Eneukman

Good news, Bob - I'll be in to try one of your burgers if I ever shake off this cold I've got! Alan

Paying by girth makes more sense than purely by weight. I sometimes wonder how some of the people I see walking about town manage to even got on a plane, they are carrying so much extra weight. Alan Paying by girth makes more sense than purely by weight. I sometimes wonder how some of the people I see walking about town manage to even got on a plane, they are carrying so much extra weight. Alan

AA Insurance also have an office in View Talay 5C - used be Viwe Talay 2A - but when I went to renew my travel insurance, the girl there was very new and didn't seem to be too sure about what she was doing. At least I got a receipt from her. I must check out the costs of FAST again. I think they can also help you should you ever get into trouble with the BiB. Alan

Good advice, Ben The slight downside on investing in the stock market just now is that it is high at the moment so a correction is inevitable at some point in the future. I find the market "corrections" are always overdone whether the correcton us upwards or downwards. I'd be quite happy to see the market a fair bit lower just now but rising steadily. Alan

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Gus but the exchange rate is now quite a bit lower than 70 to the £. I transferred funds last week and they were converted to baht at 67.7525 to the £. Whilst living on 50,000 baht per month can be done, the problem is that as you draw down on capital, the amount of interest you receive will fall. In addition, as your income will be a lot less than 65,000 baht per month you will need to have 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account for at least 3 months of the year reducing your income even further. If you don't plan on obtaining a retirement visa, you will

I would like to deliver a very special cake to Osama Bin Laden - one with a nice big explosive device inside. And I can think of no better person to deliver it in person but that bloody hook handed cleric whose bills the UK has been picking up for far too long! Alan

I opened an account with the Bangkok Bank on Pratamnak Road 2 and a bit years ago with just a 30 day stamp in my passport and using my hotel address. I was only able to open a savings account with an ATM card but that suits me fine. I instructed a money transfer from my Isle of Man account over the internet on Monday afternoon this week and the funds were in my account when I updated my passport this afternoon (Wednesday). Shame about the exchange rate though - only 67.7525 - £! Alan

This must affect the Euro - baht rate as well. A couple of minutes ago on xe.com 45.3961 baht - Euro 1.48412 Euro - £ This equates to 67.3732 baht to the £, which was pretty much what xe.com gave as the baht - sterling rate (67.375) Alan

I use Skype as well but last Sunday when my brother phoned, it was very poor and not helped by incompent TOT's broadband service going down for a few minutes. It can be very good though. Alan

I'm in town until just before Songkran and then again from when Songkran is finished. Alan

They lost my goodwill when they pulled the "Members' Only" bullshit on me some time ago. Once it's been sold, I'll try again but not until. Alan

I would go with Soi Buakaow as well. Regarding Beach Road, I'm sure the sign at the northen end says 1st Road in Thai but it's a long time since I've passed it on foot. Alan

I took early retirement nd now live full time in Pattaya. If you are going to apply for a retirement visa, you have 2 options. One is to prove that your income in in excess of 65,000 baht per month. If that is awkward for you, then you must show that you have a minimum of 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account. The funds in this account MUST have come from outwith Thailand, so this would seem to rule out paying in US dollar cheques. The funds must also have been in the account for a minimum of 3 months when you apply for the visa. Your account will be Thai baht. I have a retirement visa a

The condo opposite mine (double room so 74 square metres though maybe a bit larger) was recently let via Fair Properties to an Australian guy in his late 50's or maybe even early 60's and his 3 young children for 6 or 7 weeks. They checked out in the early hours of Sunday morning so there was nobody there to check that everything was in order. The owner (an English guy) came to check the place over and as the door to my condo was open, invited me in to have a look. The place was filthy and had obviously never been cleaned during the entire rental period. Some paintwork had been damaged and

What are Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt Airports like for passengers in transit? I've been to Schipol before and whilst many people rave about it, I didn't particularly like it. Thanks, Alan

As there are no direct flights between Thailand and Scotland, I have no option to have a stop over, be it Heathrow or Amsterdam etc. From there, I want to fly direct. The BA flight arrives in Bangkok shortly before 4.00 pm, which is an ideal time as by the time I get back to my condo I will be able to go out on the prowl if I so desire in the evening. Alan

It wasn't a major problem, Shane. I had a vague recollection of a reduction but I just couldn't remember the details. When the change came back, the barfine was charged at 400 baht. Mot (spelling?) did take VERY good care of me when we got back to the condo. Alan

Thanks for the reminder. I need to book my ticket OUT of Thailand for the duration. Alan

Alan, I agree with you about the choice of music currently being played. My preference is for music from the 60's, 70's and early 80's, but it has to be varied to suit all tastes. People had no trouble to dancing to this type of music in the discos back in the 80's. Alan

Chris, These two guys are guilty of assault - no other word for it. The girls would have been fully entitled to have called the Police. If the guys are board members, they should be named and shamed and hopefully banned from this and every other Pattaya based board for life. Anyone who starts pestering other people in a bar should be told to pay up and to fuck off (politely of course, ) Alan

I was in Tim's Beer Bar the other night and had the misfortune to witness the above mentioned show. The female in question was, as Duncan Stearn says, well past her sell by date. I sincerely hope NEVER to see that show again. Once was one time too many. Alan

You're right - the spelling's wrong. It's Top Charoen (I think) and they have shops all over the place. I got my new glasses at their Pratamnak Road branch though I did have my prescription from the UK with me. They should be able to check your prescription for you. The shop I used made up the prescription and gave me a frame they must use for testing your eyesight with the lenses in to ensure that the prescription was correct. I have what's called a complex prescription so it took a bit over a week to get the glasses made. Alan

When I signed the lease for my condo, I asked the agents but the correct postal address. It was 434/xxx Building A View Talay 2 Condominium Thappraya Road Nongprue Bamglmung Chonburi 20150 Thailand I tend now to combine the first two lines to 434/xxx View Talay 2A. So long as you have Nongprue (sub-district) and Banglamung (district) in the address, Pattaya isn't required. Such are the vagaries of the Thai postal system. Alan

I was forgetting about the visa to get into Cambodia. I think if I'd had to do another visa run, I'd have gone to Malaysia or maybe Singapore for a few days. Alan

I get my blood pressure medication at a pharmacy on 2nd Road without the need for a prescription and for a fraction of the cost in the UK. I also get my supply of generic Cialis from the same pharmacy. Alan