TURBO

If you don't want to eat into your holiday time what you can do is complete the classroom & swimming pool parts of the PADI course in your home country & then do the actual dives when you get to Thailand . That will give you 2 extra days to fit in more dives . According to the guy from Mermaids this is ok with PADI as the course is standard worldwide & quite a few people do it that way . I have to agree with others that the water around Pattaya is quite murky , especially during rainy season . Phuket is probably the best place for clear waters in LOS .

Try melatonin . Available online without prescription because it is a natural remedy . Melatonin is the chemical that your body produces when your body clock says it's bedtime . The pills boost the level of melatonin in your body & make you feel really sleepy . They work well to help reset your body clock & overcome jetlag .

If you are flying with Gulf Air from Dublin you should register with their airmiles system online as it will give you an extra 10 kg baggage allowance . You should do this now as it takes them a few days to e-mail back with your FF membership no & a card you can print out . Have you tried Gazelle Travel ? Call 0191 261 8616 & ask for Gordon . He can usually match or beat any price I have got . The flights are with Air Lingus from Dublin to Amsterdam & China Air on to Bangkok . The connection times are fairly good & Schipol is a much nicer place than LHR to hang around .You are better to speak to Gordon as some of the other agents don't realise that China have a connecting flight to Dublin .

On My Way - which place is up for sale - the C&B or the Metro ?

I have flown with CI on many occasions in Economy class & twice I have used my airmiles to upgrade to Dynasty class . I would never pay the extra for Dynasty because IMHO it's not worth it . In theory you are allowed to board first but on both occasions in Amsterdam due to unclear boarding calls all the economy & dynasty passengers queued up together & I had to push my way through them so that I could get my 'priority' boarding . I was offered a drink once I got to my seat but the only 'canape' was a bag of mixed nuts , the same as you get in economy . The '5 course meal' is the same tasteless crap you get in economy only they serve it on nicer plates , 1 course at a time instead of it all being jammed onto one tray . I'm not too tall so the extra legroom isn't an issue with me & I found the dynasty seats to be not much better than economy seats in terms of comfort . The only things that are an advantage is the use of the Lounge in Schipol & the better in-flight entertainment . But £380 would buy you a lot of beer & snacks , even at airport prices & you can buy a portable DVD player for £100 . If you do decide to try Business class book it through Gordon in Gazelle travel . He will pre-book your seat ( try & get one in the upstairs section ) & credit your airmiles for you . Even if you go economy you can still book your seat - even the wing exit seats !

I've been searching for a flight to LOS for Jan / early Feb & I'm surprised by the high prices I'm seeing . Basically I want to fly out from Belfast or Dublin on a Friday or Saturday , stay 2 weeks & come back on a Sunday or Monday . If any of you see anything available for less than £540 I would be grateful if you let me know . Turbo

I suffer from occasional back pain & it is usually irritated by all the extra action I get in Pattaya . I can also recommend David Pack as he will usually sort me out in a couple of visits . It's a good idea to go for an oil massage before you visit the chiropractor . When you injure a joint the muscles around the joint usually tense up to protect the joint from further damage , though it often makes the pain worse . An oil massage will ease the tension in those muscles and will allow the chiro to manipulate the joint a lot easier . That will mean fewer visits to the chiro & a quicker recovery . Also saves money as an oil massage is a lot cheaper than the chiro .

Those mp3 players are quite expensive in Thailand . I bought a 1 GB model on ebay for £70 and I saw exactly the same one in both Bangkok & Pattaya at the same price but it was only a 256 MB model ! Hong Kong & the US seem to be the cheapest places to buy these as that is where most of the Ebay retailers are based . Mine came from a uk based retailer , here's their website - http://www.central-mp3.com

I walked past the construction site 2 weeks ago & they were dismantling the pile driver , ready to start laying the foundations .

I stayed in the Nana 6 years ago during my first LOS trip & it was run down then . Stayed again last week for 1 night & that was enough , the place is really run down now with antique plumbing & threadbare carpets . The strange part was that they were fully booked - I guess some people are easily pleased . If you like the location I would suggest the Dynasty inn across the street . Same location , same price but a much nicer hotel . Only reason I used the Nana was because the Dynasty was full .

The sunbed trick is useful for 'hardening' your skin before you go into the sun . It will help stop you burning for the first few days but it actually slows the process of getting a proper tan - something to do with it putting out a different kind of radiation from natural sunlight . It takes around 5 x 30 minute sunbed sessions a week apart to be of any use so unless you have free access to one it could be expensive Personally I don't really like sunbathing - bores me to tears . I've got very fair skin & I burn easily so I normally use SPF 30 . I did use my sisters sunbed a few times before a holiday to Florida & it did help stop me burning for a few days but I still ended up getting a burning at a water park .

Even though you book a Qantas flight you could be on the BA plane as they codeshare flights . Basically every night there's 1 BA flight & 1 Qantas flight leaving LHR within 1 hour of each other & the same happens on the return leg . When you're booking you could end up on either flight but you can tell which flight you're on by the flight no & departure time . When I travelled with them I was on the Qantas plane outbound & the BA on the return . The Qantas plane was much better & the staff a lot more pleasant & I would try to use their plane if I go that route again .

