xylophone

So no good for phone calls and the Vax form..........jeez it must be poor!! Will stay with my Nokia Flip phone then, till things change.

Thanks for the feedback Chris, however I don't want to run anything on it, although the OP may be different, but judging by his posts his needs aren't that much different to mine. As I said I don't want to run anything on it, I want to be able to make phone calls and receive them, as well as send an SMS or two.......oh and have the vaccination stuff on it. Also of course it is small. That's it........so do you think it will cope?

I recently posted on a similar thread with regards to buying a smart phone, which I have never needed, but MAY need with all of this Covid/re-entry paraphernalia going on, and I got a few good replies, including a PM from a poster who gave me some good information with regards to my needs. I had let this fade into the background until yesterday when a friend of mine who was waxing lyrical about his second-hand iPhone kept saying to me that I should get one, because I can watch YouTube on it – – I told him I never watch YouTube. He then suggested that I can plug earphones into it and listen to it, something I told him that I don't want to do. I told him that I have my computer at home and I answer my emails in the morning and sometimes later in the afternoon, and that's all I want, because I don't want them following me around. However he couldn't understand that because he is tapping away all of the time, and always complaining about being stressed out – – I wonder why. Getting back on track, I did look at a smartphone or two and I don't want a large beast to carry around, and the smallest I could see which MAY be of interest to me would be the Samsung J2 (which I believe is still available) and the Apple SE (the smaller one). It would be used only as a phone and I don't want any other apps on it apart from those applicable to Covid and immigration. Perhaps the OP would like to look at the Samsung J2 as an option.

Who said anything about "economising"? As I said I don't want to spend a fortune, and I know you can spend 30,000+ baht on a helmet, but I'm not prepared to do that and something which is functional and has been tested by one or another testing organisations would suit me fine. So less of the "jumping to conclusions" please, and I find your post insulting, and for what it's worth I wouldn't buy some of the rubbish I see on the shelves, or other folks wearing for that matter. I've seen how much damage can be done in a motorcycle crash, having helped a friend of mine when he crashed his 650 AJS into a lamppost, and unfortunately his girlfriend slid along the road on her face and the damage done to it was awful. That's why I will be getting a fullface helmet and travelling at around 30 kph I doubt whether I will suffer the same fate.

I have had an INDEX full face helmet for years and it is time for a new one. I don't want to spend a fortune, but just want something which is functional for me, as I would only travel about 5 km per day on my little Honda 110cc scooter, and would rarely go above 35 km/h, if that (I also have a car so they have a split use). The store I have just been to in Patong hasn't got much of a choice, so I may go into Phuket town tomorrow and have a look, so any suggestions on a reasonable helmet at a reasonable price?

I also believe the synchromesh was faulty in the early Minis (1959) and this was rectified when the 62/63 models came out. I say this because my gearbox failed completely, and whatever synchromesh was in it, just wasn't working, and as I recall, getting into third gear was the big problem – – crunch, grind etc. Luckily I had a friend who had his own little garage repair/workshop, so it was fixed for me for the grand price of £32! Apart from that and being an absolute rust bucket which had more filler in it than you could buy in Halford's, the later Minis I thought were good.

As Kwasaki has mentioned, I thought the Rover 3500, the one with the long sloping back and the previous one to it, were good cars and didn't seem to have problems with rust. The mini of course was a revolution with its transverse engine, but I often used to wonder whether British car manufacturers would put a car into the marketplace without thoroughly investigating it and its potential faults? I say this because the early minis had gearbox problems where the synchromesh would fail; the subframes were not undersealed, and would rot away in no time at all, and the brake adjusters quickly rusted into position, which made them unusable. The flimsy window mechanisms and the "felt" which acted as a sealer of sorts, soon fell apart, to name but a few poor design problems. At one time I drove a Morris Marina, and bits kept dropping off of it, especially the exhaust pipe, and a friend who owned an Austin Allegro was very surprised one day when driving to work with his new car, when the stub axle snapped, leaving him stranded. Apparently this was not unusual for this car? I bought an Austin 1500 Maxi and thought it was a lovely car with its hydrolastic suspension, although the gearlever had plenty of travel space, and IMO the Austin and Morris 1100 and 1300 cars were probably the pick of the bunch with their handling and suspension. I had my share of BL cars over the years and the last one I had before I emigrated, was the Vauxhall Cavalier 2 L and I thought that was a great car, sturdy, comfortable and fast. Back on topic, the MG badge/brand will be etched in the memories of many Brits, so I think the Chinese are onto a winner provided they can keep the quality up, and from what I've seen, they have.

