Bazle

Can anyone explain to me why the local rulers allow/encourage Songkran hooliganism, please? I thought they wanted families to visit, and not encourage Songkran-type (as practised in Pattaya) behaviour.

I want to spend 4 weeks in LOS from mid-Aug to mid-Sept. I very much prefer direct flights and have been using EVA in recent years. However, I haven't been able to find reasonably priced direct flights with any airline until my search today. I found today that EVA prices fall quite dramatically for departure dates after 20 August. I've just booked 25 Aug to 22 Sept for £541 with Southall Travel. WestEast Travel looked to be £2 cheaper until you get to the check-out page when they add in £2 for airline protection insurance. NetFlights were quite a lot more expensive, although I suspect they will get in line before long.

You've made me all nostalgic now I wasn't in London in those days but got to see people like that here http://www.cyberheritage.com/vandikeclub/

You are denying the experiences of many people, including me.

I recently posted this on another board:

Man who wants pretty nurse, must be patient. Passionate kiss, like spider web, leads to undoing of fly. Lady who goes camping must beware of evil intent. Squirrel who runs up woman’s leg will not find nuts. Man who leaps off cliff jumps to conclusion. Man who runs in front of car gets tired, man who runs behind car gets exhausted. Man who eats many prunes get good run for money. War does not determine who is right, it determines who is left. Man who fight with wife all day get no piece at night. It takes many nails to build a crib, but one screw to fill it. Man who drives like hell is bound to get there. Man who stands on toilet is high on pot. Man who live in glass house should change clothes in basement.. Man who fish in other man's well often catch crabs. Finally, CONFUCIUS SAY. . . A lion will not cheat on his wife, but a Tiger Wood.

This has just turned up in my email box. I think I have read it before somewhere - maybe here. Apologies if a re-post.

Thanks, Joe.

It sounds as if the GF's mother has thyroid cancer. Her appointment with the quack at the nearest big hospital in the boondocks was postponed today for 8 days. She needs urgent attention. If the GF, who lives in Patts, were to get her mother to Patts, is there a good hospital in the locality at which mother would get the treatment she needs? Thanks to anyone who is able to post something useful.

Thanks for the responses to the above. Re the comments made about Norton, I have not found slow-running much of an issue.

I use (and pay for) Norton anti-virus. (It's not bad value as I use it on 3 computers.) Is using Spybot going to give me anything that I don't already get from Norton, please?

I'm booked for early June for 4 weeks. Just have to keep my sanity until then

The dreaded return journey home had to be made yesterday. I was flying on the EVA 12:50 flight from Swampy to LHR. I had read about bad queues at Swampy and also wanted to avoid early morning traffic in Patts so booked a taxi for 07:30. TAXI The taxi was there waiting for me at 07:25 when I looked outside the condo I had been staying at. Cost 860 Baht, including tolls. The car was a not too old Toyota but the driver had aspirations for F1. I should have realised that as soon as I saw the car - a wing-like thing at the back and a racing driving wheel. We got to Swampy in 1hr 5 mins, which included a piss stop for the driver. When we weren't tailgating other vehicles, we were doing between 140 and 160 KPH all the way (I think that is 87 to 100 MPH). I was not amused, particularly as I wasn't in a hurry. EVA check-in As always seems to be the case, a lot of people arrived to check-in long before the check-in desks opened. They now have a dedicated counter for people who have checked in on-line (more than can be said for LHR) and the queue there was substantially shorter than at the regular counters. So if you fly with EVA, do yourself a favour and check-in on-line. Passport control When I had last flown out of Swampy (mid-December), they had the snake queueing system - just one line of people taking their turns for a desk to come free. This always seems to me to be the fairest system. Unfortunately, they have reverted to individual queues for each of the desks. Needless to say, the Chinese again refuse to be civilised when it comes to queueing. They put someone in each queue, and when the first one to get to about 2 people away from being dealt with, that person acquires a whole load of friends who abandon the other queues. It reminded me of being at school. The flight home Took off about half an hour late and arrived about an hour late. Uneventful journey - thankfully, sufficiently far away from the screaming brats for them to be a problem. Watched a couple of movies - Burlesque (totally crap storyline, music would probably have been good if I hadn't been listening through airline headphones) and The Kings Speech (good).

Why do you describe it as "shitty"? I've always found it pretty good - maybe not the best but certainly on the right side of average.

Dave A great night last night - or at least up to 1am when I had to leave. And if I'm not mistaken, you even got Emma off the streets for a short while! Sadly, that will be my last visit until June. Cheers. Baz

So what's the Tuvalu flag all about?

