Eneukman

Most baht buses go straight ahead when they reach Central Road. A few will turn left but that is in my experience exceptional. Some will turn right and either return back to South Pattaya Road via Soi Buakao or continue up past Carrefour. Alan

I'm hoping to pay a visit to Udon Thani for a short break during either February or March and am looking for recommendations on hotels there - up to maybe 1,200 baht or so per night. A pool is essential and the hotel must be guest friendly. Thanks. Alan

Jack, We were sitting next to each other at that meeting. One point I have just remembered is that BUPA will not cover all the costs incurred at the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital (because their fees are allegedly too high). From what was said, the percentage not covered is fairly small so unless your hospitalised for a long spell the damage to your wallet shouldn't be too bad. I only covered myelf for in-patient treatment, deciding to take the risk on the need for out-patient treatment. Possibly a mistake as I've just incurred 5,000 baht for an eye infection. (I went to the Pattaya International Hospital initially for convenience but they only have an eye specialist on a Wednesday). It may be worth checking out the cover the Ex-Pats Club have arranged for members when the renewal date approaches. Alan

I've had cause to visit the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital 3 or 4 times in recent weeks and trying to get a baht bus on North Pattaya Road is a total nightmare. I've had to walk from Sukhumvit Road to almost 3rd Road before one came down that was prepared to stop. A few drove past empty, which puzzled me as they could have got at least 10 baht for taking me as far as the Dolphin Roundabout if nothing else. Think I'll pass on that area for the time being anyway. Alan

The waterless hand cleaner is a good idea. Presumably you can get it in a pharmacy here as well as abroad? A girl I bar fine every so often has had a bad cough for a while but fortunately I have managed to avoid catching whatever virus she has. We had a very nice dinner at Globetrotters the other night and afterwards came straight back to the condo as she wanted to try and get some sleep. Just as well as I had a major dose of the shits when we got back. Three emergency evacuations within the space of 40 minutes or so! I was fine after that so whatever caused it coluldn't have been too serious. Alan

I used to work for a Scottish bank and can categorically state that as far as they are concerened (and I'm sure the English banks) this is not true. The percentage is increasing and all banks want it to be higher but I'm sure it is still quite a bit less than 50%. American banks may of course be different. My former employer pissed me of so much that my pension gets paid into my building society account instead of account with them. Banks today are only interested in trying to sell you mortgages, loans or insurance. Customer service comes a long way down their list of priorities. That is a view shared by many staff who have been with them for more than 20 or so years! Alan

It may be possible to get the visa renewed for a further 6 months but I wouldn't count on it. The Thai Visa site http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/ has a section for obtaining visas to countries for Thai citizens. Put the same question there and someone may be able to help. Alan

Especially Thai! Alan

I have a one bedroom in condo with an air con unit in the living room, which I use as little as possible. The bedroom has a ceiling fan, which is on for anything from 8 to 10 hours per night. I get seperate bills for each room and my bedroom bill (including bathroom) is usually in the region of 250 baht. absolute minimal use of aircon last month, my living room electric bill was just under 400 baht (mainly use of laptop and tv). The aircon unit is set to 26 Celsius so it doesn't take much most of the time to bring the temperature down to that level. I also have a large free standing fan, which I use from time to time Do you really need the aircon on 24 hours per day? Depending on the temperature you set it too, using it all the time could easily cost as others have said between 2,000 and 3,000 baht. Alan

Let's know how you get on. I'm hoping to start my search for somewhere permanent to live in Thailand next month - possibly in Udon Thani. Alan

I was in a restaurant in Jomtien Beach Road and had just got my bottle of Singha when I wondered why I couldn't pour it into the glass. (yes, the top had been taken off ). The bottle must have been put into the freezer to fast chill it and someone had forgotten to take it out. The beer was frozen! The replacement bottle was suitably chilled though. Alan

I can't answer any of your questions but you may want to consider the question of the customs duty that will be imposed. It is very high and based on the NEW value of the car. I'm assuming that it's a "classic" car hence your wish to import it into Thailand but you would need to factor import duty into the costs that are likely to be incurred. Alan

Pete, you obviously have too much time on your hands since you retired. Nice use of Photoshop though. One day, I'll have the time to do something similar. Alan

I've been fortunate enough never to have been asked to weigh my hand luggage as there have been a number of times when I've been over weight there. However, when I see what some people are bringing on as hand luggage, I have to wonder why they haven't been told to put it in the hold! It's not just slightly over the wight limit but 2 or 3 times over. In fact, you can see them struggling to lift it to go in the overhead locker! There obviously has to be some leeway but some of the bags people are taking on board are just ridiculous! Alan

I made enquiries with the Inland Revenue on this point before I moved out in June of last year and I'm afraid it's not good news for your friend. As I was told it (whether it's correct or not is another matter ), there is no double taxation agreement between the UK and Thailand therefore your UK pension HAS to be taxed in the UK. From some investigations I did at the time, the tax charge on his pension is probably lower in the UK than it would be in Thailand. If anyone knows any different though, I'd be very interested. Alan

Are you sure of that? You don't pay Capital Gains Tax on your principle private residence, which is very different. If you have more than one home, you can elect which one is to be treated as your main residence though if you move abroad to live and buy a house in the foreign country, you could find it very difficult to convince the Inland Revenue that your home in the UK should be treated as your principle private residence. Alan

