there is a URL/Link broken and do notify us as it lessens our burden. I use most of my allotted 3 hours online (yes I am married and do NOT want to take quality time with my wife online) creating and writing my daily THIS AND THAT column. http://kenandlat.diaryland.com Have a look though today's column and visit Older Entries when you have time. Thank you, Ken Bower http://homepage.mac.com/mgnewman/KenLat/ Homepage http://kenandlat.diaryland.com daily THIS AND THAT column

http://homepage.mac.com/mgnewman/KenLat/ Ken and Lat's Thailand homepage A giant improvement was made today that makes our homepage so much better than ever B4. All the info within each topic heading is now in alphabetical order so all who access a particular topic will be able to easily find info they are actually interested in. I am so proud of Mike Newman who does all the work maintaining our homepage and ALL the improvements he has made to it since it's inception. Thanks Mike Ken Bower San Antonio Texas P.S. Also check out our daily THIS AND THAT column: http://kenandlat.diaryland.com P.P.S. I think y'all will agree that my homepage contains more info on Thailand than you can get from any other single source. Now, what I'd like to ask from all of you is that you send me URL's/Links on Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and other Asian areas so I can have as good a selection from the rest of Asia as I have for Thailand. You see, while I've been to all the places mentioned above, I have spent 35 vacations in Thailand. Please help me improve my homepage even more by having a wealth of info on the rest of Asia.

Howdy all Forum Members, I was NEVER online until I bought my first Gateway Computer in early 2000. Shortly after, I became so distraught by my not having the computer skills to find information I wanted while surfing, or to re-find it when I needed it later, I talked a friend Frank Picchoine into putting a personalized website up for me to keep all my newfound "treasures" in. I thank him for his ####, but as he had NO time to make updates to include additional information/urls, I began looking for another avenue to collecting and saving all information I found of interest to me that I thought might have some interest to others. In 2003, I met a man named Mike Newman, who shared my interest in a homepage that would have the information from my old website AND be upgradable to include updates/additions each month. What the finished product looks like is: http://homepage.mac.com/mgnewman/KenLat/ You can page down the left hand column subheadings to find topics of interest to you, then click on any/all URLs under that subheading and find a wealth of info within one place (and if you bookmark my homepage, it will always be there easy to find when you need any info about any subheading later). Little did I know how many people would actually access the homepage until Mike added a "counter" at the bottom left hand corner (looks like a globe with a cn on it). And if you click on Summary and all titles below it, you can tell exactly how many from all walks of life and areas of the planet are. As of today, we are getting an average of 44 hits/day. I never envisioned that it would ever be that popular. I noticed, when looking at the counter, some of the active members of this forum have accessed it. I'd like to ask those who haven't yet had a look at my homepage to do so, and those who have would post a reply here or bc me and let me know what you think about the homepage and any suggestions for improving it. My target audience was all those that "regularily" visit Thailand and all active duty, retired and veterans of the military. I have large sections of info under the titles Asia, Bangkok, Books, Hotels, Pattaya, Philippines, Thailand, Travel, and Weather that might be of interest to ANY of our members here, and if any of you have URLs on any of those subheadings I've missed, PLEASE let me know so I can add them. I also have the largest subsection on Military of anyone I know. just FYI. Hope y'all can give me some additional URLs I've missed and also hope you enjoy the Homepage. Just last year, I also started puting out a daily column called THIS AND THAT. You can access it daily at http://kenandlat.diaryland.com Let me know if you have any quizzes, quotes, jokes, interesting articles, etc. that you think I could use for my daily column. Thanking you in advance, Ken Bower San Antonio Texas 35 trips to Thailand so far since 1971 Next planned trip Oct/Nov 2005

