MrMuddle

As of today I can confirm Friendship on Pattaya Tai has two brands of Xmas pudds. The only thing I have never been able to get in town is mincemeat to make my own mince pies.

Thanks for the information Rab, as I can eat mince pies at any time of the year, where did you get the mincemeat ? I'll grab a jar or two while we're there.

As there are several fellow Scotsmen on here, is there anywhere in Pattaya that sells Scottish flags ? I brought one over several years ago, for the garden, but it needs replacing. I bought it in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, on a day out there, when we lived in the UK, and when I opened it here it was made in China !

as you are staying Centrally, try central festival food hall first

lots of Waitrose stuff in there

next the Villa market at the Avenue second road

failing that then Friendship on Pattaya Thai should fix you up

they even have Fray Bentos tinned pies and puddings.................

Just as an aside Timekeeper, did u know Baxters of Fochabers (Cockaleekie soup etc!!) have just bought over Fray Bentos!!

Anyway, Western on Chaiyapruek 2 have christmas puddings , mincemeat pies etc, and he is now taking orders for Turkeys!! http://www.wwmco.asia/ highly recommended by me!!

Thanks Lenny, I've emailed the company in your link for directions to the shop. Baxters soups, another product for my steadily growing list !

Weren't Fray Bentos an Argentinian company ? I seem to remember people boycotting their products during the Falklands conflict

as you are staying Centrally, try central festival food hall first

lots of Waitrose stuff in there

next the Villa market at the Avenue second road

failing that then Friendship on Pattaya Thai should fix you up

they even have Fray Bentos tinned pies and puddings.................

Thanks for the reply. Central festival food hall is Big C, if I remember correctly, it's been a few years since I've been to "the dark side'.

I seem to recall that Friendship used to sell Guinness, but that was a lot of years ago.

no sir, central festival center is a huge shopping center that straddles beach road and second road, next to the police station soi

The Hilton Hotel is attached to it

the shopping is provided by Tops in the basement but they do have a lot of imported farang favorites as well as Thai foods

if you have not seen it and you like shopping then you are in for a treat...........

Thanks for the reply. I must be getting confused, in my old age. Last time we were in Pattaya, was 7 or 8 years ago, this shopping centre was still being talked about. Luckily we're coming in a mini-bus, one of my Thai nieces is organising it, as part of her college studies. If the shopping is as good as you say, we might have to leave one of the family members behind, to make room!

as you are staying Centrally, try central festival food hall first

lots of Waitrose stuff in there

next the Villa market at the Avenue second road

failing that then Friendship on Pattaya Thai should fix you up

they even have Fray Bentos tinned pies and puddings.................

Thanks for the reply. Central festival food hall is Big C, if I remember correctly, it's been a few years since I've been to "the dark side'.

I seem to recall that Friendship used to sell Guinness, but that was a lot of years ago.

I think you should be asking these questions in the Pattaya forum!

Didn't realise there was one ! Thanks.

OK, we're coming down to the big, bad city next week. I would like to be able to do some Christmas food shopping in Pattaya, while we're there. I'm looking for Christmas puddings, (and rum sauce mix), vegetarian suet dumpling mix, mince pies, brussels sprouts, fishermans pies, and english sweets. Any recommendations of where to shop much appreciated. We'll be staying centrally, on the second road.

Thanks for any suggestions.

ludditeman wrote

"Problem is, it's you that is the racist (or religionist)

I don't care about your religion (or your sexuality) or what happened to people of your religion in the past.

You are the one that keeps banging on about Jews, not me.

It's almost as if you revel in being part of minority groups.

Get over it and move on. Most of us really don't care. "

I believe that this sort of behaviour is known as attention-seeking. The unusually large number of posts submitted reinforces this theory, or it could just be a serious lack of a life.

Everyone's either a psychiatrist, a comedian, or both. Thanks for sharing, Dr. Freud. Let us keep to the TOPIC or better yet, forget the topic because this court is rather worthless anyway, considering the source.

