FarangryBirds

Thanks.

Nok Air looks good because it has a late flight around 10pm, instead of sweating to get the only air asia flight at 19:25, even though you'd probably make it in time.

Both have promos now of about 700b+ a few hundred charges. Plus the 105b minivan from Mukldahan. Nok Air you can pay at the ATM too which is easy. Much better than an overnight bus for only a few hundred baht more imo.

I had booked the 2200 flight with Nok to allow myself very generous time to make all my connections from Lao - Mukdahan - Ubon but it was such plain sailing from when I left Savanaket consulate in a tuk tuk to the bridge, I was at Ubon airport for 1700. I ended up changing my flight to the 2020 one (which did cost an extra 900b....) all so I'd be back at my room in Bangkok before midnight.

Another footnote, I found the staff working in Ubon airport really friendly.

VIP bus was 620bt from Mo Chit terminal. Left there at 2030 Sunday night and arrived at Mukdahan 0645 Monday morning. Bus stopped only once I think, when we reached Korat 3 hours in. At Mukdahan joined the queue for Lao bus tickets (50bt) and got a bus at 0730 for the quick run over the border. The bus was being loaded with goods being taken back over the border. Immigration at the bridge didn't take long, no queues. The only hold up was because at 0800 the Thai immigration police stopped for the usual Thai ceremony.

Casino hotel, the room itself was very nice but the complex is a bit far out of the town centre and set back from the road, nothing really to do there except gamble and maybe have a massage. Couldn't really see any other hotels on agoda that came even close to being well recommended by previous visitors.

I flew back from Ubon with Nok Air, about 1300bt for the flight. Minivan from Mukdahan to Ubon bus station was 105bt and took about 2 hours.

The consulate and border crossing was much quieter than when I have been to Vientiene but the tradeoff being Savanaket is a much sleepier place to stop over.

I went there for a non-b last week, bit of a cock up with my paperwork but managed to get a very half-assed copy of my contract faxed over with a few minutes to spare until the 11am cutoff and my new visa was sitting there in my passport the next day, much to my relief.

I travelled from Bangkok by vip bus on a Sunday night, straight to the consulate on Monday morning to hand in my papers. Overnight stay at the casino and then back to the consulate to pick up my passport. Getting away from the consulate, out of Lao and back to Mukdahan was real quick and I was at Ubon airport for 5pm to fly back to Bangkok even though my flight was not until much later.

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page wouldn't load on my wifi (which I think is TRUE).....it does now I have connected to UK VPN.

The nearest branch to me is part of a hospital, the plus side being there is always nurses in there shopping, but the negative being no alcohol sales at all.

Had some banter with the staff last week, she ran everything through the till and was struggling to say the amount in English so I looked at the display and smiled "neung roy sam sib jet baht" and handed her the money.

I need to go sort out a new NON-B next month, thinking of giving SVK a look, didn't fancy another trip to Vientiane and my other option was potentially going to be SG but just heard from a friend today who a red stamp over there and is returning home.

Surprised this is news, Dominos has been about BKK for a while already?

I saw one was being built outside Legacy Express hotel near Phloen Chit last year, already quite a few branches along Sukhumvit already, off the top of my head I spotted one quite near Soi 31.

I have used the home delivery before as well, luckily a small branch in Lat Prao where I was staying so I got my order in about 15 minutes.

My favourite Pizza I've had in Bangkok was still the Italian place outside Asoke Station.

I almost spat my beer out when I saw these two clowns were being allowed to host their own show.

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Surely there will be some kind of ending to this soon or a temporary "ceasefire" with such an important public holiday coming up in a few days?....

seems like madness to increase the amount of flights between KKC and Bangkok, Thai Airways is already laying on 5 under filled flights a day in an A300-600, now Air Asia add another 4 into the mix.

TIT but at least it will create competition on pricing.

I think the other feedback I would say is the CTH STADIUM logo could do with being a bit smaller in the top right of the screen.

the bar I was watching in, I noticed sometimes it tended to suddenly go in slow motion and then freeze for half a second before going back to normal again every few minutes. Spotted it again today during the Spurs game.

I don't know if it was just his box or a general glitch their end? I did spot the same thing happening on the other screen which was hooked up to a seperate CTH decoder.

Another hotel worth a look is @Home a couple of doors down from Irish Clock. A couple of hundred baht more than Top Mansion but the difference in quality is massive and it's a newer hotel.

As for the nightlife, there is plenty of fun to be had away from Day & Night or Nutty Park.

There's also a popular disco in the basement of the Charoen hotel (I'm on the road right now), Freebird or something like that.

The Yellowbird disco - actually in a block behind the main hotel buildings.

Part of UD's charm for me is that it isn't Pattaya, I find the slow pace of life a lot more agreeable.

Yellow Bird is a blast, most times I have been there I've been the only farang in there. They usually have a couple of live bands on in there.

Not very happy about this but will adapt my travel plans accordingly, Next trip I'll just do a quick stopover in BKK and then head to DM the next day

I'm not a fan of Bangers so usually in the past it was a always a case of land, go through immigration and then straight to the AA check-in desk upstairs, onwards to Chiang Mai, Phuket or Udon Thani.

I've booked my flights for December and it was still cheaper to go AA then to go with Nok to Udon or Phuket.

obviously they used water very sparingly during in Song Kran....

I've always wanted to plank nude.

I tried it myself once but it became tricky to maintain once I got wood.

Heck it is getting confusing already, which carridge goes where. But yes the new ones on the Silom line are very bright and cheerful. But isn't this Thailand, they set something up, get it running well, then change the goalposts. Would be great to see it all up and running in August? Save driving to On Nut.

jb1

I was hoping it would be open by April for my own selfish reasons , I'm back in Thailand in April and going to see my friend in BKK but he lives near Bearing. dam_n frustrating driving past so many shut stations before reaching On Nut when I was there in June.

The pound climbed a whole baht the day of the Coalition going into power to something around 48.70 but sloped off badly yesterday back to 47.27 baht.

In the words of Jack Bauer - "Damnit!"

I wake to the predicted "Hung Parliament" - GBP has already dropped to 47.47!

However, the recent internal problems and FCO edict has caused me to hold off on further expenditure as I'm not willing to travel without valid insurance. I'm hoping we avoid a hung Parliament arising from the UK election as it will inevitably put downward pressure on the GBP.

Cheers.

well, at least the FCO have now lowered the threat level but as it stands all systems go for a Hung parliament.

I am back out to Thailand on 30th May, I've been monitoring the currency situation for a few monhs and am not sure whether to wait too much longer before changing any more money up. In light of recent events in BKK I did think it might work in my favour against the Pound but its still holding firm at 47/48 baht. I think I was getting just over 50 back in November when I was out there.

It seems a Hung Parliament is impending here which apparently will damage the pound further, such a dilmena as to when will be he right time to get more currency!