For the cheapest airfares from most major cities in the U.S. to Thailand, have a look at this URL: http://search.travel.yahoo.com/bin/search/...?dc=BKK&intl=us If you are like me and want to check other wholesalers/bucket shops/airline websites to compare prices, have a look at my homepage: http://homepage.mac.com/mgnewman/KenLat/ then page down the left hand column to the topic subheading Travel, and click on all the URLs listed under that topic. Ken Bower Visiting Pattaya since 1971 (35 trips to date)

For enough information on Thailand and Military URLs and so much more, please bookmark my new homeplace: http://kenandlat.diaryland.com/index.html Be sure to click on Old Entries after viewing todays This and That column. I have my homepage: http://homepage.mac.com/mgnewman/KenLat/ stored there and also my daily (well, almost daily) This and That columns which as the title says,,, contains a little of this and a little of that. You will find Trivia Quiz's, URLs I found interesting while surfing the net, jokes, interesting articles (interesting to me 4 sure) and almost anything else I receive from others and find interesting enough to pass on. Ken Bower San Antonio Texas Visiting Thailand since 1971 Worked in, lived in or visited 39 countries and all 50 U.S. States

Please bookmark my homepage: It contains more info on/about Thailand than any other single URL that I know of: http://homepage.mac.com/mgnewman/KenLat/ then page down the left hand subheadings to: Asia Bangkok Books (on Thailand/Asia) Chaing Mai Hotels Military Pattaya Photos Thailand Travel Weather and so many more topic headings. For instance, if you page down to Travel, and then page down the URLs to the heading to Bangkok, you'll find this very useful URL: http://search.travel.yahoo.com/bin/search/...?dc=BKK&intl=us As an ex-travel agent, I know that this TRAVELOCITY website will give you the lowest airfares from any major city in the United States to Bangkok 95% of the time. If you are like me however and like to double, triple check, then click on all the other wholesalers, bucket shops, discounters URL's listed under the TRAVEL subheading and you can get a real comparison. Kenneth R. Bower SFC USArmy Ret. U-Tapao 1971-1972 (Army TSC-54 Satellite Communications Station) Sriracha 1972 (Army Microwave Communications Station Chief) Visiting Thailand since 1971

Steve McQueen Movies: 1. BRUCE LEE: THE LEGEND (1984) 2. BULLITT (1968) 3. THE GETAWAY (1972) 4. THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963) 5. THE HUNTER (1980) 6. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960) 7. NEVER SO FEW (1960) 8. NEW YORK COP (1996) 9. PAPILLON (1973) 10. THE SAND PEBBLES (1966) 11. SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME (1956) 12. THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR (1976) 13. THE TOWERING INFERNO (1974) Steve McQueen was one of my ALL TIME favorite Actors and like John Wayne one of my "Hollywood Heros". I hearned at a very young age to separate Hollywood from real life so I saw the end product of ALL movies as "entertainment" rather than rational depictions of "real life". ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Michael Caine Movies: 1. ALFIE (1966) 2. AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER (2002) 3. BATTLE OF BRITAIN (1969) 4. BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1979) 5. THE BLACK WINDMILL (1974) 6. BLAME IT ON RIO (1984) 7. BLOOD AND WINE (1996) 8. BULLET TO BEJING (1995) 9. BULLSEYE (1990) 10. DEATH BECOMES HER (1992) 11. DEATHTRAP (1982) 12. DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (1988) 13. DRESSED TO KILL (1980) 14. EDUCATING RITA (1983) 15. THE FOURTH PROTOCOL (1987) 16. FUNERAL IN BERLIN (1966) 17. GAMBIT (1966) 18. GET CARTER (2000) 19. HALF MOON STREET (1986) 20. HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986) 21. THE HOLCROFT COVENANT (1985) 22. THE IPCRESS FILE (1965) 23. JAWS 4: THE REVENGE (1987) 24. JEKYLL & HYDE (1990) 25. LAST ORDERS (2002) 26. MANDELA AND DEKLERK (1997) 27. MISS. CONGENIALITY (2000) 28. MONA LISA (1986) 29. ON DEADLY GROUND (1993) 30. QUICKSAND (2001) 31. QUILLS (2000) 32. SECONDHAND LIONS (2003) 33. A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM (1990) 34. THE STATEMENT (2003) 35. SURRENDER (1987) 36. SWARM ,THE (1978) 37. SWEET LIBERTY (1986) 38. VICTORY (1981) 39. THE WHISTLE BLOWER (1987) 40. THE WILBY CONSPIRACY (1975) 41. WITHOUT A CLUE (1988) 42. THE QUIET AMERICAN (2002) imho His best work ever. John Wayne Movies: • Smoke That Cigarette (1987) • The Shootist (1976) • Brannigan (1975) • Rooster Cogburn (...and the Lady) (1975) • McQ (1974) • Cahill - U.S. Marshal (1973) • The Train Robbers (1973) • The Cowboys (1972) • Big Jake (1971) • Chisum (1970) • Rio Lobo (1970) • True Grit (1969) • The Undefeated (1969) • The Green Berets (1968) • Hellfighters (1968) • El Dorado (1967) • The War Wagon (1967) • Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) • In Harm's Way (1965) • The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) • Circus World (1964) • Donovan's Reef (1963) • McLintock! (1963) • Hatari! (1962) • How the West Was Won (1962) • The Longest Day (1962) • The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) • The Comancheros (1961) • The Alamo (1960) • Alamo, The (Restored Version) (1960) • North to Alaska (1960) • The Horse Soldiers (1959) • Rio Bravo (1959) • The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958) • Jet Pilot (1957) • Legend of the Lost (1957) • The Wings of Eagles (1957) • The Searchers (1956) • Blood Alley (1955) • The Sea Chase (1955) • The Conqueror (1953) • Hondo (1953) • Trouble Along the Way (1953) • Big Jim McLain (1952) • The Quiet Man (1952) • Flying Leathernecks (1951) • Operation Pacific (1951) • Rio Grande (1950) • Rio Grande - The 45th Anniversary (1950) • The Fighting Kentuckian (1949) • Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) • She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) • 3 Godfathers (1948) • Fort Apache (1948) • Red River (1948) • Red River - Restored Version (1948) • Wake of the Red Witch (1948) • Angel and the Badman (1947) • Angel and the Badman/John Wayne on Film (1947) • Tycoon (1947) • Hollywood Classics - The Westerns, Vols. 1 & 2: Angel and the Badman/Abilene Town (1946) • Without Reservations (1946) • Dakota (1945) • Flame of the Barbary Coast (1945) • They Were Expendable (1945) • Back to Bataan (1944) • The Fighting Seabees (1944) • Tall in the Saddle (1944) • A Lady Takes a Chance (1943) • War of the Wildcats (1943) • Flying Tigers (1942) • In Old California (1942) • Lady for a Night (1942) • Pittsburgh (1942) • Reap the Wild Wind (1942) • Reunion in France (1942) • The Spoilers (1942) • Lady From Louisiana (1941) • The Shepherd of the Hills (1941) • Wheel of Fortune (1941) • The Dark Command (1940) • The Long Voyage Home (1940) • Seven Sinners (1940) • Three Faces West (1940) • Allegheny Uprising (1939) • Frontier Horizon (1939) • Stagecoach (1939) • Three Mesquiteers, The - Pals of the Saddle (1938) • Hell Town (Born to the West) (1937) • King of the Pecos (1936) • The Lawless Nineties (1936) • Winds of the Wasteland (1936) • The Dawn Rider (1935) • The Desert Trail (1935) • The Desert Trail/Dawn Rider (1935) • John Wayne - Dawn Rider (1935) • John Wayne - Desert Trail (1935) • John Wayne - Lawless Frontier (1935) • John Wayne - Rainbow Valley (1935) • John Wayne - Texas Terror (1935) • The Lawless Frontier (1935) • Lawless Range (1935) • Paradise Canyon (1935) • Rainbow Valley (1935) • Texas Terror (1935) • Westward Ho (1935) • 'Neath the Arizona Skies (1934) • Blue Steel (1934) • Hollywood Classics - John Wayne: Riders of Destiny/The Star Packer (1934) • John Wayne - Blue Steel (1934) • John Wayne - Man From Utah (1934) • The Lucky