Firepole

Have you consulted with your veterinarian regarding your cats health in the differant climate, air quality, etc...? There may be physical variables involved with your cat that other board members did not have to contend with when transplanting their animals. As foolish as it would look, if it's a long hair, hell, even a short hair, you could always have the cat's hair shaved or trimmed very close before you leave. Ask your vet and he'll tell you it will grow back adjusted for the heat. Just keep it warm until you get there. When you do get there make sure it IS warm by giving it the option of a warmer spot off the floor(cold tile w/AC not good) with a blanket or something. Your vet will also be able to give you something to help the cat relax during the flight and keep it QUIET as you go through immigration and customs with it in a carry-on bag. A pocket full of "donateable" Baht, just in case, might also be advisable(A real stupid look on your face throughout might also help). Look on eBay(search "pet carriers" or "cat travel bag")and you will find, for example, mesh bags for use ON the plane(s) and backpack, or similar "closed types" for getting on and off each plane(Thai has non-stop JFK-BKK). Best bet might be a closed DISCREET type from start to finish. When you talk to him tell the vet you want to give the meds a test run long before you leave the U.S. to work out administration times because you're going to need multiple doses(important) because of the length of the flight. You'll also want to time it right to make sure the cat is knocked out upon arrival in BKK. Grind up the meds at home, bring with you, and mix it with his favorite cat food while on the plane(try this during test run at home). I'd, more or less, starve the cat for quite a while before med. administration time(s) to ensure he's hungry enough to gobble down the food quickly because I'd think it'll taste a little nasty with the med. in it. Get the cat used to the carrier long before you leave by making him stay/sleep in it for a couple of hours a day to start and then work upwards to all night(min. flt. time is 12hrs from US). The animal will also have to get used to pissing and shitting in it otherwise he'll be screaming to get out on the flight and at other inappropriate moments. Line it with towels for comfort, WARMTH, and absorption and change it immediately when needed so the cat will know it's okay to do it and know it won't have to roll around in it's own piss. Get the cat used to drinking bottled water now and carry-on enough for the flight(bring his favorite bowl, hanging bottle for carrier, or eye-dropper) bearing in mind that the flight will dehydrate him to begin with and any meds will compound it. Also bring gallon sized Ziploc plastic bags to seal and discard any soiled towels(bring extra for inflight) in or you'll end up pissing off other passengers with the smell of cat shit. Also remember to select a seat that has a seat in front of you so you can put the carrier under it and keep an eye on it. Otherwise you might be forced to put it in the overhead bin during take-off and landing. A collar(always worn and attached to leash) with a leash attached to the carrier bag could be helpful. As funny as it would look you don't want the cat escaping with you chasing it all over the plane. It wouldn't hurt to get the cat used to it all by driving around, going to the store, walking in crowds, etc..., while he's in your chosen pet carrier. Eventually, he'll be bored by it all and won't give a shit. The key to it all is "quiet, discreet, and inconspicuous". After all that I will say that if you're not going to be able to provide full time A/C for the cat you could be putting it in harms way. Best bet is to talk to your vet about how long it will take for the cat to acclimate itself to the climate. A consult with a vet, via phone, in a place like Miami(similar climate in Summer) to explain your concerns wouldn't hurt. Ask your local vet if he thinks it a good idea. You might even want to do it yourself before you mention it to your local vet so he doesn't think you don't trust him. For what it's worth, even though I haven't done it, I think it can be done. The way I look at it is, and I hate to put it like this, your valid fears of what might happen to the cat because of the move might also happen, albeit in differant way, because of the separation from you. In short, the end result could be the same in both cases. The vet should also tell you that a permanent move from one home to another, no matter where, WILL be very stressfull to a cat that age. From what you wrote I think you've already seen a little of this. Good luck.

Sounds like they're trying to see if they can get you to make the wire transfer and then use the credit card info to start charging things from a dummy company other than etixcentral. A double whammy? Since the "travel agency" has all the info I'd call my card company, report the card lost, and have them send me a new one with a differant number. It would save some hassle if they do make several charges. Just my 2 cents worth. A wire transfer to a bank in Bulgaria? Holy crap! All bullshit, I'm sure, but in case you need it the domain is registered as follows(from register.com): Domain Name............ etixcentral.com Creation Date............ 2005-06-05 Registration Date....... 2005-06-05 Expiry Date............... 2006-06-05 Organisation Name..... Joe Bloggs Organisation Address. 123 West McMicken Organisation Address. Organisation Address. Cincinnati Organisation Address. 45221 Organisation Address. OH Organisation Address. UNITED STATES Admin Email..............jbloggs@etixcentral.com Admin Phone............+1.5135030728

echster, Nice report. I too am somewhat of a "tin junkie" but you've got me beat by far. I've only booked EVA through their website but would be interested in checking with a consolidator. Can you recommend any? I fly out of LAX. Also, have you found any sites that show the seating on the EVA 777's they're going to use in the future. I figure they are, eventually, going to be put in service U.S.-TPE. EVA site comes up blank, Seatguru doesn't list them, and Boeing's are generic. Any help on either is appreciated. Thanks up front.