Yes, management and the design folk/engineers have to take a lot of the blame for producing some absolute dogs of cars, and I drove a few, and it's no wonder the company went out of business. Having said that above, there was something strange about the MG badge/brand, because it was held in high esteem and above just about all of the other cars which BL made, and the MGB was a very popular car in its time, however it didn't appeal to me because of the limited leg room and the handling wasn't brilliant, and of course it was prone to rust. Despite all of that, any car with an MG badge on it was seen to be a cut above the company who actually manufactured it/them! PS. On the subject of engineering, I also owned a Triumph TR4A IRS at one time, and although it was a stunning looking car in my opinion, it really was a terrible car for road holding/handling, and I used to think that the IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) meant that the suspension was independent of the car itself, because that's the way it handled!

That is so sad MK, and I hear similar reports from friends of mine still in NZ. When I left 15 years ago it was still an okay country, however I needed to go somewhere where it was warmer all year round and where I would be away from the stress of corporate life, which I couldn't seem to get out of in NZ, because it was aggravating my reflux and Barrett's oesophagus. It worked and I'm now pretty well stress free and the condition has cleared, but I did harbour hopes of perhaps going back there at some time if I had to – – but now?? Despite the useless government here, and the pitiful state that I see some of the poor Thai folk in, I can't see myself moving elsewhere unless I really have to, and then it could well be Malta, Crete and I did even think of Rarotonga! Anyway thank you for the offer of a beer in Nangrong, and if I'm up that way, which is highly unlikely, I'll keep you in mind. All the very best to you and your family.

Yep.....can run the aircon unit on the "dehumidifier" setting and that may also help.

Taipan is open, but as of a few days ago neither Hollywood nor Illuzion were open..........

Yes, lovely Port so always in the frame for me!

Almost like a Jekyll and Hyde performance, compared to last week when United were a complete shambles, however this week they looked much more composed and incisive, however it has to be said that Spurs were dreadful. There's an old saying which goes along the lines of, "you can only play as well as the opposition will allow you" and I did think that could have been the case last week, however looking at some of the performances from the United players then, that wasn't the reason, because they were truly dreadful. Perhaps this will buy OGS sometime, and give the United chiefs time to look at a replacement, which they surely need to do. Will be interesting to see how they go against Atalanta.

Yes I did thanks VN and I thought it was good, if a little hard to follow, but the new one really didn't do it for me I'm afraid. BUT I will still give part 2 a go when it is out. Thanks.

I watched the new Hugh Jackman film last night, "Reminiscence", which also starred the mumbler, Rebecca Ferguson, and IMO it was a mishmash of a film which wasn't that easy to follow, and I was tempted to switch it off about half way through, but as I had nothing else to watch, I saw it out – – regretfully as its time I will never get back in my life. I do mourn the dearth of good films these days, and as I said previously I didn't think "Dune" really hit the mark, but thankfully folks on here have recommended a few goodies, and I really liked, "Old Henry" and particularly "Touching the Void", which although a few years old, was quite brilliant. Back on to Hugh Jackman, and I really did like, "The Greatest Showman" although I don't usually like "musical" types of movies and really don't watch them, but this was an exception. So my go to place for movie recommendations is this thread. Thank you to all the contributors!

