redwood13

I just got over a 2 month episode of low back/sciatic pain per a degenerated disc. This is just a repeat of a problem I've had for years. Have you tried exercises similar to the ones noted here: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/category.cfm?topcategory=Spine And as hillbilly noted, bad mattress = back pain. I assume you've had medical workups in the past and this is a recurrence of an old problem. I find walking is good but standing in one place or sitting for a prolonged period is bad. To avoid slouching for a prolonged period, I now use a stool while at the computer instead of an office swivel chair. I can't imagine Thai massage being of anything more than a very brief palliative. I've never used a chiropractor. -redwood

A month or so ago I contacted BUPA re their renewal policies and they replied: Dear Mr. Redwood Regarding your question of our renewal policy, please kindly be informed as follow ; The member who join before the age of 61 years, and continuously insured, are guaranteed renewal for life. Members who join after the age of 61 years are guaranteed renewal up to age of 70 years inclusive. Please find all information regarding to private health insurance by Personal Care. You'll find everything you need to become a member of BUPA Health Insurance as well ; [Additional details re Personal Care are available on their website http://www.bupathailand.com/ & an attached file gave details re costs and benedfits for various plans] If There's any problem of the attachment or further information you require please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Miss Sirikorn Sirisup Team Telesales Leader BUPA Health Insurance tel. (662) 2367533-42 #629

Passenger Opinions about China Eastern Airlines: http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/c_eastrn.htm -redwood

Is this it??? http://www.viewtalayplace.com/index1.php -redwood

Complaints of construction noise from adjoining property. -redwood

115/7 Soi 3 North Pattaya Beach Road Moo 9 Nongprue Banglamung Chonburi 20260 Telephone: (038) 488 572-4 Email: bjpty@loxinfo.co.th Friend of mine stayed there a couple of weeks ago at 5000 baht for 7 nights. -redwood

They have been refurbishing the Beach View Hotel located at Soi 2 and Beach Road for maybe a year now and in response to a query about its status I walked by today and had a look. There have been a few changes. Name is now the SANDALAY RESORT PATTAYA and I guess you know what adding the word "resort" means - PAENG MAK. Sorry I forgot to ask but I think the pool may still be under construction and they're still working on the garden and exterior. Car park was almost empty so I think they've only opened over the past few days. Looked at one of the front marine view rooms - all newly refurbished including new jazzy sort of furniture - bed in the middle of the room, standard size tub in bathroom, separate shower, glass dining table with 4 chairs covered in purple fabric. Room has two exposures and a great view. Opening special discounted price is 3200 baht. This is discounted from the rack rate of 6400 baht. Your basic room is currently 1300 baht and a somewhat larger room at 2400 and again these are the DISCOUNTED (50%) prices. I overheard an American trying to get a further discount on two of the prime rooms for one night and they wouldn't budge from 3200 baht. All occupants are required to have proper ID but no extra charge for a second occupant in a room. They do list an extra guest fee of 1000 baht which would be more than say two people in a room - your wife's niece etc., using an extra bed. Webside is under construction: http://sandalayresort.com/ email: www.reservation@sandalayresort.com (sic) PHONE: 038-422-660-3 FAX 038-422-664 Search for Beach View Hotel Pattaya and you can find photos of the hotel prior to the redo. Re prices, Songkhran 2004 rooms in their former state were priced at 850, 1200 & 1500 baht. -redwood

The pharmacist at Pattaya International Hospital on Soi 4 says they have Humulin-R, U-100, 100 IU/ml. in 10 ml. vials. Cost is 1000 baht/vial. They have syringes. They can only dispense with a prescription from an MD on staff at their hospital. -redwood

On the other hand When I asked the ophthalmologist at the Rutnin Eye Hospital in Bangkok if she had any thoughts about where to have my prescription filled she said she didn't have any knowledge of opticians in Pattaya, but added, "Don't go to Top Charoen!" I used Pattaya Optical on Pattaya Klang above 2nd Road. -redwood

That would be Chez Bernard. Had a good meal there months ago and keep intending to go back but haven't so far. Had a steak at El Toro that was mediocre but a friend said I should have ordered the pepper steak. So with that in mind, folks opinions on steaks at various restaurants may well depend on the specific cut that's ordered. -redwood

Yes, the last time I flew EVA - BKK-SFO - at check-in I asked for an exit row seat and they said ask at the gate. So, I asked at the gate and they said, "No have". Then a few minutes before the 1st boarding call one of the gate folks walked all the way to the back of the departure lounge, found me and exchanged my boarding pass for one with an exit row seat -redwood

The maximum amount an ATM machine in Thailand will pay out per transaction may be governed by the maximum number of bills each particular machine can dispense. For example the ATM at Bangkok Bank in Carrefour will dispense 25 bills which would ordinarily be 25,000 baht. But during holiday periods when the bank is closed and the ATMs are not restocked what frequently happens is the 1000 baht notes are depleted, so the maximum per transaction is (25 x 500) 12,500 baht. -redwood

You should be fine if you have a tourist visa. If you're anticipating entering Thailand without a visa using what is commonly called a "visa on arrival" - which isn't a visa at all, but simply permission to enter - the airline may deny you boarding unless you have an ongoing ticket to another country. -redwood

I think this must be the completion of a hotel that was left unfinished for several years (maybe since the the '97 meltdown) that is directly behind the Welcome Plaza, Royal Palace, Royal Twins Palace. I recall a French company had acquired the property over a year ago. "chas" description of the location is correct. It is on Soi 15 which runs East from 2nd Road, curves to the North and this hotel is on the E. side of the soi. Soi 15 then curves E. again and tees into Soi Buakhao, about 100 m. S. of Soi Diana. And as he indicates it is not a good location. Nothing adjacent, no sidewalks to 2nd Road and a potentially dangerous walk at night. -redwood