Texan (1934) • The Man From Utah (1934) • Randy Rides Alone (1934) • Randy Rides Alone/ Star Packer (1934) • The Star Packer (1934) • Star Packer, The/Blue Steel (1934) • The Trail Beyond (1934) • West of the Divide (1934) • Baby Face (1933) • Desert Command (1933) • The Fugitive (1933) • Haunted Gold (1933) • His Private Secretary (1933) • Man From Monterey (1933) • Riders of Destiny (1933) • Sagebrush Trail (1933) • Somewhere in Sonora (1933) • Telegraph Trail (1933) • The Three Musketeers (1933) • The Three Musketeers - Vol 2 - Chapters 7-12 (1933) • The Three Musketeers: Vol 1 - Chapters 1-6 (1933) • Big Stampede (1932) • Cliffhangers: Hurricane Express (1932) • The Cliffhangers: The Shadow of the Eagle (1932) • The Hurricane Express (1932) • The Hurricane Express (12 Chapter Series) (1932) • Range Feud (1932) • Ride Him, Cowboy (1932) • The Shadow of the Eagle (1932) • Texas Cyclone (1932) • Two Fisted Law (1932) • The Big Trail (1930) • Hangman's House (1928) • The Drop Kick (1927) Ken Bower P.S. Now let me know your favorites.

Favorite Hollywood Actresses A quote from the Boston Weekly Wire: I don't know what blondes say when they get together, but when we Asian-American women gossip among ourselves, we use a certain phrase for the white guys who prefer us. We say they've got "yellow fever." I guess I have been smitten with "Yellow Fever" and it has spread to become "Asian Fever" since long B4 I ever graduated from High School back in Lafayette, Indiana in 1954. As I decided to do a little research on the Oriental and Asian Actresses that would have to be included in MY Favorite Actresses List, I found it very much more difficult to find references to them than in finding a wealth of info on my favorite actors. Is it because they are Asian???? Is it because it's just a very small minority of American Men that also have "Yellow or Asian Fever"? Whatever the case, it was a difficult task and certainly shouldn't be. All of my Favorite Actresses seem to be Oriental/Asian: Here is my list of alltime Favorite Actresses: Nancy Kwan: http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0477088/bio France Nguyen: http://goldsea.com/Personalities/Nuyenfran...uyenfrance.html Lucy Liu: 1. BALLISTIC: ECKS VS. SEVER (2002) 2. CHARLIE'S ANGELS (2000) 3. CHARLIE'S ANGELS FULL THROTTLE (2003) Kelly Hu: The Scorpion King 2002 Cradle 2 The Grave 2003 Ziyi Zhang: http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0955471/ Joan Chen: Taipan 1986 The Last Emporer 1987 The Blood of Heros 1989 Twin Peaks 1990 Deadlock 1991 On Deadly Ground 1993 Killing Beach 1993 The Hunted 1994 Wild Side 1995 Precious Find 1996 Autumn in New York 2000 What's Cooking 2000 Tzi Ma: http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0002245/ Michelle Yeoh: http://www.rebel-rebel.net/my/ Ming-Na Wen http://www.ming-na.com/main.html Other Asian Actresses and Stars would include: Yan Fenaying Gong Li Ester Chae Jinah Oh Vivian Bang Angie Wong Christy Chung Yeh Qing Annie Wu Chen Jun Malaika Arora Kim Sharma Alyssa Chia Anne Heung Ada Choi Angie Cheung Athena Chu Carmon Lee Cecilia Cheung Coco Lee Gigi Lai Irene Wan Kenix Klook Even when it comes to TV News personalities, my two all time favorites were: Trisha Toyota Connie Chung and now Lila Feng, CNN World Weathercaster Now, tell me your choices. Ken Bower

Tom, I never said that EVA bought British Caldonian, just that they bought many if not all of their planes and possibly hired some or all of their air and ground crews. If you notice they also inherated their BR code. In any case, I'd like to thank you and all others who have posted here espacially the post that explained how the ratings were formulated. AND I agree that everyone would NOT agree with my opinion or the company that posted the rating. I was just pleased that throughout the 5 star to 2 star ratings, what I would have given the airlines I have flown on was in most cases the same rating that the company doing the Airline Ratings gave. Ken Bower San Antonio Texas USA Been to 39 countries, and all 50 United States, chose San Antonio to retire in.

