Evil Penevil

If you are an American Express cardholder, you can cash a personal check at the Amex office in Bangkok. There are no extra fees or charges. How much you can cash depends on whether you have a green, gold or platinum card. That's actually one of the most efficient ways to change money in Thailand because the exchange rate Amex gives you is more favorable than Thai banks. Downside is the hassle of getting to the Amex office, which isn't conveniently located if you're staying near Sukhumvit Road. All Amex offices around the world will cash personal checks for you, but there are monthly lim

1. There is a White Orchid Hotel in Chinatown (that's a long, long way from Suk Soi 4), but never heard of the White Orchid Inn. 2. Rajah Mansion is a dump - stock up on roach spray and traps if you do stay there. It even gets panned on LonelyPlanet, so you can imagine how bad it is. There are many reports that they don't ever return the security deposit, so figure that into the real cost of the monthly rent. If you are staying a month or more in Bangkok, the best idea is to book a hotel room for one or two days, then look for a long-term room while on site. Many L/T budget ro

It's been years since I stayed at the Manhattan, but recent reports don't inspire much confidence. Apparently it's been allowed to deteriorate and has become very shabby. Aslo, many say it is now charging joiner fees, although perhaps on a selective basis, i.e., some guests get charged, others don't. There are currently much better (and guaranteed girl friendly) options in the Suk area for about the same price. Evil

I take the Continental nonstop EWR (Newark Liberty) to NRT (Tokyo Narita), then Thai to and from BKK. Short connection time (2 hours) in NRT on the inbound trip, longer stopover returning to EWR. But since the JFK-BKK nonstop service was cancelled, it's one of the quickest ways in terms of total travel time of getting to BKK from NYC. Company pays for me to fly biz, but I've seen economy advertised at around $1,250 for this route. (This is double what you would have paid two years ago) Evil

Pete - I hope you think long and hard before putting in a pool table. As several posters have noted, there are dozens and dozens of places to play pool in Pattaya, some of them a stone's throw from your establishment. You are better off without a pool table than with one. Evil

If I remember it, I take my Panama hat. Perfect for the climate in LOS, protects well against the sun. The girls love to try it on! Evil

I really like Strongbow, which is surprisingly difficult to find in Manhattan. I'll be there next week. Evil

Not quite crystal clear. I have seen the taxi stand at Swampy Poon when it was a horror to behold. Not every time, not at all times of the day, but sometimes. The only way to avoid queues totally is to pre-book. Besides, my company reimburses me for ground transport in Thailand, why wouldn't I pre-book if it guarantees me a better car and no waiting in line, whether five minutes or 65 minutes? Evil

Maybe someone can advise you better on this, but I believe you'd be OK if you leave Thailand to visit another Asian country before the 30 days are up, then return. If you are flying in on 11/04, it wouldn't be a problem at all, as you'd just be transfering to the flight home and wouldn't technically be re-entering Thailand. Best bet is to arrange a multiple entry visa before you depart. Two weeks should be enough, especially if you go through a visa agency. It would cost you some money, though. Evil

If you go to the SAS Website and check the schedule for SK972, you'll see the code "343" under the heading for aircraft. That means it is an Airbus A340-300. You can then check Seatguru for the exact configuration by looking under SAS and clicking on the A340-300. Same-same procedure for Swiss. Use the timetable, itinerary, etc to find the aircraft type, then seatguru for the configuration. Evil

I stayed there at the end of November, also in a suite. In other threads, posters have said there was a problem with noise from other rooms, but I didn't notice that at all. Very quiet in the room I had. I liked the hotel very much, but have to agree the location isn't the best. There is a free tuk-tuk service to either 2nd Road or Soi Bukow. At night (but not during the day), the tuk-tuk driver can usually be persuaded to take you farther afield. It's quite a distance to Soi Diana. You could walk along either 2nd Road or Soi Bukow, but quicker to get the baht bus on Soi

