Dawn

Good morning from sunny old England (yip, we've had temps of 32 degrees for the last week or so - WOW!)

Quick question - we're thinking of staying in the Reno Hotel on Soi Kasemson 1 so we've got easy access to Siam Square.

Has anyone stayed here before? Can you provide me with a quick review? We're thinking of booking one of the deluxe pool side rooms - and I'm well aware of what 'deluxe' can actually mean in Bangkok

Any advice much appreciated!

Dawn

Hi Veronica,

Welcome to TV!

Personally, I'd go to Ko Lanta on the Andaman coast. Very good for families, excellent beaches and plenty of restaurants and things to do. Quiet if you want quiet, busy if you like to keep busy. It's unspoilt and has a fantastic atmosphere.

We love it so much we're moving there!

PM me if you'd like some links to specific websites.

Cheers!

Dawn

Mindblend,

I don't think you'll have a problem with your budget. Me and my fella travel out every year for a month - we have a budget of £1,000 (for the 2 of us) and we always bring a couple of hundred quid back with us.

And we never watch what we spend to be perfectly honest - eat and drink what we want when we want.

Have fun!

Dawn

We've got them in Tesco over here in the UK. They're placed in all the isles at the top of the shelves advertising all manner of s**t you don't really need. They're 17 inch widescreen numbers and the sound is really loud.....bloody subliminal marketing.....

Linisha,

We had both of our wedding outfits made by Julie. Here's her website:

http://www.julie.co.th/

She was excellent and so was her assistant Moon. They opened up their shop especially for our fittings as we were in a bit of a hurry. Totally professional service and very cheap. Have a look at the 'Customer Quote' section of their website for pictures of the dresses they've made.

I can email you some photos of our outfits if you're interested?

By the way, congrats on finding Silky a home! Your story brought a tear to my eye and I'm so glad it had a happy ending!

Dawn

I don't live in Krabi but we'll be moving to Lanta in a few years.......guess that doesn't count either

Happy New Year from another Geordie - recovering after a champion party at our place!

All the best for 2006

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you all!

May 2006 bring you good luck and happiness.

It's Christmas Eve and I'm sitting in front of the fire (it's freezing outside here in Newcastle) drinking cava and watching Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway - come on the Geordies!

The hubby is in the kitchen cooking the beef and preparing the veg - we're up at 7 to put the turkey in. I went a bit over the top - a 2kg topside of beef and a 12 pound turkey!

Here's hoping you get merry and eat well.

Can I add that we think it's shocking that there's no memorial service on UK television for the victims of the tsunami on Boxing Day. We'll be thinking of everyone and lighting candles at 10am UK time tomorrow anyway.

Peace and all the best!

Dawn & Mal xxx

Good luck George!

I've been off the cigs for 4 months now. I didn't really smoke a great deal - 2-3 a day at work and a box of 10 when I was in the pub on a weekend.

But because of this I classed myself as social smoker and put off giving up for years and years as I talked myself into thinking that if I did it in moderation then there was no real reason to give up completely. But the amount I smoked gradually crept up and I found myself reaching for them when things got stressful.

One thing I will say is that you really have to want to give up and you really do need a reason. Me and my husband are trying for our first baby and I gave up the day we started trying. And I fully intend never to smoke 1 more cig in my life as I don't want my kids to see me smoking and I want to be around to see them grow up.

My Grandma died last week of a stroke (on my birthday too ) and again, this really made me think and I'm so glad I've finally made the decision to quit completely. Life is too short and I don't want to make it any shorter! Strokes also run in our family so it's a definate no-no for me.

I've always been a bit of a gym rat but could never pick up my speed/times on the treadmill due to the cigs. Now I'm flying (so to speak!) and have come on so much over the last 4 months. If you can find the time to start doing some cardio on a regular basis then belive me it will help and you'll feel so much better. If you have a craving, cardio takes this away.

Once again, best of luck and try to stay focused and remember why you are doing it. I'm sure you'll do fine and you'll feel great in a couple of months

Thought you might like to take a look at this.

The best Chrimbo card ever?

Welcome nellyp! I can only see the top part of your photo (anyone else?!). Could you post it again so I can have a look at David? I'm broody, can you tell?

WE ARE NOT AFRAID!

http://www.werenotafraid.com/

I've been whinging a bit today about life here in the UK and how I really need to leave soon as it's driving me insane.

Sometimes you get around to thinking that things are hard and that life is taking the p**s. Watching the news and thinking about my Gran in hospital then gives me a kick and makes me realise that I've got it bloody easy and that I should be thankful.

I'm bored at work and came across this amongst my emails.

So I'd like to share it with you. Have a wonderful weekend!

I am Thankful

FOR THE WIFE

WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT,

BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME,

AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

FOR THE HUSBAND

WHO IS ON THE SOFA

BEING A COUCH POTATO,

BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME

AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.

