Butch

I don't want to TF, but I'm beginning to wish I'd voted remain if this is the effect Brexit has on the GBP and EU. Predictions are mid 30's by Q1 2020. Fuck.

And so it continues to fall...From the TT FB page.

EVA Wifi is crap, save your $$. I've read a lot of reports that since they stopped doing the pre pay and switched over to the on board purchase, the service has worsened, and it was never any good in the first place. checking out their website, the IFE doesn't seem to be too bad at all. Failing that, download some movies to your phone as all the seats have charging points anyway. In PE they're in the middle of the two seats, a plug and a USB charger, in econ there is a plug under the seat along with a USB on the screen (I think).

During my recent trip last month, there was one big downpour when I arrived , plus some rain on the fireworks night. In the RP it's not yet rainy season so in Manila (well, Bacoor) it was dry, humid and bloody hot, rainy season traditionally starts in late June, however, oddly, in all the years we've been there I've only been really frightened once , when the wind and raIn was so strong it broke one of our windows. A few years back it all went a bit wrong when El Nino struck. The weather went haywire for a year or so and was very unpredictable. Regarding Pattaya, I used to travel Sept / Oct and enjoyed the rainy season for the break in the weather it would bring. One visit to the Kings Palace in BKK reminds me of when it rained for only 10 minutes, and it was like pouring water onto hot coals in a Sauna, it got bloody hot for about 1/2 hour afterwards, like a micro climate. I had to go to the toilets as it was the only place with A/C!. I actually prefer rainy season, less chance of bad sunburn if , like myself you are fair skinned, and despite the dangers of wading through effluent, there is something liberating about being stuck in a beer bar watching it all unfold on Beach Road.

Please do Bazle, it's of interest to me and I'm sure a few more BM's. virtual or real SM light if we ever meet!!.

Chernobyl on Sky. Excellent acting, some very good cinematography and good build up to the tense moments, well directed and only 5 parts so it's not a big long term commitment. No "filler" episodes and overall, it was really enjoyable, arguably the best series I've watched this year so far. They got a couple of things wrong, but to be honest the fast paced storyline makes up for it, along with an interesting angle on the KGB and their workings. https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl

Here are a few more pics, mostly from the Skaw beach and Made in thailand cut through areas to Bukhao. I still can't understand why there is construction going on for even more bars, given the current and possible future climate... Now, apologies if my geography is a bit shakey. I'm under the impression that the Treetown walk / cut through to second rd from Bukhao is the Skaw Beach one, I might well be wrong so apologies if that is the case. This is inbetween the Skaw beach and MIT walkthrough, linking the two of them if that makes sense. Seems to be another rake of bar or single unit construction. Looking towards Bukhao from MIT Looking towards Bukhao from Skaw beach (I think), if you took a few steps back, then looked to your left you would be looking towards pic # 2. Looking towards 2nd Rd from Tree Town Further down towards Bukhao from MIT. In the same area, couldn't work out why the top half was not used for accomodation. Seems a waste. Another half finished building in the same design as "Beer Hubb" but further in towards Second rd on the MIT cut through, good design, shite location. This will probably remain as is for a good while. This is just off Bukhao, heading towards 3rd rd near to the fruit market. I'm not sure of the Soi but a 3 unit building gone to ruin. Further up there was a beer bar with just one farang, sat inside looking very forlorn. it was up for sale. I was going to stop in but thought that I might be on the recieving end of a sob or hard luck story, so I kept walking.

I think the rates remain static during the weekend don't they?. Just checked the fb page again and it's not been updated since. I also found a website predicting the behaviour of the THB over the next year or so, with the current economy predicted to strengthen in Q2 of this year and beyond, it predicted a rate of 35thb to the Sterling for May 2020. Not sure if I beleive or understand how they came to that conclusion, but I'm hoping they are very wrong.

Grabbed this from TT's FB page. not good news. Can anyone confirm how accurate this is please?.

thanks chaps, I'm not 100% sure if the month rental rule is strictly enforced, as he's had quotes back for the 3 weeks. Good shout on the Nova Jacko, I'll link it over to him.

Mr Tiger is fully vaccinated and very tame and friendly. He has taken up residence and stepped into the shoes of the late Mr Daeng who was the Devils Den adopted cat and would often curl up on one of the seats there. Like all cats, he is of the opinion that if you feed him, he's your friend, until you stop feeding him or someone else does.

I was sat in my hotel on Bukhao at the time, I honestly thought that there was a creeping barrage heading towards me. They were loud on the Bukhao, God alone knows how many eardrums were ruptured on the Beach.

That project looks like a total and complete fuck up. I did peruse it during my time in town recently, after that massive storm that flooded Bukhao, the follwoing day it looked to be overflowing there as well. Hope you don't mind FBWU, here are some pics I took while wandering about recently: An updated view of one of my other pics, LKM as it is today. "Tiger" - Cat belonging to the Golf Club, it then adopts whomever will feeds it. Very friendly little thing, doesn't mind his belly being rubbed. Certainly the nicest pussy I encountered this trip (badum - tish) Bukhao around mid day. Quiet. Same same. Like King Canute, they won't stop the tide. They'll have a damn good go though... Soi Pothole reverting back to form. This will be back to as it was, or worse within a year. Once Rainy season has got a firm grip on things, it'll be a bloody deathrap again.