I updated post #6 with photos and a mini-review of the CitiChic Hotel. Evil

I've flown both premium economy and regular economy on the JFK-BKK non-stops. I agree that the PE seats themselves aren't that much of an advantage if you aren't a passenger of size. However, there are other advantages to flying PE that justify a few hundred extra dollars (but not sure if $400 is worth it). I paid $250 extra to fly PE out of JFK in 10 days, but that was a special promotional price. If you are in PE, there's a better chance to get upgraded to biz class. It works this way - Thai Air has standby tickets that are only available to Thai citizens, it's what is called a "non-publ

Enjoy! Evil Email from a friend: I was feeling a bit depressed the other day, so I called the Help Hotline. I was put through to a 'call center' in Pakistan. I explained that I was feeling suicidal. They were very excited at this news and wanted to know if I could drive a truck or fly an airplane...

It's not a limo in the Western sense of the word. It is a car service that uses four-door sedans, but it's still better than a beaten-up taxi for the same price, all other things being equal, i.e. reliability, ease in ordering, etc. Evil

It is roughly 15 minutes' walk to Nana BTS and another 10 to 15 minutes to NEP. It's easy to get a taxi, so you shouldn't have to walk unless you want to. Evil :

I posted a map here: Citichic Evil :

Here's the Web site for the CitiChic Hotel for more detailed info, prices and reservations. For comparison, here's the Web site for the Majestic Suites. I paid 2,500 baht a night at CitiChic for a Double Deluxe room with a small terrace. The same-sized room without terrace is 2,300 baht/night. The CitiChic only has those two types of rooms and the price includes breakfast for two. The MS has four types of rooms, ranging in price from 1,315 baht to 2,050 baht/night. The difference has to do with the size of the room, whether it has a bath tub and whether you get one or two breakfast coupons,

Excellent idea! In the long run, you'll save yourself a hell of a lot of trouble by firing any girl who pisses hot. Evil

The $398 "upgrade" to Premium Economy on TG on is a promotional price that appears to extend well into 2008. From searches on the TG Web site, the total cost R/T from JFK to BKK is between $1,500 and $1,600 (the dates I want it"s $1,512 all in with taxes, surcharges, etc.). I would imagine there would be a similar promotion if such service is introduced from the U.K. Evil

You can access the Majestic Suites through this Web site Thai Hotel Discounts . Here are the prices listed. It also has a few photos. Season Room Type Special Rate Breakfast Now until Oct 31, 2007 Studio Single 1,134 THB Yes Superior Single 1,242 THB Yes Superior Twin/Double 1,458 THB Yes Now until Oct 31, 2008 Deluxe Twin/Double 1,836 THB Yes Nov 01, 2007 - Oct 31, 2008 Studio Single 1,188 TH

It's easier to give helpful suggestions if you are a bit more specific - What is your budget per night for a hotel room? Is location, i.e. close to Walking Street, important to you? Do you care if there is a swimming pool or not? With a bit more info, someone will be able to give you a recommendation/ Evil :

Definitely not elite or business class seats, but a lot better than economy. Much more leg room but the seats don't recline to the "almost flat" of business class. Also, you still have someone beside you in the middle seat and they will almost always wake you up if they have to leave their seats. I've taken Eva's premium economy R/T NYC (Newark) to BKK . It was worth a few hundred extra bucks, but certainly not double the economy fare. However, Eva has the least intuitive and hardest-to-maneuver Website of any, with about 1,000 different ticket options depending on date, day of the

Congratulations on the two-year anniversary, that's quite a milestone. Best of luck in the coming years! Sorry for the delayed post, but here are a few pics froma Cherry Bar party on July 8, I had a great time, so did the three ladies who were with me. In fact, they chided me for having taken them to dinner before we went to the party because the food was so good at the Cherry Bar they regretted being too full to eat much of it. Definitely a nice place to visit, whether you are alone or with company. Adam has a lot of insight into the Pattaya scene and I had some really good conversations

Evil Penevil bids 3,000 baht. Evil