Eneukman

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 mor

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 contributio

Owen, I'll try to answer your queries in the same order as you listed them. 1. Some nights I do go out for a drink and don't end up barfining a girl. Take last night as an extreme example. I had just barfined a girl (from Buriram) and she was getting changed into her "day" clothes when one of the other girls came over and told me she had just received some very bad news about her 4 year old daughter (I was aware that her daughter wasn't well) and had to go home. She was clearly upseet and as I've known for a bit now I gave her 1,000 baht to help her on her way. There was no way th

OK, here's a revised monthly budget though this month is a bit higher due to going a bit over the top on the sanuk side, but hey it's Christmas Rent - 20,000 (1 bedroom in View Talay 2A) Water - 280 (This month was 250 baht) Electric - 1,200 (640 baht this month but that was with scarcely any use of the aircon) Water, soft drinks, booze and food for the condo - 4,000 (within budget this month) Telephone (land line & mobile) - 1,600 (The landline is used mainly for the internet. This month I am just within budget but most months I'm quite a bit below this figure)

Right, here's the link to my thread from the beginning of Octber. Got to it in no time today so don't what was up yesterday apart from CSLoxinfo going slow. http://www.pattayatalk.com/forums/index.ph...18188&hl=budget Alan

Remember to allow for toiletries, telephone, internet access, water and booze for the hotel room, laundry and so on. I did a topic in the Members' Area back in October which detailed my costs for 1 month. http://www.pattayatalk.com/forums/index.ph...18188&hl=budget Since then, my costs have been slightly higher and I would reckon on somewhere between 75,000 and 80,000 baht to be closer to the norm. I'm a bit over budget this month but as this is the open to the public forum I can't go into too much detail on why. Alan

I started a topic on this thread back in October. I was going to post a link to it but CSLoxinfo dial up is so fucking slow that I got fed up waiting for the search function here to provide the links that I just gave up. My costs for September were just under 70,000 baht but I reckon on around 80,000 baht per month to be more realistic. Of course, much depends on how you intend spending your evenings. I plan, on average, barfining a girl every 3 nights, eat out every night (mainly Thai food but one night a week Farang food). My aim, (yet to be achieved ) is only to go out for a drin

Can anyone answer this question? Why is it considered a sin to drink for the sake of drinking when so much alcohol used to be brewed by that most religious group, monks? Did monks ever get drunk from all the beer they brewed and the wine they fermented? Alan PS - I'm teetotal. Not! PPS - Large vodka and coke, please.

70,000 baht in 3 days? Christ almighty, my expenditure this month is going to be a tad over 80,000 baht, including rent, electricity, water etc and a girl just about every other day so I've hardly missed out on anything. Granted I haven't had to pay a bar fine on 3 or 4 of the days but that wouldn't have added that much to my total expenditure. Alan

Always good to get reports from ex-pats who are living elsewhere in Thailand. I don't plan on making Pattaya my permanent home and will start making trips to other parts of Thailand to see where I would like to settle permanently. I'm not sure whether I'd like to live in a village until I become reasonably fluent in Thai, which at present looks like being a long, hard struggle. Half the battle is that I forget half the words I come across, especially those that sound similar with only the tone or a short vowel rather than a long vowel to differentiate between them. Alan

Thanks for your comments. Unfortunately, my condo didn't come equipped with a washing machine, which I think is normal. The balcony is quite small so drying clothes would also be a bit of a problem though I do hang towels over the balcony rail to dry though they have been known to blow off when it's a tad breezy. My lease expires at the end of June so I may move to another condo, hopefully in the same area if not the same building. Alan

Not a hope in hell of finding what you're looking for in your price range in Pattaya, particularly on the baht bus route. One guy I know here is selling a one-bedroom 74 square metre condo for 3,800,000 baht though houses tend to be cheaper than condos. Now, if you were to add a zero to your price, you might find what you want or be able to get a house built to your own specifications. Alan

I've been here 6 months now and I reckon I'm spending around 80,000 baht per month - though this does not allow for holidays etc. Everyone's expenditure will be different but my essentials are - Rent (a one-bedroom condo in View Talay 2) - 20,000 Water - 250 baht Electricity - from about 850 baht to 1,200 baht plus depending on how much you use the aircon. I only have an aircon unit in the living room, which has hardly been on this month so this month's bill should be close to the lower figure. As my condo was originally 2 rooms, I get seperate bills for each room. The bedroom has a ceil

I've bar fined a girl who really did wear pants like the 1950 ones - though I think they were maybe a bit longer. Alan

6,000 baht per day is more than enough for you to have a good time unless you plan on taking top girls from go-gos every night and ringing the bell a few times. Alan

I doubt whether many of us could live on 20,000 baht per month in Pattaya with or without a live in gf. I haven't bought a condo yet as I've still to decide where I want to live in the longer term. Also, renting gives me the freedom to move around when the lease is up (or for the landlord to decide not to renew the lease). I have a 74 square metre condo and pay rent of 20,000 baht per month. This may change at the end of June when my lease expires. I kept a note of my expenses for September and they came out at just under 70,000 baht though I would say that closer to 80,000 baht per m

I have innoculations against polio, typhoid, tetanus (the shot for that included diphtheria) and both Hep A and Hep B. If you're only coming for a short visit Hep B won't be essential. I think that one Hep A shot shortly before you leave will be sufficient to give you some protection but a 2nd shot within the next 12 months will give you protection for 10 years. Hep B is, as has been said above, needs 3 shots over a specified time period. If you're sticking to Bangkok and Pattaya, malaria pills will not be required but would be essential if going to the more out of the way areas. Alan

I've stayed at the RG a few times but as Leadbelly has said, get in touch with them now as they will almost certainly be full in January. There's a link on this site and if you book through that you will get the special FLB Bar rate, which will be further discounted as you are staying for 2 months. Alan

I arrived in the middle of June this year and found the weather to be fine. OK it did rain a few times in the evening, but not for long. One time, I was in Soi 7 so where better to shelter from a downpour than in a bar. Another time, I had just boarded a baht bus (near the Dolphon roundabout) and by the time I got off at Soi 7, the rain had stopped. As others have said, come in both June and November. Alan

I agree with BigD here. As a matter of interest, does anyone know whether the courts in Thailand have the power to ban someone from driving if caught driving whilst drunk etc? Perhaps creating the scenario where anyone caught drink driving really loses face big time might have some effect? Alan

I had no pain at all after mine though walking was a bit uncomfortable for a few days. I didn't get the all clear before I quit the UK as I was still firing live ones. Anyone know of a clinic will carry out the necessary checks for me? Alan

As others have said, there are a number of clubs you can join. I've only joined the Pattaya Ex-Pats club (the Saturday one) so far and after only 6 meetings I won a dinner for 2 at Globetrotters Restaurant (Soi 7) worth up to 1,200 baht. That's my life membership (600 baht) paid for Now to decide who to invite for a free meal. I will join the Pattaya City Ex-Pats Club (the Sunday one) soon as well as the Pattaya Sports Club though I'll leave the latter until I finish my langugae lesson course. Whatever you do when you come over here, it's essential to get an interest AWAY fro