Gonzo

Booze is a true friend. It will never let you down.

You are (un)lucky having to go to work this early in the morning. I always go much later and the bus takes at least 2 hours and most of the time longer coming back in the evenening. The bus driver won't let you get off at On Nut as the coppers are waiting for him to collect their dues. Some of the complaints about bus vesus taxi puzzle me. There is not that much difference in the time it takes from Pattaya or the other way. There seem to be a lot of girlie-boys asking silly questions (Schwarzenegger, my hero). Have any of you girlie-boys tried riding throgh the Sahara on a camel or at le

I feel sorry for the tourists without any storage space, who cannot find room for a small keyboard. I suppose stickers will do until they manage to find a place where they can leave some of their gear behind.

Try it out yourself. Buy a Thai/ English keyboard at Tukcom on Pattaya Thai for around 300 THB and plug it into an USB port on your computer. I bought a smaller-size version for 350 THB, the same width as my laptop. It works fine. The hard part is trying to learn a bit of the Thai language. I seem to be stuck in Chapter 1 forever. It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

Just to remind some of you blokes about the check-ups that are on offer at the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital on Sukhumvit Road. Their check-ups are at half price until 20 December 06 in honour of the King’s birthday. Their check-ups will cost you THB 20000 (Premier), 9900 (Superior), 6250 (Deluxe) and 2900 (Essential), depending what you want to have done. I chose the deluxe option for my Thai partner and myself at 6250 THB each (instead of the normal 12500 THB). In addition I had a gastroscopy (9000 THB) and my Thai partner had a Pap smear test (1300 THB) and a Mammography (THB 1700) to

The group insurance through the Expatsclub with Thai Health is a very good deal. Unfortunately, all insurance companies will try to screw you with the pre-existing condition clause. A friend had a not-so-good experience with BUPA a short while ago. Nevertheless, health insurance should be a priority and Thai Health is one of the better insurance companies. I will sign up with Thai Health through the Expatsclub very shortly. The insurance brokers are at the meetings on most Sundays.

Hi, Acer are by far the best value for money and very seldom they will let you down. Choose the configuration which is right for you, but keep in mind that last year's models are sold at very attractive prices. Computers seem to be cheaper outside of Thailand and overseas there seems to be a lot less hassles with warranty issues, refunds, et cetera.

Thank you for the useful link. I do not read all of the information on this message board at times. I was not aware of the Immigration Office's website. Like I said before, services at the Immigration Office in Jomtien have improved a lot. We do not live in a perfect world, but they could do with a person capable of explaining all of the procedures in plain English and with a bit more detail.

Alan, you are probably right there and it is just the luck of the draw. Some of the immigration people seem to be a bit more helpful. There is a lady wearing glasses, sitting a couple of rows back from the front desk. She has helped me a couple of times. I am always trying to get her attention. Last year she gave me an 18-day extension after a 30-day extension on top of the 60-day tourist visa when I had problems trying to get an airline ticket changed. Maybe, I should consider the retirement visa option as well as I spend more time here than back in Australia. Cheers

I applied for a 30-day visa extension in addition to the 60-day tourist visa I had when arrived in Thailand late in May. To my delight it was processed on the spot. In the old days one had to drop off the paperwork and the passport in the morning and come back in the afternoon to pick up the passport. The Jomtien Office is a big improvement from the old one in Pattaya. I used to dread going there. It is also a good idea to pick up a couple of forms for the next time one has to visit the office. Sigi

Ozboy, you are quite right. In Australia a packet of 4 pills of Cialis or Viagra can cost you as much as A$ 75. On top of that it will cost you around A$ 40 - A$ 50 for the doctor to give you the prescription. We are getting ripped off big time.

There should be a shuttle bus between International and Domestic Airport. Do a Google search. Alternatively, get a taxi to take you over there. It's too far to walk. Buy your ticket to Chiang Mai at the Air Asia or Nokair ticket counters at the domestic airport or book an e-ticket online. They have several flights per day. Thai Air and Bangkok Air will cost you about three times as much. www.airasia.com www.nokair.com Sorry, I just noticed you already bought your tickets with Thai Air.

