dddave

They must have left out some information on this story, it's not so simple to follow someone onto a plane if you don't have a ticket for the same flight. .

Sure it's easy. The Bangkok-Macao flights are rarely full so easy to buy a ticket as a walk-up, then easy to catch up to the quarry at departure gate.

Passengers frequently get up and get stuff out of their bags in the bins; nobody really pays attention.

Like the OP, I'm not particularly adept at setting up anything new. I'd been considering a VPN for a long time. A friend who is a professional IT guy steered me to PureVPN. It's not free ($10/month or $49/year) but it got really good reviews on some credible websites.

Sign up was multi-step but straightforward and well explained. I was able to open the account using Paypal. I elected to pay one month to try it out...there is a 7 day grace period where you can cancell and get 100% refund.

Set up was also multi-step but also well explained and illustrated. After the sign-up, you have to wait an hour or so for a confirmation Email that contains a unique username and password needed to complete the set-up; not the same user/log-in you use signing up. Once you complete the download, a wizard takes you through set-up. Options are pretty well explained. I was able to complete it on my own without my usual agonized howls of frustration.

I have been using it for four days now and my download speed is actually faster and far more consistent than ever. No problem loading content from anywhere.

I Should have done it a long time ago.

BTW, I'm on True 10+MB ADSL, Bangkok

I doubt your download speed is faster, but I'm guessing web pages open quicker. Is that what you mean?

Yes.

Bought mine at "Home Pro"

Doomed from the start; first by the difficulty just getting to Makassan in the first place and secondly, the abundance of cheap taxi's in Bangkok. It would cost 2 passengers more to take a taxi to Makassan, haul their bags to the check in area and then pay 2 Express fares than it would to take a taxi directly from the hotel to the airport.

The "Lodge" company is the premiere maker of traditional cast iron skillets and cookware in the US though there are some manufacturers now making super expensive "gourmet" models. https://www.lodgemfg.com/

The "TrueValue" hardware store in that high end, open air shopping center at the end of Suk. soi 26, behind the Big-C, Rama-4 has Lodge cast iron fry pans but very expensive: about B1500 for an 8" model.

I bought an 8" Lodge at Wallmart in the US for $16 and brought it back to Thailand in my checked bag...must have rung a lot of bells in security screening.

A friend has a 10" Lodge but it is too big unless you cook a lot of food. Too much open surface area causes a lot of smoke when he cooks a burger or two.

I use a stiff brush and old rags to clean mine...water never touches it.

He was always one of the good "bad Guys" in Saturday morning westerns.

Essence does get really positive reviews and is also in a good location. Looks somewhat more "upscale" than Paramount. When I'm traveling alone I like laid back and informal but if accompanied with a GF, a bit of deluxe pampering kind of adds to the occasion.

Probably Bang Krachao. If you look at a map of Bangkok there is a horseshoe bend in the river. Bang Krachao is the inner part of the horseshoe. Often heard it refered to as "The Lungs of Bangkok". Take a ferry from Klong Toey. You can hire bikes. There is a developed park area but most is natural with sprawling palm plantations, pathways all through it and little villages. Its quite surreal as you can look up and see the skyscrapers of Silom etc but feel you are 100's of kilometers away from the city.

That's it. Thanks TF

If things start bogging down, not a bad idea to do an inventory of exactly how many devices are currently running off your connection. With the proliferation of devices using wifi: phones, tablets, TV boxes and even some appliances, it's easy to lose track. Might be more of a load than you expect. Just in my studio: my two phones plus my GF's, her tablet, my laptop, an Android TV box and an old laptop downloading torrents= seven devices running.

Like the OP, I'm not particularly adept at setting up anything new. I'd been considering a VPN for a long time. A friend who is a professional IT guy steered me to PureVPN. It's not free ($10/month or $49/year) but it got really good reviews on some credible websites.

Sign up was multi-step but straightforward and well explained. I was able to open the account using Paypal. I elected to pay one month to try it out...there is a 7 day grace period where you can cancell and get 100% refund.

Set up was also multi-step but also well explained and illustrated. After the sign-up, you have to wait an hour or so for a confirmation Email that contains a unique username and password needed to complete the set-up; not the same user/log-in you use signing up. Once you complete the download, a wizard takes you through set-up. Options are pretty well explained. I was able to complete it on my own without my usual agonized howls of frustration.

I have been using it for four days now and my download speed is actually faster and far more consistent than ever. No problem loading content from anywhere.

I Should have done it a long time ago.

BTW, I'm on True 10+MB ADSL, Bangkok

Lazada has very bad customer service. if you want to speak in english, you are transferred to a phillipine call centre.

Same as when you are in the USA and call Macy's or Targets or JC Penny customer service...also transfered to the Philippines. Got Norton Anti-Virus? Call with a question or problem? Ask the agent about the weather in Cebu.

Vang Vieng has kind of cleaned up in the last 5 years. More restrictions on the booze-tubing and all day party atmosphere and far fewer resident stoners. Many of the GH's have upgraded their facilities and comfort levels. It really is such a beautiful area it is worth consideration. LP is a tourist town and even April will have it's share but it is a lovely city to walk around and some of the river trips to the caves and waterfall are a great way to spend a day.

I've written several times on this forum about how spectacular the scenery is on the bus trip from Vientiane to V.V. then to LP It's 10+ hours all the way and while the bus isn't the best in the world, not the worst either.