Hi, Asking on behalf of a friend. Cost is not a major issue, his budget is 1600 - 2000 per night, essentials are the use of a pool, daily apartment service and security. For that kind of budget there are some decent hotels in town, but has anyone here tried short term condo rental and if so, how did they find it?. Cheers and virtual San Mig Light with a slice of mouldy manao to you all.

Cheers Bazle Just cheking out the prices...1200 baht if I read it correctly (UK are not on the VOA list)

I posted a mini review of Beer Hubb in my Trip report. Overall very positive. I didn't have any food, but the beer, ambience, service and relaxed atmosphere really made this a plce worth visiting, if only for some good A/C relief and a change from the busy areas of LKM/ Bukhao and Treetown. It's also quiet indoors, great clean and spacious toilets, and the owner brings around free poppadums and lime.

You're right Gus and make a very good point. I normally fastrack with BFS but they no longer do it as a service so I have to stand in line. This time the line was moving at a fairly decent rate, but it was only , say, a quarter full. Add into the mix a couple of Air India and Air China 777's and things get a shite sight worse.

Yep, I underwent the biometric scan when I flew in. Overall it's not a massive delay, but the glass gets greasy and it took the guy in front 4 attempts to get his dabs read. They should really provide some kind of sanitary wipes or gel , I mean the bloke in front might have had his finger up his arse 2 minutes before... Just remember to wash or take some baby wipes (a travel essential which I do on the plane anyway to wipe down the seat / table surfaces) to clean your hands with. On topic, the immigration delay outward of BKK was a bloody nightmare. They were stopping people using the escalators because the immigration hall was rammed solid, it took me 45 minutes to get through after X ray.

Ahhh...like me you also fell for the old “nice new Toyota” at the airport which “Had a problem” at the nearest garage, then we had to transfer all our luggage into a crappy old Mazda with useless air con and yaba powered driver. Up and down over the bloody uneven road below the under construction flyover, 2.5 hours into town...

I really can't believe this shit. I trapped my fucking foreskin in my zip fly this morning. We did indeed "have a bleeder" as they say, currently sat in a loose pair of boxer shirts with the end of my penis covered in a mixture of Savlon and blood. Just when I thought things were getting better. still, Mrs Butch is happy, as I'm flying out to the RP this week and was hoping to head over to LOS for a bit, I guess that puts her mind at rest. Having a scab covered penis is arguably not a great starting point for any potential liasons (despite my mongering career being over).

Seems that EVA are stopping the Tuesday flights for the month of May (7,th, 14th , 21st and 28th) then they are reinstated at the beginning of June. The timetable also seems to have a bit of a moment listing only 3 flights for the first week of June, but then sorts itself out and they come up. Any ideas why this might be?, possible reconfiguration of planes, maintenence or something else?.

Pushing 26 degrees C Saturday Sunday, slightly cooler today in East Anglia. Nothing a cold bottle of Aspalls Vintage Cider can't cure though, sitting in the garden on the bench watching the planes coming over destined for Stansted and a few coming out of LHR heading towards Asia, while eating a pint of cockles and listening to some Rolling Stones. Manila pushing 50 degrees C in some Urban areas (Urban heat Island effect) , Mrs Butch just got back (Sat) and said it was opressively hot, so I'm expecting a massive bill from Meralco as the A/C's have been running non stop for about a month now. It's my turn to head out to Manila soon, I hope to get a side trip into LOS planned if I manage to get the time, hopefully this time Cebu Pacific won't lose my luggage.

Totally agree. Climate change is happening, but it has been part of the cycle of the Earth since it got an atmosphere. The effect the UK has on the global climate in comparison to India, China, South America , Africa and Russia is miniscule, if anything at all. Man does have an impact, but so does nature. Even if the whole of Europe and the USA make changes, if the rest of the world doesn't, then it is pointless. I find it ironic that the protesters hit the Shell building in London, yet Shell is one of the biggest investors in renewable energy sources and research, but the middle class environmental "warriors" fail to see or acknowledge that. The Police in London have proven themselves once again to be totally ineffective. They have failed in stopping knife crime and now they can add this to their list of inadequate achievements. I would ask how the crusties managed to get a lorry and a plastic boat into an area where traffic is banned, and why at the first sign of the protestors refusing to move, they didn't crack open the riot gear and go and bust some skulls, because had it been a Brexit rally , that surely would have been the case. I also see that thespian slag Emma thompson thoughtfully flew in from the USA on a 747 and went straight out to support the protestors...all we need now is her odious turd of a husband telling us all how wrong we are. Cunts.

Well, it seems the middle class elite champagne socialists have called off targetting and disrupting the entire schedule of LHR, possibly on threat of getting punished, and not let off with a gentle slap on the wrist but perhaps something more severe like getting twatted with a baton and thrown in Scrubs for a week. Stopping traffic in London is one thing,threatening to break into and getting onto an active Runway on an Airport and glueing yourself to a 777 is something else and *I think* might be treated by the not-so-lenient-anymore Authorities as a terrorist incident (which they seem keen to apply to anything which they whimsically wish to these days). https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/19/extinction-rebellion-stages-youth-protest-at-heathrow-airport https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/extinction-rebellion-protests-police-surround-climate-change-activists-at-heathrow-airport-as-a4122006.html (Sorry about the left wing wanker guardian / standard link) Fine and dandy to protest, not fine and dandy to disrupt people going on a well earned break which they have probably saved hard for.

Oh no, what a shame...