I just realised that I spent an hour "playing" with Google maps. It sure is a good resource and I now know what my house looks like from outerspace It's odd that there isn't a direct link to the map feature from the Google homepage. Well, I couldn't find one. Thanks for the link.

Hi, Welcome to the board. Now is a good time to start your search but don't lollygag(procrastinate). Sorry, it's the Southern Comfort. Seriously, read everything in the hotel review section on his board and you may also find a little info at (click on link ->)Pattaya section of BKK forum It's generalized but it might help. Your budget might be cutting it a little close but, for example, Dynasty Inn(Soi 13 Pattaya) had a regular rate of Bt990 per night that went down to Bt600 for monthly stays in 2004. Their nightly rate is now Bt1200. I have no idea what the monthly rate is set at now. It's a nice place and location, except for the current area construction, and I don't think I'd recommend the Dynasty for what you're looking for but I thought I'd mention it as an example of daily versus monthly rates. I've never stayed there but you might want to look into the View Talay properties at(click on link->) Click on your language . This board is a wonderful resource for your questions. Don't be afraid to ask. Hope it helps.

Nana Tours in the lobby of the Nana Hotel(directly across Soi from Dynasty) has transport, door-to-door, from Nana Hotel to your hotel in Pattaya for Bt350(maybe Bt250). Make reservations the day before or early on the day of departure.

Where is Soi Batman?

Andyfez is correct about the "contract" with airlines. If you "break" the contract by changing your itinerary on your own they will come after you for all kinds of fees and last-minute fares. This includes buying a round-trip(return) ticket and only using the first half. They will treat this as a one-way ticket where the fares are normally a hell of a lot more expensive the round-trip fares. They can, and will, bill your credit card that you originally purchased your ticket on for the differance in fare.

Al, I'm not sure if your plan is to bring VCR tapes to LOS from home but keep in mind that, like DVDs, there might be a differant format. I thought I read somewhere that it has something to with VCR's designed to play for North American TV's therefore making No. Amer. recorded tapes useless elsewhere. Similar to the situation with DVD players but I believe they can be reprogrammed whereas VCR's can't. If anyone knows this info to be incorrect please post it as I'd like to know myself.

Hub, I'm not sure if you meant no change of planes when referring to the EVA non-stop EWR-BKK but I think this flight makes a stop for fuel and pax in SEA. I think it's only a short stop without a change of planes so it's not really a big deal.

I can only help with Utapao as I flew Bangkok Air to Koh Samui in Jan. 04'. Nice organized(by Thai standards) little air-conditioned(cold) airport with a snack bar w/alcohol and a trinket(tourist junk) shop. I forgot what the taxi fare was but remember it as not being too bad. 600Bt sticks in my mind but I could be wrong. I saw people being dropped off in Baht Buses so you might consider negotiating a deal in Pattaya if you don't mind the thought of speeding down the highway in the back of a pick-up truck. Not me! The way these people drive made me nervous enough in a regular car. I digress. Shuttle to the plane via open-air trolley type vehicles. Bangkok Airlines seems like a professional operation by any standards. Having flown 1/2 million miles on U.S. airlines I feel that BKK Air could teach them a few things. Go here to access their website: http://www.bangkokair.com/ In Nov. you should pay around 4400Bt roundtrip(return) between Utapao and Phuket if you book soon through the easy to use website. If you want to leave from BKK and fly Air Asia you should pay less than half that. I don't think Air Asia ( http://www.airasia.com )will book a ticket now for Nov. flights though. I've never flown them but I've heard good things about them. Can't help with the rest of your journey. Good luck.

