lawley

Hi,  I have a beautiful 2bed 2bath as new condo in Pratamnyuk/cosy beach area of Pattaya. Beautiful uninterrupted 180deg sea views from large balcony, quality Italian furnishings. I could possibly consider a short term lease of four months following communication with you. 

Hi,  I don't normally post as I just like to keep informed of that which may be going on in Thailand. I have traveled a little in Vietnam and possibly my favourite location was Dalat. A very nice City/Town up in the mountains South central Vietnam. Has a mild temperate climate, and some lovely attractions which include a magnificent Buddhist monastery about 5 mins out of town set alongside a beautiful large lake/reservoir and pine forest. Lovely buildings, temples and gardens. Very tranquil. Dalat is inland from Na Trang and an easy half day travel.

I rode a small scooter  (125cc) around Vietnam and was very impressed with how clean the country was, hardly saw any rubbish at all along the side of the many roads I traveled. Accommodation was very cheap. 

The International Driving Permit is not officially recognised in Vietnam. I like to carry a valid one though, along with an expired Australian D/L (also do this in Thailand). So long as they see your picture on an official looking document, there happy. A buddy and I hired 135cc scooters in Saigon (HMC) and rode up to Dalat, then across to Natrang, and in a round about way, made our way back to Saigon (covered 2500k's). A great experience, and looking forward to returning to do a ride out of Hanoi. We found very few Vietnamese spoke English once out of Saigon, though in the major centres those working in hotels and business houses generally new enough to get by. Hotels were definitely cheaper than Thailand. I'm also confident of a dual pricing system, especially on petrol. They simply add a zero to the price on the pump. It generally cost around 6000 VND to fill the bike, but at every place we stopped for fuel, whatever the pump price, a zero was added, so 6000VND became 60,000, hence petrol is rather expensive. Very impressed with the countryside. Hardly spotted any rubbish on the side of the road, wherever we travelled. Size matters on the roads in VN. On a bike, you simply don't rate and they will not think twice about pushing you off the road.

Going around topless, ie without a shirt in public is quite simply low class. The same as walking into a shop with bare feet, be it burger king, a supermarket or any such public place is not acceptable. unless you are at a swimming pool, beach or the like, most people raised with reasonable standards would simply not consider it. It is something that is unfortunately becoming more frequent in Aus., and with silly tv shows these days glamourizing BOGANS, it's little wonder. You either have class or you don't.

Hi, I read other members comments about not utilising a personal trainer and just going it alone. As someone who has been weight training for over 30 years, whom has competed successfully in body building and power lifting, been an Aust. national bodybuilding judge and a personal trainer, I have a different viewpoint. Personal trainers seem to be everywhere these days and it can be a good income source for people with limited knowledge, training and life experience. Finding a good personal trainer can be rather difficult, especially for somebody with little exposure to the gym and fitness scene, those actual people that require a personal trainer. However, a good experienced personal trainer can be very beneficial at times, and not just for the novice trainer. With my years of experience, I am still learning little things and training tips here and there. For yourself, new to the gym scene, I would recommend a personal trainer for a short period of time. A couple of sessions a week over a two month period should be enough to set you on the right track to training with correct form and help you with structuring a program suitable for your own specific goals and body type. We are all different, and so require our own individual excercise program designed specifically with our goals, body type and any possible physical limitations in mind. A good personal trainer should sit down with you and design your individual program around these parameters.

I am constantly astounded at the poor form and ridiculous excercises I see being performed in various gyms these days. People have lost the idea of basic excercise form and function. Funnily enough, personal trainers are largely responsible for this as they feel the need to come up with something different, some novel approach which either gives them a point of difference or maybe to keep their clients from becoming bored or stale. Naturally personal training is there business, their lifestyle so they want to hang on to (ie. milk) their clients for all they can. Having said that, I would still recommend a trainer to get you started on the right path, just ask them to verify their accreditation's and more importantly experience before choosing your trainer.