So sorry to hear that Mike Kiwi, as I often have thoughts of returning to Godzone, but then sanity prevails and I remember my last visit back a few years ago and it was not the same place I left, but I consoled myself with the fact that everything changes so I could get used to it. Now I get reports from friends in NZ, as well as reading the NZ Herald, and the country is being ruined, more so by the current Labour government than anything else and I just can't believe that it is going so far left, and a cartoon I saw just a short while ago summed it up and it went something like this: – "Advice to children. Work hard and long and pay your taxes......so that the government can pay the beneficiaries more". There has always been class of people in NZ who just do not want to work and previous governments have always been too soft on them, but this one seems to have taken it to the extreme. I also noticed on my last visit how prices had skyrocketed, and especially those of houses, so people trying to get on the housing ladder with their first house, are pretty well stuffed. I've been here now for 15 years, so will probably see out my time here, because despite all of my grumbles, life isn't so bad here, and my plan B of returning to NZ, seems to have fallen by the wayside. Good luck with your move back here, and at least you tried, and that's all one can ask.

Sums it up for me........

Indeed there are, and I have experienced a few of them, for example Libya at the time of the Gadhafi revolution which left the country in a bit of a state, although it wasn't that bad, but working in the Sahara desert a few years later after the oil company had been taken over by Libyan entity, was no fun at all. Add to that, getting a loaded pistol pressed against my head by an irate Libyan soldier, and I thought my life would end at that particular moment, only to be marched outside with about six other guys and lined up against the wall by soldiers carrying rifles – and that's when I did think I was out of here, but no, still here Then there was Nigeria at the end of the Biafran war which was an absolute pigsty, and when we ran out of food on the rig we were eating the fish we caught, some of which were awful, only to get the delivery of food thrown on the back of supply boat and covered in a canvas, and being at sea in that heat for a number of days, so you can imagine the state of the food. There was some meat which was supposedly "steak" but looked nothing like a steak at all of any description, and the meat was strange and sort of stringy, and when I commented on the fact that it looked nothing like any piece of meat I had ever seen, the suggestion was made that we were eating the locals who had died when the government starved out the south-eastern state, and I wouldn't have put it past them, because the place was a complete and utter nightmare. I've got loads of escapades in my travels, including working on a construction platform offshore Norway in the freezing cold, where the ice froze on the side of the rig making it lean to one side, which was quite nerve wracking when the wind got up and made the thing sway. Often thought about writing a book, and maybe I'll get round to it, but then again there would be lots of these sort of tomes out there I suppose, so maybe I'll give it a miss and concentrate on my red wine!

OOPS....could be another DeLorean in the making!!!!!!

You make some very good points and I would like to add to them......... When I was old enough to ride a big motorbike, I bought a Triumph 3T twin and sitting alongside of a couple of friends and their brand-new Honda 250 cc bikes, I noticed the difference, whereas mine was prone to oil leaks, rattled all the time and sent out the occasional puff of smoke, they were sitting on two lovely/immaculate motorbikes that sounded like sewing machines with not a trace of oil anywhere. That was the start of the Japanese invasion of the motorbikes and they left the British motorbike industry in their wake. Having said that, they were often ridiculed saying that they wouldn't last and so on, and yet not more than a couple of months ago I saw one of the originals here in Thailand, and was tempted to go and ask if I could buy it, just for nostalgic reasons! Now look at Honda – – enough said. If the Chinese have done what the Japanese did after World War II, then look out because the quality of the goods will become better and better, following the lines of what Dr Edwards Deming did for the Japanese industry, one of the processes he helped implement being "Quality Circles". I suggest folks look that up because it was so stunningly different to the way that the British manufactured their cars and motorbikes. In a nutshell, small groups of folk on the production line from top to bottom would have regular meetings to discuss how they could each improve an aspect of what they were doing, in order to make the production process run more smoothly, more quickly and be more cost-effective. Of course this was tantamount to treason for the designers and engineers in the British industry, because they decided what happened and really didn't listen to much which came back off the shop floor. Some British companies said that they were following this process, but weren't and as a prime example, I was working for Rank Xerox in the UK when they started manufacturing small copiers in a factory in Wales, and as I was then climbing up the management ladder I was invited along to see what they were doing and despite them lauding the fact that they followed the "quality circles" mantra, their idea of it was so totally different. As an example, whenever a copier got to the end of the conveyor belt production line and was tested, and failed, it then went on to another conveyor belt which send it along to another group of engineers who endeavoured to fix it, before being put back on the main production line for testing again, and so on. Nowhere on that production line was there anywhere which allowed for the individuals to be able to have input into the process, so the old British way of doing things, still reigned supreme, and it's no wonder it folded after just a few years because it became too expensive to produce there. The Chinese are totally capable of producing quality goods, and their bad rap possibly comes from the fact that whenever production costs became prohibitive/high in the Western world, they moved production over to China because it was cheaper, hence the "Chinese cheap goods" label I believe. Notwithstanding the fact that the Chinese were often using the same technology/designs which were developed by the OEM.

