nidnoyham

Thats the name of the place ! KN Travel along past Honey Lodge. GF is going there tomorrow. We have bought tickets there before. But will punt around for best deal. Thanks.

Thanks lads, I think it will have to be a direct flight for a Thai passport holder. It would meen getting transit visas for stopovers. Thunder I too am concerned about medical insurance. Then I go to the local A&E and wait behind the rest of the world to see a doctor ??? !!! Don't think they pay £80 an hour either. Might give BUPA a call. Christ, everyone wants to sell insurance nowadays, might ask at Tesco.

O.K the GF got the visa, dated from last week, she is at home for the new year and will be back in Pattaya Sunday. Monday she will be searching for a 6 month ticket BKK/LHR/BKK. Last time we bought one, we trapsed around from Agent to Agent, only to find the price was all about a 100bht difference betweem them. Any ideas from you blokes ? I know we are aproaching the off season, but do you think anyone really has cheaper tickets than anyone else ? Any info gratefully received NNH

Every time I try to add a smiley to my post, it brings up a new empty message box, this can be rectified by clicking on the back arrow, which puts me back to the message I am writing. No big deal but the smileys do help make a point.

Money isn't the only consideration. How many multi millionaires like Frank Sinatra and now Barbera Striesand, have made come backs after retirement ? I think it's her 5th. Some people can't handle the life change. I was watching a Fools and Horses episode where they had become millionaires. Del was fed up with walking around his big house playing snooker alone. He went back to their old flat, to have a last look at the place. His brother asked him why he was so down and unhappy. He relpied, that he missed the exitement of trading, living on a knife edge, ducking and diving, whealing and dealing, it was exiting, it made him feel -alive. He always wanted to be a millionaire, big house, holidays in Barbados, now he had it, it wasn't how he thought it would be. He was bored. I like that scene, well written and probablly portays most working peoples circumstance. 35- 40 years will take some filling, as well as financing. My son is considering a 25 year motgage, he worked out that he will be 46 when it's finnished. I cheered him up, by telling him that in 25 years, I'll probably be dead. Didn't cheer me up much, but did make me take stock of my life ( again).

Perhaps, when he claws back his o/drft, he will be O.K. and survive on his pension. He has no property at home, the house is rented, in fact his kids shouldn't be living there without him in residence, his bank account is in joint names with his missus...need I go on ? I just wanted to point out, that when you move that far away, it is harder to change things, like your bank account, direct debits, or appear in court to help in a divorce case. All your planning must be done before you leave, or have funds to commute home when things crop up. We are all different, it is not just how much you earn, it's how much you spend too. So, do your sums, have a bit put away, severe all ties with home, or win the lottery !

Bob 2005 I am aware of his mistakes and his needs. I have talked to him about cancelling the tax he pays at home, going home for his health, getting online for his banking, etc etc etc. He is not easy to convince. He is the proverbial brick wall. I think he sees it as a failure, to go home. I didn't mention he has a d/debit for credit cards too, about £60 a month. I posted this story, not to sort out his problems, but as a warning to others. who may follow suit. Learn from others mistakes, you havn't got time to make them all yourself. I have learned not to use my Barclays account here for ATM's. He wouldn't have to "set me up" for a loan, just ask. But I appreciate your concern mate.

Put some money in his account today, was quoted 63.1 baht to GBP + 2.75% visa + £1.50 atm charge- Barclays are a rip off ! Torenova, I have told him all that, the trouble is he only has his pension now, lives hand to mouth, so charges are unavoidable. Anyone thinking they can just about afford to retire out there- think again. IT'S A BLOODY LONG WAY FROM HOME.

In answer to as many questions as pos' Yes it was early retirement, most of us told him to stay at work, but the Company could have folded and we would have lost our benefits. He has a Thai bank account, but transfer from U.K expensive. U.K banks are questioning transfers to Los, now that so many people are moving money there. I have told him to get online banking set up, but I don't think he is going to, just getting statementd sent to LOS. He is only 54, so will not have full N.I contributions, which will affecthis pension at 65. He moved to LOS because he could not live on £840 month in U.K. He has a Thai GF and baby, but is married to a Thai, who lives in U.K. She is trying to divorce him, but the judge will not accept her admission of adultery as sufficient grounds. I think the attitude is- You married him to get a U.K passport, you stay married to him. It's all a mess. He as a dodgy heart, so can't get medical insurance, is on medication at 2000bht a month. I am not running him down, he is a lovely bloke, has a heart of gold and will lend you his last pound. I only posted this, to give others an insight to a shoestring existence in LOS. Aint no safety nets here and all those Thais he has helped and contributed to their life in the last 6 years, are no where to be seen now. No family collection to help out. His TGF would not be able to show her face in the villiage, if they did. The clincher for us both last month, was that Barclays were being hit at ATM's in LOS and Singapore by 2 gangs. All ATM transactions were denied money. I had to make 2 calls to the bank, to get our cards unlocked, we had 150bht between us for 24 hours, it don't feel good. That experience prompted me to make this post.

