Bazle

Not trying to thread fuck but there are some strange things missing from the shelves - e.g. I haven't been able to find tonic water nor kitchen towels in shops for the last 4 days.

Thanks Losgrad. The pictures are just fine. Were you allowed to road test any models?

I looked into taking insurance before hitting the dreaded 61 y.o. I used a broker whose name is mentioned on the forums from time to time. I concluded that the potential maximum payout didn't justify the premiums. Self-insurance is the way to go!

I'm not sure I understand your question so I've PM'ed you a full size copy of the picture. Hope that helps.

It was a public holiday (King's birthday) today and so a lot of Thai families on the beach and, perhaps more so, on the pavement adjacent to the beach in Jomtien. There was also the anticipated multitude of Russian holidaymakers - this one over-exposed in more ways than one It seems that I had just missed the Jet Ski World Cup as the stands were being dismantled. All these pictures were taken along Jomtien Beach Road except the last two which are from Pattaya Beach Road; when I returned to Pattaya, there was the inevitable Holiday procession.

New Plaza sometimes gets a mention here (and often at another place!). This is for people who haven’t been there. New Plaza is on the East side of Second Road, opposite Sois 7/8 on the West side. It is a horse-shoe shaped development mainly of beer bars. It seems to have found favour with a number of expats as a place to meet and partake of cheap beer. There is a single road exiting the Plaza at the rear which leads out to Soi Buakhow through the market at the northern end of that Soi. A new building is being constructed just at the northern exit from the Plaza.

I took a girl for a drink (expensive!) at Hopf Brew House - Beach Road, corner of Soi Yamato (13/1) - a couple of nights ago. There was the most mixed music there that I have come across in Pattaya - light opera, Russian, mainstream pop and, yes, jazz.

I arrived on that flight last Wednesday. Unfortunately, because of "VIP activity on the ground", we circled for about 30 minutes before landing, but we ended up landing on time. I got to the bus desk at about 4.40pm and hoped to take the 5pm bus. However, it was already fully booked so had to wait until 6pm As others have said, it is no great hardship waiting. I just have a meal at the airport which saves time when I get to Patts.

I went to X-Zone again this evening and tried to get the 2-for-1 drinks. The service lady had not heard about it and enlisted the services of another service lady. After a huge amount of consultation, I got the drinks. However, I was then subjected to moral blackmail (I know - I should not have succumbed!) and ended up buying the service lady a drink for helping out - so no gain to me. However, I ended up chatting with 3 girls and they seem to be loyal to their new boss; they said 100% better than old boss.

Many thanks to everyone who has responded for the feedback. Appreciated. Luco - do you have anywhere in particular in mind?

It was World Aids Day today so, predictably, a Beach Road procession. (Sorry for typo in topic title - can't amend!)

Sois 7 and 8 The Soi 7/8 area is far from being my favourite, so I don’t go there frequently. As a result, I’m not entirely sure what is new and what is not. Here’s a stab at it, but feel free to correct me. This is the fairly new beer bar complex at the bottom of Soi 8 (Beach Rd end). Silver Star on Soi 8 is about to re-open following its refurbishment. The people running the Premier Club coyote bar (opposite Cherry Bar) seem to be branching out into the Skydiving business. The work half way up the soi which has been going on for quite a while was to construct the “Su

Well spotted! I think I can also see bits of the flags of Trinidad & Tobago and of Puerto Rico. I guess it implies there is some sort of Caribbean theme inside. Here is a larger copy of the picture.

I was contemplating buying a new camera ahead of my current trip and had narrowed the choice down to three. The price here in Patts of those cameras is 20-30 percent higher than Jessops in the UK. In retrospect, I'm a bit annoyed about not buying at Dixons at Heathrow which had my favourite of the 3 cameras at £40 less than the cheapest price I had found anywhere else, including on-line.

I arrived here late on Wednesday evening. I was last here Aug/Sept time. I took a walk around town today and this is what I’ve noticed is new. First, though, just a word about the consequences of the flooding. There is NO problem getting food, water, beer, etc. It might be that you won’t be able to get precisely what you want, but you are unlikely to be greatly inconvenienced. There seem to be more Thai families eating on and around the beach than I can recall from previous visits, so that might be the evidence of Bangkok flood refugees being here. The weather is relatively cool w

Indeed! Apart from sharing the same name, do you think there is any connection between them?

I thought it had maybe taken its name from this club in London - http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/whatson/the-bada-bing-club-info-20122.html

Intended staying for just one drink so didn;t try,

I am a long-time X-Zone fan and was concerned that, reading this thread, the new owner might have put it into decline. Tonight was my second in town so I went along to investigate. Have no fear X-Zone fans - the place is BETTER than before the current ownership! Previously, only the gynaecology table had consistent full flesh on show; now it is the norm on ALL tables. Also, the Jacuzzi section is back working. The quality of the girls is much the same as ever, maybe a little better. Let's face it, it was never a place to go to meet an 18y.o. spinner. The girl I got speaking to ther

I'm thinking more and more that you might be a priest IRL

It seems that Spanky's (of Nana Plaza, Bangkok fame) is opening a new establishment in Pattaya - Soi Diamond - on 3 December. http://www.spankysbkk.com/

Best not forget the photo

Can anyone else see a resemblance?

Less than 1 percent???????????? Using your numbers, as a percentage of the whole population, the rate would be 5%. As a percentage of the working population, it is 8.3 percent. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9R1OMC00.htm

It seems that some people have not read/understood what was in the article I quoted so I will try to paraphrase it. Who owns a letter once it has been sent? An important distinction is that between a letter itself (i.e. a piece of paper) and the words written on that paper. The ownership of the letter, as opposed to the words, is with the person it was sent to. The words in the letters, however, remain the "property" of the author. He retains copyright in the same way that while you own the books on your shelf, the authors still own the words. One defence for unauthorise