GiantFan

Has anybody ever tried to do the same on Patong Beach? I'm sure much the same. If you pay big money to you know who for your 100 m of beach, you don't want somebody coming up and throwing down a towel. I don't agree with the system, but that's the way it is.

Can recommend Jim's place on Chulia street.

+1

Three friends visiting from the UK were at the Jungceylon outlet recently.

One bloke quite well travelled as he had been a professional footballer commented that the Spanish style Gambas was as good as anywhere he had eaten in Spain.

Yes. I went over to the JC branch about a month ago and thought that they had updated the menu. The first 4 - 5 pages are mostly the same, but more toward the back, lots of new choices. The Gambas was delish. I will go back to try the other new items.

Yes. You need to form Thai registered company first, with majority Thai. Have the nominee's sign an undated resignation letter so that you can move them off the shareholder list once you get the Amity OK. I went to the US Embassy to get a certified document saying I was a US citizen. Then file with the government office in Nonthaburi (sp?). You need to go in person and while not an interview, they will ask you a few questions. Pay and wait. Then go back and pick-up. I took me about 2 months.

P.S. Once you have it, get your acct/lawyer to go down and change the shareholder list to you plus 2 others (Thai's or non-Thai's). You need a minimum of 3 shareholders. They can hold a few shares.

While it is true that the import duty on wine has been coming down ever since the TAFTA (Thai Aus Free Trade Agreement) in 2005, it is the excise tax, health tax, municipal tax, and obviously VAT that will keep the prices high.

Almost opposite the White Hart. Previously, it was some French restaurant called Cave, or something like that.

still not sure, is it on Wiset? Near where the go go bar was going to be?

Actually what ever happened to that idea? Wasnt it some rich guy who was just opening a bar for a hobby?

Checked out Google Maps and the old place was called Les Caves de Rawai. An Irish bar is nearly opposite called Molly Magilicutty's or similar (555). Irish flag colours outside. About 200 - 300 m south of Laguna on the right.

Went to try it yesterday. Sat at the tables near the road and enjoyed a few drafts. They have about 5 or 6 to choose from. Started coming down big time and had to sit it out for an hour or so. The bin was pretty low since the boss is only charging 45 baht for a draft to get the punters in. Not sure how long it will last. Some reasonable totty employed as well.

Thanks mate,thought he was a nice guy.

These guys are playing with you.............they are referring to the Ben Kingsley character in the film "Sexy Beast" (sorry guys).

Lindsay was his name and after the bar shut he managed one in Soi Kepsup (Oasis bar I think) for a short while, before becoming the manager at Hemingways restaurant under Banzaan market. He stayed there for about a year and was talking about going back to the UK to top up the coffers, this after he quit his last job.

Whereabouts now..............not sure, but I do have an email address and local mobile number for him if you want to PM me.

Thanks Xylo for clarifying. I was thinking it must have been another Picadilly from the one I played darts in for many years. I think it was razed for the expansion of the Laimai hotel. Could be a 7.11 as well. How things change.

A friend mentioned a new-ish bar called Howzit (sp?). It's apparently an Oz sports bar. Run by Miros who runs some business broker company. Anybody been?

Had a few sprinkles in Patong today and went to the Met Dept radar website. Didn't show anything in the area. Had another sprinkle 1/2 hour ago and tried again. Lo and behold, the date on the radar image is 28 June. I know somebody will mention windguru, which i also use, but I like the pictures.

2 Black Sheep on RUT opp. Paradise entrance. Great bar and good people watching out the front. Was remodeled as the Soho Bar, but that closed and I saw somebody gutting it last month. Probably a restaurant.

I booked a flight from HKT to HKG using this deal. Pretty good price of THB 12,800. Could have got a bit lower, but the flight times are best. No leaving at 4 in the morning on Hong Kong Airlines.

After I booked, I rec'd the confirmation number and went back in to see if I could reserve a seat or a meal (if available). Unfortunately, I think that this can only be done at time of booking, since I cannot see an option to do this afterwards.

Any ideas?

Was booking a flight to HKG and at the very end, their credit card gateway with SCB crapped out.

From Malaysia, You should make a wire transfer in US$ to your Thai bank account. Do not let the bank convert your RM to Thai baht and do the wire as the exchange rate of RM to THB suck big time.

+1

I like the crossword.

Was having dinner at Wine Connection and tried the 2012 Rooks Lane Shiraz. It was pretty good. Went inside to see about buying a bottle to take home and it was on special for THB 399. I liked it even more.

For the last month, haven't been able to find TPN in my local Family Mart. Just outdated Russian language editions. I like TPN for it's reporting. More interesting articles vs. TPG.

Having worked with BKK printers in the past, they all say that the local papers reduce quantities by 1/2 during the green season. Maybe they also reduce the outlets that carry them.

Great video! Haven't been down Sai Kor Road since the rains, but I think I know where the new pool is.

It's not usually this bad, but seems to happen every 3 years or so. The SW monsoon hits this time of year, every year. The amount of rain we get depends on when the Indian monsoon starts (it comes here after it hits India), El Nino, and other weather in the area.

The Indian monsoon was late this year and the normal NE direction of the rain is now traveling pretty much due east (toward Phuket). So the rains would fall up to the north of us in "normal" years.

As the monsoon travels north in India and if we get a low pressure system coming through the Andaman Sea, the rains will usually travel north.

But then again, nothing is definite with the weather.

I used Jim at Jim's Place on Chulia last month. He's been doing it for something like 20 years. He will get your PP back in the AM so you can catch the FireFly flight back in the early afternoon. Chargeable, but worth it.

I think it's long gone. The white building that it was in (next to the new Tiger Disco) has a Seduction Disco sign outside.

Re: Erection on Bangla.

What end? Haven't been down in a few months. Is it the old Tiger Disco land?

Sorry to Hijack - BUT what about the new Mosque -esqe looking place on the road from Patong to Kata?

Is it a restaurant? How the hell did they get permission to build that thing??

Oh wait.........

If it's what I think you are talking about, I thought that was an extension of the Centara Resort. Could be wrong.

Rec'd an SMS on my AIS number yesterday from a UK lottery company. I had already won money! So lucky.

Someone mentioned about shipping in bulk, cleanskins, and the wine lake in Oz. An interesting link is shown below that shows the benefit of shipping in bulk (scroll down a bit). I would love it if somebody could bring in flexitanks of Oz wine into Thailand.

http://www.thirtyfifty.co.uk/spotlight-environment-and-wine.asp

A friend posted her property for sale in another local newspaper. One time fee until it sells. Hers has been up for around 4 months now, with no bites. Every week I check the paper and most seem to be carryovers from prior weeks/months. Could be that the prices are too high to move, but they don't seem to be moving. Could also be that they want 2 - 3 pages of Property for Sale each and every week.