My mate retired same time as me, he was never very good at keeping in the black with the bank while working. Now 3 years later, his lack of planning, has found him rather skint. When he recieved his retirement forecast 3 years ago, he worked out that he could live in LOS on his pension. Unfortunately, he didn't allow for inflation, currency fluctuation and bank charges. His pension, is paid into his Barclays account in the U.K. He makes withdrawals at the ATM near his home in Pattya. All corespondance from his bank goes to his old address in England, where his kids live and he can't check his balance at ATM in LOS. Had a call last month from daughter, that he was iverdrawn by a months pension, He had not allowed for the £4.00 + £1.50 charge every ATM transaction. he also pays the local tax on his house in U.K and did not allow for annual increase. The bank charged him god knows how much for the unauthorised o/draft. Now to cap it all, the Baht has gone from 72 to 65 to the GBP, a pay cut of 10/%. Any U.K lads thinking of following suit, get out of Barclays and into Nationwide. I have received statements from both. Barclays charge commision as stated above, and an exchange rate of 66bht- GBP. Nationwide, no commision and 68bht- GBP. A saving of about £6 per transaction, thats a few bob over a year. BANKS I 'ATE 'EM

Buy an extra gallon when you top up your car, by May you should have enough to take along for them to use- might get an upgrade too. Not sure if unleaded is best, or deisel. :-) Nah I think someone said it is ony until this week. Just a joke, welcome to the board.

Hmm , well, anyway, I think it is the evening flights TG917/ BR068 that may be diverting for fuel. My mate went on TG911 yesterday direct. I am going for the same flight next Thursday.

Some Ferangs, just won't take your word for it !

That was in the good old days. Try getting free dentistry in U.K. Many people are travelling to Poland and such places, for treatment and surgery. What happened to my 40 years of Tax contributions ? At least when you go private, you are charged a fee for just you, I've been paying for others. If I could have opted out of N.Insurance payments and gone private for my family, I would have. How do you blokes with previous heart problems get insured ? Saw a few people last year in the corinary unit, it looked expensive.

When is it ? I will give it another try this year. After watching Brentford beat Sunderland Saturday, I am in the mood for something more relaxing. Don't know if I will last the trip, but gonna give it a go.

I thought this thread was about Ballooning to LOS.

Well, I would think paying you 0.1% interest on your current account, that has your sallary going through it. Giving you 2-4/% for your savings account ballance, while charging some poor sod up to 12% for borrowing your money, would make a tidy sum. Then there is the earnings from stocks & shares, where most cash is held, instead a safe in the bank. I believe Barclays and others invest in the U.S market at the close of business in the U.K. They have just come out with a pre- pay card aimed at 13 year olds to use for shopping. the card cost £9.95 with 85p for every ATM withdrawal, £4.99 replacement if lost, £4.99 cancellation fee and a £1 to change your pin number. These services are free for older customers with bank cards. As I said in another post, they are grooming youngsters to accept charges in the banking systems of the future. Banks- I hate 'em.

Alan Does this mean, you used to be a Barclays Banker ? :-)

I suppose this post is opposite to mine about banks letting you go into the red. i want them to stop paying, if the money runs out, but they don't.

Uptome Were the large transactions made in U.K ? What is large ? My mate got back from LOS once to find a letter from his bank, asking him to confirms a transactions of £500 in 2 days in LOS. He phoned them to confirm it was him taking the money, but allways wondered what would have happened if he said no it wasn't him ?

Thanks plahgat, I was thinking, who in Pattaya wants a single room ? I was as concerned about the size of the room, as well as the bed. I feel a lot happier now.

Oh, I dunno, it manged to span about 5000 years from Stonehenge, to the future. Not bad by our standards.

Thanks Deadman, I'll wait till I get there. I tried to change it by E-mail, but it got toooo complicated.

These Airbuses- Do we still build the wing in U.K and ship them over to France ? Seems like a modern day Stonehenge thing. I remember the Chairman of Air Canada, having to resign over a dodgy deal with Airbus. He ended up living in the South of France. Last I heard of him, he was head of I.A.T.A. What do these blokes put down on their job applications ?

Had a few beers this week, walked into Jessops, and go a Praktica DCZ 5.3. £90 + 512MB card + charger with 4 AA's. Camera 5.0 MP 3X Opticl zoom 4X Digtl zoom Macro mode Built in flash Sound & Video etc, loads of features. I have had a Praktice SLR since the 70's . Dragged it around the Middle east and the States, never had a problem with it. my Daughter has taken it over now. They are good value for money and don't get the media coverage of the bigger brands. ( You won't find them reviewed in many Mag's). Thanks for all advise, now I have capacity for 1399 pics !