SunnyValentine

Igot a very decent 37 inch hi-res LCD (Phillips) for 110000 last December. The shop I bought from is in Naklua, quite a ride outside the beaten path, on the baht bus route. Look out for a large Phillips sign on the right side, a few Kilometers off the roundabout. Apart from reasonable prices the guy who runs this shop offers a really decent after-sales service. I bought some other electronics items from him, and he went all the way to help me once I had a problem. Highly recommended! Sunny

Ok, here#s my 25 satang worth: Bought a Condo off plan in January 2004, for a price of 3.3 Millions. (Large 1-br in View Talay Residence 2) Moved to Pattaya half Year later, rented a house in Jomtien (3 br, great location, but medium quality furnished) for 25000 a month for one Year. During that time, I decided I do not want the condo any more. After about 5 or 6 month, I fianally sold my contract (with about 50% already paid, still before completion) for a total of 4.6 Mill. So made around 80% of the invested capital in less than 2 years. End of November last Year I had to move out o

Ben99: Yes, and yes (most current keyloggers should be able to record these strokes.) Psychodad: Altough not impossible to log the data from the AP, you would gain nothing at all, as Internet Banking is based on Encryption. So you have the (hopefully WPA, not WEP) encryption from the Notebook to the AP (which by itself is reasonably safe against local third party attacks) and then the https part ...... Don't see the possibility to break this chain from the shopowner's desk. Sunny

A Keystroke logger records the keystrokes, not the symbols displayed on the screen. I would rather worry using a Banking Program in an Internet Cafe, lots of these little bugger applications can hide themselves pretty well, and you usually don't have the means to detect them. I have a Bank account in the UK (Jersey), where they ask me the numbers of some of my passphrases, too. But I have to admit that 3 out of the 5 magic words they use are personal details like date or city of birth, and the other two are also not so hard to guess by someone who has some information about my person a

Deadman, based on your requirements I would say 3 (if you're lucky) to 5 or more million baht. Sunny

Have a look at www.thaivisa.com for full details. In short: 1.) Best would be an O Visa you should be able to get in the UK. 2.) About 4 weeks before the expiry of your admission to stay, go to Immigration (In Pattaya this is on Soi 5 Jomtien Beach road) with: * A medical certificate, issued by a Thai Hospital. (Takes 10 minutes, costs maybe 300 Baht) * Your Thai Bank book, and a letter from your Thai Bank, stating that you have more than 800000 Baht, coming from abroad. (In order to get this, make sure you make an arrangement with your home bank that you can transfer money via SWIFT t

Lennie's (Soi Diamond, on the corner of Paratumnak Road) will host a Superbowl special on Monday morning. We will reopen at 5 am, broadcast on ESPN can be seen on the 55 inch TV in the airconditioned VIP room, as well as in the open bar area. We will have some breakfast as well, not sure yet wether it's going to be american though! Everyone is welcome! Sunny

Soi 7, we have a 1024/512 ADSL line. Part of the bandwith is "reserved" for some torrents I hatch upstairs. But usually the speed is good, definitely enough for surfing. I do not encourage our users to make large downloads, though ...... And once in a while it sucks big time. This is Thailand, after all...... Sunny

Charoensri is the most upmarket place in town, somewhere around a 4star. Can be had from 1250 Bt or so per night via some of the online agencies. Charoen Hotel and Ban Chang both suck a bit, but are acceptable. Irish Clock I keep hearing its great. Last time I was there I stayed at City Lodge. Great value for the money, and a really nice Hotel with nice bar and restaurant in an excellent location. I'll stay there again! Sunny

I have a BUPA In-Patient insurance here as well. Luckily It's use had as of yet not been tested. About the Out-Patient insurance: I seem to recall that in my case the spread between the premium and the maximum yearly coverage was such ridiculous, that I decided I will live without it. It was somewhere around 10000 extra annual premium for a total outpatient coverage of maybe 50000 Bt. I always like to have insurance to cover the unexpected and over-the-top expenses I would have a real problem covering it in any other way. 50000 for outpatient will hopefully never be beyond my financial possi

Owl: My bar Lennie's (Soi Dimond, near the corner of Pratamnak Rd.) has Wireless Internet as well as PC for free Internet use for customers. We're open daily from 11 am. PM me if you want more information! Sunny

Shagwell mansions is no. one, I guess! Sunny

Their restaurant offers absolutely great Thai food, not cheap, but very reasonably priced for their overall standard. The resort looks great, must be THE place for a retreat with this one special lady! Sunny

If you take the exit that leads to the Underground, you are about 10 or 20 Meters away from Asoke. You can spot the entrance to Soi Cowboy from there across Asoke Road. The best way to go is through the tunnel that leads to the Underground Stations, as you don't have to worry crossing Asoke anymore. Sunny

Well, if you have trouble finding the Aircon extra room at my bar I have no doubt you had a hard time finding Soi Coyboy from the Asoke station. Sunny

Well, in case a newbie gets off at Asoke, and finds the right exit (which might eventually be tricky) and looks around the next corner, he sees the entrance of Soi Cowboy. So, what's wrong with the Dude's comment then? other than that, I suggest the Swiss Grottino for a reasonably prices nice upscale hotel. Sunny

We have free Wireless Internet for our customers in Lennie's, Soi Diamond. Right we run it in test mode, some flaws to overcome, but it is getting better. PM me when you need more info! Sunny

Have had no problems so far with ANZ Singapore. PM me in case you want a contact mail adress. They have a representative coming to Bangkok once every month or two. Sunny

Best Indian in town is no doubt the Indian by Nature, on Thepprasit road, next door to Bruno's. Great food, great atmosphere and service, but you pay for what you get ..... I used to go there regularily before i opened my bars, but now can't afford to go there more than maybe twice a Year. Sunny

I think that's what you should do. And in case they still want more papers or cut taxes, just change banks. Abbey International in Jersey made no problems for me. Sunny

D-Zone it is, and it is one of the songs that I can't stand to hear any more after hearing it twice. (The first time I heard it I liked it ...) Sunny

I have received a letter from my Channel Islands Bank recently that - as I reside in Thailand, therefore outside EU - they won't deduct any taxes. I understand the regulation as only for EU countries residents. (I am holder of an EU Passport, but have reported my Thai permanent address to the Bank by an informal letter one Year ago.) So what is your bank's problem? Sunny

Very well said, Pete! Sunny

If you are married to a Thai lady, go to your Embassy and apply for a 3 month O Visa based on marriage. Call them to find out what docmentatin they require (Marriage certificate, maybe a certified translation in case you have married outside Thailand, the wife's ID card and / or Passport, ....) Then have 400000 Bt transferred from abroad into a Thai Bank Account in your name, and go to Immigration to find out what documents they need to apply for a 1 Year extension. It takes about 2 month, and then you should have the extension. Sunny

Pete, Just wondering why youdidn't apply for the O Extension based on supporting your Thai wife? Only 400000 Bt a Year, no Med Certificate, and you can get a Work Permit again in case the money runs out .... Sunny