jayenram

Not to drink anymore.

Not to drink any less, also.

May all your visas be long ones.

"Paradise Bungalows" at the north end of Cha-Am beach.

Maybe my avatar gives it away.

The nearest crossing to Buriram is at Chong Chom, 70 km virtually directly south of Surin. Take the A 24 to Prassat, turn right and it's 40 km straight road. The crossing is hassle free at the moment (I was there last week).

Good luck.

You won't get much pork in KL, unless you eat at the 'real' Chinese restaurants. For a decent Chinese meal, try Lee Ho Fuk above TGIF's on Jalan Sultan Ismail (virtually opposite The Shangri-La). By the way, the "Pub" in the Shang offers half price happy hours pouring drinks, I believe 5 pm to 8 pm and you can pre-order for the remainder of the evening if you pay up front.

If you want to get out of town for a beer, try Bangsar Baru (about RM25 by taxi from the triangle), there's a bar every second establishment. Also there's a reasonable Thai restaurant called (wait for it) Planter Jims on Jalan Telawy Dua.

Most of the hotel bars have live bands playing after HH, however, they are of varying quality. The Istana Hotel generally gets the better ones in their "Music Tech" in the basement.

To list all the decent bars in KL and the surrounding suberbs would be virtually impossible as new ones are opening all the time. For a Muslim country, this always suprised me.

It's a bad day, when:

Your horn sticks on the expressway behind a visiting minister's convoy.

The worst player on the golf course wants to play you for money.

You call suicide prevention and they put you on hold.

You turn on the evening news and they are showing emergency routes out of the city.

Your twin sister forgets your birthday.

Your four-year-old tells you that it's almost impossible to flush a pomello down the toilet.

You have to sit down to brush your teeth in the morning.

It costs more to fill up your car than it did to buy it.

Your car payment, house payment and girlfriend are three months overdue.

The bird singing outside your window is a vulture.

You call your answering service and they tell you it's none of your business.

Your blind date turns out to be your ex-spouse.

Your income tax refund check bounces.

You put both contact lenses in the same eye.

You compliment the boss' wife on her unusual perfume and she isn't wearing any.

You call your wife and tell her that you would like to eat out tonight, and when you get home there is a sandwich on the front porch.

The restaurant check has been on the table for 10 minutes... and no one has touched it.

Airline food starts to taste good.

You mother approves of the person you are dating.

You have to borrow from your Visa to pay off your Mastercard.

You realise that the phone number on the bathroom wall of the bar is yours.

Your kids start treating you the same way you treated your parents.

The gypsy fortune teller offers to refund your money.

You take longer to get over sex than you did to have it.

Your new lover calls to tell you ``Last night was terrific!'' And you remember that you were home by yourself.

Patrick goes for a job interview.

Interviewer asks "How many GCE's have you got?"

Patrick replies "Twenty seven"

Interviewer exclames "You must be joking!"

Patrick says "You started it!"

The doorknocking ' Elder's ' look the same anywhere in the world. Is it brand recognition?

I guess they all must wear 'special underwear' also. Although in this heat, probably a modified version.

http://nowscape.com/mormon/undrwrmo.htm

I forget exactly but the fare from Buriram to the big hotel in Surin City but it was something like 1500 baht.

I can recommend the big hotel in Surin, and the beer garden resteraunt thing they have in the carpark is good food. The night life is in the soi running beside the hotel.

The 'taxi' fare may have increased recently but a few months ago it was Bht 800.00. I'm not sure if this reduces if more than one person use the same vehicle.

Regarding the hotels in Surin, the two largest are the Thong Tarin (as mentioned by Mattnich) and the Petchkasem. The prices vary with seasons, however, you should be able to obtain a half decent room for Bht 600.00 - 800.00, irrespective of the quoted rates.

http://sawadee.com/isan/thongtarin/

http://www.kingdomthailand.com/isan/petchkasem.htm

There is a Budget car hire service through a travel agent (virtually opposite the main police station). As the cars are delivered from Korat, it is advisable to book the day before it is required.

The second time my Thai girlfriend requested a visa to visit England, she still provided the zillion and one things (as the first time) but she received the visa the same day (applied in the morning, picked the visa up in the afternoon).

