richard_smith237

Its a great way to travel and if you are in no rush it breaks up the flight nicely. We do this all the time with a layover or stopover in Dubai. Its more than likely you can get a visa on arrival (depending on your nationality of course - that info is in the link below). https://www.etihad.com/en/fly-etihad/visas#:~:text=A Transit Visa is applicable,hours and four calendar days. The following info is for Emirates, but, I imagine similar rules are required for Abu Dhabi (but best to check with airline) If a layover (< 24 hrs) baggage can go through to final destination. If a stopover (>24 hrs) baggage must be collected in Dubai. We nearly always use the layover option from BKK to UK and take the AM flight from BKK to DXB landing at 1:30pm and in hotel pool by 2:30pm. Back to the airport at 7am the following morning (no check-in required - boarding passes already in hand) and go straight through security to the gate and walk onto the plane !!! - so stress free !!! Returning we do similar, but stay 2 nights because of the time difference and flight arrival times (arriving at midnight and departing at 10am which makes 1 night not really worth it, the additional hassle with this longer 34 hr stopover is that we have collect and check-in our baggage which is a bit of an unwanted PITA when for the sake of 2 nights a tiny amount of hand-luggage is all thats required).

I eat Thai 90% of the time, well, toss in some food from Myanmar & make it 98%. I don't see it as the same at all. Not as varied as eating many differ t cuisines though is it ??? Thailand’s main cities, particularly Bangkok has an overwhelming variety of high quality international cuisines… Eating Thai food 90% of the time is perhaps for those living in the boondocks with limited options. No criticism of that, just criticism of those who think these high end international restaurants (such as Ramsay’s incommer) are rubbish, because in reality, they have no access to such cuisine due to their own situation (financial or location).

‘Beans & toast crowd’ indeed…. … Just like the ‘7-11 steps crowd’, the ‘Gibleys crowd”, the “farm girl crowd”…, These comments are just like the comments on the wine threads, coffee threads, phone threads, watch threads…. “regency & coke is better than expensive grape juice”… “3-in-1 is as good as any overpriced over marketed bean”???? “My 7 year old Oppo works fine, the latest iPhone 15 is a fanboy ripoff”???? “Omega / Rolex is for showing off, I can tell the time on my phone”…???? ”who wants an educated pale skinned model, give me a down to earth splay toed leathery farm girl any day of the week” ???? So many comments seem to be more of an internal justification for not being ‘in the market’…

Who did you train under before you earned your Michelin stars ????

Kai is full of Thai’s eating fish & chips for 950 baht - there is a huge growing ‘middle class’ in Thailand with expendable income. Or beans on toast ??? Exactly…

17 Michelin stars & successful restaurants worldwide would suggest you are quite wrong - but what do Michelin, Masterchef & millions of diners world wide know, eh ???

But the Thais going there do not know what is good food. However, they will learn when GR comes to town! Erm…. You know right.., which is how you can make such a generalization… Reading this forum, many westerners can’t recognize quality food…

Immigration are unlikely to be interested, but if wishing to enter visa exempt the airlines do ask. Regs are onward ticket & 20,000 baht in cash (or currency equivalent). Anecdote that ‘I have never been asked’ is irrelevant - the regulations are what they are regardless of likelihood of being asked. Immigration are unlikely to ask anything if the op has a clean visa history. It’s more likely the airline checkin staff will want to see an onward ticket (or a visa).

Of course common knowledge… I simply figured you were that far outside of everyday reality and lacked such information - that was not a measure of the opinion I have of my basic knowledge, but a measure of my opinion of your flaws. These Michelin stared chefs have been fooling the world with food marginally better than you can do at home eh ???? But they can’t fool bignok !!! love it… you are hilarious in a very ‘laugh at way’… I suspect you couldn’t tell an A7 Matsusaka from a KU steak.

