bangkok19

There's 3 or 4 between Asoke and 23... it's a bit dark in that area and methinks probably a waste of time. Loved Asoke corner late 90's/early 2000's. Bars on that corner block as well as lining the sidewalk. Many drunken conversations were conducted whilst urin##ing in the horng nahm at the Shell garage. I remember getting an infection (in my hand) from the length of barbed wire I raised (at the entrance to the driveway) whilst rushing to the horng nahm. The Exchange Tower building across the road was just finished being built and we'd sit at one of the sidewalk bars and comment on the one light that was always turned on up at the 5th floor... a security guard. Always in conversation at those sidewalk bars (early mornings) we'd always call the Exchange Tower the DAILY PLANET BUILDING. I remember a girl who setup a bar along there by the name of Noona. She lived in Soi 22 and sadly a few years later she died from a stomach problem. Every time I walk past INDULGE these days I always think of her pushing her trolley of bar stools/drinks etc to her position (to set up) on the sidewalk at that spot. Then there was Noi, with the large n*ms who had a bar in the back of her pickup parked in 23 right where Jasmine Court driveway is now.

I find the upstairs level of the BKK BANK Bangkapi branch most helpful. This is the Cards/Passbook/Foreign transaction section. Replacement card was not a problem, that particular account is with this branch. The girl offered me water, the visit wasn't rushed but relaxed and friendly, I would have loved to have seen her without her mask on. I've had many experiences at the Exchange Tower branch as well, all successful however the room is small and always crowded and kinda rushed but convenient. My local branch in a Big C (upcountry) has closed down... I'm wondering if this is becoming a trend?

November to late Feb.... best time of the year IMO. The heat in Sukhothai these past few months has been oppressive. I forgot to bring with me my rubber 'condom' beer holder, when drinking those tinnies of Heineken outdoors, they lose their chill in minutes > warm beer! Forced to drink indoors in the A/C until sunset. I haven't seen those rubber 'condom' beer holders in Big C or the markets......

Microsurgery on his meat & veges... Surely a rubber band would've been the safer option!

Adhesives these days are pretty good.. although I was warned against putting laminate or vinyl over my existing sealed Cork Tiles.. apparently they would have come unstuck over a short period... so I ripped them (and the underlay masonite out). Perhaps a bit of "Dr Google" research is required, if not already...

From what the flooring people tell me, in the case of the vinyl , the 'base' comprising of the sheets of masonite act as a 'buffer' between the floorboards and the vinyl covering (as well as smoothing out any defects in the floorboards). If I had chosen Laminate flooring (with thin rubber underlay).. the regulations stipulated that they would have to protrude 5mm under the kick plate and any vertical (to the floor) panels of my new kitchen with a 1 mm (minimal contact) gap.

One thing I've noticed with the wearing of masks, there are a lot more attractive women on the Skytrain. ????

I'd love to call Chiang Mai (at present) the 'new normal' due to the lack of Chinese tourists. Unfortunately, with so many closed business's the locals are hurting because of the lack of.. My favourite Hotel, bars and restaurants are still open so all my needs are catered for. There seem to be many Euro familes in town, and during the daytime, they're out of town on the tours leaving the downtown and moat areas very quiet. The Tapae Gate area the exception... during the daytime there always seem to be outdoor meetings, parades and even protests made up of Thai's. They're obviously not dispersing and spending the big bucks in the local area... they just get bussed out when they've finished. Bangkok is definitely not the way it was before however, it's hastily heading in the right direction.. hopefully the current refurbishments will be complete before the high season.

I'm assuming you're removing the (ceramic) tiles yourself so that they have bare floorboards to start on. I'm at present getting vinyl planks installed in my brand new kitchen. They look like fake timber which is what I want. The first thing they do is staple/glue sheets of masonite to the floorboards then glue the vinyl on top of that. For a small kitchen it's costing me AUD$1,550. The quote for laminate was AUD$2,600 (rubber underlay extra). Both are waterproof, and after all my visits to the showrooms, they both look very similar. Here in Oz there are regulations when laying flooring on bare floorboards. You must allow for expansion and contraction of the original floorboards so that when you fix a covering to the bare floorboards it can't butt up hard against fixed (kitchen) cabinets or skirting. The seller/installers here, give you all the options to suit the regulations (as opposed to leaving a gap between flooring and cabinets). I was going to attempt the job myself but for AUD$1,550 I can get a 'professional' to do the job properly to compliment my brand new kitchen.

After receiving the approval and Ref. No. from the Consulate..... I went in to the Consulate and gave it to them in person. No appointment, just rock in and take a number... then wait for it to be called. I handed them the Application Form with the Reference No. (they emailed me) written at the top .. also my photo stapled on top LH corner plus my Passport. Picked up the new visa/Passport after 2 business days.

It must cost these "counterfeiters" a lot of money to produce these fake products.. and if they're selling them 'just under' the price of the real thing to make their product appear more attractive, then they must have a very small profit margin. I guess it takes a lot of money to make money. I'm just curious as to how much it would cost them to produce a product that could 'pass' as Lubricant... unless it is of course recycled lubricant.

Already happening along Loi Kroh, CNX. As long as the Roller Shutters are down by 12.15am and the volume knob is at the 9 o'clock position!