Well, your personal Surf King has found a URL that offers Airline Rankings. Bookmark this URL so you can use it's rating system as an added input into choosing your airline of choice for all your air travel plans. Ken Bower, Surf King http://www.airlinequality.com/StarRanking/ranking.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5 Star Airlines the Premier Quality Status What makes a 5 Star Airline Airlines currently Awarded 5 Star status are listed below - for rating details use airline name link. Cathay Pacific Airways * Singapore Airlines* I was very pleased that Skytrax agrees with me that Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines ARE a full step above ALL others when it comes to service and comfort. As most of you know, I've flown more airlines to more countries than anyone I know. (39 Countries and all 50 United States). I would totally agree with all the 5 and 4 star airlines, exccept for Asiana, Korean, and Saudi Arabia which I would have only given 3 stars, and agree that all those NOT mentioned in the 5 or 4 star list, should be avoided if possible. I have placed an astrict to show the airlines I have flown on. Ken Bower World Airline Star Ranking Since 2000, Skytrax have operate the global Star Rating system for the world airline industry - much like you might choose a hotel by it's Star Ranking, you can now view Airline standards according to their rating status. Each airline is ranked on the basis of front-line Product and Service quality, and the Star Ranking status is based on "international" product and service standards where applicable. In the case of domestic-only airlines, the ranking reflects their domestic product and service quality. Of prime importance to all Star Ranking data, is evaluating the reality of the "delivered" product and service to customers. This means for example, that a low cost airline with a much reduced product offering can still be eligible for a high star ranking - if it fulfils the conceived quality target. As will be seen from the different ranking pages, considerable emphasis is placed upon the final standards of "service delivery" be it from airport staff or the cabin staff onboard flights. For a detailed Quality Analysis of what is assessed in an Airline Star Rankingreview, refer to Ranking System (Information only available to featured airlines) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4 Star Airlines To obtain more information on airline rankings, click airline name and link to rating page. Aer Lingus Air Dolomiti Air New Zealand Air Tahiti Nui Alitalia All Nippon Airways Asiana Airlines* Austrian Airlines Braathens British Airways* bmi British Midland China Airlines* Dragonair Emirates Etihad Airways (Rating suspended) EVA Airways* Finnair Frontier Airlines* Gulf Air Japan Airlines* K L M* Korean Air* LanChile Lauda Air Lufthansa* Luxair Malaysia Airlines* Midwest Airlines Polynesian Airlines Portugalia Airlines Qantas Airways* Qatar Airways SN Brussels Airlines SAS Scandinavian* Saudi Arabian* Silk Air South African Airways SriLankan Airlines Swiss Int'l Air Lines* Thai Airways (35 trips to Thailand and never flew on Thai Int'l) Virgin Atlantic ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 Star Airlines To obtain more information on airline rankings, click airline name and link to rating page. Adria Airways Aegean Airlines Aerolineas Argentinas Aero Asia Aeroflot Aeromexico* Aerosvit Airlines Air Alfa Hava Yollari Air Algerie Air Asia Air Baltic Air Canada Aircalin (Air Caledonie) Air China Air Europa Air France* Probably only a 2 star if you factor in insulent crew/ground peeps Air India* Air Jamaica Air Liberte Air Macau Air Malta