Air Andaman were running 4 flights a week to Surin, however for some reason they have suspended the service for a month (so they say) commencing last weekend. As Lopburi says, there is the Thai Airways Buriram flight, although given the time of year this is likely to be full.

As an alternative, there is a nightly sleeper train which leaves Bangkok around 22:00 hours and arrives in Surin around 06:00. One way first class costs in the order of Bht 950.00.

Being a sentimental old git, I still get the tree (imitation) out and decorate it every year.

Christmas day this year will consist of going down to the local farrang pub at midday, getting a few Changs down before the landlord serves what is supposed to be a traditional British Christmas dinner. Turkey, stuffing, roast spuds and sprouts. Whether there will be a pudding, I'm not sure but by that time there will be few who will really care.

A little common sense may help.

you must show 800,000 B less any pension, in your bank book at latest seven days previous to application.

The latest information I have is that you must also have a letter from the bank (dated max 7 days before application) confirming your balance at that date. The letter must also have the bank 'chop'.

The Royal President on Sukhumvit Soi 15 is a good bet. Very large rooms and beds, small kitchenettes with fridge. Reasonably priced restaurant/bar. On my last visit they were charging Bht 1,750 a night including one buffet breakfast.

......Huddersfield's McAlpine Stadium......

Could this be the infamous "Richard (I didn't expect 'im to come out fightin') Dunn Stadium"?

CONGRATULATIONS.....but hardly a walkover...a two point win in extra time means that Australia was a very credible opponent.

I agree. It was touch and go all the way to the line.

But it now seems not too many members fill their location in, or they deleted it when the Thai Visa / Apec / Immigration got strict the other month.

Why doesn't each member who is interested confirm their interest and their location and then it may be feasible to arrange a number of suitable alcohol outlets is various parts of the Kingdom.

I, for one, am interested and I live approximately 3 km to the east of Surin.

Also, would I get a stamp on my passport if and when I enter Cambodia? And would I have any problems getting back into Thailand?

Sorry, I missed this bit.

You will be stamped out of Thailand and then need to obtain a visa at Khmer immigration (on the left before the closest casino). The cost is Bht 1,000.00 for 30 days.

If you have a muti-entry visa there should be no problems in returning through Chong Chom. If you have a single entry visa then you will loose it and only receive a 30 day tourist visa upon re-entry. If you have a tourist 30 day visa already, you will receive another one.

If you have a one year marriage/retirement visa then there may be problems. The last time I was at the border they still didn't have the facility to issue re-entry permits. Therefore if you exit without said permit you will loose your one year visa and re-enter on a 30 day tourist visa

After you cross the border at Chong Chom (Take the Surin – Prassat Road and just keep heading straight, through Kab Cheong) and after the casinos and the market, there’s a dual carrageway under construction which leads to the first Khmer village (about 2 km). After that the road peters out and becomes more of a forest track.

Enquire in Surin about Angkor Wat trips, there are travel agents who can arrange group party trips. Call in at the Farang Connection behind the main bus station and enquire there.

http://farangconnection.awebspace.com/

A suggested solution: teach your wife/girlfriend to drive and thereafter share the driving as we do. I drive to the pub, she drives back.

I bought a large Mitsubishi fridge. It was expensive (Bht 20,000+) but the door holds 24 large bottles of Chang and even on 1/2 setting keeps them very cold. Defrost is automatic and the resultant water evaporates from the collection tank, i.e. never needs emptying. It's now been running continuously for 3.5 years without any problem whatsoever. The freezer is also of sufficient size to keep an adequate supply of frozen foods.

"Visa runs: Thousands cross at new checkpoint

Alternative point of entry to Cambodia"

I've consulted three maps and am still at a loss to where this border crossing is located. The only roads which appear to run to the border south of Sisaket are to Chong Phra Phlai and Khoa Phra Viharn. Has anyone crossed into Cambodia at this crossing?

When i was working in Malaysia, I travelled to Thailand on numerous occasions on business (two/three day visits). I was at that time a holder of two British passports and I used whichever came to hand first. I had no problems whatsoever.