What I find interesting (psychologically?) is not one poster has bothered to even try to rebut my point about comparing Mahathir Mohamad to Netanyahu and how both being of very low regard internationally, neither have any business ruling on the guilt or innocence of the national leaders of OTHER countries. Instead, just personal insults. I reckon I've won the debate here (by default).

A case of premature exclamation ?

Perhaps that explains the huge number of utterly boring, tiresome postings. Not everything in the world is related to Jews or anti-semitism, no matter how hard you try to push your irrational beliefs.

The plain fact is, with the amount of evidence available, that Bush and Blair deceived their governments, the people that elected them, the United Nations, in fact anyone who believed their lies, into starting an unjust war in Iraq.

In a just court, anywhere in the world, they would be found guilty and sentenced. Thousands of people, have died or have had their lives totally wrecked because of Bush & Blairs deceit. The fact that the vast majority of the victims are Muslim, only worsens any argument about a narrow minded perception of anti-semitism.

Please could you explain to a forgetful reader like me which race he is promoting to hate?

Jews. Anti-semitism is racism.

I think that is a trick question though, because it's complicated. Jews are not a race, they are a people, and not all Jews are at all religious and many who are religious profess other religions than Judaism such as Buddhism, so there is more to it than just religion. If you need to know more, read some books. Too big a topic for a thread like this.

If you don't understand the difference between a race and a people, here are some other examples of peoples:

Tai people, Kurdish people, Roma people, Australian Aboriginal people, Slovak people, etc. To further complicate it, mainstream anthropologists are now rejecting the concept of race altogether in the conventional sense where we distinguish between so called races like Caucasians and Asians as different races. But even if there is no biological basis for different races (skin color etc. represents a very tiny part of the human race's genetic code), racism still exists as racism is a SOCIAL construct as opposed to a biological one.

http://en.wikipedia....al_antisemitism

Do they also have a specific name for anti-palestinian?

There are several: Republican, Israeli, or anybody that seeks to deny people rights in their own land.

ludditeman wrote

"Problem is, it's you that is the racist (or religionist)

I don't care about your religion (or your sexuality) or what happened to people of your religion in the past.

You are the one that keeps banging on about Jews, not me.

It's almost as if you revel in being part of minority groups.

Get over it and move on. Most of us really don't care. "

I believe that this sort of behaviour is known as attention-seeking. The unusually large number of posts submitted reinforces this theory, or it could just be a serious lack of a life.

Seriously, is anyone surprised? I ran a company in Nongprue/Pattaya with the following problems which led me to suggest everyone NOT to invest in Thailand's economy:- brown outs and power cuts EVERY week- city water running unreliably; pressure varies and so does the quality- phone lines ongoingly down (they nick the copper wires); makes Fax obsolete yet is still used by many Thai sub-suppliers- internet is expensive, slow and also unreliable at times- labour protection act protects labourers; did you every try to sue staff who just walked out of the job and took company assets along?- red tape: ever tried to open an internet banking account and credit card swiping facility? I did and it took me seven godforsaken months - run a girlie bar; never a staff problem. Try to run a normal business with THB 10'000/monthly wage per staff, limited English? Forget it, the applicants give you the willies...... and so the story goesQuintessence was; I moved this business away to Cambodia. I pay the staff proper salaries and give them human housing and food. Never had staff problems, profits are considerably better than in Thailand and the government does not intervene in anything. Ah, and visa/work permit is a walk in the park compared to the LOS. So, yes, go and look around before sinking a lot of money into frustrating Thailand

Must say I agree with your assessment. If I wasn't settled with a Thai wife, I'd be long gone. I've been here over 12 years and things just get worse every year. The internet is an absolute joke. Where I live, any kind of serious thunderstorm, and the electric goes off, for hours at a time. I'd never start a business here, way too much hassle. Before too many more years, other local countries will start to overtake Thailand, and then leave it behind, all through mismanagement, and the sheer greed of the people who run things.

I think that is a trick question though, because it's complicated. Jews are not a race, they are a people, and not all Jews are at all religious and many who are religious profess other religions than Judaism such as Buddhism, so there is more to it than just religion. If you need to know more, read some books. Too big a topic for a thread like this.

Who cares, move on.