Air Mauritius Air Namibia Air Niugini Air Pacific Air Paradise International Air Sahara Air Seychelles Air VIA Airtours (My Travel) AirTran Airways* Alaska Airlines Aloha Airlines American Airlines* America West Airlines* AOM French Airlines ceased operating Angel Air ceased operating ATA Australian Airlines Avensa Avianca Bahamasair Balkan Bulgarian Bangkok Airways Biman Bangladesh bmibaby Britannia Airways British Mediterranean BWIA West Indies Airways Canada 3000 ceased operating China Eastern China Northern China Southern City Jet Continental Airlines* COPA Panama Croatia Airlines CSA Czech Airlines Cubana Airlines Cyprus Airways* DBA Delta Air Lines* EasyJet Airlines Edelweiss Air Egyptair El Al Israel Airlines Estonian Air Ethiopian Airlines* Eurowings Excel Airways Far Eastern Air Transport flyBE Garuda Indonesia* Hainan Airlines Hawaiian Airlines* HMY Airways Iberia Icelandair Istanbul Airlines ceased operating Japan Air System* JAT Airways (Yugoslav Airlines) Jet Airways JetBlue Airways Jetmagic ceased operating Kenya Airways Kuwait Airways LAPA LOT Polish Airlines LTU Int'l Airways Macedonian Airways Maersk Air Mahan Air Malev Hungarian Martinair Meridiana Merpati Mexicana* Middle East Airlines Myanmar Airways International My Travel Airways National Airlines Nationwide Airlines Northwest Airlines* Probably a 2 star IMHO Olympic Airways Oman Air Pakistan International Philippine Airlines* Pluna Royal Air Cambodge ceased operating Royal Air Maroc Royal Brunei Airlines Royal Jordanian Airlines Royal Nepal Airlines Ryanair SATA Air Azores Southwest Airlines* Hate the no advance seating Spanair Spirit Airlines T W A * see American Airlines TACA International TAM Brazilian Airlines Tango reverted to Air Canada services TAP Air Portugal Tarom Romanian Tower Air ceased operating Transavia Airlines Transbrasil Tunisair Turkish Airlines United Airlines* Universal Airlines US Airways* Varig VASP Brazilian Vietnam Airlines Virgin Blue Virgin Express VLM Airlines Westjet Yugoslav Airlines ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2 Star Airlines To obtain more information on airline rankings, click airline name and link to rating page. Air Afrique ceased operations Air Kazakhstan Air Malawi Air Slovakia Air Zimbabwe Armenian Airlines Azerbaijan Airlines Cameroon Airlines Ghana Airways Indian Airlines* Iran Air Lithuanian Airlines Pulkovo Airlines Sudan Airways Syrianair TAAG Angola Airlines Tajikistan Airlines Transaero Airlines Turkmenistan Airlines Ukraine International Uzbekistan Airways Vasp Brazilian Yemenia Yemen Airways ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1 Star Airlines This page shows airlines with 1 Star Quality Rating. To obtain more information on rankings, click airline name and link to their rating page. No airline presently Ranked as 1 Star ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I would have rated British Caldonian Airlines* as a 4 star, but it's no longer in business. In fact, EVA Airlines bought all of British Caldonians assets when it went bust. I'm not sure if any of their pilots, air crews and ground crews went with EVA in it's early days or not. I also miss Pan Am Only time I flew First Class was on Pan Am RT LAX-MNL-LAX Won a free RT trip on Pan Am by booking more seats on Pan Am than any other Travel Agent in SoCal one year while I was working in Pasadena CA for ACSC (AAA). I do NOT miss PSA*, Air California*, Eastern* ! Let me know the airlines you'd put on the 5 star and 4 star list. Ken Bower San Antonio Texas USA

Someone told me that they had closed the Tequila Reef on Soi 7... Can that be true? Someone please advise. Ken Bower San Antonio Texas Fish Taco Lover