FOR THE TEENAGER

WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES

BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME,

NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY

BECAUSE IT MEANS

I AM EMPLOYED.

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE

BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG

BECAUSE IT MEANS

I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK

BECAUSE IT MEANS

I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE.

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,

WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,

AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING

I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT

BECAUSE IT MEANS

WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH..

FOR THE PARKING SPOT

I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT

BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING

AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION.

FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL

BECAUSE IT MEANS

I AM WARM.

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH

WHO SINGS OFF KEY BECAUSE IT MEANS

I CAN HEAR.

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING

BECAUSE IT MEANS

I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES

AT THE END OF THE DAY

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN

CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF

IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS

BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MUCH E-MAIL

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE

FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.

.....when we finally pay off the debt and get the <deleted> outta dodge to live on Lanta.

.....when the big wooden house (close to the beach) is built and we've got a few kids and a couple of dogs under our feet.

.....when I can bum around on boats teaching people to dive.

.....when we're not part of the rat race and have nothing to do with politics anymore (coz we won't have a bloody TV and don't care what Mr. Blair is up to).

Weather update from Newcastle - we're into minus degrees today, snow expected tonight. The central heating is on 'constant'. I'm with mrbojangles - looking forward to turning it thing off, closing the door and heading to the airport on the 19th Jan. 1 month in LOS - wahey!!! - that'll be really dandy!

In a few years time we'd love to leave the UK to live on Lanta and hopefully we'll have a few kids running around to keep us company! We'd love a Thai style wooden house, open plan with a huge veranda, beach nearby and a couple of dogs kicking about with us too.

I'd like to be able to bum around on boats teaching people to dive for a little extra cash - my dream job! (I'm working on the qualifications). Maybey try out a few business ideas - nothing too complicated and no pressure.

A nice simple life with my family in a fantastic country with weather to die for. Away from all the pressures of being part of the rat race in this country. And no more politics - I don't want to know, we're not going to have a TV!

At the minute I'm sitting in Newcastle at my desk at work and it's bloody freezing outside - 7 degrees with a 29mph northerly wind. Snow forecast for later. Central heating on all day at the mo.....

The only thing getting me up in the morning and in to work is the though of a month long holiday in LOS in January and the fact that the sooner we pay off our debt, the sooner we can get the h_ll out of here!

Thanks for the advice everyone - the minatures are a grand idea - and easy to fit in the old rucksack!

Over and out - I'm leaving work now to head home. I can't get online at home on an evening as the hubby is blocking my use of our new laptop - he's new fangled and downloading as much music as our hard drive can handle!

For all of you in LOS - good on you as it's 4.30pm here and it's pitch black outside and it's been raining all day

Roll on the 19th Jan (my departure date )

Seriously? Will I look 'cheap' if I take costume type jewellery and not gold?

BambinA - they do sell them by the thousands and they're pretty crap actually! Green and made out of PVC. I'd post you a picture but I'm at work and they don't allow us to look at certain sites after 3pm

To be honest, it's usually the 'older ladies' who buy them here in the UK - put it this way, I'm 32 and I'm still not old enough to buy one!

I'm going to have to have a long hard think about this! It's a tough one, maybey jewellery?

BambinA - cheers for the advice! I'm liking the Harrods shopping bag suggestion as most of the friends I'm thinking of are girls.

Do you think they will know about Harrods if they live on Chang (Ranong) and Lanta? Or is this just a city girl kinda thing?

You know, you all sound like my husband! He goes mental when I put (yes, I know, I'm really sorry for this!) ice and coke in with whiskey.....I should be shot!

I completely understand where you're coming from with the 'spoiling' the whiskey thing. Which is why I'm starting to take a liking to neat shots of 'happy' tequilla! It really does make you dance you know!

On the flight thing I usually make friends with the flight attendant - a smile goes a long way. I ended up getting served ice cream and all sorts of treats on the last flight to Bangkok with China Airlines Saves having to do a stealth mission into the galley and makes up for the lack of leg room!

Yeah, but they take bloody ages to serve you don't they?! And then they tut at you when you order alcohol in the middle of the night when everyone else is asleep?!! Glenmorangie + mug = self service bar! Yum!

Me thinks that I may well end up using the Prince Charles mugs to contain the whiskey whilst on the plane and get to Bangkok with nowt left and a hangover......

Thanks guys!

BambinA - if I win the lottery before I come over I'll buy you and me an ipod!

Something British that looks more expensive than it is and that's nice and shiney and gold - that's what I'll go with! I'll make the price tags up myself!

We'll be back to LOS in January for the fifth time and would like to bring some gifts for the Thai friends we've made over the years - friends who've looked after us and looked out for us and who have also helped us organise our wedding.

Any ideas as to what the best choice would be?

Reasonably priced would be best and something that's not too bulky - my rucksack is always full at the best of times!

Cheers!

Dawn