Seconded. Borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring.

for the record: since eight years Mahathir Mohamad is not Prime Minister of Malaysia anymore.

Mahathir Mohamad has openly voiced sadness that Hitler's final genocide solution didn't fully succeed.

Because not all readers remember or know about Mahathir Mohamad's shameful positions as a promoter of racist hate.

His lack of international credibility is a given based on knowing about his open anti-semitism. From Malaysia, a country barring entry to all Israeli nationals.

"readers" might be interested to read the full text of Mahathir's speech october 2003 and arrive at their own individual conclusions.

Speech by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia

to the Tenth Islamic Summit Conference

Putrajaya, Malaysia, October 16, 2003

http://www.adl.org/a...m/malaysian.asp

Having read the full speech, as opposed to the New York Times somewhat sensationalized version, I agree with Mr Mohamad. He advocates a non-violent approach to Islams problems in the world. Obviously it suits the pro-Israeli lobby to continually appear as the victims, even when the news story is not about them. To attack Mr Mohamads' credibility is also far-fetched, as he gave a speech to leaders of 57 nations, who, if the NYT is to be believed applauded warmly afterwards. How is that not credible? The newspaper also mentioned that no complaint was made by the EU, even though it was asked to condemn the speech, it did not. Mr Mohamad seems a perfectly credible person to me, the Tenth Islamic Summit Conference and the European Union. Now can we get back to the topic?

May I suggest to the Malaysian court an immediate prosecution of Captain Kangaroo.

BTW, while I am no fan of Bush/Blair, virulent anti-semite Mahathir Mohamad has even less credibility on the global stage.

What has anti-semitism got to do with the story ? By introducing this subject, it kills the 'debate', as anyone who is in favour of this tribunal is judged, by your statement, to be anti-semetic. Nowhere in the OP is there a mention of Israel, it's people, or religion. As for Mr Mahathir Mohamads' lack of credibility, have you proof of this ? Or is it just anti-muslim bias on your part?

The sad truth is, that instead of a mock trial of Bush & Blair being held in Malaysia, it should have been held for real by the International Criminal Court, and the pair of them, and many of their political associates, should have been charged for real with Crimes Against Humanity. I sincerely hope that this "mock" trial in Malaysia will lead to a real prosecution, in the future.They both deserve to be tried, on behalf of the thousands who have died, been injured or who have suffered because of their evil deeds.

I was doing so well, been dieting a week, lost 4Kgs, also been stopped smoking for 3 days, without problems.........then I read this !!

Looks like it's homemade Fish & chips for dinner - my wife's are superb ( and her fish and chips ain't bad either !).

Curse you Jingthing !!

Aww shucks...I really wanted to see how many people would have turned out for that demo.

2 men in a boat ??

You can decide where and how you want your funaral arrranged.

If you die in Thailand you can be cremated at the local temple without any problems. Only if you are not married will your embassy contact your family to see how they want to proceed with your funeral (and if they are willing to pay for the repatriation of the body).

Make a will and also state your wishes regarding your funeral in it. makes it clear for everyone.

I've been to several funerals in the small village where I live. The days before the cremation have monks chanting at the family home, and through the night various undesirables appear (it's the same bunch at every funeral), who do all kinds of gambling, (and trick the locals out of their money), and eating and drinking at the bereaved family's expense. The police seem to turn a blind eye to this gambling at funerals, though I suspect, there's "tea money" to be had. Personally I hate gambling, I think it's just an excuse for fools to lose their money.

If I put in my will that i don't want gambling at my funeral, what would the consequences be for my wife (assuming I die first). I did mention this to her, but she got really upset, and made comments about did I want her to be alone all night, with my body. Any idea why she doesn't want me to specify this ?

Sorry , I can't offer any advice on "skimming " of your cards. It does seem though, that criminals always seem to be a step ahead, with plastic card technology.

I would suggest that if you have Debit cards, that you don't keep a large amount in the Bank account that it draws from, better to have a deposit type account which can't be accessed by card. As for Credit cards, keep the amount that you can borrow on it as low as you can. Using both these methods will ensure that if you are a victim, then the amount lost will be relatively small.