100% agree…, On semi-scripted TV GR comes across as a total pr!ck… … repots are that in private he’s great… What is undeniable is his excellence as a chef… …predictably we just have the usual fools making twits of themselves in this thread…

I’m wondering if you should swear more in your posts to add extra intelligence… <deleted><deleted><deleted><deleted><deleted><deleted><deleted>. Gives us a far more interesting read than the rest of your ridiculous bumf !!!

You repeatedly highlight how minute your knowledge base is. He (GR) trained under Marco Pierre White, & has since trained numerous chefs…. He creates the dishes, the menus… Gordon Ramsay’s finger-print is all over his business (no pun intended)… Gordon Murray didn’t personally build the Mclaren F1…,

I wouldn’t worry about it. Plenty of ppl refuse to pay for seats, there will be plenty of choice. As above, wait for online check in.

When your handle is ‘Zion’ it invites comments in the same manner as ‘Mustafa Muslim’… Harri Hindi’…. ‘Catholic Carl’ or ‘Buddhist Bill’…. If you wanted to avoid religion you’d just call yourself ‘Bob’… So, don’t play the victim card on back of your deliberate trigger.

Well done…. You’ve moved up to a brown belt in ‘keyboard tough-guy’…. ⌨️???????????????? You’d punch GR for yelling at you ????????????????????????

You’d better patent that name quickly… it’s a good name & perfect for a Ramsay chain !

Diving at night on Thailands inter provincial roads - a complete no-no IMO. Did the pickup have lights on at all ? Was it really indicating when it had stopped in the middle of the rd to turn right ? Driver of sedan car didn’t see the stopped pickup, much windscreen tint ?

I think you’re about to receive a load of messages from ppl volunteering to be a house mate !!!

For decades, the kra-Canal project has been floated & rejected.., https://shippingtelegraph.com/port-news/to-dig-or-not-to-dig-the-dilemmas-surrounding-thailands-mega-canal/ I wonder if this land bridge project is someone’s last ditch attempt to ‘profit’… oh… cynical I am !!! Perhaps there would be fuel savings, but offset by transport costs. Time savings ?… how much time ? Unload from ship, load onto train or lorry, travel 50-100km (long bridge) l, unload from train / lorry, load onto new ship… The Kra-canal project seems more logical if it weren’t for the geopolitics.

Because we live here! How many people come to Bangkok just for tailored shirts? You missed the point… Many tourists pick up a suit / shirts etc when here. It used to be because of the savings on setting tailored clothes. But, if the cost of a tailored shirt here is the same as that in Europe, then why bother, especially if it eats into ‘holiday time’. Perhaps the ‘fun’ of getting your own tailored shirts is part of the holiday. Or, perhaps more likely, tourists would never consider going to a tailor in their home country anyway.

It upsets people who’ve made difference choices based on financial constraints - however, the above is the brutal reality. It’s either a good int’l school here, or a school in our (Western) home nation. & to add to the Ops point - not everyone married an uneducated farm girl & there are plenty of Thai females educated overseas or at top Thai schools that Westerners date & marry. The Op has based his opening comments on his own limited experience.

Shirts ok… because they do a decent job… but now that prices are higher, then agreed, there’s little point. & for suits, unless you’re a weird shape, then a decent off the rack suit is nearly always better than the tailors we see in Thailand (IMO).

Very true, although perhaps not McD or BK… but I definitely crave a good burger after a while, as do many others, hence, the ‘best burger in…’ threads…. When back in the Uk I also crave good Thai food.., When in Thailand I often crave a good curry, good sashimi, a good steak&ale pie, raviloi, Shabu, good Thai seafood etc etc Variety at a reasonable price is what makes Thailand awesome. & yes, occasionally a BK will hit the spot !!!!

He didn’t he’s just trolling with his usual anti-Brit BS…. He can’t help himself.

In any good international restaurant in BKK (at least) there is a fairly even mixture of foreigners and Thais. Places such as El Mercado, Helena, Cocotte, Kai & loads more… Even places with good Pub-grub such as the Londoner attract a lot of Thai customers…