jingjoe

I'm sure he appreciates you answering for him and flaming me in the process...

There are plenty of Buddhist charities

..and a Buddhist charity would be a better option for helping this small group of kids in need because?

Hill tribe people are often stateless - read, no funding or governmental assistance.

Wherever did you get the idea that Hill tribe people are Buddhists?

..and who said TV was stale and stuck in the 90's? I like it

Yeah Armidale is a fair hike, but for wineries keep Mount Tambourine in mind (an hour from Brisbane - in the Gold Coast hinterland), some great B&B's up that way. Stop at St Bernards Pub for a counter meal too... great views.

Throw Orpheus Island Resort into the mix. Just off Ingham (get there via Townsville or Cairns) starting at around AU$1000 a night (US$865).

http://www.orpheusisland.com/

Nice work Carlos.

I don't ask the F/A's for anything they didn't offer. I love to get out of my seat and serve myself (have a stretch and a scratch), whether flying in biz or in the back, but I DO stay put & don't get in their way during busy periods.

I think that makes me bloody near the perfect passenger

For the NZD if you look at it this way... Exchanging NZ$1000 at Super-rich will earn you an additional 100 THB over 3 or 4 other mainstream banks. As Carmine suggested, you'll need to exchange a shed-load of $ to make the trip worth your time and effort.

This is a very handy converter for Thai banks.... Just use the drop down box to change to your currency... it compares all the mainstream banks on one page.

The LINK.

Pay the extra for the XL seats and you won't fly with anyone else (for the rate).

Some pics of XL seats HERE

My next unscheduled visit (in 2 weeks) came courtesy of a China Air business class fare out of Brisbane. AU$1939 was just TOO hard to pass up. Buy before July, fly before October, 6 month ticket. They have LAX & AMS, Rome, FRA in Biz for around AU$2600 (inclusive).

Certainly looks like the usual suspects, Amari etc have dropped around 20% of late, while the high end 5 star's have stayed pretty much stagnant. Probably to keep out the riff raff I 'spose.

I think you'll find the atm's are limited to 20 "notes", so 20k might be the limit.

No one likes to lose face, especially when there's an audience. Being a good loser is more about "saving face" than losing it. Things are, the way they are, comparing Thai personality quirks with English ones can often be like comparing apples with oranges.

I know I've had to keep my temper in check over the years, Thailand isn't always as forgiving (building a bridge) to dummy spitting outbursts as our own home "turf" might be.

Singapore Air have got a bit of a sale on at the mo'

I bought 3 x return tickets PER-SIN-BKK for AUD790 - inc tax, during the school holidays at the end of Sept. So less than AUD2300.00 total - Thai quoted AUD 3500 for the same on their website and SQ is far better than thai.

This link may assist anyone wanting to check out the cheap seats being offered by SIA at the moment;

Bestflights - Singapore Air Sale Fares

Bangkok to Paris Friday, May 29, 2009

Paris to Bangkok Monday, June 29, 2009

Same dates and almost as crazy a price for Thai air (direct) on bestflights.com.au @ AU$ 12 250 (THB 290 000)

Gulf Air on the same dates were;

Adult Fare 2 $846.45 $1,692.90

Adult Tax 2 $362.70 $725.40

Child Fare 2 $846.45 $1,692.90

Child Tax 2 $362.70 $725.40

Best Flights Service Fee $18.95

Total Price (Australian Dollars): $4,855.55 (THB 115 000)

If you seriously want to arrive in Thailand with the basic tools to get around, and identify potential problems, get yourself the latest lonely planet (or some other brand-name) Thailand guide book. It is money well spent when you're clueless.

Read the introduction pages (you'll pick up a lot of good tips), and refer to the specific cities, towns, & island's sections as required.

Off topic post deleted.

Good call Mario... quiet night at home is it?

Will you be able to source your prozac in Angeles?

970 Kilometres (600 miles) Central Pattaya to Phuket town, 990 kilometres if going on to Patong.

Last year was my first "Pattaya" Songkran, and on the whole I enjoyed it. It was only ever the nit-wits, (for the best part of a week leading up to the big day), that got me EVERY FKN TIME I took a songtaew through the Arab quarter, that had me itching to jump off the songtaew and bitch slap every one of them.

They've got nothing up top... there's just a void.

A sad loss was the golliwog biscuit, and changing the name of the Australian "black-boy" to "grass-tree" must've taken months to come up with. Fortunately (not through lack of trying) you can still grab a bottle of pickled onions scoff down with your COON cheese in OZ. You can even crunch them down with a packet of salt'n'vinegar SAMBOY chips.

Addicted to foot massage as I am, I learned not all are beneficial when I had one 2 years back, in Taipei.

It lasted an hour (I got the impression he was practising his martial arts pressure points), not wanting to give the guy the pleasure of seeing me squirm, I didn't flinch. I sat quietly, stony-faced, wanting to see how long I could last. And last I did, until the final moments, when all else had failed, this sadist touched my knee via the bottom of my foot. I leaned forward and calmly said, "that f'king hurt"! He smiled, noded and said "yes". (My feet didn't come good for a week)

If any blokes here have had a Kazakhstan massage in the Arisan baths you'll know the type of pain I speak of.

4 nights at TuneHotels downtown KL

The tune might wear a bit thin after a short while, very comfortable bed (in a shoebox) well located and cheap, I guess it depends what you're used to. For "quasi claustrophobics" like me, I'd dread coming "home" for some downtime each night.

Bloody good deal though, and as you've shown, it really pays to play on the AA search engine with your dates. I can feel an affordable side-trip to Amsterdam coming on, next trip North.

Take a look at this deal with Thai air, (although it's return, not one way), Best Flights .. that's AU$ 689 plus AU$330 tax (24000 baht) from the east cost.

One way isn't any cheaper really except for taxes.

thanks for the help and the sarcasm.

No worries, you deserve it.

You won't "do" Angkor in a day, but you can still say you did.

Perhaps some hints from tales of asia site, and the Two Dragons Guest house is highly recommended.