teelack

My baggage was lost in late October and I wrote about it extensively in my trip report at the time. There was one major point that I learned after the event. I claimed for taxi fares to go back to the airport a couple of days later when my case eventually arrived. It was Thai Air by the way. Initially my claim for 2200 baht was denied by the losing airline because "Taxi fares are not allowed as part of a claim". The point is that I then learned that International Convention states that it does not matter who lost it (It wasn't Thai) that the final carrier (who was Thai) had a duty to deliver the luggage to wherever was my final destination and in my case, Pattaya. Thai Air however denied that this was the case at the time when I went to see them on arrival. According to Thai Air in NZ they took the matter up with Bangkok to ensure that in future this would not reoccur.

I used to have no problems handling photos but since the advent of Google Photos I am having problems. Don't get me wrong. Its great having my photos on mobile, PC and laptop at the same time but Picasa was so easy to use. Can anyone offer a tutorial of the correct method to upload from Google photos for easy posting onto Pattaya Talk please.

A couple of days ago I saw one of the most sickening reports on Fox News and only confirmed for me that this really is at the peak of fake news channels. In essence the three wise news people came to the conclusion that there really was nothing wrong with the wonderful American technology and it all came down to the fact that overseas pilots were not trained as well as the home grown versions. They failed to note that the great American icon, Boeing, therefore apparently sold these aircraft all around the world known that they would be piloted by these inferior pilots. Seems to be a case of 'Take the money and run". What a bunch of biased incompetent journalists these people are.

Thanks for the baggage update. Always good to be in the loop.

Let me add to your reasons. I have had AIS for years and the same number. Every shopping centre has an AIS outlet and I use the machine to top up. 20 baht gets you a months extention up to 12 months and I am at the moment covered for that period. Add this to the fact that I rarely need to wait more than 5 minutes for an updated monthly plan to be put into my phone and activated at the airport on arrival. This way I get a professional installation and the latest plans. As long as my phone has less credit than the plan it wont roll over when I leave Thailand and I keep my credit for my next visit. What could be simpler and more cost effective? Dont forget, and I repeat, rather than bung in 100 baht, put in 5 x 20 bahts and get five months rather than one.

Evil! Thannks for the review of Chilli. I gave up on the place last year as I had a very indifferent visit thhat saw me leave unfed. Your review got me back again for the 89 baht lunch rather than the breakfast. Normally I dont eat stuff like hamburgers in Pattaya but the Pork or Chicken buurger, chips and salad was just the stodge that I fancied. Remember, 89 baht all up and a great view of the Bedlam that is Soi Buakhao. Compare that with Burger King or Mc Donalds! It was a thick and well cooked burger and while I am no foodie I thought it tasted great. The fries and salad topped my stoach off and the final accolade was the happy and courteous wait lady.

Now you have me! This is a brand new centre on Second Road just before you get to the Dolphin and North Pattaya Road. Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Tapatalk

Thai Airways are a bit of a pain in the bum but I think that I need to sympathise with them a bit. They really picked up their game for me and then the Rolls Royce engine debacle kicked in. I think that this is causing universal problems but may not be apparent. Many schedules are buggered by the issue. There old planes continue to get older and the replacements were supposed to handle some of the problems but the problems had babies! Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Tapatalk

Because of my lack of interest in food of a more refined level I rarely have much to say about it, however, there are those special times. Rarely in the annals of history has a restaurant theme been so apt as with my latest food foray. CHEAP CHARLIES is the old Queens Arms and I think for a short while a Retox property. It was totally renovated last year and obviously a lot of money spent. On that basis it is so bloody sad that they forgot staff training is part of the deal. “We busy” really wasn’t the reason that I was looking for and if you read the following, a couple of visits turned into ten and this could be why they were so busy! The only way to understand the experience is to list the moves. 1. Sit there and eventually wave and get a menu. As expected, because it seems to be the norm the Daily Special was all sold out so back to the menu. 2. Wave again for the lady who takes the order for a Large English breakfast at 139 baht. 3. Long wait but eventually some toast arrives. 4. More waiting and the meal arrives. 5. No knife and fork wave and get the condiments but no knife and fork. 6. Wave and get the pepper corn grinder. 7. Wave and, yeah, knife and fork. 8. Ask for my coffee and juice. 9. The coffee arrives. 10. The juice arrives (meal almost finished) 11. Try in both English and Thai to get some sugar. 12. Wait but it arrives. 13. All the food has gone other than the accursed black pudding. 14. Neighbour had seen my meal order and ordered the same. As I was leaving he still wasn’t served anything. 15. Another wave from me but bugger it, just leave some money. No actual check bin but I believed what the menu stated. 16. I head off into the night and my table neighbour is pacing the floor like an expectant father. Because of the daily special being “All sold out” and the fact that they hadn’t noted this or deleted it, a few people came, sat and left. All I can suggest is that if you want to catch a meal at this place, do so now before they are foreclosed! The excellent Charlie Chaplin theme pieces at this restaurant are a reminder that the days of comedy relief are still with us.

