mrdome

Lufthansa just extended all flight cancellations from 2pm CET to 8pm CET.

If we had windy and rainy weather, the situation would improve but it is sunny and there is hardly any wind at all and the volcano keeps spewing...

Coming to think of it, creating clouds and rain artificially might be a way out of this. Don't know if this is feasible.

No flights today either, is a pretty safe bet. I'd go as far to say that this will extend into Monday & Tuesday as the cloud keeps hanging around.

Let's face it, today is toast as well in terms of allowing major flight movements in and out of Europe. I'm supposed to fly from TXL to BKK via SIN on Thursday evening and still hopeful at this point.

17 hours i find 7hrs hard going

Weird, if it's not at least 8 hrs it barely counts as a flight for me (and I'm only 65% kidding).

Yeah, it would probably be the same. People accused of crimes don't seem to get much privacy here. Think about how often there are postings on TV with links to news articles - the top photo is usually the accused person in the police station. And then there are pictures of the accused person at the crime scene.

Normally with a witness or two and a couple of cops standing in a semi circle facing the camera and pointing at him.

I love it when they do that !

I gotta admit, I've loved the pointing in these photographs for years ... "We maybe the police but it was HIM/HER! That guy/gal, not wearing a uniform."

Smuglerus interruptus

I'd be scarred being sold anything but the real deal when it comes to gems & gold. How can you tell it's real gold?

Steve Morse is great, although I know him more from his work with Kansas around the "Power" and "In The Spirit of Things" albums. I listened to some of the Purple songs from "Bananas" on Youtube but they didn't really sweep me off my feet.

Whatever you do, do it better than others. Give your customers reasons to choose you over the others. There are gazillions of places to stay and eat, just as an example. Why do people select one over the other in cases where they have a choice?

The unique problems in Thailand will be that if you do not have a WP you cannot get involved in it and if people know it's a foreigner owned business that is doing well, they might try to push you out of that market and copy it themselves. So, staying low key might be the ... erm, key.

Here's a possibility, get yourself to the Skytrain via the subway. Go to Victory Monument. Take the # 551 van to the airport. I took it in April of last year (description is in Bangkok Forum) and the van took 20 minutes from Victory Monument and dropped us right in front of the terminal (40 baht back then). Caution: only for medium luggage at best.

For hotel or rather guesthouse, I recommend www.baanhualampong.com starting at 290 THB for a non-aircon single (I will try this property out myself next month and will report back.

There is also the @Hualampong hostel, bed in dorm starts at 350 THB. Both are close to the subway entrance on Rama IV.

Which place is likely to have a sale and a good selection. Any recommendations?

Here's a good comparison website:

http://www.thaiwebsites.com/medical-check-ups.asp

After studying this as well as options in Malaysia and Singapore, the winner for me was... Singapore. They had a promotion for Sin$190 (from Sin$300).

www.healthscreening.sg

That's an agent website and it doesn't point to the hospital that's associated with it, apart from some obscure places on Orchard Road and similar! Be very careful with this. I don't have a bone to pick about choice of hospitals/location but for me personally, I do want to know about the facility and the credentials of the doctors involved. If you are serious about this, compare what you see between the two web sites, if it helps. I've had medical exams and one major heart procedure done at Bumrungrad so I do speak with first hand knowledge of the facility.

I do not get your reply at all. It is a comparison website with links to the actual hospital websites where you can compare prices and what's included. Careful about comparing? Sorry, you lost me and I believe you were/are mistaken and didn't really look. But cést la vie on TV with some of the replies you get here.

[...] also with me it was not about the money, but the fact the the girl really cuts very good. [...]

Does she understand English?

Do you have to explain what you want or will she look at your head and come up with what looks naturally good on you (which is what I like but can hardly be found anywhere)?

Wow, they even had their own online article:

http://www.thaiasiatoday.com/index.php?opt...&Itemid=105

No worries, if you bring enough money, you will always be welcome in Singapore

What we can learn is that the policy is not evenly applied. Imho, no one should try to take these reports as encouragement to 'chance it'. You don't want to be the one who is suddenly asked when you can't produce the goods.

What a thread, lol.

FuninPlural, why does it have to be Bangkok? For the nightlife you won't be able to afford in the first place? The rotting mango has many things to see - true - but is relatively expensive and has plenty of downsides and shady characters.

I really liked the advise of going to Ayutthaya and staying there mostly but maybe that's too quiet for you. As for the money, yes it can be done easily. It's just that many posters have a hard time imagining or doing this. Well, you have come here for a purpose and not for a vacation.

Here's a good comparison website:

http://www.thaiwebsites.com/medical-check-ups.asp

After studying this as well as options in Malaysia and Singapore, the winner for me was... Singapore. They had a promotion for Sin$190 (from Sin$300).

www.healthscreening.sg

Used to do many visa runs to Poipet and eat in one of the casino's for free after a Malaysian clued me in about exchanging enough to get a food voucher. The border agents will want their extra income, that's for sure.

I wanted to get the online visa to avoid that hassle, TerraPosse.

I used to visit that border plenty of times in 2001 when I lived in Bangers.

Thank you for your detailed replies. I have thought about the casino bus and will actually be staying near Lumpini the night before but thought these would get to the border too late for the last bus to Battambang.

beejoir, before I pay that kind of dosh just to get to the bloomin border, I'd just fly to PP and get it over with.

However, I fly so much already and would actually like to see a bit of the countryside and may even decide to stop in Battambang, so I've decided to do the overland thing.

And the trouble spots are?

On Sunday, April 25th I plan to go from Bangkok to Battambang (and possibly all the way to Phnom Penh) by bus. I hear that a bus from Poipet to Battambang only leaves in the morning and I am looking to get a fast bus that takes more like 3hrs and 45 mins and not 5hrs.

The first bus is at 3:30 am it says on several websites. Is this the one to take? I'd love to hear from those who have done this and continued on to Battambang.

Thanks.

Loved the article, nicely written. As an average looking Westerner of average means in small and majorly Chinese Singapore, the options are in fact limited for serious dating that is not measured (and paid for) by the hour. On the other hand, I keep hearing that Singaporeans have no time for sex or are too tired... so, why would you even want to pick a local bride?

THAI needs to urgently upgrade its business class product. Overall, cleaner and more efficient aircraft is always good news.

The Regin looks very good, thanks for that tip.

low lifes, they were at fault he yells at them and then they stab him.... Lesson to others, next time just run them over.

As cruel as this statement sounds, it might be the best advise.

RIP.

And pay hundreds of thousands of baht as a result... great advise, lol.

No, you see these guys for what they are and avoid confrontation. isn't that one of the main rules for living in Thailand, to avoid confrontation?