tallguy

Yes I saw Jacko's post. As I said my last visa run was 2 1/2 years ago. Since then the government has cracked down further on these trips so maybe 2500 baht is the going rate now. I did look at the 5 Star Visa website, (the one that runs from The Sportsman), this morning and noticed that they offer a discount of up to 200 baht if you book in advance. This takes the price down to 2600 baht for the 6 seater minibus compared to 2500 baht for the standard minibus with Key Visa. I know which I'd choose but as they say, 'up to you'.

Last time I had to do a visa run was about 2 1/2 years ago. I think prices had increased at that time because of increases in the Cambodian visa fees, (that's what I recall being told anyway). The visa run was organised through Key Visa who charged 2200 baht for a standard mini-bus. I suspect that might be one of the cheapest available. Unfortunately I don't take much notice of current visa run prices.

As I mentioned earlier the Hole in the Wall on Soi Buakhau sells gaeng bpaa it also does gaeng som. The Beer Garden has a large selection of Thai dishes including a section of Isaan meals which do not contain coconut milk and are likely to be spicy. EP has mentioned a couple of western focused eateries that serve gaeng bpaa. Unfortunately I cannot give more specific help but as there are a wide range of dishes from Northern and North East Thailand which do not contain coconut milk I don't think your friend will have much trouble finding something to suit his requirements in either west

Some well known geang dishes include cocunut milk including; the ubiquitous Thai green curry, gaeng kiew wan; my favourite spicy red curry, gaeng pet, and; the yellow curry with potatoe, gaeng garai.

Gaeng bpaa, (jungle curry), is originally from the North of Thailand and does not contain coconut milk. They sell it at the hole in the wall on Soi Buakhau and I expect it is widely available elsewhere, There are also versions of Tom Yum which do not have coconut milk, (check out Wikipedia).

Only one girl playing on the local Soi yesterday and she got bored after about half an hour, The worst thing was the bloody awful music they were blasting out from the bar.

Yesterday was like a normal day in Jomtien. Traffic levels were back to normal and none of the bars I saw showed any signs of water fighting. There was a small amount of water being thrown as I walked from and back to Pratumnak but it was mainly groups of small children throwing water amongst themselves. At one small bar on Soi 4 there were a few Thai girls throwing water amongst themselves. The local bar were they were playing with water earlier has stopped over the last couple of days but will be playing in the 19th.

Thanks for the pics. That's an impressive walk. How much distance did you cover?

So far I have avoided the worst of the water throwing. Thursday I stayed around the condo and today there is plenty of sport on to keep me entertained. Yesterday I walked into Jomtien but was on my way back along the beach towards Pratumnak before the water throwing started. There was a lot of traffic along Jomtien Beach Road with many groups of Thai families coming in for the day. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of discomfort they will put up with. Amongst the many fully loaded pickups and songthaews I noticed a convoy of 4 or 5 yellow songthaews crammed with Thais which I beli

Papa Go Go I think. Not sure how long it lasted but the premises still house a business, Papa Cocktails?, connected to Papagayo.

But Shanghai is still operating as a beer bar, I also think that a mainly Aussie golf society operates out of there so not as complete a closure as some of the other names mentioned.☺

Submarine lasted a good 2-3 years. Probably longer than Mash, which shared the same ownership, but even Mash was probably open for a couple of years. Of the more recent LK GGBs I would say that Funhouse, which lasted about 6 months, and Climax, in the same location, probably operated for a similar timeframe before being converted to an open bar, were the shortest lived. I'm not sure how long some of the early unsuccessful LK GGBs like Google (?) And Gentlemens' Memories lasted, but they seemed to turnover fairly quickly.

I remember going in Blue Lagoon in the Best Friend complex several times over maybe a year. It was no TQ but I don't think it qualifies as the shortest lived GGB. Re other bars mentioned elsewhere. Byblos was around for several years I just think people may not have noticed it because of its location. Illusion next to Secrets, I only went in a couple of times when it first opened but think it struggled on for a while. As far as the shortest lived bar is concerned. I recall seeing posters for the opening of a small bar on Soi 15, (Easy something?), on several separate occasions over t

I know a few people who seem to have apps on their phones which perform a similar function. Might be worth looking into, especially if you can find a free one.

Is that the Cloughie who said to the players that, he didn't care what they'd won because, 'everything you've won, you've won by cheating'. He didn't so much lose the dressing room as throw it away with the rubbish.☺

555. What do you think?

Looks like I dodged a bullet there. After seeing a good review from the previous week which mentioned they had lamb shank I was thinking of going there. However, I noticed on Facebook that they change the carvery items each week so was waiting for their page to be updated before I made my decision. As lamb wasn't on the menu I decided to go elsewhere. I'm also not a great fan of these music combos when I am eating so prefer to get in before the music starts.

I've used them a few times from Manchester to Bangkok, they are OK. I prefer Emirates but have used Etihad when their fares have been several hundred pounds cheaper. I know a few guys who do 3-4 trips a year who now use Etihad because they get a better deal both in terms of fares and airmiles.

Re upmarket lunchtime dining, Brunos used to do a set lunch for around 500 baht. There are also daily buffets at the Hilton for around the same price, the seafood buffet on Friday is particularly popular. As far as GCs are concerned, in addition to Kinnaree you could also try Passion and possibly Jade which are relatively easy to get to from the baht bus route on Thappraya Road.

The rumoured increase in baht bus fares did not happen. It's still 10 baht.

I've just had the carvery there and it was very good. The Retox guys have been doing a carvery at Game On but have moved it to Robin Hood. As well as soup and the carvery it also included sticky toffee pudding for dessert for 395 baht. It's one of the only carveries which offers lamb so wiĺl give places like the Sportsman a run for their money.

I don't recall seeing any option to check seat availability before payment when I booked the other day. Cheers TG

Teelak, I appreciate that age is a significant factor in the recovery process but surgery for a meniscal tear such as GM has mentioned is probably the least complex and least invasive type of knee surgeries and the easiest to recover from. Obviously recovering from more complex surgeries such as replacements or reconstructions is a far more lengthy process.

I had arthroscopic surgery for a meniscal tear on my knee over 20 years ago in the UK, so cannot comment about costs. However,I can say that the recovery time was relatively short, (I was in my early 30s at the time so recovery may take longer for someone older). Contrary to what Teelak has said about the difficulties of recovery, I walked out of the hospital unaided the next morning and was able to use an exercise bike within a week. The recovery time for reconstructions will be longer and requires the need for walking aids such as crutches and knee braces. Hope this helps and good luck.

Thanks for the heads up. I've been looking at flights for my annual return to the UK over the last few days. Qatar was already the cheapest for BKK- Man business class return by some distance, but just typing VISA into the promo box saved an additional 9500 baht. Cheers TG