Eneukman

Wish I had time to wind these people up - and I'm enjoying an early retirement her in Fun City. Maybe once I'm fluent in speaking and writing Thai! Alan

I think you could struggle to find what you want at your budget. PLenty of studio units are on sale for 1,500,000 baht or less but very few 1 bedroom condos. Take a look at some estate agents' web-sites and perhaps e-mail them to see what they have available. A few suggestions to look at are - http://www.realestatethailand.com/ http://www.scrhomefinder.com/life_in_pattaya.htm http://www.thailand-property.com/ http://www.thaiproperty.com/renting.htm A further difficulty could be that you will almost certainly need to find a condo that is already in a farang name. I am pretty cert

The reservoirs are fuller than they were but enough to avert another shortage next year? A bit of rain today, which must help a little bit. Alan

I keep my anti-virus definitions up to date, but last year I copped a brand new virus - not sure how as I am cautious about opening e-mails etc - which disabled my anti-virus software whenever I went on line. It was a bastard to get rid off but I managed it in the end. Alan

Just what is the baby elephant doing with its trunk? Looks happy about something. Alan

Ib's hotel in Jomtien is the Jomtien Boathouse (close Winston ). The only downside to it from my point of view is that it doesn't have a pool. However, if that isn't important to you not a problem. The beach itself is directly across the road, which is easier to cross than either Beach Road or 2nd Road . Alan

As far as I can recall, there is a weekly charge of 600 baht for broadband or if you're staying longer 1,500 baht per month. When I was last there (mid June to mid July) I could only use broiadband initially from the balcony of my 5th floor room. However, by the time I checked out, I was able to use it in my room. for_ard is right about the guy who now owns the internet cafe next door. He is one hell of a drama queen. Alan

Sailfast, I hope you're going to be flying the flag and flying BA on this coming trip. They surely couldn't mess you about much more than they did last time. It should be easy enough to get the message you want printed on a t0shirt. Watch you don't get too good a tan though - October in the UK can be pretty bleak. Alan

When I stayed at the RG, I only paid 10 baht to get to North Pattaya. Now, I still only pay 10 baht from View Talay 2 to Soi 6. I once even got 10 baht change from a driver when I offered him a 20 baht note at Soi 6 so not all drivers will try to rip you off. Alan

Regarding malaria, there is no risk in Pattaya and other major cities. There is a higher risk in the border areas and appropriate precautions should be taken if visiting these areas. Interestingly, the island of Ko Chang, at least according to the NHS Scotland IS a high risk area and precautions should be taken if visiting there. http://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk/ Alan

Got to disagree - it's not THAT long a walk to the FLB from the RG. Just a short trip on a baht bus as well. Alan

Just a comment on dress code. The mini market outside View Talay 1 has a notice on the door stating that "in accordance with the law", you will not be allowed inside unless you are wearing shoes (sandals are OK) and a shirt (t shirt OK). The bit about wearing shoes is a bit strange as you will greatly offend Thais if you do NOT take off your shoes before entering their house. Any Thais coming into my condo remove their shoes immediately. I follow their example when at home now and only put my shoes on just before I go out. Alan

It took me about 5 minutes to cross 2nd Road this afternoon so I could pay the rent on my condo . Crossing the other way, I got straight across almost immediately. As always, look in ALL directions when crossing any road in Pattaya, especially 2nd Road Alan

I've stayed there 4 times and can highly recommend the RG. Some people prefer staying closer to the action but that's their choice. I'm happy to be a short distance away during the day. Also, it doesn't take that long to get to Walking Street at night. Alan

I prefer wearing long trousers in the evening along with a Hawaii shirt. I therefore need a spare pair of two. Agree about Immigration though - I have a couple of short sleeved white shirts (and even a tie ,) for my visit to Immigration next month to apply for my retirement visa. Alan

