bob2005

I've got my eye on them but at present inflation of 3% and their return of 1.2% there's no advantage over normal deposits. IIRC you can be an 'Investor' for 3 million baht and maybe use it to buy a condo, but once I got the Retirement visa extention sorted, I didn't keep up with the other options. Thaivisa.com should have the info (but it's a bit muddled to me).

I've stayed at Grottino as above, Nana for 5 months (you'll know it!) and many other times till they annoyed me over immediate payment of a 22 baht phone call, Jasmine soi 23 is swish 3,000 baht, Regency Park soi 22 nice 1,100 baht via internet (my regular place now but they're building next door at the moment so I went to Grottino). Majestic and Dynasty are well liked but I thought Dynasty rooms were a bit dark with all the dark wood. Honey on 19 has rather tatty rooms in spite of the nice entrance. You'll probably be quite happy at Grottino if you're not expecting too much, which I was.

Was in Grottino at the beginning of the month. It's OK, new, Scandinavian minimum-ist, room just big enough for two, bed firm (nearly too hard). It's not a hotel it's, as they say, a residence, so you don't get help getting your bags up - the manager saw my 6 bags and didn't offer to help. It has an unmarked door (my TGF suggested they were avoiding taxes) next to their restaurant down a side soi by the Family Mart. It costs 1,700 a night with no breakfast. Very Germanic. There are better deals.

I should have said 'deposited' ie put in a Thai bank account at the beginning of the one year visa period (you need an 'O' visa from outside Thailand, I got mine in Kuala Lumpur, or Penang gives 'O's fairly easily it's said). All the money can be used for living expenses during the year, down to zero, then you transfer another 800k baht to the Thai bank account. That's the situation for cash. With a pension it's again 800k a year verified by your embassy and you don't need to put anything in a Thai bank account. Or you can combine cash and a pension to make up the 800k, though I've heard some Immigration offices in Thailand can be difficult about a combination. For bank deposits you can sign a non-resident form (R105) and get the interest paid with no tax deducted and the Revenue (now HM Revenue and Customs) will not chase you for the tax. It's in Question 9 of their Non-Res Faq document.

A nice life in Thailand can be had for about the same as the deposit for a Thai retirement visa, 800k baht a year (11k UKP), with no visa trips needed. To generate 11k UKP at 4.2% (guaranteed in 30 year 'gilts', ie UK Government bonds) needs about 260k UKP. There's no tax to pay if you live in Thailand. And you get the capital back at the end of the 30 years.

In June one of the most attractive girls I've ever seen approached in the Don Muang arrivals hall and offered a taxi to Pattaya for 1500b but my TGF was meeting me with a taxi. I nearly slit my wrists. I'd have paid twice that for 2 hours in the back seat with her, especially if it was a Penthouse-like operation with 'full service'. She looked disappointed too, bless her. Had a Nana limo to Pats a year ago, 1500b for a massive limo, 6 foot legroom. A crash-proof car with rear seatbelts is my priority.

This edition very light on info.

AnnaJet - great people, great bar, terrible rooms two years ago even for 3,500b a month. Anna's birthday party about 6 months ago was great too.

It looks, on a globe, that the distance US East coast to Bangkok is about the same either way round the world, eg New York - London 5 hours, London - Bangkok 11.5 hours.

You can get a cheap AirAsia ticket out of Thailand on the internet, print it yourself and bring to LOS to show if necessary.

Yeah, agreed, I've read enough not to go with them. I mentioned them because a so-called proper airline was not beaten on price by a so-called budget airline. I like Thai flight times, out mid-afternoon, back about 8pm, so both ways I can sleep off last night's booze.

Just tried Air Asia flying Bangkok to Angeles (Clark) to avoid Manila and a taxi. There has to be one change, via Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabula, both in Malasia (does that mean 'bad asia', or is it akin to a malaise). Flight costs vary tremendously day by day. Tax can almost double the initial cost they give. If they don't fly the day you type in they'll show the next day's flight without comment so you have to check every sodding little detail right after you've just said what you want. You have to wait for three web pages to get one flight's actual price incl tax. It's a pain. After loads of webpages it emerges that KK-Clark flight connections with Bangkok flights are useless, certainly outward, so it has to be via KL and that's a long way south to go up north again to Manila. Prices. Morning flight bkk-kl Sept 4=£41, 5=£38, 7=£23. Afternoon kl-clark Sept 4,5,7 all same £49. Coming back, clark-kl lowest Sept 27 £23. Clark-kk lowest Sept 29 £14 but that's over the 21 day initial visa so Sept 27 £23 same as clark-kl. Then kl-bkk £49. Minimum bkk-kl-clark-kl-bkk 23+49+23+49 = £144 (10,512 baht) using cheap days but could be more. In comparison, direct Bangkok-Manila return, with two 1,500 baht taxi's for mnl-clark-mnl, is 11,000 baht on Kuwait, 13,000 on Philippines, 16,000 on Thai. Manila flights take 3 hours plus 2 hours taxi to Angeles, total 5 hours. AirAsia takes 10am to 8pm, 10 hours. There and back is 10 hours verses 20 hours on AirAsia. Kuwait is the same cost as AirAsia and saves 10 hours. Booking four flights on the AirAsia website would be a nightmare. Sorry Air Asia, I'm going direct.

These come from a recent thread somewhere: Travelmood is advertising flights for the period mid-August 2005 through until the end of November. All prices in UK Pounds incl tax and surcharges. Thai - 469 Etihad - 455 Qatar - 444 Eva - 454 639 (ED) emirates from thomas cook for £391 each in september Package deal LHR -BKK on Thai. 20 nights in the heart of soi 7 including private transfers £810 all in for late October. You can choose your seats on the aircraft if you have a rop card. Thai Air and Etihad in September thru Travelocity incl taxes are £474 and £447 respectively. phoned west-east, eva in oct for £431 and thai for £456 , evergreen deluxe for £631 Expedia with Eva for £446 BA for sept £498.

I'd like to post some TR photos but the preview only shows the text. Does this mean it won't show in the actual post? And is there a URL where I can put naughty photos to link to? TIA.

Went for some French food last week to the restaurant in the French Consulate in Walking Street beyond Tony's. Ordered pate, filet mignon with mustard sauce, chocolate mousse (reported to be 'to die for'). And red wine. The girl took my order watching as I pointed at each item on the french menu page. She delivered Thai pork soup, omelette, fried beef and beans with rice. Maybe I should have suspected something when the girl had quickly come back to ask if I wanted pork, chicken, or beef. Beef pate? I said to my girlfriend... maybe duck, goose etc. Oh well, TIT, nothing's impossible. Unfortunately I'd promised my girl to be on my best behaviour, I usually get rat-faced on my birthday just like every other day. My system was expecting something at least slightly french so I didn't want to eat thai food, but the red wine was fine and I amiably paid the 750 baht anyway and suggested to the girl that her baby might like the thai food. She smiled. Oddly, my girl got her to bring a menu again and pointed out the problem - I thought why's she doing that, what about 'face', but I guess that messing up the order was less loss of face than if I'd thought the food was no good. Bon chance, Thailand!