thai3

where is eva that price? Etihad was 150 quid cheaper than any other at xmas so worth it, but anything much less than that and it's not worth it over direct flight

Thats funny I came back on that flight but did not notice any 'new aircraft' the one on the AD-GW was still the leased old crate from iberworld. Can't say I was impressed on either flights, although the one back was better. Why do they repeat the same films on both legs? 90% of the passengers are the same and I'm sure not many want to see wallace and grommit etc twice. On the plus side I thought the food was good and check in also good. In a time of increasing prices they are good value and probably go with them again

I'll be off to Denmark next week to see the divine one (Jintara) for the 22nd time. Some people think i'm mad but then she is the most exciting performer I have seen, they can keep Britney spears or Janet show us your tits Jackson. Chock Dee-peter

Try to carry them is hand luggage, no matter how you pack them some always get the cases cracked up in a suitcase etc. Scorpion shops used to be OK but have gone downhill the last couple of years. As mentioned ethaicd.com are the best online source now and sometimes they have stuff it would take weeks to find in a bkk shop. There are one or two not so bad shops at fortune town rachada. I think this mall will take off once the metro opens as the station is right outside. Almost forgot, don't let them sell you Jonas Anderson or Christy Gibson shite, they both give some of the profits to the children of god (AKA the family) the well known kiddie abusing /mind fuck cult which still operates in places like thailand. Apart from that Jonas is a poor singer, Id give that christy one though!-peter

I can never find anyplace in MBK and spend hours trying to see a shop I'm loking for. All I can recall is it's a newish place and lets say you are going from the BTS end well it's at the other end on the left. I should have written down the name. Everything is a bit jumbled up but they have a good selction for Bkk. Upcountry shops are all better with the best I have seen being in Khon Kaen down the road from fairy plaza. I bought my first thai tapes in Pattaya ten years ago-peter

I met silly fools a couple of years ago sharing a mini van to the airport, nice fellas and well behaved but the manager was drunk ar 10.30 AM. Not my sort of sound at all, arguable if it's thai music. Would a set of french kids singing rap makr their style french music? pretty much the same with string artisits I think. Anyway I can recommend the section in the rough guide to world music written by J Clewely if you want to read up a bit on thai music, he did the bit on Laos also. Whats hot at the momnet? Tai Orantai is very popular on Grammy label, she is good but I prefer Waranuch Putachart as her voice is outstanding whereas Tai's is not really that distinguishable from a lot of others. Comic Jenet Keaw recently released her first album and that is a big bit. She can sing morlam in english I am told, not heard her yet. Very talented artist and great impersonator apparently. Jintara Poonlap is still riding high after her string hits with bird (fan ja, ma tami) a couple of years ago. Her new no 9 album is great but a pity she does not record more morlam songs. Popular morlam artists are job and joy (cute) and the magnificent Banyen Raggen the master of morlam phoot thai style. You should get some Siriporn Ampaipong , Mike Piromporn and Got again on the grammy label. A much smaller label but with some great singers is sure audio with the lovely Fon Thansunthorn as well as Monsit Khomsoi and the cha cha cha group. Let us know what you come across there's hundreds of singers. Many record stores in Bkk are poor but there is one on the 4th floor of MBK which is good. The old fashioned bagkok music stalls on the ground floor of malls sell lukrung and old luktung-no new stuff-peter

I have not been to that. Saw luktung fm mega all day concert last year with over 100 singers but she did not appear there. Maybe I will see her one day, there are not many more I want to see.-peter

Ste how are you getting on with the music? Olawee sang only lukrung for many years on the grammy label but recently has branched out into other styles like string and luktung. She is one of thailands great singers, but sadly I have never seen her. Her apperances seem to be a rarity and I have never even heard of a concert of hers. LOS= land of song, if you like her voice you would also enjoy Sunaree Rachesima, Fon Thanasunthorn, Yui Yatt Year, Pumpuang Duanchan and a new singer Nok Pornpana, so many fantastic singers to hear. I detest string myself but many love it, for me it sounds too western and like pop everywhere a bit on the shallow side. If you can get thai TV check out veteethai concerts, they are on once a week-peter