You'll need a Thai company that is eligible to sponsor a work pemit for you, which means you'll have to set up a company. Here are links from thaivisa.com that should help you start to zero in on the process. Some of this is in answer to specific questions or situations but there should be enough here to give you a general idea of what you're in for. See post #3 re company sponsored work permits. http://tinyurl.com/a3h4a See post #4 re company formation: http://tinyurl.com/b3bc7 And post #2 for a grim dose of reality: http://tinyurl.com/d2eye -redwood

I know of a couple of guys who repeatedly stay at the Carlton. There's currently a banner across the entry showing a rate of 500 baht including ABF. No problem with guests. -redwood

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=34816 -redwood

Had the goulash a couple of weeks ago - very tasty:D Worth a repeat visit. -redwood

Possibly confused with the death of Bill of Rosie O'Grady's a week ago Wednesday per this report on thaivisa.com?? http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=30346 -redwood

http://www.lekatai.com/

Shamrock Bar on Pattayaland 2 will organize a fishing trip. I believe they're still using Captain Dang. Cameron tells me last week they brought in a couple of really nice sized Threadfin salmon, a barracuda and rockfish. See Terry or Cameron for details - they're across from the Penthouse Hotel. -redwood

Meanwhile a new set of beer bars is under construction on the S. side of Soi 6/1 -redwood

http://www.valuair.com.sg/ BKK-Sg Sg to HK, Jakarta & Perth -redwood

Spent the week before Christmas 2004 on Koh Chang. Went down with some long time friends, a married couple from Scotland on holiday from their current jobs in the Middle East. I prepaid 3 nights at Cookies Hotel on White Sands Beach and we took a mini-bus (500 baht one way) from Pattaya to the island. (Mini-bus picks up passengers at their hotels in Pattaya which means if you’re picked up first you ride around for an hour or so trying to find obscure guest houses and if you’re last you’ll be wondering if you’ve been forgotten.) http://www.ash-golf.com/hotels/county/kohchang/cookies.html The mini-bus drops off passengers at their hotel of choice. Cookies consists of a newish motel style U shaped building across the road from the beach. It also has 30 older bungalows just opposite on the sand. The restaurant is also on the sand adjacent to the bungalows. My friends decided the bungalows were too close together and opted for the hotel. Prepaid it was 1900 baht per night. This includes breakfast (buffet style) if you can get there before 10:00 – I never made it so I can’t report on it. Walk-ins could get a room for 1500 but not wanting to arrive without a confirmed room reserved at that time of year, we paid a premium for that, especially as on arriving it appeared the hotel was only a third occupied! OTH the bungalows were probably full. The rooms are ok. Equivalent to an 800-1200 baht room in Pattaya, Dynasty Inn, Lek or Eastiny for example, but we found the balconies useless as the only seats are hard, straight backed dining room type chairs! Not knowing what we were getting for our money we only booked for 3 nights. This was fortunate. There’s an open air bar/restaurant, Oodies Place, just 100 m. N. of Cookies which has live music nightly. Loud music! ‘til 02:00 which sounds like surround sound at Cookies. Time to move. So, morning four we moved a few hundred m. S. to the Bamboo Bungalows. (No website. Phone numbers. 01-9454106, 09-8347875, 039-551158). Eleven bungalows on the beach side of the road. They’re set up in a column on each side the walkway down to the sand. Each has a porch and everything seemed to work ok and much quieter than Cookies. One eccentricity was they’ve left the plastic protective covers on the mattresses and any, uh, excessive motion in bed will make for some strange sound effects or so I was told. Toilet is a bit of old Thailand updated, with the squat toilet having been replaced with a Western style but you still have to bail to flush and the shower floods the bathroom. Poor lighting for reading in bed. (Yes, I was solo.) 1800 baht/night. Had only one meal at their restaurant. Nuff said about that. Only other place I would consider would be 15 Palms. They only have 4 rooms I think and I didn’t see them, but recommended in a couple of places on the net and the adjacent bar/restaurant which I did try is good. In any case it’s a good place to watch football (the soccer kind)/sports on TV, while your friend goes shopping. The island appears to me to be over built, but like Pattaya building is ongoing and it would be wise not to commit long term to any hotel until you’ve actually experienced it. There are new structures going up all up and down the W. coast of the island and established places are being remodeled or expanded upon. We ate most of our meals at Cookies. We were a lot less enthusiastic about it than is JohnnyK. But on the other hand after trying a few other places we always seemed to end up there most of the time. Best meal we had was at the Italian restaurant (who’s name I didn’t write down), upstairs, on the corner just N. of Oodies Place. White Sand Beach is the place for night time activity, restaurants, bars, etc. The resorts further S. tend to be away from the road and you’ll likely need transportation to get about. Also see: http://www.iamkohchang.com for a cynical/realistic view of the island. -redwood

Prices also can vary greatly from pharmacy to pharmacy. While in Bangkok over the weekend I stopped at the pharmacy on Sukhumvit just E. of Soi 11 and asked for a few items. Asking price 800 baht I immediately headed for the door ignoring his plea of "discount". Walked down to KS Pharmacy which is just before Soi 17 and Robinson's and got the same items for 450 baht It's my feeling that generally pharmacy prices are lower in Bangkok than Pattaya. -redwood