The_Fat_Controller

I concur, worse at the moment because there are so many Russian/Indian groups about. Five passed me by at Pattayaland last night before one stopped. There were two nice ladies from the Philippines on the bus who asked me how much they should pay when they got off with me at Mike Shopping Mall, they got on at the Siam Bayshore, I told them 10 Baht each and made sure the driver actually gave them change from their 100 Baht note. If I was not staring at him through the passenger window, I am sure he would have ripped them off.

Areca Lodge, Soi Diana, dry so far but lots of thunder and very black skies to the north. Who said this was the dry season ? Update, 1340, pissing down now !

3 meals in the last 3 weeks. Mid-afternoon, with 4 Thai girls, clean plates all round, we were eating Thai food and they said very good but could be more spicy. My choice for the mix was Panang Gai which was perfect. Second meal, just me, all OK but a bit of a wait. Last Friday, 18th Feb, eating with a Thai friend, service slow, food cool and my favourite Panang Gai was swimming in oil and pretty disgusting. My friend's comment was "OK but not go back". Like the location, just wish for some consistency.

It's raining again, looks like a pretty big storm. For those of you that are interested in seeing it coming, choose the TMD Radar Loop at Rayong or Swampy. http://www2.tmd.go.th/radar/rygLoop.php http://www2.tmd.go.th/radar/svp120Loop.php Pattaya forecasts are here http://www.tmd.go.th/en/province.php?id=61

My Bangkok Bank ATM card, which is now nearly 6 years old does not have a chip and works fine in ATMs and is regularly swiped at the Areca Lodge for room charges, this produces a receipt which I have to sign.

" MY WAY " A small restaurant also in the Diana Arcade, run by a Dutch guy, ex merchant navy chef I believe. Steaks are very good, portion sizes large and does an excellent Nasi Goreng too. Make sure you are very hungry if you do go. Closed for the whole of June each year for annual holiday.

No limit on SWIFT with Nationwide in the UK. I sent £86,000 one time. They do require you put a reason for the transfer on the form.

I ate here last night. Coming from the UK I am no expert in what to expect. All I can say is that I had a very good meal in pleasant surroundings, served by excellent staff who speak good English. All the other diners cleared their plates too, so that must say something for the quality. I had a brief chat with Dale, the owner, he is a nice guy with a great team and I wish him all the best.

What is he thinking ? Taking his WIFE to Pattaya !

Tipping should be for good service and not an expectation of ANY staff, I think the US system is bizarre. In Thailand I usually leave a small tip of 20 Baht plus any small coins in the change up to another 9 Baht. My girlfriend, who is a schoolteacher, leaves the small change OR 20 Baht maximum and nothing if service charge is added to the bill. I always have a word with the maid on check-in and make sure I have two rolls of toilet tissue available at all times, tip her 20 Baht and leave the same every day. In the UK, I tip my local taxi guy and barber £1 each time, and if eati

Mr T contact details are as follows Email mr_ttaxi@hotmail.com Office Phone 038 720 318 (can also fax this number according to his business card) Mobile 081 258 7716 or 081 351 3612

If you are leaving the UK with over 10,000 Euros you are required to declare this to Customs. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/arriving/declaring-cash.htm Be careful !

Areca Lodge in Soi Diana has plenty of parking well off the road and security at the entrance. http://www.arecalodge.com

joekicker, all I was doing was reporting exactly what the METAR for EGKK (Gatwick) was reporting and that was SNOCLO = closed due to snow. I am an air traffic controller and watch the 30 minute weather reports regularly to see what is in for me when I go to work. The easy-to-understand weather de-coded into plain English can be found here :- http://www.thehangar.co.uk/metars/index.php

2050 update. Snowing at Heathrow and Gatwick. Gatwick now closed. If you are coming this way, hardly any UK airports have room to accommodate any diversions so be prepared to land in Europe !

Most Thai banks charge 0.25% of the amount transferred, with a maximum charge of 500 Baht on incoming SWIFT transfers.

MM, maybe time to lock this thread ! It's getting a bit ridiculous. PS Those pics of the electrical wiring are REALLY scary.

Jacko, I was pleasantly surprised too ! I know CAL do not have the best cabins, but the service still impresses me, so as long as the price stays where it is I'll continue to fly with them. Emirates and KLM, the next-best connections from Glasgow were both over £2200 for Business Class.

I use Gazelle and China Airlines. ALL the Economy fares were put up to around £900 by CAL in July this year according to Gordon at the Newcastle branch, date does not seem to matter much. I have got the discounted Business Class for £1359 travelling from Glasgow on 28th January, back 27th February.

Too lazy to even bother to do a Google search ? http://www.pattayaphotoguide.com/

Yes, have seen pools being treated at the Areca and Sabai Lodges. Both these hotels close their pools in the evenings to allow treatment and the Sabai Lodge put out a sign as well.

Areca Lodge has 2 very clean pools, both have jacuzzi areas and in the bigger it is easy to swim lengths. Plenty of shade from the buildings and lots of loungers and umbrellas too. Food and drink available at both at reasonable prices. Just called reception for info and they still allow non-guests to use the pool for 200 Baht. http://www.arecalodge.com

I have just spent 24 hours trying to find out why I could not sign in to Windows Live Messenger and also kept getting "security certificate" warnings all over the place on both IE8 and Google Chrome. I tried System Restore, repairing and reloading the programs to no avail. I had accidently changed the DATE on my computer, finally found the advice to check this in a Microsoft help forum and all is now OK So, if your computer starts behaving strangely in more than one program, check the Date and Time first !

Very few sellers in Thailand drop their prices, especially the Thais. The only "deal" you are likely to get is when someone absolutely has to return to his country of origin due to ill health. If you do buy, check the condo is within the foreign quota, in the good old days when the £ was worth 70+ Baht, many people used the "company" route. Check the status with the Juristic Person, they are obliged to tell you and do not listen to the estate agent's bullshit. If you do not know what a Juristic Person is, then you are NOT ready to get into the condo market.

Never seen any here. You will be likely get transported to hospital by baht bus if you collapse. You could get an ambulance if your can wait for it to get through the traffic ! In all the pictures in the papers over 13 years of visiting, never seen one being used.