Do I understand that you've NEVER flown anywhere at all? If that's the case then you've chosen one Hell of long flight to pop your flying "cherry". I hope you don't suffer from air sickness or, worse yet, claustrophobia. Wouldn't that be a bitch. I'd take a test flight soon to make sure. If you want to do that go to Travelocity.com and check their "Dream Map". Click here: http://dps1.travelocity.com/dreamMap.ctl?Service=TRAVELOCITY Don't forget to input your "Departure City" in the box in the upper left hand corner(YYZ is the code for Toronto). Flying direct from Canada is more costly than from the U.S. I'd suggest flying from Los Angelos(LAX) to Bangkok(BKK). I think flights out of LAX are in the $650-750 range for Oct. Getting to LAX will cost you $250-350 round trip. Total $1000-1100. I travel from the east coast of the U.S. and book a round trip(on Delta) to LAX arriving in L.A. the day before my flight to BKK. I book a hotel for 2 nights near LAX because of the late night departure to BKK on EVA Airlines. I book the hotel through Priceline but find out the best hotel rate at http://www.biddingfortravel.com On the return I only get a hotel for 1 night near LAX because I book my return flight on Delta for the next day. For 2 separate RT tickets and 3 nights in a hotel it only costs me $200 more than 1 round trip ticket from Newark to Bangkok and I'm fairly well rested when it's over. Well worth it to me. If you like the idea you need to keep time zones into consideration when making plans. I'm really bored right now so I just checked flights to to see how close I was. As of 06/29/04 at 17:30 o'clock the following was true. Dep: Toronto 10/05/2004 on America West to LAX Ret: LAX 10/19/2004 on America West to Toronto(you didn't mention length of stay in your post so I just put in two weeks) Total price= $254 incl. tax & fees(according to http://Travelocity.com )in economy class. Dep: LAX 10/06/2004 on EVA Airlines to Bangkok Ret: Bangkok 10/18/2004 on EVA Airlines to LAX Total price: $712 incl. tax & fees(according to EVA website http://www.evaair.com ) in economy class. Evergreen Deluxe class, which, at 6ft3in tall, I highly recommend, will cost you $936 all in. Total in Economy= $966. A 3 star hotel in the LAX zone on Priceline will cost you about $40 per night plus tax and fees. You'd need a 3 star hotel to ensure a shuttle between the hotel and LAX. See the biddingfortravel link above and read through their site. Travelocity.com shows a flight from Toronto to Bangkok via San Francisco AND Narita, Japan using the above dates for $1061. TOTAL TRAVEL TIME IS 39 HOURS AND 35 MINUTES!!!!! OW! The "regular" 23-24 hour total time flights start at $1900 and go up from there.

I was just playing around with flights for a possible side trip to Phuket while in LOS. I found that AIR ASIA had round trip flights from BKK for Bt1390 while BANGKOK AIR had flights(same date, roughly same time) for Bt5400. I checked a few differant dates and found the same for all dates. It doesn't seem to be a promotional fare. I'm a firm believer in the old adage that "if it sounds too good to be true..." What's the deal? Does AirAsia have a poor safety record, old planes, transport livestock in the cabin...? Thanks up front.

Hi All, I've already booked my first week(mid/late-Jan.) and last week(mid-Feb.) in Pattaya but still have the middle 9 nights open. I was hoping to check out hotels during my 1st week to find a room for those 9 nights(late Jan- early Feb). I might even look for a room on one of the islands. Finally, my question. Should I be worried about finding a decent and inexpensive room for the middle 9 nights? I'm pretty sure I could book before I get there but I'd rather look around. Any thoughts? Thanks up front.

I just received this email: Dear Mr. XXXX, Thank you very much for your email on date 28/10/03. We have to apologize for cannot confirm your booking in the period of 19 Jan'04 because now the hotel have fully booked from December'03 untill the end of January'04. Sorry for inconvenience in this time. Best regards, Reservation dept/Flipper Lodge Hotel

Thanks OnMyWay & Emil. I called the Flipper Lodge and they told me that there were no rooms for my three nights, Jan 19-22. I've got a nagging feeling that they have rooms but weren't going to book for only 3 nights. Possible?

Hi All, I just sent an email to the Flipper Lodge(Soi 8 ) requesting rates for 3 nights starting Jan. 19th, 2004. Their website shows rates of B1000 for cityview, B1100 for seaview, and B1300 for deluxe. Will they give me a better rate if I by-pass the website reservation and book using email? What price should I try to negotiate them down to for each room category? Thanks up front.

I'd like to be able to come back to the hotel and jump in the pool for a swim. Of course, this could happen very late at night and was wondering what hotels allow there guests(and TG's) to use the pool very late, or all night long? I'd like to initially stay in the Soi 7 or 8(maybe Flipper) area and then on to the RG but might change my plans for a pool. Anyone know? Thanks upfront.

I'm making plans for a trip in Jan. and am considering spending the extra $200 or so for the "upgrade" from coach to Deluxe. Is it worth it? I'm 6ft. 3in. tall and need all the extra room I can get. Is there more legroom? Width? If so, is it enough to stretch out? To be concise I'm only worried about comfort. Any other ammenities i.e. food, TV, etc... would be nice to hear about but seat comparison, Deluxe vs. economy is my main goal. Thanks up front. I DID A SEARch and didn't find the following post. Found it after reading the forum. Hope the link works: http://www.freelancerbar.com/cgi-bin/yabb/...;num=1054704979