On that note, if I only want it for the vaccination app or similar, surely I won't have to have access to my email, or will I?

You make an interesting point, because I have an old Nokia flip phone, and I love it to pieces – – small, easy to handle, easy to read and I have gotten used to the "candy bar" keyboard. I use it for phone calls and SMS messages and that's it, whereas my laptop sits at home and handles all of my emails and everything else, and I don't want my emails and all of the other rubbish following me around on a smart phone. That being the case I really don't want a smart phone BUT I'm wondering if I could buy a cheap smart phone (keeping my little Nokia) and not bother to download all of the apps like Facebook, Line, Google or whatever else one puts on them and just use it for the app which one has to use when coming back into Thailand. Trying to think this through, I suppose I would have to have another phone number for this smart phone, which doesn't worry me because it would probably only be used in an emergency anyway or when coming back into the country and who knows when that will be! Then I could use the suggestion which "poohy" has posted? Sounds like a plan, but as am not going anywhere soon, maybe a plan for the future!

For me, Patong would be the "go to place" because it has opened up a lot more now and has the bars/café's operating as they used to, or should I say most of them are. At one end of Bangla there is Taipan, which has a DJ and a dance floor or two and rumour has it that even when everything else closes, behind their closed doors, the party continues? Then you have Red Hot which has a live band playing all night and very good they are too, and in front of the band there is a small dance area and plenty of room for sitting and enjoying a drink and it is one of my favourite places. Then a little further down towards the sea there is New York which is a bar with a live band and a little dance area, and almost next door is Sweeties bar which also has a live band, but not much room, if any, for dancing. If you want a snack/food you can get that in the Blue Lotus café/bar (formerly Smiley Bar) and it is cheap and tasty, so you can eat it whilst watching the world go by and also enjoying a drink. Going down on the right-hand side there is Bar Funk which has a DJ and plays non-stop music and there is an area for dancing and a few large bar areas. On the beach road, Molly Malone's pub/café is now open and has three musicians playing in it, although I haven't been there for many years, so I can't comment on what it's like, although I do know the guitarist is excellent. I may have missed other attractions, however I doubt that many other places could match the varied entertainment which Bangla, even now, offers.

The good looking one!!

Following that line of thought, and sad that I have to say this, but I hope Spurs do win, because it should almost certainly result in OGS having to go, whereas a win for United would delay what should be painfully obvious. It wouldn't matter if United did lose, because they're not in the running for anything at the moment and it looks like they won't be either, so nothing lost in reality. In my mind, the main problem is picking a suitable manager and I don't know how much homework the other top teams had to put in to be able to snare Klopp, Tuchel and Pep, because they proved that the right managers are out there, it's just that United seem to be picking the wrong ones! I sincerely hope that work is being done behind the scenes to identify a suitable candidate, because if not we could be in the same position again. And I'm not sure that Brendan Rodgers is the right guy, or indeed I can't see any other manager in the league who would suit, so looking overseas is of prime importance I would think. Anyway, an interesting couple of weeks ahead for United and their supporters.