Thanks, Fondles. I might take you up on this when I come back in June.

I went and had a chat with Roger this afternoon - nice chap, as you said. Thai Decor have a huge stock of intricate oriental furniture and ornaments. There is a lot more than you imagine from the street as there are upstairs floors. (Incidentally, for anyone thinking of going there, I would say it is more like 300 yards from Thappraya.) They do not manufacture items. Unfortunately, they did not have what I need; however, Roger has promised to keep an eye out for me.

In a post on another thread, a BM posted information on how a Thai living in Pattaya could apply for a passport (http://www.pattayatalk.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=53823&view=findpost&p=870098). I was in Bangkok with a TG, who I was attempting to help get a passport, so the information re the bus from Pattaya was not relevant. However, I did try to follow the remaining instructions and found I could not. I’m not sure whether the information in the other thread is now out of date or whether I went to the wrong location. After some internet research, I had concluded that the “Central Plaza” referred to was the one shown on my map as being at Lardprao on Phahon Yothin Road. So we were at Phahon Yothin BTS station a little after 9am last Friday. We found the Central Plaza building but couldn’t get into it as it is being redeveloped or demolished. An American guy who we asked for help seemed to be well informed about where we needed to go; he flagged down a number 59 bus for us and said to ask the bus conductor to drop us off at the right place. The bus conductor was not at all helpful but a student-looking Thai girl told us where to get off, but said we’d need to catch a further bus – a number 125. We duly did this, and she caught the bus with us and set us off at the stop. When we got to the stop, she indicated the place she said we should go to (a government office). However, when we got there, we were told we should be somewhere different! We took a taxi there and seemed to end up close to where we had caught the 125 bus. But we were at the right place, at last! It was a modern looking government building (Department of Consular Affairs / Ministry of Foreign Affairs) with a triangular design on the front. I couldn’t spot the name of the road. The application process was amazing for its simplicity and speed. My TG had to take a number showing her place in the queue, and fill in a very small form. The number indicated that there were over 60 people ahead of her, and I got mentally prepared for a long wait. I was wrong - she was being seen within 20 minutes! She reckons there were 62 cubicles with staff dealing with passport applications. She was out in about 15 minutes and was told to pick up her passport today. (She has just ‘phoned to say she has her passport, so it was 100% efficient.) When we left, TG took the 'phone a friend option and we waited for a bus directly outside the government office which, allegedly, would take us to Victory Monument. We waited ages and eventually I managed to persuade TG to ask someone if we were doing the right thing. We weren’t! We were advised to cross the road and catch a bus in the opposite direction (number 52, I think) to Mo Chit station. This was accurate information! I’m sure well-informed BMs will be able to - say whether the information given previously is still accurate (and I simply went to the wrong “Central”), and - give the precise location of the government building I went to eventually. Given the speed of the application, perhaps the best advice is to go to Mo Chit and catch the 52 bus (or, possibly, others). (Mo Chit station is on the Skytrain and is right beside Chatuchak Park BTS station.)

I have stayed at Sabai Inn many times and would have agreed with you previously. However, I'm not so sure now. I've been here 7 weeks now and am staying near Walking St. I've made several trips to N. Pattaya and have got the impression that not so many Baht buses are going down Soi 2 nowadays: they seem to be carrying straight on up Second Road. Can anyone say if my impression is accurate, please?

Thanks NT and LF. I'll investigate when I get back from BKK.

Be careful what you wish for! They've started getting into the bars - What's Up and Angelwitch in particular. I was in Angelwitch a few nights ago and a bunch of them was sat in the row behind. First of all, I thought they were pissed up Geordies and then I realised I couldn't understand 100% of what they said, not 80% On Walking Street, I've started my personal campaign to get pedestrians moving: I now deliberately make a point of walking straight through the empty ring that encircles the street performers.

Thanks, Fondles. Unfortunately, bamboo would not match the decor.

I want to hide from view a corner of my condo and have been trying, without success, to buy a wooden screen (or room divider) to do this (in Pattaya). The screen needs to be about 5 feet wide and about 4 feet high (150cm by 120cm). Either a folding one or a fixed one would be acceptable. Does anyone have any idea where I can buy one or have one made, please?

Dr Darika worked more recently than 6 years ago at PIH. Please see the link in my previous post which gives her c.v. "2003-2008 Private dental practice. Pattaya international hospital" I think there must be more than one dentist at PIH.