Thanks guys .

I'm flying CI Dub-Ams-Bkk later this month . I've used my miles to upgrade to dynasty class on the outbound leg . Am I allowed access to the CI lounge in Ams ? What facilities are in the lounge ? I have a 4 hour stopover in Ams & it would be nice to relax in comfort . What are the chances of getting a free upgrade to Dynasty on the return leg ?

Try Gordon at Gazelle travel ( 0191 261 8616 ) . I got 27th Aug - 12 Sept with China Airlines for £499 inc taxes , which is a great price from Ireland . There is a stopover in Amsterdam but Schipol is a nice airport to spend an hour or 2 .

If you're still there early September count me in .

Cheers guys . The Bay Breeze was one of the hotels I was considering so I'll probably try it . Would I need to make a booking for late August or could I do a walk in ?

Something that has always bugged me about hotels in Thailand is the lack of HOT water in the wash basins . It's usually just luke warm water from the tank on the roof - not much good for shaving . I normally have to get hot water from the shower . Another gripe is the lack of shelving to hold your clothes . They all have wardrobes for your shirts but they don't usually have a chest of drawers or shelves to place the rest of your clothes . So can anyone recommend a hotel in the Soi 12/13 area in the up to 1000 baht range which has good shelves & more importantly good hot water . Cheers , Turbo

I want to convert music cassettes & my Learn Thai cassettes onto CD . If I connect the headphone socket of my cassette player to the line in connection on my PC I can get the music to play on the PC using nero media player . But when I record the tracks using nero media player & try to play them back there is no sound . Where am I going wrong ? Maybe somebody can recommend a program I can use for doing this , preferably freeware . Cheers , Turbo

Hi guys I'm a fellow NI resident who's also fed up with the extortionate airfares they charge from here . I've also travelled with Eva & thought they were great but the overnight on the return leg adds a day onto your journey . Last time I flew Phuket Air - never again , even if the flights were free ! Easily the worst airline I've ever used . It came as no surprise that they've stopped the LGW-BKK flight as they would never have any repeat customers . Next time I'm going back to favourite Dublin-Amsterdam-Bkk route with China Airlines . The DUB-AMS leg is with Aer Lingus & then onward with China Airlines . The stopover time in AMS is only 2-3 hours & Schipol is a much nicer airport to wait in than Heathrow . You should register with their airmiles system as you can accrue enough miles fairly quickly for an upgrade . 2 return flights was enough to get me a free one way upgrade to first class - highly recommended . I think you can transfer other peoples mileage to your account so your travelling companions should register as well . The price seems to be consistent all year round - now just over £500 . I always book with Gordon at Gazelle travel ( Rab posted the link ) . Many travel agents don't realise that China Air do a connection from Dublin , even some of the other reps in Gazelle don't know so ask for Gordon when you call . The only downside is the price of parking in Dublin Airport ( 7 euro per day long term I think ) . If you're staying for 4 weeks use a bus or train to travel to the airport . Turbo

I'm not sure if you realise this but as far as I know the matresses in Thai hotels have a soft side & a hard side . Every time I check into a Thai hotel I check the bed & if it's rock hard I tell the room maid , she give you the 'How do you know about the soft side ?' look & then turns the mattress over revealing a more comfortable side . I've probably stayed in a dozen different hotels in LOS & every one is the same . Turbo

I also recommend that you don't use President Air for the same reasons . They are the cheapest but BKk airways is only slightly dearer & worth the extra . As it's your first visit you should hire a driver for $20 - $25 per day . I can recommend Ben Wee , e-mail benweekh@yahoo.com . He speaks good English , has a good car & will act as a guide as well . He will take you to all the main sites & knows the nightlife as well . You should take a tour of the Grand Palace in Phnom Penh . Similiar to the one in Bkk but smaller and better kept .

If anybody is coming to Pattaya in the next few weeks make sure you have your hotel booked . I was hoping to do a walk-in but I could only get 1 night at the Dynasty Inn as they are fully booked for the next few weeks . I tried 6 other hotels but they all were full . I reluctantly ended up staying at Tims again & I was awoke this morning at 7 am to the THUMP THUMP of a pile driver in the construction site behind the bar . Derek

Called Phuket Air this afternoon . They have faxed my Easyjet booking details to the PA office at LGW & they are going to change my return flight with Easyjet . I am a bit sceptical about this . Luckily I have plenty of time in LGW in between flights on the way out to sort it out if PA haven't . I'll keep you posted . BTW , This is the UK contact no for Phuket Air 08707745457 - the number on the BAA website is wrong & you get some other airline .

I got a call today from Dial-a-flight to tell me that Phuket Air have reduced their service to 3 flights per week due to the Tsunami ! I was due to fly from Bkk back to LGW on Saturday 26th flight but it is cancelled & I either have to go on Friday or Monday . I had also booked Easyjet connecting flights & the guy told me to call Phuket Air to sort that out . I called PA & changed to the Friday flight . I told them about my connecting flight & they are going to try to change my Easyjet booking . I wonder will I be entitled to any compensation in regard to the post CT put up about the new euro rules ?