CheshireTom

And in the pm, a stop at Bang Pa-In. Don't forget a parasol for your gal!

A day trip with your teelak is easily doable from either Bangkok or Pattaya. Easy access - just follow the eastern bypass to Ayutthaya and call in at Bang Pa-In on the way home. Both are clearly signposted from the main road. First stop Ayutthaya ...

It appears those French conspiracies just won't go away ... From The Telegraph ... "Lance Armstrong given a week to answer US Anti-Doping Agency charges against Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong - and presumably his lawyers - have been given a week to answer the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) charges of doping in writing while the doping dgency have also confirmed that, should they then decide to proceed with a formal hearing, an 'independent' panel will be asked to sit in judgement." The USADA case ...

I got a tour of the place when it was under construction in the late 80s. Obviously some really good workmanship but there were also some disasters - I particularly remember a truly awful model of Don Mueang (presumably consigned to history by now).

Certainly smart enough to realise that 42 m2 does't equal "a large apartment".

Then you should have compared it against condos and not hotels. I'm not interested in hotel rooms worldwide, only in Pattaya. Bottom line is that your room is smaller than even the smallest rooms offered at The Hilton - a local hotel of similar size and design.

It's nothing to do with price, only the size of the room. It's no bigger than a hotel room in a similar styled building. I think at The Cliff they'd describe it as a mini-suite.

The site describes a typical hotel room as being 15-25 m2 - I don't think that's true for typical high-rise modern hotels in Pattaya e.g. Hilton or Holiday Inn. The room can best be described as a large room, or a small suite - it's certainly not a large suite (a basic room at the Hilton is bigger).

I'm in two minds whether or not this is a good idea. Obviously if you are in economy, you have nothing to lose. However, if I've paid for a biz class ticket, the last thing I want is some numpty sat next to me telling me how clever he was getting an upgrade for 200 quid.

Andy/Severn, I've sent you a PM. Hopefully it explains the lack of text. Severn, Re: border terrorism. There does seem to be an almost annual incident outside of the main area, so it's really about the "risk" as not many places are absolutely "safe" nowadays, e.g. I wouldn't choose to be travelling around London over the next couple of months. However, I do believe that if the Pattani mob want to escalate things a notch or two and attract more international attention, Phuket or somewhere on the Andaman coast around Krabi would be a more likely "soft" target than Hat Yai or Songkhla.

I had visions of the staff of some 7-11 out in remotest Nakhon Nowhere waiting patiently for months on end for a busload of Russian tourists to stop by and buy up the entire contents of its chilled-foods display-cabinet.

I think the games have been pretty good as far as "first games" go. The Germans and Italians have impressed me, but I'm not quite sure about the 4-6-0 system that the Spaniards and French seemed to be playing. Looking forward to the Holland v Germany game on Wed

Around 5 Baht/100 ml. The bigger the container, the cheaper it becomes. I believe that milk and yoghurt are now subject to government price controls anyway.

continuing ...

Khlong Hae Floating Market is situated on the outskirts of Hat Yai and, unlike most floating markets aimed at farangs, attracts lots of locals as well as tourists. A couple of other things set it apart; firstly it is only open on Thu, Fri and Sat evenings and it's marketed as being eco-friendly - so no plastic bags, plastic cups etc. Instead it's bamboo, coconut and earthenware pots that you'll be offered ...

Across one of the two bridges ... To the island itself ...

Songkhla City is nestled between the Gulf and Songkhla Lake, or Thale Sap Songkhla which includes Yo Island, home to some of the best seafood restaurants in the region. The island also provides a stepping stone for the main highway between Had Yai and Nakhorn Sri Thammarat across the two Tinsulanonda bridges. Tinsulanonda Historical Park ...

Thanks for the pics Dougie. One place on the planet that I've still got on my 'to do' list ...

I wonder why he was so crap every time he pulled on a Gunners jersey. BTW - I got red-carded by Sam - does that mean I miss the Germany v Portugal game?

Agreed. I thought they were two fairly decent games. The Greeks looked well-organised once they settled down - is the Russian captain related to the plonker by the same name at Arsenal?

I had my "viewing schedule" mapped out for the group games and it didn't include either of last night's games. However, "the best laid schemes o' mice an' men, gang aft agley" ... and all that, meant that it was huge amounts of caffeine getting me through both games. The same will probably happen tonight.

It's awful. Did True actually think that they'd get the games for free, or what? I'm on Astro and they have 10 channels (5 + 5HD) dedicated to the competition (presumably using it as a "dry-run" prior to the Olympics).

I read in The Nation that True isn't broadcasting the games - is that going to affect things in Pattaya?

I think he wanted Phil, but ..... These things happen. However, if you wanted first-hand advice on how to make it to the top on mediocre talent, Gary would be the guy to ask. On a serious note, who are the good English managers coming through? I think the guy, Pardew, at Newcastle has performed brilliantly. He's made some great buys in the transfer market, but his biggest coup was getting 35 million for Carroll. But, other than him, English managerial talent does seem to be a bit thin on the ground. Still, it'll be nice to see Big Sam back next season and Nigel Adkins seems to be an interesting character.