Does that mean they'll resume flying the Domestic routes? Was wondering if all those planes 'parked up' along the Swampy taxi-ways will ever get used again. Their budget carrier, Thai Smile, seems to be a good money spinner for THAI... they're not so much the 'budget' carrier at the moment, the BKK/CNX flights always full. Bangkok Air cheaper (if you can get a seat).

BRAKE FAILURE - Failure to apply the brakes.

I spend half my (Sukhothai) time on the farm, and in the suburbs (Ban Gloo-ay). I never have a problem with mozzies on the farm but other family members do, however, in the suburbs they continually go for my arms and ankles, especially near dark areas indoors, or near pot plants... especially at the moment, with bodies of water lying around after all the rain. My BEST mosquito repellent is my (Bvlgari) Cologne.. Instead of a squirt on my neck, I squirt a fine spray on both (bare) arms and on my ankles. I'm then "mosquito free" and I smell pretty!

I applied for my tourist visa online to the Sydney Consulate. I got approval the following day. I wasn't asked for Health Insurance document and wasn't asked for proof of accommodation nor was I asked for proof of Sydney residence i.e. copy of drivers license. It certainly was a simple procedure compared to previous applications. I did have to show proof of vaccination though at the TG check in at Sydney Airport

I thought it was something we were used to! I just walk away from the 'refusing' taxi driver and hail the next one. I actually had a win once... got in a taxi from Swampy to go to Sukhumvit Soi 19 during the '2014 Blockade'... driver quoted me 500 Baht which I accepted because I knew of the traffic schmozzle we were going to encounter when we got closer to downtown e.g. Asoke Intersection closed. Tollway was as slow as... He got off and ended up on Petchburi Rd and turned left into Sukhumvit Soi 3. He kept the meter running (for whatever reason) and as we turned left from Soi 3 to take the zig zag back way to Soi 19 the meter was showing 560 Baht... the driver was getting quite angry... at the last part of the backway between Soi's 15 and 19 he drove down the wrong side of the Soi then got stuck facing oncoming traffic! Meter was showing well over 600. I slipped him the 500 note (we agreed on) and disembarked with my small bag... laughing all the way to the Honey Hotel.

YES ! You aren't a structural engineer. In fact, quite often when a Forum member here makes a completely sensible post, Diamond Member LIVERPOOL LOU is the first one to his keyboard to ridicule the post... usually a snide 'one sentence' comment without any basis.

Since EMIRATES stopped doing the SYD-BKK route I've been flying TG Business. I did notice last month that the staff are actually "trying" to be better. The flight attendants went up to each individual passenger (in the business section) and thanked them (by their name) for 'coming back' to THAI. I thought that was a nice touch. For my choice of seating... I just chose the seat on their website after purchasing the ticket. What I didn't like was the breakfast's MUSHROOM OMELETTE... which was just the old SPANISH OMELETTE rebranded. Powdered eggs????????

I tend to disagree... I applied for my current tourist visa ONLINE first time ever. I found the whole experience simple and fast. I got the 'approval' within 12 hours and the following day I trotted into the Sydney Consulate with my Passport, filled-out Application form with Reference number. Re the Immigation on arrival at Swampy last month... all they wanted to see was my Passport and boarding pass.... so, don't leave your boarding pass in the seat pocket on the plane!

A nice little sidewalk along there would be nice... unpleasant walking along there at present getting splashed by cars close by when it is raining.

I remember when they built (what is now) The Hilton Millenium Hotel on the Chao Phraya River. It was originally going to be a Sofitel Hotel. For a couple of years it stood there empty. One afternoon I was having a few beers in THE BAARN, an old (long gone) Bar in Patpong 1. I was talking to an engineer who was working on the (then) construction of the Baiyoke Tower, the tall bldg with the turret skywalk. He was teling me the Sofitel on the River has been officially "condemned" because of unstable footings/foundations. A few days later I took a ferry across the River, and the ferry exit up to the main road went right past the "condemned bldg. There were already cracks in the concrete walls at ground level. An accident waiting to happen? The building stood empty for quite a while. Some time later (maybe 1 year) I was doing a Dinner Cruise along the river at night and as we cruised passed the hotel I could see lights on in some of the rooms. Long story short.. it was supposedly repaired and rendered 'safe' for habitation and rebranded The Hilton Millenium. These days when I'm having a quiet Chardy up in the 360 Bar, looking around at all the 'other' construction... my mind wanders back to the late 90's and what I'm sitting above. There are strict regulations regarding building height v ground level footings sq metres. The engineer was telling me that (because of unsafe ground subsidence in Greater Bangkok) the lower floors (at ground level and below) have to have a greater area (sq m) as well as depth (foundation /footings) in relation to building height. When you look at that building, (Baiyoke) your attention is drawn to the height... however the bottom floors take up a very large area. Which reminds me of a new Apartment bldg completed early this year in the Ratchadapisek area, very close to the new Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre. It's close to 32 levels and built on a very small block. Neighbours tell me it's development application was continually knocked back until one day... the concrete mixer trucks turned up. Payments involved????? Me hopes the building doesn't come down during the upcoming APEC Conference across the road... not a good look!

Last month at Sydney Airport TG Check-in I was asked to show my Covid Travel Cert. with the large QR Code... she just looked at it, nodded her head, and proceeded to tag my bags. At Swampy Airport the only contact with any officialdom was Immigration... all they looked at was my Passport and boarding Pass (no more Arrival/Departure card),,,, the quickest I've ever been through Swampy ever!