I’m not a medico but I often get good advice from a doctor friend. Some people have previously mentioned taking Andriol in addition to Viagra, Cialis et cetera, to make it easier to orgasm. My doctor friend has advised against that. I have the same problem with delayed ejaculations when using the pills. I think the problem is very common. I function normally with the missus back home, when having sex without using the pills. I also think that in a place like Pattaya, with all the available women, one often tries to do too much. Drinking a lot of beer does not help either. Cheers

You must be talking about the original Viagra made by Pfizer. The Pfizer propaganda department will tell you that the generic products are dangerous to take. That is absolute bullshit. The generic stuff sold at the pharmacies is no different from their product and it is sold at the fraction of the price. I like to use Apcalis (a generic brand of Cialis). I use half a 20 MG Tablet and it will keep me functioning well for about 2 days. I pay 400 baht for a packet of four 20 MG tabs in a blister pack at the pharmacy opposite the Lek Hotel, next to Tim Bar Beer on Second Road. I buy four pa

They had grandiouse plans of extending the Sky Train when it first opened in 1999. It just never happened. There has been talk between government and business organisations of extending it all the way to the new airport. I would be very surprised if that will happen in my lifetime. http://www.into-asia.com/bangkok/skytrain/

You are qiite right. The longer you stay the better the rate. I was quoted 600 baht per night for a 3-month stay during this low season. I opted to rent a condo a bit further up the road. Ms Supranee is the boss lady at the Silversand and she will negotiate you a good deal. The Silversand people are also pretty efficient when it comes to replying to emails. I have never seen so few tourists in Jomtien during the low season like this year. Most of the bars and restaurants in Soi Whitehouse, Soi 7 etc. have very few customers.

The old wing is a good deal. I have stayed there a few times. Last high season I paid 750 baht per night for a 2-month stay. They will ask for about 800 - 900 baht for shorter stays (old wing). Ask for a room on the swimming pool side and book early. By the way, they have two very good swimming pools and the ocean is just across the road. They also have very good security and a very friendly staff. The place is very popular with Scandinavians. The Silversand Villa is well-situated and very close to Soi 7 on Jomtien Beach Road. The Silversand Villa is mainly family-orientated. The Twin room

Thanks for that. I joined the Pattaya Expats Club more than a year ago and their meetings are held at the Grand Sole Hotel on Second Road every Sunday morning at 11 AM. I actually enjoy going there and have made a few friends as well. My Thai partner likes going there as well, and she seems to be fascinated how Farangs interact with each other despite not being able to understand a great deal of what is being said. Things can be repetitious, but I especially like it when there are Thais trying to explain things from their perspective. I just love that Thai motped driver (I cannot think of

I have to agree with you. Not so long ago they had a bloke raving on about the probability of human life on other planets and star systems. I don’t like to be rude but I left early. Like I said before, you have to take the bad with the good. The wife won one of the door prizes the other week, a dinner for two at the Premiership Football Restaurant & Bar in Soi Diana Inn. We had an excellent Sirloin Steak with mushroom sauce and salad, one of the best meals I have had for a while.

One should not knock the Expats Clubs at the Grand Sole at 11 Am on Sunday mornings. It can be boring at times but I learned a hell of a lot when members or guest speakers gave some excellent advice.

The first bus from Ekamai to Pattaya leaves at 5 AM. The last bus leaving Ekamai for Pattaya leaves at 11 PM. The wife went to Bangkok for the local election there yesterday and I asked her to have a look. If that is not 100% correct blame her. On her way to Bangkok in the morning she and a falang asked the driver again if they could get off at On Nut to catch the BTS sky train from there. No such luck. It seems to be company policy now not to let anyone off at that place.

Actually, the Red Bus service is more efficient and regular now since they knocked the Green and Yellow bus idea on the head. There are more buses available for the Red route now. I think it was a government idea in the first place and is subsidized by them. There is no way the bus service could be making any money as a private enterprise without any other funding. The Red Bus is used by quite a lot of Thais as well. Apropos, going from Jomtien to Big C on Second Road by baht bus. Most baht buses going from Jomtien to Pattaya drive all the way to Big C these days and the fare is 20 baht to

Things have changed since they put that information on the net. There is only the Red Bus left and it is 20 baht for a ticket per person. Nothing stays the same forever and information on the net can only used as a rough guideline. That seems to include a lot of the things said on this message board. Many things in Pattaya seem to change on a daily basis, unfortunately, not always for the better. Having said that, it is still the best place to be as far as I am concerned.

I strongly recommend the Silversand Villa next to Soi Whitehouse in Jomtien. The old wing is excellent value for between 600 and 800 baht, depending on the season and your length of stay. They have two very good and large swimming pools also. Ask for Ms. Supranee, the manager, for a good deal. A family with one or two kids can easily fit into their large rooms. They have a lot of rooms with Twin beds (one double and a single) and the place is right on the beach as well with lots of good restaurants nearby.