LoZth

On the strength of what Mr Katipo has said I think I'm going to have to give Wittakers choc bars a go.

(it'll be cheaper than the cost of postage from the UK, that's for sure, three large bars = £10 airmail)

Well done, but a word of advise if I may,

spread them over the two days, Christmas day and boxing day or you might feel a bit ill otherwise...

From marshbags: Does the choccy your daughter send over stay solid by the way and any problems with customs re import tea money / taxes ?

There's never been any problems with customs but it does get a bit soggy, much to the amusement of the postman.

Laid flat in the fridge for a while sorts that out, the only problem with that is you lose all the individual squares, (no change in taste though!) but hey, I'm not that picky.

(mr marshbag, I was going to put a pic of a bottle of relish here but I'm not clever enough to do that!)

Right now I'm in the UK, but I will be back on the 7th Nov. I will be doing a large Cadbury Choccy shop, next week for myself and my son (Rayong).

Also on the list will be,

Cathedral City cheese

Garners Pickled Onions

Hendersons Relish (any Sheffielders out there will probably be drooling now)

My daughter is talking about being over for Christmas and will be bringing more supplies of the same.

(she also sends emergency choccy supplies 3 or 4 times a year)

My money will be on the motorcy taxi guys for a place on the podium.

This is the crossing used on my visa run.

Ban Laem crossing in Pong Nam Ron, Chanthaburi Province.

I lived in Bang Saen for just 1 year on a Non Imm O visa so had to do the 90 day run.

The best way I found was to spend the previous night in Pattaya, I was picked up at the hotel about 06:30/07:00, the driver checked my passport and pix before we left to make sure all was in order.

If anybody needed passport pix he stopped near Chantaburi so they could get some done.

We had a 10/15 minute 'comfort stop' on the way to the border.

When we got through Thai Imm the driver met us and took our p/ports to some guys sitting at a table just passed the Thai Imm office, then directed us to the casino for a free lunch.

The driver called us all out, took us back to get our p/ports, we went back through Thai Imm, no problems, then back to the bus and Pattaya, with another 'comfort stop' on the way back.

I used to get dropped off at Big C Pattaya south, then get the bus back to Nong Mon market, jump on the songtheow for home.

I was usually back home by 16:00.

As for fun in Bang Saen, talk to some expats, depending on what 'fun' you're looking for, I have heard there are places to go for 'fun'.

That was definitely one hell of a fierce umbrella!!

There's a guy that lives at the back of my place that sells meatballs on a string just up the road.

When he finishes for the day he trundles back with his (meat)balls dangling on the stall, parks it and goes in his house.

These meatballs are left out overnight, no cover over them at all and there are a load of dogs live in the yard.

Nobody seems to think it's strange at all that they are left like that.

I can't seem to talk myself into buying some off him.

But then again, they will probably be ok in the wet season when the rain has been lashing down on them overnight for quite a few hours and rinses the dust and gunge off them,

What do you reckon?

I've lived in B/S for nearly two years, been all the way along the full length many times (not walking, on my motorcy of course!) but I've never seen the place on the photo,.

Metapod, you can get to B/Saen by bus from Ekamai. Go inside, ignore the windows on your right, look straight in front of you and check the windows. You will see a board up on one of them, on it it says B/Saen AND Nong Mon. Ask for Nong Mon not B/Saen, 77bht.