I would say what he says with the on exception and that is that it is a great location for a holiday but other than that...

I feel sad about two things. Firtly is the crap exchange rate that I am getting but the other is more serious. Why isnt it possible to sit down with my Thai girl friend and have a reasonable conversation about the exchange rate and its ramifacations as to my spending ability in Thailand? She is a financial genius in that she knows exactly how much she can push me in order to get the best return on capital or indeed "Sweat Labour" and yet basic economics appear outside her grasp. Well this is the mysterious Orient so I guess that like Mozarts music I will simply have to accept the genius displayed!

I am quite sad to read the reviews of the Chunky Monkey. I hit the place shortly after opening and the meals, service and prices were all good. The service ladies seemed to give personalized service and seemed happy to see you each time you were there. I did however start seeing some of my favorite meals going down hill even then and moved onto the curry and beer combo's which were very satisfying and reasonably priced. I realise that there is a tendency to believe that people eating at places like this are CC's but there are also people out there who who have been there and done that with gourmet food and found it pretentious, meagre and over priced. I fall squarely in this category and enjoy some of the great meals available in Pattaya that cost little but taste great however every restaurant has off days due to staff holidays and the comings and goings of the industry. Don't get me wrong. There is crap aplenty and disappointment could be on the next plate be it in a gourmet haven or a 50 baht street café. Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Tapatalk

As far as I can tell there really is little difference between the lot of them. I flew Thai Air twice return in the last 6 months and had issues on both flights that caused me to lodge complaints. Air New Zealand has been dreadful and I got recompense from Cathay Pacific. I won't even try to understand Qantas and I can proudly say that I haven't flown through Australia for years, thankfully. I had good experience with Malaysian and China Southern. Malaysia changed flight schedules and I was unable to use them but recent changes has now made this one of my best options for 2019. Okay, my next trip in February will be with Thai but it may be my last for a while. Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Tapatalk

As is usual thanks for giving my day a good start. I read about how healthy Pattaya was and would like to go there. I obviously have been going to Chon Buri which as we all know is a rat infested, air polluted, beach disaster of a place. Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Tapatalk

I have had the same AIS number for years so I really cannot comment about other brands. Here is how I use it. I do stop at the arrivals hall now and get the whole thing fixed up for the month and paid for. The plans seem to be changing regularly so I tell the ladies what I want and they install and set up. OK, occasionally there are a few people there but bugger the cabbie waiting. He will stop for gas anyway! By the way, by going onto the AIS web site you can do a bit of pre planning as to the right sim for you before you get up to the counter. One response says to pay and top up on one trip and activate on the next. This does not always work as if you have too much credit it will automatically renew even if your not in Thailand. I want data when I arrive so that I can do a bit phoning in the cab. I need data as I use LINE almost exclusively in Thailand. In Pattaya I am sure to be in Central so I use the office there and put say 100 dollars in the machine and put in 5 x 20 baht top ups. Each top up gives me a month in advance. I am currently about 10 months ahead. I suspect that it does not matter where you go and what card you get. For me, I have made decision to keep the same number as long as I can and for that reason AIS has suited me with its 12 month life as long as I keep it topped up. I also believe that the reach is better with AIS but again, only what I believe. As a matter of interest, I spend for a month about 450 baht for around a 4 gig fast plan and I top up say about 100 for phone and text calls using AIS. This just about is fine for me as I also use the sim as a hot spot for my lap top so a bit of decent speed data suits me.