London Lowf

Brandenburg 1-6 is the only classical music that I have ever purchased and it is mesmerising, especially #4. It was on Deutsche Grammaphon but I can't remember the conductor. I like to think that I have a very logical and mathematical mind (I was an accountant) and I believe that is why I click with J S Bach. Some may argue, but I think that Aphex Twin/Richard D James shows a similar genius.

In UK regional banks it is a hassle to get hold of more than about £2,000 (+/-B85,000) - the teller has a little drawer with a few notes and anything more they have to go to the back room or you have to order it and come back the next day if you want clean £50s. The small-town bank that I use on Phuket has piles of the stuff, easily visible, and large withdrawals on a credit card (I pay my rent a year at a time) create no fuss at all.

Looking at the amount of large-scale construction in that area I suppose the local grid needs a serious upgrade. Some serious money being invested around there where before it was just small stuff.

I don't have much to contribute as all this talk of TSH, T4 and T3 is gobbledygook to me. However, I had a total laryngectomy fourteen years ago after failed chemo/radio treatment for throat cancer. If I remember correctly I was started on 100mcg levthyroxine a day which was then increased to 125mcg and then lowered to 112.5mcg a day which I have been on for many years. I have comprehensive blood tests every six months. I am 173cm and 70 years old. When I am at home in the UK I really enjoy my food and I maintain 60/61kg (the same as I was at age 18) but at the end of my three-month stints in Thailand I have always dropped to 56/57kg - I find that Thai food and the relentless hot weather in Phuket kill my appetite. I no longer go to the gym or ride a mountain bike but I try to walk as much as possible. I agree that the OP just needs to find his right dosage - good luck. PS: Yes, the availability of only 100mcg and 50mcg pills in Thailand is a nuisance on the rare ocassions that I have to top up over there, but in the UK it's not much better with just 100/50/25 and so I have to alternate 100/125 daily doses.

Great photos and some good memories for you. You've made the start of 2024 a joy!

A Happy New Year to you! I always enjoy reading of your exploits and your enduring positivity - in stark contrast to some of the shenanigans around the world.

You are obviously not familiar with the area or the exact location of the checkpoint whereas I ride through it 5/6 nights a week - those with local knowledge will probably agree with me. Happy New Year!

In the last year or so they have set up a checkpoint on Beach Road Patong almost every night - smart, as there is no way to avoid it. Before that they used to operate on the second road back, which was easily circumvented.

A few years ago I was pulled over at a road block - I would have been a bit over the limit. "You drink?" "Just some beer" "You drink whisky?" "No, just beer" He waved me through.

This is a good point - so many guys think that every bar girl is a hooker but the experienced hustlers can make as much from ladydrinks as they would on short-times. They may occasionally go with a punter if they were attracted to him to a degree. I spend a lot of time people-watching on Bangla and would judge that, on any given night, less than one in fifty bargirls (as opposed to streetwalkers) are bar-fined and that the majority never have been.

Well, it's been 48 minutes and no-one is arguing with you!

It’s always good to read your contributions Xylophone and I’m glad to see that you are still getting out and about – a while ago it seemed that you had totally lost interest. I agree that this thread has perhaps outlived its title – as far as I can see, and judging by the traffic and parking, Patong (or at least Bangla) is recovering quite well from the Covid disaster with one notable exception – that new Tiger bar complex looks like a bit of a white elephant, and I have never seen it at anything approaching busy. A totally pointless rebuild as far as I can see. I did have one rather distasteful incident on Bangla just before I came home. I lady-drinked a girl (a very rare event as I think the whole thing is a con and I prefer to simply give the girl a B100 tip, but there was something about her aura and mannerisms that I found very endearing) and she was also serving a young falang couple at a nearby table. She went to get them a second round of drinks and they did as runner and, as a result, she was responsible for their tab. This was under the nose of the “guard” employed by the bar. This is a disgusting practice by the management and would not be allowed in my civilised country. I played the white man and picked up the tab and luckily it was only B400, but that would have been a big hit for a girl that has to commute every day from Phuket Town as she cannot afford to live closer. This was at a very successful and profitable bar – in fact one of a pair in the centre of Bangla and under the same ownership as an oft-mentioned restaurant down on the beach. I used to drink in one or other of these bars five or six nights a week, but no more. My boycott is of course futile, particularly in peak season, but I feel that it’s the right thing to do. Sadly, I suspect that this practice of punishing the staff for dishonesty of customers is probably the norm. I am back in the UK for a few weeks and glad to escape Phuket for the peak season but, after only a week back here, I am missing the good weather and daily scooter rides.

I agree with this - if you can afford it. I've worked in South Africa, Cameroon, Caribbean and Poland and would not consider retiring to any of them. Now that I'm retired I considered Thailand but there are too many drawbacks because of my health needs so now I think that I am in the perfect situation. I rent by the year on Phuket and spend eight months a year there - the rest of the year, mainly during the summer, I spend in the UK.

Confusing thread - I always thought that S.A. was South Africa.

Not sure what happened there -posted four times.

Laguna Phuket is pretty close to what you are looking for, but expensive. No locals apart from workers and no through traffic - it's close to being a gated community. Alternatively, there are some Rusasian-funded major developments in various stages of completion just down the road in Layan - search "Sunshine Beach Resort Phuket" and "La Green Hotel and Residence Phuket" * Most Russians are okay, especially the ones with money, and they generally like to keep themselves to themselves - I have a couple next door and they are fine.

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I use a local one as my head is pretty worthless - B1,850 if I remember correctly. It is very heavy when I pick it up but once on it's unnoticable and I have a very weak neck following surgery.

Daytime: Magnum White Almond - if possible I get one every day on the way to the beach and never get sick of them because they often run out. Late night (after beers): Spaghetti in white sauce from 7-11, or their Black Forest Gateau drenched in Carnation. I'm not keen on most Thai food

Single vision or varifocals? I walked into my patio door and broke my frame and needed a new pair a couple of months ago but, because they are varifocals, Top Charoen had to send the frames to Germany for glazing - it was very expensive but only took nine days. In the meantime I bought a pair of B159 single vision from 7-11 which were fine for distance and got me by.

You write in the past tense - when was it that you stayed in Chalong.

As a primarily ex-pat/tourist forum we naturally focus on how it effects us, but I wonder about the locals. I know that many of the Patong bar workers live in Phuket Town because they cannot afford to live in Patong, or even Kathu. I would imagine that the above-mentioned condo was rented to a Thai at 5/6,000 a year ago - it must be hitting them hard and they cannot afford these new prices.

I apologise if this has been covered before. I have just applied for a TR60 for my trip in January and the following are no longer required:- Proof of funds, such as bank statement. ID of the person inviting you. Copies of your passport stamps for the last 12 months. The web site still has a glitch in that you try to save a page but it won't - you then scroll back up to discover that a couple of fields have appeared that weren't there on the first pass. Progress!

I've never stayed there but know the location well as I ride along that road to get to Nai Yang beach a couple of times a week - there are a few similar small independant rentals along that stretch. There are some small shops and restaurants within walking distance but it is a long walk to the beach or town for major shopping, albeit quick and easily doable on a scooter or even a pushbike. Looking at the reviews it is a cute place and well-regarded. It is on a main road but don't let that put you off - it doesn't have heavy traffic, just a small proportion of the airport runs (staff and passengers). Very little heavy or noisy stuff, especially at night. If you are happy with the price and location then I would go for it.