Nothing to do with caddies, but similar kinds of shots from the days when I played golf. Driving off from the par 3 7th (170 or so yards all uphill from the front tee), I hit a low slice onto the beach where my ball bounced a few times before ending up back on the fairway 50 yards from the tee. A short par 3 on the Eden at St. Andrews. A lovely hook Henry Cooper would have been proud off Playing the Jubilee at St. Andrews. There was a very strong left to right wind. Gorse bushes and plenty of rough down the right hand side. So confident was I of my ability to hook the ball that

I've bought a few shirts for wearing in the evening from some of the shops on Jomtien Beach Road. In the UK, I buy medium size but here I go for XL, which are a nice, comfortable, lose fit. At 150 baht each, I don't bother bargaining though if I were buying a dozen, I might try to get a discount for bulk buying. As for trousers, I get them made to measure but here I will do some bartering. I'll need to think about trying to get a couple of pairs made next month. Alan

I can't comment on the scene in Bangkok, but I'd suggest looking into the FLB in Pattaya. Ask for Ben or Martin either of whom wll be able to give you pointers and perhaps introduce you to other members. Whatever else you do, don't make plans as you won't be able to keep to them As for these so called dictionaries. They are really of limited use. You have to recognise the vowel sounds, differentiate between short and long vowels as well as getting the tone right. As an example, glay spoken with a mid tone means "far" and glay with a falling tone means "near" Alan

No problems so far, though I really must organise some contents insurance for the condo. I only have a small safe in my room, so I can't put my laptop into the safe. The safe at the RG though was big enough to take my laptop. I have a phone line in my condo so I don't need to go to internet cafes. At present, I'm using dial up with CS Loxinfo though I am looking at one of the ADSL pakages being offered by ToT. I'll probably leave it for a few months until I decide whether I'm going to renew the lease on this condo or look for one on a higher floor. Alan

Tangent, get in touch before you come over and we can maybe meet up for a few beers. The arrival time in Bangkok is great and last month I was back in my condo by 6.00 pm I've flown many times with BA and never had a problem. I've also flown 1st Class with them and found the service very good. When checking in for my return flight in Bangkok, a QANTAS employee escorted me through Passport Control and took me straight to the QANTAS lounge. This is apparently a new service they have started offering and I for one would be more than happy to see it continued. Free self servic

Agreed, Tom. It should also serve as a warning to anyone who has a connecting flight to build in SOME allowance for delays. An hour is simply far too short for a connecting international flight. On my outward journey from Edinburgh, I allow at least 3 hours between arrival and departure especially as it takes around 40 minutes or more to get to the gate in Terminal 4 from Terminal 1. Weather conditions (severe gales) have caused my flight down to London to be an hour late. Also, there are frequent traffic control delays at 5.00 pm at Edinburgh. Once when I arrived in Terminal 1, we

Same here. I'm coming to the end of my first full calendar month of living in my condo and my costs for the month look like being a tad under 70,000 baht. That includes taking a girl home on average once every 3 nights. Alan

OK Sailfast, I accept that you had a very bad experience with BA and I'm not going to attempt to defend what happened. The flight was delayed. You were staying at a hotel. Did they know how to contact you? When my flight was delayed, had they phoned 15 minutes later I'd have been on my way to Edinburgh Airport for my connecting flight so wouldn't have found out about any delays until I got to check in. You say that there was only a one hour wait between flights at Heathrow. Sorry, but I would NEVER allow so little time between flights as it would take very little for me to miss my onw

Sailfast. If you had a bad time with BA, give us the details. You say you have special dietary needs. Did you tell them in advance? If your flight was diverted for some reason, they would need to get extra food in from wherever they diverted to. I've flown BA several times and they have NEVER fucked me about. I did once have an overnight delay but I was put up in an hotel overnight and they actually telephoned me before I left for the airport to warn me in advance. (I had a conecting flight from Edinburgh). I've never had any BA staff lie to me either. Your comments verge o

Useful to know that Redwood. I should therefore be covered for life though my insurance doesn't cover me if I have a stroke because of my blood pressure problems though it's well unnder control at the moment. According to my wrist montor it is 106/73 with a pulse rate of 64. Not bad considering 4 years ago it was 200/150! Swimming (non-stop!) for an hour per day must also help keep my blood pressure down as well as improving my fitness levels. Alan