TURBO

Hi Russell , I think that was this place I went to last year & had a great days fun but I did get badly sunburnt so make sure you apply plenty of sun block . I'll be in Pattaya again sometime in Feb if you want to meet up for a few hours fishing . As you say , it makes a change from hanging aroung the bars . I'll keep in touch either in this post or via PM . Derek

There are definately beer bars with girls in Udon Thani as well as the usual brothels . This is according to my ex TG who comes from Udon Thani & Gerald's wife who is also from there . They had friends who worked in bars in the city . Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to check them out while I was there . The best way to find 1 would be to take a taxi & ask the driver - but be warned , you'll be lucky if you find 1 that speaks much english . If you're going to be there a while you should buy or rent a scooter . The traffic up there is relatively civilised & a lot safer than Bkk or Pa

Go to www.ofbboard.com & click on forums . Derek

I first travelled with China air last September & again in January . I'm going back to LOS in May & I'll probably travel with China again . My reasons - 1 - There are no direct flights from Ireland to Bkk so no matter who I fly with I have to connect somewhere . Schipol airport is a palace compared to most UK airports & a much nicer place to wait for your next flight . It is also very easy to find your way around using the signs & the free maps/guides . 2 - The price . They are always cheaper than anyone from Ireland . 3 - Schedule . You arrive in Bkk at around 7 am

As others have said , unless you're a member of the manager's golfing fraternity , you will be treated like shit . Try to get an upstairs room as the poolside rooms are noisy due to the thin doors . The only good thing about the hotel is the excellent restaurant but that's open to the public so you can stay at one of the many better hotels on soi 13 & still eat there . What you could do is stay there the 1st night , look at another hotel & move . Derek

The forum section of the OFBboard seems to be unavailable for the past couple of days . Anyone else having problems ? Sorry for putting this on your board Pete , but a lot of your members are on the OFB board too . Derek

What's the latest on the ground info on construction in the Soi 13 area ? There were at least 3 different constructions taking place last Sept , are these all finished yet . I hope to be staying there in a couple of weeks in 1 of the hotels . Cheers , Derek

I've tried to access my aol account many times while I'm in LOS to check my mail . I use IE & log on via www.aol.com but it is always very slow to bring up my e-mail page . I usually give up & I have around 200 messages , mostly junk , waiting when I get home . It doesn't matter which net cafe I use , it's always slow . Has anyone else noticed this ? I'm changing back to freeserve soon so it won't be a problem much longer . Derek

There are a few available seats on China Air UK-LOS via AMS for mid January but not many so hurry . I've just booked 9-26th & I was also offered 11th & 12th for departure dates . Great connections & times & the best thing is the price - £479 inc taxes from Dublin , £469 from mainland UK . The closest fare from Ireland was £100 more ! I booked with Gordon from Gazelle Travel tel 0191 261 8616 website http://www.gazelletravel.co.uk/index.htm Derek

Try www.moneysupermarket.com . Good for searching for the best deals on many items like credit cards , banking & insurance . You just put in your requirements & they will bring up what you need . Derek

I have to agree that FLB is sometimes a bit on the chilly side but when it's a really warm night outside it does give welcome relief from the heat . Every TG I've brought there called it 'the cold bar' . Derek

If you guys know anything about Irish soccer you'll know it's the pits & most soccer fans over here support mainland teams , the most popular being MUFC , Liverpool , Arsenal and of course Celtic & Rangers among the more politically minded . A little side story - I got the opportunity to see a pre-season 'friendly' between Glasgow Rangers & Arsenal in August . I'd heard about the sectarian element in Rangers but didn't notice it until the ref gave a couple of penalty decisions Arsenals way . Nearly the whole stadium joined together in the song 'Who's the fenien in the black '

Thanks Sorter , that sorted my problem ;D . Derek

There's a bar on the corner of soi happy with a large screen that always seems to get a good crowd for big games . There is also the sportsman on soi 13 , owned by an English guy & is an English style air-con bar which also serves great food . Don't worry , a big game like that will be showing on every TV in every bar across Pattaya . A better bet of course is FLB , especially if Fulham beat Arseholes , sorry Arsenal , then you can rip the shit out of Ben while watching MU beat Chelsea ;D . Derek , another Reds fan . PS Ignore them , they're just jealous . Probably support Crystal

Can anyone tell me where I can get a seat map for China Air on their AMS - BKK route . I can't seem to find anything on the net . Cheers , Derek

I'll be staying in the Samutprakan area of Bangkok in January & my TG has recommended the Rinrada Hotel . Has anyone any experience of this hotel ? At 500 baht per night I'd be worried in case it's a dump . Can you recommend another hotel in that area ? Cheers , Derek

Lam plays in the blues factory on Wed & Sunday nights 10.30 pm - 2 am and from 12.30 am every other night . Derek

There was construction work going on in September at the Lek Hotel and pile driving taking place on foundations for a new building next to Sandy Springs , both on Soi 13 where Ma Maison is located . Derek

:-X Derek

I would avoid that area for a while due to the construction work taking place around there . Derek

Here is a pic of room A7 & you can see the jacuzzi in the corner . This room is huge but it faces onto 2nd road & is directly above the go-go so you may find it noisy - I didn't notice after a couple of days . It also has a resident ghost as seen by a very close friend of mine and his TG . I know this guy well & I believe him totally when he says the ghost was real . Apparantly after a visit to big Buddah & a few prayers the ghost wasn't seen again but he may come back . Room A2 is nearly as big but it is at the back so it may be quieter and I think the Jacuzzi is in the ba

I travelled with China Airlines last month Dublin - Amsterdam - Bangkok & it was the best flight I've ever had . Great connection times , keen price , friendly staff , Amsterdam airport much better than LHR ( my normal connecting airport ) and of course the cute Thai stewardesses ;D . The only downside was the crap meals but I already knew about that & brought my own stock of Pot Noodles & snacks . There was also the over zealous Customs guy in Dublin airport who picked me out of the returning Amsterdam - Dublin passengers to do a complete search of my luggage > . Dere

Tims Beer Bar has 2 in-room safes , 1 electronic & 1 which uses a standard padlock you provide yourself . If you forget the password they can open the safe with a pass key ( the previous occupant had left the safe locked ) . Derek

I've just flown into Don Muang airport & you have to present your boarding pass stub to the person at Immigration . Luckily I had kept mine , thanks to an earlier warning on this board - thanks to whoever that was . Some passengers had lost or dumped theirs & they were led off by a immigration officer for further 'processing' [smiley=hithead.gif] . So be warned ! Derek

I know this will sound crazy & I'm expecting to get abuse but there's a ghost in room A7 . Every night I have been having bad dreams ( no, I haven't been drinking a lot ) and I've been waking up , aware of a presence in the room . On Thur night I half woke up & said "What" . My TG asked me if I'd seen the ghost . She can see ghosts & had been aware of it already but hadn't said anything . She has a little Buddah she keeps under her pillow to protect her from ghosts & on Friday night she put it under my pillow . I slept great but when I went to the toilet during the night sh