My memory is failing me...somebody help me with this. Just this past year there was a thread mentioning a beautiful natural area just on the opposite side of the Chao Phraya in Bangkok. Not an official park as I recall but a large, undeveloped area with forests, meadows and a lot of natural beauty with many trails and paths accessible to the public. It would really fit what the OP seems to be looking for. I tried searching but couldn't find the right terms.

I recently purchased the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 (2/16gb) I purchased it through Everbuying.com for $125 and it arrived in 2 weeks, standard free shipping. Had to pay duty about B260. Prices for the same device in Thailand were double. No Chinese apps loaded and all Google apps available and working. Some bloatware. Only noticeable quirk was that the phone "location" was locked to China. Wifi & 4G both function well but my particular model can only have one data connection though it has 2 SIMs. Other more expensive models can have 2 data SIMs, including the Note-3. Mine takes SD memory cards but I believe the Note-3 does not.

I really like the phone so far. nice build quality, beautiful display and runs very smoothly. I've never used more than 50% of battery in a day..but I'm not a gamer or heavy video user.

Mine runs on Android 5.1 and it immediately updated to the MIUI 7 skin Xiaomi pre installs. The only really noticeable change from stock Android is no app drawer...just flip through the pages.

One major annoyance so far with Miu is with the pre-installed music player. Not anything wrong with it really but you can't get rid of it or even disable it should you want to use a different player such as Googles, which I happen to like. The Xioami player is always on the notifications screen...there is no way to turn it off. Because of that, Google player will not open. I have researched all over the net but there seems to be no work-around so far on Miui-7. There was one on Miui 6. Not a deal breaker but still an annoyance.

Xiaomi gives 5GB of free cloud storage on sign-up.

The quality Xiaomi put into what is essentially a low end phone is really amazing. I'm kind of a phone junky and this is by far, the best under $200 phone ever.

We really liked the Paramount, a smaller hotel tucked in a small alley off an alley...very quiet location but in the heart of the old quarter, about 2 blocks from the cathedral.

Rooms are medium/small but nicely furnished...not deluxe, but comfortable. The place is clean and well maintained. Complementary breakfast, free coffee all day. We paid about $25/n using Agoda.

No pool.

A friend registered a new SIM at a Bangkok 7-11 last week. Needed passport, took less than 2 minutes.

Any chance of talking to other residents of building? They will be most likely to know which performs best.

I thought CS Loxinfo had gone the way of the floppy drive.

I'm heading for Prachuap Kiri Khan. Only one day of Songkran, nice beaches, no farangs with ice water canons.

I fly more than 100,000 miles a year and compression socks have made a big difference for me. Before I began using them, on long, 8+ hour flights my feet would swell so much it would be difficult to get my shoes on. A physician friend advised I use compression socks and they completely eliminated the swelling.

Proper fit is really important. This short video explains how to properly measure and fit them.

Amazon.com has a large selection in calf, knee and thigh length. I found full length thigh stockings to be too hot and uncomfortable on long flights. i use "knee Hi's" and they seem to work well. I paid about $30

It may be difficult to get a really proper pair here in Thailand though a friend was able to get a pair at a major hospital pharmacy in Bangkok, sorry, forget which one.. Still worth it to get the best you can and then buy a high quality pair you can when you are back in the west. They seem to last pretty well. I've used my pair for 3 years. I hand wash in cold water only using little soap so the elastic won't degrade.

Airlines have gotten used to handling large, flat-screen TV's and monitors. Every time I'm at the airport here I see dozens going into "Oversized Baggage"

Just make sure to pack it well using bubble wrap and extra protection on the corners. Also, something puncture resistant (such as hardboard) over the screen.

My guess is it will actually be safer as checked baggage than sending it via post or express.

Don't some ISP's also somehow group Google requests, making it appear that they all come from one source?

No one smartphone is really easier than another...it's the operating system you have to deal with. Apple's is probably the easiest and most unified. Android is now the most popular but because it is so customizable, can become complex...but can also be really simple.

Asus has a good line of "Zenphones" starting at B3000. They are Android but Asus has an option in the phone set-up that gives you a very simplified home screen with only your basic selections. Very easy for a novice to use.

Windows phones are also very straightforward. The homescreen makes selection of what you want to do very obvious...it's almost all right there. The downside of Windows is a much smaller selection of available apps but all the basics are covered like Line and Facebook. Since they dropped the Nokia brand, the Microsoft branded models are kind of lacking in extra features like high quality displays and long life batteries and the built in cameras are mediocre. For a simple, easy to use phone for a low price, it is probably a very good choice. Prices start at less than B3000 but most of the ones in the lower price range only have a rear camera and are not 4G.

You can see them in most mall phone stores like JMart and TG Phone.

Can't find the Xiaomi 5 in the Xiaomi online shop!

Not officially exported yet. When they do, it will probably be rolled out country by country, one at a time and only show up on that country's Xiaomi websites.

Already showing up for pre-order on some online sellers promising June delivery.

Last few days, real problem with TV. Pages wouldn't load fully, couldn't open topics. Yesterday and today, couldn't open links in "GoogleNews" like to stories in "Mashable" or "Huffington Post" yet could access those websites directly, no problem.

Happening on both Chrome and IE.

TrueADSL, Bangkok

Once Nok settles all this, if they can, look for some really deeply discounted promotions in the following months...making it irresistible for all you swearing to never fly Nok again to say "Ahh, What the heck!" and book a super cheap flight.