If the ticket is e-mailed to you, I presume that you can print off more than one copy just in case the original gets lost or stolen? Alan

Difficult questions these, especially when I suspect you're taking the piss However, the answers are very simple really 1. About 20,000 baht for Soi 7, 80,000 baht for me and up to you what you spend each month. 2. In every bar apart from the ones you visit. 3. Pass. Long time is long enough for you to cum twice. Short time is "Have you not finished yet?" 4. Up to you but you'd better be able to run faster than the baht bus driver when you offer him 5 baht for a trip from Jomtien to Naklua. Alan

Exactly what I did for my photo and installation CDs, except I've still to buy the replacement jewell cases. I bought couple of boxes that can hold up to 100 CD's and that's where they're still stored, mainly for reasons of space! Alan

Ethel Could this be your tg in her latter years? Ethel is a bit of a demon in her wheelchair, and loves to charge around the nursing home, taking corners on one wheel and getting up to maximum speed on the long corridors. Because the poor woman is one sandwich short of a picnic, the other residents tolerate her, and some of the males actually join in. One day, Ethel was speeding up one corridor when a door opened and Kooky Clarence stepped out with his arm outstretched. "STOP!", he said in a firm voice. "Have you got a licence for that thing?" Ethel fished around in her handbag and pulled out a Kit-Kat wrapper and held it up to him. "OK" he said, and away Ethel sped down the hall. As she took the corner near the TV lounge on one wheel, Weird Harold popped out in front of her and shouted, "STOP! Have you got proof of insurance?" Ethel dug into her handbag, pulled out a beer coaster and held it up to him. Harold nodded and said, "Carry on, ma'am." As Ethel neared the final corridor before the front door, Craggy Craig stepped out in front of her, stark naked, holding a very sizeable erection in his hand. “Oh, no" said Ethel, "Not the breathalyser again!" Alan

For those who really want to know, there are several gay bars in the Jomtien complex more or less directly opposite View Talay 2. In addition, just before you turn the corner into Jomtien Beach Road, there are 2 go-go bars, the second of which is gay. The complex also has a number of bars with women but I've only stopped in one of them for one drink so far. Various sois off Jomtien Beach Road also have a number of bars though the quality is a bit hit or miss at times. When I first moved into View Talay, I barfined a few girls from the local bars but to be honest, there has yet to be one I'd want to see again. Now, maybe I was just unlucky Alan

Thanks for that tip, Patrick. I'll check them out when I need to renew my supplies. The problem I've had is finding a pharmacy that has a consistent supply of generic Cialis. The most recent one I found sold generic Cialis at 800 baht for a pack of 4 so I bought 2 packets. Alan

Bazle, My understanding of the position is that you are only liable for gains made on assets sold after you left the UK but held whilst you were still in the UK if you return to the UK within 5 years of leaving. It is a point to be aware of though especially as I will be making a large gain next year on which I have no desire whatsoever to pay capital gains tax. Alan

I cheated to a certain extent in that I made an initial trip over to Thailand in June when I treated myself to a 1st class return flight and thus a 40kg baggage allowance. I think I sneaked in just under at 39 1/2 kg! I brought clothes with me, some of my photographic equipment, some books and CDs I then returne to Edinburgh (with habd luggage only) for 2 weeks for, amongst other things, my great-nephew's 2nd birthday. I came back out in BA's economy plus - took a bit of getting used to after 1st class. This time, I brought the rest of my photographic equipment, some of the more important PC installation discs, more books and CDs. I then arranged for the rest of my CD collection (I had copied a lot of my vinyl LPs onto CD before making the move), a number of books that I wanted to read again, all my photo CD's and the rest of my installation CDs etc for my laptop. All this went into 4 cardboard boxes. It was very expensive and even this small amount cost me a good bit over GBP 700. I didn't bring any furniture over as the cost of shipping it would have been more than it was worth. When I was arranging the shipment, I was told that there would be no customs duty to pay but in the intervening period, the law was changed so that only holders of a work permit good import goods free of duty. The shipping agents in Thailand suggested that I should pay an "unofficial" sum of 4,000 baht. I was able to pay this when my goods arrived at the condo so that saved a trip to Bangkok. If anyone is thinking about importing a car into Thailand, I would say forget it as the import duties are based on the value of the car when new and are extortionate. Alan

Generally speaking, yes. Annuity contracts do often end on death but some will guarantee a payout for a minimum period, say 3 years or 5 years. Payment may be made either to your estate (in which case the payments still to be made will have a (discounted) value for Inheritance Tax purposes). Alternatively, payment can be made to a nominated person if you had made an election when te policy was taken out. Once I reach 60, I will have 2 occupational pensions and will have no alternative but to buy an annuity for the 2nd one. The sums involved in this pension will be very small as contributions were only made over a 3 year period (albeit my 3 highest earning years) so it's not a concern for me. My existing pension is index-linked and was based on my final salary when my job was outsourced. The bulk of my funds have been invested on the stock exchange and I keep a weekly check on prices via the Investors Chronicle web-site. In addition, I review their most recent recommendations on the stocks held a few times a year. Alan