I do hope your fears are unfounded, though it's worth remembering, that if you do get in trouble in Pattaya, there's always plenty of ex-SAS and ex-US special forces chaps you can call on for help !!

Who died & made Israel or the US the Nuclear marshal's of the world?

What is most disgusting is Israel who to this day has never allowed one nuclear inspection.

Nor will they even take part as every other country (except North Korea) in divulging how many Nukes they possess.

Yet they have the gall to threaten others with unprovoked attacks? This pre-emptive crap is just a term for unprovoked attacks.

Yes we know the whine that they are terrorist & we are not but puleeze....

Judging trees by their fruits would suggest others may see Israel & the US as the terrorist.

If Israel goes ahead with any unprovoked attacks on Iran they deserve anything that comes back at them.

Same for the US.

+1000

This reminds me of the weapons of mass destruction that Saddam was supposed to have. They still haven't found any. Scaremongering at it's worst, so that the US and it's allies can give themselves a moral justification to attack Iran.

Back to the topic. Good for Mr Abbas, I hope the non-violent resistance movement grows, until it is unstoppable, and a peaceful solution is found.

What an appalling waste of money, in a year when many thousands of Americans have lost their homes.

For anyone interested, there is a lot more information here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15786944

Latest, according to the BBC is that Robert Wagner is not a suspect, according to the police. The article here does not mention, (as the BBC does), that an actor, Christopher Walken, was on board the vessel at the time of Miss Woods death.

I subscribe to a couple of UK magazines, and have only had one magazine go missing in several years. i regularly get small packages sent from the UK to Phetchabun, again only one gone missing in several years. Everything I've ever sent, to the UK and Canada has arrived at it's destination safely. Maybe this "lost" post is just a big city problem.

Change banks but first contact manager to be sure he is aware of service you are not getting. We had this problem years ago and it was quickly resolved with hint our money was going elsewhere. You, at least at most banks, are paying for this letter so it is not a favor they are providing.

Thanks for the advice. We'll do this next time we are in town. The only worry I have is that other Banks in Phetchabun are even more incompetent !

I hope you have more luck with your Bank letter than me. I use the Bangkok Bank in Phetchabun, and every year it's a major drama to get this letter. Last time they kept me waiting for 2 hours, despite us going in earlier in the week to request it. The attitude of the woman dealing with this was unbelievable, she went for her lunch, at 11a.m. just to annoy us, as we'd politely pointed out to her how she was wrong. She said we needed to send our bank book to head office, and that they couldn't write us a letter for immigration locally, despite us having had letters for several years previously, again with problems from the local branch.

How hard can it be to keep a letter on file and update it once a year ? They're drinking in the "last chance saloon" this year.

Good luck with your application.

some of the small branches of Bangkok Bank in BKK are not even aware of this letter, i was told it will take 2 weeks since they have to request the letter from the HQ in Silom. The branch manager said it will still take 2 weeks if i go to request it myself at the Silom HQ. I went to Silom and got the letter within 15 minutes at counter 51-52 which deals with letters and documents. I went to Immigration at Cheng Wattana the next day and was requested to update my bank book in the local branch downstairs. No need for a token deposit, just put the book in the Deposit update machine outside the branch and it gets updated.

Thanks for the reply, Islandboy. This letter request is similar to the story that we have been given in Bangkok Banks' Phetchabun office, it's basically a load of twaddle because the branch is inefficiently run. If branches of Bangkok bank are unaware of letters for immigration, then they need to sort their business out, it's a relatively simple matter which is easily resolved by anyone competent in computers.

The 2 hour wait for the letter was eventually resolved by me sliding down in the chair I was sitting on, and looking extremely sad. ( I learned a long time ago never to lose my temper, shout, or do anything that westerners normally do, to resolve a problem - there is always another way to get the result you want). Everyone in the Bank noticed this, and before too long the assistant manager came over to ask what was wrong. He then went into a back office and came out with the letter, checked with us that it was correct, and took it into the managers office for stamping and signing. He apologised profusely for our wait.

Glad you got your visa sorted out.